Eventful week

Just a quick post--we returned home this afternoon from another stay in the hospital. It turns out that I had retained placental tissue, which caused me to start hemorrhaging terribly yesterday. It was probably the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. I had an emergency D and C under general anesthesia and, thank God, it looks like they got everything. They estimate I lost 1200 cc. of blood, but my blood count has stayed just high enough to avoid a transfusion. We're all totally exhausted, but I'm just really grateful to be alive right now.

Oh boy!

The phone rang this morning . . . we have permission to travel and bring home our little boy! I'll update when Mr. X has his travel plans . . .

She's Here!

Our little girl has finally arrived! I will write the birth story soon, but for now . . . I did actually go into labor Thursday morning, about 24 hours before my scheduled induction. And 20 hours later, she was born--just after midnight. She weighed 8 lbs 6 oz and was 21 inches long, which was much bigger than we or the doctor expected!

A few things about the birth:

• We ended up doing the opposite of the majority of the things on our birth plan, but, since the main objective of the birth plan was me and the baby both in one piece, that was OK.
• It was not at all like I imagined.
• I very carefully packed a labor & delivery bag, wanting to not be the woman who overpacks.
• I used absolutely nothing I had packed during labor & delivery.

The funniest conversation I had in the hospital was the talk I had with the new post-partum nurse who came on duty 7 hours after the baby was born:

Nurse: Are you having any vision problems?
Me: Not really. I felt kind of cross-eyed when they wheeled me over here, but now it's OK.
Nurse: It might just be the anasthesia.
Me: I didn't have anasthesia.
Nurse: No anasthesia.
Me: No.
Nurse: None at all.
Me: No.
Nurse: How'd that work out for you?
Me: It was tough.
Nurse: Yeah. That's how I had my babies, too. They didn't have epidurals then. It was kind of like pushing out a grand piano.

I'm just incredibly grateful to have made it to this point--at home with a healthy baby. I'm humbled by this amazing blessing and the knowledge that God has given us the gift and responsibility of being parents to this beautiful little person.

I'm not sure how long I'll leave it up here, but here is one of my favorite pictures from the hospital.

Nothing yet . . .

Nothing new since yesterday around here . . . but I can't believe I forgot to congratulate Hafsa yesterday! I hope the pregnancy announcements keep on coming!

Almost double digits

I went in for the biophysical profile today, and the baby came through with flying colors! She got an eight out of eight, and we got to see her on ultrasound for the first time since early March. She looks a bit squished in there, but otherwise great. And--wonder of wonders--she has hair! Most babies in my family are bald or just have a tiny bit of fuzz. But we could see her hair and her eyelashes, too!

Then I had my doctor's appointment and we talked about induction. I'm at 3cm now, so that's a bit of progress. I also said I was OK with stripping the membranes, so he did what he could. I'm so glad that I heard that would be painful in advance, because, man, did it hurt! We scheduled induction for first thing Friday morning, just in case, so I'm really hoping she decides to make an appearance before Friday morning!

I finished making a matching sun hat for the little dress, too. And my dad made it into town today, which is great.

Tonight, I dragged myself out to go for a short walk with Mr. X and Wonderdog. Thank God we went when we did! It was just starting to sprinkle when we left the house. By the time we returned, the rain had stopped and the wind had whipped up. And we could actually hear the train noise of a tornado in the distance. About 30 seconds after we came inside, it started to hail--grape-sized hail! Our bedroom window was open, and a piece of hail broke the screen and landed on the carpet. It lasted about 20 minutes, and in the end, our street was flooded, with water all the way up the sidewalks. I'm just so glad that we didn't leave the house five minutes later! (And that I didn't immediately go into labor when the storm started!)

So, that's the latest from our house. I hope we have more news soon!

. . . Plus Six

Still waiting here! I called the doctor today to ask what induction might entail, just so I'll have a better idea of what might be ahead next week.

I'm really hoping not to need to be induced. Fortunately, the baby definitely dropped today. My mom and I were at the store and I suddenly felt like I had a lot more pressure on my bladder . . . and I blamed it on the elastic in my shorts and the can of root beer I had just finished. But when I got home, and went to the bathroom, I realized that (a) my bladder was not nearly as full as it seemed and (b) there's a bit more space up high (as in, my belly isn't actually touching my b.r.easts anymore). So, yay! Progress! Lately whenever I sit or lie down, it has felt like the baby is trying to crawl up under my ribs, so now she's moving in the right direction!

I finished the little going-home dress I made, and--are you ready for this?--here's an actual picture! (I can't remember the last time I actually posted a picture.)

It's cotton yarn, so it's actually pretty heavy, and it took forever to dry when I washed it, but I'm happy with it. The buttons are little bunnies, which is kind of hard to tell in the picture. My mom and I tried to find some ruffly white pants to go under the dress, but I haven't been able to find any! Well . . . I haven't been able to find any at a store, and the ones I've found online are about $15 or more a pair! That's crazy money! So, I found a little pair of plain white pants among the hand-me-downs we've received from friends, and those will have to do. After all, we'll basically put it on her, drive her home, and take it off again. And she might get to wear it to church once or twice before she outgrows it.

