President and CEO, SAHM Inc.

Welp, it's official. I put in my notice this morning.

As of August 22nd I will be starting my new, full-time job - Mommy.

It has been quite the journey to get to this point and actually pull the trigger on making this decision, but ultimately I know it's the right one. I thought that it would be hard and scary to actually go through with it this morning, but it wasn't. I am totally at peace in my heart.

As I have mentioned before, if I loved my job, things might be different. Maybe. Maybe not. But, at the end of the day, I didn't love my job. I loved aspects of my job, but not as much as I love being at home with my baby girl. I know it's not the right decision for every family, but we really feel that it is for us, and I feel so lucky and incredibly privileged to be in a position to make this decision.

{Please remind me of that in a few months when I am craving grown up conversation and am completely over the amount of time I spend cleaning up after baby and dog. I kid. Sort of.}

I am still an ambitious person who plans on going back to work eventually. When the time and the job seem right.

Until then, just call me Courtney, Stay at Home Mom.



Evelyn is 18 days old

...and today she got her feet printed on the wall of the birthing center!

The Birth of Evelyn Rae: Part Four

Get caught up:
{Part One}
{Part Two}
{Part Three}

**For those who are actually reading this long winded diatribe, thank you so much for indulging me. I want to make sure that I remember every detail possible, hence the longevity of this story. So, thanks <3 **

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As A found the midwife on call, and came around the corner with her, imagine my surprise to see Blair and not Beth, whom I had spoken to on the phone. Apparently they had been in the middle of switching shifts. Blair looked equally surprised to see me in what clearly was labor. 

"Beth said you were coming in for a labor check...but you are definitely in labor!"

"Yup, pretty sure I am."

She set bout getting the nurses to ready my laboring room, which I was stoked to see was the same room I had been picturing in my head since my tour. While they were getting the room ready, A and I headed into the small exam room with Blair to check my progress. If having cervical checks was uncomfortable for you before you were in labor (they weren't for me), just wait until you are in labor getting checked. So weird. 

But, we had good news! I was 5 cm and completely effaced! Yay! We had some not so good news too. As Blair felt around she could feel knees, which meant that baby was face up. We strategized on using some different positions to encourage baby to turn, and with that, I was officially in.  

We meandered into the room where we would meet our daughter...

And everyone settled in for an exciting day.

Though the birthing center doesn't make you stay on fetal monitors during labor, you do have to be monitored upon first entering. Before getting strapped up, the nurses took me into the bathroom to take care of that - where I ended up throwing up again. Awesome. Labor is so glamorous! After getting cleaned up and finding me a barf bag, just in case, they strapped me to the machines and took a look at how baby was handling contractions. 

Since midwifery patients don't stay strapped to the machines for very long, no one bothered to really explain the print out, and how to monitor the onset of contractions, etc. I remember being vaguely interested and thought about asking, but then got distracted by the fact that, oh yeah, I was in labor. Who cared what the read out said? So long as I was hearing that reassuring little heartbeat, I could definitely tell when the contractions were there.

I distinctly remember being annoyed that the gel and monitors were itchy on my belly, and thanking my lucky stars I didn't have to stick with those things all day. They also let me continue to labor standing up with them, and even had brakes on the machine so that I could brace myself against it while I waited.

After all was deemed well with baby and I, I lumbered up onto the bed to labor on the birth ball for a while in an attempt to get baby to turn. 

After not too long, I decided that that position was not my favorite. So, Blair suggested lying on my side with my right leg sort of crossed over my left to encourage baby to turn. Contractions continued to get more intense, but they were still really manageable for the next hour or so. It was definitely uncomfortable, but I was still able to stay relaxed and breathe through them. 

About an hour after arriving, at 10:30, Blair checked progress again - baby had turned a bit and I was 6 centimeters! I was so happy that we were making measurable progress, and figured that the pace was set. About a centimeter an hour? Awesome. I could do this! 

I planned on a gradual increase in intensity and meeting our baby by sometime that evening. Plus, I could get in the tub once I hit 8 centimeters. Something to shoot for, short of actually pushing. I was ready, motivated and thought the plan and path had been laid for me.

A was such a great birth partner. I was told time and time again that there would come a moment where I would hate him or want him to go away. But, that moment never happened for me. More than anything, I just felt the need to stare into his eyes, hold his hand and just have his presence near me. The things he said or did were good or not so good in the moment, but those are not the things I remember. The things I remember are his encouraging smiles, caresses and looks of concern, and the celebratory attitude of how amazed he was at what I was doing. Oh, and his tears. But that part comes a bit later.

