~Thankful - 2 Month Update ~

Happy Thanksgiving loves!  Betcha can guess what I’m thankful for this year ;) 

I fully intend to blog a monthly update on Miss Aubrey for our own memories to keep track of milestones, what she likes/dislikes at different ages/etc.  BUT…. The first month I was in a blissful and sleep deprived haze of cuddles, night feedings, and visitors soooo it just didn’t happen.  But it was an awesome first month J

So she’s not actually two months quite yet – but we’ve got family coming in for Thanksgiving then we’re headed out of town next weekend (which I am slightly nervous about… packing for a baby, eek!) so I figured I’d go ahead and get this one written.

Weight/height/details:  I don’t know exactly because she hasn’t gone to her 2 month appointment just yet but she’s definitely over 21 inches now and I’m estimating 9 lbs 12 oz based on weighing her with me on the scale and then weighing myself and figuring the difference.  She’s in her 0-3 month clothes and I may or may not have cried when she no longer fit in my favorite newborn pajamas.

Milestones: She can grab and hold onto things – your finger, the items hanging from her play yard, your hair… she’s got a grip!  She’s also kicking like crazy, can lift her head pretty high during tummy time, and is babbling up a storm which is SO fun… she’s the best right after she eats in the morning and early afternoon, just super active and talkative.  OH, and she can smile!  Which is pretty much the most amazing thing ever.  She doesn’t do it all the time yet, it’s sporadic, but we get a least a couple each day when we’re playing with her.

 

Sleep:  She is in her crib at night and started giving us a 5-6 hour stretch.  Hallelujah!    Very thankful for that as well J  It’s amazing what a full 4.5 consecutive stretch of sleep can do after 7 weeks of 3ish hours at a time.  I might even be able to do basic math again, who knows?  That’s the other reason I couldn’t write a blog for the first month, there would’ve been crazy grammatical errors and I probably couldn’t formulate enough sentences because I had baby brain (which is a nice name for stupidity due to lack of sleep!)  So we have a bedtime routine that I try to begin around 6:30 or 7 that consists of bath, get on pjs, swaddle her, then feed while I sing to her.  She will sometimes fall asleep while nursing, but has started to stay awake in which case I try to rock her to sleep.  We have a noise machine in her room as well.  Once she’s out, I try to put her in her crib without waking her up, say a prayer if I didn’t already while rocking her and sneak out of the room.  So the whole process can take anywhere from 45 minutes to and hour or a little longer just depending on how much she’s slept that day.  Then right before I go to sleep, she gets whats called a “dream feed” which is giving her a bottle I pumped earlier that day to “top her off” if you will right before we sleep.  This was she’s as full as she can be when we lay down for her longest stretch of sleep.  It’s called a dream feed because you don’t wake her up if at all possible, just hold her and feed then put her right back down, which is why it’s easier to do using a bottle.  Depending on how long she sleeps for, I sometimes will bring her in the bed with us in the early morning (4-5 am) just because she’s too adorable to put back in her crib at times and she won’t be our baby forever… and because Patrick loves her with us and I think he’d have her in the bed all night if he had his way J  He can sleep through anything though!  She makes a lot of noise for a little person and I don’t sleep well if she’s there with us all night!

Okay, that was a long section, but it took some trial and error and combining of different sleep methods I’d read about to figure out this routine and it seems to be working so I wanted to share and also make sure I remember it! 

Loves/Hates:  LOVES bath time – although you have to be careful because she HATES being cold and will try and scoot down into the water as far as she can… adorable.  Also LOVES talking, talking, talking – shocker J  LOVES being sung to (her favorite songs currently are Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Silent Night (I guess they’re her favorites, they make her stop crying the easiest, ha), being held and cuddled, watching me dance/make faces, and her car seat and going for drives.  She HATES tummy time – you’d think I was torturing her – and sometimes hates something about the time frame of 5-7PM – the only time of day she’s fussy if at all… who knows?  The verdict on Sadie is unknown – she’s definitely intrigued by her and starts at her, but not sure that she loves her in her face.  Sadie loves her though!  Every time we’re playing on the floor, Sadie comes right next her, she gets up with me during the night to check on her or feed her… it’s pretty awesome.

