Ellie's Birth Story

I feel almost like Ellie's birth story begins on May 21 when I first went into preterm labor... but since I've already recapped that PLUS reading about a month's worth of contractions would be lame, I'll focus this on June 19 and 20.

We were scheduled for an induction at 6am on June 20. The doctor told us that we were great candidates for the induction, and after how uncomfortable I was it almost seemed irrelevant how the baby came out, just that she did. 

June 19 was Father's day so we celebrated Brian and my dad. I actually woke up on June 19 pretty early and went and helped my dad mow his lawn (much to this dislike of all involved but I figured the worst that could happen was that I went into labor from sitting on the rider mower plus it was a surprisingly cool morning and I was literally only sitting on the rider mower).  I came home, we had a wonderful breakfast and spent some time relaxing as a family. We had my family over for an early steak dinner and finalized all preparations for the next day. The photographer was set, Caidyn's rides to school and to the hospital were set, bags packed. There was one project left - a banner welcoming Eleanor Rose. I took the ambien the doctor gave me at 9:30 and began what was supposed to be a 10 minute craft before bed. 

An hour and half and 2 banners later I was annoyed I couldn't sleep through these annoying contractions. Brian and I watched the end of the NBA finals as the contractions got more and more intense. We called the hospital and they told us the usual - come in for a check. I felt like we had done that too many times I would just will these contractions away and fall asleep. As that didn't work and it was after midnight at this point I decided to take a shower and blow dry my hair, since I had planned to do that before we went for our induction. I took the longest shower I could - I think we ran out of hot water - and very painfully blow dried my hair. I had to stop at least 4 times because the pain from the contractions was too bad but I still didn't believe I was in labor. I got back into bed and continued to be unable to sleep. I went to the bathroom so as not to disturb Brian and just kind of stood there walking around and bending over when necessary. Eventually it was about 4am and I had been shaking from the pain for a little bit. I flung open the bathroom door with the intention of slowly and gently waking Brian up only to see him on his cell phone (I guess I wasn't as quiet as I thought I was being). I proclaimed, "its time to go! Are you ready?" and he quickly got dressed while I put my contacts in. I was in so much pain at that point that we didn't even wake my mom who was downstairs we just left and I texted her. 

I'll never forget that drive and how different it was than the other times we had driven to the hospital in "labor". I am annoying when I am not driving and usually very picky about which route I think it fastest. Its a bad habit, but whatever, I have much better traffic "luck" (I think its strategy) than Brian and I had pinpointed the perfect route. But that early morning I genuinely did not care. I think I might even have told him to run a red light or two - my biggest concern was getting to that hospital. 

I did comment that we should park in a shady spot since our car would be staying there for a while. He had tried to drop me off at the front but I didn't want to walk in by myself. While he grabbed a bag from the car I started the walk to the front of the hospital. It was maybe 50ft. My contractions were so close together at that point that I had to stop twice before we were inside because of the pain. 

We checked in at the front desk and were quickly escorted back by Ellie, a nurse we had during our preterm stay. We bypassed triage and went straight to a room! After stopping for a contraction in the hallway twice... She double checked I wanted an epidural and rushed the blood tests and IV, got me right in my gown, and settled enough to check me. I could hardly believe when she said I was dilated at 7 1/2cm! I could hardly believe it! With Caidyn I attempted a natural delivery and stalled for hours at 6cm and wanted so badly to make it to that third stage of labor at 7cm. If I hadn't been waiting a month for it I might have attempted a non-medicated delivery again, but instead I looked forward to that epidural. 

We had left the house around 4am, and had the epidural in shortly after 4:30. Time for a few commemorative photos and an adorable video of Brian pacing dealing with the emotions and excitement of the situation!

I was definitely looking rough after no sleep with an ambien in me - but we were definitely quite excited to meet our little girl!

