It's a Girl!!

On Thanksgiving night, when we got home from our family gathering, I got a bad headache.  I also noticed my rings were very hard to get off for the first time in my pregnancy and I thought my face looked puffy.  I took Tylenol and tried to sleep, but it wasn't getting any better.  Finally at about midnight I decided to call the doctor.  They said they were concerned about preeclampsia (I was too!) and that we should head to the hospital.  We called Aunt Cyndi to come sit with our sleeping boys (so grateful they live so close!!).  We spent the next 6 or so hours at Mercy Hospital under evaluation.  They took my blood pressure right away and it was a little high, but not alarmingly so.  They did a urine test, blood tests, an ultrasound and took my blood pressure about every 30 minutes the whole time we were there.  Finally my headache got a little better and they sent us home.  Phew!

Because I had two previous C-sections, this time I didn't have a choice: we were scheduling a C-section.  My due date was December 11, and they schedule C-sections up to one week early, so we were scheduled for Friday, December 4.  We had to be at the hospital bright and early to get prepped for my 8:30 surgery.  We were very anxious!  I didn't feel nervous until they came to put in my epidural - I think that's when it started to get real that I was having surgery.  I am not a fan of pain medicine, so my anxiety started kicking in.

We had the sweetest nurse all morning and throughout the surgery, Chaney, and of all the people in the operating room (there were about 12 including Jason and me), only Chaney and the anesthesiologist predicted the baby would be a girl.  [Jason admitted to me later that he thought it was a girl, but he didn't want to jinx it by saying it out loud.]  :)  As the surgery started, my left arm went numb and my eyelids started getting really heavy, both of which made me nervous (even though they assured me both were normal).

Heavy eyelids when we were getting started!!

I was so relieved when Chaney popped her head around the sheet and said "your baby is going to be born to Adele," as her song Hello had just come on the radio.  I was thinking "OK, songs are only 3 minutes long or something, so we're getting close!"  Next thing you know, someone said "look at all that hair!!" and then at 8:48 am both Chaney and the anesthesiologist started cheering.  I just remember saying (in disbelief), "It's a girl?"  and someone said yes and I said again "It's A GIRL??"  Of course both Jason and I were crying.  My doctor said "those are happy tears, right?" because I guess my body was shaking.  I assured him they were.  I was completely shocked, I was sure she was going to be a boy.  And at that moment I realized that I really did want a girl more than I let myself believe.

The rest of the surgery seemed to take forever, and I watched from the table as they got Baby Girl all cleaned up, weighed and evaluated and Jason took a million pictures.  Chaney even made two extra sets of footprints for the boys to take to school, which was really sweet.

We named our sweet daughter Nora Anne.  Nora is just a name we love and of course Anne is my given name.  She weighed in a 7 lbs, 8 oz, which was also a shocker given that her brothers were 8 lbs, 7 oz (Jack) and 9 lbs, 4 oz (Charlie).  She was 19 3/4" long (Jack was 21" and Charlie was 21.5").

Right away we thought she looked like Jack as a newborn - she has his exact mouth!  And of course, we were smitten right from the start with our precious daughter.

Jason was a stinker when it came to announcing Nora's birth to our family and friends.  Here was the text message exchange he had with our families:

• Jason: All good.
• Grandma Clayton: Boy or Girl??????
• Jason: Yes
• Jason: 7 lbs.....
• Jason: 8 oz.....
• Grandma Lang: I'm going to have to smack you
• Jason: Baby.....
• Jason: Nora Anne!

And then with our neighbors/friends, he did this (I'm paraphrasing because I don't have the texts):

Jason wrote "Baby is here!" (with this picture attached:)

I think a few of the girls wrote back things like "haha" and "LOL" and then Chrissy (I think?) said "Should we assume it's a boy because this baby is wearing blue?"  Jason finally replied by sending the picture of the three of us and said "There's only one boy in this picture."

