and zoey makes four!

At 3:59 am Thursday morning, the 8th of September (my due date was the 7th), we welcomed baby Zoey Elizabeth into the world.  She was born a tiny little thing at 6 lbs. 13 oz. and 19 in. long.  Labor was extremely quick and ended up being what I both feared and expected - happening in the middle of the night with hardly any warning at all.  Whereas with Elliott I labored peacefully at home for a good 20 hours before casually checking into Labor and Delivery, this time I went to bed with a crampy feeling and woke up an hour later with contractions right on top of each other.  (Still, me being me, I wasn't sure if I was in labor or just having really bad digestive cramps!)  Fortunately, my mom had been wonderful enough to take a few weeks off of work to stay with us just in case labor went really quickly and we needed someone to watch Elliott at the last minute.  That ominous feeling I had that things were going to move fast this time definitely paid off, and I was certainly relieved that I was leaving Ellie in capable hands as I rushed into the middle of the dark and stormy night to have a baby!

I broke down and called my OB at 12:30 am (thinking I would probably be sent home and ridiculed for mistaking gas pains for contractions), was checked into the hospital by 1:30 (my cervix measuring at a 2 and 1/2 cm), and about an hour later was at a 6 and 1/2 (OK, so it was the real deal!)  Since labor was flying, I decided I needed my epidural pronto, and it's a good thing I did; 5 minutes later my water broke and shortly after that I was at a 10!  The nurse had me waiting for my poor doctor to get there (he had to run a red light or two) so I could start the pushing phase, which lasted about 3 contractions.  And then, before we knew what hit us, we had our sweet new baby in our arms!

 

For the record, here is the last picture we took of my belly before I went into labor.  I felt like a overstuffed olive, but I'm happy to report that I only gained 21 lbs. total this time around, and was only 19 lbs. more by the time I gave birth (it's normal to lose some weight at the end):

My last belly shot, at just about 40 weeks

My parents and Elliott came to visit the next day, and Ryan spent as much time with us as he could, though he wasn't allowed to spend the night since I shared a room with someone.  Check out little Zoey in one of her rare moments of wakefulness.  She's not even one day old here and she's checking out my mom pretty intently:

My friend Lisa had made this adorable little crayon and paper satchel for Elliott.  I wanted to save it to give to her as a special gift for when she came to meet the baby.  She sure had a blast decorating herself and my sheets with her new stickers.  Lisa, we can't thank you enough!

I'm not sure what I think of Zoey yet, but I do love my present!

Zoey and I finally returned home on Saturday.  I remember in TX we were so pampered at Baylor that I really didn't want to leave; this time around, I was ready to get home, not only because the hospital was no luxury hotel serving up steak and lobster dinners, but because I missed Elliott so darn much.

All dressed up and ready to go home!

Here's a video of Elliott greeting Baby Zoey shortly after we walked into the apartment.  In her words - Oooh, so cute!

So far Zoey has been an absolute angel!  Then again, she's still in the sleep-all-day phase, so we'll just have to cross our fingers that when she finally wakes up she proves to be an easy baby (if she follows in her big sister's footsteps, we have a lot of crying and spit up to deal with in the near future.)  We're happy to report that she had her first pediatrician appointment today and everything looks great.  She's almost back up to her birth weight, and the nursing is going extremely well.  I'm also recovering much faster than I did with Elliott, and am feeling pretty good already - just a little sleep deprived!  (If I don't update the blog for a while, it's just because I'm taking a much needed nap instead...)

39 weeks gross | dinosaurs!

I'm 39 weeks along and feeling sooooo gross.  I managed to score myself a sweet sinus infection and am also undergoing a nasty resurgence of morning sickness.  As much as I wanted Zoey to come a bit early, now I'm just hoping she holds off until close to her due date so I can treat the infection that is really wearing me down and making me feel so awful.  Anyway, here's my latest picture.  I have completely given up on trying to look cute, and have settled for resembling an unamused sack of potatoes:

Just so this posting is not all grumbles, here is a video of Elliott playing with her brand new dinosaurs.  I was going to try to wait until the baby was born to give them to her, but I caved in after she kept asking me, "What's in the box, Mamma?" Unfortunately, the set doesn't include her favorite, the ankylosaurus, but she seems pretty pleased with these more "traditional" dinos nonetheless.

