Amelia's here!

I probably should post about my birth experience before posting about what a joy being a mom has been so far. I won't go in to a ton of detail, but here's the basic outline.

Because of pregnancy-induced hypertension, I was set to be induced on my due date. I called the hospital at 6am but was told inductions were being held off for a few hours due to how busy the hospital was at the time. We were given a time of 12:15 to arrive, so that's what we did. Just so happened that a couple from our childbirth class was waiting in the waiting room to be induced, too. Apparently they were at their doctor's appt and it was realized that their baby was way below what he should be size-wise and wasn't getting the nutrition that he should so they were sent over right then. She was due 2 days after me...they ended up having their baby 30 minutes after we had ours!

Anyway, I was checked but still at 2 (almost 3) centimeters. The Petocin was administered at 2pm on a very, very, very low dose of 2 miL/hour. The nurse only upped it by 2 every hour and a half or so and my contractions were nothing so D & I caught the Mariners game in its entirety and were able to watch them beat the Yankees! Finally, at 8:20pm when the Petocin was at 16 but I was only dilated to 3 my doctor came in and broke my bag of waters. The contractions started coming much more frequently and became very painful. I used the exercise ball a lot, tried a rocking chair, and tried to stand and "slow dance" with D for a while but the pain was really bad and I got very discouraged when, at 11:10 pm when the Petocin was up to 18 and the nurse checked me I was still only 4 centimeters. I asked for the epidural at 11:45 and by 11:50 the sweet anesthesiologist came in to administer it. She explained all the risks and benefits as well as exactly what she was doing when she did it. She told me to signal when I was getting a contraction and she'd stop what she was doing to let me breathe through it. The whole thing was painless and she did just the amount of doseage so that I could still have some movement in my legs but didn't feel the contractions anymore. When the time came, I was also able to feel the sensation to push. I fell asleep around 12:30pm and by 2:25pm I was fully dilated, fully effaced, and ready to push! I was so surprised and thrilled that I progressed 6 cm in just 2 hours...it didn't surprise me, though, that I wasn't relaxing the way I should have been during the contractions - I remember trying really hard but not being able to stop tensing up when they would come (when I felt them, that is). I pushed for a total of 1 hour, 20 minutes with 15 minutes of that time trying not to push while waiting for the doctor to show up.


Amelia was born at 3:52 am surrounded by both grandmas and two aunts (with grandparents, uncles, and cousins in the waiting room!). It was truly the most amazing experience. Hearing my husband and my sisters encourage me while I pushed and also tell me how beautiful she was (and how "tiny" she was!) before I could even see her was great motivation for me to finish the task at hand and get that baby out! I don't think there was a dry eye in that room by the time Amelia made her appearance. If there was, I don't want to know because I was a mess! They plopped her on my chest while they cleaned her up and I remember hearing her cry. Most of this experience felt like a dream and even looking back it seems that way. I know Amelia had the cord wrapped loosely around her neck when she first came out so after she was on my chest for a bit they took her over to the warmer and got her cleaned up and checked her vitals. I remember someone (my mom, maybe?) explaining to me what the doctor was doing as she prepared the cord blood donation kit. I also remember hearing the process of D cutting the cord and watched as he stamped Amelia's footprints in our baby book.


This is dragging out longer than I thought it would, but I didn't want to miss anything since I doubt I'd write out her whole birth story while it was fresh in my memory.

We were moved to the mom and baby unit shortly after Amelia was born and we stayed there until 11am on Saturday. The nurse we had most of the time in there was really awesome. On Friday night we sent Amelia to the nursery around 11:50 and they didn't bring her in to be fed until around 3:30. Even then, she slept for over an hour after we got her back before wanting to be fed. To this day that stretch of sleep is the longest I've gotten since her birth. The food in the hospital was yummy! In the labor & delivery section they had an entire snack room for the fathers-to-be with everything free of charge (really - they don't track it). They had a fridge full of sandwiches, salads, pudding, Jello, etc and a freezer with ice cream, popsicles and the like. They also had an assortment of Kettle chips and granola bars. D took full advantage of the food while I was in labor and then afterward when I was in recovery. It was so nice because I was fed steak salad for lunch and salmon for dinner! And when I wanted a snack, D ran and got it from the little kitchen. When we left, the hospital gave us a really nice SwaddleMe with the hospital's logo on it. What a sweet replacement for tshirts emblazoned with the hospital's name!


