Emersyn's Got Skills

Seriously, she did this all by herself while she was sleeping... No idea how she did it.

Just Like Daddy

This is Emersyn's favorite way to sleep. She generally sleeps on her back, but if she can get into this position she likes it much better... just like her Daddy, right down to the one arm tucked tightly under her head and the other somewhere near her face!!

Our snapfish album is updated too. The hospital picture is the "default" picture for the album, but it's actually kind of in the middle... the other new pictures are at the end. I really just can't stop taking pictures of Emersyn!!! :)http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1731998009/a=77264276_77264276/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

One Week Check Up

Even though we went to the doctor's on Monday, Emersyn had an appointment today for her one week check up. Basically it was just to see if she's gaining weight and to do another PKU foot prick... We just saw the nurse practitioner this time, but she told us that Emersyn is "just the perfect little girl"!! That makes 2 medical professionals who say the same thing we do!! LOL!!

Seriously though, we are really lucky. Emersyn is gaining weight like a champ - she's up to 6 lbs 11 ozs, 5 ozs more than she was on Monday after loosing some of the intial birth weight. They're really happy with her eating habits too; we even have the ok to increase her feedings to 3 ozs now. Even though it's still really early, Emersyn is measuring in the 25% for weight and 75% for height... something that she definitely doesn't get from either of us! We also found out that her original PKU from the hospital came back normal, and they expect this one to do the same. Since she's gaining weight so well and is almost back to her birth weight, we don't have to go back until Emersyn's one month check up on 15 September!!

But don't worry, I'll have plenty of updates and pictures between now and then!! I just can't stop watching her and all Chris and I want to do is hold her and kiss her and love her aaaallllll day long... I have to limit myself from taking pictures constantly since every little scrunch of the nose and eyebrow raise is just so adorable!

Oh, we have learned already that Emersyn sleeps just like Daddy --- on her side, arm up under her head, other arm tucked under her chin, and sound as a rock!! Plus the puppies think she belongs to them. They're really great with her when one of us is holding Emersyn, but they're not so sure about my mom being here and near the baby! Both, Cuya and Dobie, just watch my mom and keep looking at me to make sure it's ok. It's pretty cute, but kind of annoying for my mom... Still, that's one of the main reasons we got Boxers above any other breed - they're love and protectiveness of children.

Anyway, that's it for now. Check back often for more pictures and updates as our amazing daughter grows every day and does even cuter stuff!! LOL!!

This Time Last Week...

This time, exactly one week ago, I was 6 hours into my first hospital stay... This time last week, I was hooked up to all kinds of dripping, beeping, sensor-ing, numbing equipment... This time last week, I was about 12 hours into full on labor... This time last week, I was about 6 hours away from meeting our little miracle... This time last week, Emersyn arrived!!!

At Emersyn's 2 am feeding this morning, it dawned on me that it was Wednesday. Emersyn is already one week old... During the 6 am feeding, Chris was up and he agreed - how is she a week old?!?! On one hand, it seems like we've always had her, like she's always been a part of our life, like there was nothing before her. On the other hand, it seems like she just arrived, like we just met her, like we're seeing her for the first time. All at once, it feels like an overwhelming combination of it-feels-like-so-much-longer and it-feels-like-no-time-has-passed-at-all...

I guess this is one of those lessons of parenthood that you just don't understand. None the less, our gorgeous gift has reached the one week mark.

I wanted to steal the Townley's idea and take a picture of Emersyn next to something that could always be like a measuring stick; they use Anna's bunny, and I thought of using Emersyn's bear and doing it in her crib too... But I didn't think about it and so I'll just copy them for the monthly pictures! For now, you just get normal pictures with no means to determine her size. Just trust me when I say that she's still just a tiny, little thing!!

