Carter's Two Week Doctor's Visit

We took Carter to Dr. Nail this week. He now weighs 6 pounds, 8 ounces. Last time he was weighed was Saturday the 18th, and he was 5 pounds, 15 ounces then. So he's gained 9 ounces in 9 days, which is perfect.... right on track with 1 ounce per day. Also, he has already grown 1 inch! He is now 20 3/4 inches long. He got an A+ on his physical, and his last PKU over at the hospital. Thank goodness we don't have to do that anymore! We go back in 2 more weeks for a 1 month check up.
Carter is eating really well, and still sleeping a lot. He naps wonderfully during the day, and then doesn't want to go to sleep at night, of course! He has had several good nights, though, so I know he can do it!! But we're still managing to get barely enough sleep.

Here is my sweet boy at 2 weeks old!!

Stormie is finally warming up to him!!

Carter is Finally Here!!

It's been a while since I've blogged, but it's mostly due to the fact the I've been a little busy! Eric, Carter and I are home now, and doing wonderful. Eric is back to work, and I am busy at home each day taking care of this precious little guy. So here is Carter's birth story.
On Easter Sunday, Eric and I went to my aunt's house for a little family time before I was due at the hospital at 4:00 pm. We got to Centennial right at 4, checked in, and they started getting me all set up in a labor and delivery room. They first needed to see if I had made any progress during the week to see what the next step would be. Of course, I hadn't. At the point, we knew it was most likely going to be a LONG night. They got the baby monitor and my monitor all hooked up, so we could see the fetal heart beat, as well as my contractions. To my surprise, I was actually having contractions when I got there, but I didn't know it. I was having one every 10-12 minutes or so, but couldn't really feel them too much. So the on call doctor, Dr. Harper, was called in to set me up and get me to start dilating. It was probably 8:00 or so before she got there, but she was in and out quick. The procedure was torturous, but it didn't last long, so I was thankful for that. They started giving me pitocin about 10:00 pm, but in very small doses so my labor wouldn't progress very quickly. As I tried to sleep through the night, I was pretty uncomfortable. My contractions were becoming more and more intense and closer together. Not to mention they were pumping so many fluids in me that I needed to get up and go to the bathroom every hour and a half. Eric had to help me every time because I was all hooked up to IVs, monitors, etc. It was quite a process each time, and I know poor Eric didn't get very much rest at all. Fortunately for me, I was on pain meds for the contractions, so I slept good when I wasn't having to get up. By the next morning at 7:00 I was dilated to a 3, and my labor had definitely progressed. I had been given my epidural by 8:00. Getting the epidural wasn't that bad. It was just a little uncomfortable for a minute, then I went numb pretty quick. It wasn't much later that our families started to arrive and gather down in the waiting room. It's all a little hazy from the drugs, but from 8:30 to 10:30 or so, our families were in and out of my room. Eric was visiting with them a little while I tried to sleep through the contractions. My epidural was doing something kind of weird. I was completely numb on the entire right side of my body, but I could still feel quite a bit on the left side, which meant I was feeling all my contractions. They weren't painful, but I just felt really crampy and a ton of pressure each time. By 10:00 I was dilated to a 5. They expected me to do about 1 cm per hour, so at that rate, it would've been at least 4:00 PM before anything exciting started to happen. Around 11:00, the anesthesiologist came back in to check on me since my epidural was acting up. He gave me another dose of medicine and was talking to me about how I was feeling. A few minutes before he came in, I started to feel A TON of pressure down really low, and I felt like something had changed. I told him this, and at first he didn't have much of a reaction. But when I made the comment that I felt like I needed to push, his demeanor changed. He went and got a nurse to check me, and sure enough, I was completely dilated and almost ready to push. All the sudden all these nurses were in and out of my room getting everything ready in a hurry. The doctor had been called, and Eric had let our family know what was going on. Pretty much everyone was shocked that it happened so quickly. Finally, a few minutes before noon we were ready to go, we were just waiting on Dr. Greenberg. When he got there, I started to push. I pushed about 5 times, for a total of about 20 minutes, and before we all knew it, he was out! Dr. Greenberg had to use forceps with him because his cord was wrapped around his neck. I think there was a real sense of urgency to get him out, but I didn't realize it at the time, thank goodness. That would have freaked me out. It wasn't until later that I knew that Dr. Greenberg was acting quickly for Carter's sake. But it all turned out fine. He was born at 12:36 PM. I caught a quick glimpse of my little miracle before the took him to the other side of the room to start working on him. Eric, the proudest daddy ever, followed and got a lot of great video right after he was born. I am thankful for that because, while I could hear the little guy crying, I wasn't able to see him. When they finally brought him to me, I just couldn't believe my eyes. It was an amazing moment that Eric and I will never forget. We are so blessed to have a beautiful, healthy baby boy. And I am so thankful that labor and delivery went as smooth as it did for both of us.
Carter was 6 pounds, 2 ounces and 19 3/4 inches long. When we left he hospital on Wednesday, he had dropped to 5 pounds, 12 ounces. Talk about a tiny little guy! But, by the time we took him for a weight check on Friday, he was back up to 5 pounds, 15 ounces. We are at home now, trying to adjust to life with a little one. Things are going good. We're getting more rest than we thought we would. He is such a good baby... he hardly fusses at all!! And Stormie doesn't know what to think of him yet. She is very curious sometimes, and then very jealous other times. I know she'll learn to love him!

