~ Birth Day ~

At 5:45 AM on Friday, October 1, we left for the hospital downtown. When we got there we went up to the 4th floor and checked in. I got changed into a hospital gown, hooked up to the monitors, and got my IV started. The nurse gave me a shot to numb the area above my wrist where they were putting the IV. I looked at her a little funny when she was doing this, and she told me that they IVs they used on that floor were a lot larger than a regular IV needle. Holy cow, she was right. That thing was huge! It didn't hurt too bad, probably thanks to the shot, but you can still see the mark on my arm where it was almost 3 weeks later! They just gave me fluids at first to keep me hydrated since I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight. Once I was all hooked up, they asked me a bunch of questions to get my information in the system, then we waited for the doctor to come in.

My labor and delivery nurse was named Stephanie and she was really nice. I'm sure everyone working on the maternity floor was probably pretty friendly, but I still feel grateful that I ended up having such great nurses and doctors working with me. Aside from me and Matt, my mom, Matt's dad, my mom's friend Kelsie, and my friend Robyn were the ones who stayed in the room with me throughout labor. (Kudos to Matt's dad for sitting through all that. lol)

Around 8:00 AM, Dr. Salley came in to examine me and get the induction started. When I got there I was about 90% effaced and 2 cm dilated, which is what I had been the last couple weeks. He guessed that the baby would weigh in around 8 lbs or a little more. They got the Pitocin going in my IV, and he started stretching out my cervix, which to be honest did not feel real good. :/ After I guess he was satisfied with how things looked down there, he went ahead and broke my water around 8:15 AM. It was a really weird feeling... It felt like I was peeing myself, except I wasn't peeing. I didn't feel anything at all when he did it or afterwards - it was just gross feeling like I was constantly wetting myself. Before Dr. Sally left he felt my belly again and said he changed his mind, that he thought the baby would weigh in the high 7's.

Around 9:30 AM or so, I started feeling the cramps from my water breaking and the Pitocin. I would start to feel a contraction coming on and sure enough, when I looked up at the monitor, the little black line was climbing up again. At first they weren't too bad - like bad period cramps or something, and they would come and go. After a while though they started getting pretty intense, and I had to use the breathing that I learned to get me through them. I was surprised at how much the breathing really did help the pain. I knew it probably would, I just didn't expect it to as much as it did. Even though the contractions were getting stronger, they were still pretty erratic. Some would last for like 20 seconds and others for 2 minutes, and some came one after the other while others gave me a few minutes break in between.

My hormones were going crazy during all of this too. I'd go from being sweating hot to freezing cold. After a few pretty strong contractions, I started throwing up and Stephanie had to give me Alka-Seltzer and Zantac.

By 10:30 or 11:00 AM, the contractions were getting pretty intense. They had basically leveled out so that when I had one it would shoot way up off the monitor, and when it came back down it never actually went down - it just went from being super intense to not quite as intense. I didn't have a break. I was starting to get exhausted fast because even with the breathing, the pain about had me on the ceiling. For some reason the pressure of sitting on the toilet helped a lot, so I kept begging them to unhook me and let me stay in the bathroom... Of course I couldn't do that. I also started asking for an epidural at this point because I needed a break since the contractions weren't giving me any. They slowed down the Pitocin but it still wasn't enough to make a difference quickly. Stephanie called for my epidural as soon as I asked for it, but it took a good 30 minutes or more before the anesthesiologist was able to get to my room because there was another lady in line to get hers before me. That was the only time during the entire experience that time passed slowly.

When they examined me around 11:30 AM when the anesthesiologist got there, I was already at 7 cm. It was really hard to sit still through the epidural when I had a contraction, but the doctor was really good and I didn't feel a thing when he gave it to me. I held on really tight to Stephanie's shirt and Matt sat in a chair and watched because they made everyone else leave the room. I still had about 3-5 bad spikes in my neverending contraction after they gave me the epidural, but after that my legs started getting tingly and the pain gradually eased. Eventually I couldn't feel a thing or even move my legs at all. I was so exhausted from the last hour or so that I dozed off for a little over an hour.

Sometime shortly before 1:00 PM, Stephanie came back in and woke me up so that she could empty my bladder and examine me again. My contractions were a little more consistent but had gotten weaker after the epidural and everything, so they hiked the Pitocin back up again because Stephanie said it was time for me to push already. They shooed everyone out of the room except for Matt and my mom and took the bottom of the bed apart. I started pushing around 1:15 or 1:30 PM.

After pushing for over an hour, I was starting to get pretty exhausted again. I would push as hard as I could, and they could see his head right there, but I just couldn't do it hard enough to get his head to pop through under my pelvic bone. Stephanie went ahead and called Dr. Laffitte, the next doctor on shift after Dr. Sally left that morning. Within a few minutes he came into the room with a whole slew of people. At this point I started crying and shaking. All of a sudden it was hitting me that I was about to give birth and I was exhausted and overwhelmed by all the people buzzing around the bed and setting things up and draping sheets over my legs, etc. Stephanie actually was supposed to end her shift at 3, which is around what time it was by the time the doctor came in to help get the baby out. She was really nice and said she wanted to stay at that point to see him be born, so she stayed right by my side with Matt and my mom.  :)

When they were ready I started pushing again, but it still wasn't doing much. The doctor asked if I would consent to him using a vacuum to help pull the baby out, and I said it was okay. He also had to do a midline episiotomy. Before I knew it he was holding a little body up in front of me and Matt was cutting the umbilical cord. It was 3:15 PM. And I was crying again, of course, but this time it was a huge mix of discomfort, shock, happiness, and the biggest surge of unexplainable emotion I think I've ever felt.

After that, everything became a blur. I kept feeling a lot of pressure and tugging and pulling down below as the doctor and nurses worked to sew me back up and get the bleeding moderately under control. They had handed Asher to me almost right away for me to say hello but then took him again with Matt so that he could be weighed and wiped off and lay under the heater to warm up. The only time they took him out of the room was to weigh him. When Matt came back with him I was still being sewn up and Matt said, "Guess how much he weighs!?" I guessed in the 7's, because that is what Matt and I were and that's what the doctors and everyone thought I'd have - something between 7-8 lbs, or maybe a little over 8. I was shocked when he told me 9 lbs, 1 oz! He was 22 1/4 inches long, his head was 14 1/2 inches around, and his chest was 13 3/4 inches around. Compared to what I was expecting, he was huge! I kept looking at him and thinking, "I can't believe that thing just came out of me."

