Cute baby contest

I got bored today and signed Delaney up to see if she could win a cute baby contest. You just have to go to the link below to show your support.

https://www.greatamericanphotocontest.com/voter1/index.aspx?referid=EmailFriends&p=1077207&x=.JPG

Naked baby time

So last night I introduced Delaney to "Rain" a bear I got after my tonsilectomy in 2004. I sleep with this bear every night (don't go judging!). So while she was having "naked baby time" I let her hug Rain. She really seemed to not only like being naked but also like snuggling the bear. Both of the big girls have their own care bear to sleep with (Charlotte has a big one like mine and Julia has the one I had when I was her age...like the actual one from my mom's house). I guess we'll have to get Delaney one someday too.




Today is such a BEAUTIFUL day. It's 70 degrees so while I made lunch Jess had Buggy outside for a little photo therapy to help this last bit of jaundice resolve.

Charlotte's Basketball Game

Charlotte did amazing today at her basketball game. She even pushed a girl down! LOL If you only knew Charlotte you'd never think that would EVER happen. She didn't score any points but her defense was awesome! She even earned the Best Defense star. Julia and Delaney showed their support for their biggest sister too.

Woooooooooooooo PIG Soooiee

This is for all those family members in Arkansas! Thanks Gramme for our noses! We love them!! We miss our Grandpa Mikey, Uncle Michael, Gramme, Sugar, Cinnamon, Nano, and Tiger! Oh and all of Gramme's ducks! We can't wait to see everyone in March!!!!!!!!!

Wound Check

Today we had our 2 week wound check. Since I was having a lot of pain still we were a little worried... I still have quite a bit of edema around my wound which could be causing SOME of my pain issues. She said the incision itself looks great and that I can peel off the steri strips today. She gave me reassurance and another prescription for breastfeeding safe pain medication. So all went well for me today... me, Jess, and Buggy are going to take a nap now! LOL

Here is a picture of the outfit that Jennifer sent to Peanut. How cute are those bum ruffles!!! And it's even got a bug on the front which works out perfect for our little bug!

HAPPY DUE DATE DELANEY!!!!

And the worry returns...

We took Peanut in to get her belly button checked out today. It had been bleeding the past couple of days and just wanted to make sure it was all hunky dorey. Well they weighed her and she hasn't gained a single ounce since her last appointment on the 22nd. They have now diagnosed her as "failure to thrive". The doctor asked us how much we were feeding her (70ml every 3hrs), how well she was feeding/her interest in food (she's a pig), and what we were feeding her (pumped breast milk AND breast milk straight from me). He asked how she slept (takes naps after most feedings and sleeps for 6 hrs between 10pm-4am) and he asked how her diapers were (wet and dirty after every single feeding plus some). He said that we were doing everything right. He said that her sleeping 6hrs at night was fine. He said the feeding every 3 hours was good. He said she was eating a lot for her size so we shouldn't change that. He was at a loss. Peanut is still a little yellow so he sent us to get her bilirubin checked again...we aren't expecting the level to be anything concerning. Right now I am just scared and frustrated. Jess is also worried but trying not to show just how worried she really is. We go back to see our ped on Monday so we will talk about her weight then and will probably end up talking about more tests and possible NICU visit. Keep us in your prayers and send heavy baby thoughts to us this weekend please!

Oh and her belly button bleeding was fine. He put some stuff on it to help it stop bleeding. We are going back to Pampers until it stops bleeding because they don't rub on it like the G pants do.

Gramme conversation

My mom called yesterday and Peanut was screaming at the top of her lungs. She's starting to get mad when we don't pay attention to her when she wants attention. So Gramme wanted to talk to her on the phone. LOL We caught her still crying in the picture but I think she was just trying to tell Gramme to come back and hold her all the time! I bet these complaining conversations happen a lot throughout the years...hopefully Peanut will begin to use words at some point instead of just screaming into the phone. hahahaha


As for me, I am still having a lot of lower abdomen pain and bright red bleeding. From what we looked up yesterday I"m not supposed to be having bright red bleeding or passing any size clots (however I am still passing quarter sized clots). I'm not sure what is going on with my body but it doesn't feel nice. We have a doctor's appointment at 8:30 in the morning for a wound check so I guess we will see what she has to say. My guess is she'll tell me nothing is wrong and to ignore it.

