Our Gift Has Arrived!

Wow. What a weekend! My last post was Thursday morning...who knew that less than 24-hours later we would be at UH?!

My doctor appointment Thursday night went great. My doctor did her "thing" to stir things up, and it truly felt like she was reaching for the moon. It hurt soooo badly that I could not stop laughing. I mean, I think it may have hurt more then some of my contractions. Poor Dave. He felt so bad for me, and my doctor thought I was a freak since I was laughing. It was either laugh, or scream bloody murder.

Once we got home, I sat with Dave while he ate dinner. I had the biggest lunch in the world from Wendy's. A single combo with cheese meal AND a junior cheeseburger! Oink. Oink. I had planned to blog about that in and of itself, but someone decided to head towards the light. We walked Freddy after dinner, and then hunkered down to watch some Thursday night TV. During Grey's Anatomy, I started to feel uncomfortable. I assumed it was because of what the doctor had done. I was a little fidgety, sitting, standing, etc. When we went to bed, I told David that I felt bad for him because I might keep him up all night since I was uncomfortable. Little did I know. I probably slept from 11-12 or so when I woke up still feeling discomfort. So, I laid there and paid attention. The pain was uncomfortable and seemed to come and go. I thought to myself, "hmmm....maybe these are contractions".

I decided to get up and shower to see if that helped me feel better. After a long hot shower I went and read a magazine in the baby's room on the glider. Then I went back to bed, all the while thinking I would wake Dave. Nope. After a few minutes in bed, I was still uncomfortable, and I realized that when I showered, I had enjoyed standing under the hot water so much, that I didn't actually shower. So, out of bed and back into the shower. Now it's about 2:00 am. After I showered, I decided to blow my hair dry. Again, thinking Dave is going to wake up, come down stairs and think I've gone mad. Nope.

After blowing my hair dry, I decided to watch some of my DVR'd shows while pacing the basement. Then I thought, crap, I didn't eat dinner. I need to eat because if this is for real, I can't eat until after the baby is born. So, I ate a microwave french bread pizza. I should have eaten both...but only heated up one. Note to self, next time, EAT A LOT!

Finally, around 4:00 am, I woke up Dave. His reaction was so not what I expected. I sat by his side of the bed and he rolled over to me. I said, "I think you need to get up. I think I'm in labor". In a sleepy casual voice he said something like, "Really? Are you sure?". My visual of his reaction was more along the lines of "HOLY SH!T" and then run around like a crazy man. He asked if he had time to shower, etc. So, we got up and started get ready. We tried to time leaving the house as late as we could, but still early enough to avoid traffic. So, we left around 5:30 am.

Once we got to UH, we were sent to triage where they confirmed my consistent contractions. Unfortunately, I wasn't dilated enough. There is a theme starting with that. I had to walk the halls for about 90-minutes, and then they would check me again. This was not very comfortable. Especially because the hall was like 30-feet long. BORING. Second note to self, make sure to pack your iPod headphones next time. An iPod on it's own does not suffice when pacing the halls. After they checked me again, I was admitted. This was the only time I thought I would cry. I would have lost it if they sent me home because I was pretty uncomfortable.

So, we were checked in to our room around 9:00 am. Around 12:30, I asked for my epidural. I was ready for it when I got there, but you have to be dilated a certain point. Fortunately, our second doctor said yes even though I probably wasn't dilated enough. She saw the contractions and said she wasn't a "masochist". I love her. The anesthesiologist team came in pretty fast, got me all prepped and ready to go...only to have an emergency come over the PA and the main doctor had to go assist in the OR. So I had to wait it out about 20-minutes in a hunched over position because they had already sterilized the area. Fortunately I had the sense to know that this would be short lived and that someone else clearly needed him more. My epidural was the best. Wow. It did more then take the edge off. It was outstanding.