First Days & Doctor Appointment

Well, it's official - we seriously have the best baby ever!! These first few days have just been wonderful. Emersyn eats great, sleeps amazingly well, and is just so happy and content all the time. I know it's only been a few days, but she's already got a pretty good schedule going and even the puppies are cooperating with it!! Chris and I both keep saying it, but we really are just flat out lucky and blessed with this miracle of a daughter!!
Emersyn is eating about every 4 hours and we usually have to wake her up to eat. Her appetite is steadily increasing and she's keeping everything down. Even her diapers are relatively regular and becoming more regular already. This girl really only fusses when you change her poop diapers or she's got an extra burp, and even then, it's hardly anything at all... I'm sure we're jinxing ourselves since we keep bragging about how great she is, but we just can't help it!!

Today was her first doctor's visit, her "wellness check". No vaccinations or pricks or anything today, but she was so happy and easy going that Dr.Hill said (and I qoute) she "is the best baby today" and is "just perfect"!! You know that made me happy since now I have medical evidence that Emersyn really is perfect!! LOL! Seriously though, Dr.Hill was very impressed with how her head is shaping and all that, especially since they had to use the vaccum during delivery. She was also very happy with Emersyn's eating and has given us the ok to let her eat her fill up to 60 ml/2 ozs! The doctor was also surprised that Emersyn lost a little weight, but was happy about it since it's so normal... Today, she weighed in at 6 lbs 6.12 ozs - a little under the 13 ozs she was at birth.

So that's all the updates for now... I've added more pictures to snapfish. Eventually I'll adjust the albums, but for now I'm just loading everything into one. And we go back for her second Hep B "prick" on Thursday, then not again until she's 1 month old. You know I'll have tons of pictures and stuff though, so keep checking for updates!!

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1731998009/a=77264276_77264276/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
Oh, and I'm doing really good too. I feel better than I have in months, loving being Emersyn's mother, and couldn't be happier! Chris is still on cloud nine about his daughter... I swear his feet haven't touched the ground since about 3am Wednesday, they just keep getting further up in the air! Thank you all soooo much for checking in on us and everything.

She's Here!!!!

Emersyn Dorothy
Arrived 12 August 2009 at 2059
Measured 19.6 inches long, 6 lbs and 13 ozs

Ok so... Tuesday night I started feeling some cramping in my lower back. It wasn't really much in the ab area (and I use that term loosely), but I just figured it was from being a little dehydrated because it's been so hot lately. Before bed, Chris rubbed my back and that relieved some of the cramping. I woke up a couple times throughout the night but wasn't sure if it was the cramping waking me up or the overwhelming urge to pee! I kind of noticed the cramping was getting a little stronger, but also thought it probably because I was sleeping and not moving much...

Around 3:00 I got up again and (TMI) had some blood... I immediately woke Chris up and called the doctor. Since Wednesday was Emersyn's due date, 40 weeks to the day, you would think that "I'm in labor" would have crossed my mind but I just felt worried that I shouldn't be bleeding or cramping. Of course the doctor said the obvious and we immediately started timing the cramping.

The first handful of contractions were about 10 minutes apart, but then they jumped to 8 minutes and stayed there for a few hours. When they suddenly intensified drastically and went to 6 minutes, we called the doctor again and said we're coming in... Between the morning rush hour traffic and the worry that we might jump quick again, we just wanted to be at the hospital.

We got to the hospital (in record time) around 9-ish and, after a quick triage check where they announced I was at 3 cm, were taken to our room where our daughter would finally arrive!!

After a couple hours the (wonderful) nurses gave me that stat-stuff to take the edge off the contractions and Chris started bringing me popcicles... I steadily progressed to 6 cms and the doctor was really happy with the way things were going. Time was a complete blur to me, but sometime after my parents got there the real fun began.

In no time at all, I was ready for the epidoral. I have to tell you, that this whole process of getting an epidoral and having an epidoral is the strangest feeling... But anyway, it wasn't too long after that when I asked to be checked again because I started feeling so much pressure. The doctor had been in a few hours prior and I was still around 6, but he agreed to check anyway. He was a little surprised to find that I was at "a solid 9 with a contraction" and told me he'd be back in about an hour for me to start pushing...