Belly Pics and Pregnancy

This go 'round I was not as consistent about taking baby bump pictures.  Something about this being the third baby....  I did take quite a few pictures towards the end, usually when an out of town sister or friend requested that I send them one...I apologize in advance that most of the pictures were taken in the bathroom at work.

June 30 - 16 Weeks

August 6 - 22 Weeks

September 10 - 27 Weeks

October 23 - 33 Weeks

November 13 - 36 Weeks

November 23 - 37 Weeks

Last photo as a family of 4 - Thanksgiving - 38 weeks

Arriving at the hospital for my c-section!!  39 Weeks!

Overall I had a really great pregnancy.  I had a lot of the normal complaints early on: nausea and exhaustion, but that got better in my second trimester.  Towards the end I had regular acid reflux and occasional sciatic nerve pain, but no major complaints.  If you ask Jason he may tell you that I was a little more moody than normal towards the end there too...

I had a lot of ultrasounds this pregnancy.  My doctor always does an ultrasound at every visit, but it's more playing around to try to get cute pictures of baby.  We didn't get many great ones, but here are a couple:

16 weeks - 7/2/15

Back view of spine and head

He uses an ultrasound technician for the 20 week ultrasound and then if there are any issues.  Unfortunately, at my 20 week ultrasound, they noticed the baby's left kidney was dilated.  At the time, they said it's likely to "work itself out" before my next visit, so I was scheduled for a follow-up ultrasound with the technician a month later.  Sadly, the kidney was still dilated.  Still they weren't overly concerned but Jason and I were - no one wants to hear something is wrong with their baby!!  We did a lot of research and found that it's a pretty common thing that quite often corrects itself.  When it doesn't, it could require antibiotics to prevent infection and eventually surgery when baby is a little older (closer to a year old).  We had a couple more technical ultrasounds for the remainder of the pregnancy and the answer was always the same: left kidney was still dilated.  Because the fluid around the baby was normal and the right kidney and all other anatomy scans were normal, the plan was to just wait until baby was born and do an ultrasound and follow-ups with the pediatrician.  Not the answer we wanted, but it could've been a lot worse!

The one thing we did notice in our research was that MANY of the people talking about this online were talking about their SON having the issue.  That, combined with the fact that my pregnancies felt so similar, had me convinced that baby #3 was going to be a boy.  The baby was also SUPER active, which I figured was a boy attribute as well.  The baby's heartbeat bounced back and forth between being a "dude" and a "chick" per my doctor, but at the last few check-ups, it was on the high end (164, 150, 157), which according to old wives tales means girl.

In November, my coworkers completely surprised me with a little shower - I really had no idea they would do anything!  It was so sweet.  They had a cake, big brother t-shirts for the boys and an Amazon.com gift card.

Overall a great third pregnancy!!

Bun in the Oven

In early May, we got to give the boys some big news....

We are having another baby!  I have been wanting another baby for years, and Jason has been on the fence.  At Christmas he surprised me with this gift:

He decided he wanted another baby too - best Christmas gift ever!!

Baby is due in early December, and we're going to wait until he/she arrives to find out the gender.  We love the surprise!  We decided to stick with the Chevy Chase movie character nicknames, and dubbed this baby Dusty Bottoms, but admittedly we haven't been calling him/her that very much.

Here is a video of the boys learning the big news.  Sort of anticlimactic, but still cute to watch them.

Stay tuned for more baby updates!

Fletch Lives!

The sequel to Fletch is in production!! Jack's going to be a big brother!

We had a check-up today and I'm 12 weeks along, tentatively due on September 6th (in my three appointments I've moved from September 13 to September 14 to now the 6th, so I'm not holding my breath yet on this new earlier date). Baby is doing great, and Mommy's doing pretty well too! I generally have bouts of nausea on my way home from work and for some or all of the evening, but nothing unbearable. I've vomited only once, and that was on a plane during a long day of travel home from Argentina, so can't entirely be blamed on pregnancy. My biggest complaint is how tired I am! Jack and I pretty much share a bedtime of 7:30 right now. Last week I had a conference call with Asia at 8:30pm and I literally had to set my alarm to wake back up to take the call. Yikes - that's pathetic!! I'm hoping I get my energy back in the next few weeks - I'm getting way behind on my shows!

