The plan for the blog

I've decided to make the transition back to my original Typepad blog. I had thought about keeping this one for "baby stuff", but I knew that if I did that I'd likely end up abandoning the other one completely. I really like the photo album feature on Typepad, which I figure will allow me to post ridiculous amounts of Cooper pictures without actually dedicating post after post to them. And I paid for that Typepad blog, so I might as well use it! Someday I'd like to figure out a way to have this blog made into a printed format, so it can serve as my pregnancy journal. Thank ya'll for following my journey through pregnancy; I hope you'll continue to keep up with us on the other blog. (Let me know if you need the address...I'm not going to post it publicly here, and may eventually end up putting a password on it. I'll let you know!)

Cooper's birth story

I know many of you don't really care to read the story of Cooper birth; even when I was pregnant and would see birth stories on people's blogs, I would barely scan them. So don't feel obligated to read the following, because I'm doing it more for us, so that we have it all written down. For those of you who do choose to keep reading, I'll try not to go into too much detail in the gory parts.

I woke up on Saturday morning just feeling a little bit off. I stomach hurt a little bit, but it felt more like I had to go to the bathroom than anything that could be classified as contractions. I got up and drank some coffee and wrote my 41 week post while sitting in the nursery. My sister-in-law was spending the night at our apartment, and we had planned to go out to breakfast around 10. By that time I definitely was feeling more crampy, but nothing that made me lose my breath or have to stop my activity. I almost couldn't even pinpoint when the pains started and stopped, so timing them was still difficult at that point. When we got back home we sat on the couch and watched some TV, and the pains were pretty far apart, some as far apart as 45 minutes. I decided to lay down and try to take a nap, and all of the sudden they started coming 2 and 3 minutes apart! Sat back up and they spaced back out. They were getting a little more painful, but again not unmanageable. Fast forward to about 8 o'clock, and things were definitely moving in the right direction. Amber and her boyfriend had come back from their day out, and were hanging out with us. By this time it was getting really painful, and I was starting to unconsciously do the rhythmic breathing thing. We played some MadGab while timing the contractions, which varied from about 7 and 8 minutes apart to 4 and 5 minutes apart. About 10pm they had gotten so painful that we decided to head to the hospital. I had to go through three contractions in the waiting room (not fun, I was so self-conscious in front of the other people in there) before being called back to triage. I was nervous about being sent back home, because I was in so much pain by that point. But when they checked me in triage I was 4 cm and 90% effaced, so they said I was "a keeper". They hooked up the monitors so we could see the baby's heartrate as well as my contractions. I was not a fan of the monitors...they were pretty tight on my abdomen, right were all the pain was. Before long I started feeling nauseous, and ended up getting sick twice in triage. They kept saying that it was good, it would help bring the baby down., etc. Still not fun. Finally at 11 we got into our room and met my nurse, Gertrude. LOVED her. I wish I had taken a picture. The next several hours were not fun. I still hadn't made a decision about an epidural, so I just kind of hung in there. I was in too much pain to even do any of the things I had planned on, like get in the whirlpool tub or sit on the exercise ball. Gertrude made me get out of bed and sit in the rocking chair, but it didn't help. The doctor came in to check me about 1:30am, and I was only 5 cm. I was disappointed, and also quickly decided that I did want to get an epidural. That part wasn't fun...the anesthesiologist had some difficulty getting it in without hitting some random nerve bundle that sent searing pain down my right leg. Once it was in though, it was fantastic! I had one more contraction that I could feel, and after that I had no more pain. Thankfully I could still feel and move my legs, which was also a relief.

