So we just passed Declan's three month mark and now, we are celebrating our third anniversary! I don't even know what to say about the past three years. They were definitely a whirlwind... a whirlwind of emotions, trials, and good times. We have endured so much in these three years together~ two moves, adopting Liberty, infertility doctors, pregnancy/childbirth, friendships growing and some failing... those are just a couple of the many things we have been through.
I was talking to a friend the other day and he said the years after kids are the hardest for military couples and I said bring it on! I'm not worried about what life has in store for us because we have held on tight before and will continue to do so through whatever may come.
I'm excited for us. Year 1 was so hard for us, I didn't think we would survive, but here we are, year 3 and doing great! Year 2 was a great year for us, so much exciting things, like pregnancy and the arrival of Declan!! I cannot wait to see what the next year holds for us!
Happy Anniversary Babe!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Declan is three months old!
Wow. These three months have flown by! I feel like my baby has turned into a little man already. In Declan's first three months he has taken a couple road trips and 4 airplane rides. He has doubled his birth weight and became 4 inches longer than his birth weight. Declan is very expressive, always making faces, smiling, and laughing. Declan cries whenever someone gives him raspberries or zrrberts. He sleeps about 5 hours uninterrupted at night and loves to take naps with me during the day.
Declan is also teething already so he's been a little more cranky lately but he is still such a very happy boy. Declan's favorite things are his elephant song toy, Mickey Mouse clubhouse, warm baths, and his swing.
Declan is still exclusively breastfed and it is doing him good since he is 14lbs 9oz. Declan is trying to roll over and sit up. He just started being able to hold small toys by himself.
Declan is the joy of our lives and we couldn't have asked for a better baby!
Declan is also teething already so he's been a little more cranky lately but he is still such a very happy boy. Declan's favorite things are his elephant song toy, Mickey Mouse clubhouse, warm baths, and his swing.
Declan is still exclusively breastfed and it is doing him good since he is 14lbs 9oz. Declan is trying to roll over and sit up. He just started being able to hold small toys by himself.
Declan is the joy of our lives and we couldn't have asked for a better baby!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Declan Ryan Carter's Birth Story
*Warning- This birth story is for my memory and includes some gruesome details of my labor and delivery*
On Thursday, February 28th, my midwife checked me and told me my cervix was tightly closed. She also ran a bunch of tests on me because my blood pressure was very high and she feared I had preeclampsia. I was really discouraged because I thought I had made some progress. I called my mom and asked her to come because I was upset about everything.
My mom came to town on Friday the 1st of March. Saturday the 2nd, I had to go to the hospital for follow up tests and was told all looked great and that I did not have preeclampsia after all so now we just had to get baby here!!! Mom and I were researching and trying many things to try and get my labor going. I had many false labor starts and my midwife was starting to talk induction due to my gestational diabetes. I wanted to get Declan out safely and quickly before my midwife wanted to induce me. One of the things we tried was making Eggplant Parmesean with extra oregano and basil in the sauce. There's a restaurant in Atlanta, GA that guarantees that if you eat their eggplant parm, you will be in labor within 48 hours. You can view Eggplant Parmigiana babies here- Scalini's Baby Wall. So Sunday the 3rd, I ate a huge serving of Eggplant Parm and it was DELICIOUS! Much better than drinking castor oil!!!
Monday and Tuesday I felt pretty typical... 9 months pregnant and just ready to get the party started. We ran a bunch of errands on Tuesday and finished up our to-do list. I kept telling Donnie that as soon as my to-do list was done, I would go into labor because then everything would FINALLY be ready. He didn't believe me and kept putting off a few of his to-do's but they were finally finished around 9pm on Tuesday evening. My mom and I played a few rounds of crazy gin and I had a few cramps while playing cards but I went to bed around 10:30pm feeling completely normal. I had NO idea that I was going into labor just a few hours later.
