Caden's 1st Christmas

Caden...

Morning of Induction

The day Caden was born...

Bo and I called Labor and Delivery at 3:30 am on Dec 20th to see if there was any rooms available on the floor for me to be induced. We were told to be at the hospital no later than 4:30 am. When we arrived I was admitted and the usual paperwork, blood work, etc was done. I was checked by a OB resident who gave me not so encouraging news that my cervix was not dilated so they would have to start off with a cervix ripening drug. When they went to give me the drug, the nurse noticed that I was having consistent contractions and I was no longer able to receive the drug due to the possibility of hyper stimulation of the uterus. I was then told that I would have to sit and wait to see what happens.....contractions stopping vs. cervix dilating on its own. So we sat and wait until the next shift came in. The midwife came and checked me and said that the previous resident was wrong I am almost 2cm dilated like Mr Carter had told me on Monday! But since I continued to have consistent contractions they decided to manually dilate my cervix and start me on pitocin. So, approx 4 hours (8am) after arriving finally the induction begins. My cervix dilated to 4 cm at approx 3pm and I was finally in active labor. I then received a not so well placed epidural and my water was broken at 5pm. From that point on the labor became more intense and increasingly uncomfortable. I had my epidural re dosed 3 different times for severe back labor/ contraction pains. Pretty much the only thing the epidural did numb was my thighs and below (a lot of help that did!!!) At approx 10pm I was told I was finally at 10 cm dilated, but they wanted me to "labor down" because Caden wasn't in the lowest position possible. That excruciating pain of being fully dilated but not able to push was over at 10:35pm when they told me I could finally start pushing. With the help of Bo and my nurse I pushed for 1 hour and 10 mins before they shouted at me not to push because he was crowning and there was no doctor in the room. The nurse ran out of the room and yelled for the doctor who came rushing in and gowned up....there were also many other people that came in the room to assist with delivery. So on the next contraction when everyone was ready in place Caden's head came through and I was promptly told not to push again because he had the cord around his neck. Once the cord was removed the next contraction completed the delivery and he started to cry! What a wonderful sound that was! Bo went over and stayed by his side while the doctors where still working with me. I want to thank Bo for all the love and support he gave me throughout the entire laboring process! He was by my side the whole time and if it wasn't for him I don't think I could have made it through the very intense last 3-4 hours of labor. He was truly amazing! I also want to thank my mom for being there as bo's sidekick and second in command it was great having you around. Finally, to Jim and Liz for the love and humor they gave me during this process...it was well needed! Love you all!

Baby Shower @ Work!

37wk OB appointment

Today my BP was 154/85..Mr. Carter was not happy about that! I gained another 7lbs..my feet are so swollen! My rash spread to pretty much everywhere! Mr. Carter said I was just a mess! The good news is he checked my cervix and i'm 1.5-2 cm dilated and softening! He also stripped my membranes...all I got to say is OUCH! He also was able to have Dr King sign off on upping my induction date to this thursday, Dec 20! So, I'm going to be induced in 3 days!!! CRAZY! So, Caden will be exactly 38wks gestation. I also received an oral steroid prescription to help with this horrible rash! My tummy measured 38wks and Caden's heartbeat was approx 135bpm. I also found out that I am GBS negative! So, Caden will (should) be here before christmas!!! How exciting! We need to go buy him a present! ha ha ha That is pretty much it! Wish me luck!

It's Official!

Today, I went to work with very little sleep because last night my whole body was itching me to death! I was at work sitting there at the nurses station when one of the discharge planners who is a nurse came up to me and asked me what was wrong with my arms and hands. So, i looked down at my arms and realized I have red spots with blanching around them all over my forearms and hands. So, that freaked me out some! There was a doctor on the floor who I knew delivered babies and asked him what he thought of this mess....he said..well it looks like a rash...do you have PUPPP??? I was like YES! he said it looks like it is now spreading to my arms then and i should notify my midwife. So, i took my BP and it was 132/95 and decided maybe I should go to the OB clinic and leave a note for Mr. Carter. I then proceeded to lunch and returned to work...a couple hours later Mr. Carter called and told me to come to the OB clinic so he can look at the rash and give me the 'Quarters' paperwork. Quarters means i no longer have to go to work. So, it is like bed rest only i don't have to actually be in bed the whole day...just at my house! So, yes...I'm done working until approx 23 Feb 08! Mr. Carter said the rash was indeed spreading, but he did say that so far it's not a severe case of PUPPP...only semi mild! It doesn't feel semi mild though! AARRGGHH! My next NST is Friday and my next OB appoint is 17 Dec!