Around 5:30 I was checked to be 10cm dilated and ready to go! The nurse called the doctor and asked her to please be on her way and we began. I started pushing and was actually told to stop while we waited for the doctor to get into the room since she was so close. That was a moment I was very glad to have the epidural. The doctor arrived and soon after Ellie did, too! It was so peaceful and so focused on Ellie. I can't even recall if there was just the one nurse with the doctor or possibly two people? Ellie arrived, was placed on my chest for some skin to skin time, and we just instantly began bonding with our little girl. Brian was able to cut her umbilical cord like he did for Caidyn and it was so relaxing. It was 6:01am, two minutes after our induction appointment was scheduled for. She chose her own birthday and I love knowing that. She was 7lb 2oz and 20" long. She had dark hair, but not as dark as her sister and not as much of it. Her little face had higher cheeks like her mama and she had these big beautiful eyes. She was beautiful and perfect. 

About an hour and half after she arrived they cleaned her up and Brian got to finally hold her. He is such a wonderful father and you can truly see the love he has for his little girls. We began to slowly share the news with immediate family first, then as the day went on close friends. Our messages were always the same though - that we would share the news with the world and welcome additional visitors after big sister got to meet her. We did of course invite our parents and siblings to come meet sweet Ellie Rose. Our mother's came first - arriving within minutes of each other and both taking longer than we thought they would! 

Anita and Ronni came by later that afternoon to help me get ready for pictures as I was quite sore and tired. I had dreamed of having photographs done to capture the moments when Caidyn was able to meet Eleanor and so happy the timing worked out perfectly. Niamh picked Caidyn up from school and brought her to us dressed in her special big sister outfit. I could not have been more excited for Caidyn's arrival and probably cried through the whole meeting. 

Eleanor "got" Caidyn a Doc McStuffin's doctor kit as a big sister gift and she put it to use right away giving Ellie a check up. The love she has for her little sister was so obvious that day as all she wanted to do was play with her and hug her. The little smiles and squeezes make me tear up every time I look at these photos!

Before long our family began to arrive to sing Happy Birthday to our sweet girl with a pink cupcake and the same outfit her old sister wore on her birth day. 

Welcome to the world, Eleanor Rose! Your birth day was one I will never forget and each day with you has been such a gift. Your father, sister, whole family, so many of our friends, and I all love you so very much! 

The Final Count Down -- The Last 9 Week of Ellie's Pregnancy

Week 30

Last drive to Orlando, last Disney visit as a family of three, and last time I could squeeze into those non-maternity capris! 

Week 31

I had been waiting for this week with a pineapple shirt for so long. I actually had 3 shirts to choose from. I love pineapples.

Week 32

Old Navy has been on point with their matching mama and mini outfits. This was supposed to be our Thanksgiving outfits but hat dress was not even close to fitting me in November.

Week 33

Happy Mother's Day!

Week 34

We had our family maternity pictures done this week. I also went into labor at 34 weeks 5 days, which we were fortunately able to stop. 

Week 35

This was my first week on "maternity" leave. A lot of short bursts of sleeping, a random interview I had contractions during, and floating in the pool to cool off and rest my achy body every afternoon. 

Week 36

Such a busy week! Our floors were being refinished so we spent a lot of time at my in-laws house. Caidyn had a graduation ceremony from her preschool. And I think we only went to the hospital once with a labor "scare". After having contractions for 12 hours 2-4 minutes apart we were sent home and told to return when my water broke or "the pain became so intense I wanted to scream". Also known as the moment my morale really began to sink. 

Week 37

At this point it was game on. All I had to do was return to the hospital at least 3cm dilated and they would help the process along. I began going for daily 2-3 mile walks with whoever I could convince to brave the heat and accompany me. I also return to work"ish" at camp. This was the orientation week and I VERY much needed the distraction from my days of twiddling my thumbs wondering if today would be the day. 

Week 38

I don't want to say the last 5 days of week 38 were the best of my pregnancy, but they were the best of the last month. On Wednesday of that week we were officially scheduled for our induction and it was exactly what I needed to accomplish the last few things I needed to and finally re-enjoy being pregnant. Brian surprised me with an afternoon date while Niamh, our wonderful friend and god-mother to Ellie Rose, took Caidyn on a special park picnic and ice cream date. 

When Preterm Labor stops all blogging...