Once I was sewn up and all the doctors and nurses had cleared out except for my new labor and delivery nurse, my mom, and Matt, we tried to get Asher to eat a little. He did really well - he had the idea down but was still having a little trouble figuring out how to suck hard enough to get anything out. We ordered some dinner for me - chicken noodle soup, fruit cocktail, and jello - and let the family come in to meet little Asher.

At around 7:00 PM, some other nurses came in to help me get out of bed. My right leg was not cooperating and waking up so that I could walk on it. They asked when the last time my bladder had been emptied was, and raised eyebrows when I told them it had probably been around 1 o'clock or so. They helped me into the bathroom and could see just looking at me that my bladder was distended, but nothing would come out. They tried pushing down on my abdomen, but still nothing. Finally they had to call another nurse to catheterize me, which wasn't that fun since the catheter was a red rubbery hose the size of a drinking straw. They emptied about 64 ounces out of my bladder. Then we moved to our "nesting suite", where we stayed the remainder of our time in the hospital.

The time in the hospital passed very quickly. We had a lot of visitors come by and got little to no sleep. Even if Matt and Asher would doze off for a little while, I would stay awake and just stare at them. I couldn't believe that all that had actually happened. When I think about it I still can't believe I actually have a child of my own now. It's crazy. I can't believe I'm a mommy. It's definitely one of those experiences that people can try to explain to you until they're blue in the face, but you really don't know what it feels like until you actually go through it.

And that is the story of how Asher David Coppel came into this world.   :)

It's Birthday Eve

Today I went to the doctor for another NST to make sure Baby C is doing well in there before his eviction tomorrow.

Unless he decides to come out in the next 13 1/2 hours, which I really doubt will happen at this point, I will be heading to the hospital tomorrow morning to be induced. I have to call them at 5 AM to make sure they have a bed open for me, and as long as they say they're ready, I'll need to be there at 6 AM to register and get settled in. By 7 AM they said they should be starting things for me. The doctor said first he'll break my water, then they'll start me on Pitocin to get the contractions going. From there we just wait and let things take their course.

I was planning to try the natural route if he came on his own, because then I would be able to stay home for a while before being confined to the hospital room and could move around, eat, drink, etc. as I pleased. However, if I'm starting pretty much from square one already imprisoned to the hospital bed, I plan to go ahead and get an epidural. From what I've heard from a lot of people (including the doctor today), induced labors can give you a lot stronger and more frequent contractions than when it just happens on its own. I have talked to a few women who've had both completely natural as well as induced/medicated labors, and even though they told me that they felt much better with the natural births and preferred them, they still said just go ahead and get an epidural if it's an induction. We'll see how I progress, but at this point I plan to trust them on this one and do what they suggest once things start kicking up.

The doctor told me that just by feeling he can tell it's not a little 6 pound baby, but it's not like a gigantic one either. Matt and I were guessing between 7-8 lbs, since that's what we both were, so we'll see. He said he didn't think it'd be a really drawn out 20-something hour labor either, especially since I'm already somewhat dilated and effaced, so his guess was that Baby C would make his arrival by mid-afternoon or possibly dinnertime.

Am I scared or nervous now? No... not really. Only because I don't think it's really hit me that I'm going to be having a baby tomorrow. It's like I say it and I know it in my head, but it's not really real or something. I'm pretty sure that I'll be shaking the entire way to the hospital though, and simply scared crapless once I'm actually there and getting set up. We shall see.

Anyways, I'm going to bring my laptop to the hospital tomorrow and I'm pretty sure we'll have internet, so I'll try to post (or get someone to make posts) updating our progress as we go along. And of course I'll be putting up pictures as soon as I'm able.  :)

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WHY IS LABOR INDUCED?
PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - INDUCING LABOR

Only 3 days or less... For sure this time!

This morning my mom, Matt, and I went to breakfast at Rolly Polly, then headed over to my doctor's office for my 41 week check-up.

First I did the usual - urine sample, blood pressure, and weight. (I've now officially gained 30 pounds! Yikes!) Then we went to a room where they hooked me up to a fetal monitor for a NST, or Non-Stress Test. It monitored the baby's heart rate as well as any contractions over a period of about 15-20 minutes. Every time I felt the baby move I had to push a button. The baby decided to move a lot, which was good because they were looking to see that he was moving, and that his heart rate would go up when he moved and back down when he was resting. I didn't have any contractions so that line just stayed the same.

After the NST, we went to a different room for an ultrasound so they could measure the amount of amniotic fluid still in there. We got to take another inside peek at him, including a front view of his smushed chubby face.  :)  It was really cool this time to be able to see more detail of what he really is going to look like.  They said there is plenty of fluid right now, so there is no rush to get him out. (But he still has to be out before I hit 42 weeks.)

After that I went to yet another room for a pelvic exam. I'm still 90% effaced and 1-2 cm dilated. I thought for sure there was something going on in there over the last week, but apparently not... Either way the doctor said that if I need to end up being induced I'm a "favorable" candidate since I'm already mostly effaced and dilated a little, as opposed to having nothing whatsoever going on down there yet. Oh and he is still head down and in the right position, which is definitely a good thing.

If I make it through the rest of the week, I will need to go in to the office again on Thursday morning at 10 AM for another NST and exam. As long as everything looks good, I will be showing up at the hospital at 6 AM on Friday morning to be induced with Dr. Laffitte.

So at this point, whether Baby C decides to come on his own or not, he'll still be here by the weekend!!! EEEEK!!!!

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 41

Officially Overdue.

Well, despite what everyone thought would happen, Baby C has decided to stay where he's at for now. 


Yesterday I went for my 40 week appointment and my friend Robyn came along with me. I'm now 90% thinned out, which is good, and still 1-2 cm dilated. His heart rate is still good - between 130-140 BPM - and he likes to move around a lot in there. (Well, as much as he has room to.)


If I make it to my next visit, which is scheduled for next Monday Sept 27, I will have to have another ultrasound and some tests done to be sure that the fluid levels aren't getting too low for little guy in there. If everything doesn't check out, they'll be sending me across the street to the medical center to induce me right away. Even if the fluid levels and stuff looked okay, they'd still want to induce me by the end of the week anyways, since 42 weeks is the most they will allow you to go. (In other words, if he doesn't come out on his own before October 5, they're going to make him.)


