Through 24 weeks!

This is around the time panic sets in. Out of nowhere I feel like I have ran out of time! Of course, there is still plenty of time, but when there's more pregnancy behind you than there is in front of you it starts to feel like you need to begin getting ready.

Overall the last few weeks I have felt great physically! Obviously I've got quite a few chalkboard pics to be sharing in this post! Boy has this blog morphed from when I blogged pregnant with MK. Let's just say life is just a smidge busier, but I'm so happy that we've made the effort to keep up with these pictures!

WEEK 20

Energy: Up until this time I have been able to plug away throughout the day as normal. The last couple of days I've been hitting an energy wall right around dinner time. I think I may need to start keeping tabs on when I'm overdoing it and pausing to give myself a rest.

Movement: I'm not sure this little guy EVER sleeps. All day long I feel him thumping around in there. But the hiccups. oh the hiccups. I vaguely recall enjoying them during my pregnancy with MK? But this little man's hiccups feel like a clicking sensation in my belly, and truth be told, it is super annoying!

WEEK 21

Cravings: Sweets. Sweets. Sweets. always. my love.  Kevin just changed the name of the game by starting to make homemade milkshakes.... they are amazing and they hit the Satisfaction button head on!

Sleep: I have been turning on meditation tracks to fall asleep and I swear they have helped me sleep better throughout the night.  I have yet to recall making it to the end of a single session because I'm always out before the end of it.... which is rare because I am a HORRID sleeper! I have woken up a few times with the start of Charlie Horses (which I was just reading back in my blog and I guess I had them with McKenna too). Of course, drinking water helps it out, but it's a delicate balance to avoid being up all night peeing!!!

WEEK 22

Week 22 was a particularly special one because it landed on MKs birthday. I love she loves to participate in our chalkboards every week, and she was super proud for this one!

Weight: Not sure where I'm at now, but between my last 2 midwife appts I had gained SIX pounds in a month! That's a record for me for any month I've been preggers. I'd like to say I've been trying to make sure I exercise more regularly or cut out more of Kevin's milkshakes, but that would be a lie.


WEEK 23

Position: Baby P is still insanely low! I can feel his little arms rolling around what feels like right above my pubic bone. It's killer on my bladder, but I'm just telling myself if he stays that low he is that much closer to the EXIT!!!

WEEK 24

Another "special" week... chalkboard day landed on Chief's 11th birthday. Makes me feel bad that we weren't even in town for Boog's 10th birthday a month ago, but he make sure to get plenty his share of attention.

I'm really starting to feel LARGE. Comparing bellies at this point is a bit intimidating too! My belly is definitely larger this go around. Just taking it week by week and focusing on the excitement that is ahead of us!

Week 17, Week 18, Week 19

Week 17

Not a whole lot to say week to week as there was last time.  Life has carried on a bit more, crazier of course, and Little Man just gets to come along for the ride! So you'll likely begin to see more of these combined chalkboard updates... I just can't keep up with it all!

Baby Boy is the size of a Turnip!

Energy: Energy has been great for me! I've been plugging away with life per usual.  My motivation for exercise is moderate.... I'm getting it in 3-4 times a week.  It's more about timing for me. It's definitely not the same as my pregnancy with MK-- I was up and out every morning with her. It's much different this time around!

Movement: Little man is getting busier and busier in there! Feeling flops and rolls already!

Weight: We don't own a scale in the house. I don't believe I did for MK either so I'm not sure how or why I would update on this... but I can speak of water retention and water weight.  Just like with MK, my rings just randomly slip off.  I don't know what it is with how my body adjusts to pregnancy, but it seems to just want to dump as much water out of me as it can (IN THE FORM OF PEEING MULTIPLE TIMES AN HOUR ALL DAY).


Week 18

Week 18 was a particularly exciting week! I've been feeling movements for a few weeks now, but just in the last week or so have I started feeling movements on the outside. I had tried to get Kevin to feel something several times, and it's always ended up with silence and stillness (to which is an awkward pulling of the hand away to continue doing what we were doing). BUT he finally felt him! And it wasn't just a kick, it was a big old roll. Now when I alert Little Man is awake, he can put his hand on my belly and feel him most of the time.

Energy:  My Christmas gift from kevin this year ended up being a package for prenatal yoga classes. I won't be able to make it every week because it's about a 30 minute drive, but I definitely think it will be super helpful as I get bigger and wider! Typically I aim for more power/strenuous yoga classes, but this one is all about breathing, relaxation, and stretching. It was wonderful.  I also had never been in a room with more pregnant women at once!! (There were 25 in this class!!!).

