Three Months

Our little one is now three months old. Every night she seems to fit a little bit less in her co sleeper. She's so long that I'm worried she'll have to move to her crib before we're both ready. Even though she's so long, she's still quite lean. Three month pants are still a little big on her, and she still fits into a couple newborn outfits. Size one diapers finally fit which I'm so thankful for, she was in between newborn and size one for awhile; it made for quite a few messes we had to clean up.

She has begun "talking" so much more now, though we are still waiting for a laugh! The smiles have gotten bigger. I always get a really big smile when I try to use a really deep voice, she must find it quite silly. She loves to suck on her fist, as well as her pointer finger, and it is always the right hand.
Watching people click there tongue is also one of her favorite things. I can see her trying to figure out how to do it. A lot of times she will also try to mimic sticking her tongue out, if she sees you doing it.

Laying on her playmat has also become a favorite activity for her. It's nice for me because it often gives me a minute to get something done if I need to.
She still does not enjoy being on her stomach too much, but she is content for a little bit longer than she used to be.
On Sunday, September 13th, she rolled from her tummy to her back for the first time! It's funny how happy and proud I feel when she makes these small accomplishments.

This past month we've begun sleep training with her. As many times as I've done it with other babies, it is so much harder to do when it's my own. One minute feels like ten! She's doing really well though, she usually falls asleep by the 15 minute mark. Luckily at night she's always laid quietly and gone right to sleep. We're still working on sleeping through the night, she's usually up at least three times.

That's all for now!

Two Months

Weight: 9 lbs 11 oz (10%)

Length: 23" (75%)

I can't believe she's hit the two month mark. I wish I could slow down her growth, I try to get in as many cuddles as possible, but I still feel like she's just growing too fast! This month I had to put away some of her newborn clothes, but she still fits in some so that helped me hold tears back. Although she is very long, she is very lean. It makes choosing a diaper size for her very difficult. 

This month I began my fieldwork so, I am away from her for part of the day. It's definitely hard to be away, but it helps that I am working so close to home. Most days I am able to come home at lunch to see her for a few minutes. We also found a nanny that I feel mostly comfortable with, no matter who we have watch her I'll never feel 100% comfortable without being the one watching her. Haha. 

This month she has really started smiling, it warms my heart so much. I often become teary eyed just seeing her smile at me. She isn't "talking" too much yet, but we do get some happy sounds here and there. 

Her favorite book is "Llama Llama Red Pajama." She loves music, and her favorite song is "Stay Awake" by Julie Andrews, about 90% of the time I can get her to stop crying as soon as I play the song. 

She also loves baths, as long as the water is warm enough. I'm not surprised as she always started moving around in my womb whenever I took a bath, while I was pregnant with her. 

Tummy Time, she isn't a fan of it. But we sit her up a lot to talk to her, so she's been able to work her neck muscles really well. Her doctor stated that she's doing really well with holding her head up. 

The Dr. also stated "She's perfect." When Tim told me she said that (I couldn't make it to the appointment) he added, "Why do we pay these people to tell us what we already know?" That made me chuckle.

Her big brother is always close by, watching over. 

Well, baby is crying for me, so it's time for me to go. ;-)

A family visit

Now that Norah is here I really want to make sure I blog more, even if I'm late in posting. Recently, Norah's Grandfather. aunt, and uncle came for a visit to meet her for the first time. My sister stayed for a week, but my dad and brother were here for 3 days. It was a busy 3 days! I gave my (autistic) brother the choice of what we would do on Saturday, he decided on the aquarium. The aquarium was nice, but after being spoiled by the Georgia aquarium, it did not impress my husband and I too much. We certainly didn't think it was worth the $23 dollar price as it only took us about an hour to get through. 

But we all had a good time, and that's what counts. 

Following the aquarium, we ate at the rainforest cafe. Luckily we made reservations because there was a 2 hour wait. Norah did great all day. Despite all the noise, she slept all throughout the aquarium. 

On Sunday, their last day here, we went to see the new minions movie. Norah slept through most of it, waking only to eat, then went back to sleep. 

Following the movie we just spent time at home with each other before my dad and brother left for the airport, and of course grab a couple of photos of them holding Norah. 

