What a difference a day makes!

39 weeks:

39 weeks and 1 day:  

Connor Winton Smith was born at 6:44am on Tuesday, October 23rd.  He weighed 7 pounds 6 oz and was 20 inches long.  We are more than a little bit in love with this little guy.  :)  

proud papa after delivery

resting up in our postpartum room

For those of you who love birth stories ... here is mine.  :)  I woke up on Monday morning with a weird feeling that I thought must be contractions.  I had made it through my entire pregnancy without ever having a contraction (Braxton-Hicks or otherwise) so it took me a little while to figure out what I was feeling.  I got out of bed at around 9am on Monday the 22nd and started timing them.  I timed the contractions for a few hours and realized that they were consistently 40 seconds-1 minute long, 4-5 minutes apart.  I figured it *had* to be a good sign, especially since I was heading to my midwife appointment that afternoon at 3:30 for a membrane sweep.

At my appointment the previous Thursday (the 18th), I had been dilated to 2cm and around 80% effaced.  I was really hoping for some progress when I went in to my appointment on Monday - especially after the contractions started.  They built and built all day and by the time we got to the office, I was definitely in quite a bit of discomfort.  I told Matt that if I hadn't made any progress, and if these weren't really "for real" contractions, I was going to be pretty discouraged.  

I had a non stress test (I've been having one every Monday since I went on bed rest) and the baby looked great.  When Liz (my midwife) came in to check me, I told her I was having regular contractions.  Lo and behold, I was at 4cm and 90% and she went ahead and did the membrane sweep. Not fun, but it really didn't bother me much at that point.  

Liz said that she thought I was definitely in active labor, and said if I wanted I could head straight to the hospital and she would come over and break my water. Matt and I had been hopeful that this was the real deal, and had packed our hospital bags in the car ahead of time so we decided to go for it and have this baby!  

We got to L&D (after a quick trip through the Wendy's drive-thru so I could grab a chicken sandwich for labor fuel), got settled in our room, and Liz arrived about an hour later.  After another check, I had already progressed to 5cm and I was feeling really great.  I had done the Hypnobabies home study course and had planned to try to deliver without any pain meds, and at that point I felt really in control of the contractions.  Liz broke my water (weird!) and I labored for awhile.  I remember telling Matt that if the contractions stayed at that level, I could totally do this.  Aaaand that's when things started to kick up a notch.

All of a sudden, they started coming fast and furious and it was really, really tough for me.  I got in the tub and turned on the jets and just enjoyed soaking for awhile.  Matt was world's best labor coach and did a great job coaching me through every contraction, but I was quickly starting to lose my focus.  I learned quickly that each contraction was a huge mind fuck (pardon my french) ... a big one would hit and I would think I CAN'T DO THIS I CAN'T DO THIS I CAN'T DO THIS and then it would be over, and the relief felt so good that I would think ... well, let's just try one more.  Repeat times a million.

At around 9:30pm the contractions were so incredibly powerful, painful and furious that I started feeling very fearful and teary with each one.  Liz checked me and I was at 7cm.  At that point, I made it through a few more contractions but decided at 10pm that I wanted an epidural.  I was having extremely painful back labor and I absolutely could not relax my body during a contraction.  I felt like there was no end in sight and I didn't know how I would make it through one more hour, let alone the possibility of several more hours.  I remember thinking I was quite possibly going to die.  :)  Nothing overdramatic or anything like that, of course.

By 10:30 I had my epidural - something I was absolutely petrified of ahead of time.  I wanted nothing to do with it.  But at that point, I absolutely did not care what it was or what it looked like (I knew better than to look at the anesthesiologist preparing the massive needle anyway).  I just needed the pain relief, and I needed it badly.  Within minutes, the pain relief started and it was like night and day.  I relaxed, smiled, and chit chatted with my midwife for about an hour while Matt went out to the waiting room to fill his family in on what was going on.  His mom and his sister camped out in the waiting room all night, and my parents arrived at around 3am, so we had a small cheering section out there.  

I also remember texting several friends and writing several facebook messages.  I was clearly drugged up.  Ha.  

At around 2:30am, Liz checked me again and said I was at about 9.75 cm with just the tiniest lip of my cervix in the way, so she told me to nap for about another hour and then we'd see how I was doing.  FYI - we never napped, and that was a HUGE MISTAKE.  Oh well.  At 4am on the 23rd, it was time to start pushing.  I really didn't want to push for 2 hours and decided I would push this little guy out in 20 minutes.  Cue hilarious laughter.  