37 weeks

Only 3 weeks to go (or maybe a little sooner??)  So.  Hard.  To.  Breathe.  I feel really bad for people with asthma.

37 weeks and 20 lbs. heavier (last time I checked!)

farewell, harry potter!

This past weekend, my mom and dad were awesome enough to trek down to DC just so Ryan and I could go see the eighth and final Harry Potter movie.  For those who know me, you're probably aware that I have a wee bit of a Harry Potter obsession.  I was determined to see the last movie in theaters before it was "too late" (meaning, before I had a newborn strapped to my boob and was suffering from the kind of sleep deprivation which would make a movie date all but impossible.)  I was also determined that I would get through the entire movie without getting up to pee, which would be quite an amazing feat, considering I'm usually making a pit stop every 10-15 minutes these days.  I'm sure I was putting my body and the baby's at risk by barely drinking a thing all day, but it was a risk worth taking (and I'm happy to report that it worked.)  I couldn't bare to miss a single second of the Harry Potter grand finale!

 Three totally bad-ass wizards!

What an amazing time we had!  The movie was incredible (I'm lucky I have such a bad memory, because even though I had read the last book a few years back, it was almost like a brand new story to me.)  I even cried a bit, both because there are some really emotional components and because it was just so darn sad to finally let go of these characters who had been part of my life for 10 years or so.

After the show, Ryan and I went out to eat at a not-so-toddler-friendly restaurant, where we enjoyed some really tasty food, and then we proceeded to browse and laugh the evening away in a nearby bookstore.  It had been so long since our last date night, so we especially enjoyed our time together.  It also happens that our 3rd anniversary is coming up this week (while Ryan is away on business), so the timing was perfect for us to get out and celebrate the occasion.

Thanks Mom and Dad!  We love you and are so thankful for your help with the little girl.  I know she enjoys every second with her Gramma and "Top-pop"!

Oh, and here's a pic of Ellie and I from yesterday.  It's not a very good belly shot, but you get the idea.  I'm happy to report that I'm not growing much these days, even though I feel like a gazillion pounds...

With beautiful little Elliott, at about 35 weeks

busy as a bunch of bees

We've been somewhat MIA lately, and for good reason.  A few weeks ago we had some family visitors here in the form of Ryan's sister Becky and our ten year-old niece Skyler, who flew in from TX to see DC for the very first time.  Of course, it was hot as hell the entire time they were here, but who better to actually appreciate temperatures in the upper 90's/low 100's than two ladies who have been suffering in the Dallas heat all summer long?  Needless to say, I bailed out on a lot of the sightseeing, but Ryan took a few days off and he and the three ladies had a good time checking out the city together.  (I, on the other hand, enjoyed my air conditioned apartment sans toddler and watched far too many SuperNanny episodes.)  Here is the one picture I took during their visit.  At least it was a cute one!

A few days after Becky and Skyler took their leave, Ryan, Ellie, and I headed up to Princeton, NJ, and spent the week at a Hampton Inn (gotta love free hot breakfasts and a pool!)  Basically, Ryan had to monitor two training sites for his job, and Princeton was located about halfway between the two.  Since several of my friends and old coworkers - whom I never get to see on "normal" visits to my parents' house due to distance - still reside in the central Jersey area, I thought it would be fun to catch up with them and once again see the beautiful town of Princeton, where I lived for about a year.  All in all we had a marvelous (if not hot and tiring) time, and I'm really glad we went.  Of course, I barely took any pictures while on our adventures, but I did get a few cute ones of Elliott and a funny video of her dancing and singing in our hotel room.  As some of you may remember from this hilarious video, taken over a year ago...

... there's something about those mirrored doors at Hampton Inn that really bring out the ham in our little girl!

 One of her favorite pastimes at the hotel was checking out the "cool rocks."

