Undeniably Awesome

Okay I am going to go on record as saying... Addie Grace is freakin' awesome. We are so blessed to have such a happy, mild mannered yet totally spunky little kid. These are the Top Five Things I love about my 10-month-old.
1. When she eats food she really likes she "umm yummm yummm" (a la When Harry Met Sally) the entire time. It does not matter if we are in a restaurant or at home, she always let's us know she's enjoying her food. And the best part, her favorites are usually veggies.
2. She kisses anything with fur... but refuses to kiss Daddy. (It is a silly game and usually she will eventually kiss him, but he is so scruffy she tries to resist. Shia and Snoopy on the other hand continuously run from her kisses)
3. Her happiness is contagious. It is a rare occurrence when someone will walk past and not comment on, or at least smile at, this little HAM! She stares people down, shouts and waves, it has even come to her arching her back and hissing at some poor old man all so they lean down and say hello to her. Aye.
4. Even when it's past her bedtime, past her meal time, or just an all around cranky day she will still suck it up and be cheery (to an extent). I am not saying she doesn't throw an occasional fit here or there, but she would NEVER be one of these babies constantly fussing.... and I only have the Lord to thank for that.
5. She has started to enjoy story time. She has to turn the pages, and we may skip 5 or 6 pages, but she will still sit and listen. I can only pray that the love of books and stories continues.

There are so many more things that I love about this little girl. But these are just my monthly favorites. Tomorrow she and I are running the Turkey Trot 8k with Daddy/Alex cheering us on from the sidelines. Along with her literary appreciation we are also hoping to keep an active lifestyle with her. With Alex leaving soon, it will be up to me to keep her busy for the next nine months!

Proud Mama?

Addie totally stuck up for herself today. [Background: There is a boy in her class that has recently moved into the biting phase. Yes, sadly, Addison has already been victim to him gummed assault. When I picked her up that day and saw her chunky little wrist red and swollen with an OBVIOUS mouth mark burned into her skin it was all I could do not to go over and punt this little red-headed twerp across the room. Still when I see him I give him a mean face. Yes, my attitude and response to the situation would have me fitting in well with the two-year-old class, but I don't care! my baby was attacked.]
Anyway, this was weeks ago now, and since the initial attack I have been wondering how my little miss has been responding his advances. Well today I, and every other person in the room, saw her react in FULL FORCE. First she was innocently sitting on the play mat inspecting a plastic phone. The villain in the story (I'll from now on refer to him as Cash the Stupid Red-head or CSR) crawled over and snatched the phone away from her. She sat, miffed for a moment, then reached right back and grabbed it from him. "Yes!" I silently cheered, "Now kick him in the shins".
Then CSR reached for Milo (the pink dog blanket that has been a constant accessory since she was 3-months old... it is rare when she will let Alex or I even touch it). And all h*ll broke loose. Her blood curdling scream caused every adult in the room to snap to attention. The next thing you saw was Addison literally lunging at this little boy spitting and grabbing, ripping her dog out of his hands, all the while still screaming like a banshee. The teacher rushed over and had to pick Addie up to get her to stop hollering, even though she already had her dog back. Cash didn't know what to do and even afterward was too stunned to move. I still think he got off easy.
Hmm... I am thinking we may skip ballerina classes entirely and move to karate? MMA?

