March 23, 2015

She's here!

One week ago, on Monday, March 16, 2015 we welcomed miss Hazel Irene into the world! She busted in at 1:40 am weighing 9 lbs. and measuring 21 inches long. Her arrival was long awaited and we are overjoyed that she is finally here, although I can't believe she is already a week old. One week being overdue does not equal one week with a newborn... there must be some kind of time warp because I cannot understand how one can be so slow and the other so fast.

I hope to post an edited version of her birth story in the future, but I've spent the last week writing down everything I can remember about it and I certainly do not have the time or energy to type it all up right now. However, I will say that I feel incredibly lucky to have had a very positive labor and delivery. I wanted as natural a birth as possible, and that is what I got. I ended up going into labor on my own last Sunday and did not need an induction, and I managed the labor without any pain medications. There was a lot of yelling though.... Already the birth amnesia is setting in and I want to say that it really wasn't that bad, but In-the-Moment-Amy would tell you otherwise. I can say that it was 100% worth it and I feel like a superstar (albeit a very beat-up superstar) for creating a little human and bringing her into this world on my own (and by "on my own" I also mean with an awesome support team who I couldn't have done without!)

All I can say about life as a mother so far, is that I am addicted to my baby. Her smell, her eyes, her hair, her soft skin, the sound of her cry, and her little piggy snorts. I just want to breath her in and soak up all of her newborn snuggles.  I miss her even when she is right in front of me. I could watch her sleep for hours. If I look at her hard enough, I just start crying tears of joy and love. I am already lamenting the passing of time, and the fact that she's already growing. This is only a short phase of many that I know are all going to pass by too quickly. I love her, and even that is an understatement.



{  I also love watching this man be her dad. He is a natural.  }

{  Big blue eyes (at least for now)  }



{  Eyelashes!  }

{  Hello Spring!  }
<<<<<>>>>>

March 12, 2015

Weekly Update: Week 40

I did actually write this on Tuesday (3/10), I'm just late on actually posting it because I haven't gotten a picture ready for it. I still don't have a picture, but that will just have to wait. (Spoiler alert: I am still pregnant and not in labor. Boo!)

Edit: Here's the added picture! Though technically the only pictures I have that are actually 40 weeks are in my underwear. This was taken 3/14/15 so I was 41 weeks + 3 days.


How far along? 40 weeks. I really didn't want to make it through the whole week, but it looks like I'll probably make it to 41 tomorrow. 

How much weight have you gained? 33ish pounds

Any cravings? Chili cheese Fritos and BBQ

What are you wearing? I keep thinking each time I put on a maternity shirt for work that it could be the last time! and then it's not.

How are you feeling? Symptoms? Most of the week I was feeling great. The excitement has been real and all week I kept thinking, "Maybe tonight's the night!"... and then it wouldn't be. I've started trying all the wives tales. Eating dates, walking, riding in a bumpy vehicle, bouncing on the yoga ball, drinking raspberry leaf tea, eating spicy food, and eating pineapple. I've visualized, taken relaxing baths, tried acupressure points etc. etc. etc... But so far nothing has coaxed her out of my womb. Last night though, my contractions started picking up! Not anything too exciting, they're still the painless kind, but I've been getting them ever since. I woke up a lot throughout the night and each time I was having a contraction. Then this morning after I started moving around I had 5 or 6 within the hour. I decided not to go in to work to see if this was it and to see if I could get them to progress into a more active time-able labor. I've still been trying all the labor inducing things and even though the contractions have continued (having one now as I type!), they haven't really progressed. I'm not sure if this is actually the beginning or if this could go on for days still...

Stretch marks? Nope, but I've been forgetting to mention that I do have a really light, skinny linea nigra going. I don't remember when it first showed up, but it's been there for quite a while now. It's very skinny and kinda goes around my belly button (not through it).

Belly button in or out? Out. 

Sleep? I had one really awesome night of sleep! and a few that were pretty bad. 

