We're Back!

I know I know... 3 weeks later and I decide to show up. Believe it or not, I am not wasting that many days before coming in to introduce the newest Baby Bug in the household...

Corbin Shane entered the world at 8lbs 13oz and a whopping 22.5 inches long. After making Mommy and Daddy wait 42 weeks 1 day, with absolutely NO progress, the doctors helped out with a repeat cesarean section on July 8th, 2009 at 1:31pm.

As much as I was dreading the section, it actually turned out ok. And I know a few certain people are still waiting for a birth story, but frankly there isn't much to tell. We showed up. They prepped me (including getting Dustin into his scrubs, which he kept... with the sole intention of covering them in ketchup, going to the neighbors, and explaining that "we have a problem"... but I digress), gave me a spinal, put up the curtain, and went in for the kill.

Ok... it wasn't that bad. The anesthesiologist was dubbed "my best friend", I had a friend of mine that was an L&D nurse come by to take photographs, and Dustin announced "it's a boy!" just seconds before the delivery nurse stated "and he's peeing all over everything!" Oh, and Corbin was born to the lovely Black Eyed Peas "My Humps".

All I can really say is that I am so glad that Dustin and I both were there, together, and got to experience the joys of childbirth... even if I didn't earn a "push prize" in the process. ;o)

Welcome, Corbin, to my everyday insanity.

And I'm Done.

Today is our Due Date. I have finally finished 40w of super fun pregnancy stuff... and I am officially past the date that I had Ryan (39w6d). I was sooo hoping to have this Baby in my arms right now and a little less in my hips... but what can you do?

We have made a few decisions regarding the pregnancy that we were up in the air for... I mentioned in my last post that we scheduled a c-section for June 29th, but at my last appointment, the doctor offered us yet another option. We changed our appointment this week from Friday to Thursday and if we have made some progress regarding dialation, then they will put us on the induction schedule for the weekend. We can't actually be induced, per se, but they can break my water and see what will happen. Originally, we were anti-artificial rupture... but we really want to do everything we can before Monday's c-section so that we aren't just giving up.

It's so weird for me to be thinking that this time next week, I will have a little Bug that is at least 24 hours old. Ryan seems to be ready for the changes... he says "Baby" a lot, carrying around the baby doll that Dustin and I bought for our birth classes we took when we were pregnant with Ryan. He trys to feed the doll cheerios, shows it his "brrrrrooommms" (cars), and sits and cuddles with it. If he is half as good as a big brother to the real baby, we are all very very blessed. OH! And he has no idea, but there is a Build-A-Bear Monkey all stuffed and ready to go in the trunk of the car right now... a present to Ryan from his new Baby Brother or Sister... I hope he loves it!

Ok... I promise to take some pictures of the crafts I've been working on and getting those updated in my next post... and I'll eventually catch up on those Fantastic Parent Posts! I promise!

Final Stretch

Welp... sorry I have been MIA... frankly the stuff I *would* blog about right now would be more along the lines of pity parties and craptastic vents... I am headed into Grumpyville... the place all pregnant women seem to go the last couple weeks of pregnancy.

I have 9 days until my estimated due date, at least according to my records. The doctors previously told us that because of my 1st birth being a c-section, we could only go to 40w3d. And seeing as though the average baby is born at 41w1d, that wasn't really a good thing. However, due to everything looking good, they agreed to 40w4d, which happened to land on a Sunday... so we get to schedule a c-section on 40w5d... June 29th. Our hope is that we never make it that far... but it's much better to have the extra time if we need it.

I am very uncomfortable at this point. And I am annoyed because of course I put off buying a baby book for Baby... and now the one I wanted has been discontinued. I found it on Amazon.com for (get this) $157.00. Yep... like it's gold printed... ugh. :o( And I am ready to be done... which I hate saying because I was blessed with such an easy pregnancy... but I am.

God, give me strength to make it through these last days... I sure do need it.

Craft Bug

So I've decided one thing... when I nest, I don't clean. And honestly, I am ok with this. My husband on the other hand doesn't call it "nesting"... but what does he know... he doesn't know. :oP

But there is one thing I seriously get a little too crazy about when "nesting" hits. I craft. And I craft like there is no tomorrow. And since I have just over 2 weeks left :::gasp:::, this is gonna be a little bit crazy... as soon as I find the glue gun!

I actually just got a crafting bug the other day and all of a sudden I had swaddle sheets (really big stretchy receiving blankets perfect for Baby Burritos) and embroidered onesies, and plans for lots of fabric that's been hanging out in my stash. In fact, I am letting my sewing machine take a break for a few while I get the dimensions needed to create some diaper & wipe cases and maybe a few little hats for Baby. And I didn't forget about Ryan, who is snuggled up for naptime right now with a new fleece blanket... he loves it!

I thought it was funny, but then I remembered that the week before Ryan was born, I was up to my elbows in flour, oats, and fabric making jar gifts for Christmas... yep... even more proof that my "nesting" requires a bit of fabric and creativity... and absolutly no Lysol or baseboard scrubbing.

I have also decided to do a Homemade Christmas this year... we did one almost completely last year... but I need to start early! I think I'll be sharing a few of my projects as I complete them... but I want to know if anyone else is willing to take on the "Homemade Holidays" challenge with me! Let me know... I'd love to share creative ideas with you!

A FlashBack...

