Maternity Session for Baby #2
xo,
Nikki
Introducing Abram Mack!
On Wednesday, November 7th, we ate one last quiet meal with our families and then headed to the hospital, at 8 pm, to be induced. On the way to the room I reminded Matt to take it all in because the day we had been so excited about was finally here and would pass way to quickly.
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They hooked me up to the machines, and gave me the IV and Cervidil. The plan was to watch a movie, get some rest, and get an epideral after they gave me the pitocin at 2 am. At 11 pm {in the middle of the movie}, the intense contractions started and there was no turning back...I didn't know what hit me at first. Something felt seriously wrong! I tried not to be a baby so I was holding off on asking for an epideral. I hate the 1-10 pain scale...they say 10 is death and I don't know about you but I have no clue what death feels like! When the nurse realized that I was crying at every contraction, she informed me that it may take half an hour to get the anesthesiologist ..I told her to make the call.
At 12:30 am, after an hour and a half of breathing/crying through intense contractions my savior walked into the room to give me the epideral. I am so glad Matt and I knew some breathing techniques to get us through the hard times. Getting the epideral wasn't nearly as bad as the contractions, but it is really hard to round your back when you have a big belly in the way. I held as still as possible through several contractions while the guy did his thing to my back. The right side never fully went numb so I tried laying on that side to get more medicine to it so I could rest. I was 4 cm at this point.
At 2 am they started a light dose of pitocin, and by 4 am I was 10 cm and fully effaced. I know. My body worked pretty quickly. Abram was still pretty high {story of my pregnancy} so they had me continue to labor him down until 7 am, when the doctor came in to finish breaking my water {which had partially broken a couple hours before} and up the pitocin a little. He estimated that I would have the baby by noon. He had several patients in the hospital that day so he was trying to plan around everyone. A few minutes later I started feeling intense contractions on my right side, and then the epideral machine started to beep that it was out of medication.
You have got to be kidding me!
Again, I am so glad I had learned the basics of breathing through contractions. Since I could feel them at almost full force again, I felt like the time was coming to push. I commend the women of the past/present that do this naturally. I once thought that I may be one of those, but after having felt both ways I will take the drugs thanks! At 7:45 I got a booster shot to help with the pain so I could start pushing. After 10 minutes of pushing, Abram Mack was here, at 8:06 am...weighing 7 lbs. 12 oz. and 20 inches long. Oh and did I mention he came about 4 hours before the doctor estimated? Our boy was ready and was the first of our doctors patients to be born that day! Over achiever...
Afterwards the dr. worked his magic while Matt cut the cord and held Abram for the first time. I let him announce the name to everyone. We had a few other names on a list (Grey and Easton), but had liked the name Abram since I got pregnant and finally realized that it was his name no matter how much we looked around for others. We liked that it wasn't common, but not made up sounding either. It is a strong, masculine name and it doesn't end in a "t" (Matt's requirement). Mack was Matt's grandpa's nickname that his grandma always called him.
No one could tell who he looked like...the perfect combination. When they placed him on the scale all you could see was the quad and calf muscles on his long, bow legs. His feet are long {unlike mine} and his thumb nail looks like a miniature duplicate of Matt's. He has a definite widow's peak which he gets from both momma and daddy, as well as his top lip. His ball chin is totally Matt's and his ears are more like mine. The verdict is still out on his nose and the final color his eyes will be {born with dark blue}. His coloring is much lighter than many people thought it would be...I guess my light genes are stronger than some thought.
The first time I held him in my arms was amazing. I thought I would cry {like I always think}, and honestly if there wasn't a room full of medical people, I would have. As soon as I spoke he looked straight at me with his slightly crossed, blue eyes and mouth open like he recognized my voice and knew it was me. It is a moment I never want to forget.
Wild and Free Nursery | Home Tour
When I started thinking about a nursery I knew I didn't want a specific theme. I hate themed rooms in my house; I get bored with them quickly. We didn't know yet whether we were having a boy or girl, but we knew we wanted the bright dog paintings my friend, Logan, painted for me. Our dogs are our babies and we liked the idea that although they were no longer physically with us, they could watch over our new baby and keep him/her safe.
Before I found out we were having a boy I saw an awesome grey and yellow plaid fabric at Hobby Lobby...so I then began praying for a boy so I could use the fabric haha {half-way sarcastic}. Prayers answered...thanks God, you have gotten me one step closer to finishing the nursery.
I, like most people these days, love the look of vintage and modern mixed. I love color and when patterns, color, and texture mix in an interesting way. I really had no direction besides that...I just kept saying that I wanted it to be a room for a boy. I began trying to incorporate everything we love into his room and hoped it would somehow create unity when combined{oh ya I have an eclectic taste}. A little bit of animal fun {our dogs and pigs bc I'm obsessed), hunting {Matt's love}, patterns, travel, planes {Matt's other love}, rustic, etc...our little one's well rounded boy room. Hope you like!
