1 month old

Wow! Where has the time gone?!? I can't believe she is already one month old. Seems like yesterday we were leaving the hospital. 

Well these past two weeks have been fun. She is more awake during the day now. She just looks around all bright eyed. Doesn't really focus or track things but she enjoys looking at whatever her eyes land on. Nights are sometimes hard. She has been getting stomach aches and bad gas in the evenings. She just screams. I feel so bad for her. We have gas drops we give her but they don't always work. I'm almost positive it's because she's not a good burper. I can burp her for an hour and get nothing. I've tried stopping a few times during the feedings but it still doesn't help. Not sure what I should do about this but I plan on asking the doc this week. 

Breastfeeding is going great. I sometimes wish I wasn't exclusively breastfeeding just so I could catch a break but I know it's good for her. She doesn't take well to bottles or pacifiers. She just wants to nurse. Oh well, I should be thankful that I can breastfeed. 

My parents came in town for the week. They leave on Monday. It's been so much fun seeing them hold Emma and Emma just loves all the attention. They have been a big help with house work to. It's really nice to be able to relax and not worry about laundry and dishes all the time. My mom cut and highlighted my hair while she was here. It is short! I like it though. Much easier to take care of. 

Mark left for the weekend to St. Louis to be in a friends wedding. It's hard not having him here but things are going well. I can't wait to have him back though. 

As for me. I'm doing good. I'm often tired during the day but can't seem to nap well. My brain just doesn't allow me to nap. I have kinda stalled on the weight loss front. I have lost 30 pounds so far. I plan on starting to tone in a few weeks after my appointment with my OB. 

Nothing else really new around here. Here are some pics from the past few weeks. Enjoy!

2 Weeks

All the days kinda run together these days. Week two has been a lot smoother but still hectic. I learn something new about being a mom everyday. 

Emma has hit a growth spurt I think. For the past 3 days she has been nursing hourly during the day and every 2-3 at night. It seems like after I finish nursing and changing her we start over again. I kinda feel a little like a dairy cow. Luckily these spurts don't last but a few days. So hopefully tonight we will start sleeping a little longer between feedings. 

At her last appointment she weighed 7lbs 11 ounces. And he said she is progressing well. Her cold that she got from me is gone for the most part. Just a little snot here and there. So that's good. We were doing sessions in the bathroom with steam. That seemed to help a lot. Along with frequent feedings and nose suctioning. 

Mark started back at work today. So far so good. I actually got some housework done. Not much but hey at this point going to the bathroom is an accomplishment for me lol. It's hard without him here to hold her while I eat or shower. I'm guessing that I will start taking showers at night now. 

My parents are coming in town this weekend. I'm excited to have them come. This kid is gunna be so spoiled with hugs and kisses by the time they leave! My dad hasn't seen her yet. My mom came in town for the birth so this will be her second time seeing her.

I have lost a total of 30 pounds since Emma's birth. I only had to lose 5 to get to pre pregnancy weight. I actually weigh less than I did on my wedding day. Now I need to start toning this flab!!! I can't wait to start on that!

Not much else is going on. Just eating sleeping and pooping, lol. I feel so blessed to have this beautiful little girl. Everyday I fall more and more in love with her. And everyday she does something new. I'm so excited for the weeks to come as she starts interacting with us. 

Hope you all have a blessed week!

I leave you with some pictures.....

First week!

Our first week home was a learning experience for all of us! The first few nights were the hardest. We have a better routine down now. I have found that all the googling in the world can tell you how to be a mom or dad. You simply have to reach deep down inside yourself and go with your gut instinct first. Once I stopped doing that I was able to focus in on her ques. I am able to distinguish now what she wants most the time. She has a distinct cry for when she's hungry and a VERY distinct cry for when she's pissed. We call that one the pterodactyl cry! So my advice to new moms on their first days home is listen to your gut. Don't stress yourself out by listening to google. Watch and listen to your baby, that's how you will learn the most. 

We suspect that Emma has a little bit of acid reflux going on. Once we started keeping her more upright during the day we saw a difference. She doesn't have very many I'm in pain crying sessions now. Thank goodness, cause all she would want to do when she was in pain was nurse. The milk calmed down the acid and comforted her at the same time. This was extremely hard on me at night. I was sleep deprived on top of being crazy emotional. 