Bermuda Triangle

Okay so maybe it just feels like we have been lost for awhile (hence the Bermuda Triangle reference). Really we have still been here, in good ol' Clarksville, just crazy busy! So, is anyone still out there reading this? haha
One of my most exciting pieces of news, and the reason I wanted to start writing updates again.... Addison stood all by herself yesterday! This from a girl who has not even attempted to start crawling. Just a week and a half ago she was showing interest in standing up, while holding on to the couch, leaning on the door, etc. Then yesterday as I stood her next to a stand up toy at daycare she just let go. I expected her to fall right on her booty but nope she just stood there staring up at me. Of course her teacher and I shouted in surprise which then caused her to fall on her booty, but it was a great 45 seconds while it lasted.
Other bits of interesting news... hmmm... went to a pumpkin patch last weekend. I am pretty sure she will be asking for a llama for Christmas because there was absolutely no interest in the pumpkins or the hayrides or even in the other children. Just the llama. (Which I of course did not let her touch WHATSOEVER!)
My family is coming down for Thanksgiving, we are all very excited to have everyone in our home. I would not be surprised if Addie Grace were walking by then! I know my family is really excited to see her as well.
We recently bought a jogging stroller and I have been running every morning. She loves it and I at first was not happy about it, but now that I am getting into the routine it is something I really look forward to. A girlfriend and I are also thinking about starting a fitness group for working moms in January. But we will actually make it open to ALL working moms (whether they choose to work inside or outside of the home). Which, discussion for a later date, is something that I am quickly realizing a lot of businesses do not cater to. Hello? Am I not considered a mother just because I get my own paycheck? Do you think I would not like to participate in a yoga class, MOPS group, etc. too? Not everyone has free time between 10:00am-11:00am people!
This weekend we are going to just hang out relax, and hopefully do a little shopping for a certain someone's Halloween costume. I really wanted Addie to be Rachel Zoe for Halloween, but Alex thought that was a ridiculous idea so now I have to come up with a plan B. Pictures posted soon!

A Very Merry Unbirthday

Half of a year has come and gone in the blink of an eye, and it has been the most life changing six months of... well of my life.  I cannot believe my little baby girl is getting so big.  Most of the time we are excited, Alex and I love that every day she is learning new things and becoming more independent.  We are not "newborn people" by any sense of the imagination and now that she will entertain herself with toys and likes to play she is so much more fun.  But then another smaller part of me is saying, "NO! You are getting bigger every day!  Just freeze where you are right now!"  Oh well, I just thank God every day for the time we do get with her because she is such a blessing and a joy.  

She can sit up on her own completely, there are very few times she even topples over.  She still hates to be on her belly, so I don't know when she will crawl (hopefully not for a very long time still! :)  Her favorite thing to do is sit with her toys all around her and just take her arms and scoop up every single toy at the same time trying to get everything into her mouth.  

With the warmer weather upon us we could not wait to get out the kiddie pool and see her response. It has all been positive!  She is a little fish and loves to just splash in the water, float around in her rubber duck, or (most shocking) stick her face in the water.  On top of that, she must drink out of our glass every time we have water (if she got her way it would be any liquid but I am putting my foot down at not giving her green tea or beer!)  If I was every leery about germs or baby slobber before I have gotten over it now.  She will stick her face in our glass blow bubbles or, more often, lick up the water like a dog). 

It is for this reason and others why we have started referring to her as "fourth dog".  There are so many ways that babies are like dogs I don't know why people used to get offended when I would compare our beloved canines to their snotty children.  1) You teach children all the same commands as a dog ("sit", "stay", "no", "leave it") 2) they like to have the back of their ears rubbed... but maybe this is only my child? 3) they both cost a fortune if you take care of them properly 4) inevitably you end up making silly goo-goo voices while you are speaking to them.

Tomorrow we are going to the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga.  I am so excited to watch her surrounded by fish!  The aquarium also has a butterfly room, which thousands of butterflies are just out flapping and landing all over you.  I think she will either love it or smush a bunch of butterflies with her wildly flailing arms.  Hopefully for the butterflies sake not the latter!

Family Visits and Music Class

Last week my family came down to visit. Really Tami and Rachel only stayed one day and Alex came down for the entire week. Addison and I had a great time with all of them, although I think she enjoyed the slower pace of just having Alex around. :) After spending just one day with her (while I was at work) Alex decided she preferred the simpler life of having Addie in daycare and just hanging out with the dogs during the day. I can understand that... it's kind of hard to have a relaxing vacation with a 4-month-old.

