Maternity Photoshoot

Good Wednesday evening ya'll.  I have been having so much fun learning about and playing with my baby girl these last two weeks.  She is such a joy and delight to us and I love watching her every day.  She is growing and changing and more importantly, we are learning more about her and what she is like.  She is almost always happy and content, alert and engaged.  We have had a few days of things just not quite being right and those aren't as fun, but they all come with the territory.  I am working, slowly... on my birth story post but in the meantime I thought I would post our maternity pictures that our wonderful friend Vita took for us.  She is so great to take pictures for us.  She did our Christmas pictures and if she'll let me, I'm gonna keep using her because it's just so much fun and she does a great job!  Prepare for lots of photos to follow...

Hope you enjoy them as much as we do.  It's hard to believe this was only a few weeks ago, so much has changed!  Thanks again Vita for such beautiful documentation of our pregnancy!

~Becky

Our first week home

I can't believe it has already been 10 days since our little munchkin joined our family.  Can you make time stand still because I am already struggling with her getting bigger and changing.  I want her to stay this way forever!  Any yet the thrill of being able to help her and watch her grow and learn and experience new things is such an exciting thing as well.  I suppose this is what it means to be a momma.

So Alythia arrived at 4:40am on Tuesday morning, 6/11/13.

Yes that's right, she arrived on her due date, prompt and very obedient.  (birth story to come later)  I had given her strict instructions that she was not allowed to start coming until after 5pm on Monday the 10th as I had too much work to finish up before she arrived.  She obeyed and started coming at 4:30pm.  12 hours of labor is definitely not easy and I asked myself many times what in the world I was thinking trying to do this, period, let alone medication free!  She arrived with little complication and we proceeded on with learning all about her and she about us.

Rob and I have been just so enamored with her.  She is an absolute doll, both to sit and stare at and to care for.  She is content almost all the time, sleeps fantastically, eats wonderfully and has already gotten on a fairly good schedule.  She wakes once at night to eat and sleeps for about 5 hours in between those feedings.  She is so alert and aware of everything going on around her.

We brought her home on Thursday morning.  I wanted to come home Wednesday but the pediatrician asked me to stay the night if he promised to be there first thing in the morning to check her out and discharge her.  We agreed and he did as he promised.  Pediatrician was there at 7:30 am and the OB was there at 8:15 am to check on us and discharge us.  As is always the case, we waited around for another 2 hours for the nurse to get the paperwork processed and actually let us leave but we were home before lunch and off to a good start in our little home.

My mom arrived from Michigan on Tuesday afternoon and planning to stay for a couple weeks to help us get adjusted to life as new parents as well as help prepare meals for us both to freeze and while she's here and to help with laundry.  She is always such a help whenever she is here and this time was no exception.  She has helped us to prepare several meals to have during the time we move and are getting settled in the new place so that we have that off our plates and can focus on the house and the baby.  I tell ya, I could certainly get used to having a housekeeper and laundress around, it's been so wonderful having her here both to help us and to get to spend some quality time with her granddaughter during her first few weeks of life.  I am so blessed to have the mother the Lord has given me, she is a treasure and I never want to take that for granted.

We were instructed to make Alythia's first doctor's appointment for Monday June 18th to see how she was doing.  She had been tested for her bilirubin count at the hospital and was a little high but not serious at the time.  At her appointment her doctor decided to do a blood test to check her levels and it came back with a level of 17.  I'm not sure what normal was but he said it was fairly serious and that she should start phototherapy that day.  He ordered us a light bed and it was delivered that evening.  We were instructed to keep her in it as much as possible and only take her out to eat and change her diaper.  She was not too thrilled to be confined in a tight space and forced to be on her back.  She stayed in it as much as possible and though it meant a fairly restless night of sleep as she was up every 2 hours, we were able to make it through.  We went back for her follow up blood draw the next day and her levels had dropped down to 13.3!  Even the doctor was shocked by the levels and we were able to take her out of the bed with the condition that we would keep an eye on her and see if she seemed to get any worse again.  We are so thankful that she was able to get the help she needed quickly and that she responded so well to the treatment.  We are still praying that she continues to keep her levels in the normal range but are so grateful for a doctor that will respond so quickly to her needs, God is good.