Wow this is dragging. Sorry!

Recovering from the birthing experience is harder than I thought it would be, but I'm doing okay. I'm so thankful for my family being in town this weekend to help with the baby and the house. It was really fun to come home from the hospital to a house full of some of my favorite people. Saturday night was rough. We had some feeding issues and I got really discouraged. But today Amelia is doing so much better and I don't feel like such a bad mom! My parents graciously offered to keep Amelia in their room on Saturday night for a couple of hours so that D & I could get some sleep. Exactly 2 hours after they had her I woke up with a start and had D go grab her...I felt bad for not having her with us and instead sleep depriving my parents.

I called the on-call nurse for our pediatrician's office tonight with some general questions that had me concerned. She was really sweet and explained everything well, but at the end I said "So pretty much I just need to wait for my milk to come in", to which she replied "Exactly". So, that will be a joyous event here in this house. No more hungry baby.

I'm still having hypertension issues. My swelling in my feet is getting worse and my bp is still pretty high. I need to call my doctor tomorrow...this swelling business was supposed to go away after pregnancy!

Oh, we went to my in-laws' house on Saturday for the 4th of July so I got to dress Amelia up in a patriotic outfit. The hairbow was made by a very special friend (if you remember that post), the bracelet was made by another friend, and the outfit was bought by yet another friend when she found out we were pregnant. It came together nicely! The dinner with mine and D's family went really well and was fun but I was exhausted by the end.


I really have to get going even though I have a LOT more to say. Amelia is sleeping on D's chest while he plays Call of Duty and seriously we should be sleeping, too. I'm loving being a mom even though I'm realizing that the worrying doesn't stop once they're outside the womb. I wish I could bottle the love I have for this little girl and give it to everyone - it's the most amazing feeling. I can't believe she's here and all ours. God has richly blessed us - I mean really blessed us!


Don't forget to enter the contest below - it ends today!

Giveaway!!

Well, the hospital is putting us off a bit this morning. We may not go in until later today to have this baby.

So, while you wait...

A Giveaway!

Beddingsets.com offers a wide variety of bedding for children and adults, and they're letting me give away this awesome swaddler to one lucky reader!

Inspired Crib Bedding S-GS - Geo Sage Modern Swaddler Part of the Geo Sage collection (View full Geo Sage collection)

This modern baby swaddler keeps your baby warm, feeling secure and look stylish at all times. Feature exclusive Geo and Geox cotton prints outside with ultra soft minky inside and velcro closure to swaddle your baby in 2 easy steps. Features:

• Modern swaddler
• 100% cotton and 100% polyester minky
• Coordinates with our crib bedding collection
• Machine-washable

Two chances to enter...
Leave a comment for each of these that you do.

1. Simply leave a comment
2. Mention this giveaway on your blog with a link back to my blog.

Giveaway officially closes Monday night at 9pm PST. Winner will be announced on Tuesday, July 7!

It's Go Time

Nope, no baby yet. I do have some updates for you, though.

I haven't felt very motivated to write my blog lately. I'm not sure why other than...well, there really isn't a reason. I'm enjoying my time at home...it's really been great not to have to wake up at 6am and drive in to work every day, pay $10 for parking and sit at my desk for 9 hours. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful to have a job in this economy, but I am equally grateful to now be able to be at home polishing my housewifing skills. Really, it's "polishing my housewifing skills while switching between HGTV and The Food Network". A pregnant girl with swollen feet has to rest, you know.

*Warning: Childbirthing talk in the next 2 paragraphs*
Speaking of ze swollen feet, last week at my appointment I was not dilated at all. At bit disappointing, but quite honestly since I was expecting Amelia to make a tardy entrance into the world I wasn't all that surprised. However, at my appointment on Monday I was already at 2cm, 50% effaced and -1 station. If you don't know what that means, Google can help. Now, I don't know what exactly made that progress possible other than this little girl gearing up for delivery. Perhaps it was the 1 mile round trip to Dairy Queen that D and I walked on Saturday evening. You know a 39 week pregnant girl loves her some ice cream and Dairy Queen is good motivation for exercise. Along the way and back I had to stop a few times because those pesky round ligament pains wouldn't go away. But, if that was my body making progress I will not argue!

