Ellie's Birth Story

I'm so happy to announce that Ellie Nova is here!

My mom was on her way down from New York on Friday, the same day I started labor. She had been driving since Thursday afternoon and I sent her a message saying that I had woken up with cramps at about three in the morning. She told me it might be early labor, but I shrugged it off thinking it was probably nothing since I have had cramps during the night in the past. Later that day we went to my last prenatal appointment. The doctor told me I would deliver anytime now, maybe even that night. Right after the appointment I had a feeling that my mom was right and it was going to be soon. Only a couple of hours later I started to feel uncomfortable pressure that came and went every 15 minutes. I was apprehensive about telling Joe how I was feeling. I think I didn't want to scare him. I also didn't want to scare myself, which means if I told Joe how I felt it would make it real and I would start to get anxious. I also didn't want to be one of the people that ended up going to the hospital too soon and getting sent home.

The thing about contractions is that no one really tells you what they are supposed to feel like. They tell you what Braxton Hicks feels like (which never happened to me) and they tell you not to get overly excited about early labor. They say not to go to the hospital too early and to ignore the mild contractions. Between you and me, what the heck is a mild contraction? I had never done this before and quite frankly I heard that labor HURTS, so "mild" seems like a relative term here. When I started to feel pressure come and go I didn't know what it was. It came quickly and soon it was coming every 10 minutes, but it didn't hurt. I looked through all my books and googled everything about early labor and prelabor, but I swear that by the time I had read enough about it to determine that I was actually feeling contractions I was already in full blown labor! 

Around 10 PM I started timing the contractions on my iPhone. They were already about 5 minutes apart and 30 seconds long. I really wanted my mom to make it in time, but I had already told her it was okay to take a break and stay at a hotel. Honestly I thought labor for a first time mom was supposed to last a long time and I would be okay until the next morning. Turns out I was wrong! My mom was about a four hour drive away and at 1:30 in the morning I sent her a screenshot of the contraction timer. She immediately got up and started driving. At this point I was barely getting a break in between contractions and I was having a really hard time. I'm pretty sure all the neighbors could tell I was in labor!

When I think about how long the labor lasted before we went to the hospital it seems like a really short time. I would think that being in pain would make time go by very slow but it really seemed to fly by. Joe was holding my hand and rubbing my back (when I would let him.) Let me tell you, the best thing when you are in labor is a hot bath! My contractions really shortened in length after I got into the hot water. I tried out the birth ball but it didn't help that much. I really preferred laying on my side and spent the last hour or so before leaving for the hospital laying in bed. I don't know why, but I kept timing the contractions up until 5 AM, even though it was pretty obvious it was time to go to the hospital. I think it was just a good distraction for me to tell Joe to start and stop the timer.

We headed to the hospital at 5 in the morning and my mom showed up at 6, just before I was given the epidural. I had been going back and forth deciding whether or not to get pain medication, but after the labor I went through at home I was ready for some sleep! I was concerned the shot in my spine would be painful but I didn't feel a thing. The relief was amazing and I was able to get some energy to push once the time came. 

The pushing was the most exciting part. Joe had fallen asleep and when we woke him to let him know it was time to push he came to my bed and started to cry. It was the sweetest thing I've ever seen. He rubbed my shoulders and counted to ten as I pushed. A couple times he had a hard time counting all the way because he was getting choked up. Thank goodness for the epidural because I wouldn't have been able to push so strongly if I hadn't gotten it. The only problem was my legs were like huge heavy logs and the nurses kept telling me to hold them up. Dead weight is really heavy! After about ten pushes Ellie was born. It was a pretty crazy feeling to feel her head and her body pulled from me. It was even crazier to hear her cry and have her put in my arms. She was all gooey and wiggly. I was amazed at her face. I had been wondering what she would look like for so long that it was surreal to finally look at her.

Ellie is a tiny little baby and weighed 6 lbs 4 oz and 19 inches long. For some reason one of the nurses asked me if I had been smoking during my pregnancy because she is so small... I didn't know if I should be offended or sad since it appears this is a common occurrence.   ...and no, I didn't smoke. 

This past week has been truly amazing. We have had some rough nights and some easy nights. Even when I'm so exhausted that I involuntarily doze off while feeding her I still don't want to stop snuggling her. Joe absolutely adores her and it melts my heart to see how proud he is to be a papa.  

I love this little baby girl! 

Baby Bump - 39 Weeks!

Here it is, the final countdown! I wrote a short draft of this post about two days ago, but it seems like Ellie is on her way already! 

Not only will we have Mrs. Peacock and Murray to look after, but a little bear cub too! There are so few moments in life where you think, "after this, nothing will ever be the same" ...and this is one of them! It's all pretty exciting. 

By the end of this weekend I expect Ellie will have arrived. My mom is on her way and should be here tomorrow morning. 

That's all for now! 

Baby Bump: 38 Weeks!

Weight Gain: 22 lbs

Belly Button? Innie and no stretch marks! Sweet! 

Feeling: Very happy! I'm on leave now, at least until the 15th. Hopefully she arrives on time! My brother and I both decided to arrive on our due dates so maybe she will be the same. 