You know what they say about the best laid plans...

Shortly after getting checked, things started getting really intense. I got cold, and used the hospital gown as a blanket. (The only thing I actually used the hospital gown for...) Suddenly, there were no longer breaks in between contractions. They kept coming and coming and coming. 

At first I was able to keep my cool and stay relaxed, but I was definitely vocalizing through them, something that I did not think I would do before being in that moment. It wasn't even something I chose to do - it just happened. And I was loud. Like loud, loud.

As contractions kept coming, with no break, I was officially in my own world. It was so strange, because I was having a completely clear and logical conversation with myself in my head, but I could not communicate those thoughts to anyone else. They just heard me groaning and murmuring "Breathe", "Soft", "Relax". 

I also had time to reflect, and even comment to A how "weird" it was that the rest of my body felt totally fine, and that the pain was so localized. I guess I have never had pain long enough before to reflect on that...but it seemed really important to tell him at the time that my hands and legs felt "totally fine."

Between the contractions coming so close together, and the fact that the baby was still rotating in my pelvis, I suddenly understood what all the "marathon" fuss was about. The pains were relentless. There is just no other word to describe the experience. You know they aren't going to stop until they do their ultimate job and get that baby out of there. 

Strangely, though I could feel the contractions and I could actually feel the baby's head turning in my pelvis - the combination of which was crazy - going for the epidural didn't enter my mind as an option. I definitely understood why other people did it, or why a person would want it, but it just never seemed like an option for me at the time.

In my head, I was trying so hard to stay relaxed, and was able to keep my jaw relaxed through most of the contractions, but my shoulders kept tensing. A few times, I totally lost my mental fortitude and fought the pain, rather than just giving myself over to it. The contractions were right on top of one another and in my head I marveled at them. 

"The whole point of natural child birth is that contractions are supposed to have a natural break! What the heck is this?! HOW am I ever going to make it through transition if I can't even handle 6 to 7 cm?! This is craziness." 

I started moaning that I needed a break, and by 11:20, about 50 minutes after Blair had last checked me, she decided to check again. 

"Well, no wonder you feel that you need a break - you are 9 centimeters."

As my team erupted into grins and cheers and congratulations, and in my head I said, "Holy Shit, no wonder that was so hard!" the only thing I could mutter {read: plead} aloud was...

"Does that mean I can get in the tub?"

Evelyn is 17 days old

...and today I learned the power of a good nap.

The Birth of Evelyn Rae: Part Three

Get caught up:
{Part One}
{Part Two}

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By the time A got home at 7am, things had progressed. Contractions were jumping between 6 minutes apart, 4 minutes apart and even a few 3 minute apart ones. He ran up the stairs to our bedroom, grinned at me and came to give me a kiss on the head. Soon, a contraction came upon me and he got a look on his face that clearly showed he realized this was different than the false labor I had been experiencing all week.

I told him to get changed out of his uniform and gather his stuff for the hospital. As he was doing that, I felt the urge to go to the bathroom again. Having had a bladder of steel through most of my pregnancy, I was significantly annoyed at the amount of times I was feeling the urge to make my way to the bathroom. Especially since the easiest way for me to get through contractions was to lean over my bedroom dresser - the perfect height to lean and sway my hips as I breathed through them. 

After taking care of business in there, I was leaning on the sink as both my sister and A ran around calling everyone who needed to be called. My sister in law decided to call and cancel her doctor's appointment that morning so that she could jump in the car and get on her way. As I was leaning on the sink and looking up at my own reflection in the mirror, thinking "This is it! This is really happening right now...I am a woman in labor," I suddenly got the overwhelming urge to throw up. Gah. I hate throwing up, but there it went. I immediately grabbed my toothbrush to try and clean myself up. "Totally normal for a woman in labor," I thought to myself.

By 7:30 am contractions had decided to stay at 1 minute long, every 3 minutes. This was when we were supposed to call the midwife! Well, after they had been every 3 minutes for an hour. But, we were on the cusp. I decided it was time to put my makeup on. {It had always been part of my plan to apply light makeup when I went into labor. I wanted to look my best for my baby. Was I surprised it was actually still important to me while I was in real labor? Yup.}

At slightly after 8, we decided it was time to call the midwives. Contractions were starting to move towards less than 3 minutes apart, so we needed to know when to come in. A called in, left a message and within a few minutes Beth called back. A explained where we were in the process and Beth asked to speak with me. 