So finally around 7:00 PM, with no progress in dilation, they broke my water thinking it would speed everything up. Nope. Around 8:30-9:00 PM, they started me on Pitossin to help induce. That seemed to work, and put me to sleep. Around 10:30 or so, they checked me and said I would be pushing soon. That's when I called my sister to tell her we were at the hospital. She didn't believe me at first since my voice didn't sound like I was about to push. I'm not sure how I convinced her, maybe telling her all about our long day. But at one point, she had asked me to put a nurse on the phone. So, they came in some time after 11:00 pm to get things ready. I'm not sure when I started pushing, but it wasn't for long, and it wasn't bad at all. I think it was less then an hour. Other then me talking and asking questions in between the three pushes for each contraction, I was quiet. I didn't make a peep during the pushes.

David and the doctors were awesome. They were so encouraging. Then at 12:31 AM on Saturday, Danny was born. It was awesome! I didn't feel good for a bit after he was born, kind of woozy and nauseous. I later found out that I lost a lot of blood, and was close to hemorrhaging. This made me feel better, because I had felt a little guilty that I kept closing my eyes when I really wanted to be watching David watch the baby get cleaned up. I just didn't have the energy, and I didn't think it was because of pushing. I really mean it that the pushing was not bad at all because of my fabulous epidural.

David was amazing. Such a trooper. I felt bad for him because the labor was so long. Once I was drugged, I was good to go and closed my eyes and slept when I could. He was stuck on the uncomfortable chair watching a lot of TV. Fortunately, he brought with him copies of the Showtime show "Weeds", so he watched a lot of that on his laptop.

We were checked out of the hospital Monday around lunch. At first we weren't thrilled about having to stay so long, but in the end, we were really happy about it. Our nurses were great. We called them quite a bit to help me out with the nursing. It took a little getting used to, and a little bit of patience, but I think we've got that under control. I like to call Danny "Herbert" for Herbert Hoover. He's like a damn maniac when he's hungry. It's hilarious.

We had our laptop at the hospital, and I had planned to update it while we were there, but for some reason UH blocked the site, and a bunch of others. Kind of made having Internet access useless.

I'll add some pictures in a separate post. Blogspot is goofy sometimes.

10:26 AM (EST)

I have been advised to provide a daily status update :) I'll do my best to remember.

Today is 9/25/2008:
No contractions + No Broken Water = No Baby Danny

Still feel great. Still at work. For those people that couldn't get a hold of me from 9:00 - 10:00 AM, that was because I was in a meeting. I'll be in a meeting from 10:30 - 11:30 as well.

After that, I'll be going home for lunch to let my dog out. Our doctor appointment is at 4:45 pm, which means it will run late (usually). My dog drinks gallons of water a day, and the kindest thing is to let him pee at lunch since we will be home late.

I will keep my cell with me from now on so that no one is in a panic (aka: LORI). Although she called me on the carpet yesterday and made a valid point. I'll leave it at that.

Have a marvelous day.

5-days & Counting + 5-Annoying Comments/Questions

First let me just say, I'm still feeling really good. Once in a while he literally gets on my nerves. Or I have the sensation that he is pinching my bladder with sharp finger nails. Random, I know.

As much as I want him to be a few days late to accommodate my holiday schedule, I am anxious to meet his little face. I actually jump up and down to try and break my water. I'm sure I look and sound like a giant elephant. Don't care.

I actually wanted to cry last night because he was moving around so much and I just wanted to meet him. I've got NOTHING in the way of contractions. NOTHING. I have an appointment tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.

5-annoying elements of being due in 5-days.

Granted, this is all out of love. And some of the regular offenders are our family. It's just surprising how many random comments we do get.

1. Whenever I call anyone, and they are immediately disappointed when I start the conversation with "No baby" and then move onto whatever I have called for.
2. People that call me and say, "Baby?"
3. People that come up to me at work and say "You're still here?" and sound exasperated. First of all, this really irritates me because I'm a freaking happy person and not a miserable sloth. I smile everyday, and even if I feel like crap, I tell people that I feel fabulous.
4. All walks of life that ask me if I will go back to work. Unless we win the lottery and or I come up with a million dollar idea, this isn't an option. Plus, I'm not sure I have the right personality. If I want to be honest, I don't think I could hack it. I think Stay at home moms have it way harder. Of course, I'm entitled to change my mind on the possibility of wanting to stay at home, but again, that's where the lottery would influence my decision.
5. People that ask me when my last day of work is. My last day is when I don't show up because I gave birth. Again, I feel great. Why would I short change myself on the backend just to take a few days off beforehand.

