Back Online

Sorry it's been so long since I posted! My computer has been down with a virus, but now it's cleaned up and ready to carry on. Molly has changed so much in the last couple weeks--I have lots of new pictures and I will try to get caught up on here:

Luke celebrated his first Father's Day with Molly:...and Kelly Jo was right there too:

Two Weeks Old

Molly turned 2 weeks old yesterday--already! She is really starting to grow and you can notice changes in her almost daily. She's really starting to look around and watch things. If she hears a voice or sound, she will look that way. She really loves music too--her mobile plays "Old MacDonald" and it calms her down every time! Here are some of the latest pictures:

She loves her bouncy seat that Ken & Kassi got her. It plays nature sounds and soothing music while it vibrates. So far she has her days and nights switched, so we are sleeping during the day and staying up most of the night. From what I've read this is because babies in-utero sleep while their mom is up and walking around and then they wake while the mom sleeps at night. They keep up this sleep/wake pattern for awhile after they are born...so we are living through this transition phase and hoping an adjustment comes soon.

More Molly

Hanging out with Grandma Leila.

Wide awake in crib

Baby loves Kelly Jo...Kelly Jo loves Baby

Molly is Here!

We have had Molly in our lives for 8 days now! Although for me, it has seemed like one long never-ending day. I think 3 hours is the longest stretch of time that I have slept since Saturday night (May 29th). So, its kind of hard to determine day from night and day from day. BUT--its been amazing!!

Here is how it all happened. Sunday, Luke & I went to Palmyra for Greg & Lesley's baby shower and BBQ and it was the best I had felt in several days. We didn't get home until after 10:00 that night and I started to feel some cramps on the way home. By the time we got home I told Luke I was pretty sure I was going to have the baby soon-but I don't think he took me too seriously. I woke up at 3:00 the next morning and didn't feel right. I laid on the couch with Kelly until about 4:30 when I could tell that I was starting to have contractions. I knew I needed to start timing them so I went and woke up Luke to see if he would help me. At that time, they were about 5 minutes apart and lasted about 45 seconds.

I think I was in denial because I kept telling myself that it was just false labor. Luke finally talked me into going to the hospital and we got there around 6:00 that morning (Memorial Day). The contractions had gotten much worse by the time we got to the hospital (45 minute drive) and I was really happy we left when we did.

They checked me into a birthing room and hooked me up to 2 monitors. One tells you the baby's heart rate and the other measures uterine tone (which increases with a contraction). The contractions were 3 minutes apart and lasting about 1 minute by this time and they told me I was going to be staying and having the baby. Before long, the contractions were getting so bad that I was crying through every one and anxiously awaiting the epidural. The anesthesiologist was in the OR so I had to wait about an hour--which was excruciating. BUT once I got it, it was so wonderful. I was able to relax and chill out for a couple hours before my doctor got there. I would HIGHLY recommend it.

The nurse that was taking care of me, Laura, was amazing and did such a great job. She noticed that the baby's heart rate started to drop after every contraction, meaning that the cord was being pinched by the intensity of the contractions. We were waiting and waiting for the Dr. and Laura had to just make the decisions on her own to do what needed to be done to keep the baby safe--like I said, she did awesome! After she got the baby's heart rate settled back down, the Dr. showed up and told me it was time to start pushing. The problem was the epidural had worked too good and I couldn't feel enough to push.

This is when it got really intense. They turned off the epidural so that I could feel more of the muscles I needed to push--but within 5 minutes I could feel everything--and it felt horrible!! I pushed for about 45 minutes and there are really no words to describe it...it was the most painful thing I have EVER felt.

When I thought there was no way I could possibly keep going, I gave a final push and Molly started crying. I was overwhelmed with relief, pain & happiness. They put Molly on my chest and I just couldn't believe that she had been inside me all that time. What a miracle!!

Molly was born at 1:24 PM on May 31st, 2010, weighed 7 lbs 1 oz. and measured 2o inches long.

Finally home after spending 2 days in the hospital. Kelly was so happy to see us and meet Molly:

38 Weeks & Other Happenings

With 12 more days to go until my due date, I am feeling pretty good and my pulled ligament is getting better. Friday was my last day of work and that was such a relief! I'm so glad I was able to make it that long and they had a really nice going away party for me. I'm SO thankful that I will be able to stay home with the baby for awhile after she is born. Although I'm sure there are lots of people out there that could take great care of her, I think it's really important that she spends these early days with her parents & family, where she will be the #1 priority! The car seat is installed in the Explorer and the hospital bag is packed...so I guess we're as ready for her arrival as we can be!
In other news, Luke has been working really hard on the garden & it is now planted!! Although we are late this year, it looks great and I can't wait for things to start sprouting. Luke bought pepper & tomato plants on Friday and I think he got a little out of control! Look at this huge row of tomato plants:

Now for some peppers:

Luke has also had to take over the strawberry picking duties since I pulled my round ligament. He has done such a wonderful job though--we already have 5-6 gallons of strawberries in the freezer and there are much more to come:

I think I mentioned earlier, the cat had kittens in the chicken coop. Yeah, that wasn't the best idea...we tried to move them but she just keeps bringing them back. It's kind of funny to see one nesting box with eggs in it and the next one has kittens in it--what a deal:

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. We've had gorgeous weather in Missouri--hot but not too humid and even a nice breeze.

At Least Another Week

Well, I went in this morning for a doctor's checkup. It turns out the pain I have been feeling is strain on my round ligament (what surrounds & supports the uterus). The majority of the baby's weight is on my left side so the Dr. said this is probably why the left side is hurting. She told me to rest and I would be fine.

I'm now dilated to 2 cm & 50% effaced. The baby has dropped 30% and according to the Dr. this is all pretty routine and right on time. She said anything can happen at this point, but she wouldn't expect for me to have the baby this week. Although I'm ready to have the baby, this is good news--Friday is my last day of work and my mom will be here next Tuesday, so I would prefer to have the baby after another week at least.

Another Busy Weekend

As the due date gets closer and closer and closer we continue to be very busy on the weekends trying to get everything prepped for the baby's arrival while still just keeping up with the typical stuff around here. I'm now at 37 weeks:

My main goal for the weekend was to get the baby's dresser & changing table painted. A girl that I work with gave me a free changing table and we decided to use Luke's old dresser for the baby. Both needed a little paint job and I've been waiting until we had a weekend without rain so that I could paint outdoors and not have to worry about fumes or anything. Well, I would not recommend painting at 37 weeks pregnant, but I did get it done & they look SO much better. I wish I would of taken some "before" pictures, but I will post some later of the final result.

Something else that has really been bothering me is that my strawberries are producing like crazy (and they're so delicious) but it's really hard to pick strawberries at 37 weeks. If you don't pick them daily something either eats them or they mold...so it's kind of a daily task. After painting all morning I took a break and picked strawberries Saturday afternoon. These babies are now in our freezer until I have a little more time to do something with them:

Although I did get alot done Saturday I paid for it that night and today. I think I might of pulled a muscle because every time I move my left leg I have horrible shooting pains in my belly. This includes every time I try to walk, turn, get dressed, get out of bed, pretty much every movement hurts and hurts bad. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning so I'll have to see what they say.

Other than that, the only news I have is that Luke sold his old horse trailer today. A family from Nebraska saw it on Craig's List and drove on over and bought it! Although we had to meet them and there was some confusion as to where we were supposed to meet them, it all worked out and Luke actually sold the trailer for more than he paid for it. Success.

Oh--and Bella--my cow finally calved, the cat had kittens (in the chicken coop of all places), now it's my turn to have a baby!