Our Hospital Stay...

Well, we're settled at home with Reese now & everyone is doing great! I have to say that this overall experience has been night & day from the one I had with Cam. Sunday we checked into the hospital & rested until 4am when they started the induction process & the Pitocin. I slept maybe two broken hours, but all in all I felt pretty good Monday morning. I really wanted to get my epidural before things got too painful, but that really didn't end up happening. When the Pitocin was first started, the contractions were completely manageable. That all changed when the doctor came in at 6am & decided to break my water, just after the nurse increased the rate of my Pitocin. Things got pretty painful from there & the anesthesiologist seemed to be taking his sweet time!



After the epidural was in place at around 7:30am, it was a much more comfortable experience. We basically waited & tried to relax until I was 10cm which happened around 9am. I did a couple of practice pushes with the nurse & then when the doctor arrived, I pushed maybe twice & Reese was quickly born at 9:39am.



Seeing Reese for the first time was a very emotional experience for me as I heard her first cries, Mike cut the umbilical cord & they placed her on my chest. It was seriously love at first sight. I think with Cam, I was so overwhelmed with everything since it was my first time around, that I didn't feel nearly as bonded with him as quickly. Things just felt really right this time. Cam & I could not be closer now, but it did take time for me. I think that contributed to my postpartum anxiety since I felt like a bad mom who wasn't connecting to her child.



After Reese was born we moved rooms, she got her first bath from a group of nursing students & we settled into our very spacious room. She slept a lot of the day! It was awesome when Cam came with Grandma & met his baby sister for the first time!! He was wonderful with her immediately & just wanted to hold her. It was, however, very upsetting when he had to leave a couple of hours later. He just didn't want to go so my heart completely broke as I comforted him as he cried. The nurse brought me out into the hall to ask if I wanted to walk him out to the car & I completely lost it & cried hysterically. Luckily my friends were there to calm me down & Daddy walked a happier Cam to the car.



Since I came back Group B Strep positive, we had to stay for 48 hours after delivery. Tuesday was very low-key & relaxing & Mike & I spent a lot of the day just bonding with Reese. My co-workers visited (since I delivered at the hospital where I work) & Cam & Grandma came for a while too. We sent Reese to the nursery both nights so we could get some much needed sleep before heading home. We didn't do that with Cam & ended up getting VERY little sleep & coming home like walking zombies. I am so thankful we came home rested & ready to handle our three year old & newborn.



I'll post more about our first couple of days home, but thus far we are really doing great & it's been wonderful to be home as a family of four!! I am so blessed.

40 Week Update

Tomorrow I'll be considered 40 weeks pregnant but since we're checking into the hospital tonight in hopes of meeting our baby girl tomorrow, I'm posting a day early. I cannot believe the day is here & that Reese actually waited! What a good girl! I'm thankful that tonight we'll be calmly driving to the hospital while I know Cam is safe & sound, sleeping in his own bed with my mom staying at our house to take care of him. I've had a lot of anxiety leading to this day but I'm surprisingly calm today. I guess because I know the day is here & we're going in & everything is going to happen regardless of what I'm thinking or worrying about.



How am I feeling? All in all, I'm feeling really good. A lot of my hip/pelvic aches & pains have subsided & I really think it's because my hips are widening as Reese is dropping. I've been having insane charley-horse type cramps in my hips & butt lately. They literally stop me in my tracks & I feel like I'm going to just fall to the ground! I've been really, really tired lately which is weird because I've been sleeping great. I think it's just my brain knowing that the full nights of sleep are going to end as of tomorrow.

Any new changes this week? Just on & off contractions, some pretty strong. Today I've been feeling a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions too. Otherwise, no other changes going on. We have everything set for Reese & for our time away in the hospital for while my mom is staying with Cam. I'm not sure what to expect tonight, but I guess I'll find out when we get to the hospital at 10pm. I'm thinking they'll use that cervical gel tonight & then get things going tomorrow morning with Pitocin. Not sure if sleep is in the cards tonight?

Weight gain? 17.5 pounds total which is pretty much exactly what I gained with Cam. I lost some weight this week because of fluid imbalances. I was retaining some major fluid last week & since I've been home & more relaxed, my swelling has gone WAY down.



This has been the weekend of Cam. We've wanted to soak up our one-on-one time with him before his baby sister arrives. Check out his blog to see more pictures from our weekend together. I'm really going to miss my little guy while we're in the hospital! He's been an absolute joy lately & full of love & affection. I'm praying he reacts well to meeting his sister & I really think he will. I know we'll have an adjustment period with ups & downs but I do think he's going to be a fantastic big brother!