After speaking with me briefly, and hearing me breather through a contraction, she said, "Well, you still seem pretty comfortable in between contractions, and you will inevitably be more comfortable laboring at home, so why don't we shoot for you coming in in about an hour?"

"Sounds like a plan," I replied.

The next hour passed in much of the same. Me standing and breathing through contractions. Either A or my sister rubbing my back or holding my hand as I breathed through them. In between contractions I felt great - excited and pretty calm. We essentially quit timing them at this point. They sure as heck weren't going to stop. A grabbed his left over sandwich from our brunch the day before and inhaled it. While he was eating it though, I couldn't stand the smell, so I made him go away and brush his teeth before coming back to help. 

I remember feeling like there was such a flurry of activity going on around me, but sort of already being in the "labor zone". It's like in those movies where they show the main character sitting still and everyone moving at warp speed around them. Packing bags in the car, calling parents, coordinating efforts.

By 9 am I was downstairs, getting ready to head to the car. One last stop in the bathroom, just enough time to throw up one more time. Huzzah! My SIL was just coming through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel {she made killer time - even after a small accident with a branch, more on that later} and decided to meet us at the hospital. Suddenly, something clicked for me, and it was time to go. And into the car we went. I totally meant to have someone take one last "weekly" photo before we left, but that went by the wayside when I decided it was time.to.go. We said good-bye to the pup, and left the house for the last time with baby inside.

Luckily, we only live a mile and a half from the hospital, because laboring in the car s-u-c-k-e-d. Sitting was so uncomfortable for me, and BONUS, they were also repaving all the roads between our house and the hospital, so we had detours and really rumbly roads to deal with. Fun!

We pulled into the hospital parking lot and I saw my SIL standing on the sidewalk all decked out in her photography gear. We pulled into an "Expectant Mother" spot {I finally got to use it!} and started unloading.

Just as a contraction hit.

The contractions were coming way closer together than every three minutes at this point. Things were accelerating at a good pace. From the car to the birthing center, I had to stop a few more times to breathe through the sensations.

Originally, having my sister in the birthing room with me was not part of either of our plans for the day, but I am so glad that she stuck it out with me.

A added a few items to the packing list while I was otherwise occupied.

In between contractions, we got as far as we could before needing to stop again.  I remember that between contractions I felt the need to smile and desperately try to not freak out every one that I passed in the hospital. I waved at the front desk guy that always greeted me so nicely over the last 20 weeks. I also remember reflecting that of all the times I had come and go from this hospital, I had never crossed paths with a woman in active labor...and now I was that story for all these other people.

Waiting on the elevator. 

I was so glad that no one else wanted to come in the same one as us.

I was very thankful that I had two people to lean on. Literally.

We were really moving that fast in between contractions.

Finally, we made it to the birthing center. I was so relieved and happy to see that homey space and all those baby feet on the wall. Again, I had another "this is really happening. right now" moments when I saw those little feet. Soon, my baby's feet would be on that wall with all the others.

As A wandered around to find the midwife, my SIL grabbed this photo of the clock and I reflected on how much I had already accomplished that morning, and how much more I would accomplish before the day was out.

Evelyn is two weeks old (today!)

...and my SIL took over 500 photos, so choosing from them is proving to be really difficult!

Geekin'

So, Blogger now has Mobile Templates! Whaaa?

This means you can now easily read this blog on yo' phone, yo!

That is ooc.

Even though I had nothing to do with it, this makes me feel super techno-savvy.


Evelyn is 11 days old

...and have you ever thought about what cool technology this newest generation will get excited about when they are our age? Craziness.

The Birth of Evelyn Rae: Part Two

Get caught up:
{Part One}

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At midnight (on the dot) of Monday July 11th I sat straight up in bed as I was awoken by my second "real" contraction. (The first had happened three days earlier in the parking lot of Harris Teeter. Awesome.) In my heart I knew immediately that this was a real contraction, but I had gotten excited and let down so many times thinking that labor was starting, I refused to let myself get excited.

I got up, went to the bathroom, and thought, "Maybe that chocolate chip cookie dough blizzard was a bad idea right before bed...or in general. I haven't had one in years. Hm." 

My sister called out from her bedroom, having still been awake watching TV, "Everything ok?" 

"Yup," I replied, "just had to go to the bathroom."

I settled back down into bed, snuggled up to the puppy, since my husband was on.the.ship (predictable) and drifted back off to sleep.

At the strike of one o'clock my eyes popped right back open again. Another contraction.