We're getting fairly close to ready on the other stuff. The babies' room is about half painted, and we have clean bassinet sheets and have washed all the newborn-sized stuff.

Beth asked about diapers, and we decided to try prefolds and diaper covers. We have some Indian and some Chinese cotton prefolds, and we have an assortment of diaper covers (Th.irsties, Bum.mis, and Im.se V.imse, some of which are hand-me-downs), so we'll see how it goes! I bought a few doublers and some wipes, and we did get a lot of disposable newborn-size diapers, which we're planning to use for the first few days. I think we'll be OK to get started.

Oh, and since I never posted it before, here is the 39-week belly shot:
Right now, I look pretty much the same, except that my belly is a tiny bit lower--considering that I'm short, there's not that much space for the baby between my hips and my ribs, so even though she's dropped, there's not much visual difference. She's pretty much had to grow straight out. It's pretty funny, though, to run errands, because everyone asks when I'm due and is a bit startled when I say "six days ago." My friends have pretty much stopped calling and e-mailing, and my doctor told me he ran into the L&D nurse I know at the hospital, and she asked him if I went to a different hospital to have the baby! Any guesses on when she'll decide to arrive?

Due Date +4 and Counting

Still here, waiting for the babies! I had a doctor's appointment yesterday--2cm dilated, 60% effaced, and the baby's still floating. People told me that having a cer.v.ix check would be "uncomfortable." But, hey, isn't every exam in that area uncomfortable? Um, yeah. Really uncomfortable, and moreso than usual for that area. I just say this so that maybe others won't be surprised!

I made an appointment for a biophysical profile for Monday, in case the baby hasn't decided to put in an appearance by then. If everything looks OK, the doctor's willing to wait until the end of next week to induce.

So, we're getting closer to "ready." The diapers have finished their last pre-wash, I'm finishing the little "going home" outfit, and the house stuff is getting done. Still no adoption news, though.

And, speaking of news, congratulations to Sew Infertile!

Still No News

Still no news over here. I had contractions semi-regularly for a little while last night. They're still not painful, so I really had to kind of poke my belly to see if the muscles were still tight. I'm thinking if I have to poke myself to check whether I'm having a contraction, I'm really not there yet.

My mom and I went to B.abies R U.s today and bought the last few essential things, along with a shower gift for the baby shower I'm going to tomorrow. After the contractions last night, I also spent some more time on packing the hospital bags. We have one bag for stuff we'll probably use at home, but will also want to take to the hospital, then one for labor & delivery, and one for postpartum. I promise it's not as bad as it sounds! It'll end up as one large briefcase-type bag for labor & delivery and one small duffel bag for postpartum. Plus the camera and laptop, of course. :) I just realized that I forgot to pack underwear, though. I should probably do that. I know, pretty pitiful packing the hospital bag on the due date, isn't it? We also bought the paint for the babies' room today, and I hurt my back when we worked on sanding the second crib yesterday in preparation to stain it. But the rest of the house is actually shaping up! (And we do have the bassinet and one crib ready to go, so even if both babies were to arrive tomorrow, they'd both have a place to sleep!)

I should probably go and get some sleep. We're going to an early (relatively--for us, anyway) mass at the local Irish Festival tomorrow. They actually asked me to sing for the mass, but I didn't think it was a good idea to commit to singing on the day after my due date!

40%

I had my doctor's appointment on Tuesday, and found out that--according to his scale anyway (how accurate are the scales in doctor's offices, really?)--I have now gained 40% of my body weight! Oh my goodness. I gained four pounds in the last week--how can that be possible when my stomach is so squished? Probably some of it is water retention. I just didn't think I was really going to continue getting bigger at this point! Mr. X is cracking up because he is a full foot taller than me (though, in my defense, he's very thin), but I now weigh only five pounds less than he does. Fortunately, the doctor doesn't seem worried, and everything looks fine with the baby, thank God! He did do a cervix check--my first one. Definitely not the most comfortable exam I've ever had! He said I was dilated maybe one centimeter, and maybe 20% effaced. The baby is still floating, too. Of course, I know I shouldn't be reading too much--or anything, really--into that, but I'm thinking she's not in too much of a hurry, which is OK by me.

My mom arrived today, which is great--that means she made it in time! Unfortunately, I hurt my back closing the back hatch to the van at the airport today, so I've been pretty much useless since this afternoon. It drives me crazy to sit when there's so much to be done! I'm telling myself that I should appreciate the ability to just sit and be quiet, since I'm sure that will be a very rare opportunity in the near future. I'm so glad my mom is here. And, as a surprise, she brought my christening gown and bonnet and an adorable little white suit so that both babies will have a baptism outfit. I spent some of my sitting time today working on the "going home" outfit I'm making--a little green sundress and hat. I think the dress will be done with about another hour's work. And if it's not done in time to bring the baby home from the hospital, it's not the end of the world.

Anyway, I should get ready for bed. I know I'm overtired, and I'm hoping a good night's sleep will help my back heal quickly!

