Two week birthday!

Boy, do I feel out of the loop! I can't believe my little baby is two weeks old today! I can already see some changes in her from when she was first born. She seems a little bigger, and that dark hair is a little longer. She looks more and more like her daddy every day, but I still see a little bit of myself in her. She has been a really good baby. She seems to get fussy about twice a day, and the past three nights she has been pretty good about sleeping. We actually have to wake her up a couple of times per night to feed her! I am hoping pretty soon she'll be sleeping through the night!

My mom and Frank are here now, cooking Bert and I lots of great food and helping with the baby. The actually gave us the night off the other night and Bert and I went out for sushi. It was great! I hadn't had any "real" sushi since December! I also had my first beer in nine months the other night. I was drinking it so slowly since I was afraid I was going to get bombed off of one beer-but I didn't. It was probably the best tasting beer I ever had, and it was only a Miller Lite!

I am feeling good, and proud to say, today is my first day with a non-maternity shirt on, and a wedding band that fits! Normal jeans here I come!

Bert has been a really huge help and I honestly give him a lot of credit. He does the morning feedings so I can get some sleep, and has been a really supportive husband while we both get adjusted to parenthood. I am a little nervous about next week when we don't have any of our parents here, but I know that we will be just fine :-)

Today is our second doctors appointment and I will post about it later on. At her first appointment, she had put on half an ounce since she left the hospital, which they said is great. They also scared the bejezus out of me about the swine flu, so don't expect to see me or the baby out in public for about 18 years.

Hopefully my future posts won't be so few and far between. I'm sure we'll be on some type of routine soon!

This was taken on Camryn's one week birthday.

We like to call her "grandma" in these PJs!

Hanging out in her huge hairband with some close friends!

Daddy got her this one:

Doctor's appointment update: Camryn is doing great! She is now 7 lbs 6 oz, she gained a lot since last week but is only in the 19th percentile of weight for her age. She is my little peanut! She is 21 1/4 inches long which is the 81st percentile. For right now she is long and lean! I am very happy to get such a great report!

She's here!!!

Wow, a lot has happened since my last blog! Wednesday night Bert and I went to the hospital to get induced. I started having contractions around 2AM and was really excited and geared up to have the baby! Early the next afternoon I got my epidural and was glad to be out of pain and figured Camryn was well on her way! A couple of hours later I started feeling bad pains and the doctor eventually discovered that my epidural was placed to high in my back, so I had to get another one! I was feeling good and was being told that the baby was coming soon but she had to "drop" a little more and I was watching my contractions go out of control on the monitor and was so grateful that I couldn't feel them until, I did feel them!! The pain was unbearable and I started acting like one of the crazy ladies in the movies begging anyone who would listen for a c section. The contractions were coming every 30 seconds, and the doctor wanted me to wait over an hour to see if the baby was going to drop. They didn't want to give me another epidural because if I could deliver, I wouldn't be able to push with a fresh epidural. Eventually they decided that my pelvis was too small and there was no way the baby could come out without a c section, so after 19 hours of labor, I DID end up getting ANOTHER epidural (not to mention between these three epidurals they were also adding meds to the ones I already had gotten) and was carted off to surgery. After about 15 minutes on the operating table I got to hear my sweet babies cries and it made it all worth it. I'll tell you what though, I can say right now, after that labor and delivery Camryn will be an only child-maybe after a couple of years I will have blocked it out of my mind and have another one. Maybe....

Camryn Makenna was born on 9/3/09 at 9:18 PM. She weighs 6 lbs, 15 oz (not as big as everyone thought!) and is 21 inches long. She has a full head of dark brown hair with dark colored slate eyes. Bert and I are just eating her up,and while we are totally exhausted, we are so happy with our little family. So far Miller has been good, he seems only slightly interested in the baby. Bert has been a big help, and I am so grateful for that. He must have been up and down the stairs a million times, since it's hard for me with the c section. His mom "Grandma Jennine" is here helping us out with the baby, cleaning, and cooking up a storm! My mom and stepdad, Frank are coming in Sunday to help us out too. I am looking forward to Cammie meeting them and for my mom's cooking! Matzo ball soup heals everything!

