Ford's Birth Story

Now that Ford is five months old, I figured it was high time that I pen his birth story. I actually started writing it on August 3 … which happens to be about the time that his colic set in. And that, my friends, is why only now have I found a moment to gather my thoughts and write clearly how special and amazing Ford’s birthday, July 31, 2011, is to me, and how God showed up MANY times over the course of the labor and delivery.

July 25

I’ll start with Ford’s due date: July 25. I had a fabulous pregnancy. Yes, I was one of those annoying people who never felt sore, nauseous or fatigued. I really loved every moment of carrying my baby, and it was such a special time for me and Brad as we waited with eagerness to welcome our son. We cherished those last months and days as a family of two, and I remember feeling so close to God, knowing that he had chosen me for something very special… to be a mom to this sweet little life, and with Brad, to shepherd this baby’s heart from infancy to adulthood. In a way, it felt really magical. Charmed.

Because of how wonderful I felt as a pregnant person, it was easy for me to wait for Ford’s arrival. I was excited to “meet” him, but not in a hurry to rush him along before my body and his were ready. My due date came and went, as I had a feeling it would (I had not had any contractions – not even Braxton Hicks – so I assumed I would go past July 25, despite that my doctor assured me Ford would be on time or early).

July 28

I had a doctor’s appointment on July 28, and I expected my doctor to check things out, tell me all is well, then send me on my way until Ford decided he was ready to join the ranks of the un-umbilicaled. However, many of you may remember that my OB-GYN was very concerned that I hadn’t delivered yet. He explained to me that not only did he believe we would need to schedule an induction, but based on my Bishop score, he felt confident an induction would fail and result in a C-section.

I had not been big on the whole “birth plan” thing. I figured things would happen as they happened, and I wasn’t going to be particular about the lighting, whether or not I was okay with frequent fetal monitoring, or if I would be reclining, semi-reclining, side-lying, etc. during the labor process. The ONLY things I had been specific about were that 1) I would prefer not to be induced (no Pitocin if at all possible) 2) I DEFINITELY did not want a C-section unless it were an absolute emergency for me or the baby 3) I wanted to feed Ford as soon as possible after he was born to start the bonding process.

So to hear I was not only facing an induction, but very likely a C-section, was frustrating. I felt like I had been trying EVERYTHING I should, and suddenly, once my due date neared and then passed, everyone started telling me what worked for them, or their cousin, or their best friend’s sister’s college roommate. And for the most part, I had already tried everything. It was discouraging. And the thing is, I trusted my body to do what it needed to do. I believed Ford would start the labor process when it was time for him to. I didn’t start getting anxious or discouraged until my doctor and seemingly everyone else I encountered started telling me something must be wrong and I needed to fix it. I started keeping a list of everything I had tried to jump start labor and wake little Ford up from his womb nap. Here’s a partial list:

spicy food, pedicure, black cohosh, blue cohosh, evening primrose oil, red raspberry leaf, walking (miles in the heat of the summer), warm baths, jogging, exercise bike, cleaning the entire house, squats, Swiss ball exercises, yoga… and more.

So when the doctor gave me the “bad” news on July 28 and scheduled my induction for the following Thursday, August 4, I had a good cry and decided to pull out all the stops. We asked many people we love and trust to pray specifically that I would go into labor on my own and that I would avoid C-section. Brad bought me two pineapples and I ate them both within 24 hours. I went that very afternoon to a chiropractor (first time ever!) to see if my pelvis was out of alignment and get an adjustment. Turns out, everything was already perfectly aligned, and the chiropractor – who specialized in pediatrics and prenatal chiropractic – said she couldn’t pinpoint why the baby hadn’t dropped yet. Brad and I went to get the spiciest Indian food possible that night. Even the Indians who worked at the restaurant watched us in awe as we ate every morsel and every drop of spicy sauce on our plate (funny story – at first they refused to serve me such spicy food, because we asked for the very spiciest thing they could possibly make, and I must have looked a little scary at 9+ months pregnant… but we convinced them. They literally stood around our table, mouths agape, as we determinedly ate our food).

July 29

The next morning I went to my (first ever!) acupuncture appointment. A very nice Chinese man named Bush Zhang (who was in my insurance network and has a great reputation) poked me with 10 needles, hooked me up to some sort of electric thing, flipped a switch and let me lie in a dark room for 20 minutes getting electrical impulses at various pressure points. As I was leaving, he gave me a bag of bark tea and instructions for preparing it, then told me confidently in a thick Chinese accent: “You have your baby tonight… maybe tomorrow morning.” I laughed and told him that I had a feeling I would still be pregnant tomorrow, so he encouraged me to come back in if I hadn’t had the baby within 12 – 16 hours.

