Please take a minute

Hi! All is well with us. Finding time to blog or otherwise keep up with the online community is still something I "used to do", you know, "before I had a baby". Other mothers seem to be able to do this, but not me. Maybe someday soon.

Tonight I am hoping you will take a minute to visit a couple women, via their blogs, who are still passionately pursuing their dreams for a baby with the help of IVF. A link to each of their blogs is to the right: Wanted: Baby Giant and In 2 Me See. Please leave a comment of support on their blogs, if you can, and pray for their dreams to come true this time -- a successful conception, followed by a successful pregnancy, followed by the successful delivery of a precious, long-awaited baby (or two!).

Thank you!

New Pictures!

Happy new year! All is well in Eli land. I wish I could post about many, many things, but these days if I can't do it from my iphone, it doesn't get done online. Meanwhile, here are some pictures for those who keep asking. Thanks for checking in! I will try to blog again soon (Karen thanks for tagging me, I am planning to respond!).

Christmas joy

Eli's Christmas outfit with reindeer feet

He loves his Tiny Love mobile

Sporting his balding hairline and acne

At almost 10 weeks, he smiles a lot now!

And the new hair is coming in

Pictures!

Eli's nursery*

A good loud cry

A little formula to keep him from losing too much weight

At home

I love my fingers*

And I can do fancy things with my fingers*

*Photos by: www.trishbadgerphotography.com

Two Weeks

It's pretty difficult for me to get any computer time these days, but thanks to a new corset-like item I purchased today at the New Moms Lactation Support Group, I can now pump breast milk "hands free" style. Oh yeah! Feel free NOT to get a mental picture of that.

Today was quite a day. We left the house at 9:30 am, and HK dropped me off at the breastfeeding support group, a free service offered by Women's Hospital of Texas, which is where we delivered. It was very informative and helpful. The best part was weighing Eli, feeding him, and then weighing him again to see how much he took in. About 1 ounce.

Afterwards, HK dropped off Eli and me at a local maternity store to try on slings while he picked up some lunch. We checked out a Sling.EZ for 10 days to see how we like it. Then, we headed over to the pediatrician for the big two-week check up! That's right, Elias is two weeks old! The best news from this visit is that Eli is exactly back up to his birth weight. [BIG sigh of relief] In short, the report from the doctor is: he's perfect, but he could be eating more. No surprises there. We were so glad to hear Eli is healthy and that all the little things we had concerns about are normal newborn things. Very thankful for good news. By the time we got home, it was after 3:00, and we all crashed for a nap.

Combining what we learned at the support group and the doctor, going forward this week we will increase the number of feedings in a day, in order to try to increase what Eli takes in and to up my milk production. Breastfeeding is much more difficult than I expected and is probably the most challenging part of this new-baby life we are living now. I am supremely blessed to have an amazing, supportive husband (who gets a nice chunk of family leave time), a mom who lives nearby and comes to help out almost daily, and lots of other supportive family and friends.

Time to stop writing and get a little catnap. Thank you to everyone who has sent congratulations. HK and I love you, and we are so happy to know Eli already has a community that loves him! More pictures soon...

Allow me to introduce you...

...to Eli!

Elias was born late in the night on Monday, November 17th, happy and healthy.

What started as a routine office visit at the OB Monday morning ended as an emergency c-section 14 hours later. The day didn't go quite as we thought it would, but it ended with us holding our precious new son, and that's all that matters.

We are so blessed, so thankful for this precious miracle!

Pregnant pause

Yesterday officially felt like my first day of maternity leave, since I don't work on Mondays. Now the waiting has truly begun.

How long will Uno make us wait? His arrival might feel less imminent if the doctor hadn't reported that I was dilated between 3 and 4 cm on Monday. I asked how my cervix can be that open without any real contractions, and she said the baby's head pressing on the cervix, along with cramping, can do that. Sweet. Three cm already with no pain -- I am grateful.

I saw the doula that afternoon for my "labor preparation massage," and when she heard the doctor's report she asked me how soon I wanted this baby to come. I told her I was ready any time. So, she did all she could to massage my hips to open and to get the baby down as far as possible. Afterwards, she said he could not get any further down without my water breaking. She also mentioned that once labor started, it would probably go quickly, so we shoudn't delay in heading to the hospital once the contractions were regular and close enough together. I left there very relaxed and resolved to finish packing my hospital bag that night, which I did.

