Time for an update

Well, Audrey is almost 2 weeks old now. It's hard to believe that 2 weeks has passed since she's been born...time has definitely been flying by. We've had a rough start, but I am hoping things are starting to get better at this point. At least, I have a positive attitude about it today.

After we brought Audrey home, we took her back to the hospital to check her weight. She had lost almost 7 ounces in the 24 hours since we brought her home, which was too much. So we spent several hours at the lactation department at the hospital last week and have been supplementing formula. Since then, she has been gaining weight pretty well. We think her face is starting to get fatter, and she definitely is developing a double chin!

On Thursday of last week, I started to get sick with a lot of back pain and nausea. Turns out I had an infection. But even with an antibiotic, I could not get rid of the nausea and could not get my appetite back. It's been a vicious cycle...I feel sick because I need to eat, but I can't eat because I feel sick. Finally, after throwing up while trying to feed Audrey and after fighting with the OB's office, we got in to see my Primary Care doctor. He gave me some anti-nausea medicine that has helped me to be able to get some food down, and I think is going to help me get some strength back and start feeling better soon. It has been extremely frustrating...fortunately I have a wonderful husband who has done SO MUCH to take care of both me and Audrey. And my mom came back for a few days this week to help us get back on our feet. So, as of this morning, I am feeling pretty good and am hoping that things will only get better from here.

Alright, now for some pictures. Honestly, I haven't taken a lot of pictures because I've been feeling so bad...but I do have a few to share today.

We are starting to see more of her eyes as she is becoming more alert and awake.

Naptime for Daniel, Audrey and Maggie!

Over the weekend, we got to visit with our friends, the Bungards, and Audrey got to meet her new friend Ava. Even though they don't live down the street from each other, Audrey and Ava are still going to be the best of friends when we get to visit them in Indianapolis.

Here she is not a very happy baby, but she's still pretty cute!
Our photographer friend Crista took some gorgeous pictures of Audrey last week...if you haven't seem them yet, you can visit her blog here.

We have a baby!

My last post was on Friday afternoon, and I wrote about how tired I was of waiting for the baby to come. I felt like I was just going on and on about waiting and what we were going to do to keep ourselves busy until our baby finally decided to come. Well, it turns out we didn't have any more waiting to do after all. At the exact moment that I hit publish on the last post, my water broke. I thought about posting a quick addition to the post to share that with all of you, but then decided we should probably just get to the hospital. That was about 1:45 pm on Friday. Labor progressed quickly from there and by 5:00 I was dilated to 10. They had me rest for a while before pushing. We pushed for about an hour and she was born at 8:15 pm. There were some scary moments during all that...it was definitely not a smooth and easy delivery. I won't go into all the details here but if you want the whole story, just ask me.

Her name is Audrey Paige. She weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces and was 20 inches long. She was born on October 31 at 8:15 pm. Halloween was the one day that we really didn't want to have the baby. It just seemed sad that her birthday would be overshadowed by Halloween parties and costumes and such. But Audrey had other plans, and she decided that her birthday should be on Halloween. When she was ready to be born, I had no desire to wait until November 1 for her birthday. I just wanted her out as quickly as possible!!

There is nothing particularly special about the name; we just liked it. In fact, it was really the only name we both agreed on. We think Audrey is a nice classic name, that will work for a little baby or a grown woman. It is somewhat unique (although I think it is growing rapidly in popularity) but not overly different or weird. And we just liked Paige, so we chose it.

Here she is in her car seat for the first time, getting ready to leave the hospital. She looked so tiny!!

We came home from the hospital yesterday and survived our first night. Audrey definitely loves to be held and to be nursed. If she is not doing one or the other, she is not a very happy little lady. I am still in a lot of pain from the delivery and am not able to move around much, which is frustrating. Fortunately Daniel is extremely helpful and willing to do anything possible to help. My mom is here this week too, which helps us out a lot. It is all kind of surreal at the moment...hard to believe that she is now ours to keep forever!

Maggie (our dog) is doing really well with Audrey right now. Maggie was really tired when we brought her home last night (she stayed with her friends Gus and Gertie this weekend, and they must have played a lot!) She came home, sniffed around for a few seconds and crashed for the night. She didn't pay much attention to us or the baby at all. We'll see how she does when she realizes that the baby is not going to go away...ever!

Here we are in the first few minutes at home with our daughter. This picture may be too small, to really tell...but check out her feet in the picture below. They are so long and skinny!!

Still Waiting!!

Well, there hasn't been much progress in the last week. After being told last Wed. night that we would be taking home a baby that night, we still don't have a baby. It's a little frustrating, but I still have 1 1/2-2 weeks until my due date. So who knows how long this wait will last.

At my doctor's appointment this week, I was still 3 cm dilated, 100% effaced. She said the baby was at a +1 station, which means she is very low and she is ready to come out! So my body is ready, the baby is ready...we just need some contractions to get things going! The doctor did hint that she was on call on Wed (Nov 5) and it may be a possibility to induce then. I'm kind of liking that idea. Then I would be in the hospital and ready to go...I hate surprises, so knowing the exact time that I would go into labor is appealing. We go back to the doctor on Tuesday, so for now, we've got more waiting to do.