Okay, that’s all folks.  Hope everyone has a fabulous holiday weekend, travel safely, and stay warm!

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

~ Aubrey's Birth Story ~

I can’t believe our little lady is already two and half weeks old!  I feel like I will never forget her birth and everything leading up to it, but I want to write it down to make sure (especially since I have already realized that lack of sleep = stupidity/forgetfulness).  It’s a long post because I wanted to try and record as many details as possible and warning in case you didn’t read the title of this post – if you don’t want to read about a birth, don’t read this!  I love hearing people’s birth stories though, I think it’s the most miraculous thing in this world.

Friday afternoon the day I was actually 40 weeks; I went and had a massage.  The girl I’d been going to throughout my pregnancy swore she could put people into labor and so I figured, why not give it a shot?  I don’t know for sure if it was the massage or the three walks a day I was taking, the pineapple, spicy food, or bouncing on an exercise ball, but something worked! 

 

Saturday morning, we went on a 2 mile walk with Sadie.  I came home, had a bath, and contractions started around noon.  It basically felt like how you’d feel the day after doing a lower back workout at the gym, but I knew it was contractions because it would come and go.  I hung out for a little bit and talked to my sister, who decided she and Ben would go ahead and head our way since she felt like it would definitely happen that day or night and then she and Ben could be here when we left for the hospital to be with Sadie, etc.  So Patrick and I went to the grocery and got things to grill out that night and they got in town around 5ish.  My friend Robin came over as well and we spent the evening grilling out and talking.  I think it was sooo helpful to have people there because while I was keeping track of the contractions, I wasn’t sitting by myself just waiting for the next one to come; instead I was distracted by conversation.  Plus, I ended up having a good meal for dinner, which ended up being a lifesaver since I didn’t eat again until lunch the next day and needed that strength later that night J

Around 9:30 - 10 PM, the contractions were definitely more intense, but still not the unbearable pain I had imagined.  I didn’t want to go to the hospital only to have them tell me that I wasn’t ready yet and to go back home, but since they were about 4.5 – 6 minutes apart, I decided I’d rather go and have them send me home but have some idea of my progression than wait any longer.  So I had Patrick get his stuff together (I’d packed a bag for myself and Aubrey weeks prior, ha) and we left for the hospital a little before midnight.  Once in triage, the nurse checked and said I was between 3.5 – 4 cm dilated.  She brought in an IV to hook me up to and actually asked me if I wanted the epidural right then, which caught me off guard since I was still managing the contractions pretty well.  I said no, not yet and they let the doctor know I was there and checked me into a delivery room.  We met our L&D nurse (who is an ANGEL) and she started monitoring me. 

By the time the doctor came in to check me, I was 5 cm dilated and the contractions were getting much stronger.  She told me she was going to go ahead and break my water.  She warned me that once she did, things would progress very quickly.  She also told me to keep in mind that if I did decide that I wanted an epidural to keep in mind that from the time I told her I wanted one, it would actually be 45 minutes before it was in my system (after calling the anesthesiologist, him coming and administering, etc).   Well, let’s just say that as soon as she broke my water, the pain was awful.  I felt two contractions after that and said “yep, we can go ahead and order that epidural now!”  Once the anesthesiologist got there, they were less than two minutes apart and it was terrifying to have him putting that needle in my spine while trying to go limp, slump over, hunch your shoulders (which btw is exactly the opposite of what you naturally want to do during extreme pain).  If my nurse hadn’t been there/the amazing person she was, I don’t know what I would have done.  She kept me calm, focused, steady breathing… she was incredible.