One Month Old

I can't believe it's already been a whole month since our little cricket was born! It's been a great first month, I'm really enjoying this wonderful thing that they call motherhood. Norah is now spending a lot more time awake, which makes it a little tough to get some things done; but I love her beautiful blue eyes! She's been sleeping pretty well, of course she does have some fussy nights. 

Tim is already an amazing dad, as I knew he would be! He has helped out so much, he gets up in the night to change her diapers for me, all without any complaining or attitude. I've married a good one!

At her last appointment she had to get the first part of the Hep B shot, I wanted to wait a little bit longer but the clinic has a rule about patients getting it by the time they're two weeks old. It broke my heart when she started screaming from the pain of the shot, I shed quite a few tears. 

I only have 3 1/2 weeks left before I have to attend clinicals full time for 16 weeks. I'm not looking forward to it, it's going to be so hard to leave her!

Norah's Birth Story

Sadly, I didn't get to post anymore maternity photos before little Norah arrived. But I was happy that I took this photo a day before turning 39 weeks because Norah arrived just a few days later! I had a feeling my whole pregnancy that I would go into labor a week early, even though I knew most first time moms are typically overdue. Turns out my feeling was right! Here's the story about how our little cricket made July 3rd the happiest day of my life...

Late Tuesday night I began having contractions, they were stronger and than the contractions I had been experiencing the past few days. They were also consistently 5-10 minutes apart. After laying in bed for awhile, trying to fall asleep, I decided to get into our bathtub. My husband, Tim, woke up around 5 and came into the bathroom. I told him what was going on, he stayed right by my side offering his support in any way I needed. He also took the day off as we thought this might be it! By late afternoon however, my contractions weren't as strong, and were no longer consistent.

Feeling a little disappointed, but hopeful that Norah would come within the next week,  I climbed into bed (wednesday night) and almost immediately fell asleep. I begin experiencing contractions later that night, but too asleep to fully realize it. Eventually I wake up because the contractions are strong enough, I look at the clock; it's 2:00 a.m. I immediately decide to get into the tub. The contractions are consistent again, and getting stronger. I had been on my phone face booking, and playing games. But soon the contractions are too strong to focus on anything, so I play my labor playlist. I try finding what position works best for alleviating at least some of the pain. I felt the contractions in the hips of my legs mostly, which I wasn't expecting. As I'm laboring, I'm considering calling Tim and waking him up to come offer what help he could. I just didn't want to wake him until absolutely necessary. Just when I was getting ready to call him, he came into the bathroom. I update him on whats going on. I stayed in the bath until about 7:00 a.m., with Tim bringing me food and water.

Around  9:00 am my contractions begin getting stronger, and closer together. They're averaging about 2-5 minutes apart. Tim began running around the house, packing the rest of our hospital bag. I had been texting my best friend, Crystal, updates. I was going to tell her when to come to our house, as I had wanted some photos of myself laboring at home. Not wanting to make her leave work unnecessarily, I kept holding off on having her make her way down. I hadn't been feeling the sense of urgency Tim was, so I told her to leave later than I should have. It's 11:00 a.m. and time to leave for the hospital, as Crystal is on her way to our house, I tell her she needs to meet us at the hospital instead. In the short time between contractions, I make my way to the car and climb in. After driving what seemed to be forever we finally made it to the hospital. I spent a short amount of time in triage before walking to my room.

 

 Thankfully, they had the bath ready and waiting for me. While I got ready to get into the tub, Tim began getting other things ready, including our oil diffuser. I spent quite a bit of time in the bathtub, occasionally turning on the jets to try to add a little more relief.

After spending a couple hours in the bath, I decided to get try to rest in bed for a bit. Tim was amazing during labor. He was by my side the entire time... Unless he was going to get me something. As you can see in the photo, I'm trying to add pressure to my legs. I really can't believe how much I felt the contractions in my hips. I ended up not spending too much time laying down, it just didn't relieve the pain nearly as much as sitting did. I was a little disappointed by that, it's always been the most comfortable position for me when I'm relaxing. 

Around 10:00 p.m. the midwife (the third one I've seen by this point, because I've been at the hospital so long) wants to check me to see where I'm at... I haven't even dilated a full centimeter. She then says we have two options. 