July 30

Early on the morning of July 30, around 3:30 a.m., I woke up with what I later would realize were my first contractions. It really just felt like indigestion. I decided to take a warm bath, and then was able to go back to sleep. I woke up a few hours later feeling much more encouraged. I still was in a bit of denial that I could have possibly had contractions that night, after hearing from my doctor there was no way I would have the baby on my own. But I was hopeful. I called Dr. Zhang’s office again and went in for another treatment at 10 a.m. on July 30. (Sidenote: Dr. Zhang and his assistant were shocked – shocked – that I hadn’t had the baby yet. :)  We repeated the same drill as the day before, then I decided to run errands and see if I could get some contractions going. I went to Target and bought a few groceries, including the ingredients to make cupcakes. I went home and speed-walked for about an hour around the neighborhood in 105-degree weather. Then I returned to the house and started fixing my cupcakes. As I was in the middle of making them, I thought to myself, “Oh my goodness… these could end up being “birth-day” cupcakes!” For the most part, however, I didn’t believe that I could really be in labor. I felt occasional cramps, which was definitely new, but I really think they were contractions. I hadn’t even told Brad anything yet. We were sort of in an unspoken “don’t talk about it lest we get discouraged or impatient” mode, and I didn’t want to get his hopes up only to learn that, in fact, nothing was happening. Around 4 p.m., I texted my cousin, Shelly, who had been a constant source of helpful advice and a listening ear for me throughout my pregnancy, and I told her I THOUGHT I might be having contractions and to pray that I was. We shared a moment of giddiness over text, and I decided to start getting dinner ready… and start timing my contractions (there’s an app for that, as you might imagine!). As I was making spaghetti and meatballs, I cautiously told Brad, “I MIGHT be having contractions, but don’t get excited until I tell you to.” Always good at following instructions, Brad simply shrugged and said, “Okay.” I teased him and said I thought he’d be a little excited, and he matter-of-factly replied, “Well you said don’t get excited yet, so I won’t.” We did pray that God would start the labor process in his time and in his way, then we enjoyed a yummy meal.

That night, we watched the movie JFK. That’s nearly a three-and-a-half hour film, and at the beginning of it, I thought “I could be having some serious contractions by the end of this movie!” Sure enough, about halfway through, I started to get pretty uncomfortable. I started doing some exercises on the Swiss ball and really trying to focus through the pain. I noticed Brad was sitting on the couch, watching the movie and giggling at some chat he was having on his computer. At that point, I sort of snapped at him… I don’t remember exactly what I said, but it was something to the effect of, “Well I’m glad you’re having so much fun right now.” Totally uncalled for… and totally cliché, right? He calmly asked me if I was still timing my contractions. I told him I was, and he asked me how far apart they were. I checked and they were only four minutes apart. My doctor had told me to call when they were five minutes apart. Brad encouraged me to call the doctor.

It was a Saturday, and my doctor is never on call over the weekend, so I knew Dr. Norwood wouldn’t be at the hospital. I was still somehow really not willing to acknowledge that I was in labor. I wasn’t scared or nervous; I just didn’t believe it could be true, after how badly my doctor’s appointment had gone only two days earlier. I had hoped that the only other doctor I had seen in the practice – Dr. McCants, who I liked a lot – would be on call. Sure enough, once I finally decided to phone the hospital (around 11:30 p.m.), Dr. McCants was the doctor on call! Out of something like 10 doctors in the practice, she was the one working that weekend. Amazing, and such a “God thing.” I explained to Dr. McCants what was going on, but I also filled her in on what Dr. Norwood had said Thursday, and that I REALLY didn’t think it was possible that I was in labor. She said it sounds like early labor; if it’s not, they can send me home or have me walk around the hospital a few times, but either way, I should probably come in.

July 31 (THE BIG DAY!)

Brad and I decided to wait a while before heading in. We tidied up the house, took showers, I did my hair and makeup, and Brad threw the last of his things into our already-packed hospital bag. We took a few videos to document the “getting ready” process, prayed and did a devotion, and decided to leave for the hospital around 1:30 a.m. I checked in at 2 a.m., and Brad and I were so giddy, it was silly. We were excited to be at the hospital, and so hopeful. Dr. McCants gave me a quick examination. She asked me how dilated and effaced I was at my appointment two days earlier. I told her I was barely .5 cm dilated and 50 percent effaced, to which she replied, “How happy would you be if I told you that you were now 2 cm dilated and 80 percent effaced?” I was ecstatic, of course. She told me I had gone from basically a 0 or 1 on the Bishop scale to a 9 in about 48 hours, and that I was a “keeper,” meaning they weren’t going to send me home. By her math, I should be dilating about a centimeter every hour, so the baby would be here by 11 a.m. or noon.

Brad and I waited around in the very nice labor and delivery suite, listened to music, watched TV, talked, took pictures and videos, prayed and thanked God for answering our prayers to have labor start without artificial hormones, and just enjoyed our time. We didn’t want to text or email anyone until 5 or 6 a.m. Of course, when we finally told our parents that we were at the hospital, they were overjoyed! It was a really great moment.

Around 5 a.m., when I was very much in the active stage of labor and dilated to about 5.5 centimeters, I decided it was time for an epidural. Great decision. My pain was gone, but I still was able to feel pressure, move my legs around, have sensation in my toes, etc. However, when the doctor came back to check my progress, I had stalled. She checked again an hour later, and my labor had basically stopped progressing. I was still having contractions, but they weren’t productive. Suddenly, this wasn’t “fun” anymore. She had a sincere talk with me and told me she understood my desire to avoid C-section, but if I don’t have the baby by 5 p.m. (it was now about 9 a.m.), we would have to do a C-section. They advised me to allow them to start me on a slow drip of Pitocin. I had really wanted to avoid Pit, but it was more important to me that I avoid C-section. I just wanted to test my body’s limits and prove to myself that I could have the kind of birth that I had ever so vaguely envisioned. The doctor also broke my water for me. Brad and I summoned our prayer warriors again and started praying furiously as well. I couldn’t believe that God would answer this many prayers and take me this far only to have me deliver Ford by C-section.

An hour and a half later, Dr. McCants returned to check on me. I had told Brad I would be thrilled if she told me I was 7 centimeters dilated. He thought it would be great if I were at an 8. Dr. McCants started laughing during the examination. She shook her head and said, “Not only have you made progress… you are complete (10 cm dilated, 100 percent effaced), the baby is at +2 station, and it looks like you’ve been that way for about an hour!” So in as little as 30 minutes, I had gone from “You’re probably going to have a C-section after all,” to “It’s time to push, girl!”