Here a few pics of Camryn. I'll post more soon!

It's The Final Countdown!!

I went for my weekly doctor's appointment yesterday and got some really exciting news! Camryn is going to be delivered tomorrow! I am actually being admitted to the hospital this evening, and will be induced tomorrow morning! From what I can tell I am getting induced because A) Camryn is full term-big and healthy and B) At the new Northside Forsyth Hospital for the time being, my doctor's office is on a rotation with a number of other practices, and they said they prefer to deliver their own babies. We are SO excited and ready to meet the baby!

Today Bert is working and I just have to make sure everything is packed and ready to go! I think we are heading over there at about 6:30 tonight. It's pretty great that this is scheduled because it gives me time to mentally prepare for my hospital stay. On the other hand, now I have all day to mentally prepare for my hospital stay. Fortunately I haven't spent the night in a hospital since I was born in one! I'm sure everything will be just fine, and I know people deliver babies every single day, so I am going to do my best to relax and go with the flow!

We are also very lucky that we have grandparents coming to stay with us for the first two weeks who I'm sure will be a huge help and that Bert's new job that he has only been at for three days is kind enough to give him all of next week off to help out and bond with his baby girl!

Well I'll keep posting as I get a chance, there may be lots of "waiting time" at the hospital, or if things are really busy, my next post may be full of baby pictures!!

Mama Mia it's Week 38

This weekend has been one of the most relaxing I have had in a while. Friday night I came home to see a beautiful flower arrangement sent from Bert's family, "just because" which was really thoughtful! Then Saturday I had a massage which I was a little bummed because the girl I like had called in sick and her fill in wasn't that great, but hey, it's always nice to get a massage. Then Saturday night we went to Scalini's with Karen, Ralph and Sylvie and I got the eggplant parmesan which was supposed to induce labor. They say it should work within 48 hours, so I have about 8 hours to go, but I am taking it for what it was worth, and that was a yummy, fun night out with friends. Bert and I are testing all of the old wives tales, mostly for fun, and also because it would be nice to have Camryn come a little early, but we aren't taking it too seriously. The masseuse was telling me about some reflexology techniques so yesterday we looked them up on the internet and we were trying to poke at my ankles and hands in the right points to induce labor. Obviously they didn't work :-)

Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment and I am curious to see if I am any closer to going into labor in his opinion. If I have any interesting news, I'll be sure to post!

If These Walls Could Talk...

This has been an eventful and interesting week in preparing for baby Camryn. I have wanted to start getting Miller prepared for the baby for a while but I didn't want to start too early because I didn't want him to forget his lessons, so we finally started "school" on Saturday. The reason I am so set on making sure he's prepared is because has always been the center of attention and when he's not, he has been known to exhibit jealousy. I know in my heart that he'd never do anything to hurt the baby, but it's more about destroying her stuff-and his weapon of choice is pee. Saturday we took a baby doll that we bought, diapered it up, put lotion on it (trying to make it smell like baby) and played a CD that I ordered online called "Preparing Fido" which is of baby cries and other baby sounds meant to prepare pets for a baby. We hung out in the nursery and let Miller in for the first time and he looked really puzzled, and just kind of sniffed around. If there was a hidden camera in there, Bert and I could probably get admitted to the looney bin for the whole scene! Bert also set up the swing and bassinet this weekend and we let Miller check them out and he really wasn't that interested. Bert did a great job of setting everything up, I know he was biting his tongue not to swear when we saw that the swing came in twenty pieces.

Before...

After....

Random cute bunny that was in our yard.

Also I got my first weird pregnancy thing this weekend. I have had a very easy pregnancy, no morning sickness, no cravings, pretty energetic, so I am not complaining, but this is just weird. So Saturday I was at the nail salon and my wrist started hurting, but I thought nothing of it. Then that night I woke up twice during the night with completely numb hands. When I got up yesterday I "googled" it and apparently about 25% of pregnant women develop carpal tunnel symptoms since swelling can compress the nerves in your wrist. I woke up this morning and again one of my hands had no feeling, so I'm guessing this will go on until Cammie makes her debut.