Well, my next blog post will be all about Reese so stay tuned!

39 Week Update

Here I am at the end of my pregnancy & I really cannot believe it. It's really happening... Reese is almost here. This has been such a whirlwind year so my pregnancy is a blur & I just know soon after she's born, I won't even be able to truly remember being pregnant. So as uncomfortable as I continue to be, I'm savoring every kick & movement I feel.



How am I feeling? Very nervous, anxious, excited, ready, not at all ready... The emotions vary day to day & hour to hour. There are moments where I think, Oh yeah, I can do this! I'm ready for labor, I'm ready to have a new baby, I'm ready to be the mom of two kids! And other times I think, Oh my goodness, I can't even stand to think about getting through labor, how am I going to handle two kids when sometimes I feel so overwhelmed with my life already?! Don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful to be at the end of a healthy pregnancy & ready to meet my little girl, but it gets scary sometimes & I'm a worrier by nature anyway.

Any new changes this week? Oh yeah! I had my weekly OB check-up on Monday & I'm now 2 cm dilated (from basically nothing last week). My doctor decided that if I don't go into labor on my own this week, I'll be admitted to the hospital on Sunday night for induction. Wow, wow, wow! When he said that, my reply was, As in this Sunday?! With Cameron, I really didn't want to be induced but this time around I'm actually hoping for it since my labor with him so was fast & scary. But I guess none of it is up to me so we'll see if she hangs out in my belly until then. I'm still working this week & ready to be done with that too. It's not been easy, hauling my big pregnant self around for a full day of work & then heading home to take care of Cam & everything else that goes along with life. I'm trying to savor my sleep & soak up every single second of uninterrupted sleep while I can since that's coming to a screeching halt very soon. I'm also trying to enjoy the last bit of one on one time I have with Cam before his time is shared with his baby sister. I'm just very emotional this week & trying to deal with all the ups & downs I'm feeling. Tonight's been especially rough for some reason & I even had a big cry which sort of helped. I think I'm just overwhelmed with so many emotions right now.

Weight gain? 18.5 pounds



And here's my "push present!" I've had a necklace with Cam's name on it since he was born so I wanted to get one to include my little girl too!

38 Week Update

I'm in the midst of the waiting game as I sit here at 38 weeks pregnant, never sure if the little cramp or the Braxton Hicks contraction I'm feeling may just turn into labor. Reese is weighing in at around 6.8 pounds & is measuring 19.5 inches at the size of a leek.



How am I feeling? Trying to keep the anxiety at bay since I completely know that worrying will get me nowhere. Easier said than done, I must say! The anxiety is stemming from all the uncertainty that lies ahead of me. When will I go into labor, where will I be, will Cam be taken care of, will I make it to the hospital on time, will I get an epidural before it's too late, how painful will labor be, etc, etc, etc, etc.... I've changed a lot since having Cameron in the sense of handling my anxiety. Going to church has helped as was being part of a woman's book club & reading Calm My Anxious Heart.

After I had Cameron I suffered with severe postpartum anxiety. Never in a million years did I expect something like that to happen to me, but it did. Am I worried that it's going to happen again after Reese is born? Heck yes. But I guess worrying ahead isn't going to help, right?! I'm planning on having a stronger support system this time around with my mom coming over to help as needed & Mike having more time off from work.

Any new changes this week? I had my weekly OB check-up & the doctor said I am barely dilated. This is a big change from when I was pregnant with Cameron since I was 3 centimeters at 36 weeks. But, as the doctor said, every pregnancy is different! Other than that, not all that much is going on. I'm having a lot more Braxton-Hicks contractions that are much stronger though.

Weight gain? 17 pounds. I think I lost a pound because of a decrease in swelling at the time I happened to weigh myself.



Both Kelly & myself are eager to meet our little gals! Kelly is 37 weeks now & her doctor is thinking she just might be induced at 39 weeks so who knows which girl will arrive first?! I feel so blessed to have gone through this pregnancy with Kelly & the fact that our girls will be so incredibly close in age! If they're anything like Cameron & Leah, they'll be best of friends.



And since Halloween was yesterday, I had to show our beautifully carved pumpkins! I did the kitty bat on the left & Mike carved the ghoul on the right. Aren't we just so talented! Ha.



And here the pregos are again, this time on Halloween, displaying our shirts! Hop over to Cam's blog to see some adorable kids trick-or-treating!

