Birth Story Part I

So I'm pretty sure it is time I finally document the birth of my baby... considering she is just a few days away from being 10 months old!  I've noticed lately that so many people are blogging days after having a baby so they can remember every detail.  I wish I had it that together but it is better now than never!  (Sorry for the LONG post!) 

I had been having some crazy blood pressure issues and was put on bed rest at 36 weeks.  I was seeing the doctor and having an ultrasound and non-stress test twice a week at that point.  Baby Lee had been breech the entire pregnancy and at 37 weeks I had a talk with the doctor about my choices.  Either schedule a version (which would require the doctors to physically try to turn the baby before inducing labor) or a c-section at 39 weeks.  I asked if I could have one more week to try to turn the baby.  The doctor gave some suggestions to me but warned that I really should be staying in bed on my left side for the blood pressure issue.  I spent that entire week bouncing on a big exercise ball.  This was supposed to make more room for the baby to turn.  Sounds crazy but sure enough, I went in at 38 weeks for an ultrasound and she had turned!!! Unfortunately the doctor changed my blood pressure medication because it was even more out of control and the medicine I had been on was apparently no longer working. I had to start a new medication that made me feel terrible and had to go back to see the doctor a few days later.

(I forgot to mention that each doctor's appointment from 36 weeks sent me to the hospital to be monitored for several hours to make sure my blood pressure wasn't affecting the baby. Scary but always turned out okay!)

I returned for the second appointment my 38th week of pregnancy and my blood pressure had not come down.  They decided that it was time to get Baby Lee out!  I had two options: schedule a c-section on Monday, February 21st OR come in on Sunday, February 20th to be induced.  I decided that I wanted to give my body the chance to be induced because I didn't want to not experience labor.  We scheduled a 3:00pm induction on Sunday... just 5 days away! 

I spent the next few days, ignoring bed rest, and getting everything ready.  The baby bump was HUGE by that point and even small chores were exhausting!  But I was happy to be up and moving.  I went to Benihana with some friends for a last girl's outing.  It was sad when I couldn't eat very much because I would get full after just a few bites.  But it was a lot of fun!  Now that I think about it... Libby had her ultrasound that morning and announced she was having a Baby Boy!!! It was a very happy day.  

Sunday came before I knew it and Kimberly was coming in from out of town, Tara was taking off work, and my Mom as trying to rest up as much as possible because she knew I'd need her!  Tara came up to visit Sunday morning to bring Michael and I several frozen meals that we could make once we came home and a few absolutely darling baby gifts.  She really does spoil me!  She helped calm my nerves a bit and then said she would meet us at the hospital.  I took my time getting a shower, straightening my hair and putting on a little makeup.  Michael and I took a few minutes to lay quietly in bed and reflecting on how these last moments of just a family of two felt.  We were excited (him more than me) and nervous (me more than him).  

The nurse told me to eat before coming into the hospital and I completely forgot.  We stopped at McDonald's and I got some chicken nuggets and WATER (which I was completely obsessed with throughout my pregnancy).  I ate a couple nuggets and chugged the water.  I was so worried about not being able to drink any more once I got to the hospital. I was SO thirsty  I was convinced this would be the hardest part of delivery, not allowed having water.  Boy was I wrong :) 

Some Baby Lee Gifts so far...

We're Getting Closer!!!

Michael and I had a wonderful first Christmas and New Year as a married couple! It was very busy trying to make it to all of the gatherings but it all worked out pretty well. We have continued to be spoiled by our family and friends as we prepare for Baby Lee! She already has a closet full of clothes, blankets and toys and we still have 7 weeks to go! Michael finally put the crib together and it looks amazing. I'm in love with the crib and the bedding (THANK YOU GRANDMA BRUMLEY!!!). I love to go into the room and just look at everything. I can't imagine what it will feel like when she is in her little room!

I've had a very busy couple couple of weeks with a ton of travel for work and lots of doctors appointments. I'm having weekly ultrasounds and non stress tests now which is time consuming but helps me realize how close we really are! The baby is doing really well so far and is 70th percentile for height and weight. Now if we can just keep my blood pressure down we will be doing great!