Nursery: We snatched a sit-and-stand stroller that is compatible with the infant carseat we already had from MK. This was our first big purchase for Little Man! I showed it to McKenna and she is STOKED to have a big seat in the back.  Win Win.

Cravings: Sweets, sweets, sweets.  But this really isn't much different than when I'm not pregnant.  Oh.. and just in general, I Cant. Stop. Eating.


Week 19

McKenna felt Baby Brother move today!! It's been a long couple of weeks of having her run to put her hand on my belly and wait, but the patience just isn't there. I know they'll be movement when her hand is there, but she's fidgeting and chatting so much that she just couldn't connect with the movements.  We've joked that Baby Brother is playing hide and seek. But today, there was no denying that foot that bonked her!

Nursery: We finally bought a crib! I've spent weeks digging through websites and swip swaps. It's been weighing on me whether to go "all out" or just get it done and make it wonderful. Ultimately, we decided to go with a more inexpensive crib.  This is the only kid that's going to use it, honestly, we just didn't feel like it needed to be over the top!  It hasn't come in yet, so let me get it built before I truly form an opinion :P.

Sleep: I feel like I'm getting "fine" sleep. I don't think any preggo woman would say she sleeps great, but I'm not going to complain about it... this week anyway. I officially sleep with a body pillow and a pillow behind me so I am barricaded in place. 

Position:  This Little Man is SOOOOOOO LOW. Like, he is all uterus. Way lower than MK ever was. As is stands, he is not high enough for anyone to attempt to feel him without being inappropriate. Every time he kicks or moves I feel pressure on my bladder.

With next week being officially HALFWAY, I'll probably pull out some of MKs belly pics and look at some comparisons. I can't wait to look at the differences!

Week 16: AvoCado and Christmas

Week of Christmas!! Always excitement! Always exhaustion! And the sass was strong in the little one... but the sweetness was as well, as usual. She wanted pictures of her with the chalkboard. She did not want to take one WITH me.... and she did not want any taken OF me. Oh 3 years. At least we still had some beauties of that perfect little face.

 

 I'm not sure who would mind with that sweet stinkin' face.
 

Movement:  I can still feel movements. They just seem so insanely low! My belly in general seems to be sitting lower than with McKenna.  Maybe it's just my poor ab muscles that never returned to their original pre-children form.

Energy: Our whole house hit an energy wall after Christmas traveling and late night gift opening. We literally ate and watched Christmas movies all Christmas Day long.  All three of us would have definitely ended up sick had we had anything planned.  But it was the most wonderful Christmas Day ever!  This is literally the only Family shot we have from the day, and it describes our day perfectly: couch and matching pjs!

Oddities: I have had an eye twitch for going on like 3-4 weeks now.  It's insane! and insanely annoying!! It is literally multiple times a day, and distracts me when I'm speaking to someone.  Midwife said there's really not underlying concern so it's just one of those random pregnancy things that makes no sense.  

Weight: Still the same since the  beginning. Pretty crazy, but I guess the ebbs and flows of my nausea and terrible dieting along with my inconsistent workouts really have my body confused.. Thank goodness for prenatals!!

Nursery:  IS OFFICIALLY EMPTY! Now I don't know what to do with the room!

Sleep:  It's been getting more difficult.  Dreams have been picking up and becoming more intense, which tells me my quality of sleep is definitely declining.  Kevin surprised me with a pregnancy pillow for Christmas, after a couple of nights sleeping with it I decided it's just not for me. Same thing happened with my MK pregnancy... though with that one I just assumed it was a poor quality pillow. This was a good one and it just is still too confining for me.  I'm giving a generic body pillow a try and we'll see if that helps me out at all!

Looking forward to:  Still looking forward to McKenna and Kevin feeling Little Man move! This is the most impatient I've felt about anything!

And a picture of McKenna from Christmas Day trying out her new scooter.

Week 15: Disney Update

Amazing is an understatement to describe the coincidence of this week update.

We've had this trip planned for a few months, possibly even prior to getting preggers. So there's no way we could have planned for this crazy coincidence.

Week 15 for McKenna:

Week 15 for Little Man:

That's right.  We just so happened to be at Disney World for the same stinking week for each pregnancy!! How cool is that??!!

Of course McKenna needed to be included for one...

And then we had to visit our favorite cast member in all of Walt Disney World to share the news with her!