Kindermusik class began yesterday and will go for the next 5 weeks. We are in the "Busy Days" class so all of our songs relate to daily activities. Yesterday was all shopping and buying groceries songs. It was fun, and nice to watch Addie observe the other kids. Even though she is with other babies all day long, I never get to see how she behaves with them. She is a big watcher and just smiles and laughs whenever the older babies would talk or walk around. The class was open to newborns all the way to 18 months; Addie is the youngest and there is a boy who is 14 months. (Incidentally this little boy kept bringing Addie his paper bag during the paper bag concerto). I don't know if she looked like she really needed another one, as she was busy chewing the corner off of hers. But every time he came over, little Miss Flirt turned up the charm, smiled, and lifted up her dress. Who'd she learn that from?!

The class also incorporates different simple signs that I am attempting to learn. "Stop", "in and out", "mommy" are just a few that we did yesterday. I am not opposed to having her learn to sign things, especially since I know she will not be talking for awhile and the faster I can figure out why she is fussing the faster I can make it stop. Every time she gets a good cry fit going I have PTSD and am reverted back to her newborn colic days. I am amused though because we sign to our dogs all the time and it's just like we've picked up an extra dog... who happens to be human. I'll be interested to see what Addie does when we use the "treat" command on the dogs, and vice versa!

Addie's Foot Fetish

If it is not her thumb in her mouth it's her feet in her hands. Addison has suddenly become enthralled with her lower extremities, most notably her feet. She loves to watch them fly around as she kicks in the air and she will grab hold of them with her hands and roll side to side, just chatting to herself. There have been a few attempts to actually get the foot in her mouth, one was successful but the others have been hindered by the fact that she is slightly chunky.

Life as a single parent still sucks but we are definitly used to our routine. It will be interesting to see when Alex gets back how much he will disrupt our flow. I suppose we will then just have to get into a new routine; life's all about changes and going with the flow. With such an easy going happy baby, I am sure it will not be difficult.

Bed time is a dream most nights. She will let me know when she is starting to get sleepy, usually around 8:00. I try to push it a little later, because I have found if she goes to sleep at 8:30 then she only wakes up once instead of twice at night. Weird how much difference 30 minutes makes. I don't know how much the cereal is really helping her sleep more, to be honest there is absolutely no difference. I guess everyone who told me babies sleep better when they start eating solids just got lucky babies!

This Wednesday starts our first Kindermusik class. Kindermusik is a national organization that brings music appreciation to all age levels. The class we have signed up for is entitled "Busy Bee" and we will be singing songs and playing musical instruments that all relate to our daily chores. Hmm, a song to help me get through laundry? Whatever works!

I have posted a few pictures from our four month photo shoot. I am Shea Halliburton's new biggest fan. This woman worked wonders for us because Addie was so cranky that whole day (of course) and just did NOT want to be photographed. But these pictures are amazing and I love them. I hope you enjoy them too. You can see more @ http://byshea.com/addisongrace

Four-Month Doctor Visit

Yesterday, Addison and I returned to the doctor for her four-month visit. She was blissfully unaware that she had to get shots; a luxury that I know she will only be able to experience a little while longer. As always random people were stopping to say hi to her, including nearly every nurse in the office. She turned on the charm, no surprise there, and smiled and cooed at everyone. Her height and weight check only confirmed the obvious, that she is a healthy baby, still in the 75th percentile. I was slightly annoyed because my suspicions were confirmed that she has in fact out-grown the diapers I just bought.

Even the shots were tolerable, I had to hold her arms down which was terrible but she took it like a rock star and as soon as they let her legs go and I picked her up she was done crying. The rest of the night she was a bit sore, but just slept it off (no complaints from her mother!).

Each day she is making more noise and really getting out actual vowel sounds. Occasionally a consonant will be thrown in too. She still cannot sit up yet, but she's trying. There is always something in her mouth, most often her thumb. If she does not have her thumb then she is attempting to put one of her many toys in her mouth, a feat that is becoming more manageable every day as she can hold on to something for longer periods.

