32 Week Appointment

Yesterday we had our 32 week appointment. 

No protein in urine (yay!), awesome BP (yay!), beautiful heartbeat (YAY!!), and perfect fundal height measurement (YAY!!). 

Great news all around. 

My weight is continuing to climb at [what to me is] an alarming rate, but both our nurse and the OB said I shouldn't be worried. Whatever you say doc - you're the pro. But seriously.. this seems like its kinda snowballing outta control to little (ahem, not so little) old me!

Doc commented on how awesome my ankles look - no swelling in my legs/feet so far. Woohoo. My hands get a little swollen from time to time, but its hard to say how much of that is pregnancy related and how much of that is triple digit weather! 

He asked about Braxton Hicks and was pleased to hear that we are only experiencing the dreaded BH from time to time.. never more than a couple at a time, and maybe 2 instances a week. 

Then, what really got me was the next bit of info he shared -- after our next appt (at 34 wks), if we were to go into labor, they wouldn't try to stop it. 

:::picture my eyes bugging out of my head at right about that moment:::

Okay, I KNOW that does not mean we will go into labor at that point.. but just knowing that IF we did, we would be having our baby and not trying to postpone labor FREAKED. ME. OUT. 

I immediately started thinking... "But we don't have a mattress, or bedding, or a carseat, or the rocker, or the fans in the house dusted, or the baseboards cleaned, or the bills organized, or the COBRA settled... " 

The doc must have seen the wheels in my head a-turning because he went on to say that we have no reason to believe I will deliver Camryn early.. all signs are pointing to a full-term delivery at this point. 

Whew. 

It was nice to hear him say that out loud.. even though deep down I already knew it was true. 

We discussed a few other things that I had questions about.. for instance, their policy on internals (they can start checking me at 36 wks, same wk they do the GBS test, but I have every right to decline them), what the heck is happening to my few little moles/beauty marks (he wants me to see the dermatologist down the hall), and what the heck Camryn is doing when her fetal movements feel like they are set to super sonic speed (totally normal, could be her kicking her feet or opening or closing her hands or flapping her arms - nothing to worry about and totally cute to picture!!). 

We go back in 2 more weeks for the last fully-clothed appt of the PG. ACK! 

Some sad news at the appt, though, was that the 3rd OB in the practice (who has been on bed rest for the last 3 months PG with triplets) delivered her babies just shy of 24 weeks and 2 didn't make it. Heart breaking. The third baby is in NICU and will be for quite some time, but the prognosis is good. So sad for her to lose 2 of her children, but thank goodness Baby3 is fighting and hanging on. 

And the evolution of *my* movement!

Oh, Baby Girl. I love you so. 

I love feeling you move. 

I love my round belly. 

I love daydreaming about what it will be like to meet you and hold you and love you forever. 

What I do not love, however, is feeling as though pregnancy has aged me 50 years overnight. 

I am full time waddler now. 

It takes me a good 7.3 seconds to stand up off the couch, and much longer to get out of bed. 

Rolling over in bed is a tri-phasic debacle where phase 1 involves untangling myself from my various body pillows, phase 2 involves grunting while attempting to rotate my lower half and phase 3 involves panting while trying to get my belly to follow. 

Bending over is a joke. Sometimes I am able to squat, in a very unladylike way, to get what I need.. but luckily your cousin Syd is old enough to understand what "Hey Syd, can you pick that up for Becky?" means. She's a good girl. 

I bruise like.. I don't even know what. What bruises easily? Cuz I'm whatever that is!

And I can pull a muscle just by sitting up. As I did last night. Something startled me in my sleep (I have NO idea what) and I sat up very quickly.. somehow in the process I hurt my shoulder. Enough that I woke up your Daddy to whine about it, and he lovingly rubbed it until I felt better. He's going to be a good Daddy!

Another pathetic muscle-pulling situation - kicking the recliner closed seems to have irritated my groin. Yep. All I wanted to do was close the recliner to stand up and go in the kitchen (my tied-for-favorite room in the house, with the bathroom being the co-winner!).. but instead I kicked it closed, cried in pain, and hobbled in there like a 98 year old woman. Sad, sad, sad. 