May was a very busy month for us. We celebrated Mother's day - a difficult and exciting one for our family. My grandmother, the true matriarch that she was, has left a large hole in our lives since she passed last summer. My sister's and I tried to capture that impact that grandma had on us with our gift of a gold bar necklace for my mother with Grandma's handwriting and my grandparents signature card ending, "All our love", on it. It was an emotional gift giving experience, but I know much appreciated. Mom had also purchased matching tank tops for us to wear after I had shown them to her.

Two weeks later Caidyn and I started out our Friday with a surprise date to see Daniel Tiger! My friend Robyn and her two littles joined us and we had such a fun time! 

The next day Brian's father had purchased a box for a Ft. Myer's Miracle baseball game with fireworks afterwards. Because we knew we would be out late we had a lazy morning and I noticed some contractions starting. I had been having Braxton Hick's for weeks now, so thought nothing of it. I drank some water and tried to nap. 

About an hour later I was woken up by the contractions which were getting stronger and closer together. I thought maybe moving around would help so I took a shower and started getting ready. Of course, I had absolutely nothing to wear... and ended up in a wayyyyyyy to small Florida Marlins shirt and a maxi skirt. The contractions continued, which I thought was weird, but I ignored.

We went to the game and despite my position, my water intake, my food intake, etc, the contractions continued and even were getting stronger and closer together. We tried getting me a better fitting shirt to see if that would help, and I now own a Ft Myers Miracle shirt - which is super soft I might add! But, alas, although I was much more comfortable shirt wise, I was still very uncomfortable uterus wise. I told Brian I was concerned and that if they didn't stop once we got home maybe we should go to the hospital. He agreed so I secretly (I thought secretly at least) called my mom to make sure she was home and could watch Caidyn when we dropped her off. By the time the game was ending I was very uncomfortable and basically didn't say goodbye to anyone and wanted to run to the car. I did stop for us to take what I was afraid might be our last photo as a family of three!

We arrived the the hospital without anything but the clothes we were wearing. With my history of sort of preterm labor we were quickly called back to triage where we were put on the monitor and checked. I never cuss... I stopped many years ago - but when the nurse checked me and said I was 2 1/2 cm dilated I said out loud "sh*t". I was so overwhelmed that I couldn't think of any other better word that described the situation. She quickly explained what was going to happen - a shot in my butt for steroids, an IV with fluids and a medication to keep the contractions from progressing me any further, and that we were being admitted with the intention of stopping this labor from progressing.

We definitely had some scared tears in our eyes, but tried to remain calm until we were better situated. They moved us to room 16 in labor and delivery and it was all too real. The pain was intense, there was a warm bed, onesie, and hat waiting for Ellie, and it was much too soon.

Luckily we had an amazing nursing staff. Our families visited us the next day as I kept up with my clear liquid regimen and Brian was able to step out for a shower and food not from the cafeteria.

The second night was especially emotional. I was allowed to have an injected pain medication twice, and I tried to save it for night time so I could get some rest. Contractions were about five minutes apart, and the pain medicine allowed me to rest for about 45 minutes. I was exhausted, I felt bad about using both doses knowing it would get to our baby girl and if it made my grown self loopy how was it making her feel? We had an AMAZING nurse, named Ellie :), who was so reassuring and calming during all of the emotions. I had my second steroid shot in the butt and was told that come morning all medications would be shut off and we would see what my body would do.

Luckily the contractions spaced themselves way out and I was still only dialed to that same 2 1/2 cm. We were home by late Monday afternoon - in time to pick Caidyn up from school - to my new normal of modified bed rest.  I wasn't on complete bed rest, but I wasn't to return to work or any sort of strenuous activity. I couldn't lift Caidyn, stairs should be taken one at a time, and if I was going to go grocery shopping, I should rest the remainder of the day. I had an appointment with the doctor on Wednesday morning that I was instructed to keep. Sleep was difficult with all of the contractions - but they had spaced themselves out to around fifteen minutes apart.

