One month came too fast...or not fast enough, just depends on the day! :) There were some days that didn't seem like they would end, and then the next thing you know, it had been a week. As soon as I wanted time to go faster, I would have an immediate feeling of regret, as I know that these days will all go by way too fast and before you know it Remy will actually be able to read these blogs on her own. :(
The first month with our new little girl was amazing. We celebrated my 27th birthday and the next week my very first Mother's Day. Bryant out-did himself on both occasions. For my birthday he & Remy bought me a video camera; and for Mother's Day they gave me a beautiful necklace. I also had breakfast in bed and Bryant grilled for dinner. I am one lucky mama!
At 3 weeks old Remy rolled from her tummy to her back for the first time (okay, okay, so it was just a fluke - it still counts!) and both Bryant & I were able to witness it. We do "tummy-time" every day, but depending upon her mood, sometimes it doesn't last very long. She has great neck strength and can hold her head up for extended periods of time. She loves to do tummy time on her boppy. She especially likes it if I lay on the floor with my face close to hers and entertain her.
At one month old Remy is still sleeping in her Fisher Price Rock 'N Play Sleeper, which I cannot say enough good things about. We keep it in our room, next to my side of the bed. I love having her so close, even though she is a VERY noisy sleeper. She has learned to grunt and will make grunting noises alllll night long. She had a few break-through nights where she slept 6 or 7 hours straight, but normally she sleeps around 4 hours...from around 11pm to 3am. Eventually we will start putting her down earlier, but for now it works for us.
She eats 3 ounces every 2-3 hours during the day. Although she had a growth spurt around 3 weeks old and ate up to 5 ounces at a time sometimes. She was insatiable for about a week and it was hard to keep up with her, as I am still breastfeeding. At around 4 weeks old I started giving her an extra 2 or 3 ounce bottle of formula in the evenings to help fill her up. This gives me a break as she often wants to nurse every hour in the evenings and also lets Bryant get in on some one-on-one feeding time with her.
At around 3 weeks we started getting some "real" smiles. They don't happen very often, but they are definitely intentional happy smiles! The first time I saw Remy smile was while I was changing her diaper and it absolutely melted my heart. The girl loves having her diaper changed, especially if you talk to her in a funny voice while doing it! :)
Remy also enjoys her swing and bouncy chair. I can usually get laundry done or eat quickly while she hangs out in one or the other. She is a great baby and only seems to get fussy when she is bored. She still likes to be held and would sleep all day in my arms if I left her...which I often do. Bad mama! However, if I put her down during the day she seems to wake right up. She still does not "nap" very well.
She LOVES being talked to. If you keep talking she will stare at you forever. She has big blue eyes and is always very alert when she's awake. Depending upon who you ask she looks like me, Bryant, Hannah, Lyla, or my dad. I personally see alot of Hannah in her eyes, but Bryant in her nose. No matter who she looks like, she is absolutely the most beautiful thing we have ever seen. :)
I took her to the health office in Stockton when she turned 4 weeks old to get her height and weight since we didn't have a regular appointment with our pediatrician. At 4 weeks old she weighed in at 8 pounds 10 ounces and was 20.25 inches long. In other words, she is growing perfectly! :) Yay!
She is still wearing Newborn in both clothes and diapers. Occasionally she can fit into a 0-3 onesie, depending upon the brand. We love our headbands and I am going to keep putting them on her until she starts yanking them off! :) She has a nice little round head and hasn't lost any hair, although it is starting to get a little lighter in color.
She LOVES bath time now that her umbilical cord fell off and she can be submerged. She wasn't a big fan of the sponge baths. We love giving her baths as a team and enjoy the time as a family. Bryant entertains her while I bathe and then he is on hair drying duty while I do the lower half and lotion her up! Occasionally he has to hold her pacifier in while we're getting her lotioned and dressed (she doesn't like that part as much!) Side Note: The umbilical cord was not nearly as disgusting as expected. :)
She really likes her pacifier...and I would like to shake the hand of whoever developed the "binky!" If she is ever fussy, just stick in the plug and within minutes she will be sleeping. Magic. There are a few rare occasions where even the binky can't calm her down, and that's where mama steps in. I know how to knock her out in less than a minute! I always wondered what it would feel like to be the one that could comfort the crying baby. Love. Pure love.
I can't believe that my time at home with her is more than half over. I want to get back to work, but can't imagine leaving her at daycare. I am yet to go anywhere without her...and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Love,
Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly
P.S. Belly has been VERY well behaved with Remy. He will occasionally stop and sniff her, but most of the time he ignores her. We think he is probably wondering when she is going to go back to where she came from! :) Hopefully one day the two will be able to interact!
Ticker
Monday, June 18, 2012
The First Two Weeks
I'm clearly behind on blogging...but I definitely have a great (and super cute) excuse! My laptop at home is junk and I have started relying on my iPad, so typing anything over a couple of sentences has been on hold. I will try to play a little bit of catch up now.