My favorite new experience however is her new found fascination with the dogs. Before she ignored their presence (which I think they enjoyed). Now they will pass by her line of vision and she will smile and swing her arm out in a feeble attempt to grab them. If they are sitting next to me, and she is on my lap, she will hold onto their fur or an ear if she's lucky. The response from the three of them is varied. Shia is the most tolerant and will just stare at her wearily. Dakota will sit for a minute but once she starts banging on him he quickly finds another seat. And poor Snoopy, who has been in protest of her since the beginning, won't even come near her.

I wish I had some exciting story to post about the Farmer's Market, but because of last weekend's weather we did not attend. I am making plans for this weekend though, and should hopefully have some pictures as well!

Our Rollie-Pollie

The name Rollie-Pollie (or Rolly Polly... I don't even know if those are real words but I have said them many times) definitely fits Miss Addie for several reasons.
1. Her thighs... talk about rolls. I mean this girl has definitely got some chunky little legs on her and I love it! She is also sporting what I like to refer to as a "ghetto booty". She did not get that from my side.
2. She rolled over today! It all came about as we were lying on the bed playing with a toy. I set her an arms length away from me and little by little she wiggled her way over to me. Then as she was reaching for her thumb she pushed off with her leg and flipped herself all the way over from her back to her belly. I think the whole experience shocked her a little bit, but the thumb quickly soothed the situation and she fell asleep. I was so excited at first but now I realize... with her even the tiniest bit mobile I cannot leave her random places anymore. (Not that I am a negligent parent but now I have to be extra careful.)

After attending a sustainable tourism conference today, I have a renewed sense of how important it is to be a good steward. I have always known it's necessary and have tried (albeit half heartedly at times) to be a conscious earth-saver, but there are so many times I allow life to get in the way. But I have new priorities now. Most importantly, I want to make sure I am passing positive values on to my child. Yeah, it may be a bit early to have her sorting through recycling; but I don't think it is too early to have her start exploring the world around her. My wish is that she becomes someone who has a respect for the environment. So, in the spirit of stewardship, this weekend Addie and I are going to a local farmer's market as well as get our own garden in order this season. I have just been waiting for the opportunity to get to one of the local farmers markets and now I finally have the chance!

Mothers Day Moments

As this was my first official Mother's Day I was hoping for something memorable. Indeed, the day was memorable and truth be told I thoroughly enjoyed it all. It started with breakfast made by my loving husband. (I had everything laid out on the kitchen counter ready to go for him!) Afterwards we drove to our local state park and went hiking with the dogs. The weather was great and after nearly two-weeks straight of rain, we were excited to see the sun. Of course the trails were a bit muddy, but we didn't care. Since it was so nice we decided to take the scenic route home and travel down some country roads we had never been on before.

While driving we passed by a little convenience store with a huge plastic cow (sporting some stylish pink glasses) and I thought "Oh how cute - let's take a picture". Alex pulls the truck over and we both hop out in a hurry. Since we were just going to be a minute and the baby was sleeping Alex thought he would just leave the car running with the a/c. (And truth be told I did not argue; after all, we were just going to be a minute). Well we take the picture and get ready to hop back into the truck. However Snoopy had other plans. When we got out of the car he had jumped on the door securely locking all four doors on the truck.

We panicked. Here we are Alex all muddy from the dogs/hiking, me sweaty and barefoot, and our dogs and infant locked in our running truck... in Kentucky. For the next 15 minutes (which felt like hours) Alex and I are pounding on the windows, jumping up and down, trying to entice one of the dogs to unlock the doors.

(Side note: what is the darn Beagle doing this whole time? Well apparently our banging on the front windows was annoying him so he climbed into the back, under the seat, and fell asleep.)

