Birth Story Part I

My labor and delivery was pretty uneventful. But hey, I have a new found freedom with a little less modesty, so I'll share.
It all started last Sunday, Jan. 21. I hadn't really been feeling good for the past couple of days, but I was in the last week and figured it was just fatigue. Sunday afternoon, Mr. S and I went to the grocery store. It was a little difficult to walk around the store, and I actually had a few mild contractions while we were there. Didn't think much about it. I did nothing the rest of the day. Just stayed on the couch, not feeling well, hurting mildly. I had talked to my mom a couple of times, and she was sure I was in early stages of labor. I liked to pretend I wasn't even pregnant and labor wasn't the issue. Ya know, like if you ignore something, it'll go away. I was a little scared of the whole labor thing. Baby girl let me watch my Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters with little interruption. Then, about 9:30 pm my contractions were pretty strong and coming every 15 minutes. This went on for about two hours. I talked to my mom again, Mr. S called the hospital to see how long to wait to come. They said with contractions about 5 minutes apart. Well, that is all they had to say because as soon as Mr. S hung up the phone, the contractions started coming every 5 minutes. The call was made again to my mom (by this time is was 11:30 pm or so), and she met us at our house 5 minutes later. Off we went to the hospital. By the time I made it to the hospital, my contractions were anywhere from 2-4 minutes apart. I was in horrible pain. Like nothing I had ever experienced before. Like nothing I ever want to experience again.
Then it hit me. I was at the hospital. I was about to have a baby. A real, live baby. I was about to have to push out a real, live little person.

Just popping in

This blog has totally changed...at least temporarily. I'm sure you all hate looking at a sleeping baby, right? Didn't think so.

I actually get to say that I'll have a birth story type entry. Not so much the about the birthing part as the whole hospital, family story.

But, right now, we are all still doing really well. Thank heavens for my awesome hubby for keeping basically his nighttime schedule of being awake and allowing me to sleep at night. Seriously, have been getting 6 & 1/2 to 7 hours of sleep at night. We finally figured that little situation out after two nights. At least, I have a transition time of getting used to having a baby without being totally exhausted at the same time. Ask me next week when Mr. S goes back to work.....

Oh, and the boobs are ginormous, at least for me. Too bad I can't keep them. So far, they haven't hurt much. I have already leaked on the husband. Funny story, I was letting him say goodnight to them before I smashed them into their holder (ya know, I've never had boobs to die for). He did as he was instructed and did not touch, but I sat in his lap (I had had a moment earlier in the day....you know, one of those hormone moments) and he wanted to comfort me. Instead, he got a wet shirt. I was a little embarassed, he told me not to be. That nothing about me should be emabarassing or gross. Okay, better stop now before I have another moment.

Baby S

Here she is. My beautiful, perfect little girl.

Ryan Michelle
7lbs 6 ounces 20.5 inches
Jan. 22, 2007
3:44 pm

Family Photo

This picture took a whle to upload. I'll keep trying to get a better picture of Baby S.

The 25th it will probably be

I had another checkup today with the doc. Her words "Yea, you're 3 cm." So, here I am at 3 cm just waiting. She didn't give me any indication that I wouldn't make it to the induction date. She said I was at a great starting place for induction. That makes me feel better. Only 7 more cm to go. Doesn't sound so bad. If I can do 3 cm without labor, surely I'll dilate pretty easy with contractions. Right? I'm hoping so.
Total weight gain for me is 31 pounds. Seeings how it is all in my belly, I'm thinking maybe Baby S is a chunker. Wouldn't that be funny for a fat little baby to come out of me! Not too big though, I do have to push her out.
So, I've decided I am definitely going to take it easy until next Thursday. I don't want to induce any labor being this close to a scheduled delivery. It eases my mind to know I have a date, and hopefully Baby S will cooperate. I'll keep my legs crossed. LOL!

