Pediatrician Update

Emmeline had her 2 week check up today; she weighs 8 lbs 7 oz, meaning she's averaging 1 oz a day. Pretty good. She also had her first vaccination, since we opted to wait on the Hep B they normally give in the hospital. I managed to make it through without crying, but barely. Em was another story. Very unhappy baby. We also went and visited CA, where she got to meet all her future teachers. Then we had lunch with Connie. A very busy day, and now my poor girl is worn out. Not too tired to give me reproachful looks though.

Emmeline on her Movement Mat

Sorry there's no sound...

Weight Issues

Quick post before we give Miss Em another bath: Pediatrician was concerned about her weight loss (she lost 9 ounces from her birth weight), so he asked us to come back in on Thursday for another weight check. In two days, she gained 10 ounces! She was above her birth weight for the appointment, so the nurse practitioner told us whatever we're doing, to keep doing it.
On my end of things, this has been the best diet I've ever been on - one week out, I have exactly four pounds to go till I'm at my pre baby weight!!!! I don't know what I'm doing right, but this definitely exceeds my expectations, so I am VERY happy. I've worn regular jeans, with a button and fly and everything since Wednesday. Yea!

A Busy Day!

Miss Emmeline had her first bath this morning. It was only slightly stressful, she actually seemed to really enjoy it at first. She didn't get too upset until she was mostly wet. All in all, it wasn't too traumatic, and we all survived. After that, we got all ready for the big inauguration, with Emmy being the only one dressed for the occasion. She was very calm and watched some of the pre-inaugural stuff, but then fell asleep. Shawn felt she wan't showing the appropriate respect for the gravity of the situation, but we let her sleep anyway. As soon as the inauguration was over, we had to run to the pediatrician appointment. She's doing great, and we like our pediatrician a lot. We all went to the grocery store after the doctor's office, and she slept through her first trip out running errands. It was a VERY busy day, and she is now passed out, likely down for the count.

Shawn and I want to thank everyone who has stopped by, called, texted or sent us well wishes in anyway - we really appreciate everything, and are SO grateful for this huge support network we have!

Happy Birthday Emmeline Clare!!!

After having contractions since about 6 pm on Thursday (which was my due date), we headed into the hospital at 6 in the morning on Friday. Several hours later, which was mostly a haze, I got an epidural and the rest of the day was smooth sailing. After pushing for very close to three hours, our little girl came into the world at 9:11 pm. She weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and is 21 inches long. She has a lot of beautiful dark hair and looks very much like her daddy. So far she is a fantastic eater and a pretty laid back lady. We'll post more as we get into the swing of things.

Update

Doctor's appointment today was disappointing, as they all seem to be lately. I'm now a whopping 1.5 cm dilated, and might be in "early labor." I got the order to schedule a non stress test and a biophysical profile before the induction next Friday. Truly, I'm hoping I won't make it that far. I keep saying that, but I've been having some pretty strong contractions (the kind that make me stop what I'm doing) for more than 24 hours now. They just won't get regular. Let me apologize in advance for not calling anyone, or replying to emails or voicemails. At this point, I'm so tired and frustrated that I don't really want to talk to anyone. Even Shawn is pushing my buttons, and I REALLY like him. So, don't take it personally if you don't hear from me until the baby is born. I promise I still love you all.

You Know You Are...

In honor of a hysterical list I just read, I decided to post my very own:

You Know You Are 9 (+) Months Pregnant When:

-You sometimes sit on the toilet for ten minutes at a time, because it would be a waste to leave the bathroom...you'll be back in a few anyway.
-You debate buying ANOTHER bottle of Tums, deluding yourself into thinking that the baby will be here before the current bottle is gone.
-You only wear shoes that slip on. Yes, they're probably tacky.
-Virtually no clothes really fit anymore.
-You struggle mightily against slapping anyone who has a witty comment upon seeing you, such as "Gee, you're still here? I didn't think I'd see you today!"
-You yearn for the sight of blood on the toilet paper - you'd have to be admitted to L & D then!
-Everytime you wake to pee in the night, you find yourself hoping that you wake up in a puddle.
-You knock things over with your belly.
-Your friends and family keep staring at you when they think you're not looking. What exactly do they think they're going to see that I won't already know about?
-You almost dread the phone ringing. No, I STILL haven't had the baby.
-You see all the mess, and still don't even have the energy to CARE, let alone clean.
-You've washed all the baby's clothes/sheets/blankets more than once, and put them nicely in the drawers.
-You dream of being woken up by crying instead of a "full" bladder.
-The doctor asks if you're experiencing any swelling, and you say no, only to realize that you haven't worn your wedding rings in weeks. Oh, that counts as swelling? Thought it was normal.
-You go to the mall to walk. Not to shop, to walk.
-Your husband is suddenly VERY concerned with every sigh, sniffle or sound you make.
-Anything that falls to the floor is condemned to stay there unless a) someone else retrieves it for you or b) it's vital to your existence, e.g., a Rolaid.
-You spend hours debating with your husband whether or not you really have dropped.
-You skim all the pregnancy books you have finished reading to see if you missed some vital clue about going into labor.
-You spend a large amount of time debating which natural induction method sounds most appealing today.
-You have pep talks with your unborn baby about how "today is THE day!" (And, like any child, they choose not to listen to mommy.)
-You think a night in which you only peed 5 times is awesome!
-You spend alternate periods of time blowing your nose frantically, and pinching it in hopes to stop the sinus pressure.
-You have memorized the number for the OB office.
-You legitimately think your boobs can't possibly get any bigger - and are WRONG!
-You are simultaneously praying for the induction and praying that you don't make it that far.
-You get unreasonably excited when a virtual stranger tells you that she is going to stick her gloved hand into your body.

False Alarm

Woot. After having contractions half the night, and leaking what I thought might be amniotic fluid, I prepared Shawn for a potential evening at Virginia Hospital Center - to get checked out. I really didn't think this was the real deal. I continued having contractions all day, that got stronger, but not any more regular. I spent my whole lunch break on the treadmill, and listening to Shawn and Connie tell me that I needed to call the doctor. To make them feel better, I obliged. The doctor said to please come in, either in the next 30 minutes, or go to L&D if I couldn't be at the office in time. I hustled out of work, thinking that maybe this was more serious than I thought, even though I explained to the doctor that I wasn't sure it was fluid at all, and that the contractions weren't regular at all. Sho 'nuff, the tests came back negative for amniotic fluid, and my contractions are pretty much nothing. I'm 1 cm dilated. And somewhat disappointed. I really didn't think I was going to have a baby tonight, but I was really hoping that I would be farther along for the amount and intensity of contractions I've been having. I plan to continue drinking my herbal tea (for "toning your uterus), and Shawn and I have a big night of mall walking ahead of us. For those who pray, help me out here. I'm not in complete misery yet, but I am definitely ready to be done with this.