My amazing nurse, Susan, coached me on how to push. And push I did. They told me that it’s not unusual for first time moms to have to push for 1 - 2 hours, so don’t be discouraged if it takes some time. “Fine,” I thought. I was just excited that this was happening! The doctor told me I was a “pro pusher” and that I was doing everything right. However, after 1.5 hours of pushing, the baby hadn’t moved an inch downward. Not a good sign. At this point, I had to have my epidural topped off, because I was feeling a lot of pain in my back. The doctor decided to see what could be going on, and…

Here’s where it gets interesting.

The baby was facing the wrong way. Sunny-side up, occiput posterior, OP, whatever you want to call it. His head was down, but his face was pointed toward my front instead of toward my back. God designed it so that the baby’s head, facing toward the mother’s back, would tuck perfectly under the pelvic bone. As it was, Ford’s skull was ramming up against my pelvic bone and unable to tuck under. Which meant, according to the doctor, that I had three options:

1) C-section

2) Forceps to turn the baby so that his face was pointing toward my back

3) Vacuum to the top of his head so that the doctor could forcefully guide him under the bone

Obviously 1) was out, so it was between 2) and 3). The doctor was hesitant to tell me what to do – presumably for liability purposes – so the nurse told me if it were her baby, she’d go with the forceps since vacuum extraction may pose some risk to the baby’s brain. Okay then! Dr. McCants tried to turn the baby with the forceps, and that didn’t work. Then she tried to turn him with her hands (can I just say at this point: THANK GOD FOR EPIDURALS). That didn’t work, though I did learn from Dr. McCants that Ford would have hair and a “righteous conehead.” So with that method failing, I said, “Okay, let’s do the vacuum after all.” No dice. Apparently once you try the forceps, you can’t try the vacuum because it’s too risky. It’s one or the other (I didn’t know that). So once AGAIN, for the third? fourth? time, I was facing a C-section. Okay, there is ONE more option, Dr. McCants said. We can use a different type of forceps to pull him out while you push (instead of just trying to turn him the proper direction).

Of course, we decided to do that. I pushed for another two hours. Brad and Susan each held my feet while I gave it everything I had. The chief resident, Dr. Newman, operated the forceps while Dr. McCants gave her guidance. I just kept being told I was doing everything right but that the baby didn’t want to come out. After nearly four hours of pushing, Dr. McCants whispered to Dr. Newman, “How much longer are you going to let this go on?” Meaning, “How long until we wheel her in for a C-section?” Dr. Newman replied, “Two more pushes.” Fortunately, I didn’t hear this exchange. Brad and Susan, however, did, and suddenly started being super-hyper-cheerleader types. “COME ON, KATIE! You’ve got this! PUSH, PUSH, PUSH! You really need to push!” “Duh, guys,” I thought. “I’ve been pushing for four hours, I know this is what I ‘need’ to be doing.” So I kept pushing as hard as I could.

Nothing.

I pushed one more time… the last push, though I didn’t know it, that Drs. Newman and McCants would allow me before I went in for an emergency C-section.

And Ford came out, my slippery little babe, in that one push.

One push. The last push. And Ford entered our lives, the baby we had prayed for and loved while he was still just a dream in our hearts, was here in the flesh.

For the first time in more than 36 hours of labor, I started to cry. I was overwhelmed with gratitude toward my doctors and nurses and just kept saying over and over again, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Dr. McCants started crying too, hugging me and saying, “You did it, you really did it!” I would learn later that she had delivered nine babies that weekend, two of which were OP (sunny-side up), and the tears may have been more out of exhaustion than joy. Regardless, it was such an incredible moment.

The NICU team had been brought in, as is protocol when forceps are used. They tossed our boy across the room and started cleaning him up and suctioning his mouth. He had swallowed meconium on his way out, so they were concerned about his lungs. I heard him whimpering, trying to cry… it sounded like a kitten mewing. So sweet, I thought. I didn’t realize, probably due to all of the endorphins, that he should have been shrieking. I called out to Brad and asked cheerfully, “How is he? How does he look?”

Now Brad at this point had been through more of an ordeal than I had. He would tell me later that the doctor had been leaning back with all of her weight on the forceps—which looked like giant salad tongs—trying to pull Ford out, and that he thought she was breaking his neck. That was fairly horrifying, I’m told.

(Note: I learned later that Dr. Newman was herself pregnant, and that’s probably why she allowed me to go so long without a C-section. My own doctor, Dr. Norwood, told me the next day that he would have been “sharpening the knives,” as he put it, much earlier.)

So to answer my question about how Ford is and what he looks like, Brad—looking at Ford’s “righteous,” teradactyl-esque conehead, seeing him manhandled by the NICU team, and hearing our baby’s feeble little whimpers—did what any good husband would and should do, and answered tentatively, “Uhhh… good… ?”

And truth be told, despite swallowing meconium and making a rather dramatic entry into the world, Ford was, in fact, “good.” He scored and 8 and a 9 on his Apgar tests, but as a precaution he was sent to the nursery for observation before I was allowed to get more than just a picture with him. Brad was the only person besides members of the clinical team who was allowed to hold Ford during this time, giving them some really sweet bonding time. As Brad put it, Ford was the first baby he felt very natural holding—and the first baby who didn’t fuss as soon as he was placed in Brad’s arms. The doctors and nurses still needed to attend to me for about four hours before I was allowed to move from the labor and delivery room to the post-partum unit, and when I finally made my way up to the seventh floor of Baylor’s Truett Hospital where I would be reunited with Ford, our little guy had a ferocious appetite. It was such a special honor getting to really hold him and feed him for the first time. Truly surreal. I counted his fingers and toes and admired his sweet little creaseless face and long eyelashes. I couldn’t believe his thick head of dark hair and I remember thinking he looked so much like Brad, but with my dark hair and olive-toned skin.

