Baby Ariya finally arrived!!!

2 months ago today my little bundle of joy FINALLY arrived!!!
It was both the happiest and most painful day of my life!
One week after my due date my doctor decide to have me induced. I was SO happy to know my baby girl was coming one way or another at 41 weeks.
As you may have read in my previous post I was absolutely miserable by this time.
At 3:30am Tuesday morning my husband Jason and I woke up so that we could make it to the hospital by 5am. Jason's mom had just flown in the previous night to help us watch the kids so due to having to pick her up from the airport we both went to bed pretty late and only got a few hours of sleep. Excitment may have played a part in that as well.
After arriving at the hospital and getting a quick check they decided to send us to breakfast. Wait BREAKFAST?!? I thought I was here to have a baby not breakfast!!!
Turns out the Labor and Delivery floor was completely full and since I wasn't actually in labor yet they needed to buy some time.
So to breakfast we went. Since we woke up so early neither one of us had eaten before we left the house and it was too early for any fast food to be open on our way to the hospital.
After a delish bagel at Bruger's, we got back to the hospital around 6:30am. It took until about 9:30 to get me all settled in and get my pitocin started.
At 9:45am my water broke!!! I asked the nurse if it was due to the pitocin they just started but she said no probably not,it happened to quick for it to be the pitocin, my body was just finally ready to have this baby!!
Of course the pitocin started the more intense contractions and after about two hours I couldn't help myself and asked for my epidural. Unlike with Taylor, the doctor told me there was no magic number (like 4cm) and that I could have the epidural whenever I wanted. I tried to tough it out for as long as I could, then decided there was no reason for me to be in so much pain.
As expected, after the epidural was placed I felt a ton better! I could move me toes and legs but only very slowly. I still knew when I was having contractions but the pain wasnt there....at least that's how it was for about 5 hours. In this time I was checked and told I was at 4cm.
Sometime between 4-4:30pm I started to feel extremely painful contractions. The nurse was a little perplexed because she felt I shouldnt be feeling such pain with the epidural in place however they were so bad I was moaning and having to concentrate on breathing through them. She decided since I was in so much pain to call the doctor's in (I delivered at MUSC, which is a teaching hospital, so when you call one doctor in you also get a whole gaggle of residents, however while in so much pain I could care less who was in the room see me in all my glory) they checked me and told me I had jumped now to 8cm!! I was so overwhelmed I burst into tears. I knew my baby girl would be in my arms soon and I also realized the worst was yet to come. It was bitter sweet tears ;-)
While the doctor's were getting everything ready I continued to concentrate on breathing through the contractions which were now coming every 1-2 mins. I was also doing some practice pushing. With my first daughter Taylor I could feel everything throught the epidural but felt no pain until the epidural wore off. This time around I was in the worst pain I had ever been in. I could actually feel my baby girl dropping lower and to my surprise she was MOVING!!! I dont know if this is normal or not but I could feel her moving her head back and forth!! I wanted to scream and during the last few pushes I think I actually did!! Both my mom and Jason said I wasnt screaming but I had an oxygen mask on and I was so exhausted by this time I'm sure to me it was a loud scream but to them it was a tiny squeek. With shaking hands inbetween pushes, my Ariya Jacklyn finally made her appearance at 5:28pm Tuesday July 19th at 8lbs 6oz and 20inches!!! Compaired to Taylor's 6lbs 12oz, this was HUGE!! I'm sure that extra week to pack on the lbs helped.
After they cleaned her up I realized I would not be getting another mini-me but i also realized she was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen!!!
She came out with beautiful dark hair and eyes and girl had some nails and let me tell you they hurt!!!