Still I thought, "Hm. Every hour? That's not real. No one ever says, 'My contractions started every hour on the hour.' "

And I went back to sleep.

Another came at two. Then at three. Then at four.

In between each contraction, I went back off to sleep, my ridiculously half awake/half asleep self thinking, "Well, if this is the real thing, I am going to need my rest and I might as well chill out. Plus, if it is for real, it's certainly not going to stop anytime soon."

After the 4am contractions, another came at 4:30, then one at 4:50.

Finally at 5am I padded over to my sister's room and woke her up. "Will you come lay in my bed and time some contractions for me? You can sleep in between, and you just have to push a button on my phone. I'm not sure if this is the real thing or not."

"Sure," she sleepily replied and staggered down the hall to my room behind me. She crawled into A's spot and curled up with the dog and my phone. I laid beside her and waited. Eyes wide open. Waiting.

"Will it come?" I thought. "Have I jinxed it by speaking these thoughts out loud to another person?"

Sure enough, another one came, and then another and another. I tried to call A and his cell phone was off. I knew I had some time, so I didn't call the Quarterdeck right away. (Quarterdeck = where you enter and exit the ship there is a little podium check on station thing where people stand watches, etc.) I texted my sister in law and said, "How do you feel about a 3 day weekend?" (Spoiler: She was totally game.)

Contractions were coming every ten minutes like clockwork, and they were about one minute long. I was able to slowly breathe through them and stay relaxed, as I reflected how weird it was that in between contractions I felt totally normal. Soon enough, though, I couldn't just stay lying down in bed. I needed to move around. I sat on the birth ball, stood and leaned on my dresser as contractions came, and just walked around swaying my hips.

Pretty quickly the contractions jumped to one minute long and six minutes apart. After a few more unsuccessful attempts to contact my hubby on his cell, I finally broke down and called the Quarterdeck at 6:30am. Of course, he had warned everyone on the ship the last few weeks, that if his wife called, it was because we were having.a.baby. like, right then.

So, I called in. The conversation went like this:

Me "Hi, I am looking for LTJG A? ASUPPO? This is his wife."
Poor kid "Oh. Oh! Just a second ma'am I will have somebody get him right away!!"
Me ::cover my mouth while I softly giggle::
Poor kid "Ma'am, he is doing turnover right now, but he will be right up, just as soon as he can."
Me "Ok, thanks!"

-a short second later-

A "Babe?! Babe?! Are you there?!"
Me "Yup. Um, I think you had better head home...I am pretty sure this is the real thing."
A "Seriously?! We are having a baby?! Today?!"
Me "I think so."
A "Alright!!!!" ::fist pump:: "I am so excited! I will leave right now. Be there as soon as I can! Love you!"
Me "Love you too...Oh babe, would you mind picking up some..."
A ::as he is already hanging up the phone, he says out loud to the guys standing around him:: "WOO HOO! I'm having a BABY!"
Me ::to Ashley who is still chilling on my bed with me:: "He just screamed out 'woo hoo!' "

And with that, I felt a super silly, excited grin creep onto my face.

It was suddenly real - we were meeting our baby...today!


Evelyn is 11 days old

...and Evie is more and more alert every day, which means we spend more and more time staring at each other every day. and less time blogging. more soon, I promise!

Oh, and I was going to ask A to pick up bread, because we were out and I really wanted a peanut butter sandwich. Alas, I would not have one that day.

The Birth of Evelyn Rae: Part One

Let's start this story where I left off on the blog, Thursday July 7th. I woke up that morning 41 weeks pregnant and ready to head into my appointments. That day I had a general midwife appointment in addition to a non-stress test and an ultrasound.

I showed up to work that morning to the general stares and questioning of my coworkers...along with a few jokers who felt the need to comment every.morning on the fact that I was still there. I tried to just smile and explain that baby was on their own schedule. I will admit I was a bit tired of answering to everyone though. I still felt fine, but the constant answering to everyone was starting to get to me.

I headed off to my super long appointment(s) and found that everything was a-ok. The ultrasound tech said everything looked awesome, fluid levels were good, etc. She was surprised when I said that I did not want to know the estimated weight of the baby, but when I explained my mindset she totally got it. *Thank goodness for women in medical practice* The non-stress test was uneventful, other than a great discussion on engagement rings with the nurse - she had a beautiful blue sapphire one.

Then I went in to chat with the midwife. I had Beth that day, whom I love with my whole heart and soul. She is just so stinkin' nice. Anywho, on the advice of some other friends we chatted about stripping my membranes. After she checked me, I was 3 cm dilated and still very effaced, just like the last few times. She was happy with the progress, and thought stripping my membranes would be a good option.