My blood pressure on Monday was high in the doctor's office, so after stripping my membranes (sorry, folks...this is also for posterity. My daughter should know this stuff eventually...I'm just documenting) my doctor sent me over to labor & delivery to be monitored. My bp was within normal ranges by then, but because of my swelling/bp in the past and how much it fluctuates and because of Amelia's estimated size my doctor suggested an induction for Thursday (my due date) after making sure my body was favorable for induction.

Tonight D & I went on a walk...this time to Walgreens to buy some milk since it's dirt cheap right now. I've been having some contractions but nothing timeable. I'm praying for progress so that the induction goes super smoothly on Thursday...or that I go into labor on my own before then. I'd LOVE to go into labor before then.

My mom, dad, sisters and their kids are coming up tomorrow evening. I'm really excited about that. My brothers-in-law will get here Thursday night.

So, there's your update. Hopefully I'll post at least a picture for you by Friday. But seriously, I've never been through this before so I could be putting unrealistic expectations on myself. Please keep Amelia, D, and me in your prayers for a safe, healthy, and (as a bonus) speedy delivery.

Have a great rest of the week & 4th of July!

I'm a blessed girl

Happy Father's Day! We had an enjoyable one.

First, I need to give a shout-out to my dad since we weren't able to spend today with him (the shot to the left is the night D & I got engaged...he asked me in a super creative way right smack dab in front of my family. No one knew he was going to do it except Dad. It was priceless). It's hard to know where to begin when talking about my dad since there are so many things I admire/respect/love about him. What I most remember about my childhood was that he was there all of the time. He worked 45 minutes from our house, but I don't ever remember an occasion when he wasn't actively involved...he never put work above his family although at his job he was always a very hard worker with a stellar work ethic. He coached (or assistant coached?) our little league softball team, the Sugarbabies, and was always there for any sport or hobby that we decided to involve ourselves. When we were little, my mom would bathe us and my dad always blow-dried our hair...I love that memory. When we lived in Michigan and had a ping pong table in the basement he would play ping pong with us tirelessly. Living in Michigan was tough at times because my dad got laid off at work. He went to the unemployment office every single day as if it was his full time job and at night he worked at a Meijer store - stocking shelves. I think about that often because that, to me, was the ultimate in sacrifice for his family. It was important to him that my mom stay home with us so he did what he felt he had to do to provide for his family - no job was "below" him. As a Christian, my dad is an amazing example of a spiritual leader of his family and now that he's an elder he's an excellent leader at church, too. I firmly believe that my sisters and I married such amazing Christian men because of the example my dad set for us when we were growing up. I can't remember my dad ever losing his temper with us when we were still at home. When I was a teenager filled with the normal amount of teen angst, I always felt like I could talk to my dad and he wouldn't get mad at me for expressing how I felt about things (although he had his way of gently reminding me why things were the way they were). He let me talk, and I'll never forget that. I love you, Dad...I feel like I didn't say enough, but what you've done to show us you love us hasn't been overlooked. For my wedding, since I was the last of his daughters to get married, he worked on this video to show at the reception. I wasn't allowed to see it before the wedding day, but I remember he would work on it in his office and come out of the room wiping his eyes...my dad who never cries. I had a great childhood with parents who loved each other deeply (and still do) and put God first...what a difference that makes!

Here's the video Dad made. Turn up your sound and grab a tissue or 9:



Here's the link in case the video doesn't work for you. I love you, Dad. Happy Father's Day.

We spent Father's Day with D's parents, sister and brother-in-law. Jake grilled hamburgers and we had potato salad (that D's mom made - mmmm), potato chips, and watermelon. Really yummy meal. I decided to try a dessert I saw recently for Father's Day. They were a big hit! My father-in-law really enjoyed them so I consider them a success! Here are photos of the "hamburgers" I made. It's pretty much a cupcake with brownie and frosting inside. The "fries" are sugar cookies with sugar sprinkled on them:

I wish D wrote a blog so he could talk about his childhood with his dad. I mean, I know what an amazing man his dad is but it would be fun to hear some stories of D growing up. Anyway, I really do feel fortunate for marrying in to the family I did. D's dad gave such a moving speech at our wedding reception - I'll never forget it! Love you, Papa B! Happy Father's Day!