Another note, Mr. S and I had a wonderful steak dinner tonight. For you locals, there's a new place called Yazoo's (where Lonestar used to be on Stage Rd). It was delicious. But be warned, it's a little pricey, but we knew that going in. It's a nice place to treat yourself.

Crawled off the couch just for y'all

Hey guys! Gosh, anybody else just want to sleep all day, or is it just me? Anyway, still hanging on here. Some people may call it nesting, but for those who really know me, it's just cleaning. I've said it before. It's what I do. I just want the house to be clean and straight for when people come over. I can't stand my house to be dirty, muchless dirty for guests. I do a little each day. I was Swiffering last night as I was telling Mr. S about my mom. She mopped the kitchen floor the night before she had me. He told me to go sit down because he was going to work and didn't want me to go into labor while he was at work. Of course, that could happen anyway. Why is he just now freaking out about that!
So, on my agenda today, is making another, yes I went yesterday with my sister, trip to Target for some cleaning supplies that I am either out of or low on. Seriously, ask Mr. S. I like shopping for cleaning supplies. So many to choose from! I'll tell you one that is good, the Mr. Clean Extra Power cleaner. It's awesome for the bathroom. I'm thinking about trying that Easy Off Bam. Anybody tried that one?
It's good for me to get out of the house. It usually tires me pretty quickly, but hey, I'm walking so maybe Baby S will be here before the 25th. It's just been so darn cold. Brrrr. After I got home yesterday afternoon, I noticed the temperature was 26 freaking degrees! I HATE COLD WEATHER!! WITH. A. PASSION. I'll need to bundle up for my outing to Target today. It's only 31 degrees right now.

Time for my Coke for the day!

Still Here

No baby yet. Just haven't felt like posting. HOPEFULLY tomorrow the sun will come out. I'm tired of gloomy, rainy weather. Three days, or has it been four, is enough! So, I'm going to take the remainder of the day and relax on the couch in front of the TV. I'll be back....

Special Delivery

Remember when I told you about Mr. S ordering this for Baby S. Well, he also ordered this for himself. He had been waiting nearly a week for these to arrive. Side story, Mr. S works for FedEx Express.....key word express. Hence, the use of airplanes. These items were shipped FedEx Ground from Washington state. Hello, other side of the country completely. FedEx Ground is the truck based extension of FDX Corporation. It was the cheapest for shipping also. We don't get the enormous discount when things are ordered via the website, but seriously, it is dirt cheap for us to FedEx something. Anywho, I do have a point in which I will get to in a moment. But first, let me just reference the FedEx Ground and FedEx Express situation. Mr. S was expecting his package like on Tuesday, he ordered the things Friday. The expected arrival date was today, Jan. 12. He even called about the package because he wasn't pleased with the lack of updating of the website for tracking the package through Ground. This is funny to me, because he is not used to waiting that long for a package. Again, he works for Express. Another reason this is funny to me is because Mr. S just can't grasp things being closed at any time, especially on Sunday. He says he is used to picking up the phone anytime of day, especially at 3:00 in the morning, and getting what he needs. Ya know, cuz FedEx is a 24 hour. 365 day company.
Oh, so back to my original point about the package coming yesterday. He was so excited to rip open the box to find Baby S's fleece jacket. He didn't even look at his pullover until he had checked out the little jacket. My niece and nephew were over, and he called them into the kitchen so he could show it to them. So sweet, he was more delighted that baby girl's jacket came. He made sure to show it to my mom when she came over, too. Oh, and his pullover was nice, too. He tried it on and put it in the bedroom. But like I said, made sure he kept out Baby S's little jacket.
He also said, "Oh, she can wear it home." Me, I said "Um, honey, it will swallow her whole. It's a 12 month size." He has no idea how tiny she will be in his arms. Gotta love him for that.

Hello

First off, go visit my newest Blog of Choice. Welcome Stephsky to the blogging family. She's got a really great first post!