Reading one of the books my thoughtful librarian friend Ann gave her

During our trip, I also managed to get a shot of my 33 week belly, which I feel is growing to enormous and uncomfortable proportions.  I'm still being told that I "barely look pregnant" by crazy friends and strangers alike; I wish I could say I feel that way, too.  (Oh, and a bit of good news on the Zoey front...she has officially flipped upside-down as of our 32 week appointment and is no longer breech, as she had been up to this point.  Yay!)

33 weeks along.  I've already grown out of my maternity shorts!

the big 200!

Apparently, this is our 200th post...yay for us!  If you are reading this, thanks for the ongoing love and support, and for giving us a reason to document our lives on here.

So, in order to balance out the incessant complaining I've been using this blog for, I will offer up some Elliott updates for family and friends (I know that's why you're really here!)  I'm enjoying my little tyke more and more every day.  I know the two's are supposed to be terrible, but really, I think they get a bad rap.  Despite some extra whining and a few insane meltdowns, the two's have been nothing short of awesome, and I find myself looking forward to all the new things Ellie is accomplishing by the day!

Here is a video of Elliott "reading" to herself, which I find her doing more and more often of late.  The librarian in me just swells with pride and happiness when I see Ellie enjoying books.  Plus, her cute little voice just makes me smile.  Of course, I understand every word she is saying (at one point in the course of her narration, that would be "no buttons, no buttons, no buttons...") but we'll have to see if anyone else has the same powers of translation as her astute mama!

The next video is from earlier today, when I caught her singing yet another of her little ditties.  Like I comment in the video, I swear she speaks English - and a lot of it, lately - but she still uses her special toddler language in many of the songs she makes up.  Of course, she's also an expert at the Alphabet Song, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Baa Baa Black Sheep, the Wheels on the Bus, and the Itsy Bitsy Spider, to name a few - and she's been working really hard on A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes and Edelweiss.  We'll see if we can ever capture these gems on video!

Finally, here are a few photos from this past week.  For a good part of it, we were in lovely Blacksburg, VA, the site of Ryan's Alma Mater (Virginia Tech), tagging along on a business trip.  It was tiring, but also a nice change of scenery.

 

Me and my girl, hanging out in Blacksburg.

I'm 31 weeks preggo here.

 Outside the public library in Blacksburg,
showing off a super cute outfit my mom gave her.

 

 This morning, donning yet another adorable Granny Middleton find.

Ryan (once again) did the pigtails!

30 weeks & so over it!

Let this post serve as a reminder to my future self to NOT GET PREGNANT EVER AGAIN!  Nature will trick you, make you forget.  Through some evil biological miracle, you will be deceived into believing your last two pregnancies were nothing but sunshine, rainbows, and dancing garden gnomes.  Or at the very least, you will be lulled into thinking that "this time around will be better."  If and when that time comes, Stephanie, read this post.  And then kick nature in the butt and just say no!

I won't go on to complain about every ailment that plagues me.  Let's just say it's no fun, and that the next 10 weeks can't go by fast enough.  I know, I know...then come the sleepless nights, the incessant crying, the constant feedings, and the hard work.  But let me tell you, that all seems like a walk in the park compared to what my body has been enduring for the last seven months.

Not that it's ALL bad.  It just mostly is.  I do rather enjoy my baby bump, which I fortunately wear pretty well and which also serves as a convenient device to draw grins and extra polite behavior from the strangers I encounter.  And of course feeling and watching Zoey move around in there is a blast, but mainly because it reminds me that one day I'll get to hold her in my arms and smother her with lurve.  That's right, lurve.  See, pregnancy also makes you crazy!

And let me state, for the record, that I do realize I am extremely fortunate to have, by all medical accounts to date, what has been deemed a healthy baby in there.  And that despite feeling more and more like a 90 year old man every day, I too am for the most part in good health.  It's just that it's very easy to forget sometimes when the list of gross symptoms you are experiencing just goes on, and on, and on...

Anyway, here's me a few days ago, at 30 weeks.  Don't let the smile fool you - I am not a happy camper!

