Doctors, Doctors, Doctors!

It was a busy week for us! We had three doctor's appointments. On Tuesday, I went in for my OB checkup and it was great! In addition to already having lost almost all of my baby weight (5 pounds left!), the doctor said I was healing nicely and lifted the awful restrictions they had given me when I was discharged from the hospital. That means I can go up and down the stairs as much as I need to, I can walk as long as I feel comfortable, etc. So I'm still not able to hit the gym (I don't want to push my body!), I am definitely enjoying the afternoon walks and freedom to move around a bit more.



Wednesday we had Audrey's appointment with the orthopedic specialist. First, I really like the doctor so that is good. And when we told our pediatrician who the specialist was, she told us that she's one of the best in the area and that we are in good hands. :) Basically, the doc confirmed what the first ultrasound said - that her hips are simply loose in the socket. She felt around and said it doesn't feel like it is bad, but she ordered another ultrasound to be done next week to see how much progress has been made since the last one. She put Audrey back in the horrible harness for the time being, saying that she may not need it depending on what the ultrasound shows. Or, she might have to continue wearing it for a few weeks. Luckily, this one is a million times easier to use than the one we were given at the hospital. She does seem uncomfortable in it since she can't stretch her legs, but I guess that is the point. It won't be for long and it is better to get it done with now than have to deal with it in the future. The doctor said many times the hips will fix themselves without the harness, but it is better to be sure and use the harness.Then on Thursday we had Audrey's 2 week checkup! Two weeks already!?! We went to a different pediatrician this time because I didn't like the feel I got with the first one. WOW what a difference it was!!! This office is much more intimate, has a personal feel to it, warm, welcoming. It is definitely somewhere I feel comfortable taking Audrey. She now weighs 9 lbs 2 oz and is almost 21 inches long. Strong heart, strong lungs, good lookin' eyes and ears!! Great checkup!


In other news, I was browsing Craigslist.com on Wednesday just for fun and came across an ad for baby girl clothes. I contacted the lady and yesterday I drove to Alexandria and picked up a box of 320 pieces of clothing, sizes 0-12months, for $80!!! It is sooooo much stuff! It is mostly onesies and pants, but she had a bunch of other stuff too like dresses and skirts that I didn't even look at. I figured 320 pieces should last us. Some of it I will just resell or pass along to someone else because it is either too small already or it is the wrong season for her size. Still, you can't beat $80. I love finding good deals. :)



Today I put on my wrap for the first time. Cheryle bought this for Joy when Ian was born and Joy passed it along to me. I love it! Josh helped me get Audrey in there nice and snug and I was able to do laundry and eat my breakfast without having to worry about what she was doing. I think she liked it too because she was able to look around at everything while I was working. She fell asleep within 10 minutes too, so I guess it is comfortable.

Here is a picture of Grandma and baby A.

And here is a picture of Audrey on her TWO week birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Love you all! xoxo

Elizabeth, Joshua, and Audrey

Audrey Elizabeth Falcon

She is HERE!!! Our precious daughter arrived on September 23, 2010 at 12:07pm! She weighed (shockingly!) 8 pounds and 8 ounces, and was 19.5 inches long. She's a big girl!

We got up that day and did some last minute packing, cleaning, and other things that we wanted to finish before heading off to the hospital. We took some "pre-baby pictures" and one final baby bump picture. We were both anxious and nervous and so excited! We were giddy! Here is us right before heading in to the hospital...

We spent about 2 hours in triage while they pumped me full of fluids and monitored our vitals. Then around 11:30 we walked over to the operating room where Josh had to wait outside. I went in and got my epidural, which I hated. Once they split Josh and I up, I got really scared. I was right on the edge of crying the whole time until he finally came in, after they had made the first incision. Overall, I hated having a c-section and hope to never have one again, but I am so glad that Audrey got here safely and was healthy and happy.