36wk Doctor Appointment

Another glorious day at the OB clinic for me....NOT!! So, today my check-in BP was 156/93 which is the highest I've ever seen my BP be in my life! I also have a new pregnancy symptom called PUPPP, its a pregnancy rash only 1% of pregnant women have! So OF COURSE i have it! So until week 35 (rash onset) this whole pregnancy things wasn't too terrible! But now i'm ready for Caden to be delivered since that is the only 'cure' for this itchy rash! Mr Carter checked my weight and I've gained 6lbs in 2 weeks...my fingers/hands/and wrists are swollen...my shins and feet are starting to swell as well! I had my GBS checked and won't know the results until next weeks appointment. Caden's heartbeat was approx. 150 bpm and my tummy was measuring 37 wks. Mr. Carter also said that the ultrasounds and NST have been looking good! So, after all was said and done....we took my bp again and it was 139/79. Mr. Carter is contemplating bed rest when at work my diastolic (lower number) is over 90 and/ or my systolic (upper number) is over 145. So, i'm to take my bp when i'm working and then after work. My next OB appointment is on the 17 Dec. That is pretty much it! Only 17 days until induction day!!!!!

Fire Dept Christmas Party

Dec 7th was Bo's Christmas party for his work! We drove over to Panama City to attend the function. It was fun because I was able to meet the people he works with. Bo said that pretty much all of his shift showed up to the party due to "the talk" the fire chief gave everyone! ha ha The dinner was sooo delicious! We had fun! Thanks to Beth, I had a dress to wear! Only 19 days until the induction!

TO ALL THE T-SHIRT HATERS!

For all of you who don't know this about me....I LOVE my old T-Shirts! This particular T-Shirt is very near and dear to my heart! This T-Shirt is from a softball tournament I attended when I was 12 yrs old! Yes, its the 14th anniversary of the shirt! It has no holes on it and is nice and worn in...like a good t-shirt should be! The best part is the shirt still fits even though I'm 9 months pregnant! Just wanted to share with everyone this special anniversary for me! hee hee

35wk ultrasound

We had probably our last ultrasound today! The ultrasound tech said that it is hard to get good pictures b/c at this point in the pregnancy the bones have calcified and that throws shadows to the rest of the picture. So, the only picture we could get that was of any cuteness was this one of his fingers. In all of Caden's previous ultrasounds he had his hands in fists so you could never see his fingers. Until now! Aren't they so cute! Its like he is waving hello to everyone! They couldn't really get a picture of the face b/c they said he was way to low for the picture to come out! They estimated his weight now at 5lbs 13 oz! So, they are suppose to gain approx. 5-7 oz a week in the last month soo...maybe he'll be around...7-9 lbs at birth??? who knows! It's getting really exciting!

35 wk

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to post some new pictures of me and Caden! I swear I look bigger than I feel!!! Ella and Caleb wanted to say hi and show their faces in the picture too! Less than 4 weeks left! Can't wait!!!

27th Dec

I had one of the L&D techs check the induction book to see if I was able to reserve the 27th Dec date. He said that not only am I scheduled for that date but I'm number 1 on the list! Of course, there is always a chance that someone from the 26 could be bumped to the 27th and take priority over me. and there is always a chance that there won't be any rooms at the inn (ha ha) for that day so i could be bumped to the 28th. Finally, there is a chance that Caden wants to be born before christmas so I would have him early and the 27th would just be one blurry day! Only time will tell!