When I explained that A was on the ship on duty that night, however, she said, "Why don't we go ahead and schedule you to have this done tomorrow morning?" Stripping of membranes typically does not result in immediately going into labor, but she felt like we probably shouldn't tempt fate since A was stuck on the ship. So, we scheduled an appointment for 10am the next morning to have that done and told me she would be surprised if we didn't have a baby by the end of the weekend - eek! Yay! Just in case though, we also did have to schedule an induction. Boo. So, we scheduled another NST for Monday morning and the induction for 7am on Tuesday. She gave me a hug and said, "I hope this doesn't seem mean, but I really want to see you in labor!" and sent me on my way.

That afternoon I ran to the grocery store with my sister and had my first stop-me-in-my-tracks contraction, right in the Harris Teeter parking lot. Because that's safe. 9 month pregnant lady standing in the middle of a busy parking lot, under construction, with a shocked look on her face. I did have a moment where I thought, "Maybe I won't need that appointment after all!" but then I didn't have another contraction all day. Boo. Let me tell you though, now I knew what I was looking for because that contraction felt totally different than the other prelabor ones.

The next morning I called in to work and took a medical day, explaining the situation. I thought it was sort of silly to turn around and go back in if there was a possibility of me going into labor or just generally feeling icky, since a few people had told me that stripping your membranes was super painful. What happens is that the person performing the procedure inserts their finger or fingers into your open cervix and runs their fingers around the inside of your cervix separating your bag of waters from your cervix and releasing natural prostaglandins to hopefully help things get going.

A actually had a super early day that say and got home about 9am, so he was able to go to the appointment with me. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but Blair was there and explained the procedure to me. She checked me and I was at 4cm! Yay! A whole centimeter overnight. She then proceeded to do the deed, which was uncomfortable, but not all that bad in general. Blair remarked to A that I would be a great laborer because I barely blinked during the whole thing. Ha! Talk about a confidence boost!

She essentially told us to go home and get to doing what put us into this predicament in the first place to get some other natural prostaglandins stewing in there. Actually she said, "We could give you some here that are made in a lab and will cost you a whole lot, but I bet he would be willing to give you some for free, babies are expensive - take the free option." Have I mentioned how much I love the midwives?

We went home, had some lunch and got about the business of trying to get baby here...ran down the list again, breast pumping, walking, birth ball, snuggling and relaxing. He also put me on a mandated Facebook/internet/blogging hiatus. In a nice way, not in a "I am man, and will mandate things for you little wife" kind of way. Late Friday night I had my "bloody show" (again - can we not think of better terms for all of this labor stuff? membranes, bloody show, mucous plug. gag.) and I was pretty stoked, because I was sure labor was coming soon!

Well, you know how the story goes.

Saturday came and went.

Sunday came, A went back to the ship, and I ran to Target, and had a great pep talk with Baby on the way. I explained that this was a team effort and I promised that I would do everything that I could to bring him or her safely into this world, even though it was probably a scary unknown place. I told him or her that so many people already loved them and were so excited for their arrival so that they could hold and cuddle and love on them. And that ultimately I was going to make the best choices for them and me to both be safe through the birthing process, but it would probably be a better first step if we could do this on our own before Tuesday morning. But, that whatever path we were in for, it would be alright in the end because we would finally get to meet each other.

Night time came again and nothing. I emailed in to work to let them know that I would be in for work in the morning, but that I would need to leave for a NST in the afternoon, and that I had an induction scheduled for Tuesday morning. My sister and her boyfriend brought me a chocolate chip cookie dough blizzard and I inhaled it while bouncing on the birth ball one last time.

It was about 10pm and I headed to bed, feeling a bit disappointed that Beth's prediction of a baby by the weekend had been wrong, but knowing that whatever was in store, I needed my rest.

A short two hours later, at midnight on the dot, I sat straight up in bed, awoken by what could only be considered a "real" contraction.


Evelyn is 9 days old

...and I honestly have no idea how many parts this story will have.

Odds and Ends

Yesterday my girl turned a week old! Craziness.

I am currently taking both weekly and monthly photo series, because I just wasn't sure which I really wanted to do/could keep up with. One of them will probably bite the dust here shortly, but I didn't want to wait for the month photo and then be sad I didn't do weeklies, etc.

Once I decide which one we will stick with, I will share.