My belly is already growing - much faster than last time! Depending on what I'm wearing, you can tell I'm starting to round out. Luckily I've avoided maternity clothes so far, but I have spent several days and nights with my pants unbuttoned. Only a matter of time before I make the big switch to elastic waistbands!

We have decided to be surprised once again by the gender (sorry Lisa!), and sticking with our Chevy Chase theme, this baby will henceforth be known as Sparky (until baby is born, at which time baby will receive a real name). Speaking of names, while we haven't even had a single discussion on that topic yet, when we do, I think we're going to keep that quiet this time - I had a few instances of negative responses to our names last time, which are unfortunately forever ingrained in my brain.

Here is Sparky as of today! Big already just like his/her brother!

All Set For Monday!

I talked to my doctor yesterday, and we're all set to be induced on Monday. He said I am Mommy #5 on the list for that day, so the hospital will call me when they're ready for me and then we head on in to get this process started.

I'm relieved that I have an end date, but of course still hoping for something to happen sooner.

Time will tell...

No Update

Well, I went to the doctor yesterday after my raging hormones caused an unwarranted meltdown, which led to a tearful call to the doctor's office, which led to him seeing me yesterday instead of today (nice, I know). Surely I'm not the first emotional pregnant woman he's seen (or at least that's what I'm telling myself).

Anyway, there is no change from last week; I am still 1 cm dilated and 80% effaced. Bummer. He tried to "get things moving," so we'll see if that works. If it doesn't, he is going to schedule me to be induced either Monday or Tuesday (I should find out for sure which day sometime today). I'm crossing my fingers that something happens on its own before then, but I guess waiting one more week is not the end of the world.

I have been feeling LOTS of tightening in my stomach and random aches and pains in various parts of my abdomen and back, but still nothing super painful and definitely nothing consistent.

This waiting game is by far the hardest part of pregnancy if you ask me. All of the unknown is getting to me and causing me to be an anxious wreck and crabby to boot! I don't know if I've ever been this crabby in my life! Hopefully before we know it, we'll be holding this baby in our arms and all will be right in the world again.

I'll keep you posted.

The 70s

First, I don't have a baby update - just patiently (or maybe not so patiently) waiting.

My parents are preparing a room for Fletch, so they got a bunch of stuff out from when I was a baby, including some toys, a toy box, etc. The best thing that they saved was the "punkin seat," which they apparently used to carry my sister and me places. I'm sure it used to be white instead of yellow, but even still I cannot imagine carrying a child in this thing!!It's amazing how far baby stuff has come! Rest assured, Grandma and Grandpa have no intention of carrying Fletch in this fancy carrier.

Test Tweet

First, I must say that I hate that a posting to Twitter is referred to as a "tweet." How lame.

Anyway, it has come to my attention that when/if you sign up to follow Jason on Twitter, you also have to check or select something that allows him to send you messages to your phone. Therefore, I asked him to send a test message tonight. If you did not receive a message from him about 2 minutes ago, then yours is not set up properly.

I promise this is the last "tweet" you'll receive until it's go time (which will hopefully be VERY soon)!

We Have Progress!

We went to the doctor this afternoon, and we finally have some progress! I am about 1 cm dilated and 80% effaced. Yay! Of course, this really doesn't mean much because you can walk around dilated for weeks or you can go into labor without being dilated at all, BUT I'm excited because it tells me my body is getting ready for action!