That's all for now.

8-Days & Counting

Wow. Can you believe it? Only 8-days until this little man is due to arrive. I really shouldn't say he is little. I'm feeling pretty huge. Especially in the face. But whatever. That just a small price to pay for such an awesome last few months.

I'm generally feeling really good. Only every once in a while does the monkey literally "get on my nerves" and I need to have a seat.

Everyday I wake up wondering, will today be his birthday? I had an appointment last Thursday, the 18th. Nothing new. Still no progress. According to my doctor, he is enjoying his "jacuzzi".

Today I woke up panicked. I must have gotten up last night 12-times to go to the bathroom, and it occurred to me that I hadn't felt him move. Usually, when I get up, I feel his hands or feet moving around when I roll over to my side. But this morning it hit me so suddenly that I hadn't felt him I sat up like a rocket. Dave asked if everything was ok, and I told him, "I don't feel him. And I can't remember the last time I felt him". I chugged a glass of OJ and laid back down. Nothing. I jiggled my stomach and bounced around, and was like "damn it wake up!". Still nothing. So I ran upstairs and grabbed my doppler. This allows you to hear the heartbeat. I squirt the stuff on my belly, turned on the doppler, and there he was. Just sleeping. Usually, when he's sleeping like that, I can see him breathing when I lift up my shirt. His little butt rises and falls in a steady motion. That has been the most panicked I have felt this whole pregnancy. I was ready to call my doctor and tell her that I wanted him out, and now. I wonder if that would work? Doubt it.

Now, after lunch and a few mini-snickers bars, this kid is his active self again. In fact, he is jutting out of me enough to keep knocking into the keyboard. I am loving it. Keep it up little man! How about you knock into my water and break it so we can finally see you!

I imagine that this is just the beginning of the panic feelings. That going forward, I'll have a million other moments during his lifetime when I have minor heart attacks.

We have a big pot of chili brewing. Dave made it extra spicy. I think he's hoping the kid will kick his way out afterwards :) We shall see. There are few people that think he will make his appearance tomorrow....I'm anxious to find out.

First Real Contraction

So, last night I felt my first *real* contraction. We had just gone to bed, and I was uncomfortable. Not the end of the world uncomfortable, but noticebly unpleasant. Then, I got up to take 1 of a million trips to the restroom, and my stomach was rock hard. And when I say rock hard, I mean you could have bounced a quarter off of it! It was crazy. I walked over to Dave, grabbed his hand, put it on my belly, and his response was "whoa!".

Last Monday I had them hook me up to a monitor because the discomfort I was feeling didn't feel like a contraction, it felt like someone was stabbing me...over and over again. But it lasted for about 90-minutes and was consistent. Pretty awesome. Needless to say, I wanted to know if that was my version of a contraction, or just the kid dancing on a nerve. Fortunately, it was the latter of the two. However, at the time I went in, I was having "mild" contractions and didn't even know it. According to the nurse, anything on the monitor over 20 is a contraction. If the number reached 30-40, that's a big deal and you should go to labor & delivery. Anything in the 50's, and the nurse said the baby is making its arrival. Mine were in the low to mid 20's which explains why I wasn't feeling them. Of course, when I got to the doctors office, the stabbing pain had stopped. Isn't that the way it always goes?

No more contractions since last night. This kid has switched positions and is dancing on another nerve that is quite unpleasant. Everytime he strikes, the pain startles me to the point that I am jumpy. It's crazy. What is he doing in there? I visualize him crawling towards the light and burrowing down.