Let me just say ... pushing is hard freaking work.  I thought my head was going to explode.  I will spare many of the gory details, but let's just say that Connor got stuck for kind of a long time and instead of pushing for 2 hours, I pushed for 2 hours and 44 minutes.  And ended up with an episiotomy because I think if he had his way, he would have stayed stuck for forever.  After the episiotomy, he basically flew out (thank goodness) and then he was here!  

My recovery has been pretty good ... pushing for that long does not so great things to your lady bits, but I am thankful to have no tearing (and only stitches from the episiotomy).  I am still moving pretty slowly, but managed to stick Connor in the Baby K'tan and take a family walk with Matt and Oscar yesterday.  And by "walk" I mean "slowest stroll ever."  My midwife told me that if I feel like all of my parts are "falling out," then I'm overdoing it, and since that is not a feeling I want to have, I'm trying to take it easy.

Breastfeeding is going great so far - but I think that will be another post because this one is already far too long.  :)  So let's get to the good stuff ... photos of baby Connor!  

he hated his first bath, but loved having his hair washed! 

he's too small to fit into his Michigan gear yet, but we brought this IU onesie to wear at the hospital since he was born at IU Hospital

pure love 

 this kid has reeeeeally long fingers!

and reeeeeally big feet! look at them! 

he is a great baby and mostly does a lot of sleeping and eating.  he only cries during diaper changes and naked time. 

oh, and he didn't like our football photo shoot much, either.  but how cute is that?! 

he is already changing and growing so much - his cone head is gone and i just love watching him sleep like this.  he is such a snuggler - Matt and i have been snuggling him nonstop since he was born! 

 another adorable sleepy face

So!  That's what's been going on around here.  We feel so thrilled and happy and blessed and every word you can think of that Connor is here and in our lives.  We love him so much it's unbelievable!  

Playing Catch-Up

Well, we have already established that I suck at blogging these days (years).  And I can never really figure out if I want to keep this blog going ... or get rid of it.  But as I go on my 3rd week of pregnancy bed rest, I am B-O-R-E-D and felt like doing a little blogging!  Plus, who knows, maybe I'll feel like blogging once this little guy is here (which will, you know, hopefully be sometime soon).  So in the meantime, let me bring you up to speed ... I'm skipping several belly photos because nobody needs to see that many in a row.  :)

hey look, I cut my hair off! 

So that brings you up to today!  I am 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant (ahhhh) and I've been on bed rest for two weeks for high blood pressure.  Which is starting to get reeeeeally boring.  The good news is that I think we will have a baby this week!  On Monday (at 39 weeks) I'm getting a membrane sweep (TMI?) and hopefully that will help speed things along.  We are also talking about induction with my midwife on Monday because my BP doesn't seem to be going down, despite doing nothing but sitting on my ass for the last couple of weeks.

If I didn't have a job, bed rest would be all fine and dandy I think ... but because I work, I have already lost 2 of my 12 weeks of maternity leave before his little man makes his debut, and thinking about that lost time is really upsetting me.  Sniffles.

BUT.  Besides taking a million more belly shots, let's throw in some more photos of stuff you've missed ...

Lisa got married!!!

 I got a new car!!!

Matt was home for a few days and we had some amazing maternity photos taken.  Love!  :)

I had a baby shower!

And I had another baby shower!

And I had another baby shower!

And all of it has been super duper fun!  :)  Then my blood pressure went up and bed rest started, so I've spent the last couple of weeks in a sad bed rest depression, full of too much tv and internet time and not enough reading/crafting/thank-you-note-writing.  But I decided yesterday to snap out of my depression.  Last night I read a great book, and today I will finish all of my thank-you notes.  Our hospital bags are packed, the car seat is installed, and we are ready for this baby to come!

Are you listening, baby boy?  Let's get this show on the road!  My hips and my back and my pelvis are REALLY starting to hurt!  

Sooooo what's new with all of you?  :)

21 Weeks and a Heat Wave!

Y'all, it's hot out.  I guess hot weather + pregnancy = DEATHLY HOT.  I'm moving slowly and feeling crummy out in the heat, which has really taken me by surprise.  I don't love the heat normally, but being out and about in 95 degree weather has really taken it out of me!  

Anyway .... here's a photo of me on Monday, at 21 weeks!

Yep, that belly just keeps getting bigger!  Oh, and I guess the baby does, too.  :)  

How far along?  21 weeks when the photo was taken above - 21w3d today!  

How big is baby?  Around 8 inches from head to rump, and we're up to around 1 pound in weight!  This week, he is approximately the size of a spaghetti squash.  

     

Huh, okay.  Yeah.  Sure.  Spaghetti squash.  