Daniel and I have been crossing things off of my to do list from my last post.

1. We did go for one walk. It's supposed to be really nice this weekend, so I think we need to go on some more walks.

2. I finished one library book, still have one to go.

3. Baby announcements are done (minus the picture and birth info!). I told Daniel on Wed, that I didn't think the baby would come until we finished the announcements. He helped me and we got them all done on Wed. night.

4. I just started the Christmas cards last night. That's on the list for this afternoon and this weekend.

5. The nursery is organized and ready to go. Here are a few pictures.

(The letters spelling her name are going to go above the dresser. We can't hang those yet, because we have some eager friends with keys to our house who just might be willing to sneak in and spy on the name early!) Back to my list...

6. I have played some Tetris, and Daniel has even started playing with me (even though he said he hated Tetris). I played one game of Super Mario 3 and I am definitely rusty. I couldn't pass the first world. So there's some work to do there.

7. I haven't done much for my November stamp club besides clean up my stamping area.

8. Daniel and I both cleaned out our dressers/closets this morning. He is on his way to Goodwill right now with some bags of clothes.

So, I think I'm going to need a new list if this waiting goes on for much longer. I wish I could just sleep and be lazy. But I have been so uncomfortable...sleeping is next to impossible. I think I've averaged maybe 4 hours the past few nights (getting ready for sleepless nights with the baby everyone tells me. But it would be nice to be able to sleep now since I know I won't sleep once the baby is here). And I'm super restless, so I'm finding it hard to just be still and do nothing.

Well, here's a picture of me at 38 weeks...maybe (hopefully) this will be my last pregnant picture! I definitely think I look 9 months pregnant now. I think since the baby has dropped down lower, my stomach seems to stick out more. I am definitely feeling 9 months pregnant. Lots of pressure and tightness in my belly, lots of mini contractions that aren't incredibly painful but they are becoming annoying. OK, you can tell I have lots of free time. I'm just babbling on and on here. I'll just post the picture and be done for now!

Waiting for Baby,..

Well, this week we had some excitement. I'm going to give you the short version here...ask me if you want to hear the whole thing. Basically, I went into the doctor on Wednesday because of some bleeding I was having that made me nervous. They sent me to the hospital for observation. After being sent home, then going back to the hospital, they eventually gave me a room and told us to get ready because baby was on the way. I had changed from 1 cm dilated, 80% effaced, to 3 cm dilated, 100% effaced in about 4 hours. We spent the night at the hospital, expecting labor to continue...but by morning nothing had changed and they sent us back home.

It was a huge emotional rollercoaster. We went from being freaked out at the possibility that the baby could actually be coming to being really excited that the baby was actually coming. Then we were disappointed, because the baby was not coming. And now we are just sitting here for days or weeks, waiting to see when she will come. I was not anxious about waiting earlier this week, because my due date was still 3 weeks away. After spending the night in the hospital and thinking it was time, the waiting is becoming unbearable now! We were so close, now it feels like we've taken a huge step backwards.

So I'm going to make a list of things to do while I wait. Feel free to share any more ideas you may have for me to fill the remaining hours, days or weeks until Baby Shelton gets here!

1. Go for walks...as long as the weather is decent, supposedly going on walks helps to speed up labor.

2. Read books...I have 2 library books due next week that I would like to finish before baby is born

3. Work on baby announcements...I'm making my own, they are about half done, so I have lots of work to do on these

4. Make Christmas cards...I'm planning to make at least 80, so getting a head start (or finished) before baby is born will probably be a good idea

5. Organize the nursery...we have all the stuff in the nursery but a lot of it is still "homeless" and needs to be put away

6. Play Tetris...I downloaded Tetris Party for the Wii last week, it is a great way to pass the time because I could play for hours and not realize how much time has passed. If I get sick of Tetris, I can download Super Mario Bros 3 (the old Nintendo version) and work on getting through all the levels.

7. Get ready for November stamp clubs...I do have some work I can do for Stampin' Up! to be better prepared for next month

8. Clean out my drawers/closets...I have tons of clothes that I haven't worn in years. It's definitely time to get rid of some stuff.

That's a decent list for now. If I really did all of that stuff, it would probably take at least a week. So I'm off to get started on something...

9 months!

Well, it's been 2 weeks since I posted a picture. I've been fairly faithful at posting pictures every 2 weeks, so I guess it's time for another one. Here I am at 36 weeks...a full 9 months now.

Daniel and I spent all day Saturday at a Childbirth class at the hospital. Next week we have a Breastfeeding class. Then we should know all we need to know to take care of a baby right? If only it were as easy as just taking a class or two!

In other news, my birthday was on Saturday, and Daniel surprised me with a fun present...a Wii! Everyone keeps asking if he really bought the present for me or if it was a present that he really wanted for himself. I would say that we both enjoy the Wii, but I was the one who really wanted one. I'm not much of a video gamer, but the Wii is different and fun. And you can play old school Nintendo Mario games, which are our favorites! (Although I am a fan of the Super Paper Mario for Wii) Plus, I would really like the Wii Fit. Daniel couldn't find it in time for my birthday, but I'm hoping to get it for Christmas. Maybe it will give me motivation in the middle of the winter after having a baby to get back to my normal size! And if not, it's still fun to play, especially when you are watching friends Hula Hoop for 6 minutes straight!

