She's here!

Emmalyn Ann 7:34 a.m. February 4, 2012 9 lbs 12 oz 21 1/2 inches Birthmom was wonderful! Baby is perfect. The most amazing day of my life!

Another false alarm...

I thought for sure Tuesday we would not be running to the hospital for baby. I even made plans to attend a meeting and get things taken care of at school. Inevitably, in the middle of my last class, Birthmom's mom called, and I dismissed my class and excitedly called my husband as I ran back to class to drop off my books. In a panic, I told my friend what I needed done, and ran out the door to meet my husband who was nearly there. We tore off to the hospital, excited that our daughter was finally going to make her way into this world. As we ran into the hospital, I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief that I was finally going to be a mom! Birthmom was having pretty good, steady contractions for awhile. The doctor thought Birthmom might be in the very early stages of labor, but she was still dialated at 1 cm, and she suggested Birthmom walk the halls to help the labor progress. So, off we went...Birthmom waddling in the middle, her mom on one side, hubby on the other, and me bringing up the rear to catch her if she swayed backwards. Our hospital here in town really sucks because the maternity wing is small, so the hallways are short, but we did our rounds about 10 times before Birthmom needed to rest awhile. More good contractions followed, but after another check, Birthmom had not dialted any more. So, we waited and waited and waited and nothing. We asked the nurse about starting induction because this weas getting to be too much, and she actually said they don't induce after 11:00 a.m.! Are you fucking kidding me? To add to that, the next nurse said they don't induce after 10:00 a.m., so clearly no one really knows what is going on up there. The nurse came in to discharge us, but we all agreed that we wanted to speak to the doctor because Birthmom was in so much pain and was just ready to have this over with. Doctor was in surgery, so we waited an hour, and another nurse came in to try and discharge us again. We demanded, once again, to see the doctor and were honestly agitated that they kept trying to push us out of the room! Finally, the doctor came in and explained that induction was a bad idea at this stage, and that we just needed to wait it out and come in Wednesday for our regularly scheduled appointment.

Patience???

My patience has finally been exhausted. I don’t know what to do with myself. I’m wandering around the house looking for something to do, but I don’t want to do anything I see. There’s an afghan I started for Emmalyn that I should work on, but crocheting has always been a time for me to think, and I need to get my mind off all this waiting. So, here I sit, curled up on the couch, laptop in my lap, Pro Bowl on TV, puppies sleeping at my feet, and my head feels like it’s going to explode. Everyone says I should enjoy my last few days of “freedom.” What they don’t understand is that finally having my daughter here will free the mother in me who has been kept at bay for 10 years and only let out for students who needed motherly advice. Finally, truly, being a Mom will set me free. I am a crazy hurricane of emotion right now. I long to hold my daughter, kiss her chubby cheeks and whisper to her how much I love her. I cannot wait to read her bedtime stories, sing her lullabies and kiss her forehead before laying her down to sleep. Please God, let my daughter come soon!

Still waiting

Emmalyn is already a stubborn little stinker! Of course, we figured that out awhile ago, but she keeps proving us right! Here we are...still no baby. Everyone is waiting patiently (well, most of them are waiting impatiently). I get phone calls and text messages every other hour or so asking if Emmalyn has arrived. Even my students have confessed to stalking my Facebook page to see if our daughter has finally graced us with her presence. I was reading through all my posts the other day, and I laughed at the post I wrote in October that mentioned how little time we had to prepare for baby! Now, every day seems like a lifetime to wait until we hold our precious daughter in our arms for the first time. So, once again....Come on Emmalyn! There's a whole world waiting to meet you, most of all us!

Due date approaching...

Well, depending on who you ask, today was our due date the first time the doctor told us. The 31st was his second choice for the due date. Our calculations gave us the 29th for the due date. 75% effaced....dialated 1 cm....baby's head is very low... W a i t i n g F o r e v e r

Waiting patiently...so why not redecorate?

I can't decide if I'm patiently or impatiently awaiting Emmalyn's arrival. Somedays I feel at peace knowing she will be here soon...other days, she can't get here soon enough. Hubby and I noticed last night how much our house has changed in preparation for our daughter's arrival.

The nursery was once my home office which held a gigantic solid oak desk with hutch that weighed about 200 lbs. That desk now resides at Uncle Bill's house. The printer, desktop computer, and bookshelves have all found new homes as we transitioned to laptops only.

The dining room, once my craft room/office when I was sick of the office/open area just to sit and enjoy space/gathering room for friends who visit is now filled with baby accessories. My mom, always the bargain hunter, snagged a brand new infant swing, bouncy chair, high chair and pack-n-play at a discounted rate that would make my Goodwill Goddess friend scream. These items now grace our dining room along with the extra bouncy chair and pack-n-play for Mom's house.

The kitchen will soon have a few new items--a bottle steralizer, drying rack, baby water, formula cans, and a baby bath until she gets older. There's an empty shelf in the refrigerator waiting to hold pre-made bottles for those late night feedings.

Our bedroom has been rearranged to make room for the bassinet our daughter will sleep in for the first few weeks she comes home. I finally gave in and put my summer clothes away even though I suspect Spring temperatures will take over this winter haze again soon. To make room for the bassinet near me, I moved my bookshelf to the other side of the room, so I will no longer be able to toss my book there when I finish reading at night--although I don't know that I'll get much reading done.

I have rearranged, redecorated, cleaned, dusted, wiped down, vacuumed and done it again. My nesting instinct has kicked in full force, and even Hubby is wondering what is wrong with the usually less than domestic, career focused me.

In October, I marveled at how little time we had to prepare for baby. Now I anxiously await for my little stinker who has made my heart leap out of my chest with excitement, given me heart attacks galore, and filled my life with such joy, peace and love I cannot describe.

So, Emmalyn...your room is ready, the house is ready, and we are more than ready for you to make your entrance into this world. Please come soon!

Battling baby furniture

Tonight I was attempting to put together the pack-n-play my mom just bought me. This proved much more difficult than I could have possibly imagined! Not only did it take me nearly an hour to figure out how to get the darn thing up, I ended up cutting my hand! There's a 1-inch gash on my palm!

Later, after I cleaned and bandaged my hand, I was trying to pull the stand to our new swing apart, and I managed to pop myself in the chin. It's a little tender right now, and I hope there isn't a bruise in the morning!

Add these two glorious injuries to the fact that I couldn't get the cover off the bouncer to wash (hubby had to do it), and I've decided that I just can't win with baby furniture.

Score: Baby Furniture 3 Me 0