34 wk Doctor Appointment

Today i went with bo to my 34 wk OB appointment. Mr Carter read my NST from Friday report and I had contractions every 3-4 mins for approx 20 mins! Braxton-hicks though (which means they are the "practice contractions")! He measured my tummy at 35 wks, Caden's heartbeat was 140-150 bpm. Over the weekend I could feel more contractions than previously and today I felt a bunch! you know what they say.."practice makes perfect!" My lab work turned out to be the best yet to date! My next NST is tomorrow (tuesday) and then again on Friday. twice a week until I deliver. My next ultrasound is 3 December. Finally my next doctors appointment is 10 Dec. As of today, they are scheduling for me to be induced on the 27 December. So only 31 days until the BIG day if I don't go sooner! Stayed Tuned!

The Glider!

Babcia and Grandpa came up for Thanksgiving! They brought up my christmas present early so I can start using it.....A Glider! I love is so much! It is sooo comfy! I have a feeling Caden and I are going to spend a lot of time in that chair!

Thanksgiving 2007

We had delicious dinner at Ivan and Petina's house! Babcia and Grandpa came up too!

CADEN'S ROOM

We finally put up the shelves and wall hangings today! So here are the pictures of this adventure! Enjoy!

There is good news....and of course bad news!

I had another OB appointment today with my midwife! It started off on the wrong foot...blood pressure 142/81! Went to see Mr Carter (the midwife) and had a student doctor measure my tummy and measured it at 40wks...I quickly stated...I want mr carter to measure it! ha ha ha The midwife measured 31 wks...MUCH BETTER! Mr Carter then checked Caden's heartbeat...145bpm. But b/c of my blood pressure increase..I had a non-stress test done. It is as it sounds...I reclined in a chair had fetal monitors to my tummy and watched Ellen for 20mins...very non stressful! Caden did wonderful! Mr. Carter than told me that I need to have the non stress test done twice a week, more lab work to include another 24hour urine, another ultrasound, and the best news...I now only work a maximum of 4 hours a day and 20 hours a week! sweet..i know! I wasn't expecting that at all! He also said that as long as my blood pressure stays were it is now (fat chance!) and I don't deliver before 39wks...I will be induced at 39 weeks..So Caden may just be a December baby! So, my official diagnosis is chronic hypertension with proteinuria....basically preeclampsia its just my blood pressure isn't high enough in consecutive takes to be preeclampsia yet. So, i guess we will be seeing more pictures of caden before he is born! My next appointment nov 26th..so check back then to get the update!

Goodbye Alphabet Soup....Hello Zanzibar!!

Bo and I went to Baby R Us yesterday! We had a fun time picking up some odd and end things that we still needed for Caden's room! While we were there, there was a bunch of bedding to choose from...I originally liked Alphabet Soup, but Bo didn't really like the pattern so much! So, we decided to go with Zanzibar! It is supercute..as you can see...and even has elephants in the design! We washed and put together the bedding today..so we decided to show everyone the pictures! I just have to decide now if I still want the room painted blue or if Bo needs to start painting! We also are planning to go to Lowes today and buy some shelves to put up on the walls! It is really starting to come together now! Once we have everything in place we will post the final pictures! We are getting really excited and can't wait for this lil man to come on out and into this world!

31wks

Today was ultrasound day! Caden is in the head down position with his spine going up the right side of my stomach...so he is looking to left side of my body. He was very adorable with sucking his fingers and he always had his hands near his face/chin! His heartbeat was 148 bpm. He is measuring 33wks and they approx. his weight a 2125grams or roughly 4.67lbs. they said to give or take 200grams so he is right around 4.5lbs. Everything seemed to look "normal" but of course we have to wait until the radiologist views it and gives the results to my midwife. So the top picture is a profile of his face with his hand close to his lips. The second photo is a face photo and you can see his both eye sockets, nose, lips and his two fists. We also have another boy parts photo to CONFIRM we are having a boy...but we thought we would give him his privacy now! ha ha ha He is too cute! I can't wait to see him and give him a big fat kiss on that cute face!!!

30wk apt!