It ended up being a little less than that because the urge to push was so strong, but I had to wait since the nurses were changing shifts... Shannon, the first nurse, was a little disappointed that she was with us all day and was just barely missing "the best part". Our new nurse, Heather, was really wonderful though. So finally they said I reached 10 and I could start pushing!!

I'll spare you all the details - not just because that's pretty gross, but also because it's kind of a blur to me... Less than an hour and half later, we finally got to meet our daughter. Emersyn had arrived!!

The short of it (in the midst of this novel) is that Emersyn was facing the wrong way - looking towards my belly instead of down, towards my back like she "should have been". That's why I was feeling so much pain in my back as opposed to in the ab area. Because of this, the pushing part is much harder and almost always ends with a c-section; she's a great little listener though, and came out with just a little help from the vaccum. Since she was trying so hard to turn over and I was "pushing so good", the doctor decided to try one more push using the vaccum and called the NICU to come in... What a great feeling that is! That was the worst feeling out of the whole damn labor, hearing him tell the nurse to get the NICU here and ready... It was just precaution, but I only had to push 2 more times (both with the vaccum) to get her out!!

They held Emersyn up and then got her all checked out. Towards the end, because she was working so hard to roll over like they wanted, her heart rate started to escalate to around 200 and that's why they wanted to bring in some assistance. They didn't tell me until after Emersyn was given a clean bill of health and was handed over to me, that they were almost ready for me to have a c-section. I just told them that my daughter is a wonderful baby and did exactly what I asked her to do --- come on her own so we didn't have to be induced, come vaginally so it's better for both of us recovering, and be healthy!!

So, techinically it was about 25 hours of labor total...

Now our perfect little miracle is starting to stir again, so I'll send more updates and pictures later!! Here's the snapfish link for the first batch ::
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1731998009/a=77264276_77264276/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Thank you all so much again for all the congrats, well wishes, prayers, thoughts... everything!! We are genuinely so grateful to have the greatest family and friends!! :)

Day 2 With 2 Pills...

Well the steriods definitely seemed to have helped the PUPPS!! :) Yay!! The only thing is, now that I'm on the second day of only taking 2 pills, I'm getting itchy again... Saturday, I was actually able to take a shower (as opposed to a bath) and I could even use the lofa thingy! It was great!! I had a little bit of burning on my ankles, but I think that was the shampoo and soap just getting where the PUPPS was still a little more raw. Sunday, I was starting to get a little itchy on my ankles, but figured it might have just been how I slept or whatever... But it didn't really go away. I was still able to sleep last night though - thank God! Yet today I was a little more itchy again. The PUPPS don't seem to be spreading and are much more calm looking, but I really hope that the decrease of steriods yesterday and today hasn't opened the door for the PUPPS to start increasing back to normal. We'll just have to wait and see...

Although we're keeping our fingers crossed and praying desparately that Emersyn comes before then, we have an appointment on Wednesday (our due date) to re-evaluate my progress and the progress of the PUPPS. I'm still pretty sure that we're going to have to be induced, and that Wednesday we'll just find out when it's going to happen - or get a better general idea of about when it's going to happen - so we'll have more updates for you then! :)

Steriods So Far...

It's day 2 of the steriod shocking... Yesterday I took the first pill at work in the morning and it made me soooo tired I could barely keep my eyes open; plus it gave me that nauseous feeling and taste in the back of my throat. I was still super itchy, but I didn't really expect miracles. I got home after a half day and took the second pill. This one just made me feel sick and itchy... I took the third one after dinner and itched like crazy forever! It didn't burn or sting nearly as much as it normally does if I accidently touch it, but the steriods certainly made it difficult to sleep. I think I fell asleep sometime after midnight and I continued to wake up itching. Still it didn't burn or sting like before, so I have to say that this is still some sort of improvment.