These first couple of weeks were like a getting to know you time period. I had to remember how to take care of a baby all over again!! And this baby was so much different than Taylor. It took us a long time to figure out the whole breastfeeding thing and in that time we had to supplement with formula. It also took us awhile to realize that the reason baby Ariya was so fussy was because the MILK I was drinking was upsetting her stomach. WHAT?!? I cant drink milk!!! I was so surprised!! She isn't on Soy milk but I am! I also have to stay away from all dairy, which means no cheese : (
It has been really hard adjusting my diet so that I dont upset her tummy but it is SO worth it to be able to breastfeed my little one.
At this time my little munchkin loves to smile and talk to everyone. It is soo sweet! She also really seems to love her bathtime!!
I have enjoyed my time at home with her and am sad that I have to go back to work soon. I did decide to only work the weekends so that she wont have to go to daycare. I will work all 40 hrs in 3 days at work over the weekend so that the baby can be with me Mon-Thurs. and with Jason on the weekends. It is going to be tough on me but the time I get to be there for her and Taylor during the week will be priceless!!! I consider myself lucky to even be able to have that option...and a bonus is working weekends I'll make more money!!! \

She was about 6 weeks here

Well I have been extemely busy with the baby and Taylor just started cheerleading but I will try to post a little more often. Maybe once I go back to work i'll find some downtime to post.

My world of misery

I’m 36 weeks and as the title to this blog suggests I am M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E!!! I have enjoyed this pregnancy up until this point so I guess it’s only fair that I be completely uncomfortable these last few weeks.

            The lovely city of Charleston hasn’t been any help either, as the average temperature for the past month + has been around 85-95 degrees!!! Little early to be so friggin HOT!!! Anyone who’s had a summer pregnancy knows exactly what I’m talking about! My hands and feet are swollen on an everyday basis and I had to change work shoes before I busted out of the old ones (which happen to be brand new!!)

            My co-workers probably hate me at the moment because of how cold I insist on keeping my department. Before I was pregnant I was on their side and cold all the time, most hospitals stay pretty cold. But now…..even with the AC blastin I can still break out in a sweat at any given time!!! I even chill my husband out and he’s from New Jersey!!! I sleep with a fan blowing on me and not a stitch of covers on, when I wake up he’s bundled up in the covers and begging me to turn the fan off, lol!!

            The baby shower was last week and it turned out wonderful, thanks to two of my best friends, Nicole and Gem! The food was delish, and I got of ton of presents! Jason, my mom, and I all gave Taylor a present at the baby shower. We wanted to show her that she is a part of this too and to thank her for all the things she does and will continue to help me with once the baby comes! She is growing up so fast!!

 I still have a little bit of last minute shopping to do before our lil one gets here but I was too happy when Jason and I  found her the perfect Coming Home Outfit yesterday!! It is sooo stinkin cute!! Last night I fell asleep with images of what she’s gonna look like in her lil outfit in my head, it made me smile on the inside!!! She’s not even here yet and I already love her SOO much!!!

            I can also feel my body changing as it gets ready to deliver this precious one. I don’t remember feeling this with Taylor although I’m sure I did. This time, since I have a medical background, I know what every ache and pain is! From here on out I see the doctor every week! She said I’m now at the point where I can saftely deliver her any time! I still have 4 weeks to go but I don’t know how I’m going to get through them!! If I do go early I’m hoping it will be around the 38^th week. That way I know our little one has packed on enough lbs!!

            I’ll try to post pics soon!

Maternity photos!

Wow, can't believe I forgot to post my maternity pics. I had them taken around easter because I was able to get a really good deal on them but also because I didnt want to feel like a beached whale trying to take pictures in this heat!! I still may take more with another friend of mine who offered but for now this is what I have!!

I was right around 28 weeks when these pictures were taken. I am now 35!! There were more but these were my favorites. For mother's day I printed them out and gave them to my mom and grandmother!

Braxton Hicks

I am 34 weeks this week and on come the Braxton Hicks Contractions. For those of you that dont know this is the "false labor" that many women experience. They can start pretty early but most women dont feel them until the last few weeks, if at all. I never felt them with Taylor but this time around (starting this week) I am having them a few times a day. They dont really hurt they are just a little uncomfortable as my uterus contracts and my stomach becomes hard as a rock. My brother felt this for the first time last night and his surprised expression when I told him it was a contraction was priceless!! I explained to him these are just the warm ups getting us ready for our BIG day!!! I still need her cooking in there for at least another 2-3 weeks. That way she wont have to stay at the hospital for coming out too early. Plus the baby shower isn't until next weekend so I still have PLENTY to get done!! Other than that I dont really have any other new news...so until next time!
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Wowsers!!

