a few days of firsts...

it has been so amazing to be home, in the comforts of all things ours and familiar and with the pups :) all throughout the pregnancy lots of people asked me, "how do you think the dogs are going to handle it?" and honestly, i had no idea. i feared the worst, as our bulldog, georgia, is very attached (esp. to me) and her lifestyle- which, i will be honest, is all about her. SO, knowing we were bringing in a new sibling to the mix, things were going to get shaken up and turned upside down a bit for her. our beagle, annie, is a gem. i figured she would be interested enough to make sure we had things handled, but other then that, wouldn't care much.

so, how has it been going you might be thinking? amazing.

honestly, i had no idea my little georgia had so many manners! they were both overjoyed when we came home, as we hadn't seen them in 3 days, but after the initial excitement, they have been very calm. georgia has followed me around, sitting at my feet while i nurse, resting her chin on my leg when ever she can and actually listening when we tell her off! it is a miracle. and annie has been just as i guessed, interested in spurts, but mostly just content as long as she can still curl up on the couch and nap. :) i am a happy and relieved mom to my four legged loves.

so, check, dogs have met lillian. phew.

the next first, our first night in the house. we decided to set up the pack n' play in the bedroom, so lillian slept at the foot of our bed. the nursery is so close, but i am a bit nervous about having her in another room, i like that she is close to us. plus, she really doesn't cry, she just fusses and so i get nervous i won't hear her. i know if given the chance, she would probably learn how to let out a good scream- but i am her mom, it is my job to protect her right? haha. i am sure i am going to pay for the eventually...but right now, i am set on spoiling her. :)

she slept so well, woke up only to feed a few times and then went right back to sleep. we got 5-6 hours of sleep and spent the morning hours snuggling in bed together as a new family. it was magical.

so it has been 2 full days at home now, and tonight we gave her her first bath! she loved it. my mom helped show hank and i the ropes (thank goodness for Granne!!) and i think we succeeded! she actually fell asleep in the tub!

we also had our first outing today to target! i needed some nursing bras/tops and so my mom, lillian and i packed up and headed out. i was exhausted by the time we got home, reminding myself i had a major surgery 4 days ago. i have to say that has really been the hardest part. recovery from the c-section. i hurt all over from it and can't walk properly, move around well or get dressed easily. i am going to begin praying now that i can have successful VBAC's for our next kids because i really don't want to go through this recovery again. i am so thankful for the procedure because it allowed for me to bring this amazing life into the world, but man, the recovery is a lot!

ok, off to get some sleep while lillian is. next post- nursing ;)

XO

its a girl!

i am so happy to announce we welcomed our beautiful daughter, Lillian Virginia Watson, into the world on january 22nd at 7:54pm. she was a perfect 7lbs 12 ounces and 20 inches long with a head full of reddish-blond hair!

as you can tell by my lovely hat and hank's mask, lillian entered this world via c-section. it all happened so fast...here is how it went down.

friday we had an unsuccessful external version at the hospital, went home and woke up the next day ready to wait a week until our scheduled c-section monday january 31st. we decided to go to the 1pm vanderbilt basketball game against st. marys, so got ready and headed out the door. around noon, we were sitting at lunch and i began to realize i think i was having some contractions. i mentioned to my mom and she and i started to track there consistency and duration. we walked over to the game and were there for the majority of it when we realized- i was in labor. they were coming every 3-5 minutes and lasting about 30 seconds to a minute. the gained in strength over the course of the game, so we left and started walking to the car. we called our midwives and they recommended going home and sitting in the tub, drinking lots of fluids and monitoring the contractions. so, after a quick (ok, one hour stop) at the car wash (i know, i am crazy- but the car was a MESS and this baby was coming!!), we went home and i sat in the tub.

after about 40 minutes i really felt like something was happening, so we called the midwives back and they sent me to the hospital to get checked out. we packed everything in the car and headed to vanderbilt hospital. they wisked me right into a room where our midwife, soheyl, came right in and measured me. to my dismay and surprise, i was only at 4.5 cm dilated. not really any different then a few days before. so, she said she felt like the best thing for us to do was to go home and relax. she thought they were just the result of the external version and thus, false labor contractions. we decided to stay at the hospital for an hour, she would monitor my contractions and we would go from there.

my contractions continued, and even seemed to get stronger, but they weren't very consistent or getting closer together. so when soheyl came back in after an hour, we discussed going home. she asked me if i wanted to be measured one more time just to make sure and i said YES! i really felt in my gut that these contractions were for real. and, mother instinct was right- i was almost 6 cm! i had dilated 1.5-2cm in an hour :)

from there, i have to admit, it was SUCH a blur. it was now 6pm and almost immediately we went from going home to having a c-section at 7pm! doctors and nurses rushed into the room, i swear there had to be 40 people coming and going...it was a whirlwind and all i kept thinking was holy shit, we are having this baby right now. i am sure i was being read really important rights, being told about lots of risks and things i should have been paying attention to, but i couldn't. i was in a bit of shock. i think hank was too. we were elated but also nervous. a c-section was never our plan, so we were trying to remember all the things we wanted to request from the doctors and nurses while i was being poked, prodded and IV-ed. it was a scene.