Since then, nothing. I know it could be another week or so...or, it could be today. Quite a "pregnant pause" this time of waiting. I have lots of little things to keep me busy - finsh thank you notes, work on the quilts, do laundry, go through some piles of junk, shop online for Christmas presents, play around with my new Face.book account (now that's addicting), etc. Watch "West Wing" reruns on Bravo. Try to think up new names for Uno.... But it's not like I get fully immersed in any activity to the point of losing awareness of what I am waiting for.

I really can't wait for him to get here now. Hope to see you soon, Uno! Whenever you are ready! We are praying for you and can't wait to meet you.

Crafty Kathy - a couple finished projects

I finished the scarf for my sister and plan to mail it off to her tomorrow. Here it is, with a close up of the stitch:



I also finished two "hugs". These are one-yard flannel blankets that my local quilt shop collects and donates to the local hospitals for the preemie babies. I am going to make a Christmas one for Uno. : )

I am looking forward to seeing Dr. S tomorrow and hoping to hear there's been some progress since last week. I have almost no energy and am feeling very good about the fact that Thursday was my last day at work. My job is wonderful, but I was definitely ready to start my leave and use what little mental energy I have these days for the final baby prep efforts. After my OB appoinment, I am scheduled for a massage with the doula. Definitely looking forward to that.

37 Weeks = Full Term!

If Uno were a roasting turkey, his "doneness" button would have popped up yesterday. We reached 37 weeks, and he is officially full term and good to go. I am feeling huge, uncomfortable and tired, so I am looking forward to getting him out when that time comes.

I saw the OB this morning, and there is no change in my cervix from last week. I was hoping for a little more progress, but status quo is probably a good thing if it means I am more likely to get through the week without going into labor, so I can finish up at work.

Tonight HK and I plan to pack the hospital bag. Yesterday, a friend from church came over and took some maternity pictures for us, to document my largeness. : ) That was fun, and I can't wait to see the pictures.

Progress!

I'm so excited! Today's trip to the OB revealed that I am between 1 and 2 centimeters dilated and 80% effaced. Woo hoo! I wasn't expecting that, and now I am anticipating Uno's arrival more than ever. My strep test was negative, and everything else looked good, too.

Dr. S said she does not think Uno will be as big as 8 lbs when he arrives. Glad to hear that. She did say it could be another two weeks before he gets here, even though I have started dilating. Frankly, I kind of need two more weeks to finish work and get ready, but whenever he comes after Sunday, when I will be officially 37 weeks and full term, will be fine. Dr. S added that the first 3 centimeters can take the longest, so since I am already progressing, she said I should not have one of those 20-hour labors. Well, that sounds just fine to me! Let's hope she's right.

HK and I had a class with the doula yesterday, and we found it very worthwhile. It reinforced some things we heard in the hospital class and gave us some new information, too. She tried to teach the moms the most effective way to push during delivery. Hopefully that will help me help Uno get out faster.

On another note, if you have a moment, please say a prayer for Sara, as she endures a rough pregnancy that is really taking its toll on her.

Pictures

Here are some long-promised pictures of various events/things.

A belly shot from sometime in August that I did not want taken:


Chase Tower, the building where I work, after Hurricane Ike:


Piles of broken glass in the street, and the poor trees. Just this past week we got the windows replaced on our floor, but many offices, including mine, are still under reconstruction:


A flower that mysteriously appeared and bloomed in our garden after Ike. Anyone know what this is?


HK at our baby shower with a very soft blanket for Uno:


Me with a gift for Uno, hand made by a friend from church:

Eight Months Pregnant

Hello! I saw the OB yesterday, which will be a weekly event now until Uno arrives. I was 35 weeks along as of Sunday, but I am calling it Eight Months Pregnant, as Oct. 23rd is just two days away, and one month sounds shorter than five weeks.

As Dr. S put it, any remnants of the "honeymoon" phase of pregnancy is over. Another month like this? And I'm still just going to get bigger and more uncomfortable? I suppose there is a grand design for it -- so that I am good and ready to get that baby out. Which I am sure I will be.

I had to wait an hour in the waiting room, and during that time I finished the latest issue of "Baby Talk" magazine, which I admit I regularly steal from the office, but they do have a ton of them. The overhead music, which I usually appreciate, seemed too loud and was just getting on my nerves. The magazine had a story about a woman who passed all the usual tests for fetal abnormalities but then delivered a baby girl with Down Syndrome. I had to quit reading twice to keep from bursting into tears. All of this to say I was quite emotional and on edge. I was sleep deprived and coming off of a big weekend -- more about that later.