So back to yesterday -- After a bit of debate we decided to go ahead and let the doctor "strip the membrane" and see if that would help to bring on labor naturally for me. (Basically what that means is they move their finger up inside the cervix in order to separate the sac the baby is in from the wall of the uterus.) Apparently this can release some sort of hormone in your body that can trigger labor and I guess usually if it's going to have any effect, you'd know usually within the next day or so. It's been about 21 hours now since I had that done and so far nothing besides being extra sore now...


After leaving the doctor's office, Robyn and I went to the gym where we walked, went up and down some stairs, and did some lunges. Then we had lunch at Zoë's Kitchen. It was a nice day.  :)  


So I guess we'll see if I make it to Monday or not... I've been partially effaced and dilated some and having Braxton-Hicks and all those "pre-labor" signs for about a week and a half now, but I guess he's still not ready to come out...


PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 40

Daddy Says It's Time.

A couple nights ago I got pinned with a notice and Baby C was told he had 24 hours to leave his current residence...

Obviously he didn't listen to his daddy yet. 

I'll be honest, I wouldn't mind if he came today or tonight myself because that's when our families will all be able to come right away. It'd be nice if they could all be there... I know he'll come in God's perfect time, but I still can't help but think that.

Matt keeps saying "It's like Christmas Eve when you're a kid, except you keep waking up and it's not Christmas - it's still Christmas Eve again..."

C'mon Baby! Everyone is ready to meet you and Mommy is ready to get this part of things over with.  :)

Probably the Last Pregnant Update...

I went to the doctor last Thursday and was still 50% effaced, not dilated at all. Or, as the doctor says, I was "high and tight"... Yes, that's probably TMI for most people, but oh well.

This morning I went again for another visit and Baby C has now moved down even lower than before, I'm more effaced (didn't ask how much but he said I was), and also now 1-2 cm dilated. Obviously there is no way to know for sure when he's coming, but the doctor said he thinks it will be in the next week or less. I think it could even be before the weekend, and Matt says he also "has a feeling" it will be in the next few days. So crazy!!

Now that it's so close I don't even know what I feel right now. I'm really excited and scared somewhere in there, but now that I'm realizing what's going on and how soon, I almost feel kind of blank... Like I'm thinking, "Wait, is this for real?"

So, until next time..............

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 38
PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 39

Nothing new, really...

I went to the doctor again on Tuesday. Still 50% effaced (or "thinned out"), still not dilated at all. And he's still dropped down real low, head first. So nothing has changed in the last week except that I've gained another pound, so I'm up to +25 lbs total now. I'm okay with that -- They say the average you usually gain is 25-35 lbs, so I think by the time he comes I'll still be in that range, unless I get some major swelling right at the end.

My next appointment is next Thursday morning. We'll see if anything has changed by then...

Also next week we're meeting with two different pediatricians for consultations. On Tuesday we're meeting with Dr. Grant Willard from Sandhills Pediatrics. Then on Thursday we're meeting with Dr. Ramkumar Jayagopalan (aka Dr. Kumar) from Carolina Pediatrics. Location-wise, their offices are pretty close to each other and where we live, so we'll see which doctor and office we end up liking better.

Once that is done I guess there really isn't anything else major we need to do to "get ready" for little guy to come... I hope he doesn't decide to come anytime before then, just because I'd really like to visit the doctors first, but whatever happens, happens. Personally, I don't think we'll see him before the week after next, but then again, who knows?

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 37

Coming Down the Home Stretch

Only 28 more days until our due date and I know it's going to go fast.

I'm on weekly check-ups now at the doctor's office. Last week they said I was neither effaced nor dilated, but that Baby C's head was super low and getting in position. Today the doctor said that I'm 50% effaced, but not dilated at all yet. He's still head down, still sitting very low. They also told me that he seems to be average size and I "don't have a monster in there", so that's good.

I don't know if the baby had a growth spurt or what, but over the past 7-8 weeks I only gained 2 lbs. Then just since last week, I've gained 3 lbs! What the heck!

I asked the doctor if he thought I'd probably go until my due date, and he said there's obviously no way to tell - my water could break tomorrow or something for all he knows - but with how things looked today and being that it's my first, he thinks it'll probably be close to the due date. Matt, on the other hand, says he just "has a feeling" it will be sooner rather than later.

I don't really know what to think either way. Part of me wants to delay it because I'm scared of getting him out and then having to take care of him afterwards, and the other part of me is excited to meet him and just wants to get this process over with.

Anyways, I'm a little overdue in posting these, but we got our maternity pictures back from Jodi last week. They turned out really good.  :)  I'll put a few on here, but the rest of my favorites are in my Pregnancy Pics album on Facebook. (You have to be my friend or friend of a friend to see the album.)

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 35
PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 36

42 more days... Not that I'm counting.

Lately it seems that how I feel all depends on the day. 

Some days I feel totally fine. Except for when I feel him moving around in there, which is usually pretty often now, I'd almost forget I was even pregnant. 

Other days, like today, I'm very aware of the fact. I just feel big - don't tell me how tiny I still look on a day like today. My head hurts. My stomach is acting up. I feel exhausted. He's pushing on my guts the wrong way. The list goes on.

This past weekend we went down to HHI for the last time before Baby C makes his arrival. It was really weird for me thinking that the next time I'm back home to visit I'll be a mom. We'll be driving down with a dog bed and a car seat in the back. My life will be very, very different. It's not a bad thing - I'm really excited - but it is a little scary at the same time. I know that being a parent is a huge responsibility and the closer it gets the more I keep wondering if I can really do it. Everyone keeps asking me if I'm all ready for the baby, and I know they're mostly referring to things like having bought clothes and diapers and getting the nursery ready, but every time I hear that question I can't help but think, "Ready?! How can you be ready for this?!?"

Anyways. Matt and I have been trying to be as prepared as we possibly can. Aside from just trying to get all the needed supplies together, we've also been happy to talk to other parents at church and stuff who have good advice to offer. I think that helps me the most. I like hearing all the different suggestions and opinions, then deciding what we think will work best for our situation. 