Wow! I cannot explain how intense the past 8 weeks of our lives have been. I think I have been through every emotion there is and back again. Remy has certainly changed both Bryant & I. I know I speak for us both when I say that having our sweet little girl has shown us both a new kind of love neither of us could have ever imagined. I am going to back-track and post about the first two weeks of our new life...here we go!
Like I said in my last post, we left the hospital after just 24 hours...this turned out to be a bad idea. Future moms out there, enjoy your hospital stay! Our first night home was somewhat of a disaster that ended in me calling in my own mom for help. :) I don't think either of us will ever forget what the first night of being solely responsible for another human being was like. Terrifying.
I had prepared for everything...well, almost. I had always planned on breastfeeding, but knew there was the potential for needing formula, so I bought a little just in case. After leaving the hospital with the nurses reminding me 31,274,123,804 time that she NEEDED to eat EVERY 4 hours I tried to feed her...didn't work. I waited an hour and tried again. Still didn't work. Again, I tried another hour later, still not eating. Now begin first-time-mom panic attack. I freaked out, hearing the voices of each nurse telling me that she MUST EAT EVERY 4 HOURS! Another few hours later and still no eating I decided that it was time to bring in the troops...my mom. (Keep in mind that this was around midnight) 20 minutes later Grandma Berland arrived ready to help (i.e. calm a hysterical mama down.) My mom then assured me that Remy would not in fact starve to death if she didn't eat every four hours. :) Turned out to be great advice - the kid knows when she wants to eat... Nurses- 0, Grandma- 1!
The next morning we had to return to Hays for a check-up for Remy. Again I was assured by the pediatrician (who I love by the way) that it was completely normal for a brand new baby to be a little tired and not want to eat in the first few days. Damn nurses. We also found out that Remy had only lost around 5% of her birth weight, so we weren't doing so bad after all.
The next few days were a blur. Bryant had to return to work and I began my life as a stay-at-home-mama, albeit temporary. It didn't take long for the exhaustion to kick in or for us to realize that Remy did NOT like her crib. In fact, in the first few weeks she only liked to sleep if she was being held. Uh oh. This realization started a buying frenzy to find ANYTHING that Remy would sleep in...which turned out to be the Fisher Price Rock 'N Play Sleeper. That thing is magic people. Chalk up another point for Grandma!
I'm not going to sugar-coat it...the first two weeks were hard. I mean really hard. I was hit with a wall of hormones, exhaustion, and a fear of not knowing what I was doing. What did I get myself into!?!? I had an awful time trying to breastfeed and an even harder time trying to get a certain little girl to sleep without being held. There were many tears, but oddly enough, even more smiles! Hormones are a crazy thing.
After two weeks it was like a light turned on. Breastfeeding got easier. The Rock 'N Play Sleeper bought me a few hours of sleep. I learned how to eat with one hand (without dropping food all over my baby). I finally started leaving the house again. My body was healing from labor. It was wonderful! Not that I didn't enjoy being a mom in those first few weeks, but being more comfortable definitely made everything more enjoyable.
At Remy's 2 week check-up, we were again reassured that everything was going great.
She was gaining weight like a champ. We also learned that she "shrunk" a half inch. How you ask? Well you see, after 2 LONG HOURS of pushing, Remy had quite the cone head. Turns out her height measurement at birth was not very accurate. :) We also found out that she was not your typical newborn. Most newborns sleep around 18 hours a day in their first month. Remy on the other hand doesn't want to miss a thing and sleeps much less...like around 12 hours a day. On a good day.
Anyways, to wrap up a long blog...those first two weeks were a whirl-wind. Learning to be a mom is such an un-natural, natural thing. If that makes any sense. (Keep in mind that even though she is now almost 8 weeks old I am still completely exhausted and a little crazy!) I guess what I mean is that while many things come naturally, like love and breast milk...there are so many things that we had to learn in that first few weeks that didn't just "come to me" like I expected. Becoming a mom is the most challenging thing I have ever done in my life. Learning to care for a helpless newborn is quite the task, both emotionally and physically. I can hardly remember what life was like before...although I am sure it didn't involve text messaging about whether or not Remy pooped that day! :)
I am so in love with this little girl and feel like I spend most of my time trying to memorize her sweet face, as I know it will change again too quickly. Remy Cakes, you are the best thing we've ever done and we couldn't be more in love with you.
First-Time-Mama Love,
Remy's Mama
Wow! I cannot explain how intense the past 8 weeks of our lives have been. I think I have been through every emotion there is and back again. Remy has certainly changed both Bryant & I. I know I speak for us both when I say that having our sweet little girl has shown us both a new kind of love neither of us could have ever imagined. I am going to back-track and post about the first two weeks of our new life...here we go!
Like I said in my last post, we left the hospital after just 24 hours...this turned out to be a bad idea. Future moms out there, enjoy your hospital stay! Our first night home was somewhat of a disaster that ended in me calling in my own mom for help. :) I don't think either of us will ever forget what the first night of being solely responsible for another human being was like. Terrifying.