Watching our Tigers Play at 31 Weeks
Sleep: pretty good
Belly Button in or out? Still flat as a pancake
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: I have my moments
In all the excitement of last week, I forgot to mention that my best friend's premature baby got to come home from the NICU! Sam was born in August, at 34 weeks, in a surprise delivery that began at the nail salon and me rushing Leigh Ann to the hospital, and ended with a sweet baby boy that was 5 lbs. 10 oz. They threw a little celebration the night he came home and we got to see him for the first time. He is so tiny and so sweet...he never cries! (I can only pray mine takes note). I am sort of in LOVE with the little doll! They also came over for the LSU game, on Saturday, and I got to hold him for the first time. It has been so long since I have held a newborn...it will take some getting used to. Welcome to our clan baby Sam!
Cheers To Milk!...my baby shower
We are having a....!
Yay, now I can go shopping and start decorating ;).
Guess that Gender!
The baby measured a few days ahead (of course), but the due date will stay November 9th. It already weighs 15 ounces; one more to go until it's at a pound! It's heart rate was 144 and everything looking perfect with no markers for anything. I am hoping from here on out it is smooth sailing for us!
The tech was good at keeping the gender under wraps; we both have no clue what it is. We were given two cd's: one with the ultrasound pictures (like the profile and "goods") that we cannot look at until Saturday and the other has a few 4d images of the face on it. The baby was quite the little mover and kept it's hands by it's face most of the time so it was hard to get a good pic. I am the kind of person who peeks at my Christmas gifts so this may be difficult. Here are the 4d images to tide us over...without further adieu here is baby Tag's face..half way done!
Facebook Official!
Our Little Nuchal Head
After hearing the healthy heart beat at my doctor's appointment yesterday I was all excitement, no nerves. This ultrasound is actually to check for some serious stuff, but getting another chance to see the baby is definitely a plus.
Our appointment was at 8:30, and when we started the ultrasound the baby was in a ball (it needs to be straight out to be measured)...and it needed to turn to give us a profile view, face up. That stubborn (totally my kid) little thing would NOT move. I was coughing, laughing, turning to my side...the ultrasound tech was pressing on my stomach over and over...it was just laying there with a healthy heart beat (152 bpm). Apparently, it was too early in the morning for our little one to wake up (again totally my kid)...finally after about twenty minutes it woke up and started moving. Baby, if you want to keep sleeping late...I am all for it :)...it seems as though architecture school didn't just affect my sleep schedule haha.
The Second Ultrasound
8-9 Weeks Stats:
Total weight gain/loss: +1 lb
Have you started to show yet: Not yet although my eating has slowed down as my morning (all-day) sickness has increased
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Pretty happy, but still feel sick most of the day
Looking forward to: The second trimester and feeling good again
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Stole My Heart
6-7 Weeks Stats:
Total weight gain/loss: I didn't weigh myself until the 7 week doctor appointment...and that was only because they made me
Baby’s Size: By 7 weeks the baby is the size of a blueberry...delicious
Food cravings: Filling, protein rich foods and I am LOVING plums…seriously have one a day
Have you started to show yet: While I have been eating massive amounts, there is no sign of baby
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Not happy…just a bump on a log...I don't enjoy sitting around waiting, but I did enjoy the spring air on walks with Bijou
Looking forward to: Seeing my baby again and
knowing everything looks good...and feeling human in general
At 6 weeks morning sickness arrived. No vomiting, but just after my first meal I would get a little nauseous and again in the evening until bedtime. I also had a headache and some dizziness a couple of times so I was feeling pretty crappy. I could not work out until my doctor's appointment so there was no happy endorphins to get me feeling better.
To top it off I got my Victoria Secret swimsuit issue at the same time as getting a bellies pregnancy spa clinic advertisement…cruel joke!
Future Granny's
We first decided to wait until after the first ultrasound to tell the parents (around 8 weeks), but I decided around 5-6 weeks would be fine. I needed someone to call and freak out to when Matt was gone and I HATED keeping secrets...especially when my dad was staying with us that month. So I had two days to get the flamingo to my parent’s house before my dad left town again. That would have cost $87 in shipping alone! I called Kristen, told her the news, she screamed "I knew it" (what?), and I gave her the first aunt duty of buying the flamingo, printing the sign, and bringing it over. She could barely keep the secret for a day.
Finding Out We Were "3"
The day before I had given up coffee just because I do it periodically to try and moderate my intake, and since my coffee tastes more like a delicious dessert I figure it is not that good for me anyways. I was sooo tired all day because of that so I didn't notice anything. The next morning I decided to take a test just in case (while Matt was in the shower). I was totally expecting to see just one line so when I thought I saw a second faint one appear I freaked and ran into the bathroom to ask Matt if he saw a second line.