37 Week Update

I cannot wrap my head around the fact that I'm now 37 weeks pregnant & considered full term! How did this even happen?! When I think about my pregnancy it kind of all blurs together... Reese is now weighing 6 1/3 pounds & measures a little over 19 inches... Like a stalk of Swiss chard. What the hell is Swiss chard?! Come on Baby Center, use more well known fruits & vegetables!



How am I feeling? Pretty hormonal & tired. I've had more bouts of waking up during the middle of the night & being unable to fall back to sleep which has been incredibly rough. Otherwise my aches & pains have just been intensifying, especially my groin pain. Walking has been a major challenge these days! My leg swelling is also pretty bad & barely subsides at all so it's here to stay until our gal arrives. Reese's movements are super strong & I'm trying to savor them, knowing she'll be out before I know it. I've been getting shooting pains which I know are contractions since I felt the same thing with Cam at this point & my Braxton Hicks contractions are also intensifying. And again, even though I'm not sleeping well, I'm still savoring it & NOT looking so forward to being up many times a night with a crying baby!

The above picture is me with Reese now at 37 weeks & below was me with Cam at this same time! I think my belly was a bit pointier with Cam..



Any new changes this week? Not really. I'll be going to my weekly OB check-ups starting Monday we we'll see if I'm dilated. Otherwise, I'm just trying to finish up last minute baby preparation. I'm trying to get as much in order as possible before my gal arrives!

Weight gain? 18 pounds!



Here's Reese's room which is still a work in progress... I've kind of taken on a black & white theme which I'm pretty happy with. We already had our black & white Chicago pictures in that room so I grabbed onto that & went with it. I'll post more pictures as things get more organized.



And our helper Cameron is always standing close by!

36 Week Update

Holy moly, I'm officially 9 months pregnant! Ahh! Reese is gaining about an ounce a day & weighs nearly six pounds at the size of a crenshaw melon. What the heck is a crenshaw melon anyway?!



How am I feeling? After my baby shower on Saturday, I was so full of energy that I organized all the gifts, washed & put everything away, painted the letters of Reese's name for her wall, applied the paisley decals to her wall, wrote my thank you cards & generally never stopped moving until 11pm. Well, I sure paid for that because Sunday I was dead prego walking & could barely muster up the strength to get out of the recliner for church. Unfortunately my post-church nap came to a screeching halt when we got the phone call letting us know we had a house showing. Time to haul myself out of the recliner to clean, clean, clean & clean some more! No rest for the weary! And speaking of rest, or lackthereof, I've been dealing with insomnia every so often, waking up completely wide awake & staying up for hours at a time. It makes for a very interesting work day when that happens! And as I get ready to publish this very post, it's 4:15 in the morning! Yay, me! Guess I'll be going into work early today... But I am trying to bask in my sleep, knowing it's going to come to a screeching halt when Reese is born. I'm also trying to enjoy the rest of this pregnancy despite the aches & pains, knowing it's likely my last. I'm so incredibly thankful to be blessed with a healthy pregnancy & every kick & squirm I feel, I am amazed by. Before you know it, Reese will be here & I won't even be able to truly remember what it feels like to be pregnant.

Any new changes this week? I had my routine OB appointment Monday & all looked good. My doctor discussed the fluid in my kidney & said it would indeed be the cause of me waking up in excruciating pain with a condition called renal colic. He said if it continues to be an issue, I could be referred to a urologist & have a ureter stent placed. Because it hasn't been an issue (knock on wood) since the night of Cam's birthday a few weeks ago, I'm thinking there would be no sense in going through that this close to the end of my pregnancy. Especially since delivery will solve the problem with Reese acting as my obstruction vs. a stone or something else. Every now in then I have a dull ache in my right kidney, but I can deal with that.

Weight gain? 16.5 pounds.

Showered with Love!

When my mom broached the subject of hosting a baby shower for us, I hesitated since it didn't seem right to have one for baby #2. She insisted on throwing one though, and Saturday it was finally time to celebrate the arrival of Baby Reese with family & friends!



The shower turned out beautifully & I felt so special! It was so relaxed & low-key which was perfect! You'll see in the above left picture, there are three pregos! Kelly is one week behind me & Cheryl is 4 weeks behind me. And my friend Lauren B who was there is also pregnant so we had 4 pregnant girls all carrying girls!!



The decorations were wonderful & Lauren made me an amazingly beautiful diaper cake! I was majorly impressed with her skills & it's now proudly displayed in Reese's room. I'm not sure if I'll ever have the heart to disassemble it to use the diapers though!! Melanie designed the candles since she's working at a great candle company & I was thrilled when I saw & smelled them!