Just to say - I do consider this D's first Father's Day but only slightly. He deserves recognition for putting up with/bending over backwards for me as I carry our little girl. He's a great dad already because he's taking such great care of our little girl's mom, thus taking care of our little girl. I can't tell you how excited I am to see D with our little girl...I think the second he sees her he'll be a goner. That's if he's not passed out on the floor from the whole labor/delivery experience (I'm kidding - kind of. He doesn't like to see people in pain and isn't a fan of blood). Love you, D.

A couple of sweet girls and their husbands got into town on Saturday morning. They arrived shortly after D left to attend a wedding in Portland. I had so much fun just sitting and chatting with Jenn & Sarah...it made me wish I had girls around my age who lived close that I could just sit around and chat with! They really were a delight to have around. Sarah took some shots of me in all my bellied glory on Saturday afternoon in our backyard and I think they turned out well...she does such an amazing job. I do not feel pretty at all right now (what is with my nose?!) but she took pictures of me that I actually like. That's a feat! Sarah - you rock. And Jenn, thanks for the comedic relief :) Here's a sampling of the photos Sarah took:

Tomorrow I start on thank you notes for baby gifts. I figure if I start tomorrow I can be done by mid-September. :)

Have a happy Monday. Go hug your dad.

Feline Drama

Haaaaalcy.
You've met Halcy. She's one of D's two (fat) cats.

Lately, D has been leaving the french doors to the back deck open so that the cats can wander in and out freely. They've always been indoor cats but, when allowed to, they've loved going on to the front porch or back deck and sitting in the open air. Swatting at bugs is an added bonus. D decided it was time to gradually introduce them to more of the outdoor living, thus leaving open the french doors. Hailey usually stays close to the door but Halcy is the more brave of the two and will creep farther and farther away, although she has always stayed on the deck.

Last night D went to lock up the french doors and didn't see the cats on the deck so he shut everything down and we went to bed. He always brushes Hailey before bed and sometimes Halcy will wander in and either want to be brushed or just hang out, but it's not unusual for Halcy to be MIA before we go to bed. I was home all day today but it's also not unusual for me to not notice the cats while I'm here. They meander about and sometimes just stay under the bed all day. So when D asked if I'd seen Halcy and I said "No", that wasn't too unusual. But when he called for her several times and she didn't appear, we got suspicious.

D wandered the house looking for her while I put dinner on the table, thinking he'd find her right away, no problem. I knew it wouldn't be a quick thing when he left to check outdoors. Right about then is when he put it all together and realized she had probably wandered off the deck the night before and he had locked her out. We both thought this was a bit ironic because D had scheduled to get Halcy declawed tomorrow morning at 7am and then all of a sudden she was missing.

Our back yard is fenced, but since it's sloped there are gaps under it where a cat could easily slide under. Before you go thinking our back yard is a typical back yard with some grass and a few plants, let me show you what it looks like.


It gets more "jungley" as it slopes down toward the wetlands in back. I just saw a racoon the size of a yellow lab wandering around on our deck a few nights ago and I know they roam the wetlands so that's what I was most concerned about.

D left because he was meeting his dad at the gun range for target practice. I guess I felt guilty in a way because I had never made it a secret that I did not like the cats. Granted, I never wished them harm in any way but I just didn't want them in my house. During the last few weeks they were wearing on D's nerves, too. Halcy would claw at our new furniture and for some reason Hailey became deathly afraid of the garage where the litter box was so our house became her litter box. I know, say it with me: "EWWWWWWWW!!!" D had gone so far as to email people that we know and ask if anyone wanted the cats, and he called the vet to ask for recommendations for no-kill shelters. So, the cats have not been on our "warm fuzzies" list lately.