It scares me to think my belly will only get bigger over the next 7 weeks and 6 days. And the bigger it gets, the harder it will be for me to move around. I just can't imagine it being much more difficult than it is now.. but I guess I'll be finding out just how hard it really can be soon enough. 

Even with all this, and all the other little complaints I may have, I love you Baby Girl. 

I love that we are blessed enough to be able to grow our own little human, and I feel so blessed to be your Mommy. 

Keep growing in there, Little One!! Don't listen to me when I whine about all this.. I want you to stay put until you are ready to come out.

PS - Thank you for showing Daddy you aren't afraid of him like he sometimes thinks you are. He loved being able to feel so much movement from you last night, and he was amazed at just how strong you have become. He mentioned that it was the most movement he's ever felt from you at one time, and his face was just glowing with excitement at having that time to share with you! He can't wait to hold you and kiss you, Camy. 

32w1d

The Evolution of Your Movement

I remember the first time I *thought* I felt you move, Camy. 

I was sitting on the couch, kind of curled up funny, and felt a little tickle in my belly. It was nothing like I had ever felt before, and I was just convinced that was you. I had a smile plastered on my face the rest of the evening, and probably most of the following day as well. It was so exciting to think you were letting your existence be known in ways that didn't involve me becoming violently ill.  I just sat there on the couch,  not wanting to shift positions at all.. waiting for you to move again. I felt the little tickles or flutters a couple more times but that was it.

They were the teeny-tiniest little tickles though. If I hadn't been sitting just the way I was, it would have been easy to miss or misconstrue. I think I told everyone who would listen to me for the next several days that I felt you tickle me.

The second time I felt you move was at your Aunt V's house later that week. I had just finished a big glass of Banana-Orange-Pineapple juice and was laying in bed reading a book when you got to squirming around like crazy! After a few minutes of you wiggling nonstop, poking and fluttering around, I called your Daddy into the room to see if he could feel it, too. He couldn't and was a little disappointed that he couldn't share that moment with you and me... but we knew it wouldn't be long before you'd be strong enough to feel from the outside. 

The first time it felt like a true kick from you, not just a little flutter, was just a few days later while I was making your Aunt V's shower invitations and leaning over my crafting table, which put a bit of pressure on my belly. You apparently did not approve, and poked me right where the table was. This movement wasn't like the rapid tickle I felt the first couple times, it was a clear and distinct poke/kick... and I loved it! I ran to find your Daddy to share with him the news and we were both so excited by that milestone. 

Well, sweet Girl, you must have been eager to show Daddy how big and strong you were, because it was just about a week later that he was able to feel you from the outside. I had just eaten a big bowl of oatmeal that I had dressed up with quite a bit of brown sugar, and I guess it put you on a big ol' sugar high! You were kicking and poking and dancing all around. I put my hand on my belly to see if I could feel you on the outside and I was so thrilled that I could! I called for your Daddy to come feel, and then you stopped. He went back into the kitchen and of course, just seconds later you started kicking again... Daddy came running and you stopped. We both laughed then Daddy decided to sit down next to me with his hand on my belly and just wait.... after a minute or two he felt you kick and got so excited and wide-eyed! He even asked if that was me doing that or you -- I had to explain to him that there is no way for me to make one little part of my belly jump like that. Haha. Your Daddy -- he says some silly things sometimes! 

Since those first exciting weeks of movement, the way we feel you, and SEE you, has changed dramatically. 

There have been days where I startle at your big, sudden jolts or shifts.. then just laugh at how amazing and strange it is all at the same time.

There have been days when we see you turning, pushing your little bottom out and moving around. We love it when we can just sit and watch you move.

There have been instances where we see a little bulge poke out further than the rest of my belly.. and we sit and speculate-- is that a hand? a foot? a knee, maybe an elbow?

There have been times where your Daddy sees a movement that I didn't even notice.. I am pretty used to them these days, and sometimes don't even realize what you're doing.

There have been just a couple times where your stretching has actually hurt Mommy and I've had to remind you that my belly can only stretch so much. 

Then this morning, in the wee hours of the day, there was a movement so big and powerful that it woke me up!

You still seem to have a bit of stage fright when it comes to letting your Daddy feel you move.. or maybe its just a special game you play with him. I will feel a string of steady movement and call Daddy over.. and just as he puts his hand on my belly, you seem to get cozy and calm. 

