new pics

I'm doing this one-handed because Carly is only happy when she's being held.

cord fell off!


cute outfit #1


bath time


cute outfit #2

silly giraffe

cute outfit #3

Carly's story

Warning: There might be some details that modest company won't want to read. You know, because childbirth in general is pretty gross. Readers use your own discretion! :)

I went to my regular appointment at 7:15 thursday morning, and the doctor did the ultrasound and frowned on the fluid level. Then she checked my cervix and said I was "almost 5" and since I had both of those things going on she sent me over to L&D. I got checked in and into a gown and got the fetal monitors on and at 9:15 my doctor came by to check me and after only two hours of sitting in a bed doing nothing I was almost 6 cm. Obviously in labor! So she went ahead and broke my water right then and we got started. Contractions started slowly and felt like normal mentrual cramps for about two hours but since they were getting progressively stronger and longer I didn't have to have any pitocin (yay!). The contractions really never hurt that bad and I just laid on my side for most of the time and breathed through them. It definitely helped that I had my pillow from home to snuggle into. My back started hurting so at 12:30 my nurse made me stand up on the side of the bed for 10 minutes in case the baby was turned funny and putting pressure on my back. I only made it 7 minutes standing (my Grandma was watching the clock) before my contractions started hurting really bad so I got back into bed and called for drugs for the first time. My doctor was right out in the hall, so she came in and checked me and I was about 7.5 cm, and said they would get me some Stadol. I get a little confused right here with the time because as soon as the doctor walked out of the room I felt like pushing, but I thought I was only 7.5 cm so I was YELLING for medicine as the urge was unbearable. I think I went from 7.5 to complete in about two minutes and so the nurses and doc came back in to see why I was so irate and saw the baby crowning! So intead of bringing me medicine they said, PUSH!!, so I did. (Little did they know, before they came back in I had already pushed twice. I couldn't help it!) Two pushes, and the head was out, one more, and Carly was here!

I did it completely naturally and I can't even believe it. I totally planned on having some IV meds but my pain never got bad enough until it was too late. I wouldn't change the way it went for anything though. I feel great! Carly is a perfectly healthy baby, she even got a 9 and 10 on her APGARs. The nurses said they are usually very stingy with the 10s. She is nursing really well and is just beautiful. She really looks JUST like Caleb did as a newborn, so much that the only way we can tell the pictures apart is because the nurses put a purple bow on her head. Whe Caleb came and met his sister he just loved her. He poked at her and kissed her and said, "baby" a few times. It was very sweet.

Birth Announcement!

Carly Hope Rice
born Thursday, January 10th, 2008
at 1:12 pm
6 lbs, 13 oz.
19.25 inches

more pics and details to come!

Some new pics of Caleb

Here are a few pics of Caleb before he becomes a big brother. Playing outside yesterday when it was nearly 80 degrees!

Nope

No baby yet. I can't believe it! There was NO change at all since my last appointment, which surprised myself, my doctor, and all the nurses in the office. I have another appointment Thursday morning at 7:15, and the doc said if there is ANY change by then she'll let me go over and have a baby right then. She even told me not to eat breakfast that morning so I can be all ready if I go. If that had happened today I would have said 1000% yes, but now I'm not sure I want to go on Thursday because that would mean I would miss my shower (Friday night) and they would have to call everyone and reschedule. I would hate the girls throwing it to have to do that.

Maybe she will come out on her between now and then and save the stress.

Sunday

The girls at church were surprised to see me today, walking upright, haha. We walked down to the park, then walked back. Now I'm having constant contractions (false labor ones). When I stand up I contract constantly, like one looooong plateau. When I sit it's more regular, with peaks and valleys. STILL doesn't hurt at all. Every now and then it puts pressure on my lungs and diapraghm making it hard to breathe, but other than that, nothing!

At tomorrow's appointment I expect (and hope!) the doctor sends me to L&D to have a baby. I'll be disappointed if I come home afterward.

Caleb's post op surgery appointment

I can't believe I forgot to tell about this. Last Monday (Dec 31) we went back to the opthamologist for Caleb's post op checkup for his eye surgery. all the doc was going to do was check the stint/tube and make sure it was all there and in the right place. So he comes in and looks in his eye (while Greg is once again manhandling him to keep him from whacking the doctor in the face) , takes a good long look, checks his chart again, and says, "I don't see that thing in there at all." ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!????!!!!!! Apparently it fell out, or was pulled out. It's probably in our vacuum! The thing looked like a piece of fishing line so we would never have seen it lying on the floor. The good thing about it is that since all of his goopy eye symptoms have disappeared, the surgery worked. The doctor thinks that since the tear duct hasn't clogged back up it probably won't. We'll see!

So obviously the removal appointment can be cancelled!

Saturdays are for walking

So that's what we're going to do today! Grapevine Mills here we come!

Last night I thought my pelvis cracked in two pieces. Ouch! Today I can tell why that happened... so I can waddle like a huge preggo!

Caleb is currently throwing a fit about lunch. He doesn't want to eat lunch. This is a first! So I guess he'll go take his nap without eating lunch first. Whatever floats his two-year-old boat!

more baby update

Today was my 37 week appointment that ended up being a very LOOOOONG appointment. Everything with the placenta and fluid are the same (a good thing) but I am making more progress in other areas that made the doctor wonder if I was actually in labor today. I knew I wasn't but I have a lot of contractions so she wanted to see just how strong they are, so she sent me over the Labor and Delivery to be monitored. I stayed there for a good three hours before getting sent home, NOT in labor like I knew I wasn't. While I was hooked up to the monitor I got to see the crazy looking false labor contractions on the screen and they look pretty intense and crazy strong but don't hurt much. At one point the nurse came in and said, "you can feel that right? You just had a really long contraction that lasted like 5 minutes! I think you are labor." I laughed and told her yes I felt it but I get those all the time and am not in labor yet. Sure enough, the doctor came by and checked -- NOT in labor.

So just so we're clear - NOT in labor -- yet! But 4 cm is something....

My next appointment in Monday, but I'm hoping I won't need to keep it.. Doc seems to think I'll go this weekend but she also said that last week. Who honestly knows?