The next several hours went by fairly quickly. I tried to sleep some, but Gertrude kept coming in to move me all around. Cooper's heart rate kept doing funny things, so she would have me turn on one side, then the other, then reposition the monitor. This went on for hours. I honestly wasn't too worried, because she didn't seem panicked and didn't call in the doctor. Around 6:30 Gertrude checked me and said it was completely dilated. She said "Let's go ahead and try some pushing." I was totally taken by surprise...all of the sudden it seemed to be happening so fast! She had me push a couple times then gave me a rest. I asked her how long this part could take, and she said that for some people it could take an hour or two. So I kind of started preparing myself for somewhat of a long haul, but before long she was saying that she wanted to go ahead and get the doctor before I pushed any more. I thought it was because I was getting close to delivering, but it turns out she had some concerns about how things were going. Cooper's heart rate was still less than ideal, and apparently there was a lot of bleeding (of which I was completely oblivious.) The doctor came in and had me push one more time. Apparently he was not happy with what he saw, because he sat down on the bed and said we had to make some decisions quickly. He wasn't sure why, but the baby was not doing well and needed to come out as soon as possible. We didn't have time for me to just push through the contractions unassisted. He basically said that we could do a C-section, or that he could use a vacuum to help deliver him quickly. I quickly started heading toward panic mode, because this was the first time I even realized that we had any sort of a dangerous situation. We decided to go with the vacuum delivery because Cooper was already really really low, and the doctor was confident that it wouldn't take long at all to get him out. Once the doctor got the vacuum, I literally only had to push one time before he was out! They gave him to me right away, and Stewart and I both just cried and cried. It was such a roller coaster of emotions in those last fifteen minutes, from anticipation to fear to relief and joy. It turns out that my placenta had torn, and that was what was causing the drop in heart rate and all the bleeding. Apparently it's a pretty serious situation, and I'm thankful that the doctor and nurses handled it so quickly and efficiently. Because of the situation, it took quite a while before the doctor finished up everything he needed to do. Cooper got all cleaned up and attempted to nurse (although it took him a couple days to really catch on in that area.) Finally we were able to let our families come back, including my mom and brother, who had driven through the night to get there in time for Cooper's arrival. He was being weighed and footprinted and all that, and it was hysterical to watch everyone swarm around the little bassinet with their cameras and camera phones. I think he probably had 100 pictures taken of him within the first 10 minutes (and it hasn't slowed down since.)

So there you have it...how Cooper entered the world! It was exciting and scary and wonderful all at once. Stewart was wonderful, even understanding when I insisted that I wanted NO ONE to touch me whenever I was having a contraction. I still haven't forgotten about the pain, probably since I'm still experiencing some. Thinking about going through it all again when we have another child one day is kind of scary. But then I hold my sweet little boy, and I know without a doubt that it is all worth it.

The post you have been waiting for!

I can't tell you how many times I've heard "When are you going to update the blog??" Thanks to Facebook, most of you know that Cooper James was born on February 7 at 7:29 am. He weighed 6lbs 7oz, and was perfect and sweet right from the very beginning. I'll write about his birth story soon (obviously I didn't need to be induced), but for now I know everyone just wants more photos. So here is his first week in pictures!

Day One




Day Two



(Mom brought me flowers in this vase, which someone had sent to her in the hospital when I was born!)

Day Three






Day Four


Day Five


Day Six



(Uncle Tyler changes his first diaper)

Day Seven










More to come!

41 weeks

Yep, I'm still pregnant. And growing increasingly uncomfortable by the day. I'm glad I took Thursday and Friday off from work, although that little overachiever in me keeps thinking that I could have made it through those two days. But I did get a lot done around the house, did some baking, and just relaxed which was nice. The little guy only has a couple more days to make an appearance on his own, but I'm not giving up hope just yet!

Here's our gorgeous new glider (thanks mom!) with Toto modeling once again....


And what will DEFINITELY be my last belly shot!

Nada!

Today was my last doctor's appointment, and I was shocked to find out that there was NO progress. No difference from last week! I couldn't believe it. They did an extensive ultrasound to make sure the baby is doing OK in there, and he looked awesome. Good movement, good diaphragm function, and a couple other things I can't remember. The ultrasound tech said that she was basically giving him the equivalent of an APGAR score while still in utero, and that he would get an 8 out of 8. That's our boy!!

So we have an induction scheduled for Monday evening. We go in at 6pm to get the process started, and then when my doctor comes on duty on Tuesday morning he'll really get things going. It looks like we should have a baby on Tuesday at the latest! I still am really hoping that I will go in to labor on my own before then. I have almost four days for that to happen, but of course the report I got today on my stubborn cervix doesn't help my optimism. Maybe it will all happen at once, who knows? Stay tuned!

Good birthdays

Dear baby,

I think that February 4th or February 5th would be good options for a birthday. You know, because of the alliteration.

Just something to consider.

Love,
Your momma

Unbuttoned

You know you're overdue when you have to break out the belly band again, because you can't button your pants. But this time it's your maternity pants...