We also started attending our preparation for childbirth classes last week. They run every Wednesday evening in August from 6:30 - 9:00 pm. It's not like a Lamaze class or anything - basically they just try to discuss all of the different options that couples have when it comes to having their baby and afterwards, give them an overview of the labor process, what they can generally expect to happen in different situations, and some suggestions on how to best get through them. They try to make sure the mom's mind is as at ease as possible about what's going to or could happen, and that she and her "support person" are on the same page with things. We both learned a lot last week, and it's nice to meet all the other first-time couples in the same situation as us. I'm looking forward to going back tomorrow.  

That's about it as far as anything new... Scary as it may be sometimes, I'm getting pretty anxious to meet the little dude.  :)

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 33

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 34

Columbia Baby Shower

This past Saturday, Matt's sister, Laura, threw me a baby shower over at their dad's house. It could not have turned out any better - everything was perfect!  :)  I have an amazing sister-in-law for sure. ♥

We started out just visiting and eating all the awesome homemade food Laura prepared - spinach & artichoke dip with chips, cheese & crackers, mini pigs in a blanket, sausage balls, Waldorf chicken salad croissant sandwiches, veggies and dip, fruit and dip, sherbet punch, and the only thing she didn't make herself - little petifore cakes from Publix bakery.

After that, we played some shower games. The first one started as soon as everyone got there. We were all given a small, blue clothespin to put on our shirts. If we heard anyone say the word "baby" throughout the course of the shower, we were allowed to take their clothespin from them and the person who had the most at the end won. Another game we played was guessing my circumference with a piece of ribbon. Each person there had to look at my belly and cut a piece of ribbon off of a spool, and the ribbon that best fit around my middle won. The last game we played was finish the nursery rhyme. We were given a sheet of paper with lines from several nursery rhymes, but with words or phrases missing. We had to fill in the blanks and see who could get the most correct answers.

Once all the eating and games were finished, it was time to open presents. I got a lot of really nice things that I definitely needed - a Peg Perego Pliko Switch stroller (*love*), a space saver high chair, a Bumbo seat, a Baby Bjorn carrier, crib sheets, a mobile, receiving blankets, bibs, some bath time supplies, the tree decal that's going on the wall in baby's room, a mom & me cookbook, a baby frame/ photo album, and a ton of adorable baby clothes. Matt and I are very blessed to have such thoughtful and generous family and friends!!! Nesting is now in full swing!  :)

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 32

Building a Nest

This past Tuesday I went for another doctor's appointment at 31 weeks. (Did I mention I go every 2 weeks now?) After what I wrote about in my last post, I was expecting to have gained at least 2-3 lbs in 2 weeks time, if not more. Amazingly, during the 2 weeks when I slacked a bit on my healthy eating, I didn't gain a thing! Figure that one out.

I've been working over the last week or two on getting Baby C's bedroom ready (and the rest of the house, for that matter). I guess you could say the "nesting" instincts have kicked in.  :)  The crib is set up and drawers in the dresser and storage cubes are all cleared out, ready for his things. He actually has quite a few clothes already - plenty to last him through the newborn size and into 3 months, thanks to Breanna for all of Carter's hand-me-downs and the little outfits that Grandma Cindy and Great Aunt Laura already bought for him. I still have a few things to do before the room is finished, but when it is I'll post a picture. Oh, and I also assembled a bookshelf in our bedroom for all of the books that used to be in the storage cubes. It looks good. I'm rather proud of how much I've been able to organize and fit into our apartment.

Tomorrow Matt's sister, Laura, is throwing me a baby shower over at their dad's house. I gave her about 10 names of people I wanted to invite, and she invited a few of their family friends. I don't know who can make it or not, or who all was even invited for that matter, so it will be a surprise. My mom and my friend Courtney are coming up tomorrow morning from HHI to come to the shower and spend the night. It should be a fun weekend... I'm excited.  :)  I'll be sure to post some pictures next week...

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 31

Confession.

For the most part, I haven't changed my eating habits much during my pregnancy. I never really drank soda or coffee to begin with, and have always eaten a lot of fresh fruit, whole grain bread, eggs, chicken, salmon, etc. Basically, a pretty healthy diet, though I admit vegetables have never been my strong point. I've tried to continue and improve on that, and not snack on junk food too much when I get hungry all of a sudden or need to eat frequently.

Two days ago I did a very bad thing.

We were out of peanut butter, and while getting some more at the store I looked up a couple shelves and saw a jar of Nutella staring me right in the face. In a moment of weakness, I bought it. I couldn't resist. It's 100 calories per tablespoon, half of which is from fat. And if I keep giving in like this, fat is exactly what I am going to be after having this baby. But I SO wanted to taste some chocolate-hazelnutty wonderfulness......

I cannot let this become a regular occurrence.

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 30

I'm "not sweet"...

...which is a good thing. I went to the doctor for my glucose test yesterday and my blood sugar was 88. I believe it's supposed to fall between 70 and 120, or something like that.

The first nurse who pricked my finger must have been new, because she gave it a pretty good squeeze and it bled A LOT... Too much actually, so I had to go wash my hands and have a different nurse re-prick me. I heard her telling the other nurse, "It's okay. Pregnant women bleed a lot." I guess so, because I've never seen that much blood come out of a pricked finger before. (But it makes sense because my blood volume is double what it normally is.)

I've never seen their office that busy before either. It was packed. Usually I've always been in and out of that place, but yesterday I spent two hours there - just to get my blood pressure taken, pee in a cup, prick my finger, weigh me, and measure my belly. On the bright side, I really liked the doctor I saw. I wouldn't mind having any of the doctors I've met so far deliver Baby C. They've all been really friendly and make me feel comfortable around them.

Feeling good. Getting big. I've gained 20 lbs already, a little of which may have gone to my usual weight-gaining places (butt and legs), but I think the majority is all in the front. Yesterday the doctor told me I looked like Olive Oil with a basketball belly. Hopefully that means a lot of it will go away on its own after he's born. Only 11 weeks or so until he arrives... Yikes!

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 28
PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 29

6 months down, 3 to go...

In the last week or two, I'm starting to feel... full. He's still barely 3 lbs, has 12 or so weeks of growing left to do, and I'm really not sure where he's going to fit in there. Everyone says I'm not that big for starting on 7 months, but I feel huge already! (Which reminds me, I need to get my 6 month picture up in my slideshow.) I don't think I'm too much wider -- everything sticks straight out front. I'm seriously starting to wonder if I'll ever fit back into all my size 2 pants again...