After that, I couldn’t feel the contractions any more, just pressure during them and my body shaking uncontrollably.  Really strange that you know your body is reacting to something and you can’t feel it… anyway, a lot of time the epidural slows down the labor process, so I told Patrick to take a nap and I would try to rest (it was now close to 4 a.m. I think)  Well not too long of a time went by and I felt the pressure during the contractions becoming really intense.  I hesitated to call the nurse back in because I didn’t want to bother her for no reason (that’s the thing about having a baby, you have nothing to compare it to in order to know if the pain/pressure/whatever is real or if you need to suck it up and deal with it a while longer, lol).  I called her back in and asked her to check me and she told me that I was basically ready to push and she couldn’t believe how quickly everything went.  She went to tell the doctor and I told Patrick to wake up (the man can sleep anywhere/through anything, I swear)

I could actually feel the pushing which sounds horrible but actually was a blessing.  One, because despite the pain and the physical and mental effort it took, it is something that  is indescribable and literally miraculous that our bodies can do and I’m kind of glad I was able to experience it.  Two, because I could feel pain, I was MOTIVATED to get her out.  I only pushed for about 20 – 25 minutes.  The hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but I will never ever forget it.  You’re literally using every ounce of strength you have while holding your breath to push this baby, three times in a row, then taking a break in between where they put an oxygen mask on you to replenish your air supply.  However, during the “break” you can’t let the tension go because if you do, the baby could regress, sort of like a two steps forward one step back type of thing.  This is when I really focused and where I swear, being a runner and practicing yoga helped me immensely, keeping my concentration.  And praying.  I was praying and centering my thoughts on her birth so intensely and I absolutely believe that it made me stronger and her delivery smooth.  Once her head was visible, I was so anxious because I knew once her head was out; the hardest work would be done.   At one point, the doctor encouraged me to reach down and feel her head to keep me motivated to keep going… which sounds weird I guess but the whole experience was so surreal, it was amazing.  And it worked – I had a surge of energy and started doing four pushes in a row instead of three at a time – we were so close to meeting her! 

And at 5:40 AM October 6^th, we did!  Aubrey Grace Agnew came into the world at 7 lbs, 5 oz and 20 inches long - exactly the same measurements as Patrick was when he was born!  Once she was born, they put her immediately on my chest and it was the most incredible thing in the entire world.  Patrick and I were both in complete awe and amazement that our daughter was just brought into this world and seeing her there was just incredible.  Hearing her cry for the first time was the most beautiful sound.   They took her to the side to clean her and check her vitals, etc then brought her back for about an hour of skin on skin time.  She nursed right away which is incredible in and of itself – how crazy is it that they just instinctively know how to do this? 

right after she was born :)

 

 

 

 

 

All in all, I would describe her birth as beautiful and perfect.  It went quickly, all of my nurses, the doctor and Patrick were absolutely wonderful, we even had a great view of the Charlotte skyline from our hospital recovery room J  I could not have asked for a better delivery and am overwhelmed with gratitude at how well it went.

 

view from our hospital recovery room

 

Aubrey at two days old

 

Since then, we’ve gotten into a little bit of a routine – she’s eating every three hours, sometimes going to four hours at night and overall is a really good baby so far.  We are in awe of her every. Single. Day.  Literally, not one day passes without us looking at her together and saying “Can you believe that we created this person and that she’s actually our baby and we get to keep her forever?”  Everyone tries to explain the feeling of becoming a parent to you, but the truth is, it’s indescribable.  I will never be eloquent enough to express the depth of love felt or the pure joy it brings.  To say we are blessed is an understatement!

~ 38 Weeks ~

38 weeks and two days today!  Annnddddd doesn’t look like she’s coming anytime soon L  Not really surprised – first babies are more often late (ugh) than early but… I have to say I was kinda hoping I’d go to the appointment Friday and they’d say they thought it would be this weekend.  I’m just SO anxious and ready!

Soooo quick recap of last few weeks – had an UNBELIEVEABLY amazing shower given by four of my best friends at Amelie's bakery two weekends ago.  Two of my friends from Austin flew in as well as people from NYC, VA, and various parts of North Carolina… needless to say, I felt very spoiled and loved.  And Aubrey is literally going to have to have some wardrobe changes each day to make it through her clothes, lol.  Love it J  Amelies does an amazing job and has the most adorable private rooms if you ever need a space for any type of shower/lunch/birthday event!

adorable party favor bags

 mimosas :) and CUTE, cute straws!

