Bethany's Birth

Bethany will be exactly 1 week old at 10:30pm tonight. I thought I'd share her birth story with you since it was at this very moment last week that I was in labor with her.

It was about 7:30pm. I was sitting on the couch watching the rockies when I started to feel kind of crampy. I had felt this before when they had checked how far I was dialated so didn't think much of it. About 10 minutes later the same feeling came over me again except this time it was stronger and longer. That's when it hit me that "these might be contractions!" I quickly gave Brad a text to let him know I thought I felt a contraction. He was at work and wouldn't get off till 11pm. The contractions kept getting stronger and longer as the hour progressed. I knew that this was the real thing now so I called Brad and told him he needed to come home. I had this feeling that we were going to have a baby before midnight.

By the time Brad got home I was pacing in circles and trying my best to keep it together. He called the midwife to inform her about how far I was along. When he got off the phone he said the midwife told me to take a bath. I looked at Brad like he was crazy and said, " I 'm not taking a bath! Take me to the midwifery place!" So we waited another 30 minutes which to me seemed like forever. The contractions were to0 strong to pace and I knew Bethany was almost here.

Brad packed up the car and called the midwife to let her know we were coming. That was a very painful car ride. Sitting is not a good position to be in when you are in the process of birthing a child.

We arrived at the midwifery center. I somehow got myself in the tub and about an hour later we were holding our precious baby girl! After about three hours of labor, Bethany was born at 10:30pm on September 10th, 2010. She weighed 8pounds, 6 oz. and was 20 inches long. We are both so happy to have our baby girl!

September 7th; Biophysical Profile

Yes, they made me go get one because I was 3 days past my due date. This procedure helps to ensure that Bethany was still alive(I knew that), responsive(I knew that too), and in a good environment. If they had detected any problems then they would have made us go to the hospital and induce. So, I spent an hour and a half having Bethany monitored. The ultrasound showed a very healthy baby surrounded by lots of amniotic fluid and a healthy placenta. They couldn't get a shot of her head because she is so low. They also confirmed that she is still a girl!

The next picture is the fetal heart monitor. She did just fine on this too. The reason why I'm showing you this is because I had 2 good contractions but never knew it! I wouldn't be surprised if I've been having contractions like this for the last week. I guess that's what happens when you don't know what to expect. The top line is Bethany's heart. It averaged about 140 beats per minute. The second line records contractions. As you can see I had a good one that lasted about 2 minutes. I guess that means she is ready to meet the family. It may just take another day or two. I have an appointment on Thursday so we'll see what they tell us.

Where Are You Baby?!

Today is supposed to Bethany's birthday! To all of you who guessed early; sorry, you lose! I went in for a checkup on Thursday and the Midwife said everything looked like a go (2-3 cm dilated) and she would not be surprised if I was back within 48hours. Well 48 hours has passed and I feel about the same as I did before I went in. Thanks lady. Way to get my hopes up! I haven't even started having contractions; or if I have they haven't been strong enough for me to notice. So, now we are just waiting around for something to happen. I have been trying to do what I normally do and Brad has been going to work as usual. We've got the entire family on alert and there has even been a rumor floating around at Whole Foods(Brad's work) that I have already had her! HA! So to all of you have put your lives on hold until Bethany arrives, I suggest you get back to living! I will not be convinced that she is coming until I'm on the way to the midwifery place. I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of Bethany on her due date. She is still happily tucked away in my belly and doesn't seem to excited to be anywhere else. Happy Due Date Bethany!

The Last Days of Childless Bliss

I know my title sounds like I'm am dreading the birth of our girl but I'm not! The last few days I've been thinking about how it won't be just me and Brad anymore. I know I'm trading up for something far better but I have loved the time that Brad and I have had together as just us. I don't think we would be able to have the kind of family we want if we hadn't spent time enjoying each other and learning how to be a married couple. Now we can start another part of our lives together with a strong relationship. We are both so excited to meet our baby and I think one of the reasons is that it will be another great memory to share and adventure to experience together. So let the childless days come to an end and bring on The Days of Child Filled Bliss!