Even though it wasn’t exactly the birth I expected to have, and my recovery took longer than I expected, I wouldn’t change a thing about the circumstances of Ford’s birth. God moved so many times, over and over, answering prayers and reminding us that his plan is perfect and he is more than worthy of our trust. I believe the medical team—my nurses, the on-call OB-GYN, and the chief resident—were perfectly appointed by him to be in that room with us and usher Ford safely into the world.

To close this story, I want to share one of the more magical moments of that day. First, you should know that I am a huge fan of the Beatles. I was raised on the Fab Four and know just about every beat and syllable to every one of their songs. I listened to the Beatles more often than any other music while I was pregnant, and I looked forward to introducing my son to their music someday. As fate would have it, Ford met the Beatles at birth. You see, when I was pretty early in the labor process, I played a Beatles mix I had made. We listened to it while we were just waiting around in the middle of the night at the hospital. The music stopped at some point, but I don't remember turning it off. I assume the playlist reached its end and didn’t repeat.

As the NICU team swept him across the room and the doctors attended to me, I realized that the stereo was back on and the song "Across the Universe" was playing. I swear the sound system had been off for hours, and suddenly my favorite band ever was welcoming my baby boy into the world. I felt like it was the soundtrack in a movie about one of the most important moments in my life.

I keep that moment close to my heart. I know there will be many more such moments, sort of out-of-body experiences where I feel like I’m watching my little one grow—too quickly, I’m sure. And I can’t wait to drink them all in.

Sounds of laughter, shades of life
are ringing through my open ears,
exciting and inviting me.
Limitless undying love which
shines around me like a million suns,
It calls me on and on across the universe...

A few pictures of Ford at one week old

 

Baby Ford is Here!

David Bradford "Ford" Gaultney, III entered our world on July 31, 2011, at 4:39 p.m. Weighing 7 lbs., 7 oz. and measuring 20 inches long, this tiny man has totally wrecked our hearts. We are unbelievably smitten. It's a good thing he's so cute and loveable... otherwise we might actually notice how little we're sleeping. :)

More details soon, including Ford's birth story, which is an incredible testament to prayer. Spoiler alert: No C-section!

For now, enjoy a few photos.

Due Date!

 

 

 

I didn't actually see this movie and heard it was kind of "meh," but it seems appropriate for today! (Plus it's hard for me to believe that Zach Galifianakis could do any wrong. Have you SEEN "Between Two Ferns" ?!)

Notice the number in the "Baby Countdown" widget at the right? Zero days left! Happy Due Date!!!! Baby G must not have a calendar in there because with zero days left, there are zero signs of labor. I didn't expect there to be any, but I would be ELATED to feel a contraction today. Even just a false one. Something to tide me over... :)

As thrilling as I know it will be to welcome the Babe Gaultney into our lives, I am also cherishing these days of waiting. I am going to rip off an email I just sent to a friend to tell you what I mean:

[...] I am so EXCITED to meet him, but I'm just telling myself he's not technically "late" until August 8 (two weeks from now). Plus, this is such an amazing time to contemplate all of the joys and challenges ahead... I know that sounds cheesy, but really... What other time in LIFE am I going to have this kind of quiet time to ponder how God has blessed us, what kind of wife/friend/mother/sister/daughter I want to be... I'm not a very "contemplative" person by nature, so it has been cool to have a peace that allows me to think through those deep, spiritual questions. And I get a little giddy thinking that God knows Baby G's birthday already and we'll find out soon enough!

 

I really do mean that...  Yes, there are a few small things I'm kind of dreading. Namely, all of the well-meaning friends who may write things like, "When's that baby gonna get here?!" on my Facebook wall... and I also would like for the little guy to be born in July, which I believe is one of the most fabulous months. But really, that stuff doesn't matter in the long run.

That's not to say I'm not doing anything to encourage his arrival! I've amped up my exercise routine, walking a little further every day and spending some additional time on the exercise bike. I'm also using a Swiss ball instead of an office chair. And my doctor recommended that I start drinking a few cups of red raspberry leaf tea every day; it doesn't induce labor, but it does tone the muscles you'll need to use for delivery and may encourage the baby to ooch his way into position. These are just little changes to help things along, hopefully. 

 

I wrote way back when that Google is my frenemy... Such a great way to find info to help me in my pregnancy--what's okay to eat, what symptoms are normal, when you should call your doctor--but some of that info can be awfully scary. I made the mistake on Friday of Googling something like, "What happens if the baby doesn't drop," and the answer was -- dun dun dun -- C-section. I figure he's got to drop at some point though, right? And my doctor has a really low C-section and induction rate, so I think he'll work with me to allow the babe to come on his own time!

I promised you a bump pic today. Brad's gone and will be until later tonight, so here's an iPhone pic in the meantime. Forty weeks! Thank you, God, for bringing me to this point! 

A Fourth to be Reckoned With

What a wonderful Fourth of July weekend! It started off strong and then fizzled into couch-dwelling by the time Monday rolled around. And to be honest, that was pretty much a perfect pace for me.

That nesting instinct is a powerful force, friends (hence the punny title of this post). As I mentioned recently, I have been going to town on errands and crossing things off my list. In fact, I've been so on top of things that I have run out of preparations to complete, and I found myself searching for projects on Saturday. I decided to wire lamps out of two $5 glass vases (vases from HomeGoods, lamp kit from Home Depot, shades from Target), then I did a little hand-painted, no-sew valance in the guest bathroom to coordinate with our towels and mats and cover up an unsightly metal bar at the top of the wooden blinds.