We have visited the British Pub for most major Milestones in our life together: we went there while we were dating, when we got engaged, when we were honeymooning, every anniversary, when we were trying for McKenna, when we were trying for little man (yup, the Disney Pixie Dust runs through both of the kiddos!!). You name it, Carol has sang a song about it! Some I remember, most I do not.  Cheers for Carol and Disney MAGIC!!

Week 14: The FIST?

It feels good for the news to be out and to be able to admit to people I'm exhausted and emotional. The holidays were kicking in right around 14 weeks, and I was all in on bringing the holiday spirit to our house!!

We giggled for this chalkboard, looking back at the "fruit/veggie" updates.... why in the world did we choose FIST for this week? Regardless now, we committed to doing the same updates that we did with McKenna! :)

One thing we've had fun doing it including McKenna in a picture for the updates.. I think there's a couple that were missed, because, #toddler, but they have been fun to include her!

Cravings: Daddy has done a pretty spot on job of keeping my sweet tooth satisfied! The single serving of chocolate cake from Publix is AMAZING. I'm salivating thinking about it.

Movement: I've definitely felt movement pick up a bit by this point. Most often right after dinner and early evening time.

Weight:  I still have not gained or lost any weight since our initial visit.

Energy: It's slowly coming back! MK has been motivating me and we've been doing workouts from YouTube while she stacks couch cushions and avoids an Emergency Room visit.  ANYTHING for mama to burn some calories!!

Looking forward to: McKenna and Kevin feeling baby move!

First Trimester Shenanigans

It's amazing how different the pregnancy experience can really be from kid to kid.  To put it simply, I had not prepared myself in the slightest for the nausea that I have experienced during this pregnancy. Called "morning sickness", I was typically OK during the first parts of the day as long as I ate steadily.  It wasn't until right around the time I would start thinking about preparing dinner, my witching hour.... aka my body bitching hour!  The time I get nauseous is the time I have to cook food that I was more likely not even going to eat. Another difference this time around, having another little human that still needed to be fed regardless of whether you were going to eat or not.

I will try to roll through these chalkboard pictures quickly! For the most part, my symptoms remained constant: nausea, exhaustion, and periodic indigestion.  My nose has been pretty sensitive to food smells, so I spent most of the trimester downing Saltines like none other. My weight has pretty much remained constant throughout thus far.

It was nice to have a chalkboard handy this time around thanks to our toddler.  These first few weeks she was completely clueless to what we were drawing and why we were taking pictures!

One thing different this time around was me wearing the same clothes for every weekly chalkboard. I did try to pick some more forgiving fabrics.... only time will tell if they will survive!!!

We told McKenna about the pregnancy around 10.5 weeks. We were surprised how well she kept our little secret, and she was absolutely over the moon with the news. You'll likely see a subsequent post for that experience :-)

It might seem insanely early, but I was most definitely feeling flutters around 11 weeks! I felt movement relatively early with McKenna, and they say that you can feel movements earlier with subsequent pregnancies.

We found out it was a BOY right before 13 weeks. It was awesome to be able to share the gender of the baby at the same time we announced the baby!

At the beginning of the first trimester, I thought there was no way that I was going to be able to make it without letting the cat out of the bag.  We were just around way more people for this pregnancy, and my little bump was definitely showing earlier this time around.

Energy:  Low.  Exercise was very difficult to come by, especially with a toddler that really doesn't want to hang in the stroller anymore!

Looking forward to: McKenna and Kevin feeling the baby move!

Baby P #2 Set to arrive June 2018

It's been 11 months since I posted an update.  Life happens, and you have to make priorities, and unfortunately blogging about "life" did not come in at the top.  But I'm here for a very important reason!

We are expecting our SECOND baby! I would love to keep it at a simple "We are all thrilled," and we ARE, but the amount of joy that McKenna has for her future sibling is indescribable. Literally no words. To the point of almost bringing me to tears daily because of how much the emotions well up in me. She kisses my belly, hugs my belly, listens to my belly, talks to my belly, blows raspberries on my belly. She's even gone through toys that she's going to let her baby brother have.

THAT'S RIGHT.... IT'S A BOY!

We were given a hard time that it was likely another girl because at our first ultrasound Baby's heart rate was 190 bpm!!! (The wives tale is high heart rates are girls, which was certainly true for MK who peaked at one point at 200!)

We did the genetic blood testing again this time around and were able to find out the gender right around 11 weeks. No special gender reveal or anything for us, a phone call from the nurse saying our results came back low risk for everything, and oh yeah it's a boy.