I'm not terribly uncomfortable (yet, anyways). Everyone's always asking how I'm feeling now, and the truth is, pretty well. Just a few minor things have been bothering me, but that's to be expected.  :)

My back is sore a lot, but usually it's not real bad. I can definitely tell I'm starting to use back muscles I've maybe never used before, plus I have a bad back to begin with. My joints are sore as well, but that's just because they're starting to spread out in preparation for labor. No Braxton-Hicks contractions or anything (that I've noticed), so that's good.

Little man's been super active in there most days and things are moving right along. His due date was 3 months from this past Monday (the 21st). CRAZY!!!

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 26
PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 27

Spilling the Beans :)

Matt and I went for our ultrasound on Thursday, May 20. Everything looked really good in there - our little *BOY* measured in the 73rd percentile for his size, and they estimate he'll be about 7-8 lbs when he's born. We guessed Baby C would weigh in around there anyways, as Matt was 7 lbs. 5 oz. and I was 7 lbs. 14 oz. All of his organs looked good, as well as fingers, toes, etc.

We didn't tell anyone right away when we found out the gender because we wanted to wait and tell our families together first in person. So that Saturday my family drove up and we all went out to dinner together at Copper River. (me, Matt, Matt's dad, Laura, Malcolm, my mom, Kamen, Jarrett & Caroline) I had gone to Hobby Lobby ahead of time and purchased some blue "It's a boy!" ribbon, which I wove through two wide-weave baskets, then lined them with blue fabric. Matt and I arrived at the restaurant early to give the baskets to our server and pre-order some appetizers. We told our families that they'd have to wait until dessert to find out what it was, so they were really surprised when our appetizers came out in those baskets.  :)  It was a fun way to tell everyone.

The weekend after telling our families, Matt and I drove down to Hilton Head for Jarrett & Caroline's engagement party. It was a really fun and relaxing afternoon in Caroline's backyard on the water. The food was great and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. I got a bit of a sunburn on my shoulders, but not too bad.

Other than that, nothin' new!

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 23
PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 24
PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 25

Love for Family & Friends

Throughout the pregnancy so far, we've been reading a devotional my mom got me called Your Pregnancy Devotional: 280 Days of Prayer and Inspiration by Pamela Fierro & Suzie Chafin. The daily readings are short, and as I read through them it's funny how recently, they seem to line up more and more with how I've been feeling. Anyways, I liked today's and thought I'd share it with everyone on here.

**********

Day 153

Unspoken Words

"...Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said good-bye and set out for Macedonia. He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people..."

Acts 20:1-2

Within every relationship, there is a finite window of opportunity. When the window is open, we have the opportunity to tell that person how we feel, expressing how much we love them and what they have meant to us. At some point the window will close. Whether through death, divorce, or distance, eventually there will come a time when the window closes, shutting off the opportunity to speak those important words. 

Every day God puts people into your life that you value, whether precious friends or family members. Who are those special people in your life right now, the ones sharing in this special season of pregnancy? Who are the people who will play an important role in the life of this child? Have you told them lately what they mean to you, what a blessing they have been to you? At some point, the window of opportunity will close and you will be unable to share with them. Today, while your windows are open,  tell the ones in your life what they mean to you, how thankful you are for them, and how much you love them. Don't live a life of unspoken words.

**********

We are blessed to have awesome families and close friends that have been there supporting us for the last 22 weeks. We are grateful for each one of them and thankful for the roles they've played in our lives through the pregnancy thus far, and for the impact we know they'll continue to have on our family throughout the rest of the pregnancy and once Baby C is here. ♥ We love you and I don't know what we'd do without you! You know who you are!

Changing subjects real quick before the post comes to an end, I wanted to share this video I made with my new PlaySport. You can see and feel Baby C from the outside now.  :)  Only three more days until we get to see him/her on the inside!!!

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 22

First Mother's (To Be) Day

I started off my first Mother's Day very aware of the fact that I'm in the process of becoming a mother. I wasn't able to fall asleep until around 2 am, then woke up again at 5 am feeling a little sick to my stomach. That didn't last too long, but when it went away Baby C decided to keep me awake by doing some early morning aerobics until it was time to get ready for church. Needless to say, I went to church/Sunday school looking like a zombie, but it was a good service and I'm glad we went.  :)


When we got home after church I took a long nap, then Matt came in and woke me up with a really sweet card that he made himself and a gift! His card was the most special part, but the gift is pretty darn cool:

Neatest little video camera ever! It films in HD and it's also made for being active - it has special settings to capture fast motion, supposedly it won't break if you drop or clunk it, and you can even film underwater up to like 9-10 feet. It also has a 5 mp still camera built in. Matt got it so we can keep it handy in a pocket or my purse for use at doctor appointments (like ultrasounds!) and when Baby C gets here. It's about the size of an iPhone and has a little wrist strap that you can attach. Great for when we don't have time or aren't home to pull out the regular camcorder or when we're going somewhere we wouldn't want the Canon to get wet/damaged.

Here's a sample clip from a video we took of Béla yesterday evening:

It's hard to tell here, but it picks up sound pretty well too. I love it!!  :)  

I had a very good and special mother-to-be day. I love my little family!

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 21 

Half Way!!!

We've made it to the half way mark! It's really exciting and scary to think that in just 20 weeks, or maybe even a little less, we're going to be coming home with a BABY! Eeeek!

Our little ticker up there says, "I'm about 10.5 inches tall from head to heel & I wiggle lots & wake mommy up at night!" Boy, has that been true lately. It's cool to feel it moving more in there though. I don't mind it.  :)  I'm definitely starting to feel more actual movement mixed in with all the flutters now.

Yesterday I figured out that if I relaxed and sat kind of slumped on the couch or at the computer after I ate, it started to move around a lot in there. And if I pushed down on my belly during that time, a lot of the times it pushed back! I did that last night after dinner and got Matt to sit behind me on the couch. When I felt it starting to move around a little I had him start pushing around gently with the palm of his hand. At first he didn't feel anything then suddenly went, "WOAH! What was that?!?" He got his first little thump from Baby C.  :)

The countdown is still on - only 16 more days until we find out if we're having a he or a she!

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 20

A little baby grows a long way...

This is a 6 inch sub sandwich.