Weightloss and more about buggy

Well today I weighed myself and I have lost 24 pounds which puts me 7lbs BELOW pre-pregnancy weight. I had only gained 8lbs my entire pregnancy until the last week and then I packed on 9lbs of water weight. So I'm happy with my progress...I never knew how much breastfeeding takes out of you. I am always thirsty and always hungry (good thing we are low on food in the house). Jess sympathetically gained about 15 lbs during my pregnancy and she has sympathetically lost 5lbs now. LOL so we are both moving on down the scale. :) We weighed Buggy and she is back up to birth weight! Woohoo Buggy!!!!! And they thought she was having issues gaining weight. She is now 6lbs 12oz. and she is 2 days shy of being 2 weeks old. Lots of celebrating going on around here.

Here is a picture of her first time on the Baby Einstein playmat. She actually figured out how to moved her little bug chime toy...it took a few times of accidentally hitting it and then she totally hit it on purpose over and over and over. It was SO cute to watch.



And is a picture of her first cloth diaper. She promptly peed straight through the thing...I was quite pleased that we weren't actually using this particular cloth diaper as her main cloth diaper. I'll refrain from using it's "name".

First shower

So I smelled like sweat and spoiled milk and Peanut smelled like spoiled milk so I thought a shower may be better for her. She hates the bath because she gets cold. Here are pictures from her first shower...



She actually liked the water on her head...that was her favorite. Second favorite was it hitting her back.



You can see her butt burn :(

No sleep for the mommies

Last night Peanut slept 6 straight hours, ate, and then slept for 3 more hours. She was a perfect little baby. We heard her grunt and coo every once in a while but mostly just sleeping baby noises. So you may be wondering why we got no sleep...

Well around 1 a.m. I woke up covered in sweat, to the point where I had to change ALL of my clothes. Then around 2 a.m. I woke up again feeling like I might throw up all over the place and stayed up for about an hour feeling nauseated and having severe left lower abdomen pain. Jess was trying to help but there was nothing she could do. At 415 I woke up covered in milk because Peanut had gone 6 hours without eating so they were overflowing. Once again...changed my clothes. We fed the baby, I pumped, and we all settled back in to sleep a little longer. For the rest of the night I tossed and turned and woke up again this morning with severe lower abdomen pain, nausea, and extreme sweating. I'm not sure what's going on with my body but I hope it clears up soon.

And for all of those ladies out there that are gearing up to give birth...we are totally thinking about you!! (Dani, Jody, etc)
For those of you that are just settling into your role as a pregnant woman... we can't wait to hear more as your progress and eventually meet your little ones. (Em, Jessie, etc)
Finally for the mommies out there we are learning so much from you. Jess and I have never had a baby together and she hasn't had a baby in the house for 7 years. There are so many more tricks of the trade now. :) We hope that all of your little ones are doing well and you are getting all the sleep you need. (Eryn, Tiff, Roe, Shelly, etc)

First Night Alone...

Tonight Jess and Bill went to Charlotte's Middle School orientation...which left me home alone AT BEDTIME with all three girls for the very first time. I had to get Julia in the shower, Julia's clothes picked out for tomorrow, Charlotte in pjs, Charlotte to pick our her clothes for tomorrow, Delaney breastfed, pump, changed, clothes changed (the girls fed her the breastmilk bottle which ended up in Peanut completely covered in milk), swaddled, and then give personal attention to each of the big girls before their 8:00 bedtime. We read books in the bedroom, played a little hide and seek, and then it was kisses and hugs and off to bed. I totally survived and even accomplished everything on my list of things to do. Woohoo!!!!



She misses her Gramme, Mikey, Uncle Michael, Aunt tt, and Bill. :)

First Bath...First Fit

Doesn't so much like bath time



HATES being cold



LOVED being dried off in her frog towel. :)




Delaney threw her first true fit today. She screamed at the top of her lungs for 35 minutes today. We were headed home from a friend's 2nd bday party and we weren't able to feed her immediately upon her "warning squeak" so she made us pay for it the entire ride home. LOL she's got a set of lungs on her...we won't ignore the squeak again...she's trained us well after today's explosion.