 



 

delicious cake!

with the gorgeous hostesses

 

          

"Aubrey" print - everyone at the shower put their fingerprint as one of the balloons and signed it to frame for her nursery.  Precious :)

That night we had a “ready to pop” party at the house.  We catered from Mac’s BBQ, and Kai’s Kookies and More (which btw, please go and get their cake pops for all of your events – awesome local business and DELISH!  http://www.kaiskookies.com/) hired a bartender and basically had people over for a final get together since we figure we won’t be entertaining for the next few months!  It was such a blast having so many people we care about in one place, the weather was perfect, really could not have asked for a better weekend in general.

unfortunately, I didn't get many pics of the party - just this one of Daddy-to-be at the bar ;)

And now, I’m just WAITING, waiting, waiting… Every little twinge or slight thing I feel I keep hoping this is it but… nothing yet!

 

How far along: 38 weeks, 2 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: officially 34 lbs.  I honestly am being caring at this point, ha!

Maternity clothes: obviously…

Stretch marks: One tiny faint one and that’s it.  PLEASE Lord, just let me get through the last few weeks without these!

Rings on or off?:  And they’re off…. I had to use dish soap to get them off yesterday and was barely able to so I’m just not even trying anymore.  No swelling elsewhere though

Sleep: bad.  My heartburn has decided to get 80 million times worse and it’s a massive effort to roll over/get out of bed… whine whine whine I know

Movement: Oh yeah, she is partying in there… ready for her to come and party with me J

Food cravings: Got my appetite back (hence the weight gain) but not really anything super specific.

Labor signs: doctor said maybe one cm dialated, twinges of pain, some cramping, inner thigh soreness due to ligaments stretching.  But not any regular or definite signs. 

Belly button - in or out?  Neutral?  Lol totally flat

What I miss: same old same old – wine/beer/sushi… and being able to eat a normal amount without needing to keep tums in business single-handedly

What I am looking forward to: Our anniversary is Tuesday, so looking forward to going to dinner to celebrate at Fig Tree – been wanting to go there for awhile! 

~One month (hopefully!) to go!~

Aubrey is due one month from yesterday!  CRAZY, crazy, crazy.... wanted to post a quick lil update.  It'll be a short one since we have a shower and a "ready to pop" party (thanks for the name idea Robin!) this weekend and I'm sure my next post will be picture overload ;)

How far along: 36 weeks!!

 

 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 30 lbs exactly.  I'm pretty happy with that, if I only gain a few more before she's born that will awesome ;) 

Maternity clothes: ummmm yes.  and my small maternity clothes no longer fit.  I refuse to go out and buy a lot more clothes, so there are basically several dresses/outfits in constant rotation at this point as well as living in workout clothes.  Which by the way, I should also have bigger sizes in but again, I'm not buying new gym clothes for what could be only two more weeks - so I now only work out in the women's area of the gym and during the work hours to reduce my risk of running into anyone.  I am aware that this is stupid.  I am also very much aware of how my butt looks in workout clothes at the moment and don't think anyone else really needs to be aware of it  (Apologies if you live in my neighborhood and see me on walks with Sadie)

Stretch marks: No, thank you thank you Lord... just keep them away a few more weeks please!!

Symptoms: Have had some bad leg cramps in the middle of the night but per docs recommendation have been drinking fortified OJ and taking two Tums with calcium before bed and that seems to be helping :)  Other than that, have had a little nausea and just getting tired more easily.  Both are normal.

Sleep: um, not so much.  Weird dreams all night and wake up early morning (around 3ish)and unable to go back to sleep for a few hours frequently.

Best moment last week: Patrick not traveling for about a week so getting to put him to work on last minute house chores  go on several dates and spend quality time with him ;)

Movement: I think she's going to be a verrryyyyyy active child.  I have no idea where she gets it from....

What I miss: Running... a LOT and wine... possibly even more... I don't know, it's a toss up.

