Happy First Birthday, Emma!

This very night, one year ago, I started feeling stronger contractions. They were consistant for awhile and then were not at all. So, by midnight, I decided to go to bed. I told Kevin, who was working in the dining room, that this could be the night!

Sure enough, about an hour later, I woke up with much stronger contrations. We called my parents shortly there after and told them to hurry over to stay with Lea. Immediatley after hanging up the phone, we knew we didn't have much time (my folks live 30 min away). So, we called a friend to hurry over. Amie got there and we rushed to the hospital.

By now, it was a little after 2am. As I sat in the waiting room, Kevin was checking me into the hospital nearby. My contractions were very strong and about a minute apart. When the front receptionist noticed, she immediatley called to get me a room. Nurses showed up with a wheelchair, but I wanted to walk. I got about halfway to the room (which was very close) and had to stop for a huge contraction. I could see the door to my room.... like I said, it was close, but it seemed so far away! I made it to the doorway and another strong contraction hit me. I told the nurses I needed to push! They were calm and told me to get on the bed so they could "check" me. Just as I was about to sit on the bed, I felt like I needed to pee. So, I went to the restrooom.... no pee. I slowly made it back to the bed and climbed up. It was very uncomfortable sitting. Just as a nurse was about to "check" me, my water broke and I was pushing!

Kevin didn't even get me checked into the hospital and my midwife hadn't even arrived. After a few pushes, Emma was born!

Emma Margaret born on May 1st at 2:49am

(Here's the original birth story that tells what happened right after she was born. And, some update posts about her while we were still at the hospital are here and here.)

Emma has quite possibly completed our family... she is such a beautiful blessing!

Happy Birthday to our little cuddle bunny!!

Emma Update

Emma was taken off of oxygen this morning around 7:00am. She was doing great so I was finally able to nurse her. After a rocky start (that really only lasted about 5 minutes), she was nursing with no problems! A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. :) We spent a good hour with her and then left to get some rest and some lunch. It will never feel right leaving my baby behind in someone else's care... I can't image how so many families do it in much worse situations.

Anyhow... we returned around 12:45pm and were told that she had a bad spell where she actually stopped breathing for a bit. Her face turned blue and she needed to be stimulated to start breathing. Let's hope that doesn't happen again! But since it did happen, they want her to stay in the Special Care Nursery a little longer.

After a little help from the lactation consultant to wake her up (and keep her awake), she nursed very well, again, this afternoon around 3:30pm. Poor thing must be exhausted... we've had a very busy day!

Besides the oxygen issue, the other thing that is being monitored is her low blood glucose level. It should be above 50. With an IV dose of 13 ml an hour, Emma's level was 61. So, after we nursed at lunch time, they reduced her IV to 6 ml. Her level was tested again before we nursed this afternoon and it was down to 50. :( So... we're leaving the IV at 6 ml and will see if her glucose level comes up any. This means she will need to keep the IV a little longer.

The original plan was to have Emma rooming in with us as soon as she got off the glucose IV, however since she just had this little breathing set back, they want to monitor her more now. So... we have to pray that she can get off the IV and can continue breathing well on her own so she can leave the Special Care Nursery.

Our chunky monkey!

Lea getting a ride on mommy's chair.

Baby Sister Emma

Daddy trying to console Emma...
it's hard with all those tubes and bandages!

Emma Margaret

Around 10:00 pm on April 30th (my due date), the Braxton Hicks contractions started getting a lot stronger...but still did not hurt at all. They were a little consistent for about 40 min. and then started going all over the place, again. So, at midnight I decided to go to bed. At 1:30 am on May 1st, I jolted out of bed with a very painful contraction. About three mins. later I had another one! After a few of those, we decided to call my parents. They needed to come up and stay with Lea so we could head to the hospital. By 2 am, my contractions were only 2 min. apart! We called our friend, Amie, to come over because we didn't think we could wait for my parents. Once Amie arrived, we rushed to the hospital, arriving just before 2:30 am. I was taken to a room right away and as we walked through the door, I told the nurses I needed to push! Just after I sat down on the bed, my water broke and Emma was crowning. She was born at 2:49 am. :)

A big girl, weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 21 1/2 inches long. Everything happened SO fast... unfortunately, that meant she swallowed a lot of fluid. Also, her oxygen levels were low. I got to hold her for maybe 20 seconds and then she was taken to the Special Care Nursery. They hooked her up with oxygen and also discovered that her blood glucose level was low, so she got an IV for glucose fluids, too. We didn't get back to see her until about 5:00 am.

Check out all that hair!!

