Sweet Caroline

So sorry for the delay in posting...it's been quite an adjustment period for us!


Our sweet Caroline was born on Thursday February 9, 2012 at 4:46 pm. 7 lbs exactly, 19" long, and a head full of beautiful hair! The labor and delivery could not have gone any smoother. I was nervous about being inducted but it turned out to be a great experience. I was already 4 cm dilated when we checked in to the hospital, so that was a great advantage. They started Pitocin around 8 am and the next 2 hours were not bad at all, the contractions were very manageable. Then at 10 am the doctor came in and broke my water. The next 2 hours were more difficult...had to really focus on breathing and getting through each contraction. By noon I was ready for the epidural. What a godsend!! I was so comfortable and relaxed after the epidural that I just slept for the next 3 hours of labor! The doctor came in just before 4 pm and said it was time to start pushing, and about an hour later she was here! They let Bill make the big announcement...it's a girl! It was pretty funny because all day the doctor and nurses were saying they thought it was a boy, based on her heartrate. So we were a little surprised! But I'm glad to know my instincts were right. Bill went out and announced our daughter to our family in the waiting room, and about an hour later everyone came back to meet her. She was wide-eyed and alert as she met her grandparents and aunts and uncles for the first time. 


We checked out of the hospital Saturday morning and came home to my mom and Winnie eagerly waiting for us. We waited until Winnie calmed down to introduce him to the baby. He came over, sniffed her, looked at her, and then looked at us like 'what is this?' He didn't really understand until the next day or so that this little person was a permanent fixture in our house now. And he was so depressed. He gave us sad eyes, ignored us, didn't really want much  to do with us for a few days. Eventually he started getting used to the idea. I'm happy to report he seems pretty much like his old self again by now and I think he'll be ok.


We had my mom stay with us for the first week, and Bill's mom stay with us the second week. They were a HUGE help!! We could not have gotten through the first two weeks without their insight and expertise! I was so sad (and a bit petrified) to see them go and know we were on our own now. There's still so much we just don't know! She's a good baby, but she's been having some eating issues....LOTS of spitting up and sometimes vomiting, and acting in pain/fussy for hours at a time. We haven't figured out what the problem is yet and until we do it feels like we're just trying to get by one minute at a time.


Here's a few pics from our first two weeks. Enjoy!

Meeting cousin Riley for the first time!

family snuggle time

Caroline's first outing

Headed home from the hospital

getting snuggly with Nana

Granny and Nana and Caroline

Winnie is finally getting used to having her around.

Winnie is still convinced the boppy pillow is his.

Time for Butterbean to sprout!

I've had 2 doctor appointments in the last 2 days and the consensus is that it's time for Butterbean to meet the world! The ultrasound went very well; all the tests and indications showed that baby is doing fine. In fact, doing more than fine- they estimated about an 8 lb. baby, give or take a pound!! The ultrasound tech admitted that's a wide range but the later in pregnancy the ultrasound, the less accurate they are. Still, I was a bit alarmed- that's a hefty bit more baby than I was expecting!! Otherwise everything looked great. We got to see the baby moving and even breathing. And it has hair!! Somehow the technician could tell that the light shiny areas on the head were hairs! My sister was delighted to know I won't be delivering a baldy.


Even though everything looks fine, my doctor doesn't recommend going a week past my due date. And after hearing "8 pound baby" I am not too eager to let this little occupant get any bigger! So we decided to induce on Thursday morning. We'll probably check in around 7 am, and hopefully our new son or daughter will be here sometime in the afternoon. Keep those thoughts and prayers coming...my sweet husband is in full anxiety mode! I'M the one facing a tremendous physical challenge in the next 24 hours and somehow he's the one sprawled out on the couch taking deep breaths, moaning that he is unable to eat or sleep! HA!


Next post will be to introduce our new family member! Here we go!

sweet little face!

a full head of hair?!

little foot with 5 toes!

40 weeks...and no baby yet

Against all odds, Butterbean has decided he/she is extremely comfortable in my belly and is not looking to make an appearance any time soon. EVERYONE thought I would deliver early, myself included, but the 'bean has proved us all wrong! Even my doctor told me weeks ago that she expected I would probably deliver before my due date. Well February 4 has come and gone, and no sign of baby yet. I have been making slow but steady progress for weeks now (at my last appointment on Thursday I was 4 cm dilated!), but apparently that does not guarantee that delivery is imminent. I've been getting tons of texts and phone calls, everyone anxiously wanting to know what's going on. Bill and I have been living on pins and needles for literally an entire month now, expecting that at any moment we could be rushing to the hospital. He said, "Every day I wake up and wonder, is today the day I'll become a dad?" Every night I take a hot bath and think "Is this the last relaxing hot bath I'll have BC (before child)?" Every week at the grocery store we buy sandwich meat and bread, frozen items, and cereal, thinking that we don't want to cook much because we might be off to the hospital and don't want it to go bad. After 4 weeks of turkey on wheat and Life cereal for dinner, I'm getting a bit tired of the perpetual waiting game. My doctor said she doesn't usually let patients go much more than a week past their due date, due to potential complications that can arise, so I know there is definitely an expiration date on this pregnancy. I was really hoping to avoid being induced, but it's looking more and more likely that will be our plan. I have an ultrasound tomorrow to make sure the fluid levels are still good and Butterbean is still doing ok. Then another dr. appointment on Tuesday to review the results of the ultrasound and decide what the plan is. If myself and baby both are still doing just fine, all indications show no problems, I will ask her if we can wait just a few days more even though the anticipation is about to drive us crazy. I know it's better for a bunch of reasons to let the labor process start naturally and I want things to go as smooth as possible. However if the ultrasound shows that I'm harboring a giant 9 lb. baby, or if there's any indication that there might be an unfavorable condition, I will go ahead and ask if we can be induced on Thursday or Friday. Stay tuned for updates!