Wednesday, at 2am, I woke up to a strong contraction. I got out of bed, went to the bathroom, drank some water and tried to go back to sleep. I had another contraction around 2:15am. I ignored it, I figured it was the same false labor I had been having the weeks before. I fell back asleep thinking nothing of it. Then woke up to another contraction not long after. I had to get up on my hands and knees because I was having pain in my back with each contraction. I looked at the clock and it was 3:30am. Donnie was supposed to be getting up at 4:45am for work and I was hoping to distinguish real labor from false labor before then so he could call out of work. I woke him up and said "I don't think you're going to work today!" and he went back to sleep. I tried to lay back down to get some rest and I was only laying there a few minutes when my water broke in bed at 4:10am. I yelled "Donnie my water broke!!!" and he sprung out of bed yelling for my mom who was sound asleep on the couch. She didn't even know what he said, she thought he told her he was going to work. Suddenly everyone in the house was moving quick. My water was GUSHING. Even with pads on, I could not keep myself dry.
I called my midwife, Louise, and she told me to rest if I could, keep hydrated, eat some good food and call her when I wanted to go to the hospital, I was expecting it to be hours before I went to the hospital. I called my doula, Sara, and told her I was in a good deal of pain with each contraction and that my water broke. Thankfully she lives right up the road because I could not wait for her to arrive. I texted and called the few people who needed to know I was in labor and we ran around getting everything ready for the hospital, my water still gushing. (I was told a week before I went into labor that I had a very HEALTHY amount of amniotic fluid, a friend and I even joked that I might flood my house... I wasn't expecting THIS much fluid though!) My contractions got REALLY close, REALLY quick. When I talked to my midwife they were 7 minutes apart, and at 5am they were already 2-3 minutes apart and getting more intense. Donnie and I took a shower and we talked about how we couldn't believe the day was here. I was able to joke and laugh in between contractions while I got ready so I still thought it was going to be a long labor but my mom was scared we wouldn't make it to the hospital and her pressure made me think it was time to leave, so by 5:30, we were in the car on our way.
In the car I played my pandora radio and chatted with Sara in between contractions. I took notice that it was a rainy morning with wet roads but in my mind, it didn't matter because I was going to the hospital to meet my son! I held Sara's hand and closed my eyes to cope with each contraction. I was uncomfortable in the car because I just wanted to move around but I was able to cope. The hour car ride went pretty fast, Donnie stayed calm and got us there safely. Donnie left Sara and I at the ER entrance to go to patient registration. When I stood up from the car, the seat was SOAKING wet. My water still gushing down my leg, I stood at the patient registration desk answering all the questions, shaking because I was soaked and freezing cold. Finally I was all registered, and it was time to head up to labor and delivery.
We got to the maternity floor and into the delivery room. I had been in the delivery rooms before for my NST's but I was placed in the delivery room that I had never been in before and it was somehow different then the others. Maybe it was just that I knew I'd be having my baby there that day. The nurse helped me get my wet clothes off and hospital gown on. She told me I had to have an NST to make sure baby was handling everything okay. I don't even remember the NST but I remember Louise checking me and I was at 2cm. I thought to myself that I should have stayed home longer but it didn't matter now, I was there and I wasn't leaving. I had my mind set on getting into the laboring tub so when the nurse finally asked, I was thrilled.
I remember getting into the tub and feeling instant relief. The contractions were still intense but I was able to cope much better. I was resting in between contractions by laying on the sides of the tub with a wet towel under my head as comfort. I had no sense of time laying in the tub. I just knew that it felt good to be there. I vomited a couple times and I remember Donnie and Sara switching roles after I threw up. I later found out that the smell from me vomiting was making Donnie sick which is why Sara came in. I remember waking up to a few contractions in a lot of pain so I would flip over onto my hands and knees to try and cope. I woke up and realized the water was getting cold and I wanted fresh water so I got out of the tub and dried off. I was checked again and I was already 8cm dilated. I could NOT believe it. I didn't know this, but I was only in the tub about an hour and a half when I got out. So in an hour and a half, I dilated 6 more cm. I was in transition now and I could tell. My body, specifically my right leg, was shaking involuntarily. I never got back into the tub. My back labor was the worst part. I kept complaining about my back. At some point I got on the birthing ball. Sara and Donnie tried hip squeezes and pressure points to try and help but nothing was relieving the pain.
