Caylee Joy is here!

Well, I just wrote this entire post over the last few days and then it got erased.  Last thing I need right now!  So here we go again...

Monday started out just like any other morning.  I felt sick, as usual, as I got ready for work.  For some reason, I had an urge to take naked belly pics because I didn't have any.  I felt HUGE, but of course, I don't really think I look that big when I look at these now.

At a little after 8 am, I was at work when I got a call from the OB about my test results.  She suggested I stop by the hospital to get monitored for a short time and it wasn't a big hurry.  I finished up some things at work assuming I'd probably be back later or the next day.  My mom picked me up and we arrived at the hospital at 11:00.  I didn't feel very good, but it was pretty normal at that point, so I didn't really think much of it. 
My appetite pretty much went to nothing over the weekend, but I made myself have some snacks while I waited in the hospital.  They monitored my blood pressure and repeated the urine and blood tests while I rested in bed.  The more I laid there, the more tired I got, but it was also kind of nice just to rest.  The tests took an unusually long time to come back, but the nurses and doctors all seemed to hint that we would be able to leave when they got the results back.

At about 3:30, the midwife and nurse came in and sat down.  "So, you're having a baby today!"  Um, what? They felt that the pre-eclampsia was bad enough that they needed to induce right away at 38 weeks.  I was officially admitted at that point and started to get pretty nervous.  They hooked me up to an IV and started magnesium sulfate to help with the pre-e.  Unfortunately, the side effects made me very sick and weak.

I called Daddy right away so he could pick up Connor, pack our bags, and get to the hospital.  With cell phones not working in our room, it was quite an ordeal, but he finally arrived around 7. I think we took this photo right after he came in as I felt better having him by my side.  They started the pitocin at about 6:30, but there wasn't much progress at all.

As the hours went by, nothing was happening.  They checked dilation a couple times and there was no progress at all.  I was feeling pretty horrible from the meds and I started to get really nervous that they might have to do a c-section.  Throughout the night, I think I threw up about 4 times and I could hardly move at that point.  My headaches were getting worse which was another sign of the pre-e getting worse.

At some point during the night, I pulled out my new Mama bracelet for some inspiration.  Any chance of having the baby that night was gone, so it was definitely going to be Tuesday.  The night went by so slowly and I hardly slept at all.  I dozed off a few times, but the nurses were checking me at least once an hour, so I wasn't able to rest very much.  I remember waking up right around 5:10 am and saying, "Time to wake up for work!" when my alarm would normally go off.  But no, I was in the hospital about ready to have a baby! 

Around that time is when things started to get crazy.  The monitor with the epidural started to ring and I called the nurse a couple times to tell them.  It was making my headache worse and the noise wouldn't stop.  The contractions also started to get really painful and I knew something felt wrong.  I had been through this once before and I knew I was feeling way too much pain.  There was some kind of miscommunication with the nurses and no one came to help me for about 30 minutes.  By that time, the epidural felt like it had worn off and I was crying and screaming in pain.  Once they fixed everything, I started to feel a little better, but I also started to feel pressure of the baby. 

Things finally started to progress quickly and it wasn't long before all the doctors and nurses came in to set up for the birth.  I pushed for about 30 minutes and there really wasn't too much pain at all.  I felt pressure, but luckily, I couldn't feel the pushing or anything.  At 11:15 am, Caylee arrived!  She was 7 lbs, 1 oz. and 20 inches long.


She didn't cry right away and I started to get really scared.  I kept asking if she was okay and everyone assured me that she was healthy, but might have been a little drowsy from all the meds I was on.  I urged Daddy to take lots of photos as they cleaned her off and got her ready to hold.


She's here!

The newest member of our family :)

I took some close-ups once I got to hold her for a few minutes.

Perfect in every way!

Proud Daddy with his new sweetheart

I nursed her a little after she was born and she did pretty well. 

We rested in labor & delivery for a couple hours while they monitored my blood pressure and then moved us upstairs to the high risk post-partum area.  Fortunately, Caylee was perfect and healthy, but they were still monitoring me and kept me on all the meds for my high BP.  I look gross and tired here, but oh well, it's better than no photo at all.

At one point, she opened her eyes for a couple minutes so we could finally see her eyes.  They're a very dark blue/gray, so they're a little darker than big brother Connor's eyes.

And here you can see how swelled up I got from the IV and drugs.  Proud mama, but I felt pretty gross and sick at this point.

Daddy in his special chair hanging out with Caylee and watching some tv.

She surprised us by being an awesome sleeper like her big brother!

I was still getting monitored every hour by the nurses on Wednesday and into Thursday, so we hardly got any sleep.  I had a very hard time moving around from hip pain and nausea from the magnesium, so I was in a lot of pain.  Our hospital "vacation" wasn't nearly as restful as we expected, but at least we had a healthy baby.

We didn't think they were going to let me go home on Thursday because my blood pressure was so high, but I think we were both ready to go home.  I wanted to sleep in my own bed and get settled to our new life with 2 little ones.  On Thursday morning, Caylee and I both got permission to go home and we packed up all our stuff.  Little sweetie dirtied her diaper a few too many times, so we got delayed, but we eventually got dressed and headed out. 

Her headband and clothes were huge on her, but we tried! :)

As a surprise, we picked up Connor on our way home from the hospital.  I missed him so much and wanted him to see me without any machines or doctors around.  When we walked in with Caylee, he was so proud!  "Look at my baby!"  It was the best feeling to see how he wanted to show her off to all his teachers and friends.  As we all got back into the car to go home, I looked into the backseat and realized it was full now.  Our family is complete and my heart is full.