I haven't been able to nurse her, yet, because of the oxygen. She was just taken off of it, though, at around 7:00 am. So, as long as she is doing well without it, I can go nurse her! Now, we're just waiting on the glucose IV. They have already started weaning her off the glucose so our hopes are high that she will be done with that soon, too. But that's not the end of it... I had GBS (Group B Strep) with this pregnancy and since my labor was SO fast, I was unable to get an antibiotic in time. So, little Miss Emma has to have two antibiotics (one every 12 hours and the other every 24 hours) to be sure that she doesn't get GBS.

It sure is strange sitting in a big, empty, quiet hospital room with NO baby! I can't wait to have her here with me. Until then I am just resting and twiddling my thumbs with Kevin. :)

40 weeks!?

I can honestly say I never thought I would make it to my due date with this pregnancy. I guess the only reason I ever thought that was because Lea was a couple days early. Never the less, tomorrow is my due date and here I am... still pregnant.

While I am so ready to have this baby, I am not in a rush to artificially induce my labor. I truly believe that unnecessary interventions occur in a snowball effect. So, if I can avoid them from the get-go, then all the better. I was able to avoid a continuous IV, have intermittent fetal monitoring and avoid any pain medications when I had Lea... and I would like to do that again this time around. Wish me luck! Your prayers and support are very much appreciated. :)

So, I was feeling pretty worn down and tired a couple weeks ago, but this week a calm has taken over me. Don't get me wrong, I am pretty exhausted and ready to have Emma but I am trying really hard to enjoy these last few days of having her, literally, all to myself! As much as I dislike the back aches, continuous Braxton Hicks contractions, having to pee every 15 minutes, not being able to roll over in bed easily and not being able to sleep longer than an hour.... (I could go on but I will stop!)... I will very much miss feeling Emma roll around, feeling her hiccup every single night after dinner and knowing that she is completely safe and sound, tucked away in my belly.

Our bags are packed, the house is clean, the freezer is stocked and the baby items are all set up (including the nursery!). We're ready to meet you Emma!!!

37 weeks

40 weeks

DIY Maternity Pics

I wanted to get a few more pictures of my big belly and Lea together so I had Kevin snap a few this afternoon. Here are a few of my favorites of what we got. (I think they turned out pretty well!)

Big Belly!

Lea was reaching up to rub my belly this afternoon and as I was looking down at her, I thought "What a cute view!" So I snapped a few pics...

37 Weeks and 2 Days...

but who's counting?! LOL

Really, I can not believe my due date is less than three weeks away. No matter how much I get done around the house (making freezer meals, setting up the bassinet and swing, washing clothes and blankets and buying diapers), I still feel so unprepared. I guess it's a feeling of being unprepared emotionally. So many things are running through my head... Will I be able to make it through another drug-free labor and delivery? Will I connect with this little girl the same way I did with Lea? Will my heart be able to love her as much as I love Lea??? Will Lea transition well to being a big sister??

I am getting bigger and more uncomfortable every single day. I honestly feel like I grow a substantial amount over night, every night. Just rolling over in bed (or, even worse, trying to get out of bed) is a serious workout! When I was pregnant with Lea, Kevin slept in the guest room the last few weeks but this time he doesn't have that option. Poor thing! The nights are long and I know they are only going to be longer once the baby is here.

Anyhow, enough "venting" (I'd rather call it venting then complaining!).

Lea and I have been busy. I'm trying to keep up with fun activities for her because she is still a very active and happy 2 1/2 year old...regardless of how bad I want to stay in my jammies and sleep all day. A couple weekends ago we went with friends to a "Farm Animal" day. They got to see lots of animals and even pet a lamb and baby chicks.

Lea and Jackson petting a baby chick.

Checking out the bunnies.

Lea practicing being a big sister...making baby Violet laugh!

We also planted some flowers in the flower baskets out back (Lea picket them out!).

 And we had a fun Easter with the family. Actually... Kevin and I went away for the weekend and Lea stayed with her Gaga and Papa. But they had a great time playing at the park, dying Easter eggs, going on Easter egg hunts and doing other little Easter crafts. Lea went to church with my parents Sunday morning. Mom said on the way home, Lea kept singing "Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"

Lea and her cousins ready to hunt eggs.

A candid shot...but you can see Emma really well!

Lea and Bailey

This week I am taking Lea to the library for story time (one of her favorite things to do). She is also still taking gymnastics every Thursday morning, but that class is parent-participation...so her Gaga is taking her to that this month. And, we are still going to church Wednesday nights for "Wiggle & Worship" (we sit around a big circle with other kids her age and sing songs). The hard part is going to be trying to keep up with these activities after Emma arrives. Usually these types of activities are during the day, so Kevin can't take her. I'll have to rely on her grandparents, I guess! I do want to try to keep her schedules and activities as similar as possible after the baby comes...don't you think that would be best for her?