Opening presents for Reese was so exciting & I was extremely thankful for everyone's generosity & thought. We didn't want Cameron to feel left out so he got a Lightning McQueen car from his baby sister.



And he had a blast playing with his cousins as always.





I'm so incredibly thankful to have such wonderful friends & family to come & celebrate our baby girl!!

35 Week Update

Here I am at 35 weeks & Reesey Piecey is over 18 inches long & weighs about 5 1/4 pounds! Although, I'm guessing she weighs less since she's measuring a week behind & Cam was a peanut while measuring on track. The majority of what's happening now is some fattening up since most of her basic physical development is now complete.



How am I feeling? Lots of energy this week which I think is related to the never ending to-do list that's constantly ticking off in my head. With D-Day quickly approaching, I'm trying to get as much done as possible! I have such a range of emotions lately... super excited & feeling ready one second to nervous & feeling utterly unprepared the next. I'm wondering how I'll handle having two kids & how my relationship with Cam will be affected. That's probably what scares me the most. Since we only know what it is to have one & give Cam our undivided attention, I can only guess how it will be with two! I know I have enough love for two but it still weighs on my mind since I do not want Cam to think he's loved any less.



My lower back has been super weak & sore & I have raging heartburn, but otherwise I can't complain. I had my ultrasound done last week for my gallbladder & it turns out that all looks good there. Apparently though I do have quite a bit of fluid buildup in my right kidney which is a condition called hydronephrosis. I guess it's pretty common in pregnancy since the baby puts pressure on the ureter, forcing urine back into the kidney. From what the nurse told me over the phone, my doctor doesn't plan to intervene in any way. So, I still have no idea why I've woken up twice in the middle of the night recently in excruciating pain with all the symptoms of a gallbladder attack?! I'll see my doctor on Monday though & possibly have a better clue. It could be related to the fluid in my kidney, but I'm not sure at this point.

Any new changes this week? Just getting bigger! Reese has been getting the hiccups more often over the past couple of days. I can tell she doesn't love them since she gets really squirmy during that time. Poor gal!

Weight gain? 14.5 pounds.

Working on the Nest!

There's been a lot of nesting going on here this weekend! They say you're getting close to the baby arriving when you begin nesting, but I'm not so sure that could be accurate for me since it's rare that I sit & relax. But, I have been in gear to get as much organized & ready before my little girl arrives. Friday I was pitching out nastiness of mystery Tupperware containers that tend to make their way to the back of the fridge, only to be forgotten for several months when I decided to completely scour the entire fridge. I ended up having an impromptu scrub fest, emptying & scrubbing every drawer & shelf in the dang thing. Works out well though since I always clean the fridge before the holidays since we host Thanksgiving each year. Easier to do it with a baby growing quietly in my belly vs. crying & fussing on the outside!

I made my way through another bin of Cam's clothes that will work for Reese too... lots of Chicago Bears & White Sox gear. It'll be cute to see them wear the same clothes! I also washed a lot of the Velcro swaddlers we had from Cam. He didn't seem to enjoy being tightly swaddled but maybe she will? I've been reading The Happiest Baby on the Block which talks about the concept of the "4th trimester" & swaddling is a big part of calming your hysterical infant. But who knows, maybe Reese will be the perfect baby who just never fusses & cries?! Ha.



We even got the swing & bouncy seat washed & set up too. And we had to buy a new infant car seat since Cam's was a hand-me-down that we didn't want to use again. Luckily we had a 20% off coupon for Babies R Us that we took advantage of.



I'd still like to do some decorating of her room without going overboard since our house is for sale. Still thinking about what I could do... Maybe find some cute decals for the wall? I'm pretty sure we're going to put her name on the wall above her crib in wooden letters. We shall see! But I have to say, it does feel good to be getting things ready for our gal!



And I've also gotten our house spruced up for Fall! Granted, since moving to Florida, Fall is nothing spectacular since the trees don't change colors & a chilly breeze is 80 degrees, but I'll still take it! Better than the hellishly hot Summer!

34 Week Update

I can't believe I'm already 34 weeks pregnant! Reese is weighing in at around 4 3/4 pounds at the size of a cantaloupe & she's nearly 18 inches long! Crazy. The best thing I read this week on Baby Center was that babies born at 34-37 weeks with no other health issues usually do just fine. Not that I'm ready or she's ready, but it's good to know & puts me at ease!!



How am I feeling? This has actually been a good week! Less discomfort & more energy which is nice. I had my OB check-up Monday & the doctor ended up checking to see if I was dilated after I told him about my persistent Braxton Hicks contractions last week. Not dilated! I'm also scheduled for an abdominal ultrasound for my gallbladder tomorrow so we'll see what happens there. So far no more gallbladder attacks but I've been careful about what I'm eating.