No news...

I know everyone's been checking the blog, so I just thought I'd let you know that there is nothing new to report.

I may have cried a little at the breakfast table this morning, at the thought of starting another week with no signs of labor. Not that I'm admitting anything...

40 weeks!

Being 40 weeks pregnant is a curious thing. For so long you've counted down to this one date, thinking you've just got to make it so far. Then about a month out, you start thinking "Hey, this could happen even sooner! I might have a baby in just a couple weeks!" Then that window passes you by, and you hit 39 weeks. People start giving you the old wives tales ("Walk a lot!" "Castor oil!" "Have sex!" "Mexican food!"). Each person thinks that they're the first one to give you that advice, so you just smile and pretend that it's a great idea. (For the record, the thought of Mexican food currently makes me want to hurl.) While you're warding off all the well-meaning advice givers, the reality slowly sets in that that "magical" date just might come and go. So you're excited that you've reached your due date, but still you're waiting. It's a slight shift in mindset, and somewhat disappointing. But honestly, I'm doing well. Not too uncomfortable, not too moody (although Stewart might beg to differ.) Stewart's parents and sister came to town today to "walk me around" some, although we ended up going to a movie and dinner instead. I re-cleaned the apartment this morning, as I tend to do every Saturday morning, so now it's spic-and-span and ready for the baby's big arrival. I've decided that I'm going to work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and then hang it up whether I've had the baby or not. That's already three more days than I had been planning to work, so I will feel pretty accomplished in that. I go back to the doctor next Thursday if I haven't had the baby by then, and at that point we may start talking about an induction early the following week. Hoping that we don't even get that far...

I know everyone is anxious for some news, and trust me we're eager to give you some. The hospital does have wifi so hopefully we'll be able to post an update and maybe even some pictures pretty quickly. In the meantime, here's what I hope will be my last belly picture!

My darling husband....

My darling husband has just asked if I would mind sleeping on a trash bag in case my water breaks in the middle of the night.

He is also claiming that he's going to wear a whistle and hat that says "coach" into the delivery room.

Everybody start praying for me now, m'kay?

Appointment update

Today was my weekly appointment (at 39 weeks 4 days). I toyed with the idea of throwing the hospital bag in the car, just in case I was sent directly to L&D for some reason. BUT when I was getting ready for work this morning I felt totally normal and figured it was unlikely that I'd be in the hospital by day's end. So the hospital bag stayed at home, and it was just as well, because I certainly didn't need it just yet. I have started dilating (2 centimeters), but that doesn't really mean much, because I could walk around like that for two weeks. My blood pressure and baby's heart rate were both good. And somehow I LOST three pounds! I think that means that I should eat more IHOP chocolate chip pancakes (by far my favorite dinner of the week!) So the doctor basically said he wouldn't be surprised to see me at my next scheduled appointment next Thursday. Sheesh, I'll be five days overdue by that point, so let's hope I don't make it to that appointment! That's it, wish I had more exciting news, but the waiting game continues!

39 weeks

We're in the home stretch, people! It's been a roller coaster of a week, in terms of emotions. All week long I'd been kind of nauseous and headachey, and I really thought I'd go in for my weekly doctor's appointment on Thursday to find that there was some sort of progression. But nope, nada. Which is of course perfectly normal, but just slightly disappointing. The good news is that my blood pressure was back down. Now I've stopped getting comments at work from the people who delivered at 37 weeks, and am hearing all the stories of people who were two and three weeks overdue. And THAT is quite disheartening. Stewart says I shouldn't be cranky since the baby's almost here, but I think every 39 week pregnant woman has the right to be cranky whenever she wants. So there.

I'm still getting all my loose ends tied up at work, and I'm hoping to have it all done by Tuesday or Wednesday. I feel like I'm going to get through the end of the week before going in to labor. But then Saturday is a full moon, so who knows? People keep asking if I'm nervous....strangely I'm not really nervous, just excited and ready. SO excited and ready. :-)

Work dilemma RESOLVED!!