Total weight gain:  I haven't weighed myself since last week ... so I'll stick with around 10 pounds.  :)  

Maternity clothes?  Hells to the yes.  

Sleep:  I had a few nights in a row of horrible sleep this night.  Three nights in a row of middle-of-the-night insomnia paired with random puking.  Thankfully, last night I slept like a rockstar again (from 9:30-6:30 ... woohoo!) and I woke up today NOT feeling like death, which was awesome!         

Cravings:  Fruity frozen yogurt covered in fresh fruit.  Yes, yes, yes.  If you have a Red Mango in your area, do yourself a treat and go get some.  My favorite is peach froyo with strawberries, raspberries and kiwi.  YES.      

Best moment this week:  Showing up at my in-laws house to find a whole bag full of baby boy clothes my mother-in-law had (immediately) purchased for our sweet boy!  She called me today to let me know that a few more things she had ordered just came in.  :)  He is so very loved (and outfitted) already!  Here's my favorite outfit:

Swoon.  Is that not the absolute cutest?!  

Movement: All the time!  It seems like he's been SUPER active the last couple of days and I feel him almost all the time.  It's amazing!    

Gender:  It's a boy!!!  

Belly Button in or out? Innie ... but getting surprisingly shallow.

What I miss:  Nothing this week!  Very happy and content.  :)

Milestones:  No big milestones this week - unless filling up baby boy's closet counts!  

I've been trying to spend some quality time with my first baby lately - since Matt is out of town, it's just the two of us, so we're doing some bonding.  Here are a few photos of our latest adventures ...

Sooo what's been going on with everyone else lately?  

20 Weeks and Anatomy Scan!

Well, Matt's out of town for work (for the next FIVE WEEKS) so I'm back to taking self-portraits.  Boo!  It takes me approximately 87 years to get the angle right on these.  Taking self-belly shots is SO difficult.  #firstworldproblems

Anyway!  I cannot believe I am TWENTY WEEKS PREGNANT!!!  Halfway!  Over halfway now, actually, since this post is so late.  INSANE.  How is time going so quickly???  This pregnancy is flying by and I feel like we will be meeting this wee baby before we know it!  

This was a HUGE week for us!  On Wednesday, I had my 20 week ultrasound and we found out that we are having a BOY!  I was going to post the ultrasound photo of his boy parts, but then I thought that was really awkward, so I won't do that.  :)  A lot of people, including Matt's family members, swore up and down that I was having a girl.  The second the ultrasound tech put that wand on my stomach, she said "oh!  there it is!  you're having a little boy!"  He wanted us to get down to business right away, I guess!  I think I was definitely in shock for a little while, and afterwards my SIL and I went straight to the mall and bought some adorable baby boy clothes!  They are hanging in his closet and I go in to look at them all the time.  Eeeee.  :)

BUT even more important than finding out Baby Smith is a HE was finding out that he is perfect and healthy.  During the ultrasound, he was grabbing his foot with his hand and playing with it.  It was so cute!  Here are a couple of adorable photos!

Oh, that perfect little profile and foot just kill me.  Perfection!  We do have a baby name picked out, and I'll probably reveal that a big later.  :)

How far along?  20 weeks when the photo was taken above - 20w4d today!  

How big is baby?  Around 7 inches from head to rump, and the ultrasound tech informed me that he weighs 13 ounces!     

Total weight gain:  I'm currently up around 10 pounds (still fluctuating pretty regularly).  I also think I may stop weighing myself regularly.  :)  

Maternity clothes?  Hells to the yes.  

Sleep:  For the most part, I'm sleeping great!  Just never seem to get enough sleep.  And heartburn remains the death of me.       

Cravings:  I'm back to craving fruit fruit fruit!  Grapefruit, berries, watermelon ... you name it, I want it!  Today I treated myself to some frozen yogurt with fresh fruit and it was pretty much the most incredible thing ever.    

Best moment this week:  Finding out that we're having a baby boy!  I'm not used to thinking about him as a HIM yet and I think I'm still getting used to it!  I've spent the last 20 weeks calling the baby "it" or "the baby."  Saying "he" and "him" has made this pregnancy so much more real to me.  I know, I know, it's not like it HASN'T been real the last 20 weeks, but now I really feel like the baby is a little person in there - a little man!  It's really hard for me to put these feelings into words, but I just feel so much more bonded with him all of a sudden.  I feel so in love, so lucky, so ... ah.  Words are just failing me right now.  :)

Movement: Every single day!  The kicks are getting a lot stronger and more regular, but I can't feel them from the outside yet.  I feel him kicking extremely low, and the ultrasound tech said I'm carrying him really low, so I guess that makes sense!  

Gender:  All boy!!!  