Any new changes this week? Not really! Reese is still moving like crazy & her movements are only getting stronger! I was on my laptop this week when she actually kicked it so hard that it tipped backwards. She's pretty cute! I can definitely see a pattern in her sleep & wake times. She loves the morning, around 8am, is quiet mid-morning, up after lunch & super active at night around 9pm.

Weight gain? 13.5 pounds.

33 Week Update

I'm now 33 weeks pregnant & Reese weighs a little over 4 pounds, measuring at about 17 inches long. She's the size of a pineapple this week!



How am I feeling? Positively exhausted the past couple of days! I'm really uncomfortable & had a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions yesterday. Work was tiring & Cam wanted to go the park after I got home, so I was pretty worn out after our trek there & back. I started to get a little concerned when they woke me up at midnight & even considered going to the hospital, but they ended up subsiding & I fell back to sleep. I'm trying to slow down today which is not easy for me, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to deliver a healthy full-term baby girl.



Any new changes this week? I got sick about a month ago in the middle of the night with horrific pain in my stomach, side & back with nausea & vomiting. I thought it was a fluke because of something I ate, but when it happened again this weekend, I realized I'm actually having gallbladder attacks. After a high fat meal on Saturday evening, I woke up at 1am with the exact same symptoms as a month ago. After waking Mike up, he went online & I was having every symptom of a gallbladder attack. It lasted almost 3 hours & was seriously as painful as labor at times! Normally I don't eat high fat meals, but there are those days or special occasions where it does happen. I'm going to talk to my OB at my appointment Monday, but I can tell you that I'm scared to eat these days in fear of going through that pain again. I'll be sticking to low-fat meals for now though.

Otherwise, Reese is doing good, moving TONS & growing like a weed! I'm so thankful to be having a healthy pregnancy so far & want to keep it that way.



Weight gain? 12.5 pounds. I lost a half pound between last week & this week... maybe because of the gallbladder thing? Maybe because I was running mad with Cam's birthday & party?

32 Week Update

Holy cow, I cannot believe I'm now eight months pregnant! Where has the time gone?! This week Reese weighs about 3.75 pounds & is 16.7 inches long. She's now gaining about a 1/2 pound a week & will gain a third to a half of her birth weight from now until then! Things are only getting tighter in that cramped belly of mine!



How am I feeling? Same discomfort of pelvic, back, rib & sternum pain. This week has been especially bad since I've been really stressed since we've had some bad news in our family. We were told a week & a half ago that Mike's Aunt Elaine was given only 6 months to live after discovering that her uterine cancer had spread. We were so devastated to hear that since we love & adore her so much & actually thought she was doing well. Unfortunately we didn't often get to see Aunt Elaine since she lived in Illinois. Well, at the end of last week we got the call that Aunt Elaine had passed. As heartbroken as we are, we're thankful that her suffering wasn't prolonged & she passed in her sleep in the comfort of her own home. Mike just got home from been out of town since Saturday for the funeral & then work so things have been pretty hectic around here. Not to mention that I made the long trek to Ft. Lauderdale for my Uncle Keith's wedding this weekend. The wedding was on the beach & absolutely gorgeous, but I felt a little low since Mike & Cam were supposed to be there with me. Thankfully Matt & Kelly volunteered to watch Cam so that I didn't have to drag him nearly ten hours in the car by myself & I was able to relax & enjoy the wedding. We are so incredibly blessed to have such amazing friends.






Any new changes this week? More leg swelling! BOO! This time it's been more consistent which makes me think it's probably here to stay. It seems that my body tries to get rid of the excess fluid at night which makes me run to the bathroom quite often. In addition to that, I've also been waking up a horrible sweaty mess in the middle of the night which is so gross! I also had quite a bit of Braxton Hicks contractions since last week from all the running I was doing but they seem to have lessened so far this week.

I had a routine OB check-up yesterday & all looks wonderful. My doctor said that Reese's growth is right on track. As he was trying to listen to her heartbeat, she was jumping all over the place which was funny. The doctor even commented, Holy cow, she's having a party in there! That's my active girl!

Weight gain? 13 pounds.

And here are some pictures from my uncle's wedding on Saturday...



I was finally able to meet my cousin Kristin's daughter, Maggie & catch up with her & her husband, Timmy. Maggie is 2 months old so there will be a 4 month difference between her & Reese.



The wedding location was perfect!



And after 21 years together, they finally tied the knot! So happy for Uncle Keith & Amy!