Today I took my first pill with breakfast and I checked out the rash - or what I can actually see, anyways. It's still there and still strong, but it definitely doesn't look as angry as it did before... I can still feel it on my back and along the top of where my pants are, so I'm not sure if it's still spreading. My toes are starting to show signs of the rash and so are the palms of my hands (the backs of my hands and the tops and sides of my feet have been showing the rash for a couple days now), but they aren't really itching too much. I don't know if that means the PUPPS has spread there but the steriods put a hault to it or not. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

The good thing is that I can actually see some sort of slight difference and not in a worse-off way! Hopefully today's full dosage of steriods does the trick and the PUPPS doesn't start making it's way back to what it was when I drop the pills from 3 to 2 tomorrow and Monday... Fingers crossed, we won't see the doctor before our appointment on the 12th (Wednesday) unless, by some miracle and twist of fate, Emersyn finally decides to grace us with her presence!

39 1/2 Weeks...

Well we had our check up today... The good news is that Emersyn is doing great. Her heartbeat is perfect and she responds well. The other news is, well, it could be better...

Firstly, I have really no change since last week. I'm still about 80% effaced and "about a fingertip", but he said "it's close enough to call it 1 cm". Basically no progress.

Then, the PUPPS has increased which it's not supposed to do since I'm taking the steriods. My stomach looks great as far as the PUPPS is concerned, but it's spread down my arms and my legs and is starting to move around to my back and shoulders... The steriods aren't supposed to make the rash go away, but they are supposed to make the rash stop where it is and lessen in intensity. Not only has my PUPPS spread, my legs are looking worse than my stomach ever did...

My swelling is at a whole new high too. There's still nothing to be concerned about since they can't find any toxins "leaking out" and my blood pressure is good, but the swelling in my feet and ankles make it extremely difficult to walk because even my toes won't bend due to the swelling. The PUPPS are so bad that it's actually in the swollen 'cracks' of my ankles too, so the little bit that I can bend just makes the rash feel worse because it's folded in on top of each other... and, did I mention that I can't put my feet up to help with the swelling and discomfort because the PUPPS is so bad on my legs and ankles, I can't let them touch anything?!?!

The doctor said that if I was "in a more favorable position" he would schedule me to induced within the next couple days because of the PUPPS. However, since I'm not progressed and all, I have to up my steriods in an attempt to shock my system and have some effect on the PUPPS. According to the doctor, if we were 2 or 3 weeks out of our due date, we could do a 70 mg "shock", but with me being so close it's now more about trying to just get me through the next few days. So, instead of taking one 5 mg pill a day, I will take one pill 3 times a day Friday and Saturday, one pill twice a day on Sunday and Monday, and then go back to just once a day Tuesday and Wednesday... If nothing changes or if the PUPPS get worse this weekend, I have to call and come back in so that the situation can be re-evaluated and we can talk about when we're going to induce. If the PUPPS lessen like they're supposed too, I'll just come back in on Wednesday (our due date) so that we can discuss what to do next and/or when we're going to be induced based on my progress and the PUPPS. Pretty much, I'm getting induced and it's just a matter of how soon based on this stupid rash.

I'm honestly kind of bummed about the whole situation - not having progressed at all, the PUPPS being worse, pretty much a definite that I'm going to have to be induced... I mean, I'm soooo happy that Emersyn is good and there are so many things that could be a million times worse, but I don't want to be induced and I don't want to up my steriods! I know that the doctors wouldn't give me something that could hurt Emersyn, yet I still don't like the idea of pumping any sort of drug into my unborn daughter. I didn't quit smoking for nothing! And then there's all the complication increases that come with being induced... The much higher chance of needing a c-section, of the baby getting stressed, of me getting stressed; the increased amount of drugs that will have to be pumped into me; the longer (initial) recovery because of the drugs - which, might I add, will already be a little longer for me because I'll have to have an additional thing to take me off the steriods...