It's hard to believe I'll be 39 weeks on Thursday - my due date is only 10 days away! Nutty! My doctor asked us what we want to do if we get to August 13 and haven't had the baby yet (i.e., do we want to induce?). I told him although it kills me to say it because we're SO ready, we'd like to wait it out and avoid induction if possible. We'll give Fletch that weekend to see if he/she comes on his/her own, but I'm guessing after that, the doctor will want to induce (he doesn't want me to go past 41 weeks). Cross your fingers that Fletch comes before that - preferably like tomorrow! :)

Nursery & Belly Updates

We finally got some stuff hung on the nursery walls!! We hung the cornice, which we made out of a curtain that matches our bedding.
Then we painted these canvases and hung them over the crib. I'm happy with how they turned out.Here's a new belly picture - I'm 37.5 weeks along:Also, Fletch's Aunt Cyndi, Uncle Todd and cousins Paige and Mia just got back from Disneyworld and they brought him/her this adorable souvenir!

No Progress Yet

I had my 37-week checkup yesterday. I thought I was getting one last ultrasound, but I didn't, so I guess I misunderstood. It's probably for the better - I would hate to accidentally find out Fletch's sex 3 weeks before he/she arrives, although we're dying to know!!

Everything is fine. My belly measures 36.5" which is right on schedule and I'm up to 29 pounds. That seems like a lot, so I did a little research - it's kind of crazy to see where all this weight gain comes from:

Average Breakdown
Maternal:
Uterus 2.39 lbs.
Breasts 1.0 lbs.
Blood 3.09 lbs.
Water 4.15 lbs.
Fat 8.27 lbs.
Subtotal 18.89 lbs.

Fetal:
Fetus 7.5 lbs.
Placenta 1.6 lbs.
Amniotic Fluid 1.97 lbs.
Subtotal 11.07 lbs.

Total 29.96 lbs.

My uterus alone gained over 2 pounds?? I have an extra 3 pounds of blood in me right now?? Nuts!

The doctor checked my cervix and it is still closed. I was really holding out hope that I would have a least a little dilation, but my wishful thinking was crushed yesterday. Just have to be patient, Fletch will be here before we know it. The bright side is I can get more done at work before the big day.

My doctor is on vacation next week (another good reason not to go into labor too soon), so I'll skip next week's visit and go back Monday, August 3.

Tweet (ugh!)

From Fletch's dad....

It occurred to me that some of you may want updates between the time when Annie goes into labor and Fletch finally arrives. In order to make things easier on myself during this time, I have reluctantly setup a Twitter account. Anyone who would like to be in the loop for Fletch's arrival can create their own Twitter account and follow the link below.

http://twitter.com/jclay132/

Sincerely,
Fletch's Dad

Pediatrician

Jason and I met our future pediatrician tonight! We had a pediatrician lined up - or thought we did - but found out a couple weeks ago that he is moving to a practice in Webster Groves, which is about a 40 minute drive from our house. So we were back to square one. We got quite a few recommendations, and finally picked one to interview. We met him tonight and really liked him - crisis averted!

I have to tell the story of the first pediatrician interview (the one that fell through) since everyone I have told gets a kick out of it. Jason ended up having to work, so I went to the meeting solo. I got there and they gave me a pamphlet about the practice and sent me to the "well" waiting room for a few minutes. I was looking around thinking "this is where we're going to bring Baby Fletch" and realized, much to my dismay, that I was getting choked up. Well, luckily a nurse came pretty quickly and got me and brought me to a room to chat. I kept my cool while talking to her, but then she left and the doctor came in. As soon as he walked in, I just started bawling. Yes, crying my eyes out. How embarrassing!! I mumbled something about being emotional while he politely went ahead to talk about himself and his practice to let me gain control of myself. I'm secretly a little glad it fell through so I don't have to show my face there again - what a whack job - I cried meeting my child's future pediatrician!!

Looking forward to my hormones being back to normal, though those who know me well know that me crying that easily is not too far from normal.

Doctor Visit

Well, I'm officially 35 weeks along as of today - only 5 weeks to go!! That seems so close, but I think we're pretty much ready. Still have to do a few things - pack the hospital bag, have the car seats installed, etc., but we're in good shape. At work, however, I feel like have tons to get done! It's stressing me out quite a bit!