I had prepared for everything...well, almost. I had always planned on breastfeeding, but knew there was the potential for needing formula, so I bought a little just in case. After leaving the hospital with the nurses reminding me 31,274,123,804 time that she NEEDED to eat EVERY 4 hours I tried to feed her...didn't work. I waited an hour and tried again. Still didn't work. Again, I tried another hour later, still not eating. Now begin first-time-mom panic attack. I freaked out, hearing the voices of each nurse telling me that she MUST EAT EVERY 4 HOURS! Another few hours later and still no eating I decided that it was time to bring in the troops...my mom. (Keep in mind that this was around midnight) 20 minutes later Grandma Berland arrived ready to help (i.e. calm a hysterical mama down.) My mom then assured me that Remy would not in fact starve to death if she didn't eat every four hours. :) Turned out to be great advice - the kid knows when she wants to eat... Nurses- 0, Grandma- 1!
The next morning we had to return to Hays for a check-up for Remy. Again I was assured by the pediatrician (who I love by the way) that it was completely normal for a brand new baby to be a little tired and not want to eat in the first few days. Damn nurses. We also found out that Remy had only lost around 5% of her birth weight, so we weren't doing so bad after all.
The next few days were a blur. Bryant had to return to work and I began my life as a stay-at-home-mama, albeit temporary. It didn't take long for the exhaustion to kick in or for us to realize that Remy did NOT like her crib. In fact, in the first few weeks she only liked to sleep if she was being held. Uh oh. This realization started a buying frenzy to find ANYTHING that Remy would sleep in...which turned out to be the Fisher Price Rock 'N Play Sleeper. That thing is magic people. Chalk up another point for Grandma!
I'm not going to sugar-coat it...the first two weeks were hard. I mean really hard. I was hit with a wall of hormones, exhaustion, and a fear of not knowing what I was doing. What did I get myself into!?!? I had an awful time trying to breastfeed and an even harder time trying to get a certain little girl to sleep without being held. There were many tears, but oddly enough, even more smiles! Hormones are a crazy thing.
After two weeks it was like a light turned on. Breastfeeding got easier. The Rock 'N Play Sleeper bought me a few hours of sleep. I learned how to eat with one hand (without dropping food all over my baby). I finally started leaving the house again. My body was healing from labor. It was wonderful! Not that I didn't enjoy being a mom in those first few weeks, but being more comfortable definitely made everything more enjoyable.
At Remy's 2 week check-up, we were again reassured that everything was going great.
She was gaining weight like a champ. We also learned that she "shrunk" a half inch. How you ask? Well you see, after 2 LONG HOURS of pushing, Remy had quite the cone head. Turns out her height measurement at birth was not very accurate. :) We also found out that she was not your typical newborn. Most newborns sleep around 18 hours a day in their first month. Remy on the other hand doesn't want to miss a thing and sleeps much less...like around 12 hours a day. On a good day.
Anyways, to wrap up a long blog...those first two weeks were a whirl-wind. Learning to be a mom is such an un-natural, natural thing. If that makes any sense. (Keep in mind that even though she is now almost 8 weeks old I am still completely exhausted and a little crazy!) I guess what I mean is that while many things come naturally, like love and breast milk...there are so many things that we had to learn in that first few weeks that didn't just "come to me" like I expected. Becoming a mom is the most challenging thing I have ever done in my life. Learning to care for a helpless newborn is quite the task, both emotionally and physically. I can hardly remember what life was like before...although I am sure it didn't involve text messaging about whether or not Remy pooped that day! :)
I am so in love with this little girl and feel like I spend most of my time trying to memorize her sweet face, as I know it will change again too quickly. Remy Cakes, you are the best thing we've ever done and we couldn't be more in love with you.
First-Time-Mama Love,
Remy's Mama
Friday, May 18, 2012
Remy Elise Muir
Well, I promised that the next post would be announcing the details of our little girl's arrival, I just didn't expect that it would take me almost 3.5 weeks to get around to! Remy Elise Muir entered our lives at 1:56 PM on April 24, 2012 in Hays, Kansas. She weighed in at 7 pounds 3 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. I will start the story from the beginning and I apologize in advance for the length, but I don't want to forget anything! :) Bryant & I decided to stay in Hays the night before so that as we didn't have to wake up so early, since we had to be at the hospital at 6 AM the next morning to be induced. We went out to dinner at Gella's, which also happens to be where our wedding rehearsal dinner was. We enjoyed our last night out as a family of two. Our last night of not worrying about whether or not we packed the necessities in the diaper bag. Our last night of eating a dinner without a baby in our arms. (At least for awhile!) It was a great dinner. We talked about how lucky we have been in our lives and how excited we were that the next day we would finally become parents! After dinner we went to the hotel, laid in bed, and watched "Cocktails." I tried to sleep, but was far too nervous and excited to even close my eyes.