Delaney also met her Aunt TT today and Traci's mom. She loved being snuggled and cooed at and fawned over. :) She can't wait to see tt again real soon!

1 week pictures

1 week old (in the same outfit she came home in)


Cute baby foot



Jess is becoming such an awesome photographer!

1 week old

Peanut is 1 week old today. Over this past week she has been an absolute angel. She sleeps at night (at most wakes up twice to be fed). She hardly every cries. She has lost her cord. She is gaining weight finally. She breast feeds and bottle feeds. I am pumping about 5.5 ounces every 3 hours and that number only seems to increase considerably with each day. I am completely in love with my wife and our kids have been amazing too. My mother was amazing to have around for an entire week. She watched Peanut so Jess and I could have some time "just us". She fed her, kissed her, loved her, supported us, cheered us on, and loved us. I am so thankful for my mother. My entire family has been calling all week to make sure we are all okay. We made some gifts for everyone (Charlotte, Julia, Jess, Dad, Michael, and Mom). They all have their own little brag book with pictures of them with Peanut...and we got my family frames with the picture of our girls all together.

Our friends have been amazing this week. Peanut has so many people that truly love her...everyone from church family to friend family to family family LOL!

Gosh I just can't believe it's already been a week....

Our girls...

Let there be pictures!

So I was in a little pain my first day after the c-section, but after that I was well enough to take pictures but not much else! Lucky for all of you there are about a million photos of our daughter's first 3 days! Here is a little slide show of what's happened so far.

Hey everyone!

Hey it's Kathy...I just wanted to check in and update ya'll from my point of view...on this journey thus far...it's gonna be a long read...SORRY

Well right now I am sitting in my hospital room with Peanut. Jess went home to take care of our two older daughters. She will be back later because my mom is going to be able to watch the big kids tonight. :) I'm pretty sure they are excited about having candy before bed and staying up late to watch movies in their playroom as opposed to going to bed on time in their bedroom.

Let's start with my family. My dad made the trek up to Kansas for the first time since I moved here nearly 5 years ago. I know it hasn't been an easy trip for him but he has done an amazing job. He loves his new granddaughter and is spoiling the hell out of the two older granddaughters. My brother has become an amazing man. I cannot say enough about how proud I am of my brother. He loves our girls so very much. He got his butt kicked in Wii boxing by Charlotte today...TWICE! He played babydolls with Julia. He took them to the park and played tag. He's even proudly wearing a very purple beaded bracelet Charlotte made for him with her new jewelry kit. He dotes on Peanut like she was a princess...but has not forgotten to make the other two girls feel so very important as well. My mom...what can I say about my mom?! Without her being here I wouldn't feel whole. She held my hand during my c-section so Jess could concentrate on our baby girl. She kissed my head when I passed out of exhaustion and pain. She rubbed my shoulders when I felt defeated and emotional. She has fed Jess every meal. She has told both of us how proud she is of the job we are doing. She made sure the big girls felt loved during this whole process. And last but not least she looks at our daughter like the sun rises and sets on her. She holds her whenever possible...she is staunchly protective...she is tender and caring. She is absolutely everything I need her to be in this moment.

Now let's talk about Jessica. I am so in love with this woman it is unbelieveable. She has been such an amazing partner and mother. We have found our way on this tricky road of bio mom and non bio mom. She cares for me and takes care of me in the most loving and tender way. She stares at our daughter just to watch her breathe while she sleeps. She wakes up in the middle of the night to turn down the heat and then an hour later wakes up to turn up the heat. She makes sure I am being taken care of in every single way possible. She was amazing before, during, and after my c-section. She has done everything I needed or wanted her to do without even being asked. I have fallen even more in love with her through this process!

Peanut is doing amazing. She is on a three hour feeding schedule already. She nurses well. She sleeps well. She has the cutest facial expressions. She pets my arm or my breast while I feed her. She is tender and kind. Her cry sounds like a little lamb, but she reserves her cries for very few occasions and for short periods of time. She loves being kissed, she loves her big sisters, she loves her family from Arkansas, she loves her moms, and she loves everyone that she has met so far.