She has been doing so well with everything since she has been home.  She has gone out on several outings, taken a couple walks around the neighborhood, went jogging with daddy on Father's Day, had her first Sunday at church, went out for her first desert outing on Thursday night with the whole family and has just been a rockstar the whole time!  I can't ask for a better baby.  I could just stare at her all day long and never get tired of marveling at the Lord's goodness and handiwork in creating such a unique and special little girl.  I am humbled and honored to have the privilege of being her momma.

A few more photos from week 1.

Father's Day family photo

6 days old

my favorite face to make, so curious (2 days old)

~Becky

39 weeks...yikes!

37 weeks

38 weeks

39 weeks and feeling it!

How far along?  39 weeks, yikes!!
Total weight gain/loss: +20 from first dr visit

Belly measurement: 38 inches

Maternity clothes? Still not really.  I could probably use the super stretchy waistband about now but there's no point in buying clothes I can only wear for a few days!
Stretch marks? Nope!

Best moment this week: Realizing that there's only a week left before my due date!

Movement: I think I'm more excited when she's not moving.  She is so active and so squished that it's really getting painful to have her moving around. 

Food cravings: This week I caved and bought myself some Cap'n Crunch.  I have not had cravings this whole time but now I think I'm just to the point where I am over this and really just want some good ol' junk cereal.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing external.  I've had a few nauseous spells but I think it's just from all the pressure she's putting on my stomach

Have you started to show yet: absolutely, though I am getting tired of hearing people comment on how small I am.  My stomach measures at 33 weeks and has been for about a month now.  We have done two ultrasounds to make sure she is good and everything is as standard as you could want.  I just carry differently than most women and it seems to be a big concern to a lot of people.
Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: I think I've had contractions but I'm not really sure.  What I feel as far as pressure could also be just her pushing on things so I can't really say.  When she's out I'll know I was feeling labor I guess.

Belly Button in or out? Fairly flat and doesn't seem to be pushing out any more.

Wedding rings on or off? On though when it gets warmer out they are a little tight. 

Happy or Moody most of the time:This week I have been super moody.  Probably a combination of exhaustion, stress from work and just being over this whole pregnant thing

Looking forward to: Seeing her actual face.  I have seen so many pictures of her skeletal structure from ultrasounds, I wanna see what she actually looks like and stop feeling her little feet digging into my ribs.

Sorry this update has been so long in coming.  I have had a crazy month.  Hopefully I will have a little more time between feedings after she gets here to be able to start being more consistent with updates. Until then, please keep checking in and I will keep you posted on how everything is going!

~Becky

Month 9 has been a blur!

Well good morning.  It's 7:30 am on Saturday as I write this and here I am, wide awake and have been for an hour.  I guess this is God's way of preparing me for little miss sunshine and all her impending wake ups and crazy hours!  The past three weeks have been crazy insane and quite a blur.  My mom was here a few weeks ago on her way up to Michigan for the summer.  It was really nice to be able to spend some quality time with her before the baby gets here.  The weekend she decided to drive up with her RV, Rob flew down to Florida to pick up our car and help mom trailer it back here to Kentucky so we could stop paying storage in Florida and needing someone to go and run it regularly.  He arrived in Florida at 8:30 am on Friday and was back in Kentucky by 2 am Friday night/Saturday morning.  Quick turn around but it was great to be able to get the car up here and start using it and figuring out the next steps.  While mom was here with us, we spent quite a bit of time planning for after the baby arrives, how she can be most helpful and what we want to that to look like.  I am so thankful to have a mother who is so willing to help out and knows what needs to be done.  She will certainly be a wonderful help with cooking, cleaning and packing!  As well as fawning over the granddaughter of course :)

While mom was here, our women's ministry from church had planned a family day at Churchill Down's and all 4.5 of us were able to attend.  It was a gorgeous day and it was nice to walk around the famous buildings at our own pace and watch the horse races without the craziness that I'm sure exists on Derby Day!  We would like to and intend to go to derby while we are here, but it was nice to just wander around and see everything without paying all that money!