Wow…

That’s the only word I can think of to describe these past few weeks.

First was my birthday dinner at Oscars…mmmm. I was able to get a $75 gift card that was supposed to cost $30 for $6!! The only catch was you had to spend $150…between 5 people at Oscar’s that’s not that hard. At the end we each picked out our own dessert just to make sure we had spent enough!!!

     The Tuesday after my birthday I treated myself to seeing my most favoritest band in the whole wide world, Emery, play at the Music Farm!! I love them!! Most of the members are actually from Charleston or Rock Hill, SC. They don’t exactly label themselves a “Christian” band but that’s pretty much what they are with a heavier sound. They moved to Seattle some time ago for the better music scene and have being doing awesome every since… Anytime they come to town I try to catch them. The last time I saw them was in Myrtle Beach at the house of blues with Underoath. My opinion- they were better than the headliners!!

So yes, I took my pregnant behind to the music show for a rock concert! I made sure to stay away from any possible mosh pits but because it was on a Tue night I had no trouble being plenty close enough while staying well out of harms way. I LOVED IT!!! I think the baby did too, lol!!

Next up, I had tickets to see PRINCE!!!! This was another birthday present to myself! I was able to get $50 tickets before they sold out and even though they were nose bleeds I figured when would I ever get to see Prince again? As it is I missed Michael Jackson : (

3/30/11

A friend of mine called me a few hours before the concert to tell me she didn’t realize me and my brother were going but that she was now going as well because someone at work gave her floor seats for free!!! These bad boys were $200 tickets!! Unfortunately she had already asked our other friends to go sit on the floor with her  : ( I was a little bummed at first but was just glad we were going! About halfway through the concert my girlfriend appeared out of nowhere, giving me her ticket and told me go down to the floor to see Prince!!!! I was ESTATIC!!!! I think we were literally 10 feet from him!! I stayed down there for awhile with our other friends then went back up so my brother could go down to the floor also…it was only fair!! So we were all able to see him from two different views, which was awesome!!! I loved seeing him up close but it was also great to get to see the bigger picture!! Let me tell you....even after all these years that man still HAS IT!!! Me and my girlfriend left shortly after that since we were both tried and had had our fill…From what I heard he played until 11:30!!! Since I had to be up at 5:15am I’m glad we left early!!

Of course I couldn’t stop there…I also ended up going to the Rockfest put on by our local radio station 98 rock. This was totally unplanned but my husband was out of town that weekend and I figured why not!! It started during the day and there were a ton of people there. Thankfully the group I went with had set up on the side of all the chaos and had a blanket with plenty of room for me to sit my pregnant behind down when I needed to rest.

The line up included Stone Sour, Theory of a Deadman, Halestorm, Memphis-based Christian rock band Skillet, Art of Dying, and local rock band Madam Adam. Everyone stayed outside the gates tailgating for awhile (and I was running late) so I missed Madam Adam and Halestorm although I could still hear them even outside the gates. I’ve seen Theory and Stone Sour before. They were all good but I will say I was most impressed with Skillet. They use more string instruments in most of their songs so they had some awesome musicians playing the violin on stage with them. It was amazing and at one point the stage lifted just  the string players up. They truly put on a great show!!

 4/3/11

 Pictures from 98 Rock

            I even made time to take Taylor and her friend to the Flowertown festival. I go every year and I LOVE seeing all the azaleas in bloom. The place was packed!! We walked around for a few hours but Taylor wasn’t really feeling well so we didn’t stay too long.

OHHH also that weekend I bought a new car!!! I’ve been busy girl ;-)

I got a 2009 Kia Spectra!!! I was WAY overdue for something new and this fits me perfect!!