Here is our very first family photo. It is my favorite of all the pictures we have...the smile Josh has in his eyes and peeking out from his mask...the way she smelled right then...the overwhelming emotions I had...it was all so perfect.
The hospital stay was actually pretty great. The Birthing Inn where we delivered was awesome - the nurses were so helpful, everyone was kind and patient with us, even the food was yummy! Here is the very proud Papa:Headed Home, Audrey's first car ride:

The first few days at home were a bit overwhelming, but so enjoyable. I was so emotional so even small things were setting me off into fits of crying. Not sad tears necessarily (though at times they were sad tears!) but also happy tears and frustration tears. The whole experience is so surreal, it was hard to control all of those emotions! I am feeling much better now though, and if I could just get out an enjoy this beautiful weather I'd be feeling fantastic! We might attempt to go on a walk today, but I'm not sure how long it will be. Standing for too long gets kind of painful. Audrey's first bath was...interesting. I was a mess. She was crying and was so upset from having to be undressed and that made me cry. I had to leave the room a couple of times. Funny story...I undressed her and undiapered her and wrapped her in a towel to take her from the bed to the bathroom and on the way there she pooped in my hand! Yay! That was my first experience with that. Then this morning I got up to change her dirty diaper and she pooped and peed all over the place while I was doing that. So I moved her to a towel on the bed and she pooped more there. So we moved to a towel on the floor and she peed AGAIN. I finally got another towel and got her all cleaned up before she could go again. Josh normally is the diaper changer but of course this one was mine.

Sweet sleeping baby...

I love laying with her...and staring at her...and feeding her...and touching her...and smelling her...

Daddy and Audrey having tummy time...
And here is baby Audrey on her ONE WEEK BIRTHDAY!!! With her little monkey friends.

So much more happened this week that I can't even begin to write it all. Every day is a blessing with her.

xoxo

Beth, Joshua, and Audrey

The big day...

We recently took some pictures with Lisa and they turned out really great. Here is one that I really like. Josh is talking in his goofy voice the baby. He does that a lot... So tomorrow we are going to meet our baby. Finally. As most know, we found out last Wednesday at my 39 week appointment that the baby is in the frank breech position, meaning his head and feet are up top at my ribs, and his little bum is down by my pelvis. It was devastating news for Joshua and I because our OB does not deliver breech babies naturally, only by C-Section. We knew all along during the pregnancy that we did not want a C-Section, and really wanted the most natural birth possible, so this came as quite a shock considering how much work we put into making sure our natural birth would happen. On Friday we went to the hospital and had an External Cephalic Version done, where the doctor actually tries to physically turn the baby, but it was unsuccessful. I went to the chiropractor for four visits to try and open up and align my pelvis to give the baby more room to turn, but that didn't seem to help. I contacted someone who does accupuncture and does a thing called moxibustion, which is known to help turn breech babies, but my insurance wouldn't cover it so that was out. I crawled around on all fours, laid upside down from the couch, leaned down the stairs head first, walked for miles, put ice packs on the baby's head and heat packs on his bum, put headphones playing Beethoven up to my pelvis to get the baby to move to the sound, and talked, begged, and pleaded with the little one to please turn around. But alas, he is stubborn. Disobedient already! I guess he's just comfortable. Maybe he wanted to be closer to my heart?



So that means that we are going in tomorrow, Thursday, September 23, 2010 to have our baby! We were sad for a few days but now we are just so excited to finally meet the little guy or girl that the worries and other things have faded away a bit. On Monday, we went to Sweetwater and had a really nice lunch out on the patio and chatted about the baby and what we think s/he'll look like and all that fun stuff. Here is a picture of our dessert...the server knew that we were having a baby in a few days and that we didn't know the sex, so he decorated the plate with a really cute question mark and a girl and a boy and some candles...It was so sweet and cute. And yes, the bread pudding was amazing.

It was a really great day...

Here is daddy toasting little baby Falcon....Cheers Baby!!!

Tonight we just took it easy. I made chili and we finished up some final things and watched a little bit of TV. Josh is playing his Madden and I'm blogging and we're getting ready for bed. I imagine a quiet night like this won't be seen again for some time!!! We welcome the change, though. It will teach us more patience and will give us even more perspective on life.

The Finished Nursery

Here are some pictures of the finished nursery:

I took down the closet doors and hung a sheet. It makes everything more accessible and I like how it looks. Baskets, and Blocks, and Books, OH MY!!! Up top you can see the ceramic photos my cousin Sarah made from a picture of our sonogram and a picture of Joshua and my hands on my belly. They look great, and they're homemade!! So creative!!