Just a few minutes after he was born!

The happy family!!

Time to Vent

Okay. So I am TOTALLY bummed right now. I went to the doctor this afternoon, and it's not great news. I am 50% effaced and not dilated at all (sorry if that's TMI). He was hoping for at least 1 centimeter. Soooooo.... he wants to wait until Monday to induce in hopes that I will dilate a little before then. We originally agreed upon April 8th to induce because my father-in-law was going to Europe on business for a few weeks the following week, and we wanted Carter to come before he left. BUT, John's trip has since been postponed. My doctor said, knowing that, he'd like to give it a few more days. So, this is the new plan. Eric and I are going to the hospital Sunday the 12th at 4:00 pm. They will admit me and check to see what my progress is at that time. If it is the same, I will have to stay the night in the hospital Sunday night, they will go ahead with the process to start my dilation, then induce me on Monday morning. If I turn out to be dilated on Sunday afternoon, they will send me home, and I will go back Monday morning to be induced. Either way, I WILL be induced on Monday morning. So, looks like this little guy will be making his first appearance sometime Monday, April 13th. 
Needless to say, Eric and I are both pretty disappointed.... along with the rest of our families! We had it all planned, and it was working out so well! Beth and Lance were going to come from Tyler tonight to be there tomorrow, my cousins happen to be in town from California, my other cousin and her family were coming up from Huntsville for Easter weekend, and my Dad's sister and her family were going to be in Dallas this weekend for Caitlin's volleyball tournament. It was shaping up to be just perfect, because everyone would get a chance to be here over the weekend and see him right after he's born. I should've known it was too good to be true. And I know it's really not THAT big of a deal because people will do what they have to do in situations like these, even if it means rearranging some things, but it's still disappointing.
On a good note, the doctor wanted me to get a sonogram done sometime this week, and it just so happened that they could squeeze me in while I was there today. So we did get to see the little stinker. She said that he is anywhere from 6 pounds, 13 ounces to 7 pounds, 2 ounces. So he is still fairly small. Also, she said he is going to be a long baby... his legs measured long. And this is the really funny part... she told us that he has HAIR! I never thought that Eric and I would produce a child that had any kind of hair on his head before the age of 2, but it looks like we may have done the impossible. I DID see it on the screen, and it DID look like hair, but I'll believe it when I see it on Monday! It did manage to cheer me up a little bit though.
It looks like Stasha and I may now have our babies just 1 day apart. She is going to be induced on Tuesday morning, the 14th, if she doesn't go into labor before then. So I think that is pretty cool. But at the same time, I am hoping that this doesn't keep us from seeing each other and the babies soon after they're born, since we will be in the hospital at the same time and all. Of course, she'll be in Lewisville and I'll be in Frisco. That would just be too convenient if we were at the same place.
Now I have to sit in this house and be restless for five more days. I guess I'll spend the rest of this week organizing and cleaning out our medicine cabinets, alphabetizing our CD and DVD collections, rearranging and organizing our tupperware cabinet, and any other ludicrous projects I can think of that will keep me busy. Lord knows I am fresh out of ideas to keep me occupied.... got any? If so, please send them my way!