As for me...I am doing much better in the pain department. I actually walked the halls 5 times today. I am completely exhausted but completely okay with it. I am struggling with the idea of having to supplement feedings with formula. I feel extremely blessed to be here today...as a birth mother. There is nothing in the world like it.

I am going to catch a quick cat nap now, but I wanted to post something about my experience so far...
Thank you ALL for your love and support. It truly means the world to me and to us!!!!

Pictures

This is Jess. I know Kathy will want to do a slideshow eventually but for now I'll just post a few of our favorites from the last couple days.


Tired Mom holding her girl


Sweet baby girl



Proud Gramme Linda

Proud Mom!

Proud Biggest Sis Charlotte


Proud big sis Julia

Thanks for looking! More to come I'm sure!!

Much Better!!

Yesterday and last night were much better. Yesterday I got up assisted a couple times and then by myself once and then yesterday evening I was even able to take a shower, with Jess's assistance of course. It was nice to get up and it really did help. After the shower Jess lotioned me up and that felt a lot better too. The pain was more like soreness yesterday and much, much more in control.

Last night I got more sleep than the night before but once again the pain was worse last night than during the day. I still managed to get up every few hours and go to the bathroom though (what choice did I have?) and that got easier and easier. Overall I think I got 3-4 hours total. Still pretty broken but it was an improvement over the night before. The longest stretch I had was between 230 and 500 and that's because I fell asleep holding her. Luckily I woke up before the nurse caught me!! Peanut thinks she needs to be held all the time so she was our biggest issue last night.

Speaking of the baby, she's still a great nurser. She wants to do it all the time!! I'm hoping this will improve once she's getting more than just colostrum. She is obviously getting something though because she's having a wet AND dirty diaper every 3 hours or so. It's still meconium but I'm guessing that my milk will come in tonight and it'll change over pretty quickly. She's been on a 3 hour feeding schedule all day yesterday and last night. We're pretty impressed with that since we weren't expecting her to do that for a few more weeks. She's just a really great baby!!

More pics and posts to come!!!

First Night

So the first night sucked. I slept a total of 2 hours and it wasn't because of the baby. My pain was out of control. I was hot and sweating one minute and freezing the next, and then the nurse kept coming in every 20 minutes to push on my belly. Which, might I add, hurt like a son of a gun. Finally at 5am I got a 2 hour nap. After that I felt much better. Today is better too. I'm off my epidural and iv drugs and on to oral meds. I haven't gotten up yet but I have moved around in the bed and dangled my legs. I'm supposed to get up later today we'll see how that goes.

On a positive note, the baby is amazing! She is so beautiful and wants to nurse constantly. She knows exactly what she's doing too! I'm supposed to be here until Monday. I'll keep you updated about my progress. I'm just glad to be over the first night.

Delaney Kay!!!

Today at 2:57pm Delaney Kay was born into this wonderful world. We have three inches of snow on the ground and it is absolutely beautiful outside. My(Kathy) mom made it 5 minutes before we went into the OR and was actually able to join Jess and I for the delivery. I was wheeled back while Jess and my mom got changed into their scrubs and hats. :) I received my epidural and everything went pretty quickly after that. My mom was holding my hand and Jess was kissing my face. I didn't realize they had actually started the c-section until I asked Jess why it felt like Peanut was jumping around in my belly all of a sudden. She explained they were manipulating my stomach muscles and I asked why in the world they were doing that...she explained they had already started and it was only natural to feel that way. They pulled Delaney out and she immediately peed everywhere!
She weighs 6lbs 12oz and is 17 inches long. She has absolutely beautiful blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes. Her feet were turned in a little because of her breech position, but they assure us they will straighten themselves out! :) She breastfed about 1 hour after surgery and has since fed three more times. My milk is actually already started to come in! She just had her first dirty diaper!!! (9:30pm)
Jess and I are absolutely and completely in love. My mom, dad, and brother were able to hold her within minutes of her birth. A friend of mine and her partner came by the hospital a few hours later...and last but not least our two other daughters and their father came to the hospital to meet her. Charlotte was just super duper excited and beamed at seeing her. Julia was completely in awe and whispered "You are so beautiful" to her when she held her for the first time. Bill(the girls dad) also got in on the baby holding parade and was able to snuggle her.
Everyone is finally back to their respective places...and we are left to be alone with our daughter. It's a powerful and emotional experience. I am doing great even though I haven't eaten in over 24hours. They are managing my pain really well and my fluid intake is great (through IV not even allowed water). We have had great nurses. We feel so blessed and so lucky to have had the birth experience that we did and our daughter is absolutely perfect.