This is also happens to be about how big Baby C is now, from head to rump.  :)

Three more weeks until our ultrasound! It's a good thing we've got a pretty busy month ahead of us, otherwise I think I'd go nuts waiting.

I'm starting to develop quite a little bump. You can't see it much unless I'm wearing something that's somewhat tight or clingy, but it's definitely there! You can see it a little in this picture that Heather's sister took at her bachelorette party this past weekend. (Especially since I'm sitting down.)

And just because I feel like saying it, I can't wait to get my hair cut! I was letting it grow so I can put it up somehow for Heather's wedding this weekend, but next week it's getting chopped. It's been a long time it seems since I've had anything done with my hair.

Oh and before I forget to update on Béla, she is all healed now and back to her normal self!

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 19

More Movement & Vet Visits

We're beginning week 18 and I can't believe how fast time is going all of a sudden. The first several weeks after finding out I was pregnant seemed to drag by (maybe because I was that much more tired/dizzy than I feel now), but lately time seems to be passing much faster. That's a good thing, because I cannot wait until May 20 when we have our ultrasound and get to actually see Baby C! (The ultrasound was originally set for May 17, but we rescheduled so our families could be there together when we tell them what we find out.)

Another cool thing has been getting to feel more movement in there. A little over a week ago I actually felt a tiny little kick or jab, but then NOTHING for like a week after that. This past Saturday night as I was falling asleep I was startled when I felt something actually flip in my belly. Like if you cup one of your fists in the palm of your other hand and rotate your fist - that's what it felt like turning inside my belly! It was so weird feeling, but really cool. I can't wait until I can feel it more often and when Matt's able to feel it from outside my belly.  :)

In other news, poor little Béla had to go to the vet 3 days in a row last week. Wednesday we went to meet Dr. Rasor, get a physical, and have a consultation about getting her fixed. (She's healthy and weighs 7 lbs now!) Thursday morning we were back at 8 am to drop her off for surgery. She had some blood work done before surgery, then she was spayed, had 4 large baby teeth removed, and her nails cut short. She was still out of it when we picked her up that evening, and in a lot of pain.  :(   Even though we were giving her medicine she still seemed to be in pretty rough shape the next day, and we were worried she was getting dehydrated. So Friday afternoon we had to take her back to get an IV with fluids and a second prescription of pain meds. She HATED the hard e-collar they had given her the day before, so they also switched it out for a soft version. She didn't like that much better, so I took our friend Kelsie's advice and bought her some baby onesies instead. We cut a hole for her tail to stick out and it's pretty much the cutest thing ever.  :)  Now she doesn't have to wear a collar and still can't mess with her stitches.

We're glad our little puppy is starting to feel better!

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 17

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 18

Doctor Visit #3

Yesterday we went to the doctor again. This visit was pretty short, basically just a check-up and asking if we wanted to do the optional testing. We opted not to because from what we read, the results aren't 100% accurate anyways and it's not like it would change anything even if we knew our baby may have down syndrome or something.

Other than that, we got to hear the heartbeat again, which was cool.  :)  Last time we heard it over towards the left side of my abdomen and it was around 170 beats/min. This time it was dead center and 150 beats/min. He said that as I get further along the heart rate will slow down and when Baby C is born it will probably be around 120-130.

The most exciting part of this doctor visit was making the appointment for our next visit - the much anticipated ultrasound! It's going to be the morning of Monday, May 17! I can't wait and neither can Matt. It feels like waiting for Christmas or your birthday when you're a little kid. I don't even know if I'll be able to sleep the night before I'll be so excited. I'll be about 22 weeks then, so hopefully we'll be able to get a clear view of whether it's a boy or a girl. So anyone who wants to take a guess, you've got 38 more days to do so!

I need to put up a 4 month pic soon...

You Know You Might Be Pregnant When...

You sneeze 6 or 7 times in a row, only to realize that aside from being in serious need of a tissue, you've also just wet your pants a bit.

Yeah, that actually happened.

My allergies have been REALLY bad. The pollen outside is just ridiculous. You can actually see it hanging in the air like a haze. God made me to be a person who loves being outdoors, but I just can't when there's that much pollen and I'm allergic to every grass, tree, weed, etc that the allergist tested me for. I've just been blowing my nose a lot, breathing steam from a pot of boiling water, taking like 2 showers a day, using the netty pot, and drinking a cup of hot herbal tea every night. All that doesn't help it 100%, but it's enough to keep me from getting a sinus infection. I really don't want to take any medicine if I don't have to, and honestly medicine doesn't help me much when my allergies are this bad so I'd still have to be doing all that other stuff anyways.

I've been sleeping like 12 hours a night, once I'm able to fall asleep, that is. If I sleep less than that I end up feeling bad during the day. I'm not sure if that's pregnancy related or allergy related. Maybe a little of both.

We've been grocery shopping at Wal-Mart because it's cheaper, but when it comes to fresh food, they are just bad. Their produce is usually pretty gross. So this week we went back to Publix so I could get more than a few things. I ended up coming home with fresh broccoli, carrots, lettuce, bananas, apples, nectarines, strawberries, and grapes, organic milk (which I get if we go to Wal-Mart too), some salmon fillets, and stone ground wheat bread. I also made a bowl of this dip Matt and I like that is pretty healthy - just a bag of frozen sweet corn rinsed, a can of black beans rinsed, and one container of La Mexicana mild salsa that you can buy in the refrigerated produce section at Publix. We eat it with yellow corn chips and it's quite tasty.  :)

My next doctor appointment is this Thursday April 8. I'll post sometime afterward, tho I think this visit is just asking if we want to do any optional testing along with the standard stuff. I'm interested to see how much weight I've gained now. At 12 weeks I'd only gained 1 pound even though I'd been eating like a goat!

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 15
PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 16

First Movements

About 2 weeks ago when I was at my mom's house, I was laying on the couch trying to fall asleep and I felt the tiniest flutter in the lower left side of my abdomen. I moved right away and it was gone and I didn't feel anything again. That was only around 13 weeks so I had no idea if I was feeling the baby or if it was just something else. But I will say that it was different from anything I've felt inside me before, even though it only lasted a second.