Last Hurrah (Sort of)

We're into the single digits now! I think my doctor won't strongly push me to induce unless I've gone two weeks past the due date (provided everything looks good), and I really don't want to be induced if I don't have to. So, we could still be in for a couple of weeks' wait here, but we're getting close. My mom's arriving on Wednesday. I just printed our birth plan to put in the bag we're packing for the hospital.

Mr. X and I went out for a real date last night, since it would be our last chance to go out as a couple pre-baby. We actually got dressed up and went to dinner and a movie. On a friend's recommendation, we ended up seeing A.w.ay W.e G.o. We both liked it a lot (though I'll warn you that it is pretty crude in parts), and we had a really fun night. Mr. X took pictures of me once we got home, since I was looking presentable and I have friends who are clamoring for belly pictures. Once I get the pictures downloaded, maybe I'll go nuts and actually post a picture or two.

Today, I was completely wiped out. I'd been going on my little nesting marathon last week and over the weekend, and I don't know if it finally caught up to me or what. I skipped my exercise class tonight and just got some more sleep. But now I should probably get back to the nesting--the house is sooo much better, but we still have a long way to go!

House Progress!

Thank God, we are making progress on the house! Mr. X commented today that we're finally unpacking. (Five years we've been in this house--five years!--and I'm finally getting through the last few untouched boxes). Tonight, we moved a bunch of stuff out of the home office and set up the desk we bought for Mr. X at I.k.ea.

I've been sloooowly dredging through all of our junk. We have very little storage space in our house (tiny closets, no basement or laundry room) and way too much stuff. And because of the continuous remodeling we've been doing for the last five years, we haven't been able to get to all of that stuff. But it's starting to get better. Every room in our house is actually functional right now--all the major projects are done, and none of the rooms are under construction. Right at this moment, we're both sitting at our desks in the office. You have no idea how amazing it is that we actually have a home office where we can both sit and have reasonable work space.

Even though it's been a pain to go through all of the junk, some if it's been kind of nice, too. Tonight, I finished going through the boxes of old pictures, knick-knacks, and the stuff that would be in scrapbooks if I ever had time to put it in scrapbooks. It's been good to think over the good times from the past (and even some of the rough times) as I'm getting ready to move into a new part of my life.

I found a card my grandma wrote me when I was in college, and just seeing her handwriting made me happy. I found a gift I made for my other grandma when I was ten (it was a little plaque, and she wrote my name and the date on the back--my grandpa gave it to me after she died). I found the letters and drawings my baby sister sent me when I was in college, cards my friends sent when I was devastated over a breakup, the piece of scrap paper where I wrote down Mr. X's name and phone number when we first met.

You can see why it's taking me so long--some of this is great stuff, but there's a lot that isn't that special, or, to be more accurate, doesn't have the same meaning for me right now as it did in the past. So, I've parted with about half of it. In a couple of years, I'll probably be ready to let more of it go. But, for now, the things I've kept are the reminders of how blessed I have been. Sometimes I forget. Right now is a good time to be reminded and to appreciate that I have amazing family and friends who have shown their love for me in a thousand small ways over the years.

And if anyone has ideas for where I can store the roasting pan and stock pot that I only use on Thanksgiving and that are too big for the kitchen cabinets, or where on Earth a good place would be to put the 50 pounds of flour and 50 pounds of rice Mr. X brought home from S.a.m's Cl.ub one day, any help is appreciated!

No news is . . . no news

So, things are just going along here, which is a good thing. No big news on either baby, which is OK. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and he estimated that she's now 7 1/4 pounds (but last week, he estimated 6 1/2 pounds, so he said that shows the accuracy of weight estimates!). Mr. X and I were both healthy but relatively small babies (6 1/2 pounds-ish), so we'll see how big this baby will be!

I talked to our adoption agency last week. Their latest estimate is that we will get "the call" in mid-July. Hmm. Did I say that things are about to get interesting?

We're making some good progress around here, though. Today, Mr. X and our very nice neighbor moved a bunch of our old office furniture out of the babies' room, and Mr. X and I just finished setting up the first crib! It's actually starting to look like a babies' room!

The crib took us waaay too long to finish--we stained it, but the grain popped, so we had to sand and re-stain. Then, tonight, we got ready to fasten the first two pieces together, and we were missing a cam hole! So much for I.kea's quality control! Mr. X managed to improvise with his drill bits (which, of course, weren't metric) and drill a hole that woould work, so we now have one standing crib. And, miracle of miracles, the mattress fits!

I've started having (or, probably more accurately, noticing) contractions every now and then, which is pretty wild. A good friend of mine called today to point out that I'm about to go in to the single digits on the due date countdown. I got two big projects for work crossed off the list today--fulfilled all my obligations for the next couple of months. I still have a few more projects to go, but it feels good to have those two squared away.

I posted a ton of stuff on c.raig.slis.t last weekend (no bites on the big items yet, unfortunately), and Mr. X has loaded up the van with junk headed for Goodwill and the used bookstore. I've been trying to check off the items for our hospital packing list (bought nursing bras last week and a nursing top and pads yesterday).

We still have a ton of stuff to do, but I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and not a moment too soon!