PTL: Praise the Lord

Thanks to the brilliant advice of guru mom Megan, we were reminded of the wisdom of Baby Wise. Audrey slept and ate on schedule all of yesterday and last night! Though of course we were up several times, she never got overly upset. It was a much better day today. She had a doctor's appointment this morning and everything looks good. She has gained weight since leaving the hospital and is now 7 lbs 12 oz. Her jaundice appears to be gone, and she was very cooperative. We thought she deserved a sticker but none were given.

I also had my C-section staples removed and everything seems to be healing well. Then we made our first outing to Target. While she slept the whole time until the end, we know she enjoyed it.

Sleeping in the bouncer.

Shopping with Mommy

Tummy time

Dad and his cool outfit right after birth

Dad served as the official "carrier of stuff" for our shopping adventure

First Weekend at Home

A few more pics for friends out there. Again, they're out of order, but I'm not too worried. I'm feeling better every day though the lack of sleep is challenging. Hopefully, we'll be on our way to a routine soon. She has slept well today and is on a better pattern, so I'm hoping that pattern will go through the night. Last night I was awake all but about 45 minutes, so anything would be an improvement. Still, she's the cutest thing in the world and I love seeing her adorable face!



Eating the burp cloth during changing time

Saying good-bye to Pops for a few days

Awake before feeding time

Getting some sun yesterday - her jaundice levels were a bit high so we had to return to the hospital lab yesterday and today - today's results were normal, so she should be fine.

Rocking time with Mimi - Mimi has magical powers that make her calm down so we are so thankful she is here with us!

Doesn't she look like she's sticking out her tongue? She earned her first sticker during her jaundice testing (even though she screamed through the whole thing). I would too, though if I was her!

Sitting up - doing my "What's up?" pose

Bundled up and ready for sleep

Heading home from the hospital with Daddy

Heading home waiting on the car with Mommy

Ready for a nap

Snuggle time in the hospital with Mimi and Pops

Visiting with Pastor Julie from church - she prayed a wonderful prayer of blessing for all of us

Audrey's Arrival

Well, here she is! They aren't entirely in order but we're a little too tired to worry with that. It was an exciting and long day. We got to the hospital about 1:00 AM on Wednesday morning with contractions 5 minutes apart - they had started early Tuesday morning around 4:00 AM. I went to work (where they fussed at me) and they convinced me that we were probably on our way. By the time I got home from work around 4:00 PM, they were coming about 10 minutes apart. Needless to say, not much sleep and I was relieved to get to the hospital. We were around 3 CM at 3:00 AM and with a lot of Pitocin we were at 10 CM by 11:00 AM. I started pushing around noon and continued to push for over two hours. It was somewhat scary at times because Audrey didn't respond well to the contractions and her heartbeat would dip down below 60 several times (normal is 130-150). I could tell the nurse was getting nervous at points and she kept flipping me to my side. Needless to say Mom and David were very nervous too but none of us were sharing our feelings!

Eventually by 2:30, the doctor came in and said that she was simply too large to fit and we needed to go for a C-section. It wasn't exactly the way I planned it, but by that point, I just wanted her there soon and safely.

So, by 2:50 PM on Wednesday, she arrived! Audrey was 8 pounds, 2 ozs and measured 21 inches long. Her head was 13.5 inches which is why she wouldn't fit! Maybe room for lots of brains!

She's doing well. Already nursing every 2-3 hours and settling into a routine. She's very alert when she's awake and has a healthy set of lungs when she wants something. We're extremely grateful for all of your prayers and thankful for a happy and healthy baby. She's perfect!



with David's mom right after arrival

screaming right after she was born

checking her out after birth

posing for Daddy the photographer

with my dad, Pops

with David's parents

her first bath

Mimi's first glimpse

right after arrival

Mommy's first look

grumpy face

look how long she is!

She's Still a Girl!

We went today for our 40 week, 6 day visit! We had an ultrasound to make sure baby girl still looks good - she did well and passed her test with 100 points out of 100 - we're so proud. Her breathing, heartbeat and muscles looked fine and we got to see a glimpse of her face behind her foot (which has 5 toes). Still, I'm at 1 CM so we have scheduled induction day for Thursday. They actually schedule it for 2 days so I'm on the hospital schedule for Thursday and Friday. Right now, they're estimating she's 8 lbs, 5 ozs although the ultrasound tech said they could be off by a pound either way. Doesn't 7.5 sound very different from 9.5 to you?

Keep us in your prayers! We're excited that we're on the calendar. Off to clean and get the house ready (again!) I keep doing that....

Due Date

Well, friends, no news yet, even on our due date. We went back to the doctor this morning and things still seem to be about the same - 1 cm and the same position. She is still head down which is good, but she's still not dropping low enough. So, we will hang on and see if she makes a grand appearance on her own or return to the doctor on Monday. Then, they will do an ultrasound to determine how she's doing and how big she is (right now she's measuring normal) and give us 3 choices: 1) keep going for one more week to 42 weeks!! 2) try to induce which might take 2 days if things haven't changed much or 3) schedule a C-section.

I would really like to avoid the C-section route if possible, so pray with us that she will arrive in her good time on her own! Other than that, I'm feeling pretty good - ready to get her here but nothing we can't handle. We'll keep you updated!

Should Have Gone with the Guarantee

Well, we are about 48 hours past the eggplant and still - no arrival. Oh well - it could have been liver and onions or something far worse. I will not resort to castor oil! Back to the doctor in the morning - will keep you posted on what we learn!

Eggplant, Anyone??

So, if you live near Atlanta and are approaching your due date, you will inevitably hear about this restaurant that serves Eggplant Parmesan that is 'guaranteed' to bring on labor! If you Google "eggplant parmesan and labor", the restaurant will come up along with the recipe from Good Morning America who did a story on it. The restaurant is called Scalini's and I was seriously considering us driving the 50 minutes to it until I realized that the sister restaurant is only 10 minutes away from our house. Now, Scalini's is so confident that they have an entire wall dedicated to eggplant babies, along with a page on their website of testimonies. If you eat there and do not have the baby within 48 hours, you get a free meal! Unfortunately, the sister restaurant Provino's, doesn't offer the same guarantee, but we decided to chance it anyway since it's the same recipe.

So, we ate last night around 7:30 - set your watches - we have until 7:30 PM on Monday to see if the theory holds true!! (By the way, when I read more about it, some people say it's not the actual eggplant but it's the basil and oregano used in the sauce. I put extra basil on my tomato sandwich yesterday and am sprinkling oregano into everything for lunch and dinner today!)



the dish - wonder if all that cheese brings on anything besides cholesterol??