So a few weeks ago I mentioned the decision I'd been agonizing over, regarding my return to work. Basically we had been trying to decide whether or not I would return to work for the 8 remaining weeks of the school year, after taking 8 weeks off for maternity leave. I can't tell you how many hours I stressed, cried, and worried over this decision. I told myself over and over that it was only eight weeks and I would survive, but deep in my heart I did not want to leave my child at two months old to return to work full time. I had a hard time explaining it even to Stewart; usually I would just end up a sobbing, incoherent mess. On the other hand, I was feeling quite a bit of guilt at the thought of leaving our family without an income for longer than I had to. I went back and forth with the decision, but ultimately knew that I did not want to go back. A few weeks ago I shared my dilemma with my co-worker and friend, and she asked about whether I thought they would let me come back part time. Of course I had thought of that, but had quickly dismissed the idea because I didn't think the school district would go for it. But once my friend brought it up, I couldn't get it out of my head. Stewart and I went over and over the numbers to make sure that we would be able to make it financially, even if the school district nixed the idea of returning part time. Finally one morning a couple weeks ago I got up and was just ready to have the decision made. I had to wake Stewart up to discuss it one last time before I left for work. We knew we had to be prepared for the possibility that it would be full-time or nothing. I thought even if they would consider allowing me to come back part-time for those last weeks, that it would be a while before they could let me know for sure. Well, it turned out even better than I could have hoped! Of course they were disappointed but were immediately willing to talk about a part-time option. Basically without much difficulty, we decided that I would come back for two days a week to finish out the school year. The girl who is filling in for me three days a week during my maternity leave is willing to stay to cover the other three days each week. I cannot even begin to tell you how relieved I feel that it has worked out this way! I know I can handle two days a week, and Stewart can watch the baby on those days. I will still feel like I'm contributing a little bit financially, but don't have that feeling of dread that I would get when I thought about being gone for five days a week. Now will everyone join me in a big sigh of relief?

38 Weeks

We're nearing the end, and I'm finally starting to feel ready! Or maybe not quite ready but just uncomfortable enough and anxious enough to just want to get this show on the road. I have managed to get quite a few things done this week and am working hard on crossing off the rest of my to-do list (thank goodness for a three-day weekend.) The carseat has been installed and inspected, I'm working on getting the hospital bag packed, and the PackNPlay arrived so we have somewhere for this baby to sleep. (The mattress I ordered for the cradle didn't fit so I had to special order one that won't be here for a while.) The glider still hasn't arrived, even though we ordered it before Thanksgiving, but I'm not going to stress about that. It'll get here when it gets here, and I'm hoping to get a refund on the astronomical shipping fee due to the delay.

Physically, I'm feeling....ok. This week I've been MUCH more tired than before. Several times this week I've come home from work and just had to lay on the couch for thirty minutes before doing anything. The remnants of the cold I had a couple weeks ago are still popping up every couple days, which doesn't help. I had been bragging about not having any swelling (my rings still fit, yay!), until Stewart pointed out that the elastic on my socks appeared to be cutting off my circulation. At least I don't have cankles (yet!)

He's HOW big already??

Yesterday at my weekly appointment my blood pressure was slightly higher than it had been, so the doctor asked me to come back today for an ultrasound to make sure the baby and my fluid levels are ok. I wasn't really too worried, because the blood pressure wasn't that high and I know the doctor was just being cautious. Anyway, I had a really sweet ultrasound tech, and after taking lots of measurements she estimated that he currently weighs 6 lbs and 12 oz! Whoa! That's what Stewart weighed when he was born, and several ounces more than I weighed. And we still have two weeks to go! It was kind of surprising, since all I hear is that I must be having a small baby, given the relatively small size of my belly. Guess he's not going to be such a wee one after all! He does seem to have some big chubby cheeks (reminds me of my brother as a baby) and Stewart is currently pouting that we can't see any dimples yet. The ultrasound tech is forwarding the info on to my doctor, but she seemed to feel that the baby's weight, which is in the 38th percentile, and my fluid levels look just fine. :-) So keep growing for a couple weeks, little one (but not too much!!)

37 Week picture

The black shirt makes me look smaller than I really am. I swear, I'm gigantic!

I know I updated yesterday but we got a couple exciting deliveries this weekend that I have to post about. Our stroller (a generous gift from my aunt and cousin) was delivered, and we love it just as much as we remembered. In the very beginning we'll use a our carseat with a stroller frame, but once the baby gets a bit bigger we'll start using this bad boy. (The model in the stroller is Toto, my beloved childhood stuffed animal which will certainly be passed down to the babe.)