At 10:20am, I was 10cm dilated and it was time to push. We tried the birthing stool first but I was very uncomfortable there. I knew it wasn't going to last long. I pushed through a couple contractions and then moved back to the bed. I lost track of time and lost some memory of my labor so some of the story may become a little confusing. While pushing, I realized my contractions weren't effective. They weren't strong enough for me to push up against. I was tired and I hadn't eaten anything since the night before plus I had vomited a good amount. I was drinking water and juice to try and give my body the energy it needed to get my through but it wasn't enough. I needed to receive IV fluids which is not standard hospital procedure so I was disappointed but it wasn't the worst thing that could happen so I didn't fight it. Some time later, I heard the words I really did not want to hear. "We need to think about pitocin." I knew it was my only option, if my midwife was suggesting it, then it was necessary. So I was put on a low dose of pitocin to make my contractions stronger. Within a few minutes, my contractions were already stronger and I was back to pushing. I tried a few different positions. At one point the midwife told me Declan was not responding well to me pushing and I needed to try and not push through a few contractions to let him recover. I tried with all my might to not push and it was so hard. I finally let out one push with each contraction instead of three or four and that helped Declan's heart rate. Some of my pushes were effective but some were not. My midwife asked if I could eat something to try and get some energy because I needed to push more effectively. Sara gave me a ginger chip and I drank some more water and I tried to push again. Changing positions every few contractions to try and use gravity to pull Declan down.
I looked up at the clock a few times but it is all such a blur. I really don't remember some things. I didn't realize that so much time had passed. Unfortunately, Louise told me that if I did not get this baby out soon, I was headed for a Cesarean Section. I was so angry. I was NOT going to have a C-section. I didn't say anything to Louise. I just put my mind to the fact that I was having this baby vaginally. They came and did blood work for the c-section and I just kept on pushing with the contractions. FINALLY I had made some progress and they could see the baby's head. Everyone was yelling very loud that they could see the baby and I just had a few more pushes and the baby would be here. I didn't believe them. I had been pushing for so long, I didn't believe that he was finally coming. But I kept pushing anyway. Then, Louise told me she called the backup OB because Declan needed to be vacuumed out unless I got him out before the backup OB got there. I gave a few more of my best pushes and Declan FINALLY came at 3:25pm! It seemed like he FLEW out in one push even though I know that's not the case. He was delivered after 5 hours of pushing, just 13.5 hours after my very first contraction. Louise was holding him and cleaning out his mouth and nose and I was reaching for him, I just wanted to hold him. It felt like many minutes passed by before she finally placed him on my chest even though it was less than a minute truly. I just kept repeating "he's here, he's actually here!" The backup OB walked in JUST THEN. But Declan was already here so he said congratulations and walked out. I looked at Louise and said "C-SECTION MY ASS!" It was the only thing I could think to say. LOL
I was bonding with the baby and I noticed that the cord stopped pulsating and they clamped it, but my placenta had not delivered. I asked Louise if I was supposed to push it out and she said if I felt the urge to go ahead and push but I didn't. A lot of time passed by and I heard the words "retained placenta". Louise started vigorously massaging my stomach to try and get my placenta out. It hurt so BAD. My stomach is still bruised a week later. She massaged, and massaged and massaged. I felt blood pouring out of me but I just focused on Declan and held my mom's hand. I was in so much pain but I tried to ignore it. They called the backup OB again and Louise told me I could be put under general anesthesia to have the placenta removed in the OR or I could have it removed in the delivery room with or without narcotic pain medication. I chose to have it removed without pain medication. I delivered part of the placenta but the rest was stuck. The backup OB arrived again and quickly put on scrubs and reached in and pulled the rest of my placenta out. Finally, my labor was OVER. Louise informed me that I had a tear that needed to be stitched up, she said it was a pretty typical tear. It took her forever to stitch it up though. I received three layers of stitches.
About two hours after my delivery, they took Declan to weigh him and check him and also do some newborn procedures. Declan weighed in at 7 pounds 5 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. His APGAR score was 9 out of 10, losing only 1 point because his hands and feet were a little blue but he was mostly pink all over. Donnie stood by Declan while he was being checked and I looked over and fell in love all over again. He was protecting our son for the first time and he was doing a mighty fine job of it, talking to Declan through the whole thing.
Afterwards, they brought Declan back to me and Donnie kissed me and told me how perfect he is. I will never forget that moment. Everything was so surreal.
On Thursday, February 28th, my midwife checked me and told me my cervix was tightly closed. She also ran a bunch of tests on me because my blood pressure was very high and she feared I had preeclampsia. I was really discouraged because I thought I had made some progress. I called my mom and asked her to come because I was upset about everything.