Judgement Day..

So, I go to the doctor today to find out my fate! I don't think there is any reason why he wouldn't go ahead with my scheduled induction tomorrow, but you just never know. I am anxious to see what kind of progress I (or I guess the baby) have made this week. I am ready to get this rolling!

I couldn't keep myself busy enough yesterday. As soon as I sat down to watch TV, I felt like I needed to get up and do something. My house probably hasn't been this clean and organized since before we moved in! Would you believe that I actually organized the unused hangers in our closet? Wow... what has gotten into me? And I can't do enough laundry... I am actually trying to find things that need to be washed. I'm obsessing about getting things done, but the problem is that there just isn't that much to do! If he decides to push the induction a few days, I have no idea what I will do to keep myself busy. I guess I'll have to dirty some clothes and dishes just so I can clean again!

In more baby news, my friend Kaylah had her baby on Sunday, April 5th. She had a little girl, Abigail. And Stasha is playing the waiting game too. It sounds like she will be induced next week if Olivia doesn't decide to come before then. Babies all around!

Well, keep Eric and me in your thoughts and prayers over the next days and weeks to come. I will do my best to keep everyone updated on our progress!

The Start of Something New

So I am VERY new to this blog thing. Since I am going to be staying home with my little man when he arrives next week (6 days, and counting!), I figured I MIGHT have some extra time on my hands.... and this would be a good way to keep everyone updated on what's going on with our little family! Not that too many people are THAT interested, but hey, it'll give me something to do!

So a little bit of an update. I went to the doctor earlier this week, and everything is progressing normally. As of today I am 38 weeks and 1 day. The plan is to be induced next Wednesday, April 8th. I go to the doctor again on Tuesday the 7th, and if for any reason he feels we shouldn't go ahead with that, it may change, but I don't anticipate that it will. Not much longer! And thank goodness because I am kinda getting tired of being pregnant!

Sleeping has become quite the challenge. If it's not heartburn, baby hiccups, or just being generally uncomfortable all the time, then it seems to be bad dreams (I have had some really bizarre ones lately) or just an overall feeling of anxiousness. I don't anticipate my sleep situation to improve anytime soon, but I'm tired of these specific problems. I'm ready to be woken up by the baby instead of heartburn or just having to go pee! On the up side, Eric seems to be sleeping wonderfully!

Carter's room is 99% finished and ready to go. I say 99% because I'm always in and out of there finding something to move around, change, or add. I have a shelf that still needs to be hung, but I'm going to get Eric to do that tonight. Also, we are waiting for our glider to come in. It's supposed to be in within a few weeks. Other than those small details, it's all put together and waiting for him.




The rest of my house, on the other hand, needs some attention. I am trying to get it all cleaned and organized as best I can before the big day, but I don't have a ton of energy to do it all at once. I've been trying to do a little each day, and I'm still making progress on that. I'm sure my wonderful husband will be willing to help me a little with that this weekend.

So I guess that is what I'm up to this week. As far as the blogging goes, like I said, I am very new to this. My hope is to be able to post pictures and videos of us and Carter, and keep everyone updated with him and the new fun things he may be doing. With a lot of our friends and family living far away, this may be the best way to keep everyone equally informed. So I'll give it a try. Don't be too hard on me though....I'm still learning!