one month

my daughter turned a month old on friday. time is going by so fast and even looking at pictures, i'm having a hard time realizing how her looks and expressions have changed so gradually into what they are today. i'm sure it's impossible to really catch every moment and even if you do, you're constantly playing catch-up and missing the present worrying so much about capturing what will automatically become the past. anyway, i've decided to just try and enjoy it as i go, write things down when i get the chance, and not worry so much about capturing every moment. that's what memories are for, right? though they're far from perfect, they have a way of reminding us of the best things in life. the pictures and writings just fill in the gaps (though i am very grateful for both).

so, in spirit of remembering... practically since birth, adelle has made this little noise that sounds like a mix between laughing and clearing her throat. i'm pretty sure it started when she needed to burp, but now she does it pretty much all the time and it just cracks me up. i think i'll be a little sad when she grows out of it. also, she's starting to respond more to things i do besides just getting quiet. for example, i've been singing christmas carols to her (she gets extremely calm when i sing silent night) and today jingle bells came on the tv so i started singing it to her. every time it came to the "hey!" part, i would lower her chin whenever i said it and she'd make a big grin. it was the first time she smiled in response to something rather than just smiling randomly or in her sleep. and now, for the past couple of days, when i look at her and smile, sometimes she'll give me just a little smirk. i just love watching her working so hard to slowly become the woman that she will eventually be. i feel blessed to be so connected to her life and am constantly going to try my best not to mess that up. this is the easy part, right? i definitely CAN wait for when she starts having her own opinions and realizing that i'm not perfect :P

yay for being a mom.

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someday you'll see us again..

i'm sure it's completely normal, but i am a little bit afraid to take Adelle out to any public places. even church seems like too much of a risk for my little one's immune system (especially at this time of year), so since she was born, we've been at home for a great majority of the time. yesterday, she and i did venture out to my sister Lori's, where we took advantage of her nice camera and artistic eye to get a few cute pics of Adelle before she's too grown up and we forget how cute and little she is now. here are a few favorites (thanks, Lori!):

okay...

i said i would explain more about the whole birthing experience, so here it goes.

i went in monday night (the 17th) at 7:30 p.m. where they started the slow process. they did some things to prepare my body for labor (in hopes that those things would send me into labor without having to break my water). the next morning they let me eat breakfast, take a bath, then they started me on pitocin at 8:30 and broke my water at about 9. the contractions started coming and progressing very quickly. i got an epidural and by 1:00 i was already dilated to a 6, but they said the baby hadn't descended low enough yet. it took until like 7 that night for me to be dilated to an 8, but the baby still wasn't low enough because basically she was turned funny and kept hitting my pubic bone instead of being able to go under it. the doctor tried a few times to help the baby turn or help her get below the bone, but the baby had enough room that she just kept popping back up. dr. was very patient with my desire to not have a c-section and let us wait it out until about 12:30 a.m. when she checked me, the baby's head had swelled quite a bit and we finally decided that at this point the c-section was the best option to safely delivering a healthy baby. i was in the operating room by 1 and Adelle was born at 1:21 a.m. Wednesday morning, November 19th. it was really strange being able to feel all the pressure and pulling during the surgery, but not the pain. of course, after the surgery, the pain medicine they gave me apparently didn't work with my body, so for a bit, i could feel the entire pain of the surgery. i hope that's the only time i ever have to tell a nurse that my pain is at a 10. i don't want to dwell on that experience too much, but it is definitely not one i will soon forget.

we have had so much love and support and appreciate everyone who has visited, brought us dinner, or sent a kind note. we have had many meals provided for us and it has been such a help! we haven't gotten much sleep and we're still getting the hang of things (as we will be for the rest of our lives i'm sure), but we're so glad to have Adelle with us. it's crazy to think that yesterday was her due date and we've already gotten to enjoy her as part of our family for over a week now. we've been taking lots of pictures and will post more soon!

Adelle Madeline

She's here!! Our beautiful little girl Adelle was born Wednesday morning (November 19th, 2008) at 1:21 a.m. at 7 lb 7 oz and 20 and 2/3 inches long. I cannot tell you how blessed we feel to be her parents and cannot wait to see the person she will continually grow to be!

