Week 39: Then There Were Three: A Delivery Story

Hey guys!

So I'm picking back up where I left off. This post will be all about my delivery which happened to be a week early.

As I posted in earlier blogs, I was beyond miserable at this point. I had been working from home since I had been having uncomfortable contractions for over a week. That Monday after working from home a full week, I decided that since I was clearly going to have to be induced, I might as well go back to the office. Sitting at home all day alone was only fueling my misery anyway. So I went in to work on December 15. My boss knew I was miserable and so he said to work as long as I could. I stuck it out until around 4pm that day I think. I actually had quite a bit of things to keep me occupied so I made myself busy and got through it.

That night I was so exhausted, but I knew that come the next morning I would be sitting in my doctor's office discussing when my induction date would be!

I woke up in the middle of the night to pee and I remember saying " OK Alden, since you don't want to come out, now mommy is going to have to get induced and go through extra pain!" That morning I got up and as I was getting ready to take a shower I started leaking fluid. I told Chris that I thought my water was breaking, but then after a few seconds it stopped. FALSE ALARM I guess!

I took a shower and sat down to fix my hair. Chris said he wanted to grab a bite to eat before my appointment so he got up to get ready. I finished my hair and went to the bathroom to put my straightener away. The second my feet hit the tile BAM... my water breaks. My pants were soaked, the floor was soaked! I said " OK this has to be my water because I'M NOT PEEING RIGHT NOW!" Chris flew out of the shower faster than I've ever seen him move and the race was on! This was around 7:30 in the morning.

I was actually super calm even though Chris was in panic mode. We made it to the hospital around 7:45 am. They checked me and sure enough my water had broke. I was only at 1.5 cm at this point so they had to give me Pitocin. Right when my contractions started getting bad the anesthesiologist showed up to give me my epidural. I got it around 10:30am. I'm so glad it worked out that way because I was able to relax the entire day.

Friends and family came and went through out the day. I brought The Office with me so we ended up having a marathon.

Finally the time arrived that night and it was time to start pushing. I'm not sure when I started pushing because I was in the zone at that point.
Fun side note: The hospital was doing construction and had planned some outages that night. Go figure the very first time I started pushing, the power goes out. Everything went black for a second while the nurses got the generated lights turned on. The staff was GREAT though because nobody flinched or let that distract them, they just kept on counting me through my pushes.

The Dr came in and started taking over. She noted that his head was having trouble getting past my pubic bone, so she told Chris the options of either cutting me, or using the vacuum.  Chris told her to go ahead and make the cut. It's funny because I heard that conversation going on, but I felt like I wasn't really there. Even if the Dr. had asked what I wanted to do, I wouldn't have answered her!

Finally his big old head made its way out and then next thing I know... we've got a baby boy!

Alden was born December 16,2014 at 9:08 pm. He weighed 8lbs 3.6 oz (again.. this was a WEEK early) and 20 inches long!

Shortly after he was placed in my arms, and then taken away for measurements, clean-up, etc... they let me know that I apparently had some sort of infection and was running a high fever. Alden was also.. I believe his temp was 103, so they explained he would have to go to the nursery, get an IV and get some tests and antibiotics.
That was the most terrifying moment for me. I was so worried something was going to happen to him. I wasn't worried about myself, I wanted to get out of the bed and be with him.

Eventually around 10:30-11:00 pm they brought him back to me. Having him in my arms without all the hustle and bustle of clean-up was beautiful. I was instantly in love!

We ended up getting to leave the hospital on the 19th. He had to stay until his 48 hour test results came back. Turns out nothing was wrong with him! Thank goodness! I think the only time I slept when we were in there was the very short periods when they would take him to the nursery to give him the antibiotics, or I'd occasionally doze off while holding him.

So that's my delivery story! :)
I'll end with some extra pictures!

Thanks for reading you guys!

Week 38: My Most Miserable Week Yet!

Picking back from week 37... I decided to work from home this week just in case I needed to rush to the hospital. Plus I was contracting every 2-5 minutes so sitting at a desk all day in work clothes would have sucked!