What I am looking forward to:  friends coming in town this weekend for a shower and party and the weather cooling off a little bit!

~34 weeks and the nursery ~

I started scaling back on work this week and it’s been nice to have a week without having to go anywhere/any specific plans or things to do besides deep cleaning the house and catching up on organizing and other chores that have been on a to do list for way too long.  I’m getting tired much more easily now too so it’s been a blessing to be at home and able to rest when I need to… PLUS between my mom being here last week and finalizing everything this week, the nursery is almost complete!  We’re just waiting on the glider to come in, the bumper and crib skirt for the crib, and need to put some pictures in frames!

 the cradle was Patrick's that he slept in when he was baby, and is from his "Aunt" Linda who was the one of the most special people I've ever met.  She always told me that she wanted to see our babies in it some day, and while I hate that she isn't here to see it, I love thinking of her every time I look at it.  We're using it to hold her stuffed animals/toys/etc

 

 bedding!  Still need to get the bumper! 

 

 this corner is just waiting for the glider to come in

 

 her dresser with hanging initials

We had a diaper consultation (oh, the words you never pictured yourself saying…) with Ivy’s Diaper service on Tuesday.  If you have ever considered cloth diapering, I highly recommend talking with them if you are in Charlotte, or looking around your own local area for a service there.  I had never really thought about it until one of my good friends starting using them and after research and speaking to them this week, I honestly can’t imagine why you wouldn’t at least consider it!  The cost compared to buying disposable diapers is basically even  - obviously you save a TON of money if you wash the diapers yourself and don’t use a service but that’s a little too much for this mama to take on ;)  But like I said, it’s an even cost comparison, super convenient, better for the environment, easier on baby’s skin and they are extremely easy to use, not at all like what you would think of as cloth diapers previously with having to pin them on the sides/etc… PLUS the diaper covers are cute J You can cancel the service at any time, there’s no contract so I figured there’s no harm in at least trying it, if we end up not liking it for some reason, we can always stop!

Okay, enough on the diaper tangent!

This was 33 weeks, 1 day - Aubrey's last out of town trip this side of the womb ;) no more traveling for this mama.  But SO, so glad I got to go to Sarah's wedding in NH last weekend - one of the most beautiful wedding's I've been too and such a great time with the girls!

 

I’m still feeling pretty much the same as last week and am basically just in disbelief that we get to meet her so SOON!  Whenever I’m driving/waiting in lines/on planes, really just have any time to daydream during the day I’m thinking about holding her and what wondering what she’ll be like and look like.  I am so excited for holidays this year just thinking about that she’ll get to be with us for my favorite times in the year – fall and Christmas.  6 weeks from today is her due date, I’m getting impatient J

~ Baby Shower ~

32 weeks and 6 days today!  It’s so hard to believe that it’s getting so close!  My doctor told me that you are technically full term at 37 weeks – crossing my fingers that she doesn’t decide to make too early of an appearance – it’s been hard to decide when Patrick should stop traveling for work to make sure he’s in town when Aubrey is born when there is really no way of telling when she’ll actually decide to grace us with her presence!  Everything about this pregnancy has been pretty textbook so far, so hopefully that will continue for the final weeks including coming around her due date!

Last weekend, I had a baby shower in Cary hosted by my sister and two very close family friends.  I was completely overwhelmed beautiful and thoughtful they made everything.  Everything from the flower arrangements to the cupcake frosting, to the yogurt on the covered pretzels was done in mint and lavender (the nursery colors are mint, lavender, and pale grey).  There were so many special touches throughout the shower that just made it incredible:

 

beautiful quilt made with all the fabric swatches being used in the nursery!

 

getting Aubrey set to be a little fashionista ;)

 

 

 such a cute Nana!