We have been able to pick up on your patterns/habits now, as well. 

You are very active just as Mommy is waking up in the morning, which often means I stay in bed a lot longer than I should.. just because I love that time with you and want to sit and feel/watch you wiggle all day.

You get very active when I sit on the floor (with Sydnee) and I wonder if that is because you are squished when I sit that way. 

You like it (or maybe you don't?) when I eat crunchy foods.. you always move when I'm chewing on something crunchy. I always assumed that meant you liked it, but now that I think about it.. I wonder if you can hear me chomping and disapprove?

Really cold drinks seem to startle you into dancing.

Laying on my left side makes you stretch and squirm... laying on my back makes you poke your bottom up just to the left of my belly button.

It is so amazing to feel all the ways you move and groove in there, Camryn. 

We love knowing that you are big and strong in there, and we love getting to "play" with you throughout the day. 

I wonder what these last 8 weeks will be like in terms of your movement. I know you are starting to get cramped in there already -- its obvious by the way we feel somersaults and shifts/turns more as opposed to your pokes and kicks like before. Will you discover my ribs in the next few weeks (I am in no hurry for you to do so, so don't feel like you need to go exploring!)? Will you continue to punch my bladder from time to time? Will the movements become more painful for Mommy as grow and run out of room, or will they stay as entertaining as they are now? 

I can't wait to find out!

And I can't wait to meet you, little love. 

31w6d

 

Next Month

While we were laying in bed this morning putting off actually getting up and getting ready, Andy and I got to talking about Baby Girl (she is most often the topic of conversation these days!). 

You know what we realized? There is a good chance we will meet our Baby Girl next month. 

Did you hear that? 

Let it sink in a minute.... 

Next Month. 

We may be holding our sweet Camy Lou next month.

That thought is exhilarating, in both an exciting and a terrifying way.

Our lives are about to change forever. 

We have wanted this for so long.

For years we talked about when we would start our family, and as we checked off all the tasks on our Pre-TTC To-Do List one-by-one, we became more and more eager to get things moving along. 

We prayed for an easy TTC journey and in some respects it was easy, but there were many times along our 8 month ride that we wondered why things were happening the way they were, why things weren't easier for us.

Then all the ups and downs of that TTC roller coaster became more than worth it on Christmas night when we saw those 2 pink lines. 

That test was all we had been waiting for and we were over the moon at our blessed fortune, we were finally able to exclaim "We're having a BABY!"

That seems like it happened so long ago, but at the same time it feels like the last 27 weeks since that glorious day have flown by. 

We have known about our sweet baby for 27 weeks today.

We have celebrated every little milestone with her growth and development. We have joyously shared every bit of news we've received about her with our loved ones.  We have lovingly prepared a room for her in our home. We have prayed for her good health. We have counted down the days to her arrival. We have worried over whether we are well equipped to parent her and whether we can provide her with all the things she deserves in her life. 

The last 27 weeks have presented us with more joys than we could have imagined, and more obstacles than we could have imagined.

We have spent many days grinning ear to ear talking about our future with our baby, and many days crying over the cards we've been dealt since we learned of her existence. 

Through all the ways our faith and resolve has been tested on this 27 week journey, one thing has remained constant. 

This baby is the answer to the prayers we've been sending up for the last 4 years. 

We love this baby more now than we ever thought we were capable of, and that love for her grows everyday. 

And that is all that matters. 

So as much as we may have to stress and worry about in these last 9 weeks (or less) before her arrival, we will continue to remind ourselves that she is our sweet little blessing, we love her with every bit of ourselves now and always will -- and that is all that is important.

We may not be able to provide for her in the ways we anticipated, we may be worrying about our finances and our jobs and our home for a long while, but this child will never be lacking for love. 

As long as we remember that, we will be okay. 

Single Digit Weekly Countdown!

Started this post Tuesday.. didn't finish. But I'm posting it anyway! :)

Holy Cow. 

Today marks 9 weeks til our due date.

Single digits. 

Daddy is so excited, Mommy is so anxious. 

Both Mommy and Daddy are feeling a great sense of urgency in finishing our baby preparations!

Because we only have 9 weeks or less left. 