 30 weeks and mustering a smile

tired & cranky

As much as this title could be applied to our little one, I'm talking about me here, people.  Just be forewarned, I need to vent.  But really, what pregnant woman with a two-year-old doesn't?

Some days I just feel so overwhelmed.  Like today.  Starting off the morning with a mini-pukefest thanks to morning sickness that's still around at 28 weeks definitely doesn't help.  Especially when your 25-month-old is simultaneously clinging to your leg and whining for you to read her a book.  This somewhat harrowing episode was followed by a crying tantrum over whether or not to have flakes in our cereal this morning.  Nothing could calm her down, so it was a grit-your-teeth and wait-it-out kind of meltdown.  Lovely!

Add to that the fact that the summer heat (and awful DC humidity) are starting to rear their ugly heads, and you've got one cranky mamma on your hands.  Zoey has already squished my lungs to the point where I'm constantly short of breath, and being outside in the heat just makes breathing more difficult.  (Not to mention the nasty sweating that already accompanies my pregnancies  Now that it's getting hot out,  I'm changing sweat-drenched clothes three times a day!) But who can stay indoors all day long with a squirmy toddler who just wants to run around and be free?  It's just not feasible, or fair, or healthy.  So outside we must venture.  All I keep thinking is, it's going to be a looooong summer!

But long summer or not, Zoey's arrival is quickly approaching.  In fact, we have less than 12 weeks now, should I make it to my due date of September 7th.  The reality of this is also starting to freak me out.  Feelings of inadequacy as a mother and wife are taking over, and I'm plagued by negative thoughts that keep creeping into my brain.  How am I going to juggle two kids when it's hard enough to deal with just one?  Is Elliott going to be OK with this huge change in her life?  Will my relationship with her weaken, as I find myself passing her off more and more to Ryan when I have to deal with the newborn?  Will I be as attached to Zoey as I am to Elliott, since I won't be able to give her the undivided attention I did with my firstborn?  Will Ryan and I ever have quality time together again, or will we become one of those couples who grows distant thanks to the many challenges of parenthood?

 28 weeks pregnant and counting.

Ellie is definitely fascinated by my growing belly!

It's true that I'm equally excited about the future and cannot wait to meet our little Zoey.  But lately the self-doubt has been kind of relentless.  In the old days, I would have harnessed all these feelings and written and recorded some sad, sappy song.  Or maybe I would have channeled them into a short story or poem.  But my creativity has waned big time since becoming a mom - yet another reason I feel so down lately.  I don't even have calluses on my fingers anymore, so playing the guitar literally hurts.  Writing is basically confined to sending emails and maintaining this blog (my so-called attempts at novel writing ceased somewhere around the 25 page mark, as soon as the morning sickness and fatigue of pregnancy set in.)

I don't even know what to do with the few hours of alone time I'm able to muster every couple of months.  Today, after witnessing a much needed crying spell of mine, Super-Ryan whisked Elliott out the door to give me some time to myself.  Grabbing a coffee and doughnut from Starbucks (too much caffeine and sugar, but it did feel good at the time!) and publicly complaining via my blog were all I could think of to do with my time.  I know this is a self-deprecating thing to say, but how lame is that?!

I'm going to call it quits before I get too carried away with the self-loathing.  And hey, let's look on the bright side - pregnancy is an emotional roller-coaster, so I'll undoubtedly be cheery again in no time.  I'll also leave you with a sweet (albeit random) video of Elliott counting.  I just love her little voice, and am so impressed that she can "fake it" up to the number 20 (on a good day.)  The teens usually sound something like "eh-teen, eh-teen, eh-teen..." but she almost always calls out "TWENTY!" in an overly joyous fashion.  Seriously, how can the mother of this adorable tot ever feel so down in the dumps?

a case of the nasties

I have been feeling sooooooo gross lately.  So gross!  I came down with a cold last Monday, and it was like a downward spiral of nastiness from there.  I know there are those stoic souls out there who shrug off the common cold as "just a cold," but I am a big baby and just can't handle the old rhinovirus with either grace or dignity.  I whine, I complain, I refuse to leave the house if at all possible, I relentlessly blow my nose to the point of rawness, and I pop cold meds around the clock to ease the annoying (and, dare I say, mildly debilitating) symptoms.  But I'm pregnant, so cross that last one out.  Instead I get to wallow in nastiness without the benefit of any medicinal relief, save a few Tylenol.  Woe is me!