Matt: "no, just one"
Me: "ok...wait no, that is definitely two!"
Matt: "Actually, I think I see three now!"
Me: "There cannot be three, but there are two...we're pregnant we're pregnant" as I jumped around the bathroom
That day we were on cloud nine…my heart was racing with excitement. This later turned to nervousness...it is a bit freaky knowing you are about to become a parent. Over the weekend we decided to relax and take our mind off of everything so we took Bijou to the dog park, went to a kite festival, went to church. At church I got crazy sick feeling…pretty sure it was because of the vitamins, so we had to sit in the lobby in the cry room area…reality check number one!
I later apologized to Matt for not telling him in the special way I planned and he just said he felt bad he couldn't give me a hug because he was showering...oh well! Later that week, I got some blood work done to ease my mind and when I found out everything looked good I told him the way I originally planned.
4-5 Weeks Stats:
- Taken 8-9 pregnancy tests…all positive…when will I believe it?
- Two words…raviness hunger! My stomach never stops growling…I am going to be a mammoth if I keep this up. I told Matt that I now realize why pregnant women eat so much…because they are FUCKING hungry! (sorry for the language)
- I hid it from my dad to his face…I was even talking about having kids…sneaky sneaky…Matt looked at me with a smile like I was so sly
Put The Lime In The Coconut
A lime would finish off that beverage perfectly, but coincidentally, it is that little lime inside of me that will keep me drinking virgins for another 6.5 months. Yup, I am pregnant; 11.5 weeks to be exact ...although this will not become facebook official for another few weeks. I was going to wait until I was ready for facebook to write about it on my blog, but then my mom called and told me to do it so like a good daughter I did what I was told haha. Actually, I also realized that my blog is read mostly by family and close friends and they all already know...and if you didn't now you can join me on my journey! I always wanted to use this blog to document my changing life, so instead of typing my weekly updates in word for myself they will be on my blog yay!
I have been a nervous wreck during this pregnancy (I found out on March 2nd, at 4 weeks)...so scared that something bad would happen that it has kept me from enjoying everything and writing about it. That ends now. I have decided that if something bad happens at this stage (God forbid)...after two ultrasounds and healthy heartbeats heard, then I will just go through it with everyone because I'm not that private of a person anyway.
So I am officially saying that baby Tag is due to arrive November 9, 2012! I will try and catch my blog up on my previous weeks over the next week (so get ready for some updates). Feel free to not read them if you have no interest haha. Now I am off to drink some ginger ale!
Anyone Want a Puppy?
I just gave them a bath to get the stink off (ignore the half-braided/half falling crazy hair and no makeup). Bijou is playing the jealous and excited big sister role...which I would expect since my drive to Oklahoma last week went something like this.
Right now it is raining while I work inside and the three of them sleep. Anyone want a puppy?
New Spring Additions
Spring has sprung, and I am loving it! The weather is still pretty cool (hoping it will be a cooler summer= a cooler wedding), but it has been nice for running, building our new flower bed, and bbq'ing.
Along with the beautiful flowers starting to come alive in my flower beds, we have welcomed another addition to our extended family. My best friend of almost 11 years had her baby boy, Tyler Morgan, on March 25th.
Yes, that is the day after Jake's birthday so I am hoping it will be easy for me to remember. He came around 10 pm and weighed 6 lbs. and 5 ounces. He has a full head of hair and looks like a doll...just like his momma ;). Unfortunately, they now live in Alabama so I have not gotten to see my little man yet, but I am counting down the days until I can. The painting I have been working on was for his room, and it was very fitting that I finished it on his birthday...granted I stayed up until late to do so haha. It is now packed up and ready to be shipped to Alabama. The only thing I am wondering is, will he be an Alabama or LSU fan? I guess no matter what I will have to love him. Congrats to the two new parents from Matt and I! Here is hoping you get lots of rest!
The week before was my spring break. Erika and Isla (now almost 2 years old) came to Houston to help me paint our guest bedroom. I love my little Isla bean; she has the biggest eyes and wipes her hair from her face with her whole hand haha...like most little girls. We took them to have some bbq and go to the Houston Rodeo to see Gary Allan while Isla enjoyed her large hat of ice cream; eaten with a spoon twice her size of course. If you haven't ever gone you should; it is quite a spectacle. It is so weird to be around all of the little kiddos, but pretty soon I am sure all our lives will revolve around them...
We chose a concrete gray for the room which goes well with the large upholstered chartruse head board I made when I lived in Lafayette and white bed spread(pics soon to come). Thanks for the help you guys...I have such fantastic friends! Hopefully our house can look a little better than a construction zone when everyone comes into town for the wedding.
Niks
Four Girls and a Baby
