Saturday, March 29, 2008

The Long Awaited Arrival

She's finally here! Just as I started to relax and feel comfortable with our Saturday induction, Tinkerbell decided she was ready. If you want to skip the "details" of my delivery experience, feel free to skip the next paragraph :)

I woke up at about 1:30am feeling really sick and not sure what was going on. I decided to wake R up when I tried to get out of bed and almost fell down! After about two hours of labor on the floor in our closet (yes, our closet - I was afraid to be too far away from the bathroom and the tile floor was too cold), he tried to convince me to go to the hospital, but I was afraid that we would be sent back home. I called to talk to the doctor, and when I told him I was 41 weeks, he said (in a rather annoyed tone), "then GO to the hospital!" I just wanted to be sure - I was not up for any more disappointment! We arrived around 4:00am and had a rough first few hours. Luckily, my new best friend, the anesthesiologist, arrived at 7:00 and things were pretty smooth from there. I was thrilled to be dialated to a 10 by 10:00am, but my parents and doctor still had not arrived, so I asked to wait a little longer. My parents and doctor arrived around 11:30, and after only 45 minutes, she was born!
Our baby girl was born on Thursday, March 27 at 12:15pm. She weighed 6.5 lbs and was 18.75 inches long. She is doing an amazing job breastfeeding already, and was given a clean bill of health by her doctor this morning. We are SO proud of her and can't wait for all of you to meet her! We came home this morning at 11:00 and R will be here with us until next Tuesday. We would love to see you if you'd like to drop by! Thank you again for your prayers and encouragement - we are truly blessed to have each of you in our lives. Enjoy the first of MANY pictures to come!
Just arrived
All swaddled and comfy

Finally going home
Baby blue eyes

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Still Waiting

The infamous "due date", as well as two potential induction dates (both Monday and yesterday) have now passed without the arrival of our girl. If you tried to tell me a month ago that I would still be pregnant right now, I wouldn't have believed you for a second.
Last week at my doctor's appointment, I had not made any progress (still dilated to 2cm and 70% effaced), so we decided to be induced the following Monday. I felt really good about giving it an extra week, but ready to take advantage of modern medicine and get things rolling! Both of our parents made plans to come into town, and we were set to go. After a wonderful Easter weekend with my family and a special "last supper" on Sunday night at Cheesecake Factory, Monday morning rolled around with no phone call from the hospital. Needless to say, we were very disappointed, but I called the doctor's office and they placed me on the list for yesterday. Again, no phone call. This kind of waiting and hoping is enough to send a pregnant girl over the edge! Luckily, I already had an appointment at 11:00 (which I joked about not needing) and we went hoping for answers.
The nurses must have know how disappointed I was going to be, because the first thing they said to me when I walked in was, "we have a 'for sure' date for you". They even wrote it down on a sticky note so that I could hold it! They checked my progress (same as the last two weeks) and put me on a monitor to check Isabella's heart rate and movement, and sent me home with the promise of an induction over the weekend.
I know that in hindsight these few days will seem like a blink in time and that we'll look back and smile at our unnecessary anxiousness, but I feel like I'm in the twilight zone! It's been almost three weeks since my first Braxton Hicks contractions, which feels like an eternity! My poor family (and several friends, so I hear) have been waiting by the phone for awhile now, wondering if and when we're going to call with good news. Poor R jumps at my every move, ready to load the car with bags that have been packed so long that we had to re-pack for warmer weather! Several people have called to congratulate us, assuming that we must have had the baby and forgotten to call them. The insurance company even called to see what was going on! My parents had to head back home yesterday so that my Dad could finish the week at work and come back this weekend. R's parents left home Monday morning, only to be sent back before even crossing the state line. His sister's family, as well as some close friends, have been through Dallas over Spring Break and thought for sure they would get to meet the baby - only to call and be invited to hang out with us while we "wait". Our families made "bets" on the official date, spanning from the 6th up until the 22nd, all of which have passed without a lucky winner! As frustrating as it is, I must admit that the situation has become quite comical.
I am so thankful, though, for the encouragement and company of friends and family over the last days and weeks - I know I would've gone crazy by now without it! I also know in my heart that God's timing is perfect and I am learning (slowly but surely) acceptance of the fact that I am not (and can not be) in control.
We are scheduled to go into the hospital Friday night, when they will give me Cytotec to help my water break and hopefully begin labor. This is the least invasive way to induce, so we are praying for success! If it isn't successful, we will start Pitocin first thing Saturday morning. Until then, please continue to pray for health, rest, and patience, safe travel for our families, and for a smooth induction and delivery! Thank you and I PROMISE that we will post pictures of our elusive girl as soon as she makes herself available :)

Monday, March 17, 2008

Learning to be Patient

Well, the much anticipated call from the hospital came this morning. They had a spot open and were ready for me to come in and be induced. Obviously, I didn't take them up on the offer, or I wouldn't be posting right now! We scheduled the induction voluntarily two weeks ago, but after a lot of last minute thought and discussion last night, we decided that we don't want to rush anything and risk making my delivery more difficult. As much as I'm ready for our baby girl to arrive (and tired of being pregnant), I don't want to push things and wish I hadn't. I know that God's timing is perfect, and I'm trying my best to be patient and wait. She has started to get in position and I'm dilated and effaced a little, but we hope and pray that waiting will bring things along naturally and make my delivery go more smoothly in the end. We have another doctor's appointment tomorrow afternoon, and we'll see how things are progressing then. I know that doing this on my own is not a guarantee, especially because my doctor told us that he is not comfortable with waiting very long after my due date, but I feel like we should at least give it a few more days to happen on it's own if it can. If I end up having to be induced, I will feel like I have at least given it my best shot. Please pray for us over the next few days - for patience, wisdom, natural progression, a smooth labor and delivery, and a perfect, healthy baby girl! Until then, I'm doing my best to concentrate on the blessing of anticipation!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The Waiting Game

So, the waiting game has officially begun. . . My last day at work was Friday (which ended up being a snow day), and I had what I was SURE would be my last doctor's appointment yesterday, but here we are - no baby yet! I am on a waiting list to be induced on Monday, but that all depends on one of the ladies who currently has a spot going into labor before her scheduled induction. If that doesn't happen, we'll just go back to the doctor on Tuesday and see if there has been any further progress. I'm sure that she is nice and cozy in there, but I am more than ready for her to make her grand entrance into the world! I have loved getting ready for her arrival and dreaming about and preparing to be a Mom, but I am completely "over" being pregnant right now. I must admit that I am blessed not to be what most people would call "huge", but I am none the less uncomfortable and feeling very impatient! We have been spending our time making sure the house is in pristine condition, cooking a few meals together, watching a movie or two, and going for LOTS of walks - I think he is convinced that we are going to "walk" me into labor! In the last five days, we have been to Northeast Mall, Babies R Us, Target, Central Market, and around the block no less than ten times (most recently this morning at 7:30 am!). Needless to say, he's ready as well. So, sweet baby girl, in case you were wondering, we're ready whenever you are!