My mom came to town on Friday the 1st of March. Saturday the 2nd, I had to go to the hospital for follow up tests and was told all looked great and that I did not have preeclampsia after all so now we just had to get baby here!!! Mom and I were researching and trying many things to try and get my labor going. I had many false labor starts and my midwife was starting to talk induction due to my gestational diabetes. I wanted to get Declan out safely and quickly before my midwife wanted to induce me. One of the things we tried was making Eggplant Parmesean with extra oregano and basil in the sauce. There's a restaurant in Atlanta, GA that guarantees that if you eat their eggplant parm, you will be in labor within 48 hours. You can view Eggplant Parmigiana babies here- Scalini's Baby Wall. So Sunday the 3rd, I ate a huge serving of Eggplant Parm and it was DELICIOUS! Much better than drinking castor oil!!!
Monday and Tuesday I felt pretty typical... 9 months pregnant and just ready to get the party started. We ran a bunch of errands on Tuesday and finished up our to-do list. I kept telling Donnie that as soon as my to-do list was done, I would go into labor because then everything would FINALLY be ready. He didn't believe me and kept putting off a few of his to-do's but they were finally finished around 9pm on Tuesday evening. My mom and I played a few rounds of crazy gin and I had a few cramps while playing cards but I went to bed around 10:30pm feeling completely normal. I had NO idea that I was going into labor just a few hours later.
Wednesday, at 2am, I woke up to a strong contraction. I got out of bed, went to the bathroom, drank some water and tried to go back to sleep. I had another contraction around 2:15am. I ignored it, I figured it was the same false labor I had been having the weeks before. I fell back asleep thinking nothing of it. Then woke up to another contraction not long after. I had to get up on my hands and knees because I was having pain in my back with each contraction. I looked at the clock and it was 3:30am. Donnie was supposed to be getting up at 4:45am for work and I was hoping to distinguish real labor from false labor before then so he could call out of work. I woke him up and said "I don't think you're going to work today!" and he went back to sleep. I tried to lay back down to get some rest and I was only laying there a few minutes when my water broke in bed at 4:10am. I yelled "Donnie my water broke!!!" and he sprung out of bed yelling for my mom who was sound asleep on the couch. She didn't even know what he said, she thought he told her he was going to work. Suddenly everyone in the house was moving quick. My water was GUSHING. Even with pads on, I could not keep myself dry.
I called my midwife, Louise, and she told me to rest if I could, keep hydrated, eat some good food and call her when I wanted to go to the hospital, I was expecting it to be hours before I went to the hospital. I called my doula, Sara, and told her I was in a good deal of pain with each contraction and that my water broke. Thankfully she lives right up the road because I could not wait for her to arrive. I texted and called the few people who needed to know I was in labor and we ran around getting everything ready for the hospital, my water still gushing. (I was told a week before I went into labor that I had a very HEALTHY amount of amniotic fluid, a friend and I even joked that I might flood my house... I wasn't expecting THIS much fluid though!) My contractions got REALLY close, REALLY quick. When I talked to my midwife they were 7 minutes apart, and at 5am they were already 2-3 minutes apart and getting more intense. Donnie and I took a shower and we talked about how we couldn't believe the day was here. I was able to joke and laugh in between contractions while I got ready so I still thought it was going to be a long labor but my mom was scared we wouldn't make it to the hospital and her pressure made me think it was time to leave, so by 5:30, we were in the car on our way.
In the car I played my pandora radio and chatted with Sara in between contractions. I took notice that it was a rainy morning with wet roads but in my mind, it didn't matter because I was going to the hospital to meet my son! I held Sara's hand and closed my eyes to cope with each contraction. I was uncomfortable in the car because I just wanted to move around but I was able to cope. The hour car ride went pretty fast, Donnie stayed calm and got us there safely. Donnie left Sara and I at the ER entrance to go to patient registration. When I stood up from the car, the seat was SOAKING wet. My water still gushing down my leg, I stood at the patient registration desk answering all the questions, shaking because I was soaked and freezing cold. Finally I was all registered, and it was time to head up to labor and delivery.