Yes, or less. I will not be going past my due date. You can mark my words. :)

Yesterday I purchased a small shelf for Camy's room. I needed to get some kind of shelf because our shower guests were asked to bring a copy of their favorite childhood book to start Camy's library (which I am SO excited about, by the way) and we needed some place to keep all these books. The shelf I got has 6 cubes, so we got 3 canvas baskets for toy storage and will use the other 3 cubes for the books and things. 

I put the shelf together all by myself (go me!) and set it up underneath the window. It will serve as our chair-side table as well, with a lamp on top for midnight rocking/nursing sessions. [Note: Yep, we decided to put the rocker in the nursery after all. It will be a tight fit in there, but I think it will be best to have the chair in the nursery for convenience in the beginning and for establishing a bedtime routine as she gets older. We don't want to have to walk across the house with her after rocking/soothing her.]

I also picked up a beautiful frame to mat/frame this print we purchased on etsy way back when. I love it! This will hang above her dresser/changing table, with a floating ledge beneath it for her name letter blocks (obviously her blocks spell "Camryn") and any other small trinkets/decorations we may end up with. 

Now all we need to purchase is the mattress and bedding, and some kind of curtains. 

And maybe a rug. 

And a mobile.

And a lamp.

And a sound machine.

Oh, boy.

We Graduated!

... from our Childbirth and Infant Care Class.

We signed up for the 4 week class offered at our hospital so that your Daddy can see what he's in for. I wanted him to be exposed to all the labor, delivery, recovery, postpartum information as possible in hopes of him being more supportive and aware and less deer-in-headlights when its time to welcome you to the world. 

I have no doubts about how he will handle our adventure. He has taken it all very seriously and has really seemed to learn a lot! 

He did not joke around with the breathing techniques, and even asked if I wanted to practice while we were driving to Houston a couple weeks ago. And he was the best daddy in the class with the infant care portion today. He was a master swaddler and did really well with the diapering and changing clothes! I was so proud of him! :)

He's going to be such a great daddy. I can't wait to see him holding you, Baby Girl, and bundling you up and rockin' the "football hold" as he carries you around the house. 

Next up is our breastfeeding class in a couple weeks... and I know we are in for a few deer-in-the-headlight moments from your daddy that evening! :)

30 week appt

I'll start by posting some long overdue Maternity Photos we had professionally done last month. :) I love love love them, and I love love love the photographer who took them: Lyndsay Stradtner with Life in Motion Photography. Here are just a handful.... gosh, I've grown a lot since then!

We had our last monthly appointment yesterday afternoon, and all went well. Our next 3 appts will be every 2 weeks, and after that we get to see the doc every week until Baby Girl decides she's ready to grace the world with her presence.

It was a very routine, very quick appt.

Weight check:  I learned I gained 6.4 lbs in the last 3 weeks! At first I thought it was 6.4 lbs in the last month and I felt a little bad about that since I am supposed to be gaining a lb a week from here on out. Well, then I remembered that our last appt was not a month ago, it was when I fell with Syd about 3 weeks ago. Awesome. I have been gaining twice as much per week as I should. :(

Blood Pressure: A beautiful 112/80. Woohoo.

Pee in a cup: No Proteins. Woohoo.

Heartbeat Check w/ Doppler: The most wonderful sound in the world! I mentioned that her heart sounded like it was beating a lot faster than it was last time and our dr said "Well, of course it is! Last time you had just fallen on her.. she was probably a little scared or sad that day! She's a happy one today!" Oh yeah -- good point, doc. That's why you make the big bucks.. for remembering things like that and calming my crazy first-time-mama nerves. :)

Before checking her heart, doc man felt around my belly to see how she was positioned and let us know that she is already head down! Her little bum was sticking out just to the left of my belly button, and her legs were up towards my ribs on my right side. He said that while she does still have time to move, chances are she will stay head down... I sure hope so! And can I just say, I knew that little bump was her little baby bottom! She always sticks her bum out on that side.. always. Andy got a kick out of knowing that was her little bum -- all night, when he'd rub my belly he'd get a chuckle out of the way she sticks it out so far! I bet she'll be one of those babies who sleeps on her knees with her bum sticking straight up. Cute.