I really want to do my best to do pregnancy updates like I did with my pregnancy with McKenna.  Things might be different, but I want them both to be able to look back and see what Mama endured to bring them into this world! Maybe even compare who was rougher on me :P. Luckily we started our chalkboard updates the same week that we started McKenna's, and we will be doing the exact same fruits that we did for her :).

As I type I am 14 weeks on the dot. Today is the first official day of the Second Trimester.  Granted all of my struggles of the first trimester began to improve a couple of weeks ago, it's been a slow progress. I'll write a separate post to recap my first trimester to help split this up.

But I'll end this post with a family shot of us.

Halloween 2017: The Three Caballeros

McKenna's BIRTH Story: Part 3

I really don’t have a lot of details from during this time because it all seemed like a blur.  Momma-to-be all hooked up:

My Mom, Dad, and Gramma K were able to come in to the Labor and Delivery room and make themselves at home while I struggled through the pain of contractions.

 

Even they said it didn’t seem like I was in much pain. But the stronger the contractions got the quieter I got and the more irritable I got… and I know it’s their job, but I don’t understand why the nurses have to ask questions during contractions. Can’t it wait 1-1.5 minutes?  

 

As contractions got closer and closer together I had a tough decision to make about whether to get an epidural.  While the nurses said an epidural can be given at any time up until 9 centimeters even, there’s no guarantee that an anesthesiologist will be ready and available to give you one at that moment.  That AND you can go from 4 centimeters to 10 in a matter of moments.  With these facts, Kevin and I had the quiet discussion.  It was really less of a discussion and more of him reading the look in my eyes.  He gave me the approval I needed to hear, “why don’t we go ahead and get it done.” I felt relief with his approval for some reason.  Last pictures of me before becoming a Mom:

 

With this, they checked my progress again, 7 centimeters accompanied with another comment about how low baby’s head was, and the call was put in for the anesthesiologist. Luckily we decided this when we did because the anesthesiologist had actually been called in on an emergency room procedure so I had to wait about 20-30 minutes or so before he was able to make it to my room.  This was a bit terrifying, I had made the decision to get one and what if the baby came before I got one??

 

By the time he got to the room, I was soo happy we made the decision to get one, even if I was petrified about the pain of the actual epidural. The contractions had gotten BAD. My family had to leave, and I was prepped for The NEEDLE.  Honestly, I didn’t even look at it. I don’t know if Kevin watched or not either.  I’ve heard they usually time placing it in between contractions because you are more likely to move. Well this guy didn’t do that. Contraction and Epidural simultaneously.  I actually think it helped distract me.  I was so focused on the contraction and squeezing Kevin’s hands to death that the Epidural just felt like the pinch of a blood draw.  It was swift and much less of an issue than I anticipated.

 

After the fam came back in, I was able to somewhat indulge in conversation (once the meds were adjusted accordingly that is…. I was actually still feeling pretty painful contractions when I first received the epidural…. That was fixed ;-).

 

So as I can remember, the timeframe between getting the epidural and the pushing phase was relatively short. But then again, your perception of time is greatly skewed while you’re in labor. I remember the sun going down through our window and that’s around the time **it got serious.  It was rather calm though. The nurse checked my cervix and goes, “yup, 10 centimeters, it’s time to start pushing. Family it’s time for you to step out.” It was time to pack away my “focal point” which was a picture of the Chiefs, though it hadn’t been used much.  It was time to turn off the Pandora station we had playing (which I believe was “Someone Like You” by Van Morrison… one of my favorite stations).  So the room was very quiet as they prepped for the pushing process.

 

I was a little disappointed, Kevin and I were hoping HE would coach me through the pushing, but the delivery nurse dubbed him the Mississippi counter. And while most of the day feels like a blur, the active pushing part still feels like dream, like it wasn’t real.  The bright interrogation-type light and staring faces felt like a movie (though not as dramatic, I HATED the silence!). Kevin was responsible for one leg, one of the nurses the other, and we got down to business.

 

As Kevin was directed to start counting, I grabbed my knees and pushed the best I could, but honestly had no clue…  I couldn’t feel what was going on down there except just a TON of pressure. Apparently my contractions started spacing out again, so any progress I made during one sequence of pushing was lost before the next.  I was given oxygen between contractions to help me recover for the next sequence. Eventually the Doc decided to assist the Baby out.  Kevin likely can recall more of this, I was rather surprised he elected to look “down there” through much of the delivery, and even tells people it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. I was offered a mirror and adamantly refused.