The doctor said everything looks perfect - my blood pressure, baby's heart rate (147), urine sample (no protien or sugar), belly size (35 cm), position of baby (head down), weight (152) and cervix (no dilation but almost completely thinned out). I am proud to say [TMI ALERT!] that after 8 months, I finally figured out how to get a urine sample without peeing on my hand. Very satisfying achievement.

Need to get back to work now. Will post more later about the weekend, with pictures.

Crafty Kathy

A day with no real plans stretches blissfully in front of me this morning. Ahhh. I am leaning toward getting crafy, by working to finish my quilt or making myself some maternity jeans, a la this helpful post. I may even have what I need already in the house for the jeans project -- if not, the Sandollar Thrift shop is not far away. I got my favorite Lucky Brand pre-pregnancy jeans there for $2.50.

I'm really not that much of a sewer...seamstress...whatever the term is, but I have always loved using sewing machines. It amazes me how they work. And if I can whip up a pair of jeans to take me through the next six weeks, that would give my yoga pants a much needed break. Then again, I have a couple of those Bella Bands. Maybe I can make some old jeans work using those instead....

My other project, which has been in the works for about 4 years now, is a scarf for my sister. She picked out the yarn to match her (then) new coat, and I am almost done with it, I'm just not sure how long it really needs to be. Finishing these craft projects is a weak spot for me, but I promised she would get to use the scarf this winter. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, so winter will be there any day now.

These wishes are a day late, but happy SEVENTEENTH anniversary to my sister and bro-in-law, and happy SIXTH anniversary to Brenda and M!

If I am going to get anything done, I better get off the couch. Does Columbus Day mean there is no postal service today?

Time to get caught up - 33 1/2 weeks

This may be sporadic and choppy, but I want to get caught up on some things:

1) Ike dealt us a blow, but not nearly as hard as the blow many people received. We had many branches down, but no trees. No damage to the house. Just 12 days without electricity, which was 10 days too many. It was a humid 80 degrees in our house at night, and the noise of generators made me feel like I was in a war zone. The last three nights of it I stayed with friends, while HK held down the fort like the champ that he is. Pregnant woman's gotta get her sleep!

2) We had our u/s and everything looks good. Apparently, our little Uno is "no small fry," in the words of the u/s tech. She estimated his weight at 4.5 lbs, at 31 weeks. If he is gaining 1/2 lb. a week, he could get to 9 pounds! The OB thinks he'll be more like 8. I hope so. Uno was shy that morning and would not move his hands from his face to give us any good pictures. It was very fun to see him, though.

3) We had our first of two Birth Classes at the hospital. Lots of videos of women going through non-medicated labor and deliveries. No thank you. I am definitely getting the epidural.

4) My belly is huge. The rest of me has pretty much stayed the same size, and I have gained 25 lbs, so...you can see why my co-workers think I am going to pop any second, and we still have over six weeks to go. It doesn't help that I am short-waisted, either. My abdomen is measuring 34 centimeters from top to bottom, which is only 1 above average, but since my torso is kind of shrinky, you know the arc has to stick out pretty far. There are very few items in the maternity wardrobe I can still wear.

5) Only 4 1/2 weeks of work left!

6) Except for not sleeping much, I feel good and am very thankful for that.

7) I'm getting more excited week by week to meet our little guy!

Ike & Uno

I just heard Mayor White's 7 am announcement, and it looks like most people in Houston will be off from work tomorrow, while many in the coastal areas are under a mandatory evacuation. I don't work Fridays anyway, but I guess now HK might be home, too. My mom and I were planning to spend the day together, as she is back in town after being gone for 4 months, but she may not want to drive down from the north Houston suburbs with Ike on the way. We'll see. We plan to gas the cars and stock up on water and non perishables tonight, but we are not planning to evacuate. Could get exciting around here! I am a weather drama junkie.

Yesterday baby Uno was going crazy inside me all afternoon and evening. He was awake and moving for about 4 or 5 hours straight. It was neat at first, and then it was like having someone poke you in the same place over and over again for hours, like Chinese water torture. I tried eating, drinking, singing, patting my belly, moving around, and nothing changed - perhaps a preview of trying to comfort a newborn? I think I may have some kind of wildman in there! He's already up and at it again this morning.

Assuming no news is good news, I guess I passed my glucose tolerance screen. It was over two weeks ago, and still no word from the OB. Surely if I were at risk of having gestational diabetes, they would have called me in for the 3-hour test by now instead of letting me go on drinking chocolate milk every day (well, almost every day). Don't you think?