Then we were told what to expect as far as Braxton Hicks contrax go, and given a little lecture about staying cool and hydrated in the summer time. And silly me, once again I forgot the questions I had! I really need to start writing questions down between appts. It never fails - all is going well during our check-up and in all my excitement and relief I confidently say "Nope, no questions! We're doing good!" only to get home and remember the things I did want to ask. Ugh.

It was the easiest appt yet - we were in and out of the office in under 30 minutes (wait time and all). 

Next appt is July 8. 

Here are some (bare belly) pics for this week:

Some things that have changed as of late:

**Mama can no longer wear her rings. Still just minimal swelling, you can't even really tell just by looking at my hands -- it is just enough to make my rings super uncomfortable!

**Mama can no longer roll over in bed without it being a huge production and involving a sharp pain on my right side. Awesome.

**Mama had to ask for help up off the floor for the first time over the weekend.

**Mama can no longer bend over to pick something up off the floor, even from a sitting position.

**Mama can no longer see her ladybits without the aid of a mirror, which would be no big deal if it weren't a gajillion degrees outside thus making me want to live in my swimsuit!

Time is flying by!

• How far along?: 30 weeks.
• Total weight gain: 37 pounds. Sad, Sad, Sad. Yes, I gained 7 lbs in 2 weeks! EDIT: I have decided our home scale is evil.. at my 30 wk appt, we discovered I had not gained that much after all. 6.4 lbs in 3 weeks is better.. not great news, but better. Whew.
• How big is baby?: 16ish inches long, nearly 3 pounds! Its amazing to me that Baby Girl is only 3 1/2 inches (or so) shorter right now than Rylan was when he was born!
• Maternity clothes?: I have sworn off pants and shorts or anything that would require having elastic around my belly. I am living in dresses and comfortable skirts these days. While in the hospital with Vicky in labor, I sent Andy back to their house to get a pair of very stretchy sweat pants for me to change into because my maternity jeans just do. not. fit. anymore! Ugh.
• Stretch marks?: Belly is still free of stretch marks! Woohoo!
• Sleep?: Still struggling, though I have been waking to pee less and less, which is helpful.
• Best moment this week?:  Being with Baby Rylan and my sister, for sure! The frozen yogurt Andy and I had last night comes in a close second though! ;)
• Movement?: Her little kicks and jabs have turned into big pushes and rolls and somersaults! I think I felt hiccups for the first time this morning, too! She was just jumping (best way to describe it) very rhythmically for a few minutes.
• Food cravings?: Cheese Tots. Frozen Yogurt (after last night). Still BLTs with cheese, too. 
• Labor signs?: None. Thankfully.
• Belly button in or out?: Still sticks out at the top. I've grown to like it. :)
• What I miss: Vicky, Kevin, and Rylan! PG related: Sleep. Sex. 
• What I'm looking forward to: We have an appt tomorrow, and although I am worried I'll hear "the weight talk", I am excited to hear her heartbeat again and we will start going every 2 weeks after this one. Also looking forward to seeing Vicky and Rylan Thursday or Friday, of course!
• Milestone: 30 weeks! Eep.

I'll have belly pics to share later, as well as our maternity photos. 

A peek into our future.

During the week, while my mom is in town to help with Baby Rylan, she is referred to as "the nursery". What that means is she takes the early morning baby shift so Rylan's Mommy and Daddy can get a few good hours of sleep in before starting the day.

Well, our mom had to head back to Austin for the weekend, so that means Andy and I have stepped into "the nursery" role. 

We took Rylan around 7am this morning, and had a good 2 1/2 hours with him before he was hungry and had to go back to the Mama Buffet. 

We got a good look into what our mornings may look like in about 10 weeks... Me crashed out on the couch with a baby snoozing on my chest, or Dad stationed on the couch with the baby in one hand and the TV remote in the other. Seems pretty accurate to me! ;)

Forgive my oh-so-glamourous picture here -- I could kick Andy for not fixing my hair before taking that photo! haha, just kidding. [Kind of.] I look terrible asleep.. but love snoozing with Little Man cuddled up with me so I won't delete it! 

And, here is Andy with the baby and the remote. :)

I think Rylan enjoyed visiting with his Uncle Andy! 

While we were "on duty" we kept just looking at each other and commenting on how crazy it is to imagine that in 10ish weeks, this will be us. We can't wait to meet our sweet girl!!! 