 As we were walking in a couple stopped us and gave us tickets to their box seats that they had just left up on the second level.  It was wonderful to be able to sit down in the shade for a few minutes and just enjoy the relaxing day!  I guess they felt bad for the pregnant lady and wanted to make sure I had a place to sit.

It's been so nice having spring and summer weather here finally.  I was afraid it was never going to come!  We held on to winter for a long time, and even now its still toying with us.  50's in June does not sound like summer weather to me at least...

So mom left mid-week the next week and we have been non-stop since then.  I have been working super hard to get everything done at work so that my maternity leave is relaxing and refreshing and the case managers covering for me know what's going on and have as little to do as possible.  I finished up all of May's work and have been spending the last 4 days doing all of the work for June as well as prepping all of my files for the other case managers to step in when baby girl decides to make her debut.  It's certainly been exhausting and trying but I'm almost there.  Just about 2 more hours of work in the office and two more client visits and I will be done!  It's amazing what one can accomplish when you have no other choice!

We did get a little rest and relaxation time in as well.  This past weekend, Rob had booked us a night in a beautiful bed and breakfast about an hour southeast of Louisville.  We didn't want to go too far away in case something happened, and frankly my lovely daughter does not like to let momma sit for very long and she would have a fit if I was in the car for more than an hour, cramping her space.  We stayed at this little place called Southern Grace Bed and Breakfast in Bradenburg, which is just west of Fort Knox.  It's a beautiful house that was originally a private residence, built by the owners son but was turned into a bed and breakfast about 2 years ago.  We got the master suite with our own private entrance from the back porch, a two person jacuzzi tub with it's own private hot water heater, and the most relaxing atmosphere.  They have a small farm on the property and we were able to see goats, alpaca, cows and chickens.  It was a nice change of scenery for us city folk. 

On Monday we got up and had a wonderful breakfast, hot and ready for us.  We decided to relax a bit and watch a movie before we headed out for the day and then we headed north just a little ways to a place called Squire Boone Caverns in southern Indiana.  They have a small but really pretty cave that we toured and some cute little shops as well.  It was a nice adventure without being too strenuous as I certainly do not want to induce labor yet.  Too much to do!

Here are a few pictures of our weekend away. 

Sunset on the Ohio River

Grinding mill at Squire Boone Caverns

Water overflow for the mill

~Becky

35 and 36 weeks

Hey all, sorry that I have been slacking on updating this weekly lately.  It seems that the closer we get to the baby's arrival, the more hectic and uncertain life is becoming and I have not always felt like I had the spare minutes to sit down and write the weekly update.  I know that's not an excuse and I need to make this more of a priority if I intend for this blog to be more in the future, but for now, I have a couple photos from last week and an update for starting the last month of pregnancy!!

35 Weeks (had to do a last minute selfie...)

The view from my vantage point

36 weeks, starting to feel big!

How far along?  36 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +17 from first dr visit

Belly measurement: 36 inches

Maternity clothes? Still not really.  I only have two pair of pants that fit comfortably for work so those are in constant rotation, Shirts are starting to show belly if I'm not careful.
Stretch marks? Not on my belly. 

Best moment this week: Last we have an ultrasound because I have been measuring 3 weeks small.  It was pretty cool to see her on the screen again and to see how she's doing.  Mother's Day was pretty cool too.  Getting happy mother's day wishes for my first of the rest of my life was a nice surprise. 

Miss anything: I miss the usual; stomach sleeping, no heartburn, full appetite, my clothes fitting.  In general I'm looking forward to not being pregnant anymore.

Movement: Yep all the time, though she has run out of room so now it's just becoming painful.  She stretches all over, sticking her behind out one side and her feet out the other and pushing on my hip bones with her hands.  She just squished.

Food cravings: Nope, I do really like soda though.

Anything making you queasy or sick: still not loving the smell of coffee like I usually do and also not loving carrots.

Have you started to show yet: yep, she's sticking out now for sure!
Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks here and there but she was having a good time the other night trying to push herself out.  Not sure what was motivating that but she was sure trying. 

Belly Button in or out? Fairly flat at the moment.

Wedding rings on or off? On! 

Happy or Moody most of the time: I've been more moody lately but not sure that's the pregnancies fault.  There are so many things going on with us at the moment so that is making things certainly very interesting.