Monday I was miserable. My back pain was so terrible that I was on all fours in the floor rocking back and forth looking for any relief I could get! That night I went back to the hospital and still I was only at 1 cm. They gave me pain meds and sent me home.

Tuesday was my appointment so I went in. When the nurse asked how I was I started crying and telling her how miserable I was. I did the same thing when the Dr. asked as well. Chris asked if they would induce me and my Dr. said not until 39 weeks. She was hoping that I would go into labor before then, but she agreed that if not we would schedule an induction for the following week.

Every day I prayed I would go into labor. I was dealing with contractions and back pain and everything hurt. My Dr. gave me some sleeping meds to see if maybe getting some good rest would help me not feel so overwhelmed. It didn't, but hey it was worth a shot right?

I kept waiting and waiting and WAITING for my water to break, but no such luck for me yet.

Week 37: I thought it was time!

Hey guys,

So I've been un-pregnant for 7.5 weeks now... but I'm back at work and its a slow day, so I'm going to catch up on my blogging!

So by this point I think it was pretty clear that I was miserable. I was dealing with horrible back pain and was just ready for Alden to be born.

That week we had a fire drill at work (which they made seem like it was not a drill, but indeed a real emergency) so I had to walk... or waddle myself down the stairs. I work on the 15th floor mind you. When we got to the bottom we had to check in with security to make sure all companies participated. As soon as one of the ladies saw me she asked " Did you just walk down all those stairs?" When I replied yes she said that I could have waited since it was just a drill. HMMM funny you mention that NOW! There were 2 guys standing guard in the hall making sure everyone left and they saw me and said nothing.

That night I ended up losing my mucus plug. After that happened I immediately started having some mild cramping. I called my Dr and they suggested I wait until I'm super uncomfortable, or until the cramping starts a pattern. I went into work and of course by about noon I was miserable! I called the Dr again and they said to go to the hospital and get checked out.

Chris rushed home, we loaded up the car and we headed to the hospital. Once we got there they check and I was still only at 1 cm. My contractions were all over the place so they sent me home! womp womp!
I stayed home from work Friday to rest, as the nurse said walking down 15 flights of stairs at 37 weeks pregnant freaked my body out, but they didn't want me to go into labor quite yet.

Around 12:30 in the morning I woke up STARVING and so I went to get some food. All the sudden I started cramping really bad and leaking what I thought could have been my water. We went to the hospital and my contractions were every 2 minutes and hurting but I was still only at 1cm so I was sent home AGAIN!

needless to say at this point I just wanted to progress in my pregnancy or else have the labor pains go away totally.

Week 36: Thanksgiving!

Hey guys!

So I'm almost a week behind here. I was off work starting Wednesday and went back to work on Monday so I took it easy (for the most part).

Wednesday I was not feeling so great so I spent most of my day laying in bed. There was a fantastic moment when Saydee and Sunny decided to play chase and ended up pushing the couch into the Christmas tree, which then almost fell over. I had a breakdown after that and locked myself in the bathroom for a while and called Chris and he told me to chill out and stop stressing! So I left the living room in shambles and went about my day.

Thursday was fun because I was able to spend time with my family all day. Even though I didn't get to stuff my face (there just isn't enough room) I still enjoyed eating the things I really wanted.

I spent most of Friday lounging about with the exception of going to Target with my mom and I also went to the Dollar Tree to buy stuff to make a table centerpiece. I'll be making tomorrow's post all about Christmas decor so you guys will get to see that! :)

Saturday I decided to get out of the house and spend the day with my mom and my aunt shopping. We had a good time. We started out bright and early at the mall, then went to hobby lobby and then ended our day eating lunch. My hips were not happy with me on Sunday, but hey at least I got some exercise in!

Anyways, that is pretty much all I have for this week. It is time for the survey so here we go:

How far along?: 36 weeks

Total weight gain: It's looking like I've gained 20 pounds at this point. Not too bad.

Maternity clothes?: Same ol' same ol'. If I could wear nothing but sweats and baggy shirts everyday, including to work, I totally would.

Stretch marks?: Nothing new! same tiger stripes on my hip!