Last Belly Shot...

Here is my last belly shot...pregnant with Peanut! I'm sure not if it's gotten any bigger or changed from the last belly shot...I'm not really concerned about it. :) In 7 hours we will meet our little one. God Bless you all for thinking about us today and for following us along our journey to become parents to this little girl!

Thursday 1-15-09

Update:
Measured Peanut this morning estimated her weight to be 6lbs 11oz. She's a small little thing. She's still got a giant head of hair. Her head is measuring at 40weeks (they aren't sure if they got some hair in on that measurement or not)...her belly, arms, and legs are measuring at 36 weeks. So she may live up to her name and be a little Peanut. They measured my fluid again and it's 4. They could not find a single fluid pocket that did not have cord in it to do the amniocentesis but because the fluid is still low they are going ahead with the c-section tomorrow. We will meet our daughter at 2pm...just a little over 24 hours!

Getting nervous

So even though I know all will be fine I'm getting quite nervous about the amniocentesis tomorrow morning! Something is just creeping me out about having a giant needle put into my belly, only centimeters away from Peanut.

Prayers would be greatly appreciated!

Sick

I guess I'm sick now. My temp has been over 100 for 2-3 days. I woke up this morning with green gunk keeping my eyes shut, ears, draining, throat burning, severe headache, and lots of pressure below my eyes. Woohoo! :)
For now all I'm doing is rest and fluids...hoping this passes in a few days on its own.

C-section Moved UP!!!!!

Weight stayed the same. Urine looked good. Passed Biophysical. Barely passed non stress. I am having contractions every 5-7 minutes lasting nearly 1.5-2 minutes each. Baby's heartrate is not making any accelerations.

Amniocentesis scheduled to check for lung maturity Thursday January 15th at 9:30a.m. Results should come in that day. Doctor sees no reason why her lungs would not be mature so she is going ahead and scheduling a c-section for Friday January 16th. IF for some reason her lungs are not mature we will keep our c-section on the 22nd. So basically we have 8 days until we meet our little one unless I go into spontaneous labor before then. :)

1-5-09

UPDATE:

Today we had a doctor's appointment with OUR actual doctor. We did the BPP and the fluid is holding tight at "barely acceptable". Then we did the nonstress test and Peanut passed with flying colors. It turns out I lost 8lbs since Friday. My doctor's comment was "have you eaten?!". My blood pressure is acceptable but high for me. I had trace amounts of protein in my urine. The doctor is not worried about any MAJOR signs pointing towards delivering Peanut early...she is mostly concerned about all of the small signs that are pointing in that direction. She wants to head off complications before they happen. Jess and I are extremely thankful for that approach. Our doctor is scheduling an amniocentesis to check for lung maturity. If Peanut's lungs are mature we will meet our baby within 24hrs of those results...if they are not mature I will be on strict bedrest until delivery on the 22nd. We will keep everyone updated as best we can.

Tired

After all of the drama of last week surrounding my amniotic fluid level....I am tired and stressed.

I wanted a more upbeat update though so here goes.

Charlotte has suddenly begun to look like a true teenager. I love her sense of style and her attitude about her style. She is looking forward to Middle School, but she's also super excited about returning to school in a few days because she LOVES her 6th grade teacher. She is reading New Moon the second in the Twilight series...she loves using her new portable DVD player (I think she's watched 6-7 dvds in 3 days)...she has been so very helpful around the house while I've been a little less able to do things. She is extremely excited to be a big sister again and even more eager to hold her and babysit her. LOL

Julia is growing up soooo fast. She is often mixed about being a big sister for the first time. She loves the idea of having a little sister to hold and help feed and love...however she is very vocal about being upset that my lap is disappearing and that she doesn't want the baby around ALL the time. We'll have to see how it goes once Peanut arrives. I'm sure that she will fall in love with her baby sister and be proud of her new role as BIG sister...not just little sister. She loves first grade but has no true interest in the academic parts of the school day. She's a very social child. I think she's friends with almost every kid in her grade. I love how loving she is. I love how open and silly she is. Julia is just a great little kid.