Just some pics to keep it fun: Brad took me to Krispy Kream for fresh donuts! They were just what a pregnant couple needed! Yummy!

Those of you who have been pregnant understand how the last few weeks are. I have felt very large and slow. It seems that getting off the couch or out of bed has become a work out. This watermelon sized belly is really starting to cramp my style, yes I mean that literally. I have about 3 outfits that I can go out in public in that still fit, my legs are covered in stubble because I can't reach them and my toe nails have been sorely neglected because the thought of even trying to reach that far is painful!

Thus, I've been thinking about all of the things I can't wait to be able to do again after Bethany is born. I realize that some of these won't happen right away but I can still dream about them! Here are just a few:

Wearing jeans without elastic!
Drinking a nice glass of wine!
Walking up a flight of stairs without breaking a sweat.
Eating sushi!
Being able to stay in one position comfortably for more than 15 minutes.
Having a smaller waist size than my husband!

What Happened This Last Week

Here are the latest events of the week:
Saturday I took a quick trip to Colorado Springs to Say HI to all the Pikes Peak runners. They did great! Dad and I got to hang out with Maddy. You can see in this picture that Dad and Maddy had lots of fun together. Dad was laying down to take a quick nap but Maddy wanted to play!

Here are the first tomatoes from our garden! I can't wait to try them! We have a ton of green ones so maybe we'll get enough to make some salsa or pasta sauce!

This is me at 38 weeks. The Midwife at my last appointment said to expect to be pregnant till the middle of September. I already feel like popping so it's hard for me to imagine being pregnant for 3 more weeks. I think I've felt a few practice contractions(Braxton Hicks) the last two weeks so that is a little encouraging. To make this more fun I thought that all of you who wanted to could make your prediction on what date Bethany will arrive. Just post your prediction as a comment. Maybe one of you will be right and get all the bragging rights! My official prediction is Sept 7th!

Family Reunion and More

Here are a few things that happened at the family Reunion this year:

One of the great things about family is that they are so generous! Thank you to all who put together the baby shower and loaded Bethany up! This was just one of the many activities we all enjoyed at the reunion.
I think my favorite thing to do is to sit on the porch and talk. Here are the Skidmore girls and Chrissy chatting it up!

Dad and Uncle Paul seem to have a lot to say as well. ;)

David and Maddy getting to know each other.

Jennifer, Jan , and, Janet in the kitchen.

Grandma and her famous enchiladas!

Today Dexter Fowler (outfielder for the Rockies) came to the Sports Authority by our house so I went over and got a baseball signed! While I was in line a took this picture. He was very nice and seemed to be pretty normal. I don't know what I was expecting. Maybe more of a rock star attitude.... It was fun to get to meet a Rockies in person!

Here is the last bit of news. I'm starting week number 37 for this pregnancy. Wow! It's amazing how fast this whole thing has gone by. I'm so thankful that it has been an easy time. Brad and I are nesting like crazy right now. I feel like I still have a hundred things to do before Bethany arrives! Today is make dinners and freeze them day! Brad has cleaned and rearranged the house. Pets and furniture have been moved. I could give birth any day now but I have a feeling it won't be for another 2 or 3 weeks. Let's see if this first time Mom really knows anything about her body! HA!

Baby Shower and Home Improvement Project

This is our latest home improvement project! The siding on the sun room was not painted and so looked pretty ghetto. We decided to spruce it up a bit with some paint! Not bad huh? I tried to find a "before" photo but was unsuccessful. Those of you who know what it looked like before will get the WOW effect! Sorry to the rest of you. Trust me, it looks 100% better!

The other big event this week was the baby shower that my old coworkers gave me! Here is the cake. It was a really yummy carrot cake.

And these are some of the really nice ladies that I worked with at CLA. The blond on the far right(Donna Davis) was the one who hosted. They gave us lots of great stuff for Bethany. Thank you girls! You are the best!

The last big event for the week is that Tammy is moving in today! Brad and I are both excited to have her here and help her out any way we can!