Life is about to change a LOT in our little house and I am getting nervous. I think Lea understands some... she knows that there is a baby sister in my belly (and she has felt her move). The car seat, swing, bassinet, etc. are ready for Emma and Lea knows those things are for her sister. She knows that babies don't eat pizza and can't play with toys until they get bigger! So, I think I have prepared her as much as I can. The rest we will just have to take in stride from day to day.

Maternity Pics

We visited our friends, Zac & Amy, last night and while there, Amy snapped a few pics of us. (She's not a professional photographer but easily could be!) It was a pretty hazzy, cloudy afternoon so I am very pleased with how well the pictures turned out. Here are a few...

Lea played with their little boy, Keat, while Amy and I hung out with the twin baby girls and the guys talked about... well, whatever guys talk about! ;) It was a nice evening.

Kevin and I have booked our "babymoon" weekend away. He's racked up some Hyatt hotel points with his business trips so we've decided to use a few for a two-night stay away from home. Since it's last minute, we aren't going far, but it will still be nice to get away! There will be an Ikea nearby where we're going and since I am probably one of the last people on earth who has never been to one, that will be on the agenda. Other than that (and possibly a stop at the outlet on the way home) we won't really be doing much but relaxing. :)

34 Weeks!

The count down is on! Only 6 weeks left to go. It's hard to believe that we will be the proud parents to TWO GIRLS in less than two months. I am seriously getting nervous.

According to BabyCenter.com, Emma now weighs over 4 pounds and is about 18 inches long. But, if she follows in her sister's footsteps, she is probably a bit bigger and longer than that by now!

We went to get a 3D ultrasound last Friday. It was so much fun! (we did it with Lea, too) My parents came along. We all really enjoyed watching Emma punch, kick, stick her tongue out, open her eyes and snuggle against the placenta... but my favorite thing to see was how much she was into gripping the umbilical cord. She was holding onto it and pulling it to her mouth. She even sucked on it a little! I'm glad she has something to play with in there so she isn't getting bored. lol

Here's what I look like these days...

Getting the 3D ultrasound.

And here's what baby Emma looks like!...

Scrunching her eye brows just like her big sister, Lea!

Lea saying HI to her baby sister!

Florida

I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post! My only excuse is that I am pregnant and lazy these days. Speaking of being pregnant...

I will be 33 weeks this weekend! That means less than two months to go. Kevin has been in NJ for two weeks so I think he'll be surprised to see my big baby bump when he gets home tomorrow. ;) The baby is doing great. We heard her heartbeat at a check-up yesterday. My weight gain has leveled off (thank goodness) but I have a slightly low iron level. Not low enough to need extra supplements; I was just told to eat more green stuff (like spinach and broccoli). Other than being tired (and lazy) and having a sore back, I have no complaints. Well... I take that back... I can't sleep, I pee all the time, this baby never stops moving and I am running out of clothes that fit (don't judge me if I start wearing the same few things over and over again these next several weeks!).

Anyhow... I digress. My parents drove down to FL for the month of February to stay with my grandmother, so when we found out that Kevin would be in NJ on business for two weeks, Lea and I decided to fly down to sunny FL. The flight was great... Lea always does well... and her new Vtech Mobigo helped a lot! While there, we spent mornings on the beach, afternoons at the orange grove for fresh orange ice cream and evenings visiting with family (some of which Lea was meeting for the first time). We ate lobster & crab and drank fresh, homemade (by us!) orange juice. Yum! We even spent an afternoon at Warm Mineral Springs. Here are some pics from the trip...

 Picking oranges in Gramma's back yard.

 A stop at the Tervis Tumbler outlet.

 Making fresh orange juice for breakfast!

 Yummies Donuts on the beach. :)

 Mommy, Lea and baby Emma. ;)

 A meet up with an old friend, Ryan.

 Lea and her great Gramma.

 Splashing with Papa at Warm Mineral Springs.

 Watching dolphins at the North Jetty.

 Running from the cold Gulf water!

 Lea's first root beer at The Frosted Mug.

Saying bye-bye to great Gramma.

To save some money, Lea and I drove home with my parents. Let me just say, I will never again spend 12 hours in the back seat of a packed car while being 7 months pregnant. Yes... it was that rough. We even split the trip in two and stayed overnight at a hotel! Lea, on the other hand, did great. She read books, ate snacks, watched a couple movies, took a couple naps and played games. Maybe she had one fussing spell the entire trip.... that's it.

We're happy to be home and now just waiting for Kevin. :)