 

After about 30 minutes of active pushing, our baby girl arrived.  Kevin said at first she wasn’t breathing and needed a little bit of encouragement.  But to hear that first cry was the most amazing experience. WE MADE IT. I SURVIVED AND our baby girl was finally here! She was immediately plopped on my chest and I just couldn’t believe I was holding our little human being in my arms. It was her. She was ours.

 

McKenna Elyse was born at 10:31PM on February 1^st, 2014. She was 7 pounds, 6 ounces and 20 inches of perfection. She had a full head of dark hair and big feet.

 

While I was being "re-assembled" (and everything else that goes on down there that’s irrelevant to My BABY!), I just observed and took in all of McKenna. I watched as Kevin watched her get her measurements taken. He was smitten.

I was looking at my family, the 2 loves of my life: my husband and my baby. The calmness and serenity in this moment of my life was one that I will carry with me forever.

 

Looking back there are a few things I wish I had more control over, and a few things I would have done differently.  But overall I had an incredible birthing experience. We were on our way to the hospital around 3PM and our baby girl graced us with her presence at 10:30. I was able to give birth to a healthy and beautiful baby girl that we were dreaming about for almost 10 months… and our entire lives.

McKenna's BIRTH Story: Part 2

Roughly 25 minutes away, we would be arriving at the hospital about 3:30PM. It was during the car ride I notice the tingling, burning sensation of contractions beginning to appear.  Since the moment my water broke, Kevin and I did have this hopeless optimism that somehow, some way my Doctor would magically appear to deliver our Baby even though he wasn’t “on call.” Reality really hadn’t set in that this wouldn’t be the case until we checked in at the Birthday Suites. “So our doctor isn’t even informed we’re in labor?” “No.” It hadn’t hit me yet. I have described how important this was to me previously, and the entire pregnancy my Doctor reiterated “Don’t worry about [this], Don’t worry about [that],” and I was comforted knowing that I could trust the decisions he would make during the delivery process.

Prior to getting strapped up to the machine, I was instructed to lay in bed in hopes to see a puddle under me… this was to confirm that my water had actually broken. In fact, I was encouraged to cough to promote fluid.  Every time I coughed I laughed because, yup, I was swimming.

 

It wasn’t until after the admitting nurse Terry strapped me up to the machines that reality set in…. and I began to cry.  Doc would not be present. I had already gone through the “make sure we get a picture of me, Doc, and Baby when she arrives,” discussions with Kevin. No matter how much I cried it wouldn’t change the situation.  This baby was coming, and he wouldn’t be there to deliver.

 

Thank goodness for Terry.  She walked in on my crying and I informed her why.  She went into a huge explanation of how unimportant it really would be.  “The nurses do everything. Literally, the doctor walks in, catches the baby, and walks out.”  In reality, the Doc did quite a bit more during my delivery but wow did she make me feel better.  I don’t know if it was her Talk or if it was the strengthening of the contractions but I quickly moved passed concentrating on this fact.  Kevin, all the while, was sitting in a chair at the end of the bed comforting me, doing his best to not have his phone out due to my strict instructions.

 

After 20 minutes of monitoring my contractions and sipping Ginger Ale, it was confirmed I would be moved up to Labor and Delivery.  Terry checked my progress, 4 centimeters dilated and 100% effaced.  I had already been 2 centimeters dilated a couple of weeks earlier at one of my appointments, and then the week prior with our false start I was 3 centimeters dilated.  The nurses could not believe I was 4 centimeters and really not reacting to my contractions.  Honestly, they did hurt like hell, but I feel really uncomfortable with people witnessing me in pain or drawing any sort of attention to myself.  So my reaction to contractions was relatively silent.  I handled them with slow, slow breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth.   It was after her checking my progress did she tell us how I was born to make babies, how my body was made to have a gajillion babies (HA! We'll see about that!). Progress was steady, and the baby’s head was low and in position and that she would be here before we knew it. “This baby is coming!”

 

Kevin made his calls informing family that she would in fact be gracing us with her presence either tonight or early tomorrow (the nurses in admitting saying surely tonight). My Mom, Dad, and Gramma K made their way out to the hospital. Kevin’s parents did their best to hit the road from Jacksonville as soon as they got word.  Interestingly, Kevin’s sister’s family was on a Disney Cruise while my oldest brother’s family was in Disney for the weekend. It’s a small, small world. Just had to.