Jessica is doing really well. Work is going well for her...she loves her babies...especially the really really sick ones. She loves those babies more than more other nurses. She makes her job personal...she worries about them when she's at home...she follows up with them...she gives them all of her heart. She has started a new program to get healthier. I am confident that she will succeed with flying colors.

Joey and Maxwell Gordon (our toy poodles) are currently very depressed. My mom just left and took her dog home with her. The boys miss their sister, Sugar, very much. It's actually quite pathetic to watch. Joey has been a little more cranky lately with all the baby prep so we are interested to see how he does once she's in our house and crying or taking attention away from him. Maxwell Gordon is living up to his name's sake (Uncle Gordon). He is super duper sweet. He just wants to show you he loves you all the time. He's figured out something is in my belly and almost seems to play with Peanut when she kicks and moves. He does however have a VERY onary streak and has started to run away when we let him out to go potty. He's now confined to a leash 90% of the time. We are hoping he grows out of this stage. :)

Well that's my family. We are all doing well. Other than my fluid being too low I am doing well. I enjoy feeling our baby wiggle around in there. I have packed our mommy bag and our baby bag today. I wrapped the Delaney Day gifts for the big girls (we are giving them something the day Delaney is born so they feel super special too). I have put the batteries in the baby papasan and the baby monitor. I still haven't found batteries to see if the swing works. My appetite is low and weird but I'm still getting my calories somehow. I feel extremely blessed to have the people in my life that I do. I feel so loved and so cared for. No matter if these people are only around once a year or every single day...I feel blessed by their presence.

Fluid Re-Check

Jess rose some hell at the doctor's office and got us an appointment to re-check the fluid level. It was 4.9 before they found a small pocket of fluid in between her feet and that sent it to 7. Those numbers still aren't great. The fluid around her head was 0.2...they could barely find enough to actually measure. A 7 is however big enough for us to be "okay" until Monday when OUR doctor gets back in town. I am just going to relax and wait until that appointment...then I'm hoping we have more answers and a game plan for the remainder of my pregnancy. I still don't feel like things are right with my body BUT our baby is okay for now so I am feeling better about that.

Labels and stupidity

So today we went in for our 2nd Fetal Nonstress Test. To start the appointment off I gained 4lbs in 2 days. That makes a total of 8lbs in 8 days...considering I had only gained 8lbs my entire 35 previous weeks that's a HUGE gain VERY QUICKLY! But apparently we're supposed to ignore it.

Then we get into the office and ask the actual amniotic fluid level. It was 4.2. A safe range is between 5-25....anything below 5 is grounds for an immediate delivery. However this "on call" doctor still doesn't feel like we need to do anything, including check Peanut's lung maturity through any testing to see if she is ready to come out.

Then we tell the doctor that I've had a headache for two days, my fingers are so swollen they hurt to move them, I've gained 8 lbs in 8 days, and my last two blood pressures have been considerably higher than they have been my ENTIRE pregnancy. He said "everything looks perfect".

Then we tell him that my blood sugar dropped to 48 yesterday and exploded to 190. It has NEVER been that low nor has it ever been that high. He said "oh well that's okay".

Then we asked him why he wasn't delivering our baby because of all the signs pointing towards her being safer out than in...he said well your doctor will be back on Monday. I don't want to step on any toes.

Pardon my language! But what the fuck!!! My baby's health and safety and my body's health and safety is less important than "stepping on toes"?! They won't call my doctor at home. They won't do a damn thing. So now all I can do is sit and worry. Sit and know that our babies little safe environment is closing in on her with very very very little fluid in there surrounding her and keeping her safe. Knowing that MY body seems to be shutting down. Knowing that until MY doctor gets back in the office not a dang person is going to listen to me.

I hate this!