My lamp project. The other one looks just like this.

This lamp from Crate & Barrel kind of looks like my lamp, but costs $229!

Bathroom valance. I just used hemming tape and craft paint. It actually looks pretty good in person and finishes out the room.

We also bought a baby monitor (it's a good one!) and visited Cabela's, had brunch, went to the Dallas Farmer's Market, and ran a ton of random errands (grocery shopping and the like). I think sometimes I forget my nine-months-pregnant limitations, because on Saturday night Brad and I were getting ready to go for a walk, and I realized my ankle had really been hurting. Sure enough it was all swollen, and not just because of the heat and stuff. I think I tweaked it, or the relaxin hormone made my ligaments temporarily really crazy in one ankle.

So we went to church on Sunday and otherwise were pretty low-key, since I had developed a really attractive little limp. I was REALLY self conscious because I didn't want to be perceived as having a "pregnancy waddle." I baked and just did stuff around the house.

Monday our friends Abby and Zach came over in the morning... SO nice to visit with them. Brad and I were going to make mozzarella, but I didn't realize you needed a gallon of whole milk and I didn't feel like going to the grocery store again. So I made chicken tikka masala out of stuff I already had on hand. Interestingly, that's considered the unofficial national dish of Great Britain, and I made it on the day we celebrate our independence from them. :)

Not a whole lot of baby news in this post. He is moving A TON and really making me excited to meet him in a few weeks!

Hardheaded Baby, part II

Hard-headed? (A moai at Easter Island.)

Another appointment this morning! It was nice to see Dr. Norwood again. He asked if I was excited that I am in the last month, and I said yes... I told him I've been pleasantly surprised at how quickly the days are passing. He checked my ankles and fingers for swelling, and when there wasn't any, he congratulated me for taking good care of myself, then followed that up with a signature Dr. Norwood mega-compliment: "You should be a maternity model!" Love him.

Again, no real news this time. I thought they'd be doing pelvic exams weekly at this point, but I was surprised to learn Dr. Norwood doesn't do those until 39 weeks unless there's a reason to suspect a problem. At first I was disappointed, but after thinking about it more, it's probably better... that way I won't be making myself crazy over the numbers (what percentage effaced I am, etc.).

I can tell you that the baby has not dropped yet (according to Dr. N, "His head's still pretty high up there"), the heartbeat was strong at 150 bpm, and my Group B Strep and HIV tests came back negative (to which Dr. N said, "You'd be checking Brad's Twitter account if the HIV test had a different result!").

But the Group B Strep result is really good news. That means if my water breaks at home, I don't have to rush to the hospital for antibiotics; I can wait out a lot of the early labor at the house. And of course it's less risk for the baby.

Oh, and if I end up having a C-section (PLEASE AGAIN PRAY THAT I DON'T!!!), Dr. Norwood agreed to apply the product my company makes that helps those incisions heal faster. So that's good!

So the reason for the title of this post: When Dr. Norwood felt my belly for the baby's head, he AGAIN said, "Whoa, that is a HARD head!" and then he made me feel the head so I could see what he was talking about (it freaks me out to press that hard into my stomach). And yup, it was a rock-hard head. Whereas last time I joked about it with him, this time I told Dr. Norwood, "That is NOT what I want to hear." He said, "Why not? You don't want a soft-headed kid!" And I said, "Actually, I do... I want his head to be like a sponge until he is out of me!!!" I just think about ALL of the babies' heads the this doctor must feel, and he is SHOCKED at how hard Baby G's head is. And recall that Dr. McCants remarked at how "big" the baby's head was, too. Oh well. I hear childbirth is supposed to hurt, so... yeah. :-/

BUT: I am focused on reading positive birth stories over the next few weeks and just not being scared. I have been blissfully confident about this whole "labor" thing for months, and now that everything is more or less done -- nursery complete, bags packed, car seat installed, etc. -- I find myself having more time to think about scary stuff like pain and complications. I am determined not to let that doubt creep in, and I want to replace it with prayer and positive thoughts!

This and That

Hi, all! I'm so sorry for the radio silence. I shouldn't make excuses, but I have been really, really busy for the last couple of weeks! ALL good things. :) But for the few weeks, I have spent my weekends being SHOWERED with love by family and friends! I am going to do a dedicated post on the showers sometime next week. Spoiler alert: I'm overwhelmed--in the best of ways--at the outpouring of love and support Brad and I have received. It has been incredible and I feel enormously grateful.

Speaking of gratitude, I need to write more thank-you notes! I literally have just not had time! :-/ If I owe you a thank-you, be patient: I am no less thankful, I am just a smidge busy. (sorrryyyy!!!!)

I'll briefly give you an update on what's happening in Baby Land, though I'll know more tomorrow after my doctor's appointment. I'm going every two weeks now, which is exciting! I have a sneaking suspicion the little babe has rotated in the last couple of days and may not be head down anymore... He gets the hiccups every now and then, and the last time he had them the little thump-thump was on my left side above my belly button, and the time before that the rhythm was coming from my right side. Who knows if that really means anything, but it used to be clear from the hiccups where his head was, now not so much.