 

It was about 5 PM (give or take) when we were sent upstairs. It felt so strange walking through the hospital halls in a hospital gown… luckily I only had one contraction during this trek because I had to pause and hold on to a wall (in the opened elevator) all the while Kevin and the nurse had to stop and wait. Awkward.
 

We began “settling” into our L&D room as much as one can “settle” into such a room.

McKenna's BIRTH Story: Part 1

In honor of McKenna's first birthday, I am FINALLY sharing her Birth story!!  I was never intending to withhold it, but as I wrote it last year I spent so much time re-reading it that I just never shared it. I am as detailed as I possibly could be, so this isn't your quick read. Here is Our Story, in all of its Glory.
________

As these sorts of stories always start out, it was just another Saturday. I was 38 weeks 6 days, just a week and a day from my due date, and my doctor was not on call this weekend so I wanted to at least make it to Monday. MY plan was to spend the weekend literally doing nothing, maybe some minor cleaning, in an effort to keep Baby incubating through the weekend.  Though Kevin had wanted me up and walking around because he wanted that baby out!

 

Kevin had just finished trimming and bathing Chief Osceola. He continued to coax me to go to Target to do laps, but all I wanted to do was lay down and take a nap. I am not a napper. I have an unquiet mind that requires a significant amount of time to turn off to sleep so when I actually want to lie down it means I’m super tired.  Kevin, on the other hand, can fall asleep anytime, anywhere, which actually gives me anxiety about getting to sleep because my brain for some reason makes it a race.  Lying in bed I told Kevin to join me, to which he replied, “but I’m not tired.”  He proceeded to lie down and pass out the moment his head hit the pillow.  Amusingly during this nap break, I was staring up at the pregnancy chalkboard on the wall wondering what fruit we would be drawing tomorrow for our week 39 update. This is the only picture on my phone from that day.  The boys were so pissed they were exiled to the patio that I guess I felt the need to document it??

 

 

This was about 2:15PM. Within moments of his snoring, a simultaneous reaction occurred.  With the Chiefs resting in the front room, Chief (Black Bear) went crazy barking at something (which was nothing, a rarity for him to bark at nothing). At that exact same moment there was an extremely strange sensation and noise that came from my belly. I jumped up and yelped, “Kevin, did you hear that?? Did you hear that cracking noise?” Suddenly awakening from a clearly deep sleep he replied, “huh?”  Using the word “cracking” to describe the noise freaked me out so I adjusted, “Did you hear that popping noise? It came from my belly.”  It sounded like when you crack your fingers.  We were both tongue-tied as we agreed I should try to use the bathroom (??? Not sure what that would do ???) as we anticipated what the significance of this sensation was. All I could think of is “not now, not now, not now, my Doctor is not on call.”

 

I went Pee and was certain that it was not just Pee, don’t ask me how I know. As I got up to go lay back down in bed our suspicions were confirmed. On the tile floor. Repeatedly. Yup, whatever that is wouldn’t stop no matter how hard I tried and it was persistent. My water broke. We were both in disbelief, “is this really happening?!” I was prepared to eventually start recognizing persistent and strengthening contractions, but was not prepared for my water to break, the sure sign that Labor is eminent.

 

Now, I may be crazy, but they say dogs sense things. Chief and I have that bond. I honestly couldn’t tell you what happened first, Chief barking or my water breaking.  Was he reacting to my water breaking or did his barking startle me enough to break my water? Interesting question to ponder.

Anyway. So the weekend before when we decided to go into OB Triage, Kevin was cool, calm, and collected as he gathered our things and packed up the car (You can read about the "False Start" here).  This was a bit different. Knowing for certain this was it changed things quite a bit. He was composed, but somehow still running around like a chicken with its head cut off.  The dogs were going crazy as he ran back and forth seemingly for no reason, since our bags were pretty much already prepared.

Here's a small, embarrassing video I shot of myself while Kevin got everything ready.  You can hear Chief going crazy on the porch in the background.
 

 

 

I think Kevin felt a bit more at ease when I decided I wanted to take a shower before we left. Since this moment was eminent, I knew this would be a final moment of peace.  I also had a gigantic bowl of cereal knowing that the hospital doesn’t allow you to eat after you have been admitted (I figured cereal was bland?).



 

 

Luckily my parents were able to come over and pick Chief and Chief Osceola up since they were visibly on edge feeding off of Kevin.  At this point I still hadn’t felt any major contractions, just Braxton Hicks-type contractions that I was able to talk through.  