The crib...nothing on the walls yet though. Not to worry, it is on my list!

My glider. Mom is going to hang one of the quilts she made me up on the wall right behind the rocker there. I can't wait to see it hanging up.

So there you have it! We can't wait to welcome home Baby F very soon!!!

xoxo

Rolling...

The phrase, "I just rolled out of bed" has begun to take on a whole new meaning for me. I literally cannot get out of bed without rolling myself off the side. If Josh happens to wake up when I'm trying to get up, he'll give me a push so I can sit up, or if he's out of bed, he'll actually pull me up. Otherwise I'm stuck rolling. This also applies to the couch. I never imagined what it would be like to have absolutely no use of core/abdominal muscles, but now I know. And it is tough! I've been able to keep the swelling under control as long as I don't do too much during the day. Last night Joshua and I went with Lisa to the park where she did a little photo shoot for us (can't wait to see the pictures) and by the end of it my feet were already swelling. They are swollen today too. I don't like this part very much, I miss my skinny, pretty feet! Hopefully back to normal by tomorrow. I was back to feeling pretty energetic and like myself for a while there, then this morning exhaustion kicked in again. I woke up a lot last night trying to get comfortable (I hate sleeping on my side!!!!) and I realized part of the reason I couldn't fall asleep was because I couldn't really breathe. I guess maybe my lungs were being squeezed too much or something, so I piled up a bunch of pillows behind me and slept in an upright position the rest of the night. I woke up this morning not feeling very rested. We don't have anything planned for this evening, so I am looking forward to taking Dora on a walk and then resting the night away on the couch...calling Josh if I need anything, so I won't have to roll myself off the couch.

Also, I just got up to use the ladies' room (I'm at work) and wet myself a little on the walk over there. Lovely. At least I'm leaving work early today.

Tomorrow marks 37 weeks pregnant, and our baby will be full term! I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon and I'm looking forward to hearing that heartbeat and knowing that he's growing as he should be. :) Oh yeah, and now I think (I think that I think) that it's a boy. I honestly have no clue. Anyone want to make bets? Anyone care to guess what day the baby will be born?? I say boy, born on September 18. Random day, I know. I just looked down at the calendar, saw that my last day at work is the 17th, and picked the 18th. Yeah, I'll go with that. So two weeks and two days left of work. Yay! I am finding it harder and harder to sit in this chair all day long!!

I wish I could post pictures of my much bigger baby bump, but until I get my computer back, I can't. Hopefully by next week, though. We also bought a very pretty dining room table that I'd love to share with you all! I'll update as soon as the computer is back and I can upload my pictures.

xoxo
Elizabeth, Joshua, and JJ...or Audrey.

Five Weeks Away

I can't believe we are five weeks away from our due date! The last few weeks have just flown by. We haven't been doing much other than working, resting, and crossing things off the to-do list. Unfortunately, every time we cross something off, two more things get added! For the most part, we are ready. Sure, I'd like to clean out the closets, dust the baseboards, and sell some things on Craigslist, but I know the baby won't care much about those things so it isn't the end of the world if we don't get them all done before she's here. Josh is working this weekend on painting the ceiling in the living room and working on the trim - we finally got the hole in the ceiling fixed! Yay! One more thing done...

As I've said before, I've had a very easy pregnancy so far. No morning sickness, no real cravings, no complaints at all for the most part. That's probably why, when fatigue set in around 2 weeks ago, I felt completely off guard! Suddenly I was just entirely....physically....exhausted. Walking up or down the stairs left me out of breath. Typing at work made my arms tired. I actually walked out halfway through my class at the gym for the first time, because my legs and back were just too tired to keep me up!!! I felt like I was running a marathon every time I got up to go to the bathroom. Luckily, that has passed. For now anyways. Hopefully if it comes back it won't be as bad. I am very lucky to have such an understanding guy at home who cooks for me and lets me rest whenever I need to. :) Also, my ankles have become one with my feet. I went out to dinner right after work with some friends for Heather's birthday on Tuesday, and didn't get home until almost 10pm. I felt tired and uncomfortable and so I went straight to bed. The next day my feet were sore and felt funny, and my fingers were chubby! All day it seemed like my feet were getting bigger and bigger until I finally got home and laid down for a few hours. That helped. The swelling was gone in the morning, and then came back slightly last night. I think it is from just being sedentary all day, but I'm not sure. Tonight I am going to take Dora on a walk around the neighborhood, and try to get into a routine of doing that every night since I'm not exercising anymore. Hopefully it will help keep too much water retention and swelling from coming back.