The nursery. is. FINISHED!!!! At the risk of sounding like a tease, I'm going to wait to post pics until I get my nice camera (should be a few more days). For Mother's Day this year, I felt like I was given VIP access to this club--the mom club--by mistake. People would wish me a happy Mother's Day and I kept thinking, "Me? But I'm not a mom!" But believe me, I was more than happy to partake of the privileges. I got cards and gifts (including a groovy Mother's Day mix put together by my mom, audiophile Nancy Thorne) and even got treated to brunch by my baby daddy. Brad surprised me by buying me the digital SLR camera that I had been no so subtly hinting about for weeks, but we're still waiting on its delivery.

I haven't had any Braxton Hicks since those two or three contractions I had several weeks ago. Really, I'm feeling very good. The only bummer symptoms are that occasionally, very rarely, I'll get a little pinched nerve in my lower back, but it goes away pretty quickly. Other than that, I'm having a grand time watching my belly undulate as the little dude throws elbows and kicks. It has been so much fun.

I promise to share more soon! Oh, and newsflash: Less than FOUR WEEKS until the baby is considered full term (not preemie), and less than SEVEN WEEKS until his due date!!!

Until next time, here's a photo (well, a photo I took of a photo) of Brad as a baby lounging by the pool at his grandparents' house. It says, "I wonder what the peasants are doing today?" Hahaha. :)

Overdue

No, not that kind of overdue... :) I still have about eight or so weeks to go. But I am long overdue for a blog post! I have been writing all kinds of posts in my head -- about Mother's Day, the nursery (almost done!), and more... but I have just been enjoying my FREEDOM (said like William Wallace in Braveheart) since graduating that I haven't sat down to write it all up.

Work has been busy enough, though not as crazy as it was last month and earlier this month. It's kind of nice to feel like it's slowing down a bit after some emotional/chaotic days. I don't plan to take maternity leave (or in my company's case, short term disability) until I go into labor.

We're interviewing a pediatrician this afternoon, then tonight we'll go to IKEA to pick up a few nursery things. We need drawers for baby clothes, a rug, and a couple of RIBBA frames. Once we get those items, all I need is a rocker and/or glider, then bring on the baby! (Okay in all honesty, we probably need a ton more than that, but at least the nursery will LOOK finished at that point.) :)

More soon! Until then, all is well in babyland. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers as we get closer to July!

Since I haven't posted a bump shot in a while, here's an iPhone pic I put on Facebook last week at 30.5 weeks.

Last 100 Days!

Somehow my "baby countdown" widget in the right hand column was off a few days and I just noticed it. Kind of like when your watch stops, or something, it just wasn't counting down. Weird! So I thought I still had about 104 days until my due date, but I just realized I am under 100 days! 96, to be exact! I think I'm officially in the third trimester, too.

I had this big idea of doing a "Last 100 Days in Utero" post, kind of like how they measure a president's first 100 days in office. But now that I'm at 96 days, that feels a little anticlimactic. I had planned to finish all of my research papers before I got to 100 days. I still have one to go! Oh well.

My belly has literally doubled in size in the last 48 hours. I am not kidding. Last night was the first night I started to feel uncomfortable around my ribs. And my belly button is getting really shallow all of a sudden. I am glad that the baby is healthy and growing, but I am not ready for this discomfort and whale-ishness! As I was whining to Brad a little bit, he was sympathetic but teasingly reminded me that I have had a dream pregnancy so far, so I really can't complain. He's right!


We completed our "Prepared Childbirth" classes at Baylor and made friends with the instructor. I feel much more informed about what to expect over the course of the next several months, including postpartum. My big prayer is that I avoid a C-section. Brad was able to change a diaper for the first time (on a baby doll), and I brought along one of our cloth diapers so that he can practice with that too. We're planning to do disposables for the first four to six weeks, then switch to bumGenius. I have bought 13, and I'm hoping to at least double that number so I'm not doing laundry every day!

The childbirth classes really affirmed my decision to deliver at Baylor. I initially chose it because it's the closest hospital to our home, and a friend of ours (our awesome and sweet neighbor's older daughter) had her babies there and had wonderful things to say about it. She told us they put little Bible verse cards on your meal trays... little touches that make you feel like you're in good hands. Turns out they also really work with you to ensure your birth is an experience that feels rewarding, and they want to accommodate your vision for the process as much as possible/reasonable. They are also huge proponents of breastfeeding and won't give your baby formula or pacifiers if they know you plan to breastfeed. The baby stays in the room with you, and the same nurse who cares for you cares for your baby (couplet care). Everyone we have encountered there has been nothing short of warm, friendly and incredible! The facilities are very nice and new, too; Brad said he's looking forward to staying at "Hotel Baylor." :)

I also think we might have chosen our pediatrician. She comes extremely highly recommended by some friends of ours. We'll be meeting with her in about a month to get a feel for her and make sure our views align.

So even though the nursery remains empty, progress is being made!

Hormones (?) and an answered prayer

First off, something good: My test results are in and I am negative for gestational diabetes. Assuming I stay that way, I will have a much easier third trimester and delivery than if I had tested positive!

Now. I feel like God has truly spared me from the hormones/mood swings that famously accompany pregnancy. Brad will vouch for me: I have been a pretty cool customer over the last 5.5, almost 6 months. Perhaps more "cool" than usual, even. I've just been so excited and realized HOW MUCH I have to be grateful for, so pickle-flavored-ice-cream-fueled screaming matches haven't even entered the picture. It's like I am more forgiving, and get stressed out LESS easily (as a type-A personality, this is truly God at work).