Looking forward to: Seeing her little face in person, she was hiding at our last ultrasound so all we could see were hands, legs and backbone.  I still don't know how they squish all that baby in such a small place.

So as I mentioned briefly, we had a second ultrasound last week.  At my 32 week appointment I was measuring 2 weeks smaller than average.  My midwife asked if I wanted them to schedule an ultrasound to check out how the baby was doing and make sure there were no problems.  At that point, I told her that I wasn't worried enough to feel like that was necessary but we could see how I was at the next appointment and decide then.  Two weeks later I went in for my 34 week appointment and was now measuring 3 weeks smaller than average.  At that point we decided we should see what was going on and she scheduled me for an ultrasound sometime in the next two weeks.  I went in last Wednesday, at 35 weeks, and baby girl is rocking along!  She was 5.5lbs and right on growth track.  The problem is that she has decided the appropriate place for her head is entirely in my pelvis already so her head is not factoring into the measurements like it normally would.  She's right on track and, though it's not always comfortable, she is letting me stay pretty small as well.  I'm certainly experiencing some serious heartburn from all her pushing on my stomach and all the room she is taking up, but at least I haven't had to buy many new clothes!

Now on the docket is finding a pediatrician and meeting with them, getting the birth  plan in our file with the hospital, and making sure everything is as ready as it can be in our little apartment for when she comes home.  Sadly, I will not have her nursery done before she arrives, as we will not be moved into a new place by then.  Hopefully it doesn't take too much longer, but for now I have a place for her to sleep and we have the carseat.  Oh, one more thing to the list, get the carseat installed before I go into labor!

That's about it for now.  Hope your having a fabulous week!  Our weather is finally starting to act like spring!! 

~Becky

34 Weeks

34 weeks and feeling pregnant now!

How far along?  34 weeks, yikes!  I better start getting things ready for her!

Total weight gain/loss: +15 from first dr visit

Belly measurement: 

Maternity clothes? Some.  I can wear shirts that are pulled in on the sides and struggling with pants because now my only ones that fit are my super stretchy jeans but I don't want to spend money on something I'm only going to wear for 6 weeks.  Seems silly.
Stretch marks? Not on my belly.  I have some on my sides but not sure if that's pregnancy related or not.

Best moment this week: Taking maternity pictures in the park.  We have such beautiful parks around here and I love that it's actually been nice a few day to enjoy them.

Miss anything: Missing an uninterrupted night of sleep.  From what I hear though, that isn't going to return any time soon.

Movement: All the time.  She's been head down for a long time so I'm sure she's getting bored of that position and being stuck so she likes to kick the inside of my ribs and punch the inside of my hip bones, not the greatest feeling in the world...

Food cravings: No, I wish I was craving something because then I would feel like eating.  I'm back to having very little appetite which does not work well with trying to get her protein so she will grown!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Strange and random things make me queasy, like green chilies this morning or that stupid candle that has been making me nauseated for the entire pregnancy!  How can something smell/taste so good when not pregnant and then be the most revolting thing in the world while pregnant?!  So weird.  

Have you started to show yet: Yes, I would say quite a bit, though still not where people expect me to be at 8.5 months.
Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: I have had a couple Braxton Hicks but nothing major, just enough to let me know what they are.  If they stay that easy then this whole natural childbirth thing is going to go great! (jk I know it is going to take some serious work)

Belly Button in or out? in but almost flush.  I think we will have in outie for a week or two at the end. 

Wedding rings on or off? On! Thankfully nothing has swelled yet and unless it gets super hot in the next few weeks I should be good.  I appreciate not feeling puffy and bloated as one positive if this pregnancy.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Mostly happy but this week I have been somewhat of an emotional wreck.  It's partially hormonal and partially environmental but I have definitely cried more this week that usual.

Looking forward to: Moving into the next stage, where she is actually out and we can see her and watch her grow.  I'm officially over being an incubator and though I'm sure that has Rob says, it's easier to take care of them inside then outside, I'm ready to do the next thing.  40 weeks is a long time!

That's all for now.  I will try to update a little more on the rest of life in a couple of days.  

HAPPY DERBY DAY!

~Becky

33 weeks and counting!