I suffered all week trying to be a decent mom to Elliott in spite of my ickiness before Ryan finally had off on Friday, thus leaving me with a luxurious three days during which I could actually "get rest and drink plenty of fluids" - the so-called magic remedy for the cold, and one that most parents of toddlers can never actually enjoy. But thanks to Ryan's stellar fatherhood skills, I was able to stop worrying about my soon-to-be two-year-old and relax, setting up camp on our couch and watching crap TV for hours at a time.  By day two of project R&R, I was feeling almost back to normal!

 

Warning: project R&R can be dangerous in the presence of small children.

Ellie began to emulate me by crawling into my nest and vegging out like a little zombie.

So today, Mother's Day, I woke up with my cold symptoms completely gone, save some leftover snot that could also be attributed to my year-round allergies (I've concluded that I'm horribly allergic to Washington DC.  Damn you, foliage!)  However, I instead woke up feeling completely nauseated, and for the second time within the week, I ended up violently puking.  (Keep in mind that I am nearly 23 weeks pregnant - morning sickness is supposed to end by week 12 for like 99% of pregnant women.  Grrrrrr!)  I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head during the tumultuous vomit session.  They didn't, but a hundred little blood vessels popped all over my face after the incident, a frequent reaction whenever I throw up.

But I'm not complaining, not about the popped blood vessels, at least.  They are my reward, my silver lining.  I know this sounds bizarre, but to me, they resemble the cute little freckles I have always wanted and admired in others.  On the day of a barf-fest, I even go out into the world sans makeup (which is not something I'm normally confident enough to do, what with my sallow skin tone, acne pimples, and dark under-eye circles.)  I get to pretend, for a day or two at least, that I too am among the cute freckled folk, and I enjoy every minute of it!

 Look closely and you will see my so-called "freckles."

This time around I got a really good batch!

I'm probably not fooling anyone, but a girl can dream.  I mean come on, there's got to be some consolation, however delusional and weird, to having morning sickness this late into your pregnancy...right?

because i said i would

And, because I said I would post a picture and I don't like to go back on my word, here is little Zoey chillin' out in the womb last Friday:

Our 20 week old fetus, Zoey Elizabeth

it's a...

...GIRL!!!  OK, I am obviously excited, mainly because a) I can't imagine having grown up without the bond of sisterhood, and therefore want Ellie to experience the same, and b) we don't have to buy/beg for all new clothes, gear, toys, etc. to suit a boy.  Of course, Ryan and I would be thrilled to have a son for many other obvious reasons, but unless we adopt, I guess that's not in the cards for us.  There is no way I am ever going through pregnancy again, so two is our limit!  (Sorry, Grandparents.  Find me a surrogate and we'll talk!)

Yesterday we had a detailed ultrasound and the best outcome of all was finding out that the baby looks perfectly healthy.  I must say, she is a cute little thing already, and my heart just swelled when I saw her peacefully relaxing in my womb - despite the technician's attempts at moving her around by pushing down hard on my stomach. They didn't give me a CD of images, but if I get my act together I'll try to scan some of the pictures and share them.

We also have a name picked out, which we settled on a while back in case it was another girl: ZOEY ELIZABETH.  Despite the fact that we think it's just plain pretty, Elizabeth is also Ryan's dear grandmom's name, which lends it special significance.  And I also learned last night from my mother, whose name is "Vita" (meaning "life") that Zoey also means "life."  Mom was a little disappointed when she discovered we didn't pick the name for that reason, but I'm just thrilled because now there's yet another level of significance to the name.  And since Mom would absolutely kill me if I "cursed" our next born with the name Vita, Zoey is a pretty good substitute!