Now for the REALLY exciting news... Tara Lee and Matthew Wiley are now MR & MRS WILEY!!! The wedding this weekend was absolutely gorgeous and so was Tara! There were a few issues with the weather but everything turned out great in the end! What is a wedding without a few moments of drama? The ceremony was one of the most emotional and sentimental I have ever seen. To hear the words that Tara and Matt wrote about one another was truly beautiful. You can really see how deeply in love these two are and it was so much fun having everyone together to celebrate them! Congratulations to two amazing people and one of my favorite couples!!!

I was so worried for all of the wedding events to go well and I wanted to make sure I was there for Tara as much as she was for me throughout my wedding process that it was a good pregnancy distraction. I wasn't the best bridesmaid... being 8 months pregnant... but I hope that Tara felt loved and appreciated! Now that the wedding was a success and the newly married couple are on an island honeymooning it is a big sigh of relief! I know they will absolutely love being married!

The next few weeks should bring several baby showers and more doctor's appointments. I have a lot of maternity leave issues to still work out and I still haven't changed my name on my insurance... those are some top priorities for the next few weeks. OH... and the whole picking a name thing... yes... we struggle! We have it narrowed down but haven't made a decision just yet. I have a very anxious cousin with an embroidery machine patiently (sometimes) waiting for the announcement! It really feels like parts of this pregnancy have gone so slow but when I think of everything left to do I realize it has been going a little faster than I thought.

29 Weeks

I had my week 29 doctor's visit today and it went well. My blood pressure is still a little high but not bad. I met with the final doctor I hadn't seen yet and she was wonderful! She spent a long time talking with me and made me feel confident that I'm doing a decent job in the baby growing department :) She let me listen to the baby's heartbeat a little longer than usual and it was wonderful! The heartbeat is still in the 150's and it always sounds so great! The most exciting news that I got was that the baby is FINALLY head down!!! Hopefully she stays that way! She has been breech the entire pregnancy. The doctor confirmed that I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions which has been a little uncomfortable and makes it feel like her birth is that much closer.

I have tried not to be too much of a crazy person with first time Mommy questions at the doctor's office but I gave in to ask a few today. My friends will be happy to know that the baby indeed can't grab an internal organ and I am not hurting her by laying on my side when she is kicking. AND... the doctor didn't laugh too hard when I asked. Overall, it was a happy appointment. She wants me to have another ultrasound in 2 weeks and Kimberly will be in town and able to go which is very exciting for both of us. After this next appointment I have to go every week and have ultrasounds to make sure the baby is doing okay with the slight rise in my blood pressure. I don't mind at all... I get to see this little girl on a regular basis until she is born! (And hopefully get a couple more opinions on the fact that she actually IS a girl!)

More Pregnancy Whining...

OH MY GOODNESS!!! I have decided that every negative thing I've ever heard about the third trimester of pregnancy is TRUE! Last week I went to my first OB appointment by myself. I have been really lucky that Michael has been able to go to most of my appointments and until last week, the one he couldn't make, my Mom went with me. Well... my blood pressure was a little bit high and there were a few other things that were a little off. They monitored me closely and did a little bit more testing for about a week to make sure I wasn't showing some early signs of Preeclampsia. Other than my blood pressure still being a little on the high side everything seems to be okay. I'm very happy about this because this baby girl is not ready to come out and I'm definitely not ready to be off work yet! I go back to the doctor again Tuesday so hopefully everything continues to go well.

This little girl has started being crazy at night. She seems to sleep a lot during the day and when I'm relaxing or trying to sleep she decides to have a little dance party. The movements are so strong now that I'm having trouble sleeping. She also is reacting to Michael's voice which I think is adorable.

Adam and Katie finally closed on their new house last week and we got to stop by and see it Saturday afternoon. The house is great and I can see them having a lot of very happy years there. I know this has been a long time dream for them and this holiday season is even more fun now that there is another thing to be excited about and celebrate.

Isabella and Adelyn spent the night with Michael and I on Saturday night. We put our pjs on and drove the Sharon Woods for Holiday in Lights. It was a great idea because we were able to stay warm in the car but do something festive. We loved every minute of having them but I think Michael really saw the difference between a 4 year old (Adelyn) and an 8 year old (Bella)!