With the car loaded up, we began the journey to the hospital.



 

2 weeks as a family

I am spending a bit of time on our Labor and Delivery story because I want to be sure to document as many details as I can remember (even though it all seems like a blur), but I have the itch to divulge.

I have never felt such a range of intense emotions all at once.  Two weeks has never flown by and never drug on as much as these last two have. Every mom has told me their woes of unstable first few weeks, but I have found, as with all pregnancy, labor, delivery, and newborn "horror stories", there is NOTHING that can prepare you for it.  The last two weeks of my life have been the most ambivalent, confusing, stressful, exhausting, emotional all while the most fulfilling, loving, joyous, compassionate of my life.

Thank you hormones, life changes, lack of sleep, my husband (duh, "he did this to me", right?), and most importantly, my beautiful baby girl.  I now believe you can't truly understand the meaning of life without the experience of giving another human being life, at least for me.

The dynamic between Kevin and I has changed dramatically as well. I feel closer to him than I ever have, and he has made an incredibly tremendous effort to make me feel beautiful, cared for, and valued through this roller coaster. We have made a great team, and I look forward to every step of this journey with him.

I cannot even begin to elaborate how blessed I am to be able to hold this little person in my arms and say "we did this."  There is no greater joy.

McKenna Elyse has arrived!

Yep. You guessed it. There was no 39 week chalkboard update. I have been MIA because our precious baby girl McKenna Elyse arrived at February 1st: 38 weeks, 6 days.

Amusingly, she decided to let us know she was ready to come on Saturday the 1st, a little over 24 hours after my post about "please, please, please wait for Monday." That was just asking for her to come that weekend!  You'll have to hang in a bit as Mommy transitions to newborn life to get the story.

McKenna was born 10:31 PM February 1, 2014, 7 pounds 6 ounces, 20 inches long.

I will be writing my point-of-view of our day in a subsequent post, but I wanted to say that we are alive, well, and adjusting to life with an incredible baby girl.

Biggest fear staring me in the face, Woo-saaah.

It is Friday, 9 days away from D-Day, with a couple of incidents of "is this it" moments already under our belt. One thing that bothered me about last weekend's visit to OB Triage was learning that my Doc was on call last weekend, clearly indicating he would NOT be this weekend (he is a private practice that shares On Call time with 3 or so other OB/GYNs).  Let me describe the importance of this fact.

Doc M has been my only "lady" doctor. I have seen him for 12 years since I was 16 years old.  He is both my mom and my gramma's Doc and performed my mom's hysterectomy when I was in high school.  In fact, I believe I first started seeing him the same year he took over my mom's OB/GYN's practice who happened to be the doctor who delivered me back in 1985!

He is an incredible doctor, arguably the best in our area. Even with the underlying FSU/UF opposition (he's a UF grad), there is a mutual respect (which doesn't happen too often between FSU/UF rivals). Kevin has become comfortable which, before meeting Doc M, he was not exactly thrilled about regularly spending time at a Lady's doctor's office. Obviously over the last couple of months it has felt like a second home. As uptight and anxious of a person that I am, Doc M has the uncanny ability to ease my nerves, which Kevin has made sure to verbalize that he wish he knew how to do.

These next 2.5 days will absolutely drag by. I told Kevin I will not be doing ANYTHING! NOTHING!  I would be absolutely devastated if Doc M is not there for our little one's birth. I keep trying to tell myself that as long as Baby is healthy all will be ok, but it's certainly tough to ignore.

Woooo-saaaah.  Time to start some relaxation techniques. 68 hours to go.

Five yard Penalty -- Hospital visit

Kevin issued me a 5 yard penalty this weekend..... False Start.

Around 7:30 Friday night I started having serious back pain. When I say serious, I was having difficulty standing up straight and couldn't breath in fully.  We did our best to distract me from the pain by watching a movie (Captain Philips, which if I recall correctly was a great movie, but my memory is foggy. I was up using the bathroom every 20 minutes or so due to a pinching sensation). Heating pad, cold compress, nothing was alleviating this pain, which felt like it was getting more severe.  I was beginning to feel contractions (likely brought on by my discomfort). We had both been on the computer reading about back labor, which was my biggest fear.  We discussed going into the hospital but I refused.

