Figuring It Out & Fitness Plan

My days seem to run together at the moment.  I seriously got up today & was confused that it was Thursday already...weird.

Although I "just" stay home & take care of Elise at this point, my days are seemingly filled as if by magic with dirty diapers, playtime, lots of nursing, naps, & trying to fit in regular stuff like, you know, getting out of my pajamas before noon.

Warning: poopy picture below!

Told you. Had to take a picture because it was such a mess!

Watching sports with dad

After bathtime

David already teasing her.

I love her smile. 

In her adorable monkey Pjs!

I do feel like David & I are starting to get the hang of things. We have been fortunate enough to be blessed with a baby who already sleeps through the night. She wakes up early, between 5-6am, but then takes a nap an hour later for another 3 hours so my mornings are free to do errands, housework or exercise! David is blessed with a job that has flexible hours so he is on baby watch in the mornings as I run around & get things done. Within the month that seems likely to change as he has gotten a promotion (yay!) with the downside being a slight commute and more rigid hours. However, I feel lucky that in this economy he's already moving up after getting his job just last summer. I have been able to breathe a little easier on my maternity leave from school that our finances will remain intact. I may even take a bit longer off work through the holidays & 'til Elise is a little older before sending her to daycare.

This is how much she's grown and changed in a month; it's CRAZY!! She's already gone from a sleepy little thing to a curious baby with a personality that is starting to show. I love it!

On her birth day

1 week old

2 weeks old

3 weeks old

1 month old

  This week I began my fitness plan as I finally hit 1 month out and am unofficially cleared to start light exercise. It feels SO good to start moving again! I have also tried taking Elise out in the jogging stroller, but she's still a bit small for it so I think i'll break that out more as she becomes more alert and enjoys the scenery. The few times we've gone out lately she's slept or cried at being strapped into the seat. Below is my super awesome spreadsheet with my 1/2 marathon plan culminating in my first half in at least a year and a half with 5 months leading up to it for recovery from childbirth & training. My mom and I have a 5k in November to kick things off, and I'm debating adding another 10k/15k in there too. Obviously this is a very loose guideline of what I want to accomplish; I really will just be happy to complete the 1/2 marathon & am NOT focusing on a PR for this race- finishing will be reward enough!

Good night everyone!

Family Firsts in Pictures

My family has had a lot of firsts this past week and a half. Rather than write about it; here are some of the many pictures that have been taken in that time.

Love at first sight....

First time parents

First time Mimi

First car ride

First all nighter that wasn't by choice....

First time Nana & Pop

First bath

First glass of wine since being pregnant!!

First weekend @ home with our little one

& now...One week & 2 days old.

She's Here!!

At 40 weeks 5 days, Elise finally decided to join us!

Late Sunday night, I started to feel contraction pains & knew the time had finally arrived. I called my mom who raced over from Tampa to help support me & stay as long as we needed help.

By Monday morning the contractions were more intense, but I still wasn't ready to head to the hospital. I cleaned a little, ate some food, watched TV, and waited for the signs! By mid-afternoon I called my doctor's office who asked me to come in to check & find out when I should head to the hospital.

The midwife said I was almost ready & could head to the hospital within the hour to check-in for early labor. Woohoo! I felt like the Elise show was finally getting somewhere!

After gathering everything we thought we would need for the hospital, we headed out in anticipation of  Elise's arrival. Unless you are completely oblivious to your labor signs, the frantic yelling & racing into the hospital like in the movies is just not likely. Nor is your water breaking in a public place, let's just be real. Reality is that you know what's happening with your body, you head to the hospital in plenty of time, and if you're one of the few 10% whose water actually breaks super early, you may experience that.

Once we checked into the hospital around 2pm, we were led to a labor room where I was given the ever fashionable hospital gown and told to walk around as I felt like it, sit in the jacuzzi (which was in my room!), and hang out until the contractions picked up.

As afternoon turned to evening, I was progressing VERY slowly. My contractions had slowed to a painfully slow pace, and I was already exhausted & going on at least 20 hours of labor. At this point, my resolve to stay away from pain medication dwindled, and I had an epidural as well as pitocin (which speeds up/intensifies contractions) to diminish the pain & hopefully help Elise to make her grand entrance!