Sleep?: Nope! I'm starting to lose my mind here! I try Tylenol pm and it doesn't kick in until 4-5 am so I really don't get much sleep in.

Best moment this week?: Getting 5 days off from work. We've got a lot of projects going on right now and so I'm starting to stress. It was nice not having to worry about work.

Miss anything?: Feeling like myself. I'm on such an emotional roller coaster at this point that some days I feel sad, other days I'm OK. I've been getting agitated really easily which is frustrating because I don't like being mean or short to people I love for no reason.

Movement?: Pretty much constant at this point! He's very active at night so I'm usually my most uncomfortable when I'm at home trying to relax after being at work all day.

Food cravings?: Nothing. I'm never in the mood to eat anymore. I just want to have this baby!

Anything making you queasy or sick?: I'm starting to get nauseous after eating now. It makes eating even less enjoyable!

Gender?:Still a boy as far as we know!

Labor signs?: nada!

Symptoms?: Same ol' Same ol'!

Belly button in or out?: WAY out!

  

Wedding rings on or off?: The time finally came and I had to take them off! I put them on a necklace so I've still been wearing them every day, just not on my fingers.

Happy or moody most of the time?: MOODY MOODY MOODY!

Looking forward to?:Birth! Everyday is just one day closer! I'm in the 20's now people!

Thanks for reading you guys!

Week 35: Only FIVE weeks to go!

Hey Guys!

So it's week 35 and its been a busy week! Work is a little chaotic right now. I guess being super busy will help make the time pass faster before my little man is born!

So we have FIVE weeks until my due date and I'm still set that this boy is coming early.. and so are several other people as well! I'm ok with him coming early as long as he is born at 37 weeks at the earliest which would be 2 weeks from now. Can you believe that... I could be in a hospital in labor basically at any moment now.. but to have a non-preemie on my hands then that means I'm only 2 weeks away which is CRAZY!!!!!!!! :) I'm so ready for him!

I have new room pictures this week! We bought one of those cubby shelves to have extra storage space. Jackie bought me some adorable Monsters cubbys too which is awesome! :) I also put all his books given to him on a shelf and guys, his book collection is AMAZING! All thanks to my mom and Jackie for adding that as a part of the baby shower.

Here you can see the shelf we added for storage space. I love his little cubbys! 

 

 

This is his collection of books! This boy is gonna be doing a lot of reading!

So in other news this week, I've been having lots of cramping and contractions. No fun! The good thing is they usually wait until I get home so at least I'm not sitting at work miserable. OK, OK, I am usually miserable at work, but I don't have the added misery. 

The one thing I have had happening at work that has been HORRIBLE this week is an itchy belly. They say the worst thing to do is to scratch so I got some lotion to keep at work but NOTHING helps. I cannot tell you how many times this week I've made a comment about ripping my skin off. I want to rip my skin off! I'm not going to but I wish I could!

Another big thing this week is that I got my tree put up! This is the first Christmas in our house and so its so exciting to have the extra room to add fun Christmas stuff. We also upgraded from a 6 ft tree to a 7 ft tree and it makes a HUGE difference. I'll be posting photos of that either next week or the week after. Even though that isn't baby related hey its still fun and exciting and I did it while I was pregnant!

Last thing I'll talk about this week is a little brag on my husband. So I haven't painted my toes in gosh 1-2 months I think. There was barely any polish left on them and I was just clipping them and then I would get too tired to re-paint. Last night I decided I couldn't handle it anymore so I had to paint them! I managed to clip them and get the old polish off before deciding I'd move on to filing and painting the next day. Well Chris saw me in the bathroom and asked if I was painting my toes. When I explained that I was going to, but that I'm too tired he offered to do it for me! :) That is a sweet man right there! I'm sure he would have preferred to be playing his game but he took some time to help a pregnant lady out! He did a pretty good job too! So that's how I'll end this week's post.. with a picture of him working on my feets!

Thanks for reading guys! 

Week 34: Can I just be done already?

Hey Guys!

I wanted to start off by saying that I've reached over 1,000 views for my blog! How freakin' exciting is that?!? I'm pretty excited! You guys are awesome for coming back each week and reading my updates. I hope you are all getting entertainment out of this blog at least!