And I certainly hope we have "a nursery" handy to help us in the early morning hours! :)

In Pregnancy News -- 

My belly/Camryn has grown SO MUCH in the last week! Andy I didn't see each other from Sunday afternoon til Friday evening, and as soon as he got here he seemed stunned at how big my belly is now. I don't usually notice from day to day, but this week its hard not to tell -- I mean, ALL of my maternity clothes are quickly becoming too tight, or too short. Its becoming harder and harder for me to get up out of bed or stand up off the couch, and I have finally reached a point where my belly is bigger than I realize when it comes to scooting around something or opening a car door -- I am constantly bumping my bump into everything these days! [Sorry for that, Camryn!]

We have our last monthly appt next week, and after that we start our biweekly appts. I cannot believe that! We are getting so close. 

Squeee!

I have been feeling pretty good these days, and for that I am very thankful! 

New belly pic coming soon!

Your Cousin, Rylan Cooper

With a little over 11 weeks left before your due date, Camryn, I was lucky enough to be present for your cousin Rylan's birth.

I have read many books and websites about childbirth. Your daddy and I enrolled in a childbirth class.  I have read birth stories from online forums and heard birth stories from family and friends... but nothing quite compares to being there from start to finish with my sister while she delivered her first baby.

Even seeing all she went through, and hearing her thoughts on the process (without leaving out any gruesome details!!), I still don't feel at all prepared for the day I will deliver you.

I am excited for that day. 

I am anxious for you to be here.. to see what you look like, to hold you in my arms, to be able to kiss your sweet face and watch you sleep and stir and stretch your tiny arms.... 

I really am excited.

And scared.

Well, terrified, really. 

Your Aunt V was due on 6/14 (I thought 6/12 but I didn't realize they had pushed it back a couple days). 

On Thurs 6/11, she left work around lunch to start her maternity leave early because she was having recurring back pain that she thought may be early labor.

The back pain stopped sometime that afternoon and she said she felt great on Friday, hardly even felt pregnant (which would have been great any other time during the pregnancy, but by that point she was eager to get the show on the road!). 

Your Daddy and I got to Houston Friday evening and sat around visiting for a while, excited to be spending their last weekend pre-parenthood with them. She was set to be admitted to the hospital Sunday evening to start Cervidil overnight and Pitocin Monday morning. 

Saturday morning we all schlepped around the house in our PJ's being lazy, and just after lunch she told me she was leaking fluid, and she wasn't sure if it was her water breaking or not. 

I wanted her to call her doctor or go in for an ffn test.. but because she was having absolutely no contractions, she decided to wait it out a little bit and see what happens.

We went about our plans - pedicures with our mom, a last minute run to Target for a few things she needed to pack in her hospital bag, etc. When we finished our trip to Target, we got in the car to head home and she said she was still leaking. 

Again, I said I would call the dr if I were her... but she wasn't concerned enough to do so and didn't want to be sent home for a false alarm. 

By the time we went to bed that night, she had soaked through 4 pairs of panties/pads!! We all (my mom, your Daddy and I) went to bed that night fully-clothed with our bedroom doors open just convinced we'd be dashing to the hospital sometime in the late night hours.

We were wrong. No such luck.

I crawled into bed with her for a few minutes in the morning, and we just chatted for a few minutes before I left the room so she could try to get some more rest. Not 5 minutes later she casually walked into the kitchen and said "I think its time to go". Apparently she had gotten up to go the restroom and had her 'bloody show'. We all sprung into motion, dashing around the house finding shoes and keys and wallets before she casually said "You know, I think I'll take a shower first". 

WHAT?! Are you sure?? Okay, fine, but make it a quick one!

Your Daddy and I decided to go ahead and go so we could pick up breakfast for everyone on the way to the hospital, and by the time we had kolaches in hand and were en route to the hospital, I got a text from my mom saying "5 minutes apart!!!". 

Wow! She went from not having ANY contractions, not a single Braxton Hicks, to contractions coming 5 minutes apart (this started in the shower). 

She went up to L&D and they took her into the triage room to check her.. they asked her to change into a gown in the bathroom and while she was in there her water really broke.. not just a slow leak anymore.  She came out of the bathroom and apologized for making a mess on their floor... the nurse took one look at it and said "That's amniotic fluid, no need to check you - let's get you a room!". 