We got to the maternity floor and into the delivery room. I had been in the delivery rooms before for my NST's but I was placed in the delivery room that I had never been in before and it was somehow different then the others. Maybe it was just that I knew I'd be having my baby there that day. The nurse helped me get my wet clothes off and hospital gown on. She told me I had to have an NST to make sure baby was handling everything okay. I don't even remember the NST but I remember Louise checking me and I was at 2cm. I thought to myself that I should have stayed home longer but it didn't matter now, I was there and I wasn't leaving. I had my mind set on getting into the laboring tub so when the nurse finally asked, I was thrilled.
I remember getting into the tub and feeling instant relief. The contractions were still intense but I was able to cope much better. I was resting in between contractions by laying on the sides of the tub with a wet towel under my head as comfort. I had no sense of time laying in the tub. I just knew that it felt good to be there. I vomited a couple times and I remember Donnie and Sara switching roles after I threw up. I later found out that the smell from me vomiting was making Donnie sick which is why Sara came in. I remember waking up to a few contractions in a lot of pain so I would flip over onto my hands and knees to try and cope. I woke up and realized the water was getting cold and I wanted fresh water so I got out of the tub and dried off. I was checked again and I was already 8cm dilated. I could NOT believe it. I didn't know this, but I was only in the tub about an hour and a half when I got out. So in an hour and a half, I dilated 6 more cm. I was in transition now and I could tell. My body, specifically my right leg, was shaking involuntarily. I never got back into the tub. My back labor was the worst part. I kept complaining about my back. At some point I got on the birthing ball. Sara and Donnie tried hip squeezes and pressure points to try and help but nothing was relieving the pain.
At 10:20am, I was 10cm dilated and it was time to push. We tried the birthing stool first but I was very uncomfortable there. I knew it wasn't going to last long. I pushed through a couple contractions and then moved back to the bed. I lost track of time and lost some memory of my labor so some of the story may become a little confusing. While pushing, I realized my contractions weren't effective. They weren't strong enough for me to push up against. I was tired and I hadn't eaten anything since the night before plus I had vomited a good amount. I was drinking water and juice to try and give my body the energy it needed to get my through but it wasn't enough. I needed to receive IV fluids which is not standard hospital procedure so I was disappointed but it wasn't the worst thing that could happen so I didn't fight it. Some time later, I heard the words I really did not want to hear. "We need to think about pitocin." I knew it was my only option, if my midwife was suggesting it, then it was necessary. So I was put on a low dose of pitocin to make my contractions stronger. Within a few minutes, my contractions were already stronger and I was back to pushing. I tried a few different positions. At one point the midwife told me Declan was not responding well to me pushing and I needed to try and not push through a few contractions to let him recover. I tried with all my might to not push and it was so hard. I finally let out one push with each contraction instead of three or four and that helped Declan's heart rate. Some of my pushes were effective but some were not. My midwife asked if I could eat something to try and get some energy because I needed to push more effectively. Sara gave me a ginger chip and I drank some more water and I tried to push again. Changing positions every few contractions to try and use gravity to pull Declan down.
I looked up at the clock a few times but it is all such a blur. I really don't remember some things. I didn't realize that so much time had passed. Unfortunately, Louise told me that if I did not get this baby out soon, I was headed for a Cesarean Section. I was so angry. I was NOT going to have a C-section. I didn't say anything to Louise. I just put my mind to the fact that I was having this baby vaginally. They came and did blood work for the c-section and I just kept on pushing with the contractions. FINALLY I had made some progress and they could see the baby's head. Everyone was yelling very loud that they could see the baby and I just had a few more pushes and the baby would be here. I didn't believe them. I had been pushing for so long, I didn't believe that he was finally coming. But I kept pushing anyway. Then, Louise told me she called the backup OB because Declan needed to be vacuumed out unless I got him out before the backup OB got there. I gave a few more of my best pushes and Declan FINALLY came at 3:25pm! It seemed like he FLEW out in one push even though I know that's not the case. He was delivered after 5 hours of pushing, just 13.5 hours after my very first contraction. Louise was holding him and cleaning out his mouth and nose and I was reaching for him, I just wanted to hold him. It felt like many minutes passed by before she finally placed him on my chest even though it was less than a minute truly. I just kept repeating "he's here, he's actually here!" The backup OB walked in JUST THEN. But Declan was already here so he said congratulations and walked out. I looked at Louise and said "C-SECTION MY ASS!" It was the only thing I could think to say. LOL
I was bonding with the baby and I noticed that the cord stopped pulsating and they clamped it, but my placenta had not delivered. I asked Louise if I was supposed to push it out and she said if I felt the urge to go ahead and push but I didn't. A lot of time passed by and I heard the words "retained placenta". Louise started vigorously massaging my stomach to try and get my placenta out. It hurt so BAD. My stomach is still bruised a week later. She massaged, and massaged and massaged. I felt blood pouring out of me but I just focused on Declan and held my mom's hand. I was in so much pain but I tried to ignore it. They called the backup OB again and Louise told me I could be put under general anesthesia to have the placenta removed in the OR or I could have it removed in the delivery room with or without narcotic pain medication. I chose to have it removed without pain medication. I delivered part of the placenta but the rest was stuck. The backup OB arrived again and quickly put on scrubs and reached in and pulled the rest of my placenta out. Finally, my labor was OVER. Louise informed me that I had a tear that needed to be stitched up, she said it was a pretty typical tear. It took her forever to stitch it up though. I received three layers of stitches.