This morning we participated in the "Walk To Remember". Fortunately, it wasn't raining. Unfortunately, it was INCREDIBLY humid. Holy cow! I wore jeans to cover up the "great white whales" otherwise known as my legs. So I was extra toasty. The walk was only a mile, which normally isn't bad. However, because the kid is dancing on a nerve, it made it a little less comfortable. It was nice to see some families from last year participating this year with big bellies or new babies. I'll post the pictures once they're available online.

That's all for now folks. 15-days until due date :)

Child of My Heart

Last year we participated in an activity called "Child of My Heart - Walk to Remember". This walk is not a fundraiser, but is a memory walk for families who have experienced a neonatal or infant death. (http://www.childofmyheart.org/)

This year the event is on Sunday, September 14th, and we will be participating again. At least that is the plan if the baby hasn't arrived. The walk is a one-mile walk around the University Circle area.

While a walk like this sounds sad, it was actually very uplifting for me. Over 200 people participated. Families there to support each other. Families who were walking in memory of one child, while pregnant again or pushing the stroller of another child. Other families waiting for their next blessing while remembering their lost baby.

This will be Danny's first year participating, albeit in utero. It will still be nice for him to know that each year, we will continue to do things to celebrate his sister.

Here is a picture from last year.

My Mom & Dad are on the left. Dave's Mom is in the middle, and Dave and I are on the right.

Super Quick Post

Just a quickie update for the day...

Most important is that we had our ultrasound this afternoon. Monkey is head down and no longer breech! Woo-hoo....While that doesn't guarantee anything, it sure sounds better then having a planned c-section.

According to the doctor, he has quite a bit of hair! Go figure, all that heartburn has been for the greater good. I was hoping so! Really, it's the only thing that keeps a smile on my face while it feels like battery acid is being poured down my throat.

Danny is weighing in at 6lbs 14oz. The doctor estimates that he'll be around 7 1/2 pounds. Perfect size. I was thinking he might be around 8 1/2 pounds based on him gaining a 1/2 pound a week for the next few weeks. I like the doctors estimate better. Either way, I'll take a big fat baby. As Dave and I are smiling about this, Dave reminds me that it's better that I'm the one pushing him out and not him. Thanks dear.

They tried to get a new 3D/4D picture of him...but he wouldn't cooperate. We did get an old school picture of his face, and holy cheeks! Even the tech laughed and said that he had fat cheeks. Oh, I just can't wait to squeeze them.

I am off to play with my new camera! We have been camera shopping most of the summer, and made our purchase last night. We bought the Canon Digital Rebel XTi. It's the super fast SLR type. I can't wait to learn all about it!

Another great day....

Today's Doctor Appointment

Today's appointment was pretty boring. Since the only contractions I'm having feel more like menstrual cramps, there was no need for her to do an internal...which I'm not complaining about since that is a bit uncomfortable. She does want me to get another ultrasound sometime between tomorrow and next Thursday just to confirm that he is head down. I can't imagine that he isn't at this point based on how it feels like he's doing the running man under my ribs, but I'll take it! Any opportunity to see the baby whether in 2D or 3D is welcome in my eyes.

Oh, and my ankles...wait let me correct myself, my "cankles"...wait nope, still not a good descriptor...how about I just say "where my ankles should be", look like giant elephant trunks. Holy hell is there a lot of swelling going on. I almost passed out when I saw how GARGANTUOUS they were. Especially the right ankle. When I showed the doctor laughing, she asked if I had ever had an injury on my right ankle. Yup. Several sprains from years of playing soccer, and then once when I slipped and fell in our garden.

So that's it. That was today's appointment in a nutshell. Nothing exciting. I go back next Thursday. My doctor seemed disappointed that I wasn't having more contractions. I'm ok with him cooking a bit longer. I still have a lot of work stuff to wrap up. Every extra day helps me complete more!

Nursery Pictures

I finally took some pictures of the nursery tonight. Everything is done...but one thing (or really three). We have three pictures that we need to hang. Then the nursery is done!

Here it is!