Her jaundice is almost completely cleared up now. I can still see a little yellow in her eyes though. So I try to take her outside for a few min each day. 

As for me, I'm doing good. I had very bad anxiety this past week. I'm feeling better though as each day passes. I get this overwhelming feeling that rushes over me and I start to cry and/or sweat and my heart starts to race. It's an awful feeling. At those moments all I want is to hold my baby or be held by my husband. Being alone also gets to me. For the most part though it has calmed down significantly. My recovery down there....... Is going well to, just in case you wanted to know! Lol I have lost a total of 26 lbs! I weigh less than I did on my wedding day actually. I was only 4lbs above my pre pregnancy weight at the end of my pregnancy. I lost almost 10lbs in my first trimester so I only gained 14 lbs while pregnant. If I lost 10more pounds and toned up a little I would be very happy! 

This is marks last week home with me. :( I am so glad and thankful that he was able to take 2 weeks off. He has really stepped it up on the home front to. All I have to do is baby stuff usually. I kinda feel like I'm a milk factory! Not sure how I will be able to get everything done when he goes back. Oh well we will make it. Emma loves her swing so that helps a lot. I'll be able to get a little done when she is napping in there. 

Nursing is going very well! I am making more than enough milk. I could provably feed triplets with amount I make, haha! We sometimes have a few problems with latching but it's getting better. I'm a little sore from that. The hardest part is getting her to stay on in the beginning. Once she does though she eats! She is a porker lol. 

The dogs are taking to her well. Dakota is up with me at night. If I move, he moves. If she crystal he is right there wondering what's wrong. He is a great big brother. Izzy is also very good with her. They snuggle together often. She has also stepped up on the guard dog aspect. She growls at the slightest sounds outside. It's kinda cute. :)

Well that's all I have for now! Have a good week

Birth story

Well it all started on Friday afternoon. I went to the bathroom and when I got back up I felt like I peed myself. I thought hmmm that's strange. Then it happened again and again! Then click!!! My water broke!!!!!! I had prepared myself for this moment and for some reason I had no idea what to do. So I called mark and told him to head home cause we are having a baby! I then called my dr and they said to head up to labor and delivery. This all happened around 2pm. 

When mark got home I had pretty much everything ready to go. I just had to grab a few last minute things. So we packed up the dogs and dropped them off at the kennel. Then we were off to the hospital!! On our way there I had a few contractions but my main problem was leaking! It was awful. That shit doesn't stop coming out throughout the entire process. 

They put me in the triage room to monitor me and that's when the big contractions started. They then decided to move me to my own room. Once there things got intense. I tried the shower and birthing ball. Mark rubbed my back but the pain was just to much to handle. So I asked for the epideral. At that point my contractions were 2-3 min apart. At around 8:30 I got my epideral. Let me just say that it really isn't bad! I was so scared about it but it was nothing compared to the pain I was in at that moment. The iv hurt more than that. About an hour later I started having pain again and it kept getting worse with each contraction. So they called the anesthesiologist back in and decided to take it out and start over again! It worked that time. 

On a side note I have been very sick with a bad cough sore throat and congestion for almost a week up until delivery. So I was also coughing like crazy and couldn't rest at all even after the epideral because I was miserable with congestion and coughing. 

I was in labor for 20 hours! When it was time to start pushing I was feeling so tired and nauseated. But I pushed and pushed and pushed! It was the worst pain I had ever experienced in my life. I said a few times that I couldn't do it anymore but my dr assured me I could and mark stood by my head and encouraged me to keep pushing. And just when I thought I was going to die from the pain she finally came out!  I tore in two places but no scalpel! 

She was beautiful! We both cried and mark held her first. She barely cried. In those moments my life changed forever. My heart was filled with unconditional love for this little baby.

I had a lot of hemorrhaging so they gave me something pitocin to help stop it. But other than that I was ok and glad that the pain was finally gone. I just wanted to hold my baby. 

So that's Emma's birth story. She was worth every second. 

We had to stay one extra day because Emma developed jaundice. She went under the lights for one night and that did the trick. We were released on Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately we couldn't go straight home. We had to stop by urgent care for me because I was so sick and I still don't have a primary care dr. I was diagnosed with an ear infection and an upper respitory infection. They gave me antibiotics and I'm finally starting to feel better. 