I am going to weekly appointments now, my next one is on Wednesday. I can't wait! Not that they do anything special, but I just love getting checkups and hearing that everything looks and sounds good. Its reassuring. Throughout the whole pregnancy, Joshua and I have thought the baby is going to come early. I even dreamed once that I delivered the baby 11 weeks early. The other day, Josh looked at me and said very seriously, "The baby is coming soon". I said I know. I'm not sure why we both have this feeling, but we've probably jinxed it and now the baby will be 2 weeks past the due date. We're happy with it either way, although we both finally feel ready. Josh says he's nervous about the labor and delivery, that he won't know what to do to help me. I'm more nervous about actually bringing the baby home, that I won't know how to care for her or something. With all the preparation we've both done, neither of us should be scared of either of these things, but we are. I know we'll figure it out...people always have.

My last day at work is September 17th. Four more weeks! I am looking very forward to that. Not because I dislike working, but just because it has started to become uncomfortable to be sitting at a desk all day. I try to get up and take strolls around the office periodically, but it only helps for a little while. By the time 4pm rolls around, I can hardly even stand to be sitting anymore! Yesterday I was fidgeting and moving around for the last 2 hours I was here. I just need to be horizontal!! It feels best to lie down - the weight all out front is tough to carry! On a random note - I think it is a little rude for people I don't know to say "Wow, you're belly is huge!". I don't mind it from people I know at all. But from some random woman at a restaurant to tell me I'm gonna have a big baby because my belly is so big? I told her "no, actually my doctor thinks I'm going to have a small baby. You must not see a lot of pregnant women, do you?". I measured my waist this morning and I don't think it is that big. Maybe it just looks big on me because it is all out front. But whatever, that lady is rude. And I'm a little sensitive.

I will post pictures soon, but our computer is currently experiencing technical difficulties and so the pictures are inaccessible. Love you all! And Happy Monday!!!!!!!!

xoxo

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Our baby shower was two weekends ago, and all I can still think to say is THANK YOU!!!! We are so happy that we were able to celebrate with so many of our family and friends, and we were (and still are) overwhelmed by the generosity of everyone. It was such a fun and exciting day for us, and by the end of it all, we were exhausted! We are lucky to have a very big family, so the party was put together by a bunch of different people. My mom surprised me and flew in from Dallas on Wednesday so that she could be at the shower. It was such a nice surprise, and very unexpected. I love surprises and had no clue that she was even coming! She and Lisa (my stepmom) put together a beautiful diaper cake that will keep the baby clean and dry for a while.

Lexi also flew in from out of town and although it wasn't a surprise, it was still so great to spend time with her. My cousin Sarah and her family drove up from the Virginia Beach area, as did our good friends Kristie and Denie with their little girl, Sloan. We had my family from Maryland there too, and some of Josh's family that I hadn't met yet! It was so great to see everyone, and we are so appreciative that you all made the journey to spend the afternoon with us. We are so lucky and happy that our baby has such a loving and caring family and extended family to look forward to.

Cheryle worked very hard on the decorations for the party, and Maria put together some awesome party favor bags full of candy and goodies for everyone to take home. Luckily she packed me one too, or else I would have forgotten to save them!

Lisa made some delicious cupcakes and a cake for everyone to enjoy, and I think it is safe to say that everyone did indeed enjoy them!

Kristie and Denie made this awesome diaper cake, and filled a basket with lots of goodies - even a Daddy's Diaper Kit! This includes gloves, a mask, tongs, and a work belt. Josh had fun with that...

Here is a picture of the nursery once we were home. Lots and Lots of baby stuff!

Thanks to so many generous family and friends, our baby is set for quite a while!!! Thank you all for participating and I hope you had fun - we sure did!!!!