See the diaper bag hanging from the crib. LOVE IT. It says 'Shafer' on it ;) I'm that person. I love monogrammed stuff! The cream blanket on the left side of the crib, hanging over the side, is my first attempt at crocheting a baby blanket. I'll take a better picture of it sometime, but it actually came out half-way decent. If you look closely, it's full of flaws, but then again, so I am!

Another close-up of the dapper diaper bag. I love the monkey that is hanging from his crib too. Especially since I always call him 'monkey'. The sheets on the bed have little dog bones. The comforter on the left side of the bed has a stuffed animal dog on it, which is kind of hard to decipher in this picture. The mobile that is on the crib was a hand-me-down from Jodi that her kiddies loved! So is the other thing attached to the crib that makes noise. I'm telling you, being the youngest on both sides has reaped the rewards HUGE in hand-me-downs!

This glider is another awesome hand-me-down from my sister. Between the furniture and the glider, they really set us up big time! The picture on the left with all of the squares will be going above the changing table.

I meant to open the drawers and take a picture of how neat and organized they look *today*. You would not believe how many clothes this guy has. Between hand-me-downs and shower, I'm not sure there will be enough days in the first few months for him to wear everything! The picture on the left of the changing table will go behind the glider. Like all of the bags? Maybe I've overdone it. The diaper bag will have monkey's stuff in it. The black bag is for Dave. The purple bag is for me. And then of course the pillows and boppy that everyone keeps telling us we "have" to bring. Poor Dave will have to haul a lot of stuff in :)

The monkey picture on the book case will be going up on the wall behind the bookcase. And I think we are *maybe* going to put a mirror above the dresser. The basket on the bottom left of the bookshelf is full of diapers courtesy of a diaper cake Jodi made for us. The basket on the right is full of toys that we have been given. The top shelf, and part of the second shelf are FULL of books that I received at my first shower. The blue pig is a piggy bank from Dave's childhood that we will fill up, and the Ohio State blanket was a registry gift (all DAVE) that I have been told will be draped on the baby November 15th (I think).

Random Updates/Comments

So, I've been logged into work for a good part of the afternoon, and I'm bored to tears with this project. Basically, the super boring content of information, as well as the enormity & complexity of it all...just make me want to go into labor today so I don't have to finish. Horrible, I know.

We are 36-weeks today, so I won't be hoping for labor until at least ONE more week, when the kid is considered "Full Term". Yahooooo......

In the last week we met with two more pediatricians (finally picked one) and had another doctors appointment. I am officially 1 cm dilated. Dave was hilarious. He asked the doctor..."What does that mean? What do I have? Days, weeks?". She just smiled and said that we should have our bags packed. Which of course we have started...but not finished :)

My next appointment is Thursday. Can't wait for that AWESOME internal again. Wow, those feel the BEST. There is absolutely no sarcasm there. She might as well have been reaching for the stars while she was checking me out because DAMN...THAT HURT. But, the best news of all, monkey is NOT BREECH anymore. He turned. I swear, I think he turned Tuesday night. It was the craziest feeling at 2am I have ever had. I almost woke David up because it was so freaky.

This weekend has been FANTASTIC (minus being logged in for work...which is more my fault then anything). We had plans for Saturday night, and then I fell asleep on the couch...until 8:30 AM the next day. I did move to the bed, but that was about it. It was the best night of sleep I've had in I don't even know how long. Sunday was great, full of errands and such...and today we went and had the Lyndhurst Fire Department check out our car seat installation. That was very informative, and I highly recommend it.

Today, I mentioned to Dave that I was going to go to Giant Eagle because I wanted an Apple Pie. He volunteered, and went to Baker's Square. They were out of apple, so he brought home PEACH and STRAWBERRY RHUBARB! It tasted like heaven in between a buttery crust.

OK. That was a good break. Off to figure out dinner and then back to work :)

List of What I haven't Done...

I have said that I would post the following, and I still haven't!

1. Pictures of monkey's room.
2. Updates from family shower in August
3. Updates from work shower in August

Yeah.... Here's to hoping I actually get that done. I'll keep "planning on it".