Last week's doctors appointment went great, I saw my doctor and he said that the baby had dropped a little bit. I am going back today, so hopefully she's a little closer to coming out. Bert is so excited to meet the baby, he has me walking around Target to try to get her to drop faster and this weekend we are trying out the old Atlanta wives tale of going to Scalini's which is an Italian restaurant about 45 minutes away, and I have to eat the eggplant Parmesan, which supposedly induces labor. I'll pack my hospital bag....just in case! I am considered full term now, so I am up for anything!

UPDATE: I went to the doctor today, and while it doesn't appear that Camryn will be coming anytime too soon, she is most likely going to be a bigger baby. The midwife said she is already 7-7 1/2 pounds, and they want to do an ultrasound in two weeks to take measurements if she hasn't already come!

Our Tour of the Spa-spital. Week 36!

We are now on the four week countdown, and are pretty much ready for the baby to get here! We put the finishing touches on the nursery yesterday, and went to Babies R Us to buy most of the essentials that hadn't been purchased off of the registry. Mostly the "non-fun" stuff that people don't want to give as gifts like the sheets, car seat base, dishwasher racks, etc. We are pretty much all set except for the baby monitor, which I hear is a "must have".

Friday night Bert and I stayed home and decided to cook dinner together. We got a recipe for a monte cristo sandwich from my Cooking Light cookbook and decided to give it a try. It wasn't was good as the greasy Bennigan's version, but quite yummy nonetheless. Also Bert has been offering to make me fried pickles for months and I haven't taken him up on it because A) they are super bad for you and B) I honestly didn't think they would be as good as the restaurant version. I was wrong, they were so good!

Looks like french toast, but there was turkey, ham and swiss in there!

So bad, but oh, so good!!

We also did the hospital tour on Saturday and that is one nice hospital. If not for the hospitally smell, I might think I was at a spa! Bamboo floors, flat screen TV's and even a jacuzzi tub in the birthing room. I'm sure I won't feel like I am at the spa when I am actually there in labor, but I like the facility and the fact that its five minutes from home.

I am feeling good, just really tired! Also this weekend was really hot. Almost 100 degrees! I told Bert that when Camryn is older and giving me a hard time I am going to remind her that I was nine months pregnant with her in the hottest month of the year! And they don't call it HOTlanta for nothing!

We found out this morning that Bert's good friend Chad's wife is in labor! They are joining the "baby girl club". And she is coming nearly two weeks early. I have labor envy! I just hope Cammie doesn't decide to come late, but I will just be happy when she arrives healthy.

Well I have my weekly doctor's appointment tomorrow, with my own doctor. I saw a different doctor last Tuesday and he seemed slightly concerned that the baby is still up so high in my belly. I didn't really discuss it with him at the time, but I will ask my doctor about it tomorrow.

Getting Excited to Meet my Little Melon!

Another week has come and gone and now we are only five weeks or so away from meeting little Camryn Makenna! She is now the weight of a honeydew, and when Bert and I went to Publix we lifted one, and couldn't believe how big she is getting! I am feeling good, just not sleeping great but I hear that's nature's way of preparing moms for getting up for those late night feedings. The weekend was really nice. Bert took me on our "first date" and surprised me with a rose for me and also one for Camryn as well as a sweet card. We went to Village Tavern which is a nice restaurant in Alpharetta and when I had "dinner envy" he practically traded his whole plate with me. Saturday we had our "nursing class" which was not exactly a bundle of fun but it was informative, so I am glad we went. Then we went to Sylvie's first birthday party and it was great to see everyone! Sylvie looked like she was having so much fun! She got this little toy baby stroller and was pushing it and running through the living room, it was pretty funny and really adorable. She was cracking herself up! Also Heather and Nate were there with Emersen. She is a really good baby and let me hold her for a long time. I thought it was amusing that once I was holding her Cammie started hiccuping, like she knew I was holding another baby and was trying to get attention. Today I went to one of my coworkers homes to meet with her and see how she is set up to work from home. She answered all of my questions, and got me really excited to switch over to work from home and have more time to be with the baby!

Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment, and I think I will probably start going every week now. I am taking a vacation day Friday just to take it easy and spend time with Bert so I have a nice short week!