We headed to the hospital at 6AM on Tuesday and made ourselves comfortable. The nurses started me on Pitocin around 6:30AM - and in case you don't watch "16 and Pregnant," Pitocin is a drug that starts the labor process...mainly contractions. At first it was all fun & games and I finally was able to feel what a contraction was. However, it didn't take long for these mild contractions to get uncomfortable, to say the least... More on that topic later... :) At around 8:30AM Dr. Hodny came and broke my water. While it wasn't painful, it made the whole thing very real - because it meant that I would have to deliver this baby within the next 12-24 hours. For a few more hours we just sat around waiting for things to get going. Around 10AM I started hinting to the nurses that I would like an epidural soon. The nurses told me that it could take anywhere between 15 minutes and an hour to get the epidural once I asked for one, so I told them to go ahead and get the process started...just in case I was the one hour scenario. Well, it definitely took longer than an hour and during that time I went from a 4 to a 9 in about 30 minutes. Not only did I progress quickly, but my contractions were coming around every 45 seconds to a minute and they were intense! (A side effect of Pitocin.) Once the anesthesiologist showed up and got the epidural going it took the epidural awhile to catch up to me since I was progressing so fast. At around 12PM I was dilated to a 10 and was given the green light to start pushing.
For whatever reason, I thought that I would push hard a few times and we would have a baby...turns out I was wrong. I spent approximately 2 hours pushing (hard!) before I was finally able to see my sweet baby. Thank God the epidural kicked in during the pushing because after the horrible contractions, I didn't know if I would make it through the whole process without some help. The whole thing seemed to go by quickly and was far less dramatic than expected. Bryant was amazing during the entire process and I think we both stayed fairly calm for the most part. (I did have a slight freak out moment when they told me I was going to start pushing and my epidural hadn't started to kick in yet.) Bryant was so sweet and encouraging, even if he did eat McDonald's WHILE I was pushing! :)
The last few moments of pushing were filled with some crazy emotions. I was exhausted, ready to see and hold my baby, and also worrying about whether she was going to be healthy. In the last few pushes the nurses had me stop in order to wait for the doctor to arrive. "Stop pushing" is NOT what you want to hear during that time! Then, right before my last push Dr. Hodny had me stop yet again because the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck tightly. Scary! He quickly cut the cord and then apologized to Bryant since he would no longer have the opportunity to cut it himself. (Fortunately, I don't think Bryant had any plans on cutting the cord anyways!) :)
Finally, finally, FINALLY after what seemed likes years of waiting, our sweet baby arrived. She was absolutely perfect in every way and has the best set of lungs we've ever heard! The nurses cleaned her up and gave her to me to hold in my arms for the first time. There are no words to describe how that moment felt, so I'm not even going to try. Her little face was the most beautiful thing we had ever seen. After I held her, Bryant held her. I thought my heart might explode. There is nothing better than watching the love of my life hold the other love of my life. The next few hour were a whirlwind of nurses, paperwork, family, learning how to breastfeed and care for our new daughter, and taking picture after picture of the cutest baby in the world. We decided to go home after just 24 hours since I was feeling good and Remy was as healthy as could be. I will do another blog post soon on how we've been since bringing Remy home. Stay tuned! :) Love, Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly
We headed to the hospital at 6AM on Tuesday and made ourselves comfortable. The nurses started me on Pitocin around 6:30AM - and in case you don't watch "16 and Pregnant," Pitocin is a drug that starts the labor process...mainly contractions. At first it was all fun & games and I finally was able to feel what a contraction was. However, it didn't take long for these mild contractions to get uncomfortable, to say the least... More on that topic later... :) At around 8:30AM Dr. Hodny came and broke my water. While it wasn't painful, it made the whole thing very real - because it meant that I would have to deliver this baby within the next 12-24 hours. For a few more hours we just sat around waiting for things to get going. Around 10AM I started hinting to the nurses that I would like an epidural soon. The nurses told me that it could take anywhere between 15 minutes and an hour to get the epidural once I asked for one, so I told them to go ahead and get the process started...just in case I was the one hour scenario. Well, it definitely took longer than an hour and during that time I went from a 4 to a 9 in about 30 minutes. Not only did I progress quickly, but my contractions were coming around every 45 seconds to a minute and they were intense! (A side effect of Pitocin.) Once the anesthesiologist showed up and got the epidural going it took the epidural awhile to catch up to me since I was progressing so fast. At around 12PM I was dilated to a 10 and was given the green light to start pushing.