1. She can break my water now to get things moving. 

or 

2. She gives me morphine to help me sleep for a few hours, then she breaks my water. 

She would prefer to do the latter, she's concerned that because I've been laboring for so long already I'll be too exhausted to do what I need to when things become more intense. 

After asking her questions and discussing the choices with my husband, we decide to go ahead with the morphine so I can rest. Although I wanted a completely natural birth I'm mostly ok with the choice. I was assured the morphine would wear off after a few hours and although it would cross the placenta, it would not be in Norah's system when she was birthed. 

The morphine didn't really take any of the pain away, it really just made me more sleepy. When I finally drift off, nurses come rushing into the room and tell me to get on all fours, while placing an oxygen mask on my face. I of course become immediately concerned, "You guys are freaking me out." The nurse replied "Her heart rate just really dropped for a beat so we want to make sure every things ok. It's normal for it to drop, it just went lower than we like to see." 

Norah's heart didn't drop again, so after about ten minutes or so it was time for me to try to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, because I was drugged up and had to move so much, and so quickly, I felt sick. Luckily there was a bin somewhat nearby, so Tim was able to get it to me in time. 

At about 6:00 a.m. I decide I'm just in too much pain, and not drugged enough to sleep anymore. I let the nurse know I'd like a bath before they break my water so I can try to wake up a little bit. The midwife first checks to be sure I haven't dilated anymore. I haven't, so back into the tub I get before they break my water. Here comes another new midwife, she's ready to break my water and get the show on the road; and so am I. 

Just as the previous midwife stated, things got intense pretty quickly after they broke my water. I start feeling it in my back as well. ANOTHER new midwife comes in to introduce herself (how many am I going to go through??). But as soon as she comes up next to me, I sort of yell at her to get away from me. She has on WAY too much perfume. After a contraction finishes, she asks me if I feel any pain in my back, "Yes." She feels my stomach for Norah's position. Norah has decided to turn posterior, so now I need to try different positions to try to get her to turn back around. I do not even want to move. 

I get back into the tub, hoping it will help. I don't want to be on all fours, but the nurse says it's best to try to get Norah to move. I'm in full transition stage. I'm not sure how long it lasted for, all I remember is how intense it was, how the contractions were right on top of each other. Just as one would somewhat begin to fade, it would build up again. 

Somehow I got it into my mind that because I hadn't progressed for so long, I was in all this pain for nothing and not progressing. So I started saying what so many women do during transition, "I can't do this anymore. I'm done. Get me the epidural." It's amazing I manage to spit any words out at all. Tim was as encouraging as he could be. I begin feeling the urge to push, but thinking I just need to use the bathroom (I still had it in my head I wasn't progressing, so this couldn't be that urge that everyone talks about) I ask Tim to help me to the toilet. Once I make it to the toilet I tell Tim again "I need an epidural." 

He leaves the room to talk to the nurse, she follows the birth plan I gave them and tells Tim "Let's tell her to come to the bed and we can discuss 'options'," she was going to help him stall. Tim and the nurse ask me to come to the bed but I'm still having some intense contractions. Eventually they let up just a little bit, so I make my way to the bed. By the time I make it to the bed the urge to push is pretty strong. I tell the nurse I need to push, she tells me to wait so she can check me. I'm close, but not quite at 10 cm... So she helps me get the rest of the way. That hurt. The midwife checked Norah's position once more, she had turned back into the anterior position. Thank God. 

They hook me back up to the fetal monitor again, Norah's heart rate keeps dropping with each contraction. They have me try different positions to see which Norah "liked" best. I also have the oxygen mask back on. The midwife is telling me to not push with this contraction, only every other one. Is she kidding me?? I can't help it! "Just don't add to it." If you've ever had a baby, and were told not to push, you know exactly how difficult that is. 

Although I see the concern on Tim's face, and hear the midwife telling the nurse to to have the pediatric unit ready because of Norah's dropping heart rate with the contractions, I only felt peace. I knew she was going to be ok. 

After 32 hours of labor and 45 minutes of labor Norah arrived!

Even better? Tim delivered her. At my midwifery appointments, she told me Tim could grab Norah after her head and shoulders were out. But this midwife allowed time to grab her head as soon as it began coming out, he helped pull her out the rest of the way (although I did not feel like I had any help). 