Finally the police officer we had called initially arrived. It took mere seconds for loving Shia to ferrociously attack the window when the officer arrived. Yet in doing so she pressed the window button just enough to provide a gap that we could stick our arm through and unlock the door. Who knew it would be Shia's bad attitude that would eventually save us?!

Other activities that day included a failed plaster molding art project (Addie has some wiggly toes) and a family finger painting. All in all I'd say the day was a success. And I have the picture to prove it!

Revival?

"If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?" - Milton Berle



Is this the revivial of the timely blog post? Don't count on it. I realize that for the past few entires I have made vague promise to be more consistent in updates. Well, I am making the argument that "consistent" and "timely" are very arbitrary terms. Therefore "sporadic" and "occasional" are as consistent as you are going to get. When my hands turn idle, I will turn them to blog updates.

Lately, my days have been filled with a baby who is quite literally changing before our eyes. One day she is humming and grunting (which we considered her "talking") and then the next morning her mouth is wide open shouting "la-las" and "da-das". Of course this has got Alex and I in a constant repeat of "da-da-da-da-da" and "ma-ma-ma-ma" respectively. The competition has started on who she will call out to first. She loves the attention and will just laugh every time.

Since Alex was scheduled to leave this month, and will be gone for the next 6-weeks, we decided to start the cereal stage a little early. For the past two days we have given her just three or four little spoonfuls. At least half of it immediately comes back out with a sour lemon expression on her face. But it's all about the learning process.

The Happenings...

Three months and two weeks.... THREE MONTHS AND TWO WEEKS!? This morning I was notified by babycenter.com that our little Addie is well into her third month. And to be honest, I could not be happier. The baby blob is gone! No more constant wailing (because there is no more dairy in our diet), no more non-responsive infant, and the best part is actually all the new things that are happening that were absent before. We now have an entertaining baby!

I have been waiting to add new pictures to this site. I have committed the cardinal sin of new parents - twice. I have been committing camera malfeasance. First I lost the camera cord, so I could not pull pictures off the disk. Now I have misplaced the charger, so the battery has died and I cannot take any new pictures. Yes, I am a first time parent who has not taken a picture of her child in nearly three weeks. Oops! And the worst parent, I am just too cheap to buy a new charger, because I KNOW it is around the house somewhere. (Damn Sony for wanting me to spend $60 on a new charger anyway... who do they think I am?!)

Besides that I haven't even given anyone updates in the past MONTH... hey I'm busy. And I am procrastinating about becoming organized. "When work slows down I'll be more organized" "When Alex goes out of town I will get things organized". Now I am just priding myself on remembering to feed my dogs and brush my teeth before I leave the house in the morning.

We are getting Addie's 3-month pictures done this week. I am really looking forward to it, the photographer we will be working with has come highly recommended. She will actually be taking pictures in our nursery, which will be really nice. Addie is so darn smiley now and loves getting her picture taken. Every time we pull out our camera phones (our only source of picture capturing at the moment) she will pause and then plaster a huge grin across her face. She knows she's cute... we're in trouble already.

Two Month Review

Now that we realize our baby is already two-months old, Alex and I have frequently been pausing to reflect on her changes. She has outgrown her newborn clothes, probably the saddest realization for me, because some of those outfits were so darn cute. She can hold her head up for increasing amounts of time and with an increasing amount of sturdiness. Addie loves to smile and will smile at almost any silly song or dance we create. My guess is she is laughing at us as we both hop around and reach the squeakiest and highest pitch either of our voices can muster. (Add in the fact that we are both hopping up and down, clapping, and smiling wide open-mouthed grins she probably thinks she's in the ape house at the zoo... although she hasn't been there yet). The best new development by far is hearing her "talk" for the first time. For the past 9-weeks we have been chatting away at her, telling her all sorts of useless information. Then finally, three days ago, as soon as we shut our mouths, she opened hers and let out a long stream of "oh"s and "ah"s and all sorts of vowel combinations. Her statement was followed by a huge toothless grin that just melted our hearts. It was such a surprise at the time, but now we will talk to her, read to her, etc. then pause and inevitably she will let out her response. It's just so darn cute.
The two-month doctor's visit... not so cute. Watching that lower lip stick out and start to quiver, it quite literally made my stomach turn in knots. It took all of my strength to not rip her away from the nurse and cuddle her. And yes... I cried much longer than she did.