By early morning Tuesday, I was finally inching towards being ready to deliver, and we knew Elise would make her arrival by afternoon. My mom needed to go home & shower after a long night driving over & then spending the following night sleeping in a chair, so she headed out around 7:00am and planned to return between 8-8:30am.

By 7:30am, I felt the epidural had worn off and felt very painful contractions again. At this point, I was told I could start pushing because the pain from here on out was mine to own. I braced myself, told David to call my mom to let her know, and began the 1 1/2 hour process of "active labor".

By a little after 8:00am I was still working and my mom had finally made it back in a panic. From there, 30 long minutes of pushing & breathing led to a long awaited baby's cries and a very large infant.

Estimated to be 7.5 pounds, Elise was 9 pounds 2 ounces and 23 inches long! I had more than one nurse say they had never seen a baby that long and that most of the large babies they had seen were boys. No wonder it took 35 hours of labor to get her out!

I don't think you quite understand the sheer beauty of that little infant until you have one. There aren't words enough to explain the love David and I already feel for this little one! To us, she is perfect.

After delivering we stayed in the hospital overnight & began the process of learning how to care for a newborn. David stayed at the hospital with me, and we figured out through trial and error how exactly to change that diaper, how to feed her, and not to freak out over every little peep.

With sporadic sleep, we made it through that first night together in the hospital.

The following morning the pediatrician came in to check on her & find out when we could go home. Unfortunately, she was concerned with her breathing & took her to NICU to monitor her. Last night she stayed down there while we stayed overnight in the hospital, making trips every few hours to see her.

At this point, I have been discharged while my little one is stuck in NICU because she's still breathing too fast. All her other vitals are great & perfect, but the pediatrician wants to monitor her just in case to rule out anything serious like an infection or heart defect.

As much as I want my little girl home already, I'm thankful for the great staff at Martin Memorial which is still allowing me to stay at the hospital, for free, so that I can visit and breastfeed Elise as much as possible while she's stuck here.

It's been a long week and hopefully by the weekend our little one will FINALLY make it home!!

38 weeks

Holy cow has it been another week?!

David & I have been using this past week to get in some "baby-free" time before the little one arrives!

First, a trip to the infamous lakehouse on Lake Placid...aka middle-of-nowhere Florida.

It was a relaxing trip during which everyone kicked back in the sun with some drinks & good food.

Here, again, I found my limitations as a pregnant lady. Staying out in the sun all day Saturday was not a good plan! On Sunday during our drive back I started to feel intense contractions, much worse than my usual Braxton Hicks. David and I both were worried, and I started timing them and praying she wasn't coming yet. Don't get me wrong- I'm ready for Elise to be here; however, my mom was on a delayed flight from Texas and I couldn't imagine delivering without her!

As we all panicked, the timing of the contractions was irregular so we withheld any decisions and decided to go the night and call the doctor in the morning if they continued.

Monday morning dawned and I was still having contractions, but they were back to their normal, dull pain. I called the doctor - just in case- and she said these were good pains and the intensity was probably due to dehydration/heat exhaustion from Saturday. In general, we wanted the contractions to continue, and they would only get more intense. Ouch. 

I was scolded on all sides for pushing myself physically and told to take it easy & put my feet up. 

I did try to take it easy Monday and so when David wanted to catch the Braves vs. Marlins game in Miami Tuesday night I felt up to making the drive down.

We trekked down with our friends Shea & Kelli and sat in front row, aisle seats in the outfield. To my relief, the bathrooms were a short walk up the stairs, phew!  The stadium was gorgeous though situated in a sketchy looking section of Miami. That's one thing I really don't understand about that city, but what can you do. The game started at 7:10pm and we didn't make it home 'til after midnight, but the Braves won so mine was a happy household. Aside from the mandatory bathroom stops on the drive up/down, there weren't any complaints from our group! 