About two hours after my delivery, they took Declan to weigh him and check him and also do some newborn procedures. Declan weighed in at 7 pounds 5 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. His APGAR score was 9 out of 10, losing only 1 point because his hands and feet were a little blue but he was mostly pink all over. Donnie stood by Declan while he was being checked and I looked over and fell in love all over again. He was protecting our son for the first time and he was doing a mighty fine job of it, talking to Declan through the whole thing.
Finally, we are a family of three.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Full Term, WHAT?!?
I cannot believe it... I am 37 weeks today!! Hear that Declan, you can safely come out now!
Yesterday was a BUSY day for us. It started off with us getting ready and being out the door by 9:30am. Now if you know Donnie and I, very rarely are we out of the house before 1pm. We really enjoy our lazy mornings around here. We usually wake up around 10am and enjoy a few hours in our PJs with Liberty before we finally get ready for the day. So as you could imagine, my pregnant butt was dragging yesterday morning and we ended up rushing out the door.
Our first stop was the Coast Guard ID office to renew our IDs. There should be a rule that you don't need to have an ID renewed when you're 9 months pregnant. The pictures are always less than flattering when not pregnant, so use your imagination to think about what they look like bloated, 30 pounds overweight, and exhausted. Lol
Then we headed to my friend Angela's house to catch up, we haven't seen her in months so she was pretty shocked to see the belly, which is huge at this point!
After our brief visit with Angela, it was off to see the midwife to see how Baby Declan and I are doing! It was also our birth plan visit where we discuss our wishes with the midwife and she tells us whether or not that is available to us and what she thinks. The appointment went great. My blood pressure still looks great, I did not gain any additional weight but that's okay, and Declan's heart beat still sounds beautiful on the doppler. All of my birth plan wishes were granted and we should have absolutely no problems getting everything the way we want it. We are so blessed to have a mama and baby friendly hospital and midwife who truly care about us. We aren't just a number, not just another patient.
After my appointment, I had to head over to the hospital for a routine non stress test (NST) because of my gestational diabetes. I heard that NSTs were boring and to bring a book, but I found it really interesting and didn't want to take my eyes off the screen. They put two monitors on me, one that recorded Declan's heart rate and one that recorded my contractions and also baby's movements. What they want to see is that Declan's heart rate stays within a specific range and that it rises when he moves around and falls when he is calm. It also measures what happens to his heart rate when I have a contraction. They want to make sure he's not having a lot of decelerations in his heart rate, especially when I am having a contraction. Declan did not have any decels during the test and he had 18+ accelerations, which is great, he needed to have 2 in order to pass the test. He had two within the first few minutes of being hooked to the monitor. It was awesome to feel his movement and then see his heart rate rise and fall at the same time. It is also reassuring to know that the gestational diabetes is not having an effect on him, he's an active healthy little baby in there!
After our NST, we went out to lunch at Longhorn and then headed out to Target to walk around for a little while. While in Target, I had two very strong time able contractions. I thought for sure I was headed right back to the hospital... but they stopped. We had a 6:30pm reservation at Not Your Average Joes back on Cape so we headed to dinner, after a quick stop to see my old coworkers at Crabtree and Evelyn. ;)
Dinner at NYAJ was amazing as usual. I got Sirloin Tips, Mashed potatoes, and green beans. Donnie got buffalo chicken pizza that looked fabulous. For dessert we got what is called Peanut Butter Thing. It is peanut butter ice cream with chocolate chips, Oreo cookies and has chocolate sauce and caramel sauce on the side. I ate a good chunk of it (with my midwife's approval). I was expecting my sugar levels to be incredibly high but I was wrong, my levels were NORMAL! Amazing. I'm totally starting to second guess whether or not I truly have GD.
