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And Baby Norah Makes Three!

She's finally here! By now, most of you know that our little girl was born on Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 at 9:47 a.m. She weighed 6 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. And she has hair! It has been a blissful yet tiring week and a half since she was born and I apologize that it's taken me so long to post the infamous "Labor & Delivery" blog.

Other mothers I have talked to say that compared to other first time mom's, I had it pretty easy. And for that I feel very blessed! Not just because I was a little apprehensive going in, but now I have a beautiful memory instead of a traumatic experience to look back on. Luckily, my labor and delivery went pretty much by the book.

Tuesday morning started out like any other day for a largely pregnant woman. I rolled, yes...rolled out of bed around 8:30 or so, had breakfast and did a few things around the house, not feeling a bit different. I even planted some strawberries, banana peppers, and onions in our garden! I then went to the hospital to visit Dad and help in getting him discharged (many of you may know that he was in the hospital for a few days with a bad flu - and no, not the swine flu). We joked that now Norah would come since she knew grandpa was out of the hospital...little did we know! After the hospital I went to the gym for an hour long work out on the elliptical trainer, I thought that might help Norah get a move on if I did the same!

Jason got home around 5 o'clock and we decided to go to dinner at our favorite mexican restaurant, El Arriero...my last meal! We came home, watched a show and then it happened. After using the restroom, I felt what I thought was my water breaking. Shortly after, the REAL contractions started coming - and FAST and furious! By "fast", I mean 3 1/2 minutes apart from the get-go. And by "furious", I mean I could no longer talk through the contraction. I had to stop, learn over and just wait. Jason and I tried to go to bed, thinking that I was still 10 days away from the due date and that they would probably stop if I changed my activity by laying down. Nope! That did nothing. They were still coming...fast and furious. After a few minutes of laying in bed, I said, "Jay, I think we need to go!" The doctor told us to come to the hospital when the contractions were 6-7 minutes apart, s0 we were quite a bit ahead of the game!

We called our parents, letting them know "this was it!" Jay's parents were thrilled and let us know that they would be coming up in a few days. My parents, despite being sleep deprived and weary from 4 days in the hospital, jumped out of bed and headed to Ft. Wayne even before us! We quickly packed up the car and left, but not before one of our dogs escaped out the door leaving Jason to chase her around the neighborhood while I leaned against a trash can in the garage trying to wait out another contraction! It was truly a circus!

We called everyone in our phonebook (who we thought would be awake at that hour), while Jason drove VERY QUICKLY to Ft. Wayne. How quickly? Let's just say that we passed my parents on the road who had left much earlier!

When we got to the hospital, they admitted me and hooked up several kinds of monitors and told us that we could have the labor and delivery suite, but only if we would be staying. WHAT?!? I might have to go home??? Luckily...shortly after they said this, my water officially broke and that was my guarantee of staying at the hospital and leaving with a baby! Good thing, because I don't think I could have gone home and had to make that trip again!

They soon moved us into the labor and delivery suite which was nothing short of a 5-star hotel room! We had seen this room on a tour of the hospital a few weeks earlier and had hoped to be so lucky as to get it. Aside from being a HUGE room complete with a spring-scene skylight, the room also had a bed for Daddy, flat screen TV, and yes...a hot tub in the bathroom! Unfortunately I had little time to enjoy most of these amenities.

After laboring on my own for a while, the blessed anestheologist came in to releave me with an epidural. I must have thanked him 20 times! After that, Jason and I were able to sleep most of the night. Around 9 a.m., my OBGYN, Dr. Barbara Weise, came in to check "my progess." She quickly announced, "You're complete!" I thought, "what does that mean?!? Complete? Last time, I checked, I still don't have a baby!" No, it simply meant that I was ready to push! I was so happy that our doctor was able to deliver me, we have really liked her. I pushed for around 40 minutes. And I now know what my mom meant when she said, "it's the hardest work you'll ever do!" That it was! But all completely worth it.

As soon as Norah was born, the doctor placed her on my stomach and Jason was able to do the Daddy honors and cut the cord. It was an amazing moment. After nearly 10 long months, to see this beautiful little person we had waited so long to meet, was overwhelming. It felt so good to finally hold our daughter.

Now, a week later, we are still in love with her (despite the last night feedings and diaper changes and the many first-time-mom awkward moments). She is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and I can't wait to see her grow! Daddy is equally enamored. He selflessly does anything for Mom and Baby and comforts his tiny daughter by holding her close and saying "Daddy's here." It's a wonderful site to see!

We can't wait for all of you to meet our little Norah. She is a precious gift and we hope that all of you will pray for her and pray for us as we try our best to raise her as God would want us to.

This blog will now be used to document Norah's life as she grows. So this is definitely not the end, but a beautiful beginning to a precious life!

The Waiting Game (38 weeks)

"Was that a contraction? Yes, that definitely was. Okay, when did it start? But I can't really tell when it ended. Oh! There was another one! That was really close together...I had better start timing these!" (3 hours later) "Well, I guess I'm not in labor. The doctor said to go to the hospital when they were 6-7 minutes apart...I don't think 3 hours counts, do you?"