Yesterday was spent "nesting" and cleaning the house. I really do have a hard time just sitting. I just have to keep telling myself my sleep and leisure activity will soon be depleted so I should enjoy it! That evening David & I had a date night & enjoyed dinner out. We grabbed some candy & a Redbox to complete the evening at home. It's the little things like that- sitting at home on the couch- that are really satisfying.

Aside from the puking, this has potential to be more enjoyable than the nesting...I'm debating it!

Finally, TODAY was our 38 week appointment!! 

I spent the morning in my classroom trying, still trying, to get my lessons in order for the sub. I've been talking about it for weeks but can't seem to really get down to things & lay out a set plan. I made a good dent today though so I think with another day or two like that I'll finally knock it out! I've had SO MANY people volunteer to help me get ready for school, and I couldn't do it without them. Even next week my dad and brother will be visiting to help arrange my classroom & move things for me! 

As for the doctor's appointment, it was a standard check-up. All of our stats are good, and the nurse confirmed that our little one has definitely "dropped". I knew that already though- she's heavy!! Next week they'll begin checking to see if anything is changing in terms of going into labor... Part of me hopes she comes before then, but that is definitely wishful thinking!!

Hopefully this is next week minus the choking & epidural! ;)

The Countdown Begins....3 weeks to go!

 

How far along: 37 weeks

Total weight gain: 30 lbs...yikes!

Maternity Clothes: I feel like I've worn the same outfits forever now...only a few weeks left!

Sleep: Definitely a much lighter sleeper...didn't think that was possible!

Best moment this week: The final piece to my nursery came in- crib bedding is here!!

Miss anything: Not being swollen :(

Movement: She has officially "dropped" making it easier for me to breathe, but oh my bladder isn't happy!

Food cravings: Chocolate Chip Cookies. Yum!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nada

Gender: It's a girl!

Labor Signs: Lots of "fake" contractions still & she's dropped down. Dr appt is tomorrow to check on everything!

Symptoms: My fingers, toes, and ankles are SWOLLEN. Annoying. BH Contractions like whoa.

Belly Button In or Out: And it's gone.

Happy or Moody: Happy!

Looking forward to: Finishing my lesson planning so I can just relax & await our little one's arrival.

I've made SO MUCH progress in the past week in getting the nursery ready for Baby Girl. In fact.....it's done! As of 10 minutes ago when the post office dropped off her super-adorable-homemade-bedding, everything is in it's place and awaiting Elise's arrival. :)

I know we will probably have her in the bassinet for awhile, but I am so relieved to have the room ready to welcome her!

Picture Tour of Elise's Room

This is the AMAZING bedding that I ordered from Cottage on the Coast from Etsy. Her stuff is great, and the quality is amazing. If you want something unique for your home or a little one you should check her stuff out!

Right above the crib is one of the "projects" that I hadn't finished last week. It was silly because all I had left were the bows on top off the ribbons, but either way I quickly finished them & hung them up! They are mod-podged with tissue paper in the same style as the pictures I made, and the primary colors tie in GREAT with the rest of her room!

In the left corner of the room are the amazing pictures my friend made depicting The Hungry Caterpillar story as well as my glider. Simple but great. 

This side of the room has been done for awhile, but I still love it just as much! The changing table is done in lime green with white polka dots with baskets underneath that ended up matching perfectly. Next to the changing table are "his" and "hers" diaper bags. One of the only requests David had was to have a less girly diaper bag so I originally purchased the black one. When my mom came into town last week we went shopping and happened upon an amazing floral Vera Bradley one. My mom decided to treat me to one that was more my style, and I really do love it!

Lastly, a close up of the bookshelves. I've been collecting the stories from random places- a few from children's consignment stores, some as gifts, and others ordered directly from Scholastic. I cannot wait to be able to utilize all of these books! I loved reading so I really hope to instill that same love in our daughter. :)


So aside from the dr's appointment tomorrow morning, my plan for these last few weeks is to hustle through these lesson plans, get my classroom in a workable condition for the new school year, and try to relax and take it easy before Elise joins us! Any news from the doctor i'll be sure to add it here asap!