i was taken to the OR to get my epidural, hank was given his scrubs and by 7:54pm, lillian was here! we told them we wanted a big announcement since we didn't know the sex. all the doctors were so excited we didn't know and they did a great job. i couldn't believe it when they said- its a girl! i started sobbing and laughing and a huge emotional wave came over me- i was a MOM! oh, and then they brought hank to see her, we heard her cry and he got to bring her over to me. such an amazing moment. i got to kiss her and rub her with my cheek. the midwife moved as much of my smock as she could so lillian and i could have some skin to skin bonding. it was magical. i am tearing up remembering it.

then they had to take her to the nursery. hank went with her and i sadly had to stay behind while they sewed me back up. i have to say, that was the worst part. i was alone in the OR, completely numb and incapacitated. i was also really nauseous through the whole procedure and after everyone left, it only got worse. i was also beyond exhausted, so kept going in and out of consciousness. i think it was about 45 minutes later they finally had me all put back together and bandaged and started to move me out of the OR and into my room.

the rest of the night is really blurry. i am sure it was a mix of the drugs and pure exhaustion, but i know i cried when i saw lillian again. hank and i just stared at each other in disbelief and amazement at what we had created and brought into the world. the pictures from that evening help me remember some, but i know i just really wanted to get some sleep.

red head :) she has turned much blonder now, but she came out a red head!
in recovery room.

getting ready to nurse for the first time.

after a very successful nursing, our first family photo. :)

to prevent this post from being too long, i will wrap things up. pictures speak more then words anyway :)

in summary, she is amazing. she nurses beautifully, sleeps like an angel and loves to cuddle. i can tell she knows me, recognizes my voice and is nurtured by me. that makes me feel whole. i truly feel complete. all my thoughts during pregnancy are realities. my unbelievable husband is a father, and an incredible one at that. i am so full. full of love, full of happiness and just plain full. this is exactly where i am supposed to be.

we are home now, the dogs are doing great. i will post more soon...right now, time to be with lillian :)

xo

alas, no luck.

wee watson is still breech. the doctors made a very valiant effort, but little did they know who they were up against :)

i ended up not having an epidural, after we got there and chatted with the doctors, they seemed to think it wasn't necessary. and i am glad i didn't. it was very uncomfortable but i don't think having an epidural would have made any difference in how much they were pushing on me or the success of it all. both doctors, yes, there were four sets of hands manipulating my little one, said they didn't hold anything back and that i did better than some of the patients they see with epidurals. so, that was relieving. i really feel like we all gave it our best effort.

so, where do we go from here?

we are home now, and have an appointment on monday with the midwife. at that time we will schedule a c-section at 39 weeks, around Jan. 31st or so. if i go into labor before that date, then i will go in for a c-section then. so, waiting game! thank goodness my mom is in town to help me kill some time and keep my mind off things :)

i am definitely disappointed. there were some tears. but i am trying really hard to focus on the end result, a beautiful baby that is mine. i skipped all the c-section parts of my baby/pregnancy books, so now it is time to go back and read. i guess i just didn't think this is where i would be right now. but again, out of my control and there is still so much to celebrate.

glad to be home, and to have eaten! i couldn't eat for 10 hours before the procedure, so i had a snack at 430am this morning and that was IT until we left the hospital at 5! that was not easy! we went straight to bella napoli- yummy. :)

thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers. i felt them all there with me today and will continue to use them to gather strength as we continue to let this all unfold!

xo

external version

tomorrow at 2pm wee and i will check into the hospital to have what is called an "external version". when we found out that wee was frank breech we also found out this is a procedure done by a physician that gives me a chance for a vaginal delivery. so, i will have an epidural and some muscle relaxers and then they will attempt to flip wee back around! of course i have been up watching you tube videos of it and trying to wrap my head around this whole process, not what we expected, but a step closer to meeting our little one. fingers crossed it works!

if it does work, we will leave the hospital and wait for labor to start, if it doesn't work then we still have to leave the hospital until i start labor, or hit 39 weeks, which ever one comes first. vanderbilt hospital won't perform a c-section until 39 weeks unless i am in labor, so either way we get to come home tomorrow after. the pups will be happy to know that :)

my amniotic fluid is a little low, so they told me to drink LOTS of fluids, and as a result i am up every 20 min or so in the night to pee. i am sure i will not miss the pressure on my bladder! i will definitely miss the kicks and squirms though, they are so real right now and when i feel most connected to wee.