Also, I got a new laptop! I've been saving money from our credit card rewards to get a new computer. (We are all about the credit card rewards. We put everything we can on our card, pay it off monthly so there's no interest, and collect the free rewards! We earn around $30-50 per month in gift cards!!) I got a little birthday money, added that to the reward gift cards, and had enough to buy a new laptop. It's been a long process to get everything transferred and updated to the laptop and with Vista...but I'm just about there. And I'm very excited to have a laptop now!

One more thing...I've had a few more craft projects that I've been working on lately. I made this advent calendar out of a cookie sheet, metal tins and magnets. The idea is that you put a little piece of candy or prize in each tin, then you get to open one each day in December until Christmas. It's fun, now that we are starting our own family, we get to start our own family traditions. We already have an advent book, where you open a door and read a part of the Christmas story each day in December. Now we will have a little treat to go along with it!

35 weeks and counting!

Well, we only have 5 weeks left until our due date. It's kind of hard to believe that the time is almost here. Especially when you consider that 37 weeks is considered full term...that's only 2 weeks away! I can't imagine having a baby in just 2 weeks. But our doctor was quick to mention today that although I could have the baby early, I also could have the baby late. That could make the due date as far as 7 weeks away...which seems like an eternity.

So basically, we're expecting a baby sometime between the week of October 20 and the week of Thanksgiving (November 23). That's such a huge window. And I hate surprises! I wish I could know exactly when it was going to happen. I don't want to have a C-section or be induced, but I am slightly jealous of those people who are induced or have scheduled C-sections. At least they get to know exactly when the baby is coming. I have a feeling October could be a really long month as we begin to sit around and wait for our baby to get here!

I went to the doctor today and everything looks good. I measured at 34 weeks, just about normal, so no more worries about being too small. And I'm still gaining weight like CRAZY! So all of you who think I'm too small should know that I am up to 28 pounds gained now...which is normal and right where I'm supposed to be, although I'm starting to feel huge. I'm looking forward to these final weeks where the weight gain is supposed to slow down or stop!

Tomorrow our nursery bedding is scheduled to arrive. I'm going to try and get the nursery put together soon, so I'm sure I'll have pictures to post.

Baby Shower!

Saturday was my baby shower at the church, and it was a lot of fun. My friends Amy, Lindsey and Katie, as well as the minister's wives and church secretaries, went to a lot of work to put everything together. And our house is now overflowing with lots baby stuff, mostly pink. My job for today is to find a place for it all, but I haven't made much progress yet.

Here are the centerpieces that were on the tables at the shower. They were very cute and definitely deserve to be included in this post, because I know how much work it was for the girls to punch out all the flowers for the balls with my broken flower punch. I think they're kind of crazy for going to all the trouble, but the end result was adorable!

Here are the shower planners with me!

My mom took lots of pictures of me opening presents, but I'm just going to include a couple. Being photographed while trying to open presents led to some very unflattering facial expressions from me. But these 2 pictures turned out OK. The first is a present from Amy with a story behind out. Amy was expecting her son to be born mid-November last year. We were on a shopping trip and she couldn't resist buying this newborn Thanksgiving onesie for Cael to wear on his first Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, Cael wasn't born until December 7...making his first Thanksgiving this year. And the newborn onesie definitely won't fit him this year. So she passed it on to me. I'm pretty sure that we will have a baby by Thanksgiving, which is 18 days after my due date. If not, I might go crazy! And the plan is to pass this onesie on to the next friend who will have a new baby at Thanksgiving...whoever that may be! The 2nd picture is an adorable present from Nickie, who always has the most creative ideas. I'm not sure how well you can tell in the picture, but she filled a basket with rolled diapers and bubbles (from bubble wrap). Then she added a baby, some soap and a rubber duckie to make this cute present! It's so cute, I'm not going to want to take it a part to use the diapers! And she made a handmade card, which are my favorite!!

We got lots of cute clothes, especially summer clothes. I can't wait til next summer to see our little girl wear some of these cute outfits!

Here's another picture of me in the rocking chair, this time with my mom and grandma.

And here's a picture of me today at 34 weeks. Only 6 weeks to go!
I think I'm carrying more up and down rather than just straight out, so I don't look huge in the belly. I do feel like my face is starting to blow up like a balloon and my fingers are swollen enough that my wedding rings don't fit comfortably. At my last appointment, the doctor did say that I was carrying small and "weird." That's what she kept saying...it's just weird. She thinks the baby is fine, but apparantly the baby is not situated inside me exactly like everyone else. However she is fitting herself in there, it is starting to become more and more uncomfortable. Sleeping at night is a dreaded process now. Between getting up to go to the bathroom, trying to find a comfortable position, and just being restless and unable to sleep, I'm not getting a good night's sleep anymore. Unfortunately, I think this is just the beginning of a long road in the lack of sleep department.