Mommy....The Human Pacifier

At barely 24 hours old, Elijah beat me for the first time (of many I'm sure). We were going to try not to give him a pacifier. Well, last night after about three and a half hours of pretty much constant nursing, I had to give in. All he wanted to do was suck and I became Mommy the Human Pacifier. About 1:30am, I threw up the white flag and asked the nurse for a pacifier. Eli was as happy as could be after that and he has been loving life. Apparently he has a great sucking reflex and, since we're having no issues feeding, the pacifier shouldn't be a bad thing. Better that he use his reflex on a pacifier than me!

Happy Eli, Tired Mommy.

Elijah's grand entrance

Well, he made it. Both Elijah and his Daddy are sound asleep in the room right now. Everything went so fast last night that it's hard to believe it all really happened.

All day Sunday I had been having contractions. The morning ones weren't too bad and then by late afternoon, they had really moved into my back. I decided to call doc as I wasn't completely sure if my water had broken or not. So around 8:30pm, we talked to the doctor and he said to go ahead in and have them check me. If it had broken and was just leaking slowly, Eli needed to get out. So we got to the hospital around 9:15pm and just walked in with the clothes on our back - no bags or anything, thinking we were going home. Well, that's not quite what happened. In triage, one of my doctors showed up to check me. I was already 100% effaced and 4-1/2 to 5cm dilated. Tim & I were both surprised at that. I had done really well to get to that point. I was also surprised because in class, they teach you that 0-5 takes longer than 5-10, he was coming soon! We were put in a labor and delivery room probably an hour and a half or so later - probably in there by 10:45pm. The contractions at that point were soooooooooo strong and my water still had not broken. A little after 11pm, I decided that I couldn't do it so I asked the nurse for an epidural. My water broke at 11:35pm and the epidural guy (can't spell it due to mind numbing right now!) got there AFTER that. From what I'm told, he had to try three times to get a good spot in my back. While he was trying, I had the hardest contractions I could imagine. Well, turns out, I quickly went to 10cm! The epidural wasn't in my back 15-20 minutes and I started pushing. The good part was that the epidural took for the stitching and stuff after but didn't help much for contractions and all that. The nurse gave me credit for going natural - I give myself 95% credit. It was the most amazing and wild thing I'ver EVER been through in my entire life. I think it was pretty wild for Tim as well. Elijah Royal made his way into our world at 12:47am today weighing 8 pounds 15.2 ounces and 21-3/4" long. His Apgar score was good - 9 of 10. The only thing is that he has some facial bruising due to his quick descent and entry into the world.

I'm doing very well right now. Just watching my boys sleep. They're both so cute - and both loud sleepers!! About 2-1/2 hours after he was born, Elijah had his first snack. He did really well and will be ready here shortly for another.

Just a few pictures to enjoy. There will, of course, be more to come!!

Project complete...for now

I did it. If you remember, close to 6 weeks ago I found an adorable birth record cross stitch that I wanted to do for Eli's room. My plan was to get everything done except his birth date and weight before he was born. Well here's the picture of the (almost) finished project. Just waiting on little man to get here to fill in the rest!

Doctor's Appt No. 13

Tomorrow will be 38 weeks. Had my 13th doctor's appointment today. Normal stuff going on:

1) Weight - actually lost half a pound. Apparently there's something to this milkshake diet!! Doc was very happy that my weight has been stable for the past month.
2) Blood pressure - a little high for me but still normal - I think it was 124 / 86 - or something close to that.
3) Exam stuff - 70% effaced, 2-1/2 cm dilated and -3 station. Before I was at -5 and 2cm and the other doctor didn't tell me about being effaced so I'm assuming I did some good stuff over the past week. Elijah is definitely getting into position for his grand entrance.

The other cool thing was that my doctor congratulated me for where I'm at right now. He said that this would be good for a 2nd or 3rd time Mom so it was really good for me having my first. I told Tim that I was an overachiever. =) And doc is skeptical that I'll make my due date. Of course, he wouldn't give me a prediction but everyone else is thinking earlier. I still stand by my guess of the 20th. We'll see how it holds up.

That's the update for today. All is well in baby land and Mommy and Daddy to be are enjoying their last bits of sleep and peace and quiet. All of our family, friends, neighbors and co-workers are on baby watch. We're looking forward to sharing the fun with everyone.

Made it to full term!

So today's the day - full term, 37 weeks for Elijah. Hard to believe it has gone by so fast. Right now I'm getting lots of predictions on his birth date. They range from today (my friend Carrie) to the 20th (my guess). Of course, he's not officially due until the 28th but it's fun for everyone to pick a day. I packed my bags last night so I guess I'm telling him that it's ok to come at any point.

Anyone else got a guess?

Doctor's Appt No. 12

Well, today started the weekly doctor's appointments and the start of exams- I'm 36 weeks and 3 days along. Today's highlights:

1) Only gained one pound over the past two weeks - woo hoo
2) Blood pressure good at 106 /74
3) Did hemoglobin test - 12.1, no issue with anemia
4) Did Strep B test - we'll see how that one comes out
5) Elijah is definitely head down, doctor gave me some hope saying he seems like he'll be in the 8 pound range, unlike the ultrasound tech who scared me about having a 9+ pounder. Now, it's all a guess and he could still be 10 pounds but at least I feel a little better...for now
6) Measuring 37-1/2 to 38 weeks
7) Dilated 2 cm

Now you can walk around dilated 2cm for a few hours or a few weeks so I'm not freaked out. It's hard to tell. I guess it's best that Tim & I get our list of things done this weekend for whenever Eli makes his appearance. Eli will be considered full term Tuesday at 37 weeks and at that point, they'll let him come on if he's ready.

Definitely got to pack the bag this weekend. I know my Mom will have hers packed too before the weekend is over!!

36 weeks....

Wow, yesterday was 36 weeks. Time has flown by. It's also now August - the month that Eli is due. I should be panicking by now! 36 weeks brings lots of things for me to do. The last of the necessary shopping for Eli, pack my bag and install the car seat. It's all getting so close and so real now. Moving around is getting a little tough for me - especially at a "fast" pace, my legs and hands are pretty swollen and a good night's sleep is now a thing of the past for a very long time to come. Overall I have been so lucky and this pregnancy has been a dream. Hard to believe that in a few weeks, it will be over and Tim & I will be Dad & Mom.

Lots of people are commenting now and asking when I'm due. Apparently I look ready to pop. Last night at the mall, the sales lady asked me and her response was "gonna be a big baby". Thanks! If I listen to everyone, Eli should be big enough to drive me home and take care of me. =)

Here's a picture of me at 36 weeks - the belly continues to grow!!