I also received my latest camera lens, which was a late Christmas gift from Stewart. It's a fixed focal length lens (50 mm f/1.8), and will be great for photos of the little one. These pictures were taken no more than 2 minutes after putting the lens on for the first time, inside at night with no flash. I love this lens already!!

37 Weeks

It's a big week....I'm officially considered full term. Let's all take a moment to process that. (Or you still may be processing the fact that something now the size of a watermelon is inside of me.)

We had a rocky start to the week with a little bug that both Stewart and I picked up over Christmas. We're both feeling much better now and looking forward to the getting all the loose ends tied up and final to-do's checked off so we can finally feel prepared for the baby's arrival. You've probably noticed that I'm still not referring to him by name on the blog. That's because while we've pretty much decided on his name and will gladly tell anyone who asks, I still feel funny about making a big name announcement before he gets here. Maybe there's a tiny part of me that worries that we'll see him and decide that the name we've decided on just doesn't fit, or maybe just that I'll change my mind last minute. Anyway, sorry to keep you in suspense, it won't be long now!

Last night we had our final baby shower, thrown by the women's group at Stewart's family's church. It was SO nice, and we felt so loved by all the friends and family that came out to spend the evening with us. Stewart was a really good sport to stay and open presents with me. We got some of the cutest outfits and toys, baby necessities, and of course diapers. We're so thankful!

Me with the hostesses






Savannah was a big helper :-)


Is there anything cuter than baby shoes??


Opening the box of goodies from my mom




I'm too exhausted to take and upload a belly picture right now. I'll try to get around to it tomorrow. :-)

Report from my first weekly doctor visit

Today was the first of my weekly doctor's appointments, which last from now until the big birthday! Everything looked good....blood pressure, iron levels, baby's heartbeat, etc. When he measured my belly the doctor said he thought it was a bit lower and maybe the baby had started dropping (a surprise to me.) Then when he actually checked me, he literally said "Oh my, there's the baby's head, he's very low!!" However there is absolutely no change to my cervix, so it doesn't look like we're having a baby tomorrow or anything crazy like that. I gained 4 lbs since my last appointment 3 weeks ago (which I'm blaming on our week in B-town), but surprisingly I didn't get a weight lecture. I think maybe the doctor figures it's too late now to lecture me! This puts me at a total weight gain of 32 pounds. It looks like I'll be at the upper end of the recommended 25-35 pound weight gain by the end of this, but hearing other people's stories about how they gained 50 or 60 pounds makes me feel pretty darn good about 35.

My friend Kayla is ready to have her baby any day now, and so is my anchorwoman buddy (who I just ran into at BabiesRUs!) I've been thinking about them a lot, and can't believe that I'll be soon to follow!

36 weeks

It's 2010! I'm having a baby this year....maybe even this month!! Stewart and I are both very punctual people (we HATE being late), so maybe our son will take after us and come on time.

We finally rearranged our bedroom to make space for the cradle. Stewart and I switched sides of the bed so I'd be closer to the cradle, and it feels so weird to sleep on the "wrong" side. This morning when the alarm went off I almost smacked Stewart's head, because it was right about where my alarm clock used to be when I slept on the other side. It's going to take a little getting used to.

The cradle is so beautiful....my grandparents had it made for me when I was born, and both my brother and I slept in it as infants. I have ordered a cradle mattress which should be here soon. Look how pretty!






We did a little after-Christmas shopping, and I splurged on a couple things for the baby. I've been very good about not spending money on baby clothes, especially since we still have one more shower coming up this weekend. I think this was actually only the third time I've bought anything since finding out I was pregnant. The little sleeper was only $3.99....yay for post-holiday sales!




We've also gotten some super cute outfits from friends lately...


I go back to school tomorrow, hopefully for four full weeks. Surprisingly, I hadn't been dreading going back like I thought I would. BUT then I woke up with a sore throat this morning that has gotten progressively worse, so now I'm wishing I could just stay bundled up on the couch tomorrow. It's going to be a rough month at work, because they are expecting me to do about four months worth of paperwork in the next four weeks. Of course I wasn't informed about this until the week before Christmas break (and I refused to do any work over the holiday.) So I have quite a daunting task ahead of me, but I'm going to try my best not to get too stressed about it.

Here's the weekly picture. We're not sure why there's such a weird shadow....