I have tried to upload some pictures to the blog but my memory card is not cooperating. Hopefully I will get that worked out and be able to post a lot of pictures soon! Hope everyone is staying warm and has a great week!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Wow... I haven't posted in a month! Things have been busy and I went on a bit of a roller coaster ride of emotions there for a bit. Things are much better now and I'll try to catch up the month's events briefly!

After another frustrating experience at 25 weeks pregnant trying to find out the gender of our baby we were able to have a 3D/4D ultrasound where we found out we are having a little GIRL!!! The ultrasound technology in my doctor's office is very outdated and this other experience was MUCH better. They spent a long time with us going through each organ and watching it work in 4D. We saw our baby girl yawn and move around. It was amazing!!! Since the ultrasound we have celebrated knowing we're going to have a baby girl in our lives and started on the nursery... finally!

On November 20th, Michael's family had a fabulous baby shower for me. It is so much fun being around the women in his family... I'm so lucky to have married into such a great family (I know I say this a lot... but I mean it!) We had a lot of fun hanging out, eating some good food and I got some fabulous presents for Baby Lee... she is spoiled already! I'm really excited that Michael's cousin, Lindsey, is due next month and his cousin Brandon's wife, Kim, is due at the end of April. It will be so fun to watch them grow up together and be so close in age! Baby Lee has LOTS of cousins on both sides of the family and for that I am incredibly thankful because I have enjoyed having so many cousins that I am close to myself!

This Thanksgiving weekend we have spent a lot of time with family and just hanging out. Thanksgiving day was unfortunately spent apart which is kind of sad considering it was our first Thanksgiving as a married couple. Our family's celebrated at the same time an hour away from each other so after MUCH debate we decided that instead of skipping one we would just go our separate ways and then spend Thanksgiving evening at home just the two of us. It was a wonderful day, minus the weather, and we both had a lot of fun and lots of great food!

Saturday night we had a bunch of Michael's family over to hang out and it was great. We don't have people over often enough! The boys were able to play pool and the girls hung out with the adorable kids. We also played Apples to Apples which I hadn't played in a long time. It was a lot of fun even if Michael kicked our butts!

Today we attended a brunch for Michael's Aunt Robin's surprise 60th birthday! It is sooooo much fun being in on a surprise! It was nice seeing everyone on his Dad's side of the family since I wasn't able to make it to Thanksgiving. It was a great ending to a great weekend!

We didn't do any shopping this weekend and I was wanting to get out of the house this evening so we went to Meijer to walk around and pick up a few things. Man am I moving slow already... Michael was very patient as we slowly strolled through the store. It blows his mind that I am always wanting to go out and do something but am so miserable once I get there. It is going to be a long 13 more weeks! :)

Overall this pregnancy really has not been bad! It is a lot harder than I thought it would be but I am so thankful to be experiencing it! The baby has been moving a ton and I am loving feeling her move on the inside and outside! It has also been fun to have Michael get to feel her moving around too.

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Thanksgiving and that you are enjoying the holiday season!!!

Missing in Action...

So I have slacked off the past few weeks and haven't updated. Sorry guys! We had my 21 week OB appointment where we got to have our big ultrasound! It was so amazing to see our little baby and to find out that he or she is healthy!!! That is all I wanted to see... but the stubborn little stinker decided not to show mommy and daddy what gender he or she is! I was disappointed because a lot of planning was riding on that day but I guess we will just take this as a lesson in patience... thanks Baby :)

I have been traveling a lot these past two weeks for work and there is more to come. I've been trying to attend as many meetings and conferences all over Kentucky as I can because I'm not sure how much I'll be able to do next year with a newborn! Work has been going really well with the help of my favorite co-workers. I even got the 2010 Outstanding Employee of the Year Award this week. Man was that embarrassing... Michael came down to Louisville to have dinner with me at Ruth's Chris which is our favorite restaurant. It was a perfect time to have our favorite meal one more time before the baby gets here!

We started a baby registry at Babies R Us last weekend and that was an adventure! We stuck with mostly neutral things. I think it sunk in a little more with Michael that a baby is actually on its way between registering and the ultrasound. We are both very anxious and excited!

I'll try to update again soon!!! Have a great weekend everyone.