Then we did some walking around the mall and headed over to Babies R Us to do some last minute shopping. Afterwards, I was done! We went home, and I took off my shoes and socks and my ankles and toes were so swollen. I should have taken a picture! The swelling is gone today, I just over did it yesterday.
I had a great birthday and Valentine's day! I'm so glad Donnie was home this year to celebrate together. This year is going to be an amazing year for me, the year I become MOMMY!
Saturday, February 2, 2013
A post about Liberty
I love Liberty so much, I really do. She was our first "baby" and at one point, I thought she was the only baby we would ever have.
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| Liberty and I, December 2011 |
She means the world to me and it makes me sick to think of her being sad or hurt. So with that said, I'm sure some of you could understand why this week has been challenging for us. Liberty has decided that I cannot be out of her sight. Our normal crate trained doggy has turned into a little devil at night. She refuses to go to her crate by laying down when we tell her to go to her crate, so we have to go and pull her. She sits her butt down like a dead weight in protest. We don't let her get away with it though. We eventually get her to her crate and that's when the hard part for me begins. The whining, crying, and carrying on all.night.long. As her mommy, it KILLS me to listen to her cry. It makes everything inside of me hurt. It makes ME cry. It frustrates Donnie and eventually there's tension that can be cut with a knife. It didn't take long for Donnie to go sleep on the couch the other night, it quieted her down just enough so I could get a little more rest.
I have been consistent while Donnie has been at work this weekend, and her cries are becoming less and less at night... but when I do let her out of her crate, she is ATTACHED at the hip. She sits with me while I eat, she sits with me on the couch, lays down in the afternoons with me, lays across my legs or my belly while Declan kicks. She knows what's to come... and she doesn't want to miss a beat!
I think Liberty is going to be a great big sister. She's going to be protective and she's going to be Declan's best friend. I am so glad that they're going to grow up together. A boy and his dog....
These are the little challenges that I don't want to forget. I want to remember how attached and protective Liberty was. I want to remember that I was so annoyed at the lack of sleep but still so in love with my little puppy. She'll always be a puppy to me.
I have been consistent while Donnie has been at work this weekend, and her cries are becoming less and less at night... but when I do let her out of her crate, she is ATTACHED at the hip. She sits with me while I eat, she sits with me on the couch, lays down in the afternoons with me, lays across my legs or my belly while Declan kicks. She knows what's to come... and she doesn't want to miss a beat!
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| Liberty laying directly next to me |
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| Liberty sleeping on me, feeling Declan move |
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| Liberty in my bed during my afternoon nap |
These are the little challenges that I don't want to forget. I want to remember how attached and protective Liberty was. I want to remember that I was so annoyed at the lack of sleep but still so in love with my little puppy. She'll always be a puppy to me.
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| Liberty... January 2011 |
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Wow I need to update!!!
So I haven't posted since October... that's a LONG TIME. So I'm going to try to quickly but efficiently update everyone on the highlights of what has happened since then.
I quit my job in the middle of October to focus on my pregnancy and health but due to being shorthanded, the company asked me to stay on hand as an on call shift supervisor, meaning I was only going to be working if they absolutely needed me there. It was a good option for me because it was going to give me most of my time off but I would have extra money during the busy holiday season.
October 20th we had a gender reveal party in NJ for our families and closest friends. We had a great time announcing that we are happily expecting a healthy BABY BOY and his name is Declan Ryan!
In November, we had my mom and Ben up for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving dinner was delicious as always, even if we didn't know if we cooked the turkey upside down or not. Ha! Donnie and I both worked the whole weekend of Thanksgiving so my parents were left to explore the Cape on their own! They had fun checking out a local bar by the name of The Black Cat. We have a Black Cat in Absecon too so they had to compare the two!
The first week of December, we were back in NJ again for our last visit before Declan arrives.