Moving on... I know I've probably said previously that whichever week I was writing about was the hardest week but seriously.. This week has been SO TOUGH on me! I am absolutely miserable. I've been such an emotional wreck all week! One minute I'm upset because I'm so uncomfortable and nothing I do fixes that problem, then I'm crying because I feel like I don't deserve this little man because of how much I complain! I'm trying to be positive and just keep on truckin' but it's not as easy as it sounds!

Don't get me wrong, I am SO thankful for this baby and as I stated in my first post I prayed and waited for this baby for a year and it was very hard to do. However, It's not easy carrying around extra weight you aren't used to, feeling like your insides are being shredded constantly, and not being able to get comfortable no matter how you sit, stand, lay. Pregnancy is tough folks! I know there are some women out there who had easy breezy pregnancies and to you guys.. thank your lucky stars because I think every women sort of expects her pregnancy will be that way and then BAM it doesn't turn out like that and she is a miserable mess!

I went to see the Dr. the other day and she said my little monster COULD come anytime he wanted to but medically she would like him to bake at least 3 more weeks. So in other words if Alden decides to be healthy and loves mommy he will shimmy on down within the next 3-6 weeks. I may or may not have had a mini breakdown at the Dr. because I am SO D.O.N.E. I am ready to just not feel dizzy out of nowhere, or nauseous, or like my back is gonna snap in half (like in twilight... No but really that's how it feels to me!)

Moving on from my sob stories... Chris put my Monsters Inc decals up on Tuesday and we also got our glider last week! His room is starting to really come together and I'm loving it! I'm going to share some pictures in a second but please note that I am still in need of some extra storage which I'll be getting this weekend so don't judge all the random items out in the open. They are driving me crazy but they will soon have homes!

It's also survey week so that is how I will be ending this week's post!

Here is our glider. Although the blanket doesn't fit the theme, I wanted it on display because it is adorable! His rock n' play is also on display as well!

I am so happy with how this wall turned out! It was a bit of a pain but it was worth it! 

Here you can see his dresser/changing table section. I love his " little monster" decals! 

SURVEY TIME!

How far along?: 34 weeks

Total weight gain: This week I'm in between 18-19 pounds gained. I'm guessing this is where the weight really starts packing on.

Maternity clothes?: I have plenty of shirts and still only one pair of pants. I didn't expect it to get this cold this early though so I really need to head out this weekend and grab some sweaters that are belly appropriate.

Stretch marks?: Still those same old tiger stripes. I feel like they are getting longer though.

Sleep?: No! The other day I slept 4 hours straight and it was wonderful. I haven't been able to do that again though. Now Chris has been turning the heater on at night so I've been dealing with being hot when it's on, cold when its off and then my throat is SO dry I am constantly reaching for water. More water means MORE PEE BREAKS!

Best moment this week?: Listening to that new Garth Brooks song "mom" and sobbing my face off. Ladies, you need to listen to it! It fits the situation so well since its about a baby about to meet his mom. As I was sobbing, Chris took my hand and said " we're going to be great parents." It was such a sweet moment.

Miss anything?: Being comfortable and having energy. I'll get these little spurts of energy here and there and so I'll start working on something, only to lose the energy shortly after, but push my self to finish whatever I'm doing!

Movement?: YES! We've got a strong little man on our hands! My belly looks like a waterbed all day long. He loves to move and punch and kick. It doesn't feel good at all most of the time but hey, at least he is moving and active and healthy.

Food cravings?: NOTHING! most of the time I don't even want to eat at this point. I do force myself to eat because I know me and Alden need it but I don't feel like I really enjoy eating at this point.

Anything making you queasy or sick?: I still get nauseous quite a bit. Sometimes there is a reason and sometimes there isn't.

Gender?:Still a boy as far as we know!

Labor signs?: Nothing new! Still cramping and dealing with Braxton Hicks contractions. I haven't gotten a migraine in a while which is GREAT. I think he is getting ready to drop too.

Symptoms?: Same ol' Same ol'!