Second, my doctor's appointment today had me a little excited. She suggested induction if I wasn't opposed, since my cervix was favorable...whatever that means. She was looking to do it around the 19th (my due date is the 27th). I was thrilled because that would mean I would have an actual date. Well, the hospital can't do it until the 25th, so tenatively I am scheduled to be induced on the 25th, that is if Baby S doesn't decide to debut sooner. So, back to being freaked out about when and where I'll be when labor strikes. I leave you with my latest belly shot.

Wanted to share this..

I got this email from my mom this morning:

How are you feeling today? It must feel pretty good to know that everything is ready and that in a few days a beautiful baby girl will be in that little bassinet. Your life will never be the same again and you will wonder what you ever did without her. She will be the joy of your life just like you have been to me. You will love her like you never knew you could love a tiny little being because she is a part of you and Dave. Your home, like Julie’s will now be blessed with joy and happiness like you and Dave have never experienced before. I know you are a little anxious, but I assure you that once everything is over you will forget all the discomfort of the nine months and you will treasure it . I and all the family will be here for you on the day you go to the hospital and everything will be fine. I can’t wait to see baby Ryan. I can’t wait to hold both my new baby granddaughters and have a picture made of all 4 of my beautiful grandchildren. I am the luckiest grandmother in the world to have 4 beautiful children and 4 beautiful grandchildren. I love you all so much . LOVE, MOMMA


What a way to make a preggo cry!

Does is still matter if we're not Chinese?

Mr. S and I went to a Chinese restaurant yesterday for a late lunch. I'm not big on Chinese food. I usually eat the most American thing I can find, but Mr. S was craving it and I was feeling up to it, so I let him have it. (Today we had to make a run to the grocery store for chocolate pudding...again, not my craving.) Anyway, you know the paper placemat thingies that some restaurants use, the Chinese place had the ones with the Chinese Zodiac chart. Depending on what year you were born depends on what animal you are.
Well, I'm a Sheep and this is what it says: Elegant and creative, you are timid and prefer anonymity. You are most compatible with Boars and Rabbits but never the Ox.

Wanna guess what Mr. S is? Come on, go ahead. This is what his said: Bright, patient, and inspiring to others. You can be happy by yourself, yet make an outstanding parent. Marry a Snake or a Cock. The Sheep will bring trouble.
Yea, he's an Ox.

Oh, and yes, I brought the paper placemat home just so I could blog about it. Pathetic.

One More Thing

Mr. S came home from work Friday morning all excited about ordering this for Baby S.

More getting ready for Baby

Just call us Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. If anyone would have seen Mr. S and I putting the carseats in the vehicles today, they would have peed their pants. It's a good thing we can laugh at each other.

We started with the carseat for his truck. After figuring out how to attach it using the latch system, we found that his truck does not have the latches for rear-facing carseats, so back to square one. Good. We only have to use the seat belt to strap the carseat in place. We did it. Got it in there nice and tight. Son of a.....we forgot to put the seat protector under it. Finally, we succeeded with the seat protector in place and carseat level. One down, one to go.

Both the carseats are Graco so we figured the carrier car seat would install similarly. And it does. End of story, right? Ummm, no. We take the base out to my car. We figured out that my car does have the latch system for rear-facing carseats. Cool, we'll use both the latch and the seatbelt. I decided to put the seat to one side of my car instead of the middle seat so it would be easier for me to get the carrier in and out. Fine, no problem. Riiiight. We get the base all snug and latched and seatbelted, but not before we remembered we forgot the seat protector AGAIN, just before we tightened it down. Great! Shit! Is the base in backwards? Yes, it is. We again, unlatch and unbuckle everything to turn the base around. But before we tightened it down this time, I realized it was a bit difficult to remove the carrier from the base when it is behind the passenger side seat. Whew, close call. We proceeded to move the seat to the middle and start the latching and buckling steps all over. We've gotten pretty good at it by now. Oh, did I mention on two, TWO occasions, we bumped our heads. Seriously, the two stooges in the garage. I think we were more worn out from laughing than actually pulling and tightening straps.