BUT. Over the last week or so, I have been feeling the walls closing in. Heaps of frustration at work, lots of school work (I don't know how it will all get done, but I just keep telling myself it ALWAYS gets done), and feeling the urge to nest but having to suppress it because I literally don't have time - it's really getting to me. For example, Brad saw that we had a rare free night last week and committed us to a dinner with friends. Totally good intentions on his part. Nice, right? So anyway, when he tells me we're going to dinner, I literally, instantly, burst out into tears, wailing about how I need to write my first of three term papers and it's due next week and I haven't made any progress on it because I've been working every night because of a groundbreaking ceremony and and and... Not a normal reaction, right? I am really wondering if pregnancy hormones are finally catching up to me and making me hyper-emotional.

Today has been especially frustrating. But before this starts to sound like an epic rant, the point of me telling you this is that God just answered prayer. Brad called just as I was hanging up from another (FRUSTRATING) phone call. I told him I feel like nothing has gone right for me today. As I'm walking around the house and talking to him on my cell, I notice our cleaning lady (whom I am appreciative of! Don't get me wrong, I know it's a blessing that we are able to have help a couple of times a month!) has gone home and she left two bags of trash sitting on our back step, rather than taking them to the trash can. So I murmur something like, "Ugh, and now I have to lug the trash to the alley," and in my annoyance, Brad asked if he could pray for me. So he starts praying for my stress level, for my day to improve, etc. Just after he says "Amen," the cleaning lady - who had already driven off - walks around into our back yard and grabs the trash bags. She mouthed through the patio door, "Whoops, forgot these!" and proceeded toward the alley with them.

I was still on the phone with Brad and I started laughing and crying at the same time. God answered prayer QUICKLY, and with a sense of humor!

That was a bright spot in my otherwise terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. :)

On that note, I'd really value your prayers as I navigate some stressful days and nights, which may appear more frustrating to me due to hormones!

This Week in Pictures

Yesterday was Brad's and my five-year "meetiversary." Next week we'll celebrate our four-year "engage-iversary." I'm finding myself just filled to the brim with gratitude. God has been so good to us in so many ways, not the least of which is this blessing we're expecting in July.

I just cleared some pictures off my camera, so I thought I'd offer a photo update on our lives over the past week.

Brad priming the red wall in the guest bedroom. No more red! Hooray! This weekend or maybe sometime in April we'll paint the whole room. The beginnings of a nursery!

Brad admiring the registry gun while relaxing in a rocker/glider at Babies 'R' Us. Read about that visit here.

While registering, I asked Brad if he thought we should get a "soft friend" for Baby G. Our choices were a monkey or a giraffe. I held up the giraffe and said, "This is kind of cute," and Brad balked and said, "What is that? A koala?" He had me rolling! How does this giraffe in any way resemble a koala?! I thought Brad needed to seriously brush up on his zoo animals until Brad pointed out the tag...

The brand of this stuffed animal is called Koala Baby. Which led Brad to believe that it was a koala. My man is pretty cute. ;)

Brad proved he is the champion mini-golfer on our date day (read about that here). We weren't keeping score, but he was undoubtedly winning. Here he is illustrating a fancy "between the legs" shot.

Wearing a work dress after spending a couple of days in San Antonio. My bump is getting bumpier! (And I know, what a cliche - barefoot and pregnant. At least I'm not in the kitchen!)

St. Patty's bump. Took this picture today. Baby G is part Irish, since I believe we have some Irish ancestry on my dad's side. Also, I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was waiting for the awesome "pregnancy hair" everyone raves about to kick in. I think it finally did! I'm noticing it's thicker and growing faster. Hooray!

Brad and I are going to a nice steakhouse tonight, Bob's Steak and Chop House, to celebrate our meetiversary, engage-iversary, and the fact that it's spring break right now, so we actually can enjoy an evening together. Usually, we don't see much of each other during the week because our schedules are so opposite. 

Again, so much to be thankful for!

Random Updates II

Just a quick post with some more random updates.

No "Bump Chronicles" update today -- I'm in SA for some meetings and left EARLY this a.m. It felt even earlier because it's the day after Daylight Savings Time. My pregnant self is going to be VERY tired by about 3 p.m. On the positive side, I haven't seen my parents since the second week of January, so it will be nice to catch up in person this evening.

Brad and I had a fantastic day together yesterday! Early church, then a trip to IKEA for a few baby-related items. After that we decided to use a gift card for an Italian food lunch, then mini golf and a movie! Saturday night, I managed to drag a reluctant Brad to Babies 'R' Us to help with the registry.

Side note -- Registry stuff STRESSES ME OUT. I have done quite a bit of research on the best car seats, strollers, high chairs, cribs, baby monitors, etc. for the money, but there's so much other stuff -- socks, onesies, diapers (we're going to do cloth), changing pads, noise machines, humidifiers, hand mixers and steamers for baby food, a Medela pump, etc. that I feel like we'll need, but I don't know what to choose or if anyone will even buy it. I start to have mental panic attacks when I think of all the STUFF we'll have to procure in the next four months to get ready for Baby G's arrival. Don't take that as a pathetic plea for stuff -- that's not what I'm saying at all -- it's just that I don't remember feeling this way when I was registering for our wedding. Am I the only one who has faced baby registry anxiety? Please say no. I know babies really don't need much, but it feels like life will be so much easier if we have certain things.

Fortunately, I have already gotten some VERY GENEROUS donations (***MARTHA!!!***), so we have some biggies taken care of (including a baby swing, co-sleeper, extra monitor and pack and play, and more), so I'm super grateful for that.