Side note: I did interview for a job literally 24 hours after I was discharged from the hospital. I almost didn't, but it was a unique opportunity and, if nothing else, was great to see what a high level interview was like. I was definitely not myself - I spoke way too fast, said way too little, and was in and out in the space of one contraction. Not my best work, but that did mark the last time I did my hair and makeup for at least a week! I also have wonderful friends who sent me an Edible Arrangement with instructions to eat and relax. And that I did, right after that interview :)

Pregnancy Round 2 - Thoughts

Oh pregnancy. 

Starting this post out with a lot of honesty - the reason there is so much space (not that 2 years 9 months is a lot of space.., but more than the usual "we'll try again after the baby turns 1" that I hear from basically everyone) between Caidyn and Eleanor is because I was really nervous to be pregnant again. 

I didn't have a particularly rough first pregnancy. In fact, compared to most people, it was probably very tame. But it wasn't easy either. I was tired. I was uncomfortable. I didn't get to do things I love to do and it took over a year to come back (hopefully that was because of my thyroid hormone being off...). I knew I would be finishing my master's degree shortly before Caidyn turned 2. With Caidyn we were able to get pregnant on our first "try" so I was scared to start any sooner. I had started day dreaming about telling all of our friends and family at her birthday party having her open one present in front of everyone that said "baby brother or sister" on it or something. 

And the planner in me took over from that very first day dream. 

And it didn't work on the first try. Or the second try. Or the third try. And the planner in me was not good at this waiting game. It wasn't setting up with everything we had envisioned. 

And life was CRAZY! I guess losing your grandmother, starting at a new school, selling your house, purchasing a new house, and just life kind of caused us to be a little stressed. Additionally I was really wanting to time this pregnancy so maternity leave wouldn't overlap with next school year at all since I had worked so hard to complete my master's degree in time to be an administrator by next school year. But when that timing didn't work out, the mantra of 2015 that I had accepted with the house, with grandma, and with everything else finally ran through this whole "second kid" thing. I learned "what will be will be". 

And when we relaxed, it happened. The timing was terrible, career wise, but it happened. And we were overjoyed. 

I'll never forget, October 14. A Wednesday. The last day we were in our old house. The one we became a family in. I was extra emotional. And thought "maybe it happened?" and took a test. And it was negative. And I cried so much that day. And Caidyn walked in and gave me a big hug and used her amazing Caidyn awareness and said "Baby Sister coming" and I just sobbed and hugged her and she hugged right back. Those little arms were so full of love that day. 

And three days later when I still hadn't had a period I took another test. And it was positive. And I knew I had to tell Caidyn first. I woke her up and told her "Baby coming" and she just hugged me. And then we told Daddy. And we were all so excited. 

And we have been. This whole time. And we still are. Caidyn asks every day if "Ellie can come out now?" and it is so sweet. We are working on learning that her lungs are too little to breathe right now but they will be ready very soon. Such tender lessons that just make my heart melt. 

But my goodness. This pregnancy was just as hard as I thought it would be. I got to run for longer, which was much appreciated. But the stopping was sudden because of awful sciatic pain. That just got worse. And the shots. The weekly progesterone shots that make me an emotional mess on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and the first half of Thursdays. And dealing with the guilt of not being able to move as fast as Caidyn or play on the floor for as long or pick her up all the time. 

And I love these two little girls. So much. If the mantra of 2015 is "what will be will be" than the mantra of pregnancy is "worth it". And by golly it is. But goodness they make you work for it :) 

And I'm so thankful to get to experience pregnancy with both Caidyn and Eleanor. I am so blessed to be their mama. They have both taught me so much. And the joys and discomforts of pregnancy are preparing me in many different ways to be the mother they will need me to be. 

Truth be told - I'm very glad we waited until we did to start trying. I am sad we didn't get a chance to share news of another baby with my grandmother while she was still with us (she loved babies so much), but with how the rest of life has come together, how much Caidyn understands about being a big sister and all the joy and responsibility that comes with it, plus with how physically demanding pregnancy is, especially with a toddler around, we learned that what will be will be. And for us, what has become is perfect. 

The force was with us.

Last weekend Brian and Caidyn did their first ever RunDisney races! Brian completed the Dark Side Challenge, a 10k on Saturday morning and a Half Marathon on Sunday morning and Caidyn completed one of the Kids Races - a 100m dash!