For whatever reason, I thought that I would push hard a few times and we would have a baby...turns out I was wrong. I spent approximately 2 hours pushing (hard!) before I was finally able to see my sweet baby. Thank God the epidural kicked in during the pushing because after the horrible contractions, I didn't know if I would make it through the whole process without some help. The whole thing seemed to go by quickly and was far less dramatic than expected. Bryant was amazing during the entire process and I think we both stayed fairly calm for the most part. (I did have a slight freak out moment when they told me I was going to start pushing and my epidural hadn't started to kick in yet.) Bryant was so sweet and encouraging, even if he did eat McDonald's WHILE I was pushing! :)
The last few moments of pushing were filled with some crazy emotions. I was exhausted, ready to see and hold my baby, and also worrying about whether she was going to be healthy. In the last few pushes the nurses had me stop in order to wait for the doctor to arrive. "Stop pushing" is NOT what you want to hear during that time! Then, right before my last push Dr. Hodny had me stop yet again because the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck tightly. Scary! He quickly cut the cord and then apologized to Bryant since he would no longer have the opportunity to cut it himself. (Fortunately, I don't think Bryant had any plans on cutting the cord anyways!) :)
Finally, finally, FINALLY after what seemed likes years of waiting, our sweet baby arrived. She was absolutely perfect in every way and has the best set of lungs we've ever heard! The nurses cleaned her up and gave her to me to hold in my arms for the first time. There are no words to describe how that moment felt, so I'm not even going to try. Her little face was the most beautiful thing we had ever seen. After I held her, Bryant held her. I thought my heart might explode. There is nothing better than watching the love of my life hold the other love of my life. The next few hour were a whirlwind of nurses, paperwork, family, learning how to breastfeed and care for our new daughter, and taking picture after picture of the cutest baby in the world. We decided to go home after just 24 hours since I was feeling good and Remy was as healthy as could be. I will do another blog post soon on how we've been since bringing Remy home. Stay tuned! :) Love, Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly
Friday, April 20, 2012
Due Date
Well...my due date is here and yet we still don't have an "outside" baby! I actually am a little surprised, I really thought I would go early...or at least I hoped I would.
At my appointment this past Tuesday, much to my disappointment, I was informed that I had not progressed any since the previous appointment. Dr. Hodny told me that until I am at firm "2" he would rather not schedule an induction. However, the next day I received a call from his office telling me that I am scheduled for an induction on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 6:00 A.M. I am getting more and more impatient by the day, and as long as Dr. Hodny thinks that it is safe to induce on Tuesday, I am all for it. Obviously I would prefer to have her naturally before then, but if I still don't have a baby by Tuesday, I'm not going to complain!
I think there are a few reasons that he has decided to induce me. The first reason being that there are concerns of her getting TOO big; the second being the possibility of depletion of amniotic fluid; but I think that the most likely reason is that Dr. Hodny will be going out of town from next Wednesday to the following Tuesday... While it is not a huge deal to me that Dr. Hodny is in fact the doctor that ultimately delivers Remy, it is preferable for obvious reasons. Although, it won't be the end of the world if Dr. Lloyd or Dr. Fort is the delivery doctor either. I would probably be more concerned if there had been any complications, but since everything has been so normal, I'm not too worried.
Over the past few nights I have had a few glimpses at contractions, but nothing that seems to be too painful and obviously none that have been productive. Every morning I wake up to a little disappointment that I made it through another night without going into labor...but we know that she'll be here soon enough. I seriously can't believe that she could literally be here at any moment and that she will likely be here within just a few days! Everything at home is ready for her and I know both Bryant & I are having trouble concentrating at work.
Our days (and possibly hours) as a family of two are numbered and we couldn't possibly be more excited! I think every conversation either of us have had in the past few weeks has been centered around when Remy will arrive. (And I mean EVERY conversation...between the two of us or with anyone that either of us runs into!) We cannot wait to see our Remy Cakes' beautiful little face and to hold her for the very first time. I can definitely say that Bryant & I have never looked forward to something so much in our lives. Remy, we have already loved you for months and can't wait to see how much more our hearts are capable of! :)
Unless I get really bored in the next few days I imagine my next post will be sharing the details of our little girl's arrival. Wish us luck! :)
Love & Contractions,
Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly
At my appointment this past Tuesday, much to my disappointment, I was informed that I had not progressed any since the previous appointment. Dr. Hodny told me that until I am at firm "2" he would rather not schedule an induction. However, the next day I received a call from his office telling me that I am scheduled for an induction on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 6:00 A.M. I am getting more and more impatient by the day, and as long as Dr. Hodny thinks that it is safe to induce on Tuesday, I am all for it. Obviously I would prefer to have her naturally before then, but if I still don't have a baby by Tuesday, I'm not going to complain!
I think there are a few reasons that he has decided to induce me. The first reason being that there are concerns of her getting TOO big; the second being the possibility of depletion of amniotic fluid; but I think that the most likely reason is that Dr. Hodny will be going out of town from next Wednesday to the following Tuesday... While it is not a huge deal to me that Dr. Hodny is in fact the doctor that ultimately delivers Remy, it is preferable for obvious reasons. Although, it won't be the end of the world if Dr. Lloyd or Dr. Fort is the delivery doctor either. I would probably be more concerned if there had been any complications, but since everything has been so normal, I'm not too worried.
Over the past few nights I have had a few glimpses at contractions, but nothing that seems to be too painful and obviously none that have been productive. Every morning I wake up to a little disappointment that I made it through another night without going into labor...but we know that she'll be here soon enough. I seriously can't believe that she could literally be here at any moment and that she will likely be here within just a few days! Everything at home is ready for her and I know both Bryant & I are having trouble concentrating at work.