Anyway, Brad was hesitant to come along on Saturday, but once I gave him the registry gun, he was having a great time. It was so fun to see him get excited about baby clothes and learn what his tastes are. I even took a cute picture of him lounging in one of those fully upholstered gliders, but my camera is in Dallas. Oh, and he Kilz'ed the red wall in the guest room for me! What a guy. :)

I have been fortunate to not yet have to buy maternity clothes (full disclosure, I bought a top on clearance at Target but didn't try it on and decided I hate it, so I'm not counting that), but I have a feeling that's about to change. I'm wearing my pre-pregnancy dress pants today, and they are awfully snug. Give me another week and I bet I'll have to pony up for some banded pants. I feel lucky to have been able to wait until now, though. I've heard you pretty much want to burn all of your maternity clothes at the end of nine months, so the longer I can put that off, the better.

Thanks for putting up with a stream-of-consciousness update. I'm off to a meeting now!

Boy, oh, Boy!

By now you have probably heard that we are having a BOY! I must already have this little one pegged, because I KNEW in my bones that it was a boy. And he was not shy about confirming my suspicions, either! We had just started the sonogram, and I was mid-sentence talking to the ultrasound tech when she interrupted me and said "WOW, you are definitely having a boy!" and then kept making jokes about what a proud little boy he was, etc. Photographic evidence is below; see the middle sono pic for the proof!

All in all, we didn't get to see a whole lot of the little babe. The ultrasound tech seemed like she was very to-the-point... nice, but not really one to play around. I asked if she could do the 3D/4D scan, and she said she could but she wasn't going to because it would freak me out to see how skinny my baby looked. Apparently babies look very scrawny until 26-28 weeks. I convinced her to do it for just a second, but the baby was moving SO FAST and OFTEN that it was hard to tell what we were looking at. The tech mentioned how much the baby was moving. So out of the five ultrasounds I have had, four times the technician/doctor has made a comment about how the baby was unusually active. The only time he wasn't bouncing around was before he had arms and legs!

We did get to see two tiny, sweet feet with beautiful toes, the mouth (which looked like Brad's) and the nose, which looks more like Brad's than mine (but really looks like neither of ours, exactly). I know he'll change a lot between now and 37-40 weeks, but it's so fun to feel like I'm peering int a window of who that little boy is!

The baby weighs just under a pound -- exactly what he's supposed to weigh at 20 weeks -- and is as healthy as can be. No signs of any abnormalities (other than possibly hyperactivity -- just kidding :). Placenta is in the best possible place, umbilical cord looks fantastic, brain, kidneys, bones, heart - all ideal. My weight gain is right on track too. I was a little worried at the number I have been seeing on the scale, but the doctor encouraged me and said he wants me to give nutrition classes to his other patients (haha). Obviously, we like Dr. Norwood!

We got a video, which I may try to put online later. It's just that you can't really tell what you're looking at, and the tech kept forgetting to hit "record."

Sadly, this may be the last glimpse we get of Baby G before he enters our lives in the flesh! Unless there's a medical reason to do another one, insurance won't cover it. I'm not sure I can go 20 more weeks without a peek at that little punkin, so I may think about paying out of pocket. But maybe not. Babies are 'spensive.

Now on to the nursery and the registery! EEEEEEEE!

Random Updates

Picture I posted to Facebook of my bump at 19 weeks. 

 
Just a random update from the past few weeks. 

I've been feeling definite, strong kicks since before 16 weeks. Some days I think Baby G is practicing to become Lord of the Dance in there, and I love it. (Although in the interest of full disclosure, I finally admitted to Brad that the long Riverdance sessions, reassuring though they are, can get a little annoying when I'm trying to concentrate or sleep. But I know deep down I would not want them to stop.)

I kept trying to get Brad to feel the baby move, and there were a couple of times when he thought he could, but I didn't feel anything at the moments he thought he did. But yesterday I was watching my tummy -- YES, I can see the baby moving in there -- and there were like some solar flare baby movements. Really dramatic kicks that you could see CLEARLY just by looking. So I called Brad over, and he felt the baby for sure! Exciting milestone!

I was also having REALLY bad pain at my navel yesterday. It woke me up at 4 a.m. because the pain was so sharp, and it lasted for most of the day. I couldn't lay on my side without feeling really strong stabbing pains at my belly button. It was so bad at one point that I had to stop working and just lay down. I Googled it (frenemy) and learned that pain like that is normal at this stage. It could be just growing pains, or worst case it could be a herniated navel, but since the pain has let up today, I'm going with the former. Probably just the little pup making room.

Finally, I'm waiting for that awesome head of hair everyone talks about during pregnancy! One friend wrote on Facebook, "If God makes us get fuller and thicker during pregnancy, at least he lets our hair do the same!" Early on my hair was falling out a LOT. I've stopped losing hair, but I still feel like I can't do much with it. Might also be because I got a bad haircut in December and I just need to let that grow out. The result has been lots of ponytails and buns, which is meh, but Brad likes it when I have my hair in a ponytail (he requests it for special occasions - cute, no?), so at least there's that.

It's getting hard when I'm out running errands not to want to buy stuff for the nursery. I'm really waiting until we know if it's a boy or girl (click here to see the nursery inspiration boards I came up with), but I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday to get a mirror for our dining room, and MAN, they had awesome baby stuff and other objets marked 80% off! If only they could do that again next week! I've been hard at work clearing out the guest room. I sold an armoire through Craigslist yesterday, donated my mattress and box springs, and disassembled the bed. I'm now just trying to Craigslist a chair and ottoman, but I have NO TAKERS WHATSOEVER. Maybe I just need to slash the price to nothing (it's currently listed at $50). This weekend I hope to Kilz the red wall.

All in all, this baby is being VERY nice to me. I am grateful. I can't wait until Monday when Dr. Norwood's office does the full anatomical scan.  They'll check the brain, heart, spine, amniotic fluid and more. The gender reveal will be fun, but since it's been eight weeks since we last saw the little one, I'm aching for another glimpse!