I have to preface this with a quick "Caidyn says" story.

Thursday evening she got out of bed 3-4 times after we had said goodnight. We were trying to pack, finish our taxes, and then go to bed ourselves. Finally I said to her, "If you get out of bed one more time we won't go see Mickey while we are at Disney". She responded, with a look of sincerity, "Mama, lock the door please". I could barely contain my laughter until I was out of her room. She means business when it comes to Mickey!

Our weekend started like any weekend with a 2 year old who is potty training and is about to drive four hours starts... with stories about the potty. Brian had to pick up his packet before 7pm, and since I don't get out of work until 4 we knew that wouldn't work. He rode up with a friend who was also running the race, so Caidyn and I were on our own for getting there. I picked her up from school, put on a pull up, made sure she went potty there, and got her started on some shows on her kindle.

About an hour into our drive she tells me she has to go potty and UNBUCKLES THE TOP BUCKLE OF HER CAR SEAT. Of course, I'm on the highway, and she can't figure out how to rebuckle it. The next exit we quickly get off... to find out the ONLY thing at this exit is a gun range. She asks to "poo poo in the grass like a birdy, Mama?" and that beats walking into a random sketchy gun range during Friday happy hour... so we pull over. Of course, nothing happens. She "only had to fart"... so we buckle her in, go over the importance of never unbuckling ourselves, and continue. About 20 minutes later we are in AWFUL traffic and she starts saying/whining she has to go. This happens at home sometimes and usually the second time she actually goes. So we pull off at the next exit - with a Publix this time, and spend 15 minutes on their potty without so much as a tinkle. We also get a lot of food because pregnant. We get back in the car, luckily traffic has cleared, and we are now more than an hour behind schedule (good thing we had planned on a sandwiches by the pool dinner... and now I had said sandwiches with me!). Of course, another 20 minutes goes by and she asks to go again "really bad" this time. I really don't want to chance a poop in her pull up... so we pull off at a rest stop. And she FINALLY goes. All becomes well in the world. And we make it the rest of the way to Disney at about 9pm. We enjoy our sandwhiches and walk around the hotel but no pool tonight.

The next morning at zero dark thirty Brian runs his race!

He is literally done and back in the hotel room by 7:30am, when Caidyn and I were just waking up :) 

We cuddle and relax until about 10:00 when we are STARVING and venture out for some breakfast and to get Caidyn to her big race! 

Shirts from Glitter Ever After. Daddy and Caidyn had to match :)

The RunDisney kids races were adorable. They had bibs for the kids, actual bananas and water and medals when they finished. It was well organized and Caidyn had a blast!

She actually ran the whole thing by herself, got her medal, and picked up a few bananas before even looking up to see where her parents were. It was ADORABLE!

They had other activities set up and our little athlete LOVED the obstacle course! We actually had to peel her away after she did it twice because we needed lunch pronto. 

She had a blast and was sure to tell everyone for the rest of the day about her race! 

Little Ham <3

We headed off to Magic Kingdom for the rest of the afternoon! We had fun with a few fast passes - we rode the Little Mermaid ride! Which of course broke down as we were in there (it never fails, no matter what theme park, one of the rides always breaks down - usually temporarily - while we are on it). Time for a quick blurry selfie! 

Our second fast pass was for the Jungle Cruise. Brian had no interest in going but I had never been on it before so on we went. Brian was saying how boring it was, etc. etc. But we ended up having the BEST boat operator ever and the entire time he just spoke in puns. Brian and I were laughing so hard! He said it was by far the best experience - it was so great we even stopped a supervisor after the ride to commend the driver! 

On our way to get the ever important Dole Whips we saw the Aladdin ride only had a 10 minute wait. We went on that and had a lot of fun!

I then waited for our Dole Whips while Brian and Caidyn rode Aladdin again! We enjoyed our snack and then went to meet Rapunzel and Cinderella! 