Breastfeeding is going well. She sometimes doesn't latch well and it hurts like hell! We need to work on it but every time I do she gets so frustrated that I usually deal with the pain. 

Well that's all for now! We did a mini photo shoot today so I'll leave you with some of those pics and a few others. 

She's here!!!

I will be posting a birth story post later in the week. For now here are some pictures of our sweet baby Emma Lynn!!

39 weeks

I have come to the conclusion that Emma is going to have to be forced out. I will most likely go to term plus! Both Her mommy and daddy are stubborn people and I think she may have inherited it. She is gunna come on her terms. 

My back feels like its on fire most days. Sleep.... What's that? By the time I get comfortable I have to pee again. My fingers are swollen and feel as if they were put through a meat grinder in the mornings. There is a lot more I could complain about but I won't. I feel bad for being so negative but I'm just so uncomfortable and I'm sure I sound like a broken record to Mark. That poor guy has enough to worry about right now. So this blog is kinda my place to vent. I'll stop now though. 

Some friends from San Diego were in town this past week. She had her daughter 2 months ago. It was great seeing them. We walked the mall and caught up on gossip. Our husbands went to the apple store and played in there. Lol, they wouldn't have had any fun hearing about what we had to say. We had fun and I enjoyed some wetzles pretzels! :)

On Sunday Mark and I decided to take a trip down to time square and china town. I figured walking could only do me good at this point. I rode the subway for the first time! I was surprised at how many people offered their seat to me. There are some nice New Yorkers out there after all! We got some foot reflexology done in Chinatown. It felt awesome. I was hoping I would get a few contractions but I didn't. We had a good time and I'm glad we got to get out and see some of the city before Emma comes. 

Had my check up today. 1 1/2cm and 80% effaced! She is at -1 station. She did a membrane sweep to try and get labor started. It wasnt that painful actually. I have a little cramping going on but nothing to write home about. She said if its gunna work it will start labor tonight or tomorrow. So im hoping that contractions start soon! Dr said she is getting big and wants to do an ultrasound on Wednesday next week to see how big she is if still no labor. Then we will talk induction. I'm hopeful the membrane sweep works and I don't have to be induced. Time will tell I guess. Maybe my next post will be pictures of our sweet little girl! Fingers crossed! 

38 weeks and a trip to L&D

Well last night we made our first trip to L&D. I was having terrible back pain all day and was a little confused on if I was having contractions. I was having cramps every now and then but wasn't sure. My mom told me that when she had me she had back labor and didn't feel her contractions. She also had me in 3 hours! That was enough to decide to make the trip lol! I called my dr and she agreed I should be seen. 

Once there they hooked me up to the monitors for about an hour. I was having contractions but they weren't regular. Some were 4 min apart some 8! So It was clear I wasn't in active labor. The nurse checked me and I am still 1cm dilated and 50-60% effaced. With that my doctor said I was good to go and to come back if they became regular and or my water broke. She was able to show me when I was having contraction which was nice. I now realize that I have been having a lot of them! I always thought it was cramps and pressure and when my stomach would get hard I thought it was just her backside sticking out. Well now I know! 

Today I've been having less back pain but lots of contractions. Nothing timbale though. I'll be obsessing with my new found  contraction counter app! Lol

38 weeks!! Wow can you believe it? Who would have thought we would be here a year ago? I'm ready to meet her. I kinda feel bad wanting this pregnancy thing to be over just because I know how lucky I am. But oh my gosh, I'm so uncomfortable :(  My back hurts so bad along with my hands and toes and I itch  everywhere!!!!! I'm just so ready to be a mom to my beautiful sweet little girl. I'm not gunna lie I have been walking, bouncing on the yoga ball, eating pineapple and the other things that are supposed to induce labor since this weekend. Mark wants to meet her just as bad as me I think. He is constantly texting me asking "baby?" Or "labor and delivery tonight?". Lol I think he is ready for a vacation to. Hopefully my next post will be titled "she's here" :)

I have a check up on Thursday. I may do a little update then to if there are any changes in dilation or effacement. 

 

37 week appointment

I just got back from the Dr. I am 1cm dilated and "a little effaced". Emma is laying very low to! I knew that much just from all the potty breaks. I really didn't think anything else was going on though. I really hope this means labor is near! I'm ready to meet my little angel. 

I got some blood work done today as well because of my constant headaches and pitting edema thing. My blood pressure was a little high as well. They said they would call me with results but my dr office is not good at follow ups. So I'll probably find out the results at my next appointment. 

Last night was a rough night. I had very bad mid back pain and couldn't get comfortable. Then when I finally got comfy I had to pee again! It was a vicious circle. 

This weekend I'm going to walk my butt off and try to encourage her to come out :)

I feel like I look smaller this week. Maybe it's just the way she's laying. 

37 weeks

Nothing new to update. I don't even have a bump picture this week. Partly because I have been so lazy and..... Well that's kinda the only reason. I haven't even showered today and its 3pm already! Lol 

I go in on Thursday for my checkup. If I have any news I'll post again but I'm starting to get the feeling that this little girl isn't going to come out until she is forced out! So I doubt that there will be any dilation or anything. I hope so though. It would be nice to have her sooner rather than later. 

I'm getting very uncomfortable. The worst part of everything is the swelling. My poor hands are the worst. My fingers almost feel bruised. My grip isn't as strong as it was before either. I also noticed the other day that I have some pitting edema going on. That's when you push on your skin and it stays in for a while rather than bounce right back out. It's a little creepy kinda. I'll be bringing it up to the dr when I go. 

I'll keep you all informed if there is any new news on Thursday. If not, well I'll be seeing you all again next week. 

Quick update

Just got back from the dr. Not dilated at all :( I was for sure something was going on but no. I guess Emma will come when she is ready. Everything else was good. Nothing interesting to report. 

36 weeks

It's just another week around here. We have everything ready for this little girl so it's just the waiting game now! We can't wait to meet her. 

The heat here in New York is unbearable right now. I can barely walk outside without feeling like I will pass out. Even the dogs think its to hot to stay out there to long. Our walks have shortened drastically these days. With the heat comes the swelling. My feet and hands are incredibly swollen most the time. My fingers and toes feel bruised when I bend them. :( I have been drinking tons of water to keep the swelling down as much as possible. I go through a 36 case of bottled water in 3-4 days. I can't seem to get enough. I'm so thirsty all the time. Not to mention I fill up those bottles with tap water as well throughout the day. #lovewater

Mark was able to get tickets to the home run derby on Monday night! It was really hot so we didn't stay the entire time. I just can't last as long as I used to be able to. We had a lot of fun despite the heat. I enjoyed a pretzel with cheese :) While walking back to the car I had a few contractions, one being very painful!!! I decided at that moment that that would be my last major outing as the beautiful pregnant woman I am! Lol Just a little to much for a 9 month prego!

You may want to skip this paragraph if you don't want to read about some nasty stuff........ On Tuesday morning I most definitely had my bloody show! Gross!!!!!!!!! Seriously, I was absolutely disturbed by the nastiness of this. It looks like snot with blood in it. Since then I have seen a little here and a little there when I wipe. After this happened I of course ran to google and looked it up. I was a little upset to read that it doesn't necessarily mean labor will start. It could start that day or two weeks from then. :( I thought for sure it was time but nope! 

Ok enough of the gross stuff. I go Thursday for my weekly check up. I'm curious to know if I'm dialated at all. I'll update after my appointment if there is anything to report.  

Cravings: I eat a lot of s'mores these days :) and apples with caramel dip

Mood: I get irritated very quickly. Especially if I'm hot or hungry. 

Wedding Ring: Nope! Doesn't fit on my fat sausages anymore. :(

Sickness and Pains: lower back pain is a problem. No nausea though

Miss anything: oh man I have a list that I won't bore you with. It's getting a little long :-/

Weight gain/loss: I have been going back and forth on losing and gaining. I have gained a total of 6-7 pounds. That's pre pregnancy. If you count the weight I was after the first trimester I have gained about 11-12 pounds. 

Object Comparison: ummmm, a baby!!!

Movement: Yes, she gets the hiccups a lot. She also likes to kick my sides and back. If I push on her foot she pushes right back. :)

Belly Button: still in but shallow

Names: Emma

Medical concerns: None

Looking Forward To: meeting her

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week! 

9 months!!! 

35 weeks

Well I had my u/s today. No pictures again. We will just have to wait until her birthday to see her. I really dislike my drs and their staff. This is supposed to be an exciting time in my life and they never make it feel that way. They are always to worried about going to lunch or getting to their next patient. Strictly business all the time. The ultrasound tech today would barely even talk to me and said sorry she isn't in good position for any pictures. Didn't even really try. In San Diego I loved my dr and all the staff. They were nice and always followed up with test results and questions. Just another thing I miss about San Diego. Hopefully the hospital staff will be nice. If not I'm going to just become the patient from hell for them that day. I'm tired of being nice to everyone here and not getting the same in return. Ok, ok, I'm done complaining. On to pregnancy stuff....

So Emma weighed in at 5lbs 9 ounces today! My little girl is getting so big! The dr said everything looks great. Now we just wait for her to decide to come out. I'm ready for her arrival! 

My feet and legs are really feeling the pain these days. It's hard to stand for long. Taking a shower is tough most the time. I try not go up and down the steps unless it is absolutely necessary.  I get to out of breath and most the time I end up having a contraction. Lots of the simple day to day tasks have become more difficult. Luckily I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I feel guilty for complaining so much because I am so blessed to be pregnant right now. I think the between the hormones and the heat of the summer have made me a little more grumpy these days. 

We are so excited for this little girl to come! Only 5 or less weeks. It's crazy, I feel like yesterday I was doing shots and follicle scans. Time flies by really. But it also feels like august 14th is an eternity away, lol. 

That's all the news I have for now. Hope you all have a good rest of the week. 

Izzy photo bombed me in this picture! Haha

Congrats Griswolds!

I want to say congrats to my blogger friends the Griswolds! They welcomed their twin girls into the world last night. You can view her blog here http://akgriswoldfamilyblog.blogspot.com/?m=1

I will be posting my 35 week update tomorrow after my ultrasound. I am hoping I have some pictures to share with you. Lets hope she wants us to see her cute little face!

Anyway just wanted to say congrats to the new parents!

34 Weeks

Things are moving right along around here. I get the strange feeling Emma will be here much sooner than expected. I set up a guessing game of when she will arrive. You can go to this link and vote on bday, weight, length, hair color exc..... http://www.whatsinmybelly.com/baby-pool-forsters-first-baby-1301. I look forward to seeing everyone's votes. :)

So yesterday was 34 weeks. I was super cranky and not feeling well so I didn't do much but complain most of the day. Here are my most recent symptoms. Severe itching everywhere, swelling of my feet and hands, headache that won't go away and nausea. It's annoying to say the least. Mark scratched me with my hair brush last night, it felt amazing. :) I have been eating a lot less due to the nausea and the fact that there isn't much room to fit anything. I'm trying to eat lots of little meals but not much sounds good at this point.  I'm also pretty sure I have been feeling real contraction the past few days. Nothing consistent, the most I counted in an hour was 3. I suddenly get pain in my mid back and then my belly gets rock hard shortly after. I say "real" contractions because I never felt any pain with the Braxton hicks ones. I will be monitoring it all closely and keep you all informed if anything changes. 

I have an ultrasound appointment next Wednesday with the high Risk dr. It's just to check on growth. I am supposed to have them monthly now to make sure she is growing ok.  Hopefully she decides to show her pretty little face this time. I'm trying not to get my hopes up just in case she is shy again. 

Last week my dr never called me in regards to my cervix length. So I'm guessing there wasn't anything major wrong. Before I left the appointment I was told to just take it easy. So I have. I have my weekly check up with my regular ob the day after my ultrasound. Not sure if they will check me again or not. 

My little Izzy is doing great. She has 3 more weeks with a cast on! Then we are finally free of the weekly appointments. I hope we never have to go through this again. 

Well all our bags are packed and we are ready for the big day should it come. I'm guessing she comes on August 2nd :)

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July! Stay cool. Not sure if we will be going anywhere or not. Depends on how I'm feeling. It may be better to just stay home and watch the Macy's fireworks display on tv. If I'm hot, nauseated and swollen I won't be pleasant to be around. 

See you all next week!!!

Bump pic!!

Forgot to mention we celebrated our anniversary this past week! 5 years married and 9 years together! Makes me feel old kinda. Lol The hubby got me these beautiful flowers :)