Our days (and possibly hours) as a family of two are numbered and we couldn't possibly be more excited! I think every conversation either of us have had in the past few weeks has been centered around when Remy will arrive. (And I mean EVERY conversation...between the two of us or with anyone that either of us runs into!) We cannot wait to see our Remy Cakes' beautiful little face and to hold her for the very first time. I can definitely say that Bryant & I have never looked forward to something so much in our lives. Remy, we have already loved you for months and can't wait to see how much more our hearts are capable of! :)
Unless I get really bored in the next few days I imagine my next post will be sharing the details of our little girl's arrival. Wish us luck! :)
Love & Contractions,
Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly
Friday, April 13, 2012
One Week to Go!
So we're finally at 39 weeks...FINALLY! I was crazy busy last week so I missed my 38 week update, but I will try to fill you all in on what's been happening the past two weeks or so.
I had my 38 week check-up with Dr. Hodny and everything still looked great; I was even dilated (but only to a 1...) He said that from the looks of everything he wouldn't be surprised if I delivered right on or slightly after my due date. At that appointment we started discussing what our options are as far as getting induced. We decided that we would wait until I got closer and see how I was dilating, but he said that we would probably schedule an induction between week 40 and 41. That seemed (and still seems) FOREVER away. He also told me that he was impressed at how little I complained so far...he obviously hasn't been talking to Bryant! :)
The day after my 38 week check-up I had my very first jury trial. What an experience! I may have mentioned before that the case was only a misdemeanor, so not a huge deal - but either way it was great experience. We had a 6 person jury and went through the whole process. It made for a long morning and afternoon, but at the end of the day, I WON! :) That's right, I am undefeated! haha
Last weekend we celebrated Easter with both of our families. On Saturday night we went to Grandma Muir's and had a great dinner with lots of family. On Sunday we went to church and had lunch at my parent's house. My sister and her family were in town and we had alot of fun playing with Eli. I can't believe he is getting so big! I am so excited that next Easter Remy will be here and we will be able to start our own family traditions! Holiday traditions are one of the things I look most forward to once Remy gets here.
This week I had my 39 week appointment on Wednesday. Unfortunately I woke up that morning feeling sick so I stayed home for the morning and went to my appointment that afternoon. After waiting in the exam room for what felt like hours, Dr. Hodny finally came in and said everything looked great and that he would expect her to weigh around 7.5 lbs by the time she is born. Whew! I told him I wasn't feeling well and he suggested Benadryl...like that does anything. I was clearly in a bad mood at that point, and it didn't help matters that I was still only dilated to a 1...maybe a 2. We again talked about scheduling an induction, and he decided that we would wait until my next appointment to actually put anything on the calendar.
After I left the appointment my symptoms seemed to get worse. Thursday was awful - I worked in the morning and went home for the afternoon and did the same thing today, Friday. I think it's allergies, but really have no idea. I have never had problems with allergies before, but I guess that doesn't mean anything. I have been miserable and irritated, likely due to not sleeping whatsoever for the past several days. :( My eyes, throat, and nose itch and I can't breath out of my nose - not that I would have a chance anyways with how much I have been sneezing. I also started coughing non-stop today which hasn't helped anything. I am actually a little concerned that one of these times that I cough or sneeze I might accidentally deliver a baby! (That is my only attempt at being funny today.) Unfortunately Bryant was feeling pretty awful yesterday too - so we both spent the evening laying around, complaining, and blowing our noses. Luckily he felt much better today. Hopefully my turn is coming.
I have been so impatient about Remy getting here, but now that I'm sick I am hoping that she hangs out for a little bit longer so that I am healthy when she arrives. I can't imagine having to go through labor while feeling like this. Yuck. So from now until she gets here I plan on taking it as easy as possible...if that's possible! Please keep us in your thoughts and pray that we are all feeling better by the time Remy gets here and that everything goes smoothly.
Hopefully my next post will be an announcement that Remy has arrived! :)
Love and Sneezes,
Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly
I had my 38 week check-up with Dr. Hodny and everything still looked great; I was even dilated (but only to a 1...) He said that from the looks of everything he wouldn't be surprised if I delivered right on or slightly after my due date. At that appointment we started discussing what our options are as far as getting induced. We decided that we would wait until I got closer and see how I was dilating, but he said that we would probably schedule an induction between week 40 and 41. That seemed (and still seems) FOREVER away. He also told me that he was impressed at how little I complained so far...he obviously hasn't been talking to Bryant! :)
The day after my 38 week check-up I had my very first jury trial. What an experience! I may have mentioned before that the case was only a misdemeanor, so not a huge deal - but either way it was great experience. We had a 6 person jury and went through the whole process. It made for a long morning and afternoon, but at the end of the day, I WON! :) That's right, I am undefeated! haha
Last weekend we celebrated Easter with both of our families. On Saturday night we went to Grandma Muir's and had a great dinner with lots of family. On Sunday we went to church and had lunch at my parent's house. My sister and her family were in town and we had alot of fun playing with Eli. I can't believe he is getting so big! I am so excited that next Easter Remy will be here and we will be able to start our own family traditions! Holiday traditions are one of the things I look most forward to once Remy gets here.