So, Zoey Elizabeth, we love you already and can't wait to meet you!  xoxo

for aunt kristen | almost halfway there!

A long time ago, my sister Kristen visited us and, being girls, we went shopping at the mall.  Kristen, though completely lacking in funds at the time, wanted to buy something special for "the love of her life," her little niece Elliott.  She ended up purchasing a few gifts for her, one of them being an adorable argyle sweater dress from Gymboree.  Ellie wore it for Thanksgiving this year (sadly, Kristen couldn't be there) and it was quite huge on her.  But just the other day, we opted to put on the dress instead of one of her usual pants and tee-shirt ensembles.  She was so thrilled to be wearing the dress "Kisten" gave her, and kept spinning around in the mirror and lifting it up to show us her belly button.  She even posed for a few shots.  So, Kristen, thanks again for the dress, and here are your pictures! (And let me thank Tim again for the awesome monster, featured below, that he made for Elliott when we lived in Texas.)

Part two of this post is a little pregnancy update.  I'm currently 19 weeks along - next week I'll officially be halfway through!  I feel pretty decent lately - still queasy, but I have drugs to keep the nausea and vomiting in check.  My energy is also a little low due to an under-active thyroid that my meds can't seem to keep up with, but other than that, all is well.  The baby is healthy according to blood tests and ultrasounds, and I feel it kicking a lot inside my rapidly growing belly, which makes the whole pregnancy all the more real.  Next week we should know if it's a boy or a girl, so you'd better vote if you haven't already!

My belly at 18 weeks

i love this girl! | prego pic

I just can't get enough of my Ellie lately.  I've always loved toddlers, but when it's your own kid, it's even more entertaining (and exhausting, if you want to get technical about it.)  Elliott - at just about 22 months - is learning more and more everyday, at what seems like an exponential rate.  She knows more words than I can count, has been putting tons of little phrases together, knows all of her letters, can count to ten, and well, is just about as sweet as can be (minus the occasional break-down.)  I'm so proud of my little smarty!

One of my favorite things about Elliott is how much she loves to sing.  It's almost always in her special made-up language, but she gets so into it and doesn't care who hears her (just ask random store clerks.)  Sometimes she tries to sing actual songs, and is quite good at filling in the last word to a musical phrase - a feat I am still trying to get on video.  Of course, along with the singing comes a lot of dancing.  She really enjoys tapping, spinning around, and general bouncing about, but now she also follows along to the words of songs she likes (something else I have yet to capture on video.)

She's also been more and more into reading, and what could make her librarian mama more proud than that?  She knows the lines to many of her books and always helps me fill in the blanks, which is just too adorable. Since she is so gentle with her books, we're graduating from board books and building up a collection of hardcover and paperbacks, which I think makes her feel like a big girl!

Here are some photos from the last few days of Elliott just being her cute self:

Showing off Mommy's rain boots to Granny and Grandpa on Skype

Another favorite past-time is smelling spices.

She got some on her mouth and nose this morning!

Cheese! Do I still have cinnamon on my face?

This next video was Ryan's idea.  He sat her down last night for a little talk, and mentioned how cute her head looked from across the table.  So we chatted today and I got it on video.  Of course, she isn't using any of her "real" words here, save a few, but I swear she does know some actual English!

 

And we can't forget about baby #2, sex still yet to be determined (that reminds me, I have to put up our poll.)  This was taken last week, so I was thirteen weeks pregnant.  I can't believe I already have such a tummy; I've already grown out of all but one pair of "normal" pants, and have been wearing maternity shirts for the last few weeks.  I'm officially in my second trimester now, so at least I feel like I have more of an excuse to go traipsing around in maternity clothes.  (Of course, it doesn't help that the only way to fend off the nausea is by eating.  Ha!)