So, here's a picture of the final product in my car. Mr. S's truck was outside in the driveway, so I didn't go take a picture.
Yesterday, my sister (along with Baby Eva) and Blue Angel came over to help me finish up Baby S's room and pack for the hospital. They were such a great help!! I feel a little more prepared.

First day of Leave

Ahhh....even though I slept crappy, I woke up feeling a little refreshed knowing I didn't have to go to work. That's nice. No tears shed.

After reading this, I decided it was probably a good idea to take my infant seat back to Target, since it rated the worst. Yea, the picture of the infant see flying off the base, that's the one I had. It was cheap. I registered for it not thinking anyone would actually get it for me. But, I got it. So, I loaded it up this morning and met my mom at Target, where she had already pulled the Graco SnugRide one that fits my stroller. One of only two that passed the safety tests. I feel better, my mom feels better, and my sister and Baby Eva feel better about Baby S riding around town now. Not to mention, I spent nearly another $100 on top of the exchange at Target. I did buy a gift for someone, but still. I'm telling you, Mr. S needs to take the checkcard away now that I am off. No, seriously, I'm good. I won't go crazy shopping. I've got way too much to do around the house anyway.
Oh, shout out to Margarita. I ran into her at Target. Thanks for easing my mind about things. You are a sweetie and I love you!! Another shout out to Casey. Ran into her, too. Lovin' that little G'man, and you too!

Other things I have to do today:

• Pack the hospital bag
• Install the now safe infant seat in my car
• Make a call list for when Baby S debuts
• Go to Golf Galaxy (ok, so Mr. S wants to go)
• Prop my feet up and relax!

Things I plan on doing before Baby S comes:

• Clean the house from top to bottom, including baseboards, doors, trim.....it's not nesting. It's something I do, but I really want to get it done before Baby girl comes
• Having dinner with Mr. S every night
• Reading, I never get to read while in school and during my earlier months, reading made me sick. I just started a new book last night.
• Relaxing!

Finally!

Today was my last day of work!!!!! I haven't given them a timeline of when I'll want to return. I just told them I would let them know!!!!

More baby talk

Seriously, I know y'all are getting tired of the short posts, but I usually sit down at the computer after I get home from work and my legs and back ache. So, I don't feel much like chatting it up. Again, seriously, next week I'll be well rested. Why? BECAUSE FRIDAY IS MY LAST DAY OF WORK!!!! As in tomorrow, as in Jan. 5!!! By 7:00 pm, I will be a lady of leisure for awhile. Maybe Mr. S should take my checkcard....

Had a doctor's appointment today. All is still well. Am 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Yea, my sister failed to mention that the doc checking my cervix would hurt like a bitch. She made me have a contraction. Yea, that didn't feel good. Now I know that is what it was in the middle of the night a few nights ago.
I am starting to freak out about the whole delivering this child issue. I like to plan, and not knowing is driving me crazy.

I would like to formally ask for ANY and all advice you mommies out there have for me. What do I need to pack for the hospital? Will I know when it is time to go to the hospital? Any and every piece of wisdom is welcomed. Seriously freaking out and about to cry about it.

Getting Ready for Baby

Talk about reality check, walking into the bedroom and seeing this. It looks like it's just shoved in the corner, but there is really more room than it looks. The pack-n-play is one of the things Mr. S had fun putting together over the New Year's weekend.
Seriously, this man is so excited about this little girl. If anybody would have known him way back when (with the exception of Blue Angel, she knew him) you would not have ever believed he would be where he is today.


Oh, and I must say THREE MORE DAYS OF WORK!! Not to mention the decent raise I just got! Although, when I do go back to work....sometime....I will only be working two days a week, so the raise won't be so significant.

Blue Angel made me a CD with baby shower pics, so on my time off I promise to upload some pictures.

Okay, my back hurts :( so off to bed I go!