Anyway, I didn't want Halcy to be in danger and I felt sick with her being gone because I knew that D would be upset even if he wasn't acting like it. So, while he was at the gun range I got in my car and roamed the neighborhood a bit. THen I walked from our house around the block to the other side of the wetlands and tried calling for her. I was having pretty consistent Braxton Hicks contractions while I was out walking around so I headed back to the house. I stood in the back yard for a while but eventually came inside.

D called on his way home saying that he was going to stop by Lowe's. I was pretty surprised that he was willing to kill daylight that he could be looking for Halcy so I convinced him to come home and spend the evening light looking for her. I guess he'd been thinking of places she might be, because right when he got home he looked here:

Under our hot tub.

And he saw this (look directly to the right of the pole that's in the light):


For some reason the many times we were outside calling for her before this she wasn't meowing. Now, when D was looking at her under the hot tub deck and saying her name she started meowing. D gave her some food and was able to pet her from under the deck, but since there's only one way in and one way out, it was obvious that Halcy either didn't want to come out or didn't know how to come out. She would even hiss at D when he was petting her from the entrance:


She would. not. come. out.

So, we left her there. I mean, D tried getting her out for at least a good 45 minutes but when it became obvious that she didn't want to leave we weren't going to lasso her and drag her out so there she still stays. D left some food for her but I think we're both past the point of feeling sorry for her. She had ample time to get out of there and didn't. Think she knows English and figured out that she was headed to the vet tomorrow?

Anyway, that's our feline drama for this evening. I had some mint chocolate ice cream and some chocolate ice cream so I feel better now. D doesn't work tomorrow so we have a movie date with Netflix tonight. He's playing Call of Duty right now but says he's just waiting on me to finish my blog before he quits his game. Yeah, right. :)

I said it on Facebook, but it bears repeating....it's a little crazy to me that I will have this baby girl before the sour cream in our refrigerator expires.

Probably should get another belly picture tonight, but I decided makeup was entirely unnecessary today so I'm going to rebel against the belly shot. Plus, I have a [sweet friend|starryfish] coming in to town this weekend who takes amazing pictures and she mentioned wanting to get some more belly pictures of me. Does she really know what she's in for? I mean, I've got the belly...I got a lot of belly. Bring the wide angle lense, Sarah!

I'm rambling. You'd think that since I'm not working anymore I'd be more diligent about updating my blog but the truth is that I'm not. I'm lazy about it. I think that's because I like posting pictures when I post a new blog and that takes effort and a subject.

Ok, for real. Signing out.

EDIT: D tried again for 30 minutes and was finally able to coax Halcy out enough so that he could grab her and bring her indoors. So, the cat is now safe and sound...



I'm sorry for my lack of writing skills...I mean really sorry. They're BAD

D's Last Ride

Say hi to D:

D and his bro-in-law, Jake, went on an overnight motorcycle excursion last Friday/Saturday. D is a fairly new rider. He first had a little scooter-type bike when we were dating that he would ride to my apartment around the corner each night to make sure I made it home safely. I think I have pictures somewhere of him on the scooter - it really was a funny site. I probably would have been able to ride it with no problems, but my 6'2" man didn't quite look right on the bike, proportionatly speaking. From there, he "upgraded" to a 1975 scooter that used to be his grandpa's. Again, knees around his ears...just looked a little funny and we both realized he needed an upgrade if he was going to actually go anywhere.

His coworker sold him her 1975 BMW K75 about a year ago and since then he's taken it out whenever he can. I grew up with parents who viewed motorcycles as less than safe..."murdercycles" is the term that was used. I dated a guy in college who had a motorcycle and he'd take me out on it every once in a while. Great fun. That doesn't mean I was very enthusiastic about D getting a "real" bike. Made me nervous...very nervous. So we had little rules - no driving at night, no freeways, etc. I have to say that these rules weren't because I didn't trust D. He's an amazing driver and extremely responsible about safety. It's "the other guys" I worry about.

Anyway, needless to say I was not thrilled about an overnight bike trip that would require D to spend 500+ miles on his "murdercycle". But, I didn't want to be the wife who rained on my husband's every parade, so I told him to have fun. Since we've been married I have never spent a night without him. Sounds a little pitiful that I would miss him so much, but he works for city government so it's not like he ever has to be out of town on business. I like having him around and while it was only a night, I was glad to have him back home. Of course it couldn't have had anything to do with the fact that he was riding a murdercycle while away.