Hey all, sorry I didn't get a post out last week.  It was a rather crazy week for me and I was so exhausted at the end of each day I couldn't think about writing.  I didn't even remember to take a picture!  I'm not so good at keeping on top of all this honestly...  So return from Florida was good though vacation is never long enough.  I arrived home on Monday evening and hit the ground running.  So much has been happening at work lately and I have been feeling a little overwhelmed by it all.  I'm looking forward to the upcoming maternity leave, that is for sure!  I had Tuesday -Thursday to try and get caught up on paperwork and then we had friends come into town for preview days here at Southern and so Thursday and Friday were spent with them as much of the time as possible. 

I had a baby shower with my family planned in northern Michigan that my sweet cousins, Carrie, Kristen and Laurie put together for me, so bright and early Saturday morning I got up and drove the 7.5hrs there to see them and celebrate our wonderful new family member.  I was able to meet my dear friend Stephanie in Grand Rapids and she drove us the rest of the way to the shower so that was a nice little reprieve.  Baby O does not like it when I sit in the same position for that long of a time.  She likes to move around and likes when I am active, that is for sure!  

I had such a wonderful time up there!  I don't get to see most of my family nearly enough and for some of them it has been several years since we have been in the same place at the same time.  I guess it's the curse of a big family, but I feel so blessed that they came out to celebrate with me and to share in our overwhelming joy at this new little life God has blessed us with.  I was certainly overwhelmed by the generosity that was shown in the preparation and the gifts and am so excited to be able to use all of the wonderful things that our little girl received.  I have certainly been blown away throughout this pregnancy, with the way that God provides even when I don't see it happening, and though I still see many areas ahead that require a lot of trust, I know that I can leave it in his hands.  He will give us what we need exactly when we need it.

I returned to Grand Rapids with Steph after the shower and spent that evening and Sunday morning with her family.  After lunch, I fueled up and headed back to Kentucky to meet up with Rob and a few of our friends for some late evening ice cream.  There's nothing like Comfy Cow ice cream after a long drive!  Does my husband know how to make me happy or what!  ;)  Such a great guys. 

This week we had our final Bradley birthing class and at this point I guess we are suppose to feel prepared... I'm not so sure I feel as prepared as I should be but I know everything will work out fine and barring any complications, we will have a natural birth and a new baby girl joining our family in less than 2 months!!  I can hardly believe it!

Ok so now for the questions...

33 Weeks

How far along?  33 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +13 from first dr visit

Belly measurement: 36 inches

Maternity clothes? sadly they still are too big but now my regular clothes are getting to be too small, at least my pants, so I'm not sure what to do.
Stretch marks? Nope

Best moment this week: Getting to spend some good quality time with my husband and going through all of our baby gifts to see what final things we need before she arrives.

Miss anything: sitting without my ribs being kicked and my belly moving of it's own accord.

Movement: Kicking, rolling, punching, practicing her karate and soccer moves.  She's gonna be ready to play with daddy on day 3!

Food cravings: No, starting to get some serious reflux so mostly back to the bland foods like 1st trimester

Anything making you queasy or sick: just laying down at night and getting reflux.  Tums and I are good friends!

Have you started to show yet: Thankfully I am no longer getting the, "You're PREGNANT??" question all the time.  Now people can tell and just ask me when I'm due.  It's a nice change for sure.
Gender: Girl!

Labor Signs: Nope, but I think I have had a few braxton hicks though not consistent or intense.

Belly Button in or out? In but it's getting so close to flush!  Gotta get the maternity pictures done before it starts looking strange.

Wedding rings on or off? On!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and very tired.  I have had a few crying spells though really not much and I'm starting to get some crazy dreams.  Not a whole lot going on other than very sleepy.

Looking forward to: Finding out some solid information on the house we are hoping to get and getting the final essentials for Baby O before she gets here.  Still need her car seat, stroller, and dresser/changing table but those things are bulky so we are trying to wait until the last minute and hopefully not have to move them twice.

Please pray with us that our house can close quickly and we can be at least somewhat settled before she arrives.  It's getting down to the wire on the paperwork and I would really like to have at least moved in to the other house and not have to move with a 2 week old.  Your prayers are greatly appreciated!

~Becky