Belly Button in or out? Innie ... but getting surprisingly shallow.

What I miss:  Nothing this week!  Very happy and content.  :)

Milestones:  Finding out we're having a boy!  Having our crib delivered!  Buying little boy clothes!  Registering for our childbirth class!  Lots, I guess.  :)

19 Weeks!

I can't believe I'm only a week away from being approximately 50% through this pregnancy!  The last 19 weeks have flown by ... I am more and more in awe of being pregnant every day, as cheesy as that sounds.  I have absolutely loved being pregnant so far and I can only hope this euphoria lasts for the next 21ish weeks!  

Matt and I went up to Indy over the weekend to pick up my computer (which was being fixed at the Apple store) and afterwards, we registered at Buy Buy Baby!  Which was fun, and exhausting, all at the same time.  We are registering over on Amazon too, and the registries should be more complete when we know if we're having a boy or a girl!  

Over Memorial Day weekend when we started cleaning out the nursery/guest room, we found an old $25 merchandise credit to Williams Sonoma.  Yes.  From our wedding.  3.5 years ago.  There's a W-S right across from the Apple store at the mall, so we wandered around to find a treat.  Since there's not a ton of merchandise you can pick up at W-S for a mere $25, we decided to treat ourselves to some fancy foodstuffs.  Also know as ... 

Mmmmmm.  Vosges Mo's Bacon Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix.  Plus some vanilla bean maple syrup (not pictured).  We made those pancakes on Sunday and they were ex-cep-tion-al.

Anyway.  We did some more work on the nursery yesterday because Matt will be going out of town for awhile for work.  The crib will be delivered this week or next week, and I wanted to make sure we had some room to set it up!  So we moved things all around, shoved the bed against the wall (we're keeping the bed temporarily until a month or so after Baby Smith arrives, at which point we will FINALLY be able to set up the nursery how I want it!), cleaned out more of the closet, etc.  This is a really horrible photo of our current progress:

Yeah, I know.  You can't really see anything.  But trust me, things are happening.  :)

How far along?  19 weeks!  

How big is baby?  6.5 inches from head to tail and 10.6oz.  Depending on the app/site, we're at the size of a small cantaloupe or a mango.  Mmm fruit.     

Total weight gain:  I weighed myself this morning and I'm suddenly up between 6-7 pounds.  I've been really hungry the last week or so, which I guess means that baby is having a growth spurt!  

Maternity clothes?  Oh yes.  And loving them.  

Sleep:  Sleeping well - no complaints yet (besides the constant heartburn the second I lay down every night, blech).       

Cravings:  Remember how last week I was craving tacos?  Well, that craving just didn't quit.  

Yep.  Those tacos were kind of amazing.  

Best moment this week:  Feeling the wee baby move every day!  It's really incredible!

Movement: YES!!!  Yay!!!

Gender:  One week from Wednesday!!!  

Belly Button in or out? Innie.

What I miss:  Nothing this week!  Very happy and content.  :)

Milestones:  A stranger at the mall asked me if I was having a girl or a boy - the first stranger to say something about me being pregnant.  I guess I officially look pregnant and not fat now ... ?  I threw a comparison photo below to show you how much of a difference 3 weeks has made!  Wowsers!  

18 Weeks and Feeling Movement!!!

How far along?  18+3 today (18 weeks exactly when I took the photo above)

How big is baby?  Around 6 inches from crown to rump, and right now baby weighs around 8.5oz.  Depending on the website/app, we're either at the size of an heirloom tomato, a mango, or a sweet potato.  :)  Mmmm.  Is anyone else getting hungry?!    

Total weight gain:  Between 3-4 pounds depending on the day.

Maternity clothes?  I'm loving my new maternity "wardrobe!"  Wardrobe in quotations, of course, because I don't have that many items ... but I've been doing a good job of rotating and making the most of my non-maternity items that still fit!  On the shopping list this week is a maternity swimsuit ... or at least just a tankini top.  My bottoms fit just fine, but my current (non-maternity) tankini top is extremely tight and uncomfortable.  I went to a deep water exercise class the other day and I felt like it was trying to cut off my circulation!!!  

Sleep:  No complaints about sleep right now!  I've really been sleeping well lately.  The main issue is that I want to sleep allllll the time.  I'm having such a tough time getting up in the morning for work - I wake up wishing every day was Saturday!     

Cravings:  I know it's a weird one, but the last couple of days I've REALLY been craving tacos.  Old school tacos, nothing fancy ... just a hard shell with some taco beef, lettuce, and cheese.  Simple.  Methinks I'll be picking up taco fixings on the way home from work today!  