Our First Cold

It was bound to happen, but Addie has gotten her first cold. It is my fault really, dragging her halfway across the country in the middle of flu season when she is still so little. But she is being really good about the whole experience still, which is amazing. She can't breath out of her nose without a struggle. We keep trying to use the saline drops and that disgusting nosesucker (and by "we" of course I mean Alex because she hates to have it done and I just can't stand it). She is constantly coughing too, which sounds incredibly pitiful. I found no reassurance after talking to the doctor, who said they can do nothing unless she has a fever (the one thing that she doesn't have).
If anything, I suppose I have learned the hard way that travelling + babies + wintertime = no good results. Hopefully she will get over this cold before she has to go get her 2 month shots... a whole other round of feeling crappy!

First Day Back

Today is my first day back at work after being home with Addison for 6 weeks. Already the day feels so much longer which I am taking as a good & bad thing. Good because I feel like I have more time now... that my days can once again be filled with a variety of activities vs. all things relating to baby. But the day does seem to drag on without her and I have found myself already calculating the minutes until I get to see her again. It's funny, I need her to be away from me to actually realize I miss her and like to be around her. BUT, if she is always around, I need a break. The human psyche is just twisted... or maybe it's just me.
Either way, she was perfect this morning, we woke up and she ate and got dressed without fuss and then went right back to sleep and I got ready for work with 20 minutes to spare. (This is even better than pre-baby when I was somehow always 20 minutes late). I explained where we were going and what the day was going to be like while we drove to daycare, just in case she was curious. When I took her in and dropped her off she was all smiles and even started cooing. Of course that tugged on the heartstrings a bit. As Ms. Margaret, her new teacher, took her Addie tucked her arms in and went right to sleep... perfectly content. I will admit that a small part of me wanted her to react negatively in some way, show me just a tiny bit that she preferred me over her new teacher. But in reality, I am glad that right now she doesn't know the difference because she will be content all day long.
Only 5 more hours to go...

One Month Old!

I suppose it sounds cliche to say that I cannot believe Addie is already a month old... but it's true! My little baby is already having a "birthday". Reflecting on these past few weeks it is amazing to see how much she has already begun to grow and change. She will smile now when she first sees our face (which of course makes our hearts melt). Addie can hold her head up and look around, but still prefers to lay her head on your chest when she's tired. And her latest development is finding her thumb all on her own. No more sucking in vain on the back of her hand, she's got the whole thumb sucking virtually perfected.
In just a week and a half our "normal" lives will begin, and I must confess I am looking forward to it a bit. Yes, I will be going back to work. While this whole experience of being home with her has been enlightening and a true bonding experience, in the back of my mind I knew I would be going back to work, so I never really developed a routine with being home. (Plus there is not much you can do with a newborn in the middle of winter. When you drag her out on 20 degree days people kind of frown at you.) And if we are being dreadfully honest, I would have to insist that it is much different being home with a colicky baby vs. a baby that will actually let you lay them down for more than 30 minutes at a time. It gets a bit trying at times. But I love her more than anything in the world. And I wouldn't trade her for anything... except maybe an hour of sleep... then I might be willing to negotiate! :)

Grandma's Coming!