Yesterday I also got a present in the mail...birth photos! My sister in law did such.a.beautiful job! You know what this means, birth story coming soon!

I really didn't know how I was going to feel looking through the photos and I was a little afraid to see them, to be perfectly honest. Why? Because birthing Evelyn was such a unique and almost out of body experience that I was sort of worried that the photos would alter my feelings/memories. But seriously, they made me just relive all the moments of the process and again feel so damn proud of myself. Excited to share.

I will probably be sharing the birth story in parts, mainly because I think if not, it would take me forever to write it. This whole new two hour rotating schedule of feedings, diaper changes, etc. would sort of put a cramp in writing a long story all at once...and I don't like to lost steam once I start writing. Plus, you know I am not the most concise of writers. Ha.

Ok, you read a post mainly about nothing, so I will reward you with some baby photos <3

Thank goodness for cell phone cameras.

Yay for Moses Baskets!

We love sleep sacks...even when our feet hang out of the bottom.

Nap Buddies.

Evelyn is 8 days old

...and I don't really let her sleep on the couch with the dog.

42 Weeks

Nope, definitely not still pregnant! But we had to do the weekly photo op ;)

First, can we just say - I have been away less than a week - wth happened to Blogger? This is new and confusing and disorienting...but I will attempt to persevere.


Second, hey friends! We are back up and running. As I mentioned in the last post Miss Evelyn Rae has arrived and is an adorable distraction and blessing to us each and every day. As for every moment of the day...you should ask her daddy how "blessed" he felt while pulling the graveyard shift last night. Ha!


Seriously though, he has been the.best. about making sure that I get some sort of semblance of rest in between marathon nursing sessions. Between he and my parents I am feeling a bit like a queen, being able to just rest and cuddle with my little girl the majority of the last few days. I will definitely be writing up a full birth story soon - get excited - but in the meantime, here, for the last time, is the run down of symptoms, and how I am feeling about 5 days post-partum.


Skin
Good. My stretch marks look a lot less "angry". You know, now that they aren't being stretched as far. Funny how that works.

Weight/Clothes
Feeling better than expected. I am definitely cutting myself some slack and taking it easy like I am supposed to, but overall I look at myself in the mirror and think, "Hey, not bad for having just had a baby!" It is weird having a squishy abdomen though after so many months of such a firm one.


Cravings/Aversions
Hunger has returned! I am super hungry at meal times and ready to eat. Snacking and tons of water drinking have also been happening. Thirst is pretty common (I am told) while breast feeding, so I was anticipating this and carry my water bottle everywhere.

Cramps/Pain
Contractions are happening still to shrink my uterus back down into shape, and there is a bit of general soreness in the nether regions (from pushing out an 8lb, 11oz baby, but who's counting?), but overall I feel pretty darn good. Hello additional upside of achieving natural childbirth!

Sleeping
Hahaha. Actually, I can't complain too much. A has been really great about taking turns with me while little miss is fussy in the middle of the night. I am getting a good amount of rest, compared to how I thought I would feel. 


Mental State

Feeling great. I am sort of waiting for hormones to rear their ugly head, but so far I have been just chillin' and I feel so.thankful. for that. I haven't had any weepy moments just yet and am loving mommyhood so far. I even find my baby's crying kind of cute. How whacked is that?

Heartburn

Gone. Loving life again.

The Girls

HUGE. Seriously, I sort of wish that I could post a photo of them without turning myself into a woman of disrepute. They are impressive. My milk came in on Thursday (shortly after the above photo) and we have been breastfeeding up a storm. I feel a bit like a milk machine lately as my whole day revolves around feeding, feeding and more feeding. We are doing well so far in that realm, yet another thing I am super thankful for so far...let's not jinx it! A full post on breastfeeding to come soon, once we set up a good supply and have some further observations.

Fetal Movement

Ha. None anymore! 

Swelling

Gooooooone. And so thankful to have ankles again. Yay!

Appointment Updates

No appointments, other than pediatrician appointments for us for a bit! 

Weird Stuff

I am a mom. Weird. Awesome. Crazy.

I am so in love.

Evelyn is 5 days old

...and this post has taken longer than any other I have ever wrote from start to finish. Interrupted by breast feedings, burpings, diaper changes, etc. Oh, new life.

She has arrived!

At 1:18 pm on July 11, 2011 Miss Evelyn Rae decided to grace us with her presence. She weighed in at 8 lbs 11 oz and measures a long and lean 20.5". We are so thrilled to meet her - birth story to come soon. We head home today!