13 weeks prego

texas sans mama

This is ridiculously late, but better now than never, right?  Ellie has been very demanding lately (we're finally entering our "terrible two's" stage) and I have still been feeling sick and fatigued, so blogging has sadly taken a backseat to mere survival!  Anyway, a few weeks ago, Ryan took Elliott to Texas, while I stayed behind to wallow in my grossness - I mean, to relax and enjoy some peace and quiet.  Flying was a bit of a challenge, as they had a layover each way that sort of put her over the edge.  But the vacation itself went really well, and Ellie and her daddy got to enjoy the company of family and a few friends (including a little visit with Elliott's first ever friend Ava, who you may remember from past blog posts.)  Here is a slideshow of photos from the trip, as well as some videos.  Enjoy!

  Elliott & cousin Skyler playing with the dogs

Dancing machine!

 Ava is only one month older, but listen to this little genius talk!

now for the big news...

Since I've already told most people who read this blog, I suppose there's no harm in divulging the big news here (even though I was determined to wait): I am 11 and a half weeks pregnant!!  Baby #2 is due on September 7, when Ellie will be two years and almost 4 months old. We are very, very excited, as this was something we were really hoping for. Today I saw the little guy (or gal) and he was rolling around, waving, stretching, sucking his thumb, etc.  Too bad Ryan couldn't be there to see the show!  At our next appointment, when I'm 16 weeks, we may even be able to tell if it's a boy or a girl; if not by then, we should know by 20 weeks when I get this super-cool ultrasound done.  I'll add the guess-which-gender poll ASAP so everyone can vote on what they think it is!

So, I've been feeling pretty awful, with unrelenting nausea that's been eating away at my very soul since I was 5 weeks along.  Please cross your fingers that I'm better once my first trimester ends.  I don't know how much more of the grossness I can take!  Still, seeing the baby today reassured me that it's all for a good reason.  I'm already in love and can't wait to meet my new peanut!

I also already have a belly.  It's sick.  I think I've been "showing" since the 6 week mark, but I don't know how much of it is bloating and how much is my uterus.  Her's proof.  This was taken at 9 weeks:

 I was only 9 weeks here - this is going to get ugly, people!

Ellie of course still has no idea what's going on, and that's just as well.  Maybe toward the very end she'll have some comprehension of what being a big sister will mean.  I'm sure she'll be confused by my big huge belly!  I look forward to sharing this experience with her and just know she'll make a fabulous big sis.

 

Little does she know what changes are in store!

(And thanks for the adorable shirt, Aunt Linda!)  

happy birthday, elliott rose!

On Tuesday, May 12, 2009 we welcomed our new baby girl to the world! Elliott Rose was born at 5:12pm (on 5/12 - cool, huh?), weighing in at 7 lbs. 3 oz. and 19 inches long. Labor and delivery went amazingly well, lasting only about 5 hours after we checked into the hospital that morning (no inducement necessary). Elliott arrived with a full head of dark brown hair (just like her mama did!), long eyelashes, blue-gray eyes, and a hearty cry! I am currently working on my detailed account of her arrival, since lots of friends and family have been curious of the big day's events. Of course, sleeping, feeding, and postpartum care are taking priority over long blog postings (and most everything else), for sure!


Here are the pictures from the first three days since Elliott's arrival:

And here are my before and after belly shots:

September, 2008

May, 2009

the real thing?

I may not need to be induced after all! Yesterday evening around 6:00pm I started getting contractions (ouch!) and since then they haven't let up. I somehow was able to sleep a little throughout the night, but when I woke up, they were even more intense (ouch, ouch!) and closer together (about 6 minutes.) I also finally lost my...well, I won't say the actual term for fear of grossing anyone out, but let's call it "Lucas Doug," which is at least a step in the right direction!

I've showered, packed, and am now just riding these darn things out until they are 5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute, for 1 hour. 5-1-1, that's the magic formula!

So, either way, on our own or with some help from Pitocin, Elliott will be here soooooooon!