On December 1st, Donnie surprised me with a 3D4D Ultrasound at Bellyssimo Imaging. He had invited everyone to join us and I was completely SHOCKED! My mom, Ben, Donnie's mom Dani, Rob, Marianne, and Ed got to attend. They all kept a good secret! Declan showed off his personality quite a bit and it was so nice to be able to see him again after not seeing him since October 10th.
December 2nd was my baby shower which was amazing. We had a great turn out, amazing food, and Declan was SPOILED rotten... (I have a feeling this won't be the last time he's spoiled!)
Christmas this year was very low key. Donnie and I were unable to travel to NJ so he volunteered to take duty over Christmas week. So he went to work on December 21st and didn't come home until the 28th. I went to the station on Christmas Day with Liberty. We got to walk the pier with her, she totally wanted to eat a Seagull. Then Donnie and I got to eat Christmas dinner together. Donnie got to come home for a few hours on the 26th so we opened our presents to each other that day.
After Christmas I had my one hour glucose test. And... I failed.... by one point. The midwife gave me the option of trying the one hour again, moving onto the three hour test, or to refuse it all and just change my diet on my own. I decided to go to the three hour test. So on January 17th, I took the three hour test... And I failed the three hour test too. So now I test my blood sugar 4 times a day and I cut out all sweets and junk food. With my birthday coming up in just two short weeks, I am really sad about not having my cake and eating it too... but it's not about me, it's about Declan. After my gestational diabetes diagnosis, my mom came to visit for a week to help out. We accomplished a ton! Here's a little sneak peek of Declan's crib and nursery "theme".
I quit my job in the middle of October to focus on my pregnancy and health but due to being shorthanded, the company asked me to stay on hand as an on call shift supervisor, meaning I was only going to be working if they absolutely needed me there. It was a good option for me because it was going to give me most of my time off but I would have extra money during the busy holiday season.
In November, we had my mom and Ben up for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving dinner was delicious as always, even if we didn't know if we cooked the turkey upside down or not. Ha! Donnie and I both worked the whole weekend of Thanksgiving so my parents were left to explore the Cape on their own! They had fun checking out a local bar by the name of The Black Cat. We have a Black Cat in Absecon too so they had to compare the two!
The first week of December, we were back in NJ again for our last visit before Declan arrives.
On December 1st, Donnie surprised me with a 3D4D Ultrasound at Bellyssimo Imaging. He had invited everyone to join us and I was completely SHOCKED! My mom, Ben, Donnie's mom Dani, Rob, Marianne, and Ed got to attend. They all kept a good secret! Declan showed off his personality quite a bit and it was so nice to be able to see him again after not seeing him since October 10th.
December 2nd was my baby shower which was amazing. We had a great turn out, amazing food, and Declan was SPOILED rotten... (I have a feeling this won't be the last time he's spoiled!)
Christmas this year was very low key. Donnie and I were unable to travel to NJ so he volunteered to take duty over Christmas week. So he went to work on December 21st and didn't come home until the 28th. I went to the station on Christmas Day with Liberty. We got to walk the pier with her, she totally wanted to eat a Seagull. Then Donnie and I got to eat Christmas dinner together. Donnie got to come home for a few hours on the 26th so we opened our presents to each other that day.
After Christmas I had my one hour glucose test. And... I failed.... by one point. The midwife gave me the option of trying the one hour again, moving onto the three hour test, or to refuse it all and just change my diet on my own. I decided to go to the three hour test. So on January 17th, I took the three hour test... And I failed the three hour test too. So now I test my blood sugar 4 times a day and I cut out all sweets and junk food. With my birthday coming up in just two short weeks, I am really sad about not having my cake and eating it too... but it's not about me, it's about Declan. After my gestational diabetes diagnosis, my mom came to visit for a week to help out. We accomplished a ton! Here's a little sneak peek of Declan's crib and nursery "theme".
I turn 35 weeks this Friday, February 1st. Here's my most recent belly picture.
Here's Liberty snuggling her soon to be little brother. She loves him... and his stuffed animals.
So that pretty much catches everyone up on the last few months... I am going to try and update a lot more throughout February and hopefully continue to update after Declan arrives!
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Last Chance to GUESS!!!
GIRL!? or BOY?!
Make your guess on Baby Carter's gender NOW, because TOMORROW, Donnie and I will know the gender!!!!! We will NOT be telling and will NOT be posting the results until AFTER the gender reveal party on October 20th!
CAST THOSE VOTES!!!
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