Best moment this week:  Two great moments in the last week and a half!  First of all, we found out that my sister-in-law is pregnant AND due just a week after me!  I am due 10/29 and she is due 11/7 (coincidentally, also my mother-in-law's birthday!).  I just feel so overwhelmingly happy about this - she and her husband have been trying for baby #2 for several years and I'm so happy things worked out.  I'm also THRILLED that our baby will have a cousin so close in age!  The other fantastic moment happened on Monday ... and Tuesday, and Wednesday, and this morning.  Baby Smith is moving!  And I can feel it!  We went swimming down at my SIL's on Monday, and when we got home I felt two distinct little kicks.  They felt unlike anything I had experienced so far and I couldn't believe it!  Since then, I've felt movement every single day and it's just amazing.  Sometimes I sit and concentrate and say "move baby, move!" so that I can pay attention to the movement when it happens, but surprisingly, the baby isn't quite following my orders yet.  Aaaaand probably won't for a long time.  :)  I am really looking forward to when these movements can be felt from the outside so Matt can feel his baby kick! 

Movement: YES!!!  Yay!!!

Gender:  We'll know in just under two weeks ... The concensus by far is girl girl girl.  Anyone care to place a wager? 

Belly Button in or out? Innie.

What I miss:  Nothing this week!  Very happy and content.  :)

Milestones:  Feeling the baby kick was a HUGE milestone for me.  It's so easy to think that everything is just too good to be true ... sometimes I still can't believe I'm pregnant and this is even happening.  I know it sounds weird, but it just doesn't seem real sometimes!  Feeling those little movements ... well, everything just seems a lot more real to me now.  PLUS we have officially ordered furniture!  The crib and glider have been ordered and should be here within a couple of weeks - VERY exciting.  We also started going through the guest room (soon to be the nursery) and got rid of a bunch of stuff, reorganized, moved things around, and are starting to get this place ready for a baby! 

17 Weeks = Exhaustion!

17 weeks as of Monday, May 21st!  Which was also, coincidentally, Matt's 30th birthday!  Big things happening in the Smith family.  :)  It's been a great week!  I went up to Michigan over the weekend to attend Lisa's bridal shower, which was lots of fun.  Here is the one and only photo I took:

Anyway, the shower was fun and I am SO glad I live within driving distance and was able to make the trek up to celebrate!  Unfortunately, the weekend totally wiped me out.  The 6 hour drive home was really rough and I was thisclose to sleeping in the backseat of my car in a McDonald's parking lot to avoid driving the rest of the way home.  Overly dramatic?  Yes, totally.  But I was totally wiped out and it seemed like a fairly good idea at the time!  Thankfully, I powered through and made it home (safely in one piece) and I have NEVER been so happy to get home and get into my bed!  I still feel like I'm recovering and catching up on sleep, as ridiculous as that sounds.  I guess I just need to remember that my body is really working hard right now, and sometimes I just have to take it easy!  

That being said, here are this week's important things:

How far along?  17 week and 2 days today (17 weeks when I took the photo above)

How big is baby?  Baby Smith is now the size of a sweet potato - around 5.6 inches from head to tush and around 6.7 ounces.  Growing by leaps and bounds!  And I'm to the point where I literally feel like my belly is growing every. single. day.  Case in point?  I took the photo below yesterday, one day after my 17 week photo above.  Every day I wake up and look in the mirror and think, yep!  It's bigger!

Total weight gain:  Not sure ... haven't weighed myself recently, but I think I'm finally up a couple of pounds.    

Maternity clothes? Yes!  My parents met me in Grand Rapids on Sunday and treated me to a little maternity shopping spree.  I'm now the proud owner of several items ... including the adorable dress I'm modeling above in my (very sleep-looking) 17 week photo above!  

Sleep:  Sleeping great lately.  I started taking zantac every evening, and while I'm still dealing with heartburn, it's starting to feel a little more manageable.    

Cravings: Nothing really this week - probably for the best!    

Best moment this week:  It's definitely a tie between hanging out with Lisa and stepping in dog diarrhea with my bare foot on the carpet in the middle of the night last night.  I'll let you decide which I'm serious about.      

Movement: About the same as last week ... a couple of little flutters that I can't really distinguish as being the baby or not.  I'll keep you posted on this one.  :)

Gender: Dunno!  Lots more girl votes, and one more boy vote.  We'll find out three weeks from today!    

Belly Button in or out? Innie.

What I miss:  Eating raw sushi and staying awake past 9:30.  Oh, and being able to take roadtrips without feeling like I've been run over by a truck!    

Milestones:  Nothing new this week - besides being one week closer to meeting this little baby!  :)