I think Tim was momentarily too in awe to remember to put her on me right away because I heard the midwife say "Put her on mom's chest, dad." 

Here she was. She was screaming at the top of my lungs, and she was perfect. I kept hearing the nurse and midwife say "Her lips are blue, her lips are blue." 

But I'm just thinking "What are they talking about? She's perfect. She's fine. She's screaming." Once I saw photos though, she really was blue. 

They did need to suction some stuff out of her mouth and pat her back though as she was pretty congested. 

I knew it was best if she continued to scream and cry, but I really had to fight my instincts in wanting to comfort and soothe her into not crying. She didn't end up needing any special care other than continued clearing of her lungs and mouth. 

She was born at 10:37 a.m. on July 3rd. She was 7 pounds 8 oz, and exactly 19" long. 

Best day of my life. 

Daddy performing his first diaper change ever!

It was no wonder her feet hurt my ribs so much, they were (and are) huge! 

I'm so thankful that I got to have the birth experience that I wanted, for the most part. A part of me is still slightly disappointed in having morphine, but it was pretty necessary at the time. 

A big thank you to all those that prayed for a safe and healthy delivery! 

And another big thank you to my BFF Crystal, for capturing such a special day!

Now it's time for me to have some more snuggle time with my little cricket. 

32 Weeks

Well I missed a week again, it's just so hard to keep up when my photographer lives an hour away! 

I've gotten to the point all mommies talk about. I'm almost always uncomfortable now. Despite that, I absolutely love being pregnant! I love feeling my little one move around, and I'm so grateful to be able to have this experience. I've also gotten to the point where I have to decide if something I've dropped is worth picking up right away, haha. 

Norah seems to get the hiccups A LOT. I can tell she hates them by the way she starts kicking and punching me. I have a feeling once she's born she'll start crying anytime she has hiccups. Speaking of which, she has hiccups at this very moment! Haha. 

This week I learned I have gestational diabetes. I was really upset when I found out, even cried a little bit. But after I received great support from people, and heard about their experience with it, I felt much better. I'm mainly just worried that I will have to fight to have the birthing experience I desire. 

Mother's Day was this past week, and it felt great to be a part of the celebration. As a gift, my wonderful husband is blessing me with a prenatal massage every two weeks until Norah gets here. Couldn't have asked for anything better. 

Thanks for reading!

30 Weeks

This week was a busy one! Tim and I toured the birthing center at the hospital I will be delivering. We're very happy with the rooms, and the staff. I'm really excited for the jacuzzi tubs that they have. The atmosphere was very laid back which is perfect. The nurse guiding us told us that almost all the rooms were full, which surprised me because it was so quiet. 

I also went to my first mom to mom sale, and had a blast! I bought a bunch of great stuff, and got amazing deals! I was a little disappointed because most of the sizes I wanted to purchase were for the wrong season I needed. I plan on attending more though, so I'm sure I'll find what I need. 

After the mom to mom sale, my best friend Crystal and I went to the mall so I could try to find an outfit for my shower. I went with the intention of buying a dress but instead, I found a cute pair of pants and a top. Of course I also had to buy a pair of shoes as well. ;-) 

I could tell I did A LOT of walking that day because later that evening I began having quite a few Braxton Hicks contractions. I made sure to rest and drink a lot of water, and they finally went away.

I'm obviously beginning to really feel anxious to meet Norah, as I had a dream about her arrival. Maybe not so much of a dream, but a nightmare. In my dream I had just finished delivering her when the nurses whisked her away to clean her up. As soon as they finished cleaning her up, a ton of my family just walked into the room. They were all taking turns holding her, all talking and laughing together. Meanwhile, I'm still in the bed, crying, because I hadn't even seen the baby yet.
At least I know that won't actually be the case when Norah arrives.

29 Weeks

It's crazy how in just one week, Norah's kicks have become even more powerful. There were quite a few times this week that she woke me up in the middle of the night, gasping in pain. She's really good at catching me off guard too. There has been a few times where she has moved or kicked so suddenly that it makes me jump! She also enjoys attempting to see how far up into my ribs she can get her feet. 