Today Addie is 3-weeks old, and grandma is coming to visit! I would say Addison is excited, but let's be honest, she has no idea what is going on. But once they finally meet, I am sure it will be love at first sight. The past three weeks have been exciting, watching even the small changes that seem to take place every day. She is able to hold her head up for longer periods each day and loves holding up her wobbling head and staring at your face. The past week she has started staring intently at both Alex and I, especially at our hairline and mouth (we are told it is because of the contrast in colors).
I never thought I would get excited over someone else's bodily functions, but I have found myself on more than one occasion saying, "Oh look who's gassy!" or "Oh my what a big burp!" each time with a high pitched voice and a smile. Alex and I have even found ourselves having conversations about her diapers. As soon as we become aware of our embarrassing actions, we quickly regroup and try to find some adult topic to discuss. (Which is surprisingly difficult because now we just have diapers on the brain). I will be the first to admit, we've turned to the dark side.
Now we will spend the next five days hanging out with Grammy Tami. Alex and I have already resigned to the fact that we will not be holding our daughter for the next 120 hours.

It's Been So Long!

How time flies! The past week has gone by in a blur, with little Addison consuming all of our attention! My updates will more than likely be short and sweet. Little bursts of information here and there as I try to sneak in my other daily tasks (like showering or checking my email) in between her sleep schedule.
To recap, we went into the hospital (finally) on Saturday the 17th around 2 pm. We were admitted just a half our later and by 12:16 am on Sunday, January 18th she had arrived. Our first few moments were a little chaotic - the fact that I had a slight fever during labor and she had swallowed some of the meconium gave the doctor's a cause for concern. So instead of us getting to hold our little girl right away she was taken out of the room for three hours and sent to the "Special Baby Unit". Needless to say we were a little freaked, but everything turned out alright in the end and she is doing well.
The past week Alex and I were both able to be home with her, which was really nice to connect as a family unit. We took her to her first doctor's visit, on her first walk, and gave her a bath. (Those were the highlights). Now that Alex is back at work, she and I have been hanging out. She sleeps and I attempt to keep myself occupied. And today, her bellybutton finally fell off... I'll admit that I cried. Not really sure why; I suppose because that's just one little step to her not being a tiny baby anymore. I've turned into such a nerd.
I am attaching some pictures of her - hooray no more belly shots! - and I hope you all enjoy. Alex and I are almost constantly behind the camera now, taking pictures of virtually her every movement like two fools. But she doesn't seem to mind... too much.

Due Date

Yesterday was Addison's due date. Today I am at work, still having contractions, still 5-7 minutes apart (this has been going on since Sunday). Although their intensity is increasing, I am refusing to go to the hospital until I have to literally crawl in there. On Monday, during our 40 week visit, they gave us a non-stress test to monitor her heart rate while I was having contractions. Well, every time a contraction would occur her heart rate would drop dramatically. So they sent us down to Labor & Delivery. They monitored our situation as well (in total it was about 4 hours worth of laying in a bed hooked up to these darn monitors). The L&D doctor came in and through an ultrasound determined that the cord is under her armpit, which is the cause for why her HR keeps dropping when she is being squeezed. But it is no big deal. He told us he would admit us that night, but we declined. I did not want to lay in their beds anymore, I just wanted to go home. He told us that if the contractions intensified, we should come back in.

That night and all through Tuesday morning, the contractions were getting stronger. Alex and I got everything together, did some last minute things around town, and went in to the hospital. They put us back on the monitors for two hours. The midwife on duty came in and said that although I was having contractions every 3-5 minutes, the ones that were actually changing my situation (or causing me to dilate) were every 5-7 minutes. She said we could stay, but if in a few hours the progress wasn't significant enough, they would start Pitocin. I declined the offer and again we went home.
It would be a different situation if I were not dilated or effaced, uncomfortable, or even just sick of being pregnant. But nothing has really been that bad and my body is naturally progressing on its own. Why not just let it do its thing? Poor Alex is making himself physically ill because of all the anxiety and anxiousness. For now, though, we are just sitting back and playing the waiting game.