This week I had my 39 week appointment on Wednesday. Unfortunately I woke up that morning feeling sick so I stayed home for the morning and went to my appointment that afternoon. After waiting in the exam room for what felt like hours, Dr. Hodny finally came in and said everything looked great and that he would expect her to weigh around 7.5 lbs by the time she is born. Whew! I told him I wasn't feeling well and he suggested Benadryl...like that does anything. I was clearly in a bad mood at that point, and it didn't help matters that I was still only dilated to a 1...maybe a 2. We again talked about scheduling an induction, and he decided that we would wait until my next appointment to actually put anything on the calendar.
After I left the appointment my symptoms seemed to get worse. Thursday was awful - I worked in the morning and went home for the afternoon and did the same thing today, Friday. I think it's allergies, but really have no idea. I have never had problems with allergies before, but I guess that doesn't mean anything. I have been miserable and irritated, likely due to not sleeping whatsoever for the past several days. :( My eyes, throat, and nose itch and I can't breath out of my nose - not that I would have a chance anyways with how much I have been sneezing. I also started coughing non-stop today which hasn't helped anything. I am actually a little concerned that one of these times that I cough or sneeze I might accidentally deliver a baby! (That is my only attempt at being funny today.) Unfortunately Bryant was feeling pretty awful yesterday too - so we both spent the evening laying around, complaining, and blowing our noses. Luckily he felt much better today. Hopefully my turn is coming.
I have been so impatient about Remy getting here, but now that I'm sick I am hoping that she hangs out for a little bit longer so that I am healthy when she arrives. I can't imagine having to go through labor while feeling like this. Yuck. So from now until she gets here I plan on taking it as easy as possible...if that's possible! Please keep us in your thoughts and pray that we are all feeling better by the time Remy gets here and that everything goes smoothly.
Hopefully my next post will be an announcement that Remy has arrived! :)
Love and Sneezes,
Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly
Friday, March 30, 2012
Full Term Baby!
At 37 weeks this little girl is considered full term! :) This means she has developed her most crucial functions. I really never thought this week would get here. While technically she is full term, it is probably better that she "cook" for a few more weeks, but if she were born right now there would likely be no issues (at least with regard to her development) and it would be considered safe. Whew! I know March of Dimes is doing a big push with how important it is to make it to at least 39 weeks because of brain development, but I guess at this point it's all up to her! Basically over the next few weeks she will just continue to get healthier and stronger.
Remy stats this week: She likely measures around 18.9 to 20.9 inches and weighs between 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. She is gaining about 1/2 ounce each day. What a minute??? 9.2 pounds!!! AHHHHHH! Please God don't be so cruel. Her food comparison is a watermelon this week, which sounds about right. :) At least it looks like I swallowed one. She still moves around all the time, although now it feels more like sliding than kicking. I really feel sorry for her and how cramped she must be. I have also noticed that she has been having hiccups more frequently. Poor girl! I really am going to miss feeling her move all the time once she is here...especially after I go back to work and don't have her with me all the time. :(
On Wednesday I had my check-up with Dr. Hodny. Again, everything looked as normal as can be and we are moving along schedule. I actually lost two pounds, which he didn't seem concerned about because my belly measured at 37 weeks - so I'm still getting bigger! (Seriously, I don't know how much bigger I can get!) My blood pressure is still great and her heart rate was 140, which is also great. I am not dilated and he thinks it will be awhile before she makes her debut. He also confirmed again that she is head down and ready to go. I will start going to weekly appointments from now on, so my next appointment is next Wednesday...the day before my first jury trial.
This week seemed to crawl by. Bryant & I have both been busy at work and now that it's light outside for longer, it seems like the days are never-ending. I love this time of year and all the sunshine, but right now I just want to get through as many days as quickly as possible!
I am still uncomfortable and getting more and more anxious by the day. I am trying to keep myself busy so I don't stare at the clock, but doing anything for too long just makes me exhausted. All of the books and websites say that I will start "nesting" soon, but I'm pretty sure I've been doing that since the moment I found out we were expecting. I am compulsively organized and clean most of the time anyways, so I don't feel like anything is different right now. I definitely am getting the "overheating" they talked about. While the weather has been great, I am hot. hot. hot. all the time! I know it's too early to turn on the A/C, but by the time I get home from work I can't get cooled down quick enough. I am also starting to get some swelling, mostly in my feet, ankles, and hands which is not enjoyable.
Here is the "bump" (and I use that term loosely) at 37 weeks!