Best moment this week: The gorgeous weather warm-up. It feels like spring and we were able to get out and go for a nice walk. I trimmed a bush in our yard that I've been meaning to cut back since last fall. I see daffodils and crocus tips peaking through the earth. It's a great time to bring a baby home!

Worst moment this week: All the waiting!

Miss anything? Having normal conversations with people that don't revolve around giving birth. Don't get me wrong, it's about all I can talk about and I know that everyone is excited and waiting like we are, but I'm ready to get it over with and move on to other topics! 

Movement? Still feeling her moving and a grooving, but she's doing it a little lower in my belly now. 

Excited for anything? We have a doctor appointment tomorrow. Hoping to get some great news, like that all of these contractions have been working on my cervix even though they don't hurt! Even though I don't want to be induced, we'll probably have something set up for the latest they will let us go. So at that point, we'll at least have a date that the waiting will end!

How’s dad-to-be? Anxious, and ready as ever. He was really sweet to me yesterday. I was at work and feeling pretty blue and he sent me a beautiful basket of flowers to cheer  me up!



<<<<<>>>>>

March 8, 2015

Maternity Photos Gone Wrong

There was this one time... that we decided to take our own maternity photos... and things did not go well. 

We wanted some photos of the two of us together. Documentation. We wanted to get some pictures with the belly and the dad. But we didn't want to pay for a professional shoot, or even go through that much effort, so a few weekends ago we just decided to DIY it. 

What we got were AWKWARD photos! Ha ha! If we face the facts, most maternity photos look pretty awkward anyway, but after we looked up some pose ideas most of ours turned out next level awkward. 

{  Um, no.  }
But we did end up getting a few that weren't TOO horrible. And that's all that we need!


{  Still pretty awkward, but in a cute way, right? Whatever, I like this one.  }

{  Probably the best of the bunch  }
{  And of course we needed one with the WHOLE family! My husband is pretty cute. }
 We are still patiently waiting on this little lady's arrival! Any day now!


March 3, 2015

Weekly Update: Week 39


{  It kinda looks like my bump shrunk, but I swear it hasn't!  }

How far along? 39 weeks (Hopefully, this is my last weekly update post! Tomorrow I hit 40!) 

How much weight have you gained? 33ish pounds

Any cravings?  I've been craving fruit again a little bit, but nothing too intense. I've been enjoying juice a lot, too. Tonight I want something spicy, but it's not so much a craving as it is an attempt to kick-start some contractions!

What are you wearing? Same maternity pieces I have been, but I'm looking forward to being able to wear some of my old clothes again soon and also warmer weather clothes are just around the corner!

How are you feeling? Symptoms? I have been feeling great! The groin pain of last week hasn't gone away completely, but definitely lessened, and I have had a lot of energy to boot. I even did a sledding run and a few high kicks this weekend! Although, in this moment I'm feeling pretty exhausted and cranky. I've been getting plenty of painless contractions, but nothing too serious yet.

Stretch marks? Down to the wire, but not yet.

Belly button in or out? Out.

Sleep? Waking up frequently, but still feeling pretty rested most mornings.

Best moment this week: I really enjoyed this past weekend. We were trying to stay active and so we did a lot of walking. During the snow storm we went out and walked around different stores and enjoyed being out and about while all the white fluff came down. We finally got our good snow right before spring!

Worst moment this week: Constantly waiting for signs of labor, but never getting any! I'm still at 1 cm. 

Miss anything?  I'm just excited that most things I've been missing will be back on the table soon! 

Movement? Still lots of movement. I can tell her feet are  little further down than they used to be. Last night she was going so crazy in there she woke me up and it was even a little bit painful. 

Excited for anything? A baby, duh! I'm hoping she gets here soon! The ultrasound tech yesterday predicted that she currently weighs 8lbs 14oz, so she's got to be running out of room, and I'm ready for her to make her appearance before she gets any bigger. 

How’s dad-to-be? Impatient. He is ready!

Tomorrow is my due date!!! Let's kick it into high gear, little one!

<<<<<>>>>>