Last night I was laying in bed trying to fall asleep and Matt was already passed out. All of a sudden I started feeling the same fluttering/twitching feeling but this time it was a little more noticeable and lasted for several minutes on and off. Almost like when your muscle twitches or spasms, except I wasn't feeling it in any muscle. Like a little bumble bee in my belly. It's hard to describe exactly what it felt like since it's different than anything I've ever felt in there before. All I know is it wasn't one of my abdominal muscles, my stomach gurgling, a gas bubble, or anything like that. I'm convinced it was Baby C wiggling around.  :)

Earlier today I was resting on the couch and started feeling it again, but it was lighter and didn't last as long. It makes me happy to know he/she is moving around in there though. Only 5 more weeks until we know which one of those it is... The first week of May can't come sooner! I can't wait!! I don't know if my mom will come up for the doctor visit or not but if she does it will be a really neat gift for both of us to get our first glimpse of Baby C just in time for Mother's Day.  :)

Second Trimester - We Made It!

The first trimester is happily behind us now! It's week 14 this week and I'm feeling pretty good. Yesterday and today either a cold or my allergies seem to be bothering me again, but nothing too bad that's pregnancy related.

Our next doctor appointment is Thursday, April 8. It's the one after that I'm excited about though. The first week in May is when we should find out the sex of the baby. Then we can start thinking more seriously about names once we're pretty sure of what we've got in there. Having to pick a name stresses me out big time...

Another exciting event the first week of May is Heather's wedding. I need to get my bridesmaid dress altered but I'm waiting as long as I can so hopefully it will fit well for the wedding. I'm afraid if I do it too early that I'll grow too much and it will be really tight when it's time to wear it. I *love* the bridesmaid dresses she picked. I hope that after I have the baby and lose weight maybe I can get it altered again to my normal size because it doesn't look really "bridesmaidsy" and I could probably wear it again for something else. Here's a picture of it, except ours are lapis (dark purple). 

This has nothing to do with being pregnant, but I just thought I'd share that in an attempt to save some money, Matt and I decided to groom Béla ourselves Saturday night. We bought some electric clippers at Wal-Mart for less than $20 and shaved her in the kitchen. It turned out to be a lot bigger undertaking than we had expected, but we finally got her done. It's not the prettiest most even haircut in the world, but at least it's not all long and crazy like it was before. It could be worse. We gave her a bath and everything too so she is no longer shaggy and stinky. I'm happy to say that now she does not bring half of the outdoors back inside with her every time she goes out.

I finally had Matt take a few pictures of my belly. The last time I posted there wasn't much to see and I just looked bloated, but in the last 2-3 weeks I'm starting to develop more of a bump.  :) So here is my 3 month belly pic:

And, last but not least, here are the links to the weekly update videos for weeks 12-14.
PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 12
PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 13
PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 14

We've got a heartbeat!

It's been a little bit since the last post, but I really haven't had too much to say... I'm feeling better lately. Still need to eat a lot, though not quite as frequently as before. I haven't been dizzy or really sick in the last week or two, though I do still feel the need to sleep a lot. Other than that, not much has changed. I'm starting to get more of a bloat in the front now, but even that isn't super noticeable.

I suppose it's worth mentioning that I got fired from my job last Friday... It's a dumb story but I feel like maybe I just wasn't meant to be there anymore. I need to figure something out in the near future so that I can be on some kind of health insurance and pay for it, but for right now I'm just enjoying the extra chance to sleep and trying to get caught up cleaning my house and getting things organized. If we're going to have to fit a crib and all that baby stuff in our apartment as well then some organizing and rearranging is definitely in order over the next months.

Last weekend Matt and I drove down to Hilton Head to move a furniture set from my grandparents house to Matt's dad's house so he could use Matt's old room as a guest bedroom. While we were down there my mom took us shopping and bought me some maternity clothes so when my britches start getting tight I don't need to worry.  :)  They actually fit me a lot better than I thought maternity clothes would and they're really cute. In the fitting room at the store they have this belly you can try on that adds about 3 months or so to give you a better idea when trying on clothes. We had fun with those... He's carrying his a little lower than mine...

Probably the most exciting thing so far was this morning when we went to our first "real" doctors appointment. We got to sit down and speak with the doctor this time, I got a physical, and we also got to hear Baby C's heartbeat, which was really cool.  :)  First we heard mine, then another one that was going like 10 times as fast. Matt took this video so our friends and family could see and hear. (And yes, I know I'm smiling like an idiot. Matt was too!)



Lastly, I know I didn't post my usual weekly update videos yet, so here are the links to the videos for weeks 10 and 11, if you're interested.  :)

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 10
PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 11

Week 9 Update

I don't have much else to say about this week. Everything is pretty much the same. I've been more crampy, but I'm not worried about it at the moment. Just making sure it doesn't get worse and that I don't see any blood. It's been a super stressful bad week at work, so that may have something to do with it as well. I'm very glad it's the weekend and looking forward to a nice day tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be warmer than it has been, I'm finally getting a haircut, and we are actually going to look at a house in the morning.  :) 

So, without further ado, here's the video with the latest news of what's going on in my belly:

A belated post for last week...

My goal is to post every week, but I missed last week because I was feeling horrible like every day, so I'll make up for it now.

I almost bragged in my last post that my symptoms were fairly minor, and I think I spoke too soon. Not that they're really severe now, (I haven't been vomiting uncontrollably or anything) they're just a lot more there than they were. I've been really queasy and dizzy on and off. I basically have to eat every hour or two, sometimes more. Certain foods that I normally enjoy I just can't take for whatever reason. For example, last night we went out to Carrabbas for Heather's birthday dinner and when I took a bite of the chicken parmigiana we ordered I thought I was going to puke. I ended up eating a ton of bread and like 4-5 glasses of water for dinner. I've only thrown up once so far, thank God. I just seem to get really woozy and I've also been really tired. My existence is basically just working, eating, and sleeping right now. Sometimes I get really frustrated because it seems like I just constantly feel crappy and exhausted, and I'm probably quite a bit more touchy than normal too. Matt has been awesome putting up with me and taking care of me, and I'm extremely thankful to have someone who is as good to me as he has been.  :)

I'm starting to feel slightly bloated, although you would never tell just looking at me, especially dressed. In the last week or so I've been crampy a lot. From what I read it's probably just all my stuff starting to stretch out and make room in there. I pulled out some old corduroys I had that are a size 6 (normally I'm a 2-4) and I've been wearing them all weekend. They're nice and roomy when I feel bloated.  :)  At some point I'll start posting belly pics, but I thought I'd go ahead and post some pre-pregnant pictures as a reference. I'm too lazy to take one and upload it now, so I've just pulled some off the computer that I already had.