I ended up having to have a c-section, which I will explain more in-depth later.

I'm too tired to say much more right now, but here are some pictures from now. A picture from the operating room while they were stitching me up, then a few from today, day 3! Enjoy and more soon!

the time has come!!!

As some of you may know, throughout the later stages of my pregnancy, I have had an excess of amniotic fluid. Sometimes this indicates problems with the baby, but in this case they really don't know why, so no big deal, right? Well, when you have too much fluid, it makes it more likely for the cord to come out before the head and wrap around the baby's neck. This is something that can be taken care of during labor, but it's harder to do when the baby gets bigger. Since my baby is on the big side already (she was 6 and 1/2 pounds 2 weeks ago), the doctor and we have decided to induce.... on MONDAY! I go in Monday at 7:30 p.m. where they'll break my water, put me on some antibiotics (I have something called GBS), then the doctor thinks that itself might get my body into the early stages of labor without the more invasive stuff like pitocin, which makes your contractions more intense, etc. Anyway, by Tuesday morning if not much has changed, they'll help me along a little. I'm already dilated at 3 cm and partially effaced, so who knows what will happen.

So, now something that was just in the near future has an actual date or arrival! I felt like we were really ready, but at the same time, now I feel like we have so much to do this weekend to really get ready. We still need a changing pad and I need to pack my overnight bag for the hospital! I have a general list and have checked online, but any suggestions on things that would be nice to have there during the slow labor process? I think I'm going to make a mix CD because they have stereo systems in the rooms so I can listen to whatever I want during the labor :)

We are very excited and can't wait to meet our little girl so soon! Apparently she has a lot of hair already (Luke's part Native American). I can't wait to get her out of my belly and into my arms! Wish us luck!!!

260 days down, 20(ish) to go!

one pregnant woman + flu shot (sore arm) = only able to sleep on one side = aching back, legs, shoulders, etc etc etc. = lucky me.

i've never gotten a flu shot before yesterday. the nurse was NOT gentle either. she practically wound up before stabbing me in the arm. ah well. i suppose it's for my own good.

soon i will blog about my baby shower, which was on november 1st. it was really great and reminded me of how many amazing friends/family i have in the area. i am so grateful to have them! also, luke has been working on cleaning out the baby room to get it ready. he moved the recliner into the bedroom and a dresser into the baby room, so we're getting closer and closer to being ready for the little one!

according to my appointment yesterday, i'm dilated to 2.5 cm and some other signs (that may be a little too much information for some) are showing that the end is near. of course, that doesn't mean she'll come early and i kind of doubt she will, but we're excited nonetheless. we really have everything we need for now and other things we'll be able to get along the way. it's been really fun getting ready for her and i can't wait to meet her!

i voted.

did you?

hallelujah!!

well, we had another appointment yesterday, which brought another sonogram, and guess what! The baby turned on her own! She is officially head down, has dropped half the way (whatever that means) and so I guess that means it's very unlikely for her to turn again. I'm 1 and 1/2 centimeters dialated and 60% effaced, but really that doesn't indicate any time frame. It's just good to know that things are on track now, so yay. my due date 4 weeks from today!

Happy Halloween!

Tonight will be carving pumpkins, trunk-or-treat, parties, lots of fun! And then sleep, lots of sleep. Have fun and be safe!

our poor poor car

well, the summit is on its last limb. luke had to take the car to topeka the other day and at one point when he turned left, the switch decided to stay on ... forever. so, we are eternally turning left! we had to put duct tape over the left turn signal in the front and we took out the bulb for the signal in the back. since we're eternally turning left, that means we cannot switch it to turn right or use the emergency lights. we have to hand signal. it's fun ... anyway, i guess we knew it was coming because the wand for the turn signals has been loose for a while (which means something inside there is loose) and it doesn't beep anymore when we leave the lights on after turning the car off, so luke and i have both drained the battery, including today. in fact, we would be at our pre-admission appointment at the hospital right now if it hadn't happened again. thanks to friends (ali) who are willing to give rides home/jump the car for us. otherwise we'd have to miss our 4:30 OB appt too!

anyway, i know everyone loves the summit, but start saying your goodbyes. you never know, the next time you see her could be the last.