40 week venting

Today, May 11, is the original due date, and Elliott doesn't feel like she's going anywhere any time soon. We had our fingers crossed on May 9 (her revised due date), then again on May 10 (maybe she'd be a Mother's Day baby!) and of course today. I would love her to be a DIY (do it yourself) baby, but even more would love her to be born, so when my doctor suggested last week that we induce this Wednesday, May 13, Ryan and I were on board. For one, I don't want to waste my 12 weeks of maternity leave waiting and waiting and waiting for Elliott, as I desperately need that time to care for her before going back to work. Secondly, I am in so much discomfort and I don't think I can take any more of these horrible aches, pains, and contractions without going insane, and thirdly, Elliott is fully developed and ready to go.

So tomorrow I'm supposed to go to the doctor and see if there have been any changes to my cervix (btw, the being 80% effaced thing I was told by the nurse who checked me in the hospital was not accurate; the doctor said last week I'm only about 25-30%.) If nothing's happening yet, then I go into the hospital overnight so they can start "ripening" my cervix (yum!) Then the next morning I start getting the Pitocin and labor begins!

Of course, now that the element of surprise is removed and I know exactly when I'm going into labor (unless of course something happens on its own accord between now and tomorrow) I am freaking out just a bit. I can't stop crying randomly and I'm super-emotional, and even though we're as ready as we can possibly be, I can't stop worrying that there's still more that needs to be done.

(Oh, and I have a 40 week belly photo to post, but the camera is packed in one of our hospital bags and I don't feel like getting it because it hurts to move. So I'll post it later when I get a burst of energy or when Ryan my poor man-servant comes home...)

39 weeks

So, I've officially stopped working and am playing the waiting game (very impatiently, mind you!) Every day I wake up and hope it's D-Day, but Elliott is apparently in no hurry to emerge (not that I can blame her. It's a big, bad world out here!) My Braxton-Hicks contractions are quite annoying, especially when they start getting close and I begin mentally counting, thinking they're the real thing.

As of last week's doctor's appointment, I had shed a few pounds, which is quite normal toward the end of pregnancy. I'm back to having gained about 30 lbs instead of 34, not that I can tell that much of a difference. Here's me last night, at 39 weeks. (Note our new awesome blue dresser, in which I can actually fit all my clothes!)

sunday night at the hospital

Phew, Sunday night (shortly after I posted on here about the nursery and told Elliott we were ready for her) Ryan and I ended up at the hospital, thinking I may have been in labor! I was having mild contractions for an hour or so, and they were about 6-8 minutes apart, but nothing I would call the doctor about. We decided to pack a few things into the hospital bag just in case, but apparently standing up was not the right thing for me to do. All the sudden, I started getting these AWFUL, debilitating back contractions - all I could do was drop to my hands and knees on the floor and try to breath, which was near impossible! Well, these continued about every 2 or 3 minutes, and I'm like, "What do we do?! This isn't normal!" So after about 5 of these insanely painful contractions, we finally decided to play it safe and head over to Labor and Delivery, which is fortunately just about 10 minutes down the road.

I had a few of the painful spasms on the way there, but by the time we got there, they had slowed significantly and weren't so painful. Still, the nurses wanted to check me so they showed us into a room, hooked me up to a fetal monitor and one that was timing my contractions, and did an exam. Turns out my cervix was about 80% effaced, 1 cm dilated, and Elliott's head had dropped significantly. Though by this time my contractions weren't regular or too strong, they wanted me to stay the night just to be safe. My doctor was scheduled for a c-section in the morning, so he would check on me then.

Am I in labor, or not??

The doctor came in around 7:00am. He said I wasn't quite the 1 cm dilated that the nurse had thought I was, but that the baby had definitely descended and her head is now super low and she's ready to go! He also thinks the back pains I was having were due to her being positioned against my spine (I've deduced that this does not bode well and that I may be in for some horrendous back labor, though I'm hoping that's not the case!)

I was released that morning and told to relax at home, take warm baths, and watch out for contractions that are regularly 5 minutes apart that last for 1 minute for 1 hour (5-1-1). So I'm trying to ignore my now sporadic Braxton-Hicks contractions and just wait patiently (ha!) for labor to really start. Tomorrow I go back for my weekly check-up, so we'll see if any more progress has been made! I will probably go back to work tomorrow, too, as long as he says it's ok, because who knows how long this waiting game will last?