Belly button in or out?: It's out! All the way out! For a while there was just a little line because it was so closed but now its looking a little normal again and popping out.

  

Wedding rings on or off?: I'm still wearing them, but I think they are about to have to be worn on a necklace. They are getting pretty tight!

Happy or moody most of the time?: MOODY MOODY MOODY! I feel so bad for Chris sometimes.

Looking forward to?: Thanksgiving. Once thanksgiving arrives that means that it is soon time for Alden to be born! :)

That's it for this week! I hope you guys like how his room as turned out so far! Thanks again for getting me to over 1,000 views! 

Thanks for reading!

Week 33: Baby Shower Re-Cap

Hey guys!

So I told you last week that this week would most likely be about my baby shower and yes that is still true today! I'll be posting some photos and re-capping the event. First of all, for anyone reading this who came or dropped off a gift... THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!  Alden is so very loved already and that is VERY apparent from all the awesome gifts. Stay tuned.. thank you cards to come, I just figured I couldn't say thank you enough times :)

So My mom, aunt and BFF planned this whole thing out. They didn't tell me any details so I had no idea what to expect when I showed up. As I've mentioned Alden will have a Monsters Inc. themed room and so my mom had planned to do a matching baby shower. Well Chris being obsessed with his Dallas Cowboys really wanted that as the theme since I shot him down on decorating the nursery that way. (Just an FYI.. I wasn't being mean, He has a man cave that looks like Jerry Jones barfed up his entire career with the team in it so I just couldn't handle having TWO rooms like that!) Since the invitations had the colors of Monsters Inc. I figured that would be the theme for the shower. Well they surprised us both and decorated half in Cowboys and half in Monsters! It was a really cool idea, especially since Chris was at the shower so he was able to get some of what he wanted too.

They had the photo of us that we used to announce our pregnancy at the front door in a mat frame so that guests could sign it as they entered the shower. There were also little onesie shaped papers where people could write down advice for us to use with raising Alden.

Another fun thing they did was the onesie and diaper station. Guests were asked to write fun stuff on diapers and also to decorate onesies for him to wear. We got some super cute ones too!

Shout out to my in-laws, grandmas, and anyone else who showed up and helped get the shower ready! Also shout out to everyone who came out and spent time with us on this super fun day! I enjoyed all of you!

I cannot even tell you how overwhelming it was once we got home and unloaded the gifts. There was SO MUCH STUFF! Jackie came over and Chris's sister too since she wasn't able to make it to the shower. We just started sorting stuff and taking off tags and putting things away! It was a huge help to have 2 extra people there to help sort stuff. If it was just me I wouldn't even be halfway through with all of it!

I am getting SO very excited now that the shower is over because we have everything we need for him to come into this world! There are still a few things here and there that are needed or wanted but the necessities are there and those are most important.

This week I've been dealing with a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions as well as cramping. My hips are absolutely killing me, much more than they have been so far! Alden has been moving a lot and pushing his body to the surface of my belly. I've gotten to feel his entire side profile which is partly amazing and partly FREAKY!

I cannot believe that in 7 weeks (hopefully more like 5-6) our baby boy will be entering this world. I'm sure once he is here I'm going to miss feeling him moving and kicking from the inside but for right now I cannot WAIT to get this little monster man out of me!

Well that's about it for this week. I'll end it with some photos. I might end up editing this later and adding in some more at some point.

 This was the table which served as the focal point of the room. As you can see it's half Cowboys and half Monsters Inc.

 My Sister in law Daniela made this diaper cake for Alden. It's so cute! She did a great job.

 This is a photo with the grandmas in the middle and the great grandmas on the outside. If only my great grandma would have been able to make it then his grandmas, great grandmas and great GREAT grandma would have been in one photo together!

 Here is me and my BFF!

 Is this jean jacket not the most adorable thing on the planet! I LOVE it!

 Mike onesie!

football jammies. This boy has so much cowboys/football clothing that he is going to fit right in with his daddy on Sundays!

So like I said I'll probably be adding in some more pictures before the next post. I just didn't have a ton of time to sort through them all and see what I wanted to use.

Thank you guys for reading!