 

gift table display - thought this was a great idea - displaying the gifts as they are opened so people can go up to table and see them rather than passing them around after opening (the sign reads Aubrey Grace)

 

 

 Mimosas and Cupcakes with the cutest monogrammed toppers

 

They put together an ice cream bar (obviously they know me and my cravings!) Cutest sign reading "sprinkled with love"

 

opening gifts!

 with the wonderful hostesses!

 with Aunt Ellen :)

 

 

The most special part of the day though, was everyone coming to celebrate our daughter.  It’s so amazing to see how much she is loved already and it meant the world to me to have all of these amazing women there.  We are so, so blessed!

This past week my mom was in town and we basically got the nursery put together!  I love the way it turned out - I'll post pics of it next blog. 

32/33 weeks update:

Total Weight Gain: 29 lbs - and feeling every. single. one of them... she is HEAVY (Or my ass is, not exactly sure.. probably both!)

Maternity Clothes: still a combo of maternity and normal clothes in larger sizes

Stretch Marks: No, thankfully!

Sleep: not fabulous - waking up a lot, and it's hard to roll myself out of bed when getting up in the middle of the night

Exercise: I think that I'm pretty much done with running until after baby - really just my knees are, I went last night and my body was not very happy with me... so I guess it's walking and the eliptical for the next seven-ish weeks :( 

Best Moment of the Week: Baby shower and having mom around to get organized...feeling MUCH better!  Oh, and the AMAZING fall-ish feeling weather today :)

Miss Anything: Sushi, wine/beer/champagne and being able to tie my shoes without a stomach being in the way

Movement: constantly!

Food Cravings: Nothing new. 

Symptoms: less heartburn (YAY!) more looking like I've swallowed a  basketball, getting out of breath quicker, and headaches - which I think was also due to the crazy heat last weekend.

Looking forward to: my friend Sarah's wedding in NH this weekend and getting to see a bunch of college friends!

 

~Nesting and a Babymoon~

For anyone who isn’t aware, “nesting” is part of pregnancy, meaning you get in psycho cleaning/organizing moods as you prepare your home for baby.

I think we’ve been a little too focused on nesting in the rest of the house and not as much for the baby:

Thus far since moving back, we’ve done some major landscaping, lowered the roof on the front porch, redone the smaller back deck off the kitchen, put new floors in the laundry room/walk in pantry, put up crown molding and ceiling fan in the nursery, repainted three rooms, had our dining room set restained, installed a security system, put in a doggie door for Sadie lady, and are almost finished having the downstairs bathroom completely renovated….

And no, the crib is not put together, I don’t have a dresser or glider for the baby room yet, and haven’t even BEGUN organizing her things.  Thank God my mom is coming for a few days next week to help me out…. Sigh.

We did go on a little weekend getaway/babymoon (I wonder when babymoon's started becoming popular and who coined that term??) to Asheville last weekend which was so much fun and much needed.  We haven’t really had any time to ourselves in the past few months between the move and traveling/house projects etc.  So we packed Sadie and our things for the weekend and stayed at the Aloft downtown which is the most dog friendly place  I’ve  ever stayed.  They have dog water bowls in the lobby and brought her a dog bed and treats to the room!  It’s a great hotel to stay at with no dogs too – perfect location! 

We ate a LOT and worked off some of what we ate hiking both days.  The weather was gorgeous, we got use our new camera a bit, and overall just got to relax and enjoy J

The first day we went to Dupont National Forest where there are  numerous waterfalls and trails, and a swimming hole that was Sadie's favorite part, naturally  It's also where they filmed the Hunger Games which is pretty cool (Or the part of me that is still a teenager and loves the Hunger Games does anyway...ha)

 

 

 

 

  

 

such a pretty pup :)

 

Before we headed back on Sunday, we hiked to the place we got engaged, the Frying Pan Tower.  It used to be used a fireman lookout but now is just a place where you can climb up and have an amazing view from the top.  Either it's shakier/scarier than I remember or I'm just more of a scaredy-cat these days (probably the latter).  We tried to get Sadie to climb up it with us too, but she froze halfway up the first flight of stairs, poor thing... not a fan a heights!

 



 

 

 31 weeks :)

 day we got engaged 3.5 years ago (right) and now! 

 

 

Views from the top of the tower: