Abby pictures!

Here are some pictures that my sister in law, Camille, took at the hospital!

June 29, 2013

Yes, the rumors are true.  We had our Baby Girl!  It has been quite a whirlwind but we are finally getting settled in.

It all started on Wednesday, June 26th. I had a regular doctor's appointment.  They took my weight, tested urine, and took my blood pressure.  My blood pressure was pretty high, which surprised both me and my doctor as it had never been high before. Because of that high blood pressure and my legs retaining so much water, my doctor ordered a Preclampsia test.  Preclampsia is when there is protein in the urine. It can lead to mom having seizures. Depending on the severity, the best cure is to deliver the baby.  

I did the test (24 hour urine collection and blood work) and waited for the results. Our doctor promised to call by 6 that night with the results, because of the potential for needing to be induced. 6 pm came and still no phone call.  We got anxious and made lots of calls to find out our results.  Finally, we got a hold of our doctor and she told us that our results had come back normal. We were relieved and went to bed.

The next morning, Friday, I was at home relaxing and eating a quesadilla when my phone rang.  It was a nurse from my doctor's office.  She told me that my test results had been reviewed by two other doctors, that the results were not normal, and that I needed to come in immediately.  I was quite confused and a little shaken, but I called Josh, he talked to the nurse, and we headed to the doctor.  

When we arrived we met with the on call doctor, as my doctor was off that day. Again my blood pressure was high and he told us that there was also protein in my urine from that morning.  He explained that normal results of the Preclampsia test were levels of protein below 300.  My levels were 2500!!  He said that was very dangerously high and that we needed to walk over to the hospital, IMMEDIATELY!! I was going to have the baby!

We walked over to the hospital (my doctor's office and the hospital are connected) in a daze.  I was only 36 weeks pregnant and still had a lot to do around the house before baby came!  Luckily, Josh was much calmer and helped me to relax.  We got checked into the Maternity floor and it all began.

I was given an IV, Magnesium (to help prevent seizures), and Pitocin (to induce labor). I had been told on Wednesday that I was already dialated 3 cm and was 70% effaced, so I was starting out ahead on Friday.  I was also having contractions about 4 minutes apart.  While I was pregnant, I had a baby that was constantly moving and was still moving during my labor. So lucky for me, the early contractions I didn't couldn't even distinguish because to me the just felt like the baby moving.   As the contractions continued, the Pitocin dosage was increased and my contractions became much stronger.  Because of the Magnesium, I could not get out of bed and labor while walking around as I had planned.  Luckily, I had great support from Josh, my mom, and nurses.

Finally, I had reached the point where it was now or never for an Epidural.  I chose to have one and blood work was taken to start the process. By now, the contractions, were very close together and INCREDIBLY painful.  Blood work came back and the Anesthesiologist came in to start the Epidural.  Unfortunately, there was more blood work that needed to be done. I had to wait another HOUR before getting the Epidural and by then I was dialated to 9 cm.

At about 1 a.m it was time to start pushing.  I pushed for 2 hours, the doctor checked progress, and said we may have to consider a C-Section. I asked for more time to push.  I really did not want a C-Section after everything I had gone through to get to that point.  He said I could push for another 30 minutes and then would check progress again.  The half hour came and went and again I asked for more time.  He said 15 minutes, but that was it.  Luckily, after that 15 minutes I had made enough progress.  With some more pushing and lots of encouragement, our little girl was born 7 lbs 2 oz, 20 1/2 inches long, at 3:45 a.m., on June 29th in Loveland, Colorado. The nurses put my gorgeous little girl on my chest and I got to enjoy meeting her in person.  We narrowed down the names to Hailey and Abigail, and Abigail Rae won.  Unfortunately, they did have to take her to the NICU as she was born 4 weeks before her "due date" (more on that later).

After they took Abby to the NICU I enjoyed a delicious Roast Beef Sandwich and Cheetos (I hadn't had anything but Jello and Sprite since  8 a.m. the morning before and then settled down for a much deserved nap.  About 2 hours later, we were moved across the floor to my recovery room.  We spent much of the day just relaxing and Josh went to fed Abby every 3 hours (I wasn't allowed until later in the afternoon because i was still stuck in bed).  Throughout that day and night and into Sunday, we went to feed Abby every 3 hours in the NICU.

Sunday afternoon, Abby was cleared to come stay with us in our room.  We also gave Abby her first bath.  It was so great to finally have our little family altogether! Monday after visits from the on call Obstetrician, Pediatrician, Physical Therapist, and Lactation Nurse, we were discharged to go home!!

The reason why due date was in quotation marks is because when I found out I was pregnant, I had calculated my due date out to be July 16th.  I also had measured 2 weeks ahead at each one of my doctor appointments. Other signs that lead us to believe that my actual due date was closer to July 16th was: Abby's birth weight (7 lbs 2 oz), how much she moved around, and her overall health. So we think Abby was born closer to only 2 weeks early.

I know Heavenly Father was watching over my whole family.  If not for the nurse that reviewed my test results and insisted that I come in and be seen by a doctor on Friday morning, I don't even want to imagine what could have happened over the weekend.  The doctor that I saw on Friday and that delivered Abby was an expert on Preclampsia and was the perfect doctor to help us.  We are so grateful for the doctor that delivered Abby and all of the nurses at the Hospital.  Our little Abby is such a blessing and we are enjoying every moment with her.

   

 

 

      

36 Weeks!

As of tomorrow, I will be 36 weeks pregnant.  That means 4 more weeks till my due date! ALMOST THERE!

Pregnancy has been a little rougher lately.  Not sleeping hardly at all, swollen ankles and legs (like hippopotamus style), needing the bathroom even more constantly, huge belly.  But I am still enjoying and in awe that I am growing a living little girl!

I've had three wonderful baby showers, over the last few weeks, and they really helped me feel more prepared for bringing home our baby. We've had fun decorating her room, washing all of her clothes, and generally just getting the house ready.

Josh has been the best throughout all of this. He's actually getting really into buying clothes, decorating her nursery, and gives THE BEST foot rubs.

We got to take a tour of the maternity floor in the hospital where I will be delivering.  This helped both Josh and I feel more comfortable with the hospital and what to expect on the big day.  We were very impressed!

One of my sisters-in-law took some AMAZING maternity pictures for us up near Estes Park.  Those helped remind me that pregnancy can still be beautiful, even when I'm dying of heat all the time and feel like a beached whale.  Here is a teaser of just some of the pictures!

    

31 Weeks

I know it has been a LONG time since I posted a baby bump picture and gave an update on my blog.... So here one is!

No that is not a beach ball under my shirt!

I cannot believe that there are only 9 weeks till my due date! EEEK!!! I am beyond excited.

So as you can see, I am feeling huge lately.  My back hurts pretty much all the time and I have to use the bathroom about every 15 minutes.  Sleeping has been really rough lately, with getting sore from sleeping on one side too long and using the bathroom (only about every 2 hours at night).  As for food, I am so hungry all the time!

At my last appointment, baby's heartbeat was about 130 and I was measuring at about 32 weeks (I've usually been ahead a week or two).

We are still working on her nursery.  Crib is all set up, dresser is still in pieces, no chair or bookcase yet.  We also have her stroller and carseat already. I am so excited for my upcoming baby showers.  I'm getting antsy not having a lot of clothes for her! I also made a really cute headband holder for in her room and I am trying to figure out some other fun crafts to work on (IDEAS?). Definitely in the nesting stage.

Lately, baby has found my ribcage and is loving to kick it.  She also has had the hiccups a few times.  As always, she is very active at all hours of the day.  She and I have a game where I will put my hand on my stomach and she kicks it, then I move it and she kicks again.  Josh also plays his game where he puts his finger on my belly button (it is pretty flat right now) and she will kick back.

Still deciding on names.  Pretty sure on a middle name, but the first name will have to wait till we meet her.  We have about 5-7 that we like.

63ish more days till we get to meet our little Princess!!

PS  Check out my adorable nephew.  He can't wait to have a cousin!

Alis' Graduation

About 2 weeks ago, we flew out to Ohio to attend my sister's college graduation.  She attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  Oxford is this tiny little town out in the middle of NOWHERE!!  We flew in Friday afternoon and headed right to campus.  We got a little lost, but eventually found our way to Alis' house.  We met her roommates, toured her house, and ate dinner.

After dinner, we started the drive back to our hotel.  Our hotel was in another town called Middletown that was about 40 minutes away.  About 10 minutes outside of town... my phone died.  We had been using it for navigation.  More bad news, Josh had broken his phone that morning. We figured "how lost can we really get and if we do, we will ask for directions".  About 30 minutes later, we asked a man at a stoplight how to get to Middletown.  He said we had missed it and had to take another road in the opposite direction.  About 30 minutes down that road, we asked a lady at a gas station if we were heading the right direction. She said we were and to keep going.  Finally, we passed a sign that said we were in Middletown, but there was no sign of any hotels or really any place to ask for directions.  As we headed into a neighborhood, Josh found a cop and we decided to follow him and ask for directions.  About 30 seconds later, the cop pulled up to a crime scene where there were about 10 other cop cars.  So much for that idea!  So we kept driving around. Finally we found a McDonald's and asked if they could tell us how to get to the Marriott (also on my phone was the exact name for the hotel.  We knew it was a Marriott, but not that it was specifically a Fairfield Inn).  The first guy wasn't even sure if there were any hotels in town and then his manager gave us some directions. Still hopelessly lost, we found a gas station.  Out of the three employees that we talked to, one was able to give us directions.  Finally after 2 hours of driving, about 5 different sets of directions, and lots of country music, we found our hotel! Turns out my parents had a fun drive back as well.  They got stuck at a train crossing where a train kept pulling forward then reversing then pulling forward then reversing.  

The next morning we headed to Verizon for a phone for Josh and then to Oxford.  That morning was the first graduation.  This was the whole school graduation in the football stadium.  IT WAS FREEZING OUTSIDE.  Luckily we all had coats, blankets, and hot chocolate to warm us up a little bit.  The speaker was a man that is an Alumni of Miami and now is a writer for the New York Times.  It was fun seeing all the kids on the field and getting to turn their tassels.

That night we had delicious BBQ at Alis' house and then headed back to Middletown (much quicker this time, with GPS).

The next day we headed back to Oxford for another busy day.  The morning started with Alis giving Josh and I a walking tour.  She showed us the library, her old dorms, the student center, and the business school. The business school is called the Farmer School of Business and was built from a VERY GENEROUS donation.  It was ridiculous how fancy it was inside.  There was even a grand piano in the main entry! After the tour, we met up with my parents for a Mother's Day brunch. Then it was time for another ceremony.  This one was just the Business School graduates and this was where we got to hear Alis' name called and watch her walk across the stage.  The speaker for this ceremony is also an Alumni of Miami and is now a news anchor for FOX news.  Then we checked into our hotel that was in Oxford (no more Middletown) and relaxed for a few hours.  Then we had dinner, celebrated the birthdays of two of Alis' roommates, and called it a night. 

The next day we helped with some cleaning and packing and then headed to the airport to head back to Colorado.  My mom stayed a few extra days to help Alis move out and look for a new apartment for her job in Cincinnati, that she will start in September.

I am so proud of my little sister for graduating college with a degree in Marketing and wish her good luck with her new job!

San Diego and Vegas

Josh and I had realized, earlier this year, that we hadn't really gone on vacation just the two of us since we got married. So we decided to take one last trip before our little girl is born.  We settled on San Diego and Las Vegas.

We left for San Diego on a Friday night.  When we got there, we were told that our hotel had been overbooked so we were moved next door for the night.  The next morning we got up early to pick up our rental car, then headed out for the day.  Our first stop was breakfast.  We found a great little restaurant where Josh had a pancake and eggs and I had Corned Beef Hash.  "Only one pancake?!"  Yes one pancake! It was HUGE!

After breakfast, we headed to the San Diego Zoo.  For those of you who have not been there, it is GINORMOUS!  The whole zoo is covered in trees and plants. There are so many paths all over, that it is very easy to get lost in. We saw almost all of the animals and it only took us 4 hours!  We also took a ride on the Sky Tram, which is like a chair lift/gondola.

 We had planned on going to a Science Museum but were pooped after the zoo.  So we headed back to the hotel to rest.  Later that night, we walked along the water right behind our hotel to go out to dinner at Joe's Crab Shack.  In the Marina we saw a ton of really nice yachts.  There was one that was really fancy.  It had all kinds of satellites and antennas and even had a helicopter.  On further investigation, we discovered that it belonged to one of the founders of Apple.

This is baby bump at almost 23 weeks.

The next morning was Easter so we got dressed up and took ourselves out to brunch. We had found and booked brunch at a hotel named The Bahia.  We ate in a ballroom complete with chandeliers and a piano player.  There was ham, roast beef, eggplant parmesan, eggs, crepes, fruit, bagels, desserts, and the largest pile of shrimp I have ever seen.  The table it was on was 3 ft wide and the shrimp was piled at least a foot high! After that we headed up to Oceanside, CA.  On the way there we also drove past the San Diego Temple and walked around on the grounds.

Looks fake, doesn't it?!

This tent says: Temporary Visitors Center ;)

To get to Oceanside, we drove along the coast on Highway 101.  When we got there  we walked out on the pier to Ruby's Diner.  Here we had yummy milkshakes and burgers for lunch.  

Funny sign on the pier.

When we got back to San Diego, we met up with a friend, who is a Marine, and was able to take us out onto the Coronado Naval Base.  We got to see an Aircraft Carrier up close and then went to the private beach.  The sand was pristine and we had such a great time walking the beaching and catching up as the sun was setting.  Then we headed to the Hotel Coronado for a light dinner. Overall, it was a great day.

The next morning, we packed up, got in the car, and headed up to Las Vegas.  It was a 6 hour drive, but we also stopped along the way in Murrieta, where Josh lived when he was younger.  

When we got to Las Vegas, we stopped at the Las Vegas Temple and walked around the grounds.  TWO TEMPLES IN TWO DAYS!

Then we checked into our room at The Luxor.  We got a great deal on a Pyramid Suite.  Our room had a king sized bed, bathroom, sitting room, and a big tub that overlooked the strip.  I forgot to mention that The Luxor is a pyramid so the walls in our room were slanted and the elevator went up at a diagonal (SO CREEPY). 

After changing clothes, we headed out on the strip.  First, we walked two hotels down (Excalibur and New York New York) to The Monte Carlo. 

 There we picked up our show tickets and ate dinner.  Then we took a tram to The Bellagio to explore the hotel and watch the famous fountains.

Bellagio Garden inside the hotel.

LAS VEGAS AT NIGHT!!

     

Then we headed back to The Monte Carlo for our show.  Originally, we had wanted to see Cirque Du Soleil "O" at The Bellagio, but there wasn't a performance the night that we were in Vegas. Instead we saw THE BLUE MAN GROUP!!  It was such an amazing show.  We sat in the 2nd row which was part of what they called the "Poncho Section".  The reason for the Ponchos was that during one of their 'skits', they shot out mushed bananas out of a hole on their costumes.  It was pretty gross.  It is hard to explain what the show was. YouTube it for a better idea.

The next morning, we took the tram back to the Bellagio for breakfast. We had a delicious brunch and then headed out on the strip. We went into a ton of hotels along the way: Paris, Caesar's Palace, Mirage, Treasure Island, and Venetian.  We probably spent the most time walking through Venetian.  Inside, it looks like you are in Venice.  The ceiling is painted blue and covered in clouds, all the stores look like they are in Italy, and there is even a canal with Gondolas thru the middle of it.  We also stopped and had gelato.

After a lot of walking and lots of noisy and smelly casinos, we were ready to head home.  

It was so much fun having a long weekend away, just the two of us. And our next big vacation will be the THREE OF US!!