The other night was weird... I was talking to a couple other girls in my Young Marrieds group at church, and they were discussing their previous c-sections. One of the girls just had her 1st two short months ago, due to a "large baby" who ended up weighing 7lbs 2oz. The other had 2 c-sections; one as an "emergency" due to a stuck baby and the other as a routine planned "You-had-a-c-section-so-here-is-another" c-section. The weird part wasn't that they were discussing this, but rather that they were talking about how "nice" they were... how they were glad to have gone through birth this way.

I had a really hard time with this discussion... maybe because my c-section was not as glamorous as your doctor would lead you to believe. Or maybe it's because girl #2 kept saying how drugged up she was and how she couldn't even hold her child because she was in a state of semi-consciousness. But when I was asked why I was going to attempt a "dangerous VBAC", I only replied with "I don't do well with major surgeries."

I came home and looked for my birth story that I typed up regarding Ryan's birth... here it is... and although I wouldn't trade that day for anything (it DID result in my little boy, you know!), it reminds me exactly why I do not want another c-section.

On November 13, 2007, I woke up with a bad pain in my left abdomen. I could have sworn it was appendicitis, but it was on the wrong side... and it wasn't letting up. After about an hour of trying to get comfortable, I woke Dustin up. He encouraged me to try a warm shower.... which took my mind off the pain, but didn't make it go away. It wasn't getting any worse, but it also wasn't getting any better. He called our midwife at the 2 hour mark, telling her that I didn't think it was contractions. That comment was enough to worry her, and she told us to get to the ER asap! We left the house at 8:45am.

We got to the ER and by that point, I couldn't even walk. Dustin had to get the wheelchair and bring it to me in the parking lot, and get me checked in. The wheeled me straight to a bed... no waiting for me! I was hooked up to all the monitors and I was begging for pain meds. Unfortunetly, since they didn't know what was wrong with me, they couldn't give me anything. I was in tears, and my internal exam seriously caused screams (I later felt bad for the other girls in triage the same time as me... I swear some of them probably crossed their legs extra tight to avoid the pain I was in). The monitors reveiled that I was having contractions 1 minute apart, in addition to my pain, and in between contractions my uterus wasn't relaxing. Baby's heartbeat was at 180 beats per minute. I was a 8 on the pain scale... they called the midwife to determine next steps... Time: 9:05am

Midwife says "prep her for a c-section... the Doc will be there shortly". My Doctor jumps in his little Mercedes and gets to the hospital in record time! I am set for surgery, but they can't find the veins to set up the IV because I am too cold and the anesthesiologist needs 2 lines! They tell Dustin and me that because I didn't have time for an epidural, they are going to have to use a general anesthetic and I will be asleep for Baby's birth. Another issue is that Dustin will not be allowed in the operating room. Dustin starts calling our parents to get them to the hospital. Time: 9:17am

I was wheeled back to the operating room... crying the whole time... and it felt like every little thing that they did was torture! I could feel every little time they would remove tape or try to find a vein. I couldn't breathe and I was still in a ton of pain. Finally, Doc said "We're Ready"... and I don't remember the rest. Time: 9:25am

Ryan was born! 8lbs, 8oz, 20.5 inches. Time: 9:36am

They told me it was a possible placental abruption that they caught early... but there were no signs of abruption. I wasn't able to see Ryan in person until 6:30pm that evening due to my anesthesia and them wanting me to walk. They also believed Ryan had pnemonia (he actually didn't) so he stayed in the nursery for 3 days. I couldn't even hold him until the next morning. Talk about real torture. I missed the first cry, the first bath, the first diaper, precious bonding time that I should have gotten. But I got my little boy in the end.

That is why when people tell me to just take the easy way out and plan for the c-section, I tell them "I won't make you push if you promise not to make me have major surgery."

Be A Fantastic Parent #7

#7 Trust your mommy gut. No one knows your child better than you. Follow your instincts when it comes to his health and well-being. If you think something's wrong, chances are you're right.

I know that I am not good at this one... and I think every mom has been there. You show up at the doctors office for a runny nose and turns out that your kiddo has had a double ear infection. Or maybe you keep telling yourself "it's nothing" only because you are paranoid about being that mom so you don't freak out.

But the truth of the matter is that you know your kids better than anyone else does. And there are going to be times that you just *know* something is wrong even if every test comes back normal and everyone says that you are crazy. That's ok! Ultimately it's not about what other people think, feel, or see... it's about you and your kids...

Along this same vein, but slightly off topic, don't feel like you need to justify your feelings to anyone else! Unless, of course, you clearly are crazy and need to tell people why they shouldn't write you off. I have been going through a rather emotional time lately, which I am sure I owe all to being way too pregnant. I feel like I have to explain to people why I am doing what I am doing... why I feel the way I do. It's even come down to me NOT telling others about my plans for a Bradley Birth, my reasons for avoiding a c-section (although my mom will tell me it's the easy way to do this), the love affair I have with my stroller, or even responding about things that normally I could talk about without getting heated. All of a sudden, things are very personal for me... and if people don't agree with me, I feel like I need to justify my thoughts or get them to agree with me... and that's more trouble than I think it's worth.

The bottom line is... whether it has to do with your personal convictions or your toddler's habits... it doesn't matter what other people think, do, or say. Ultimately, it's your life, your kids, and your happiness... trust yourself!

Belly Progress!!

Here is a slide show of the last 35w! I've done some growing! :oP

Make a Smilebox slideshow