They rode the Cascade Loop to Grand Coulee Dam and got some really amazing scenery photos while on the trip. On the way back, they took Hwy 2 through Leavenworth and apparently got pelted for about 4 minutes by rain and hail. I wish I could tell you more about the trip but all I have to show you are these pictures. D said he had a great time and wants to do something similar again.

While he was gone on Friday, I sorted through the 5 or 6 garbage bags full of baby girl clothes that one of his generous coworkers gave us. Really, really amazing. The sizes ranged from newborn to 3T, mostly 12-24 month clothing which is awesome because we didn't have much, if anything, in that range. Still, the items she gave us that were 0-9 months took up about 2 loads of laundry. The bigger items I sorted by size and put into plastic bins for storage in the attic until we're ready for them. Just the 12-18 month clothing alone fills one plastic bin to the bulging point.

Today, on my first official day of maternity leave, I woke up around 9 (I don't sleep well at night - my best sleep is in the morning), showered and dressed, ate breakfast, made sun tea, then started on the laundry. I washed about 5 loads of Amelia's clothes/blankets/wash cloths/etc. a couple of weekends ago and felt pretty good about myself. However, since then we've had another shower and received the wonderful items from D's coworker. So, today I washed 3 more loads. Amelia has more clothes than I've ever owned in my life. She will be one well dressed baby! She also has an abundance of socks, hats, and blankets. Really I'm so thankful to everyone who has been so generous to us...she's such a loved little girl already!

I vacuumed the living room/dining room and made some kind of Chicken Fajita Soup for dinner. I felt so domestic because of how much I was able to do today. It felt really great...I can't wait for more of these housekeeping days!

I was going to post a video of my belly moving like crazy but Flickr won't cooperate.

Tomorrow I am having lunch with a sweet friend and her two little girls then I'm picking D up from work and we'll head to my 2:15 doctor appointment. I know I still have to post about my shower and some of my favorite gifts, but it may have to be much later.

I need to pack the hospital bag (eek!) and get Amelia's room more in order. Nothing is on the walls, still.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!!

Shower & Colors of the RainBOW

Blood work came back normal - yay! My next appointment is Tuesday afternoon so I'll have another update for you then. I think I've been having Braxton Hicks the last couple of days. Right now I've got my feet up and I'm watching a chick flick on Netflix instant watch. We're getting rid of Netflix this month and I think I'm going to miss it. Especially since I'm off work until the baby's born. But hopefully I'll have more important things to occupy my time...or at least more demanding things, like cleaning or reorganizing my pantry.

A good friend of David's from high school wanted to throw us a baby shower, so she invited a few friends of David's from high school/college that we get together with regularly. It was sooo nice - she did a really amazing job planning everything. She thought it would be nice to have it at our house so people could see the nursery. Here's a few pictures...



Today I got asked if I was carrying twins. Yeah. I'm going to give you a tip. Never ask a pregnant woman if she's carrying twins. If she is and she wants you to know, she'll volunteer that information. I'm pretty sure you can only stick your foot in your mouth if you have to ask a pregnant woman if she's carrying twins...because more often than not, she's not carrying twins. I wasn't offended - I know I'm swollen and huge. I really understand that people just don't seem to know what to say to pregnant women, so I'm using this blog to spread the word about things not to say to a pregnant woman. You're welcome! I'll narrow it down for you. The only thing you should say to a pregnant woman: "You look great/beautiful/fantastic".

There. See? Easy.

I have a very talented, very sweet friend named Liz who used to have a business making/selling bows and headbands. She's since had a beautiful little boy and set her business aside but she pulls out her ribbons to make headbands and bows for friends who have baby girls. She recently surprised me by sending a huge bag full of her wonderful headbands. I'm SO excited to put these on my baby girl's head.

She made one for each holiday...


And every color of the rainbow!

Thank you, Liz, for another very sweet and thoughtful gift!

Work has been slightly stressful this week. I'm trying to train the woman who will fill in for me while I'm on maternity leave and it's a long story but it's a rough road. Only 2 more days! Tomorrow is my work baby shower so that should be fun!

Have a great Thursday!