  

I also found these videos on YouTube that I wanted to post every week that explain what is developing that week and how big the fetus is at that point, etc. They're only about a minute long, but I have fun watching them so I know what's supposed to be going on in there. So, from last Tuesday when I was 8 weeks, here is the 8 week pregnancy video:

Anyways, I suppose that's all I have for now. I'll try to get back on track this Tuesday or Wednesday with my weekly posts again!

Our first doctor's visit

Well, technically it was more of a nurse's visit. We won't actually see the doctor until next time we go. There are 7 doctors at the practice I'm going to, 6 men and 1 woman. I will see a different doctor each time pretty much so I get to meet all of them before I go into labor.

I went in this morning at 8 AM. Surprisingly, I didn't have to fill out 10 pages of paperwork like you usually do when going to a new doctor. Just signed a couple things and got called back pretty quickly. They took a urine sample and weighed and measured me and took my blood pressure. (I'm about 5'7" and 126 lbs right now.)

After that we went and sat in the nurse's office and she went over a whole bunch of stuff with us. Most of it was getting our family medical histories and that sort of thing, but she also gave us a lot to read about common discomforts of pregnancy and some remedies/medications I can use, what to generally expect each trimester, whether we want to do genetic screening, bank cord blood, etc. She also said to sign up early for prenatal classes at the hospital (even though we wouldn't go to that until around 7 months) as well as a one time breastfeeding class if that's what I plan to do (which it is). I walked out with a whole bag full of papers and pamphlets. Talk about a fire hydrant of information.

Next the nurse took 6 viles of blood so they could send them off for routine tests, basically getting my blood type and testing for a whole bunch of diseases that I'm 99.99% sure I would not have. She's only supposed to call me back if something looks abnormal, but she said not to expect a call back and I don't.

I was really happy with my first visit, and I think Matt was too. Everyone there was very nice and informative and the nurse was also very good at taking blood, which is always a good thing.

As far as how I've been feeling, I've been really tired, and dizzy and a little queasy on and off. Also I get headaches on and off, cramps, and cold-like symptoms. It hasn't been terrible though. I know it's nothing compared to how some people get, and the nurse said that a lot of that should go away after about 12-14 weeks. I'm looking forward to it.  :)

Anyways, I'm going back to bed now. Don't forget to mark your calendars for September 21, 2010!!!

[South Carolina OBGYN]

What a week...

So much has happened in the last 7 days that I'm not even sure where to begin...

My friend Heather, who found out she was pregnant 3 days before I did, spent most of the day in the hospital last Wednesday (01-20-10). She had already been there several times since that Sunday evening because she was having severe cramps and bleeding some. Finally on Wednesday afternoon they sent her to emergency surgery where they discovered that she had an ectopic pregnancy. They had to remove it along with one of her fallopian tubes and drained a ton of blood out of her uterus. They told her if she had waited even until the next day that it probably would have ruptured and she could have died.

Needless to say, I worried a lot about her all week, but especially from Wednesday on when all of this happened. Not only was I a wreck because of being worried and upset for her, but it also really bothered me that we would find out that we were pregnant only 3 days apart like that, only for her to lose her baby and almost her life while I am fine (so far as we know, anyways). It didn't seem fair, and I know it's been hard enough for her to go through all that she did physically and emotionally without having to look at me and think "that could be me right now". Between all that, plus just having found out about my own pregnancy and getting the new puppy, it made for a very long week. Lots of extreme emotions going on.

On Saturday Matt and I drove down to Hilton Head to tell my family our news. We came in with Béla hidden zipped up in Matt's jacket, but of course my mom knew right away what it was.  :)  I told her that I was worried she would be mad about us getting a dog, so I bought her something to try and smooth things over. She was angry that I would try to buy her off like that, and looked a little confused when she opened a gift bag containing an infant-sized bathrobe and some baby washcloths. Then it clicked all of a sudden and she stood up and screamed. Happy screams.  :)

Later on, when Kelsie and Michel stopped by to see Béla, we told them also and Kelsie cried! After that we called/texted a few other close friends to let them know as well once both of our families knew.

So that's about it for now I suppose. I don't really feel sick or anything just like I've been pms-ing for a couple weeks now. Our first doctors appointment is next Tuesday, Feb 2 at 8 AM. I'm looking forward to it. It makes things feel more "real" I guess.  :)

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.
     (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Children are a gift from the LORD;
     they are a reward from him.
Children born to a young man 
     are like arrows in a warrior's hands.
How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!
     (Psalm 127:3-5a)
  

Two babies in less than 12 hours...

01-17-10

Matt was on a Boy Scout camping trip for the weekend and when he got back in the afternoon, we went to look at a puppy we were thinking about buying. We drove out to Chapin and fell in love with a 5 pound, 14 week old morkie (maltese-yorkie mix) and ended up taking her home. We named her Béla Rose Coppel.  :)

01-18-10

I woke up in the middle of the night around 2:30 am and felt like I just drank 3 Red Bulls. I knew I was getting pretty late on my period, but didn't think much of it since I'm not always the most regular anyways. I was expecting it to come, but I was also experiencing some symptoms that weren't normal to my pms. I had a pregnancy test in the cabinet so I figured, what the heck, and took it around 3 am. When I saw the result I nearly fell off the toilet. I started shaking like a leaf and made my way over to the bed and turned on the light. Of course, Matt wondered what the heck I was doing and what I was holding and telling him to look at. When it finally registered he just looked at me and was like "No!" and I shook my head yes and again he said "No!"  I kept shaking my head and he said "Are you serious?!?" I told him I was pretty sure I was, and then he thought I was playing some kind of joke on him. (Since Heather found out she was pregnant only three days earlier he thought I'd taken her test to play a prank on him.) Needless to say, we didn't end up sleeping much. I think I got about 3 hours.

Later in the day we went over to Matt's dad's house with Béla and told him the news. We also told his sister, Laura, when she came over. We were all hungry so we went out to lunch at Vella's then when we got back we called Matt's Aunt Laura and Uncle Randy to let them know because we were anxious to hear their reaction.  :)  We decided not to call my family because we wanted to tell them in person, so we will go down to Bluffton this weekend with two very big surprises - Béla and Baby C!