I'm sure once it all sinks in and I have time to process the news, it won't be so hard to handle. Chris is really supportive and just so amazing. (I honestly don't know how any woman makes it through pregnancy without a Chris!!) It's just that this isn't really the news we thought we would hear, and I guess it never really crossed my mind that induction was a possiblity for me... then again, the way Emersyn grew (and myself with this belly), I don't think very many of us thought we'd make it into August without meeting her!

Anyways, that's the update for now. We'll definitely let everyone know if there's any changes and keep everyone updated. Here's the (icky and huge) belly pictures for the week... Oh, and please don't take it personally if you call or text tonight and I don't respond; I'm not really up for talking to anyone right now and just kind of need to process everything. :)

PUPPS

So the doctor calls me back last night and says to take 25 mg of Benadryl orally since I've never had a problem with that before, and then if nothing happens come in to the office today... Of course, despite not being that keen on the idea of oral Benadryl because it knocks me out so hard and I don't want to do that to Emersyn, I take the stupid pill. Oh what a great night was had by all!! The itching and burning and stinging of my rash increased greatly, the sensitivity intensified drastically, and the stupid rash spread like wildfire during a 6 month drought. The size of the bumps grew, the area around the bumps became a purplish color with whitish spots, and every single breath I took seemed to make my stomach move feet in and out... I don't think I've ever cried so much in my life, much less just from a physical discomfort!

Natually, first thing this morning (when they opened up since I was already awake) I called the doctor's. They were able to get me an appointment at 11:15... After talking to two of the doctors already, we knew that because Emersyn was still normally active, the rash wasn't a huge concern outside of my discomfort, but I was ready to high-tail it into the emergency room for some kind of relief! I make the neccessary phone calls to work, Chris and my mom and then just wait...

It seemed like a million, burning hours but finally Chris got home and we went to our appointment. The verdict is, I have PUPPS. Apparently this highly common, but rarely talked about "thing" is just another side effact of pregnancy hormones and the only way to get rid of it is to have the baby. So basically it's just like every other pregnancy related issue :: sciatic nerve pain - have the baby; ugly, horrible rash - have the baby; extreme swelling - have the baby; heartburn, nausea, hemorhoids - have the baby!! Now I get to take steroids once a day until I deliver to help with the pains of PUPPS, but it won't actually make the rash go away. And I just have to say that I really think it's utterly mean to name something like this "PUPPS"! I know it's actually short for some huge technical name, but I think should find another name for it that implies what it really is - like, SUX or CRAP or HELL...

Oh joy, I get to be the size of a house, waddle like a Fisher Price toy, swell up like a waterballon, pee like I'm 90 years old, and now look like I have some sort of mutant spawn of heat rash and pimples all over my skin... This little girl seriously needs to come out!!!!

Our next appointment is on Thursday, the 6th but it seems that everyone thinks I'll go into labor at the full moon in the middle of the night between the 5th and the 6th, so I won't need it. I can only hope they're right!!! :)

Benadryl Hell

So the stupid, horrible, ugly rash has actually spread drastically... the only change is that we used the Benadryl spray!! I thought maybe it was just my imagination, but no. I've taken 2 showers, got in the fricking pool (yeah, that's how bad it is) and stopped using anything that I didn't use 2 weeks ago; still, the rash spreads and hurts worse. This is crap!!!!! It literally feels like a wildfire spreading if my clothes move over a part of it... and despite everything, it's still spreading to the backs of my hands and the tops of feet. Lovely and oh-so-pleasant as this rash is, we have a call in to the doctor to find out what to do. I have a strange feeling that I'm still going to end up waiting until tomorrow and then making an extra appointment though. To sum up this little rash, let's just say that I liked having kidney stones better. :(