4/2/11

            This past weekend I had maternity/Easter pics with Jason and Taylor. Beforehand I took Taylor with me to go get her makeup done. We had so much fun! She’s only 11yrs old so she doesn’t normally wear any make up (she’s way too young for all that) but I figured it would be a fun girly thing for us to do together! I haven’t seen the pictures yet but I took a few at home of me and her and she looked BEAUTIFUL!!! I’m gonna be in BIG trouble in just a few year, yikes!!!

 4/17/11- Isn't she GORGEOUS!!!

27/28 Weeks

 This weekend is mine and Jason’s anniversary AND Easter weekend. I can’t believe we have been together for two years already!!! We are going on of town this weekend but I’ll blog all about that later.

            My little miss is doing well and makes herself known on a daily basis!! She seems to be awake during the day A LOT!! I’m hoping that’s a trend that will continue once she’s out in the real world! I enjoy getting to feel her ALL the time and recently both my mom and grandmother got to feel her for the first time.

            We are still kicking around a few names…I have it narrowed down to two but I still need some time to think about it… 3 more months and I’ll have to decide one way or another!!

Baby News Update

     I think around the first Sunday in March I started feeling the baby kick from the outside!! I was soooo excited!! I have been waiting what seems like FOREVER to feel this!! A week later my husband was able to feel her too!! Then the other night I was taking a nice relaxing bath and was reading a book. I just happened to look down and my tummy was a jumpin!! It made me laugh! Since then I can feel her ALL THE TIME!!! She must know I’m writing about her because she is making her presence known now as I type!! It is the most wonderful sensation in the world being able to feel a little life inside you!!

     I had my 24 week check up yesterday and everything is going well. My doc said since my last ultrasound went so well she isn’t worried about anything right now and they are going to treat me like normal from here on out instead of high risk. I have one more appointment a month from now and then I go to two week appointments! That seems crazy to me that I’m about to be at that point already!!

     I finally got around to taking a few pictures of the baby belly and man…do I look HUGE!!! I stopped checking the scales and try not to look when they weigh me at the doctors. What is important is that she comes out healthy so from here on out I’m not gonna worry about the weight.

     I have a lot of things going on this month and next including my birthday!! We had a party this past weekend and I had a lot of fun. I didn’t even miss not being able to drink! Other than that, I’ll try to write about all the other things going on as they happen!

I think this pic was around 22 weeks

Babies and puppies, puppies and babies!!

   Still working on a name, I think we have it narrowed down to two but I'm having a really hard time deciding. It HAS to be perfect. After all she's gonna have to live with it for the rest of her life!!
But while the name hunt is still on, I think I've found the nursery I want!! Or at least a combination of things I really like!
   With Taylor I didn’t get to have a nursery. Her crib was in my room with me…and it wasn’t a very big room to begin with. For me, I’m getting to do a lot of things for the very first time and I have enjoyed this process and getting to pick out a nursery!

Here is what I’m going for

Pink Walls and Gray Accents

Gray Walls and Purple Accents

Gray Walls and Pink Accents

 I really like the gray walls I think it makes the rooms look more elegant and not SO girly girly pink. I'm pretty sure that's what color I'm going to pain the room. At first I was leaning more toward the middle picture with the purple, but now i think i might accent the room with pink instead and just add a little purple with some pictures or something. Either way i think these rooms are a combination of exactly what i want!!

I haven’t bought anything yet and I think I am going to have to buy a few things and then repaint them to have them match what I want. I’ll post pics whenever I get it done but since I haven’t even begun it may be awhile. 

Here are some new pics of the pups!! The weather here has be BEAUTIFUL lately so on the weekends I have been enjoying sitting outside with Taylor and playing with them! 

 Can you spot the puppy? She's blending in this one!!!

 Tug-o-War!! Taylor vs. pups!!

   I STILL havent taken any more baby belly pictures so I really need to get on it! I want to be able to look back at all the changes I have been going through! I'll try to work on that this weekend even if its a humpty frumpty picture taken in my pj's!! Till then I hope everyone has a wonderful and beautiful March!!