One month birthday!

Oh my goodness where has the past month gone!?! I can't believe that one month ago I was in the hospital and now here we are at home trying to establish a routine! I am enjoying the smiles she gives and the awake time. But I'm also still enjoying her frequent naps!

Three weeks old!!

It's been 21 days since Lila Kate came into our lives. 21 wonderful days! She has been a complete blessing! Mom left Saturday, so this has been our first week alone as a family and we have survived! She still sleeps a lot but slowly we are getting more eyeball time with her. I can tell she is gaining her weight back since starting to add formula into her diet. Still trying to get a long stretch in at night, but I know it will come. Her birth announcements came in this week so I was able to get them mailed out. Not too much has gone on this week, and I'm glad it's been laid back. It's been nice not having to wake up for a doctor's appointment.

2 weeks

I'm a few days late, but late is better than never! Lila Kate is changing so much everyday! It's amazing how much she has changed from her birth. We had our first pediatrician's visit on Thursday, her 2 week birthday. It did not go as I had anticipated. We have been working on fattening up LK since we left the hospital with her. We had managed to drop to 7.1 during her jaundice period, but then got her up to 7.4. I just knew we would be at 8 or better on Thursday. To our shock/dismay, she had dropped back down to 7.1. I was completely heart broken! She had been eating so well!! So, Dr. Welch told us that we were going to have to supplement her feedings with formula. So I'm pumping several times a day so that I can alternate bottles of breast milk and formula. Will and I weighed her using our scales and my weight and we think she is over 7.6! Yay!! So hopefully when we go back in 2 weeks for a weight check we will get a nice weight gain. Other than that, we are enjoying "eyeball" time and trying to figure out a schedule for her. She is a sleeper like I was as a baby. But I'm not complaining. It allows me time to nap and get things done around the house.

One week!

So the past week has been a complete blur, but a wonderful blur at that. We were released from the hospital on Sunday the 20th around lunch. Lila Kate had a jaundice level of 15 so we were sent straight to a medical supply store to get a billy blanket for her to wear and orders to come back the next day for a check up. John and Sarah were staying with us for the week so they were waiting for us when we pulled up. Monday's doctor appointment found her jaundice level still at 15, so 2 more days of the blanket and another appointment on Wednesday. That appointment was much better! Her level had dropped to 11 and she had gained 3 ounces! We were able to return the blanket but they wanted us to come back today for one last check just to be sure her level didn't go back up once the blanket was off. Even better news today - her level was down to 9, which is perfect! Lila Kate has been a trooper!! She is growing and changing everyday. She eats great and is staying awake a little more each day. Here are some pics from the week.

Lila Katherine

Thursday January 17, 2013 is a day that Will and I will never forget.

I called Will in a panic on Wednesday night because I noticed that I was bleeding. We went to the hospital for observations, which actually turned out to be our only stay! I started having contractions and Thursday morning Dr. Kimmel came and checked me and I was at 5 cm and my water had broken. I got an epidural and pitocin and my labor speeded on along. At 1:00 I started pushing. After an hour, it was discovered that Lila was very high and her head was hitting my pelvis bone every time I pushed. So I had to undergo a section to get her out. At 2:22 Lila Katherine was born! A little cone headed but beautiful none the less. Weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce and was 21 1/4 inches long. Will did great! He is smitten!! And so am i! We go home on Sunday and are just enjoying our time with her now and letting the nursery watch her some so we can nap.

39 weeks

39 WEEKS??!!!!!!??! I can't believe I am typing that number!! I mean seriously, this pregnancy has FLOWN by! I went to the doctor Wednesday and unfortunately, I had not dilated anymore from the week before. I was so disappointed! But, to make myself feel better, I kept telling myself that I could keep working so that I could have more days at home with her when she FINALLY decides she is ready to meet her mommy and daddy. Will talks to my belly every now and then and tells her to come out, but she doesn't listen to him either ha! So now we are just playing the waiting game, and I am continuing to teach. It does help keep my mind off things. If she's not here by Wednesday, I have another appointment with Dr. Kimmel.

So what has my pregnancy been like?

Weight Gain - around 33 pounds. I am trying to not get to 40!

Cravings - MILK! Will says that I have to go on a milk diet once LK gets here because I have consumed entirely way to much while pregnant. I have never been a milk drinker, but these days, I can not get enough of it! I have also loved getting wraps from McAlistairs Deli.

Sleep - this 3rd trimester, sleep has been a struggle. I started snoring horribly and have the world's smallest bladder now, so I am up at least 4 times during the night going to the bathroom. I wake myself up snoring. And I can only sleep on my left side. I wake up wanting to roll over, but I can't. So basically I rely on my afternoon naps for my best sleep.

Energy - I had plenty of energy my 2nd trimester. School had just started and I was ripping and roaring with my kiddos, but now I have slowed down. Getting a walk in with Will is hard work. The extra weight plus pressure on my bladder and pelvis makes walking uncomfortable.

Sum it up - My pregnancy has been fairly easy. Other than the 2 weeks in June when I thought I was dying, being pregnant has been fun. I am ready to not be pregnant anymore, though, but that's because I am ready to meet sweet Lila Kate!!

37 weeks

I went yesterday for my weekly appointment hoping to hear some good news, and I did! I am 1cm dilated and 70% effaced. So Lila Kate is beginning to think about finally meeting her mommy and daddy!! Hopefully by next weekend it will be time, and that will be awesome because Dr. Kimmel will be on call at the hospital the next 2 weekends, and I really want her to deliver!

Last week Dr. Kimmel had talked to Will and I about setting an induction date in case LK hadn't made an appearance by her due date. Well, Will and I are really against inductions, since they are really for convenience for the doctors and mothers and usually result in a c-section. I could feel Will getting angry when she said that. She told us to think of a date and I was to tell her at my appointment yesterday what we had decided. We did decide to give her a date, January 31, which was right before 42 weeks. I went solo yesterday since Will had to go back to work yesterday, so I was like yay she is going to yell at me only. But, she was really cool about it. I expressed to her that I really wanted LK to come on her time and not induce but we would let her be taken on Jan. 31 if for some reason she was not here yet. She understood my stance and decided to not even write the date down and that we would just take it a week at a time and see what happens. Whew!! What a relief!

So now, we wait. I walk. And hopefully there will be a baby in my arms in the next week or so!!