Tim finished painting the nursery this past week, and I'm so happy with the result! He also assembled Norah's crib. There is still A LOT to do, but having those two things completed makes me feel much better prepared. I'm looking forward to finishing this school semester, so I can start doing all the things I want to get done. 

This week I also picked up infant and children's clothing from my mom, that I wore when I was young. I'm really excited because one of the dresses that I picked up was a favorite of mine that my grandmother made. I think it's so awesome that Norah will be wearing outfits from my infancy and childhood that my grandmother had made. 

Thanks for reading!

28 Weeks

These weeks seem to be going by faster and faster! This week I had an appointment with my midwife. She explained to me how Norah is positioned, confirming my suspicions. Our little girl is in a head down & anterior position. Perfect position for the natural birth I'd like to have! I was very happy when my midwife stated that it's likely Norah will stay in this position. Norah has been enjoying having her feet in my ribs, I'm often pushing her feet down just relieve some of the pain & pressure. As uncomfortable as it is, I'm so grateful for each and every kick & jab.

I also had to take the glucose screening test this week. It didn't taste as bad as everyone made it out to be. I thought it tasted similar to a melted orange popsicle. I did have a little bit of trouble with the last quarter of it. Unfortunately I didn't pass, so now I have to go back for the three hour test. I'm really praying hard that I pass the next test, I want my little cricket to be as healthy as can be! 

27 Weeks: Third Trimester!

I missed week 26 on a count of working 11 hr days for fieldwork, so here we are at 27 weeks! I'm officially in the third trimester and I cannot believe it, my pregnancy is going by so quickly! Quite a few changes have happened in the past couple weeks. My brain seems to have lost even more of its functional ability. It has led me to say and do things that make no sense. I almost got into a car that was not my own, much to Tim's amusement. One day I referred to the linen closet as "the towel room," again to my husband's amusement (and confusion).

Whether it was her first time, or just my first time feeling them, Norah has begun having hiccups. Although she still prefers to spend time on my left side, Norah is taking more and more advantage of the other room available. I've begun to feel her kicks much higher now, quite close to my rib cage. Occasionally, she enjoys keeping a foot up there.

Tim has began painting the nursery, he's almost finished but there is still a little more to do. I can't wait until he's finished painting so we can set up the crib. I'm really feeling the time crunch now that I only have 13 weeks left! I've begun nesting a bit here and there as well. I've gotten our bedroom cleaned and organized. There's of course a lot more I want to do, I've just been too busy to get anything done!

Finally, rolling over in bed is becoming more and more difficult. I think Tim is getting a little sick of the amount of movement, accompanied by grunts, that has been required for me to get comfortable.

25 Weeks

By the feel of things baby girl has had a growth spurt this week! Her movements are even more noticeable, even the smallest ones. For the most part I feel her the most when I'm sitting or laying down, but I've begun to feel her movements a when I'm standing, as well.  This week Tim was able to see her movements for the first time, he was pretty happy about it as he's been trying for a few weeks now. I'm really beginning to feel the time crunch, especially with how much of a planner I am! There's so much left to do to prepare! Things have been really busy so we haven't been able to work on getting the nursery ready. One thing that's helping me to calm down is the fact that Tim and I have begun discussing our birth plan, and what we envision the labor and delivery to be. He's surprised me a bit about what he's pictured, and I couldn't be happier with what he's said!

24 Weeks

I'm a couple weeks behind in this series on account of throwing my back out, and then busying myself with cleaning & organizing. So here's my update on whats been going on the past few weeks.. 

Tim's parents took us shopping at Babies R Us and bought our little cricket's crib & dresser. It is such a huge blessing! We had both pieces of furniture delivered to the house but unfortunately the dresser was damaged. Thankfully, the store is going to exchange it for a new one (as they should!). 

Not only has Norah's nursery been started, her library has been as well! My mom and sister have both given us books, including the one seen in the photo. I plan on reading to my little cricket a lot once she's here, so it's a good thing her library has already been started. 

This past week was marked by the inability to button any of my pants! I've been making a lot of use out of the bella bands my best friend Crystal gave to me. I have to say, I love my growing belly! 