Hours went by and we decided to try getting to sleep around 2 AM.  I was moaning and groaning and having a difficult time breathing because my back was hurting so much.  Kevin got me up around 3AM and had me pacing the living room, adamant that if the pain didn't subside we'd be going into the hospital.  He went ahead and packed the bags in the car, and the dogs were in a commotion seeing the luggage. Again, I refused and agreed that if I didn't feel better after a warm bath that we would be going in.  After the bath, I was still in pain, but told Kevin I wanted to try going to sleep. Somehow I was able to pass out for a couple of hours.

When Kevin got up the next morning and I was still in pain, we discussed the hospital again. It had become more of a "OK, now we just need to make sure nothing is seriously wrong."  So he called my parents and asked them to come pick up the dogs, I was still hesitant to go, but we needed to see what was going on. My parents spent a little time with me while Kevin had to run and do some work. 

I kept praying the pain would subside because I really didn't want to go to the hospital unless we were CERTAIN it was labor. I wasn't certain, but I didn't know what this back pain was.

After my parents left with the pups, I attempted to take another nap. Around 2PM on Saturday Kevin and I made the executive decision to just Go.  I knew I'd be sent home, I even verbalized it, but what if this back pain was something serious? I'm not a doctor!!

It was an anxiety-provoking 30 minute drive. I was still in pain, and was having difficulty walking. As directed earlier in pregnancy, Kevin popped out the phone to take a video on the way to the hospital.  I can't imagine what I look like in it, but I know one day we will look back and laugh.

We got all checked in and I got strapped up to the monitor.  They ran some tests that all came back clear. I had read about kidney problems in the area my pain was radiating from, so I was happy nothing was wrong there.  Strangely the Braxton Hicks I was having earlier in the day had subsided (isn't that how it always goes?), though my back was still in pain.  Luckily that wasn't showing up as contractions, which was my main concern.

We did get to spend time listening to our baby living in there.  It was crazy watching Baby P's heart rate constantly. We hear it every week at our appointments, but only for a brief moment. We knew she was active, but seeing her compared to other rooms' babies made it clear just how active she really is!!  Her heart rate would go anywhere from the 130's up to I believe it topped out at 192!! 192! Hill, valley, hill, valley, what in the heck was this little one doing in there?! Even the nurse seemed to think it was active. Then she got the hiccups, which was crazy to hear on the monitor... it sounded like she was flicking a microphone. Oh this little one is going to give us a run for our money, I just know it.

Everything came back clear. I was having mild contractions but nothing to admit me. I was offered the possibility of pain meds for the back pain, which I declined.  After the nurse touched base with my doc, we were sent on our merry way. 

Overall it was definitely quite the experience.  Kevin got in a practice run with packing the bags and 
getting us to where we needed to go. He seemed pretty put together, which is comforting.  The whole experience has definitely made the waiting game a bit more daunting, and it has definitely made having a baby even more of a reality! Holy shit we're going to have a daughter within the next two weeks!

Week 38: 2 weeks to go....

We're at 38 weeks! 2 weeks to go until that fateful due date, but she could be here any day and the suspense is killing me! Our little pumpkin is the size of a Pumpkin!

Boy am I looking more and more tired every week.  I've sure let go of myself! lol

Here's a pic of me working on this week's chalkboard.

I love crafting, but I hate drawing. So these Chalkboards are a Complete Labor of Love.  Only two 2 left.... MAX.

Worst part of the week:  Kevin and I spend a little time in OB Triage this weekend. Everything's ok!  I'll get to that in a separate post.

And last night Kevin decided to randomly walk into the bathroom and just shave his head out of nowhere.  This momma ain't pleased!  We're about to experience the most momentous day in our lives and you just go and dramatically change your appearance... without even consulting your hairstylist (me) and your extremely emotional and moody pregnant wife?? Big no-no.

Pain: Sciatic pain & back pain mostly. Braxton hicks have gotten more uncomfortable too. I'll get into the back pain more in my hospital post.

Movement: Holy Cow this little lady is a mover and a shaker.  Still.

Sleep: awful, awful, awful.

Exercise:  Not much the last few days.  Still trying to walk the dogs with Kevin, but life's been hectic and this mommy is tired!

Cravings:  Yes, transition through the seasons.... It is now Valentine candy time, but I cannot for the life of me find the Valentine lollipops that I love to get every year! They are the basic red cherry lollipops shaped as hearts with imprints on the front.  They are the most basic lollipops out there and I can't find them :-(.

Looking forward to: The Big Day! With less than 13 days to go, I think it's officially ok that that's really the only day I am looking forward to from here on out.