Until next week,
Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly
Remy stats this week: She likely measures around 18.9 to 20.9 inches and weighs between 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. She is gaining about 1/2 ounce each day. What a minute??? 9.2 pounds!!! AHHHHHH! Please God don't be so cruel. Her food comparison is a watermelon this week, which sounds about right. :) At least it looks like I swallowed one. She still moves around all the time, although now it feels more like sliding than kicking. I really feel sorry for her and how cramped she must be. I have also noticed that she has been having hiccups more frequently. Poor girl! I really am going to miss feeling her move all the time once she is here...especially after I go back to work and don't have her with me all the time. :(
On Wednesday I had my check-up with Dr. Hodny. Again, everything looked as normal as can be and we are moving along schedule. I actually lost two pounds, which he didn't seem concerned about because my belly measured at 37 weeks - so I'm still getting bigger! (Seriously, I don't know how much bigger I can get!) My blood pressure is still great and her heart rate was 140, which is also great. I am not dilated and he thinks it will be awhile before she makes her debut. He also confirmed again that she is head down and ready to go. I will start going to weekly appointments from now on, so my next appointment is next Wednesday...the day before my first jury trial.
This week seemed to crawl by. Bryant & I have both been busy at work and now that it's light outside for longer, it seems like the days are never-ending. I love this time of year and all the sunshine, but right now I just want to get through as many days as quickly as possible!
I am still uncomfortable and getting more and more anxious by the day. I am trying to keep myself busy so I don't stare at the clock, but doing anything for too long just makes me exhausted. All of the books and websites say that I will start "nesting" soon, but I'm pretty sure I've been doing that since the moment I found out we were expecting. I am compulsively organized and clean most of the time anyways, so I don't feel like anything is different right now. I definitely am getting the "overheating" they talked about. While the weather has been great, I am hot. hot. hot. all the time! I know it's too early to turn on the A/C, but by the time I get home from work I can't get cooled down quick enough. I am also starting to get some swelling, mostly in my feet, ankles, and hands which is not enjoyable.
Here is the "bump" (and I use that term loosely) at 37 weeks!
Until next week,
Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
36 Weeks
Wow, I can't believe we are getting so close! At 36 weeks our baby is still in the 17.2 to 18.7 inch and 4.2 to 5.8 pound range and is continuing to gain weight. She's getting closer and closer to being able to breathe on her own, which is a relief! Her skin is getting smooth and soft and her gums are rigid. Her liver and kidneys are in working order, and circulation and immune systems are basically good to go, too. In just a few more days we will be considered "full-term" which makes me anxious and relieved at the same time.
I am feeling about the same: achy, exhausted, and impatient. I want her to stay inside as long as it takes for her to be healthy, but I am SO ready for her! I just can't wait to hold her and stare at her tiny little face. I am dying to see who/what she looks like and to have our very own baby that will call me "mama" and will look to me when she's sad/happy/scared/excited/etc. I know Bryant is just as excited and impatient as I am, but he's definitely not has whiny as I have been! :)
I've probably mentioned this before, but Remy's room is completely and totally ready to go! I am so glad that we did everything quickly and early - it has really made this pregnancy stress-free. I can't thank Bryant enough for helping me get everything ready without complaint (well, at least not MUCH complaint!) :) Bags are packed, car seat is installed, and I can't think of anything else left to do. KU is playing in the Final Four this weekend and Easter is next weekend. Hopefully since we are keeping busy the next 24 days or so will fly by! Bryant & I have both been busy at work which makes the days go by quicker. I have my first jury trial next week and am a little worried about what I will wear since I am getting pretty limited in my work wardrobe. After next week, work will slow down for me. As of right now I'm just trying to tie up any loose ends for when I go on maternity leave.
I have an appointment tomorrow and can't wait to hear if I'm showing any progress! Will keep you all updated! :)
Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly
I am feeling about the same: achy, exhausted, and impatient. I want her to stay inside as long as it takes for her to be healthy, but I am SO ready for her! I just can't wait to hold her and stare at her tiny little face. I am dying to see who/what she looks like and to have our very own baby that will call me "mama" and will look to me when she's sad/happy/scared/excited/etc. I know Bryant is just as excited and impatient as I am, but he's definitely not has whiny as I have been! :)
I've probably mentioned this before, but Remy's room is completely and totally ready to go! I am so glad that we did everything quickly and early - it has really made this pregnancy stress-free. I can't thank Bryant enough for helping me get everything ready without complaint (well, at least not MUCH complaint!) :) Bags are packed, car seat is installed, and I can't think of anything else left to do. KU is playing in the Final Four this weekend and Easter is next weekend. Hopefully since we are keeping busy the next 24 days or so will fly by! Bryant & I have both been busy at work which makes the days go by quicker. I have my first jury trial next week and am a little worried about what I will wear since I am getting pretty limited in my work wardrobe. After next week, work will slow down for me. As of right now I'm just trying to tie up any loose ends for when I go on maternity leave.
I have an appointment tomorrow and can't wait to hear if I'm showing any progress! Will keep you all updated! :)
Bryant, Danielle, Remy & Belly
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