I had a doctor visit Tuesday. As I mentioned before, no ultrasound this time, just got weighed, measured my belly, listened to the heartbeat and had the Strep B test. Haven't heard results back yet, but it's not really a concern either way. Basically if I am a carrier of Strep B (30-40% of pregnant women are) they need to know in advance so they can give me an antibiotic during labor to protect the baby.

I go back in 2 weeks for our 9th and final ultrasound! I assume we'll also start checking for dilation then since I'll be 37 weeks. Crazy!

In other news, Jason and I went last night to visit our new neighbor, Baby Nathan. He is a sweet little peanut - I got to hold him for quite awhile and he just mostly slept. Renee and Ryan are getting settled in and enjoying their new son. Very fun. Each new baby I meet makes me more and more anxious for Fletch's arrival!!

Belly - 34.5 Weeks

Here's an updated belly picture from today. I am 34 1/2 weeks along - only 5 1/2 weeks to go!I am still feeling pretty good, but getting more and more tired. I am also having trouble sleeping - getting up more to go to the bathroom and tossing and turning trying to get comfortable. I figure this will help me get used to the lack of sleep I'll have once Fletch arrives.

I've finally gotten pretty much all of the baby stuff put away. I bought a bookcase to house the library of books we accumulated at our showers, along with all of Fletch's new toys. I'm excited how it looks in the room.I go to the doctor Tuesday, but no ultrasound this time. I'll just be getting the Strep B test, so it should be a pretty quick appointment.

Friends Shower

I had my final shower Sunday - this one was held and attended by my friends. It was yet another amazingly-planned shower!! Lisa, Amanda and Alison did a great job, and I had a great time! The food was delicious, the little games were cute and the favors were adorable:Fletch got a ton of new goodies. I think we're pretty much all set!! I'm going tonight (hopefully) to get the last few necessities, then it's time to finish getting organized!! Fletch is all set to be a tiny Tiger - he/she received a Mizzou hooded sweatshirt, a Tiger t-shirt and some teeny MU booties - can't wait to try them all out!!
Here are some group shots. First, the hostesses (minus Alison, who was in NY having her own baby shower), Amanda and Lisa:Fletch's Aunt and Cousins: Cyndi, Mia, Paige & Lily:
My friends from the "Jason group" (minus Caron who had to leave a bit early), Jill, Chrissy, Melissa and Addison, Sloan, Shea and Kate:Work friends - Melissa & Rebecca:
The Grandmas: Grandma Lang and Grandma Clayton:You can't have 5 pregnant girls in a room and not take a picture!! Kate, Jill, Renee, Me and Chrissy:
Renee had her baby Tuesday - more on that in the next post!

Ultrasound #8 - 33 Weeks

I have a lot to update, but I will try to go in order. First, finally an update on my doctor visit from last Tuesday (6/23). Everything is still looking great - Fletch is still head down, which of course is good. The heartbeat is 133 (boy heartbeat) and I have gained 25 pounds, which they say is healthy. My doctor said to keep doing whatever I'm doing and didn't like it when I confessed that was sitting on my rump and eating ice cream every night. Some things you should just keep to yourself I guess. :)

We got a few more pictures of Fletch's face, but he/she did not want to move his/her hand, so all the pictures are pretty much the same. This is a profile shot of Fletch looking to the left with the back of the left hand up by the face:

More updates to come soon!

Nursery Furniture

At long last, the nursery furniture has arrived and has been assembled! I love it!! I'm anxious to get everything put into drawers, so I'm sure I'll be working on that over the next week or so. Then it's on to decorating the walls. We're getting there!!

Belly Update & Birth Class

Here's an updated belly picture - I am 32.5 weeks and getting big!
We took a childbirth class yesterday. It was a long day (8 hours), but I'm glad we went. They told us things we hadn't thought of, we got a few questions answered, and took a tour of the hospital. Mostly though, I think it sparked a few conversations between Jason and me that we may not have had otherwise until it was too late. I feel like we're one more step to being ready for baby. We're also taking a breastfeeding class - I think that's next week. Luckily that one is only a couple hours long!

Our next doctor visit is tomorrow.