This is just a sampling of the thoughts going through the head of a woman who is approaching her due date and ready to meet her baby! Not to mention, ready to be able to move again without letting out a grunt that could embarrass an NFL linebacker. Jason has become very skillful at giving me an extra "heave-ho" (ie-a push from behind) when I get out of bed for the 4am bathroom break or even getting out of the car. Moving has become very difficult to say the least. I can't imagine what our little girl feels! She's got to be getting so cramped in there! She's moved on from her little kicks and jabs to more fluid, belly contorting movements.
On Thursday, we had our now weekly check up. Doctor said that she is "very low" and that she is ready. She also said she thought I would have her this weekend......it's definitely Sunday night last time I checked. :) Oh well, I guess that gives me more time to scrub the kitchen floor again.
I've also enjoyed in the last week or so, listening to everyone's advice on how to get labor started. Here are few that we've heard:

-Eat spicy foods
-Eat pizza
-Eat an onion
-Go for a walk
-Drive really fast down a bumpy road
-Drink castor oil (yum)
-"Do what you did to make the baby in the first place"
and my personal favorite, a trampoline!

Anyone else have any suggestions? We'd love to hear them! So far, we've tried the majority of these...still no Norah. I think these are just a few things that mothers have told their daughters in the past to help get their mind off of being miserably pregnant. :) We'll let you know when we find one that works.

36 weeks and counting!

Yes...can you believe it? We sure can't! Only 4 weeks to go! Although, it looks as though Miss Ellis may make her debut a little early. We had a good check up on Thursday of this week. The doctor did her normal checks and said, "Wow, your baby is really low! She has definitely 'dropped." This is also referred to as lightening which basically means she is getting ready to make her way into this world. She is turned and head down which is always a very good sign - although that doesn't mean she could still throw us for a loop and flip head up! But from the way she enjoys "tickling" my ribs with her toes, I don't think she'll have any problem keeping that little noggin of hers down! The good news is that she's right where she needs to be and even if she comes a little early, she'll be in good shape. This is the part where Mommy starts to get excited about the possibility of have less than 4 weeks to go! Simple household tasks are becoming harder by the day, bending down to pick something up off the floor is a less than graceful act, and the dogs can't figure out why they can't fit on Mommy's lap any more. Sorry puppies, you'll have to wait your turn! So one can see why an early baby would be most acceptable to me at this point! Daddy is hoping for April 19th to keep all of our birthday's on that particular day (his is May 19th, and mine is Nov. 19). But we'll just have to see!
Please pray for a healthy labor and delivery and most importantly a healthy little girl!

A Tree for Norah Jane...

My ever-so-talented mother generously donated her time and efforts to paint a lovely tree and a few "critters" on her future grand-daughter's nursery wall. We will be hanging shelves painted like branches over the 3 main branches to display photos and stuffed animals. I'm very proud and excited to have something so unique in our little girl's nursery.

The Nursery!

I almost forgot! The Nursery! Jason and I spent an ENTIRE weekend painting the nursery. And we say ENTIRE, we mean the whole darn thing! What we thought would be a simple project, but after 2 coats of primer, 2 coats of color, and 3 coats of edging, we decided we were glad to have chosen a neutral color because we are done painting for a LONG time! We are very happy with the results!
The beautiful curtains, window seat, and crib bedding were all handmade by Grandma Tidball! She did an amazing job...much better and more meaningful than anything I could have bought in a store. We are thinking of painting a tree on the crib wall and hanging wooden shelves that look like branches to put her books and stuffed animals on (we saw the idea in Pottery Barn kids). The dresser/changing table piece is set to arrive in a week or two and then we'll be all set!

*The blue room is the before picture.

32 weeks and growing!

Yes, only 8 weeks to go! We can hardly believe it! We had a good appointment on Thursday of last week, doctor said everything is right on track. The baby is CONSTANTLY moving, which I guess is a good sign since Jason is already planning her future as a tennis star. She is pretty good about giving me a break at night though. Maybe that means she'll sleep through the night at 6 weeks like her daddy (haha, I know all you mothers out there are thinking "yeah right!" but it's true!).
I recently had to give up my tennis playing days until little Norah arrives. That was a sad day, but for the best, as my last match left me frustrated for not being able to get to the ball as quickly. The brain wanted to get there and told the legs to move, but the belly wouldn't let it happen. And man, my opponents had NO mercy on the pregnant lady! I'm happy to say that I'm still able to workout though. I feel very blessed that I've been able to keep active and have had a healthy pregnancy the whole way!
The nursery is quickly filling up with beautiful little girl things from grandmas and grandpas. It's neat to see how excited they are, I can't wait to see what they'll do when she's actually here!
Jason and I attended our first of 3 prenatal classes on Saturday. This class was an 8 hour class on "Preparing for Childbirth." Although, there were some things that we thought were a little "new age-y," we learned A LOT about what to expect and how to handle that exciting day. We also feel blessed that we will be delivering at such an amazing facility (Jason says Grandma Ellis will to want to transfer to work here!). We were able to take a tour of the Labor & Delivery rooms, Nursery, and Recovery rooms, and they are top notch! The nurses who led the class informed us that Mom and Dad will receive a "Celebration Dinner" after the baby is born consisting of filet mignon, lobster and shrimp, twice baked potatoes, sparkling cider, and a "birthday" cake! As they were telling us this, Jason looked at me and said "they are joking right?" Oh no, that's just how they like to do things at Dupont. So funny!
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support! She'll be here before we know it!