36 weeks

 Ok, I'm done.  This week was really hard and I'm starting to analyze every little symptom to wonder if it's the start of labor.  I felt sick on and off all week and then Friday was miserable.  I was up all night with contractions and threw up in the morning.  I could hardly make it through the day, but now here I am on Sunday and still have a baby in me.

Yep, that's my feet at their worst.  It hurts!  They're just sore all over even when they're not swollen.
 

Still trying to rest as much as I can and get my feet up, but it's hard.  Contractions are on and off all day, so I'm really trying to stay hydrated as much as I can.  Daddy bought a giant case of water for me that will hopefully help with hydration for the next 3-4 weeks.

Hospital list is done and the bag is now in our room.  I just haven't filled it with very much stuff yet.  The room still needs wall art hung, but so many other things end up coming first lately :(  I promise I'll have it done when Daddy has time!

We took maternity photos last night and I'm so excited to see them! Connor did an awesome job during them, so I'm sure he's going to look adorable with all the kisses and hugs on my tummy.

Since today is June 1, I will be having a baby THIS MONTH!

35 weeks

Another week done! 35 & 35 has passed and I'm almost at 36 weeks now!  It really is starting to feel like it could happen any time too.  I'm trying to finish up a lot of things at work and get everything at home ready.  I started working on a hospital bag and have a list put together now.

I'm guessing it won't be for a few more weeks, but I'm starting to get little urges that it could happen.
Last night at dinner, I started getting more regular contractions and they hurt a little.  I didn't record them, but luckily, they stopped after a bit and things calmed down.  I've been resting all weekend in bed to keep my feet from swelling and to keep the contractions down.  The swelling is RIDICULOUS now.  It shocks me how each day is worse than the one before and it's starting to get painful to even walk or drive by the end of a long day because the skin is so stretched.  I'm starting to see it a little in my fingers, so I'm guessing I don't have much longer with my rings.  I really would love to keep them on the whole time, but it's not looking good at this point.

I'm trying to make an effort to start eating a little better if I can.  I'm already heavier than I was when Connor was born :( I know my health issues contributed to this and it's not all my fault, but it kinda sucks.  I'm getting a little more into fruit and salads like I was at the beginning, so that's a good start.  I'm kind of prepping my brain for the fact that I have 1 month left before I really will need to start eating better and I'm actually excited to be able to get outside and take walks.  On a beautiful day like today, it kills me that I have to sit inside in bed!

There are now those bad days when I'm starting to feel so sick and tired like I remember at the end from last time.  I know it's coming where I can't even keep my eyes open, but I hope that holds off for a bit!  I'm really, really pushing to slow down at work and I worked super hard during the last week to get things done in case it does happen soon.


I think I'm starting to be mentally ready for this to happen soon.  It still feels surreal, but I think I can handle it at this point without being completely in shock.  It's still crazy that I'm going to be the mom of TWO kids.  When did I turn into a real adult? I love being Connor's mom and this is going to be a whole new journey with a baby girl to add to the family. 

33 weeks

I feel like it's really starting to hit me now.  People have started to ask, "How long do you have left?" rather than "How far along are you?" so maybe I'm starting to look pretty miserable and huge!

The weather got warm this week and that makes me so happy! Unfortunately, it's also taking a toll on my feet.  I got some men's flip-flops at Old Navy because I thought they might be a little wider, so now I just need to break them in.

I try to lay down and rest in between activities to avoid getting too swollen, but sometimes, I can't if I'm at work or running around.  My hip pain got a lot worse this week and I don't have a PT appointment for another week because they didn't have any openings.  I had to start taking Tylenol to help with the pain and I may try to call to see if they have any cancellations.  My allergies also got really bad during the last few days, so I don't know if that has something to do with the warmer weather.  I'm glad it's not a cold, but it's not very fun to try to sleep when I can't breathe.

On a good note, I feel pretty good! My morning sickness wasn't as bad this week and I'm really trying to stay hydrated.  We're making progress with the baby's room and I feel pretty prepared with things at this point.  I ordered some random baby things and pump parts from Amazon and washed most of the baby clothes.  My hospital list has been started, but I haven't packed anything yet.  That reminds me that I want to start a little list for Connor's routine, so maybe I can do that now while I have a few minutes...

32 weeks

The highlight of this week:

Holy swelling! It happened so quickly! I was fine and then it got bad really fast.  This was Friday after a day at work and then walking around Walmart.  It's so strange to look down and my feet don't look like they belong to me!

I also went to the doctor for my 32 week check-up.  The other highlight is that my intuition was right and the baby moved head down on Tuesday night!  I was feeling a lot of strange movements and kicks on Monday and Tuesday and then Wednesday there was a definite difference in my breathing.  The doctor did an ultrasound to confirm it (!!) and also pointed out the other body parts.  I also also right on where the baby's feet are because I can feel them kicking me in the ribs.  I also asked the doctor to make sure she's a girl since I was started to freak out a little and wanted confirmation.  And yes, she's still a girl!  She's measuring right on schedule too.

Baby room progress is happening! I washed all the bedding (good thing she's confirmed to be a girl) and Daddy finished the valances on the blinds.  I should be getting the wall banner this week and then we can start to put things where we want them.

It's really starting to get down to the end with 7 weeks left!  So little, but so long to go!