Baby Norah has also started moving even more than what she was! She's also grown enough that I can see my belly moving in relation to her kicking and tumbling. Naturally, she moves the most at night when I'm trying to sleep. 

Lastly, this past weekend my husband Tim and I went to Lowe's to pick out a few paint colors to consider. Once we got home we sat in what will be the nursery, and narrowed the samples. By the end of the day we were decided on which color we will be using! I can't wait to get the nursery painted!

21 Weeks

I'm almost a week late in posting this but what can I say, It's been a busy week! Our little cricket has been kicking up a storm! I was even able to see her little kicks the other day while sitting in class. I had my 21 week appointment with my midwife, I was so happy with what she had to say. She told me that the results from the anatomy scan are perfect, Norah is as healthy as can be. It was such a relief to hear her say those words. Norah is measuring in the 60th percentile, the midwife said that is perfect for her. She also stated that she's happy with the amount I've gained, I haven't gained too much, or too little. I just hope I can keep it that way! Before ending the appointment my midwife wanted to hear our little one's heartbeat, Norah sure made it difficult. She was moving around like crazy, it was fun to hear all the twisting & turning she was doing. 

20 Weeks

We're half way there and I can't believe it! We had our anatomy scan at 19 weeks and discovered that we're expecting a little girl! I was so shocked when the tech announced it looked like a girl. During my first trimester I was convinced it was a girl... But then once I began entering my second trimester I was so sure it was going to be a boy. I didn't tear up or anything just because I was so surprised. It was so fun seeing our little cricket on the screen, we were even able to watch her as she practiced breathing! She really made us work for getting images, she was all curled up & facing my spine. The tech had me moving onto my side, back, other side, back to the other side and so on. Our little girl even had her feet crossed at the ankle, which is how I sit most of the time. Haha. 

After we finished with the ultrasound my hubby and I went to Babies R us to pick out an outfit for her, just a little way to celebrate who we're expecting. I let Tim choose the outfit and he did pretty darn well.

I can't wait to meet our little Norah Joy!

1st Trimester: 5 Unexpected Symptoms

I've always been a planner. Even years before my husband and I decided to begin trying for a baby, I would read and pin information about pregnancy, birth, etc. Of course there was always the same 2 symptoms that would come up when reading about the 1st trimester, and you can probably guess what they are... Fatigue, and "morning" sickness. With as much reading as I had done, I was surprised by five constant symptoms I was (and still am) experiencing. 

1. Let's make a candle...

With all the earwax I've produced! I feel like I  almost constantly had a Q-tip in my ears. I began leaving a couple on my nightstand at night because I knew it was inevitable that I would wake up in the middle of the night with an ear itching so badly from wax build up. Gross, but true.


2. Is Darth Vader in the room?

I've always been annoyed by loud breathers, but now I think I'll have a bit more sympathy for them. I feel like I'm the loudest breather in the world now. To make matters worse, I now get out of breath SO easily. Walking quickly while carrying on a conversation at the same time? Forget it. Even just walking quickly back and forth from one room to another I'm left breathless, gasping for air as if I just ran 3 miles.


3. My husband's personal oven.

The amount of heat I began producing (even at just 5 weeks) was-and is- insane. This also leaves me feeling hot almost all the time. If it's thirty degrees out, you'll see me wearing only a light hoodie with jeans, no coat or hat. I finally felt a little cold when it was 1˚ outside. My husband has always enjoyed putting his ice cold hands and feet on me when we're in bed to warm himself up, but until now it was never welcomed. Now if his hands are cold ill actually put them on my face. There was actually a time I was standing next to a friend's six year old and she commented on the amount of heat she felt coming off me. Haha.
I've always heard about women dealing with this feeling in the third semester, so I was really surprised to be experiencing it so soon.


4. "Swallow your spit."

When I was a child this was a common phrase my father would say when I would complain of thirst. I have to say, I'm surprised I'm not able to stay hydrated from all the saliva I now produce.


5. Stocking up on tissue.

I became so congested after becoming pregnant that you would have thought I had a cold. It felt like I was constantly reaching for a tissue. I kept my hubby up a couple nights just because I had to keep blowing my nose. It was especially annoying to deal with this when I had really bad morning sickness.



What unexpected symptoms did you experience?