Last Night's Visit

Obviously this is a completely new experience for Alex and I. We have only a vague idea of what to expect when this baby starts making her way into the world. The vast amounts of advice and "let me tell you exactly how this will be" scenarios from those around us, while helpful, only offer us what someone else has experienced. And every story is different, so we really just have to wait and see what our experience will be. Which brings me to yesterday afternoon....
I have never felt the sensation of my water break before, but Tuesday night some strange things started occurring. So yesterday, I finally thought that I should call just to make sure I wasn't being neglectful (it had almost been 24 hours & my midwife has said numerous times the first 24 hours after your water breaks you need to come in). I called, explained the situation to the nurse and she told me to come in. I called Alex, who was glad I was finally listening to him since he told me to call the night before, and headed to the hospital. For three hours they had me hooked up to monitors. My contractions were 6-8 minutes apart, and I was dilated to 3 cm. But when they checked my water, it was unfortunately still intact. So I was sent home. Although we were slightly disappointed, Alex & I were also glad that everything was still okay with Addison and progressing.
There have been few other times in my life where I have really felt as if my patience was being tested. It is hard, especially in today's society, to just take a step back and let a situation work itself out rather than try and push things in the direction you want them to go. I have had to resign myself to the fact that no matter how many times I run up and down the stairs trying to get my water to break, or how often I eat spicy foods, this little girl will be ready when she's ready. After a lot of praying and inner reflection I am willing to "let go and let God". He knows what He's doing and I just need to sit back and be thankful.

Doctor's Visit

This will be short but sweet. Yep, I'm still pregnant... but we are making progress. Another cm dilated (that's 2 whole cm so far). Baby is still doing well, her heart rate was a little crazy today but the doctor said that's probably just her being frustrated. She is also measuring at a full 40 weeks. So, we will continue to hang out and wait. Last night we had some activity, actual contractions from 2a- 7a but they never got to the magic 5 min. apart time line (more like 10-15 min). And of course by the time I got to the OB, they had subsided. But it is exciting nonetheless to know that things are progressing.

39 weeks

Alright, now I might just be posting a bit more than usual because it gives me something to do. Anything to keep my mind off of the fact that I am NOT in labor yet. All weekend long we'd been hopeful, contractions at regular intervals, positive signs of downward movement (I say positive now but at the time I felt very awkward). Everything seems to be going along smoothly. Tomorrow morning, another doctor's appointment. We'll wait to see what she has to say. In my perfect situation it would go something like this:
me: "Well doctor let's do this checkup"
doctor: "Okay... my goodness look at how dilated you are! Let's get you changed and ready for labor"
me: "Really? Well if you insist"
20 minutes later
doctor: "All done, here's your baby, have a nice life"
me: "Great, thank you so much."
baby: "I don't know why I took so darn long to come out, this world is great!"
The end.
Yep... that's my best case scenario. But I can go without the talking baby if need be.

38 1/2 weeks and waiting...

Unfortunately Alex and I did not get the child tax write-off for 2008; Addison has still not made her entrance into the world. Our excitement is building, however because we are beginning to notice definite changes. The "practice contractions" are becoming much more frequent and a bit more noticeable. I wouldn't say painful, yet, just uncomfortable. She has also definitely moved farther down. If I hadn't noticed from the constant trips to the restroom, then the near constant remarks from other people would be a clue. ("Wow that baby looks like its about to drop right out"... yeah thanks)
At our 38-week visit on Tuesday our midwife said everything was "progressing smoothly". What I had really wanted her to say was, "today's the day, let's do this"! I am 75% effaced and 1 cm dilated... which I accept as better than nothing. After perusing several blogs and baby forums I saw that this progression was common, glad we're not lagging behind! And everyone progresses differently so who knows what will happen next week.
The past two weeks were very relaxing and I probably slept more than anything else. (#1 reason why I have not been updating this blog! Oops!) In total I only had to work for 4 days in the past two weeks (it's awesome how the office worked out our holiday time off!). Alex and I were thankful for the opportunity to get all of our last minute needs in order and to just kick our feet up and unwind. Although being two people who rarely sit still we have also been running around town, walking every day, and renovating both of our bathrooms. Anything we can do to keep from going crazy with anticipation!