It's so interesting to me when we meet the princesses. They always come in two's, and I feel like the one people are less interested in meeting (by people I mean Caidyn) is always the more interactive and fun one. It was the same thing when we met Anna and Elsa. Caidyn was SO excited to meet Elsa and Cinderella - and Anna and Rapunzel were just the BEST characters! They asked questions, said so many in character things, and were just much better to interact with than the other characters. 

After this we started to head out so we could go get dinner and Brian could rest his feet. Of course I wanted one last family picture on Main Street before Ellie was born... and Caidyn had fallen asleep in the stroller. So we got one of just Brian and I - a rarity!

We had a relaxing evening - dinner at Carrabba's (delicious, I don't know why we never go there...) and then Brian took a mineral salts bath and went to sleep while Caidyn and I went for a swim - well Caidyn swam and I stood watch. 

Brian was up and out of the room for his half by 3am and Caidyn and I were out the door by 6:30 to go cheer him on! We got to see him run by at mile 12 and then met up at the finish line! He did SO amazing and we are so proud! 

We went back to the hotel for breakfast and for Brian to get a shower in (and us to pack up) and Caidyn did us the biggest favor and really wanted to go swimming. We gave her the choice after she asked to go swimming a few times of pool or going to see Mickey, and she chose the pool. Repeatedly. We were in. We both got to rest our feet and backs and just have a much more relaxed version of our day. It was the perfect end to our weekend and made for a very relaxing drive home! 

26, 27, 28, 29 - Third Trimester WE HAVE ARRIVED!

Week 26: We had a nice week and a wonderful weekend! Easter was this weekend and we had a nice time hosting family and spoiling our little girl on her last holiday as an only child!


Week 27: A semi painful week as I spent every day in the Star Lab for work + did a long event on Thursday evening for work. My sciatica was acting up a lot BUT everything got done!


Week 28: A busy week as I was prepping for state testing at work and then we had Angela's wedding festivities all weekend! I'm sure I looked ridiculous super pregnant at Hunkomania but the eye candy was enjoyable ;)


Week 29:
This was the first day of week 29. I was all dolled up for officiating Angela and Ray's wedding! I had a doctor's appointment the next day (Monday) and Eleanor and I were measuring right on track! The doctor even said she is already positioned head down - although she did remind me that she might still move, of course. We also had a surprise baby shower thrown for us that same evening at Caidyn's school! Eleanor will go there in the fall when I return to work and their excitement about their future classmate just made our days!


How far along: 7 1/2 months now! 
Total weight gain: 25 lbs. Ugh. 
Maternity Clothes: For the most part. I've splurged on a few last minute pieces (low rise shorts) that I'll feel comfortable wearing this summer as I'm shrinking. 
Stretch Marks: Not that I can see...?
Best moments: Hearing Ellie's heartbeat at the doctor is always great. And Caidyn telling me when we got home VERY early Monday morning (1am) that she's "ready for Ellie to come out of my belly now" <3 and the surprise baby shower Caidyn's school threw for us! 
Movement: Yes!!!! I love it! 
Food Cravings: Same as always - sweets and veggies. 
Anything making you sick or queasy? Nausea is starting back up again... sometimes related to when my back hurts very badly and I've been overdoing it and sometimes I'm not sure why. 
Labor signs: The evening this picture was taken I actually had about 2 1/2 hours of strong contractions in a row. Not quite painful, but more uncomfortable than normal. We left Angela's wedding early because of them and started driving home. Luckily they stopped 1/2 way across the Alley or we would have gone to the hospital instead of home! 
Belly Button: Let's just not talk about this weird bump formerly known as a belly button. 
Wedding Rings: On and still fitting! Every so often I'll swell up a bit but I've been lucky to go back down and still able to wear them! 
Happy or Moody: Happy until Tuesday evenings/Wednesday mornings. I get my progesterone shots every Wednesday and I can really feel the hormone let down when the week has gone by. I've always been really sensitive to messing with my hormones so I'm not surprised, I'm just ready for it to be done. 
Monthly Wisdom: I can't believe another baby will be here so soon. I have been mentally trying to prepare myself to actually be in school on the last day, and for quite a bit of June to have gone by before Eleanor arrives. I am still hoping for another early delivery, but I don't want to be a grump all of June because I haven't delivered yet.