Our next appointment is Monday the 22nd, and we get to see Uno on the u/s again! Can't wait for that!

A friend of mine had a baby boy in January, and although his name is Isaac, they have always called him Ike. What a lucky kid, he gets a hurricane named after him before he's even one year old. : ) Please pray for safety for everyone in the storm's path this weekend, and blessings on all who lost loved ones on this infamous day, seven years ago.

Tuesday night

We have had the computer over a week now, and it's wonderful to have internet connection at home again. I'm paranoid about getting robbed again and want to hide it under the couch when we're not home, but so far I am resisting that urge. We have decided to stop using a housecleaner, to save $$ for Uno gear, and I am making myself trust the cleaning lady to return our key after we let her go instead of cleaning us out, or giving access to someone else to do it. Sigh. It's hard to trust again.

I thought I would jump right back into my online community, but so far, no. I want to, but I feel like there is so little time in the day. Guess I will just try to ease back into it.

I am in the third trimester now. Cause for celebration, all is well.

But what's really on my mind tonight is my very close friend who just had a miscarriage, at 11 weeks. I'm so full of sadness for her and her husband. So is HK. There is no way to fully express this terrible loss.

Stay tuned...

The new computer arrives this week!

Meanwhile, all is well. We got full marks at the last OB visit, and we are already going back again on Monday. Uno is kicking a lot, and despite not sleeping for more than 2 to 3 hours at a time during the night, I feel pretty good.

More updates coming soon. : )

Hard to post with no computer at home yet

Yes, we are still computer shopping and waiting for the insurance claim check to come thru. Meanwhile, here are some recent pictures:


This is Mt. Rainier, in Seattle, Washington. HK and his best friend climbed this impressive peak a few weeks ago. I am very proud and impressed, indeed.


This is Lake Pend Oreille (that's "pon-duh-ray") in Sandpoint, Idaho, where HK and I spent a couple glorious days with my sister and her husband.


This is my belly, in Sandpoint, Idaho.
: )

All is well with Uno. We see the OB again on Wednesday. I'll try to be back again soon!

Can you see it?

Unless you recently had your own ultrasound or are an ultrasound tech, you may not know what you are looking at, but the arrow is pointing to what clearly makes our baby...A BOY!

Right now he weighs 12 oz and measures 19.9 weeks, right on schedule. Everything looks good - the heart, spine, head, bones, stomach and umbilical cord, thigh bone connected to the knee bone, etc! I have an anterior placenta, which means it is up front in my belly, with the baby behind, so that will muffle the movements for another month, but that is normal, and so is my cervix, which means I can travel safely on our vacation next week. Whew.

HK and I are thrilled that everything looks healthy and excited to know we have a son in there. Now we can choose a name from our list...which is on the computer...which was stolen...so we will be starting fresh with a new list! : )

Seeing Uno again was amazing, exciting, and also sobering. A little dose of reality, to remind us there will be a big new responsibility in our lives about 4 1/2 months from now. Yeah. We are just soaking all of this in, with lots of gratitude for all the good news today.

So, thanks again for casting your vote, and everyone who voted for "boy" can do a little self-satisfied nodding of the head and enjoy the successful application of your old wives tale. Nicely done.

Already a great day

For the first time this morning, I was 100% sure those pokes and "bubbles" I was feeling as I laid in bed came from the baby. Uno seems to be curled up way to the left, and s/he was kicking me in the side. HK and I could both feel the poking when we put our hands on my belly. Pretty great moment. Looks like all three of us are ready for the big u/s today. : )

How I will post the results before tomorrow morning will be a challenge, since we have no computer at home, but I'll see what I can manage. Have a super day, everyone!

Old Poll is Broken! Please vote in new poll!

Okay, I don't know why, but the old poll won't let anyone else vote, so I added a new one, above. Feel free to vote again! There's still lots of time -- until around 1 pm on Wednesday, depending on what time zone this blog host is in...

I am very antsy, waiting to see Uno again tomorrow, and a little anxious, hoping that everything is okay. HK and I started singing and playing guitar for Uno last night, and tho we need practice, we're not too bad. : ) Really, how much can you mess up "I've Been Working on the Railroad"?

Several posts below, you will see details that may help you vote. Christina asked about heart rate: at 4 1/2 weeks, the heart rate was 180. Thanks for weighing in!!!