my mom flew in yesterday (thanks mom!!) and i had my last day of work! big day. realizing my mom is here because i am having a baby! and i won't be back at work for months...crazy! our whole lives are changing so fast and i really can't wait to ride this train. i know it is going to be rocky at times, but i feel so blessed to have all my family and friends around me, the outpouring of love is just amazing and brings me to tears. thank you to everyone who has posted that they are thinking of us, thank you for everyone who hasn't posted but is thinking of us. we appreciate your love and support and thoughts more than i could ever express in font. i love you all so very much and can't wait to share wee watson with each and every one of you.

i am off to read some more and get comfortable with the day ahead of me tomorrow- on todays agenda, find a pediatrician and get a pedicure! not a bad first day of maternity leave :)

XO

update at 37 weeks

lots of big news today. found out i am 4cm dilated, 70% effaced and ready for labor. the only catch, wee watson has flipped in the last few days and is now frank breech, meaning his/her bum is down and the head is up with the feet by the face. basically, wee wants to come out bum first! so, after confirmation by ultrasound that wee is breech, we went back to our midwife to talk through next steps. where we stand right now, at 37 weeks, it is worth waiting until 38 weeks if we can to take any action. so, next monday we will go into the hospital to see if they can manually manipulate wee into a head down position so that i can allow my body to go into labor naturally. there is a small chance wee might move on his/her own, but the ultrasound revealed he/she is so low they are not sure this is feasible. they do think i am a good candidate for the manipulation, so fingers crossed it works.

if the manipulation procedure doesn't work, then we have the option to just stay at the hospital and go ahead with the c-section. hank and i think this is what we would do if we get to that point. the ultrasound showed that wee is very healthy, a little under 7lbs and ready to join the world! so, we might get to meet wee watson on monday! ah! i can't believe it.

this is definitely not how hank or i envisioned this process going, but we got our first lesson in parenting today- anything is possible and the challenge is being flexible, open and focused on the positive. so, that is my commitment, i am going to focus on meeting wee soon, having him/her be healthy and happy and for us to start our lives together as a new family!

now lets just hope my body doesn't decide to go into labor before monday!

xo

37 week belly!

this has been such a crazy week, went to the midwife on thursday afternoon and was measured at 37 inches and 2 cm dilated! i was so excited :) they say most likely in the next two weeks we should meet wee watson! i go back today to get measured again and see how effaced i am (how thin my cervix is getting) to see if i have made any progress.

another sign wee is near is that i have been having lots of braxton hicks contractions-"practice contractions" as they call them that mimic labor contractions. they are getting more intense and more frequent, a sign this baby is getting ready! his/her head was down and ready for labor :) i will report later today about any progress! fingers crossed! i am SO ready to meet this little one!!!

my body and mind are completely nesting, i never bake but this morning decided to make pumpkin muffins- SO yummy :)

hank and i have packed our bags and have the car seat all ready. we are going to install the seats in our cars this week so that piece is checked off as well :) i really can't believe how close we are to meeting this little one. i tear up just thinking about holding him/her, seeing hank be a dad, us learning together about how to be new parents, sharing this new life with all those we love...ahh, i just can't wait. so so so blessed.

more to come later!

xo

36th post to mark the 36th week!

Logged into my blog today and realized I had 35 postings! Pretty crazy how my 36th post is for my 36th week. :)

no real news, I head to the midwife this week for to get an update, looking forward to that! I am curious as to how I am progressing, if at all at this point. Also, Hank and I are working on getting our pediatrician lined up, so we have a bunch of prenatal consultations this week, getting down to the wire!

Starting to feel those last weeks of pregnancy that everyone always warned me about- my ankles and knees are about the same width by the end of the day! And the swelling is actually pretty uncomfortable, something I didn't realize. So, tubs and foot massages have become my two best friends, as well as lots of legs up the wall and inversions in my yoga practice, anything to get the blood recirculating!

Today also marks my last prenatal yoga class pre-wee Watson. Looking forward to having Sunday's to relax fully, but I will miss my fellow beautiful pregnant mommas to be.

Thank you all for your love and support!

xo

some of our favs...

hank and i had our photoshoot this week, here are some of our favorites!

:)

four more weeks until we get to meet him/her!!

xo

35 weeks and still cookin'

this week marks 35 weeks, i can officially count the number of weeks left on one hand! i can't believe it :) i am SO excited.

i don't have too many updates, so i figure i would post lots of pics instead.

annie is excited too! she is on the edge of her seat!

i guess i need to clean the mirror! self-portrait of the belly.

the nursery is complete, we got a window treatment! ready for wee!

pittsburgh christmas swag :) wee watson is set!

a few christmas outfits! i can't wait to see and snuggle wee in them!

obviously we are just bursting with excitement, the countdown begins! more pictures to come, hank and i had a photographer take some family and belly shots today, so will post those when i have them!

here's to 2011!

xo