Our Little Lady

Early Thursday morning, December 17th we became a family of 3. Ella Marie was 8 lbs 3 oz. (And now is only two ounces from birth weight - I look at her now and think, "more than that was in me?!) She is absolutely amazing.

Jon got sick early Friday morning, and had to go home so Ella and I wouldn't get sick too. We were so exhausted and pathetic when he left. The nurses we impressed with him doing what was best for us even though it was difficult (and commented on the tears in his eyes when he left), and kept asking me how he was doing at home. Thanks, Harold and Jeanne for spending the day with me. He felt better Saturday morning, and was allowed to come back (we think it may have been food poisoning). He is wearing a mask just to be safe. (Jon's a little embarrassed about being bare chested in this video. It is too cute not to share, and she loves the warmth, so he can deal with it.) Make sure your sound is turned on.

During our last sonogram, Ella's mouth and tongue were in constant motion. It is no surprise that we see a lot of that little tongue here on the outside. She does save it mostly to tell us when she is hungary, so it is useful. I could watch her all day.

We had our first check-up with her pediatrician (whom I love - never had a doctor I've thought much more than, "this will do" before. She was a perfect child the whole time. From the start she was awake and alert and good humored. This was about a 3 hour stretch, and she was only 6 days old, so this beat all expectations I had for her. I wish I could believe all outings will go so smoothly in the future. The best part of the visit was the news that she gained 4 ounces in two days (Jon thinks it's all gone to her chin - she's got chicken legs, but a hefty chin) so we don't have to wake her up every 3 hours to feed her. We're still pretty well on the schedule, but it is nice to go to bed with a little hope of sleeping for a few hours in a row. Also, since my milk has come in and she is such a good sucker, we can introduce an occasional bottle. Hallelujah! Jon may be able to feed her once during the night. What a great Christmas present for me from her doctor. I still want to wait a little while to be sure we're on the right track, but again, hope is a big thing for this tired mama.

It's About Time

Some reasons I know it is time for the baby to be here:

1) I just took my last Pepcid AC - it has served me well. I have been sleeping soundly without many heartburn issues for a few weeks now. I don't want to buy a new bottle because I know I won't use but a couple of them.

2) I've started ruining my maternity clothes. Two days in a row I've gotten oil on, first my favorite pants and now a shirt that I happen to really like. I won't have anything to wear if this continues. (I'm in the process of laundering, so maybe this one won't really count. Fingers crossed.)

We decided with our doctor today, that if we don't have the baby by Thursday, we will induce. It has not been an easy decision. I do not want to choose my baby's birthday; I do not want to labor entirely at the hospital; I do not want to force something to happen, that I know can happen naturally. I feel like I am cheating. What it comes down to: the baby is getting bigger and my placenta is starting to calcify. Reasons that will make delivery more difficult on me and the baby. The doctor says baby will do better this week than next. He doesn't say it has to be done this week - he recommends, but isn't insisting. It doesn't make sense to wait till she starts to show signs of distress. I am very torn, because I believe that in most cases, Mama and baby do what needs to be done, and things turn out fine (although likely more painfully.) I feel like I'm giving in to fear of delivering an enormous baby, and have a lack of faith. Personally, I feel pretty good, and wouldn't mind being pregnant for another 2 weeks, but I am having a lot of anxiety about her health and this decision. This is why I don't like being over-due - I'm starting to worry. I just really hope we're making the right decision. (Prayers for baby coming on her own before then!)

One Reason Jon is a Keeper. . .

. . .he doesn't just put the stuffed animals somewhere I'll see them, but he poses them too. He knows how to make me smile. (He refuses to cut my toenails, but he does just about everything else.)

A Whole Lot of Baby

Due in 13 days!

Growing Tomatoes (and a Baby)

We've had a couple very good crops this summer. Tomatoes were late to ripen, but we have had more than enough. I've made several batches of soup that use diced tomatoes, lots of salsa (much of which we canned), and many BLT's (which every time I eat one, I can't believe how much I love them; man, I love BLT's) and other dishes that involve delicious homegrown tomatoes. This, in addition to the 12 quarts of pickles made earlier this summer, make me feel proud and connected.

I've also been growing a bunch of baby. There are days when she reminds me constantly that she is in there. On these days, I feel like I have, well, a baby with me saying "hi" (in the ribs, in the bladder, and thankfully most often on the right side of by belly). I can imagine feeling lonely once I have to go back to work without any company.

People ask how I feel, and I always say something along the lines of, "really good." To be honest, if I think about it, I feel not so well a lot of the time, but I'm so happy that it doesn't really seem to matter. Being a shy-ish person, I am really enjoying the automatic icebreaker I am carrying with me. Mothers seem to gravitate toward a mother to be. Going to Jon's concerts and cross country races are much less lonely. And I'm big enough now that people to tip-toe around wondering if I've just gained weight. I've had some very strange conversations (one high-school boy -that I hardly knew - was hinting around wanting to touch my belly) and have been amused at the offensive things people feel at liberty to say:

My Principal: "You are due in October, right?"

Me: "No, December"

Principal: "Man, you are going to look good." said as he held his hands far out in front of his stomach.

I feel like this is the calm before the storm (which I am looking forward to the "storm"). I am enjoying this part of my life.

Before and After

(I reloaded the before pictures.)

Here are a few quick pictures of before and after. Most of the major renovation is done. It will never end I am sure, but most of the big items are taken care of.

The back.

Side/AC

The Front.

Deck

The last big project for us to complete before we are done with the outside of the house is to create a deck that is up to code. This has been an interesting process and the deck changed many times during construction. A huge thank you to all that helped, especially to my dad Harold and to emily's dad Bill! This wouldn't have happend without you.