She was admitted at 915am and was still only 1cm dilated (as she was the week before) but the nurse said her cervix was paper thin.

The fact that her water started leaking the day before and she hadn't called or come in to be checked really baffled the nurse! I guess they are used to getting first time moms who come in for (seemingly) no reason.. and here she was with her water broken and didn't even call. ;) She's a rockstar like that, your aunt.

Because it had been so long since her leak started, they wanted to get the Pitocin going pretty soon so they could move things along, so they gave her a bag of IV fluids in preparation for the Epi and Pit. 

They started her epidural around 11 (much to her relief, those contractions were looking very painful!!!) and started her Pitocin soon after. I'm not sure of the unit they measured the Pitocin drip, but they started at a 6 and increased by 6 every half hour or so. By 215 the Pitocin was at 42 and the nurse checked her progress to find she was now dilated to 6cm! 

Around 230 she started feeling some pelvic pressure and the nurse realized they never gave her the "epi button" to boost the epidural every so often. They attached the button, pressed it and told her if she was still feeling pressure/pain in another 15-20 minutes to call the nurse back. They checked her again before the nurse left the room and she proudly exclaimed "7 cm and the baby's coming down a lot more!". YAY!

Pushed the epi button again at 245 but by this point she was feeling pain with every contraction, where as before we would have to tell her she was even having one. Called the nurse back just after 3 and at 311 the nurse said she was fully dilated to 1o cm! HOLY COW! She went from 1 to 6, 7, 10 in a matter of an hour! 

They started doing "test pushes" at 324. I'm not really sure what differentiates a "test push" from a REAL push, because they certainly seemed like real pushes to me!!! 

The on-call doctor (who we didn't love) came in at 345 and the broke the bed down, wheeled in all the carts of things they would need (including the baby scale, so exciting!!), and got down to business.

Rylan was born at 401 pm (37 minutes of pushing) weighing in at 7lbs even, 19 1/2 inches long. 

I will save the gory details of the delivery, but will say I sat wide-eyed for a while.. taking in the scene from a stool in the corner of the room up by V's head.

We found out very shortly after delivery that the dr had to do a "partial 3rd degree episiotomy" (where "partial" apparently means "almost"). Ouch. 

Rylan's APGARs were 9 and 9, and he clearly had very healthy lungs, as proven by his beautiful wailing. 

I stuck around to take a few quick pictures of their first couple minutes as a family of 3, then everyone left the room for them to have some bonding time to themselves. 

It was truly an amazing experience for me to be there for his entrance into the world. 

Amazing. 

And terrifying. 

I just cannot wrap my mind around the idea that that will be ME in 11 weeks or less. 

Wow. 

I hope I handle labor and delivery as well as she did!!! She did AWESOME. Not one scream. No profanity. No threats of bodily injury directed towards her husband (or anyone else). She did great.

Rylan is a handsome, perfect, sweet little man. 

He is eating well (though his mama is in pain!), he is sleeping quite a bit (though not always at night), he has spent quite a bit of time alert taking in the new world he's a part of, and he is the world's sweetest cuddle bug (at least until you come along, sweet girl). 

I am so in love with this precious babe, and can only imagine how much greater the feeling of awe and admiration will be with you, my daughter. 

Being here for his arrival, for his first few days home, his first pediatrician's appointment, his first bath -- all these things have taught me a thing or two about the way I will need to handle things at home when you are here, Camy. It has helped me make some of the decisions I've been pondering, and made me rethink some of the decisions I thought I had already made. 

It has been a great crash course in Mommyhood for me. I am so thankful to have been able to walk along side my sister on her journey, so thankful that we got to experience our first pregnancies together, so thankful she will there walking me through my delivery, and HUGELY thankful that you will have a cousin so close in age to grow up with and share your life experiences with.

I hope you and Rylan are able to develop a strong bond. 

I hope you will always be the best of buds. And love and trust each other as much as your Aunt and I do. 

I can't wait for you two to meet. To celebrate the holidays with the both of you. To watch you both grow. 

I couldn't have imagined a scenario better than this for the way our 2 families would grow.