I went to the OB doctors yesterday. My tummy is measuring 31wks...and at the time of the apt I was 30wks and 4 days..so i'm just couple of days ahead. Caden's heart rate was in the 130s. Caden has really started to pick up either in activity or forcefulness b/c i am just now feeling him ALL THE TIME! Bo gets a kick out of chaos that goes on in my stomach! He has hiccups often, which get annoying except they let me know that all is well with him! He also goes through what seems like fits of punching bag syndrome b/c he will go nuts on my stomach and then stop as if "double timing it" (if you know about tae bo!) You can now visibly see my stomach twitch so it is fun just to sit down and watch the action go on! I attend my breastfeeding class on thursday and Bo was thoughtful enough to buy me a prenatal massage on thursday as well! Isn't Bo just the sweetest!? Then on 5 Nov we have our ultrasound apt and our first childbirth class! My next OB appointment is in 2wks! Time is really winding down to the end! CRAZY!!! we are super excited for his arrival though!

more 30wk pics

here are some more 30wk pictures from the same day as before! Enjoy!

30 wks!!!!

We are now at the 30wks mark! What a long and yet so fast journey! It is crazy to think that in hopefully less than 10wks...Caden will be here! My next OB appointment is Oct 29th. For all those who don't know yet...I FINALLY passed a blood test...I'm happy to report that I don't have Gestational Diabetes!!! My next ultrasound will be Nov 5th! So check back for some Caden pictures! This past week I signed up for the first childbirth class..and Bo can actually go to this one since he is off from work! I was shocked!

Baby Shower Photos!

Baby Shower!!!

This past weekend was Caden's baby shower! We had tons of fun hanging out with family and friends. Mimi Liz made the delicious food (eggplant pie, ziti, meatballs,salad, fruit salad) Babcia Mary was in charge of the games and presents! We had so much fun! Bo was there for the beginning (which included the food!) and came back for the very end! We want to thank everyone for coming and sharing in the celebration of Caden! We are very blessed!

28 wk appointment

Tuesday, 9 October was my 28 wk appointment! We went over my lab work...which actually wasn't too terrible! My protein in my urine went down to 330 (but its still elevated) I failed my 1 hour glucose test with a score of 152 (normal is no greater than 140) so I had to sign up for the 3 hour test which I will take on the 18 Oct when I get back home. Everything else was pretty normal! I am measuring 28wks. Caden's heartbeat was in the 150s. I gained 9 lbs which I told the midwife was due to working night shift and eating around the clock! When you only sleep approx 4 hours a day...that is 20 hours worth of eating that takes place! He just laughed! My blood pressures have been awesome! I received my Rhogam shot b/c I'm O- blood type and bo is O+..it didn't hurt to bad. Finally, I scheduled my next ultrasound to be done on 5 Nov to make sure things are going great with Caden's development. My next appointment is for 29 Oct. If you don't know already, Bo is going to have Ortho surgery on his L leg 19 Oct. So please keep us in your prayers that all goes well! My baby shower is this weekend back in Melboure...check back and see all the great pictures!!

Keagan pics

Here are some pictures of our "practice baby"...Keagan! He is too cute for words...and Babcia Banasik is practicing too!

26th Birthday!

Sept 23rd was my 26th birthday! Unfortunately, Bo had to work! :( But one of the captains i work with was leaving the military so we had a goodbye dinner for her at Mcguires..so I still got to go out to eat! I even managed to talk one of the Lt's I work with to go to the Donut Hole for a slice of Key Lime pie!!! :) It was so good!!!

25wks

I'm 25wks already! It's so hard to believe that there is 15wks left! The next 15 wks will go by so fast b/c of all the holiday's etc, it seems like every two weeks will be something new to look forward to! So exciting!!!

Caden's Crib!

Bo assembled the crib last night! It is super cute and we really like it! Now all it needs is a mattress! oh yeah, and Caden to sleep in it, but that is going to be awhile!! :)

Caden's Room

We received Caden's dresser and changing table yesterday! So, Bo assembled them today and he also painted the closet (b/c it was still purple!) We will be able to pick up the crib tomorrow afternoon..so check back so you can see Caden's crib!