Food I'm Missing: Wine. We just got some really nice handpainted wine glasses as a gift and I can't wait to use them.

Listening to: Songza Playlists, mostly mellow and indie stuff. I'm in love with that app and I think I will be using it in the hospital instead of making a playlist from my iTunes. I'm too lazy to find new music these days. 

Movement: She stuck her little foot out last night and it was pretty weird feeling!

Looking Forward to: My mom getting here! She is driving down next week and staying for a while to help out. I haven't seen her in over a year and a half.

We stopped at the War Memorial Park today because Joe wanted to check out the tanks. It's been nice and warm lately, almost hot, and I'm loving it. It's been so long since I lived in a warm place!

Baby Bump - 36 Weeks!

Weight Gain: 20 lbs

Belly Button? Innie 

Feeling: Tired. Lucky for me everyone at work has been in the field for the past two weeks, so I've been able to just go to PT in the morning and then go back home and sleep for the rest of the day. I'm really hoping my leave goes through even though I've been spoiled for the past two weeks. It still gets harder everyday to get up and down and walk around. I really don't want anything embarrassing to happen at the office, like my water breaking or something!

Food I'm Missing: The other day Joe mentioned whiskey sours and I've been wanting one ever since.

Cravings: I can't get enough lemonade.

Listening to: Air, Arms and Sleepers, Sigur Ros, and making a playlist for the hospital.

Movement: Ellie has hiccups quite often and likes to try to escape my belly by pushing her little legs up against my belly. Sorry but that's not the way out, little girl!

Looking Forward to: I'm beginning to understand why people get so tired of being pregnant! I actually really love the whole experience and I'm not anxious for it to be over, but it will be pretty nice to have my body back. Sleeping on my back and on my side again without something hurting will be really awesome (not that I expect to get much sleep for a while!)

Baby Bump - 34 Weeks!

Weight Gain: 15 lbs

Belly Button? Innie 

Feeling: Pretty good! The most annoying thing is my left ear getting plugged up.

Food I'm Missing: This week I took a breastfeeding class and was happy to hear that I can drink alcohol! Yay, for red wine being in my near future!! 

Movement: Not as much movement since there is less room now, but still rolling around and wiggling a lot.

Listening to: Scissor Sisters

Looking Forward to: More classes! We signed up for a bunch of classes at the hospital for newborn care, breastfeeding, breathing and relaxation and labor and delivery. The breastfeeding class was pretty helpful so I'm looking forward to the next one. I've also been getting freezer meals together when I get the chance. So far I've made quiche, a shepherd's pie and pizza dough. I don't know what else would freeze well but I'm going to try out baked macaroni and cheese, a lasagna and freeze a bunch of black bean burger patties. 

We took Murray out for a walk this morning and got some pictures by a swamp. He got busy sniffing everything and now he is totally pooped and napping in his bed. My belly is getting pretty big too! 

This week was Mardi Gras, but of course I missed it! I know that next year during this time we are going to be getting all packed and ready to move back to New York so we probably won't make it then either. It's too bad because I would really love to see what goes on and all the culture! I'm just crossing my fingers that we can actually make it down there at some point, if only to get some delicious food.

Baby Bump - 33 Weeks!

Weight Gain: 15 lbs-ish

Belly Button? Still an innie. 

Feeling: I feel like I could sleep forever! I go to bed fairly early and still wake up late. I slept about 12 hours last weekend each night. Sleeping still is uncomfortable and I wake up at least once a night and whichever side I sleep on something always hurts. Misses Peacock has been very snuggly with me on my side of the bed lately. I think she is jealous of Murray, who likes to sleep on Joe's side. At least I have lots of company when I get restless!

Food I'm Missing: Honestly the food I've been missing isn't because it's food I can't eat... there is just no food here! We tried going to dinner one night at a sushi/hibachi place I heard was good, but the service was so bad we walked out before even ordering! Looks like we won't have to worry about spending too much on eating out for the next year. I would think that in a middle-of-nowhere type of town there would be farms or something so there would be at least some decent vegetables. But unfortunately the only place to get food is at our local commissary on base or Walmart. Neither one has any decent food to speak of! Yuck. 

Movement: She is rolling around and kicking my ribs as usual.

Looking Forward to: Taking some time off starting in April. I think I will take the two weeks before the due date to relax and get the last minute "nesting" done. 

I finished painting the second dresser and started putting some of the cute stuffed animals out. We have so many animals and dolls from different places! While we were on our road trip we stopped to see my family in Santa Cruz and my grandpa gave me a Raggedy Andy doll with a storybook he found. While I was there I went through some boxes of stuff that had been left in his garage when I was in college. Inside one of the boxes and found a Raggedy Anne doll! I was so excited to see that they matched each other perfectly. Another find I was excited about was an Ichigo Pan (strawberry bread) doll I got in Japan.  

Lately... & 32 Week Baby Bump!

Lately I've been super tired and running around trying to get everything done. Unfortunately I always have to stop and take a nap or collapse on the couch before I am finished doing what I want to do!

I finished up painting the second dresser for the nursery and Joe attached the mirror. I also managed to clean out all the stuff that got piled up in there from the move and made it look a little more like a proper nursery, though we are still waiting on the crib my mom is bringing down in April. I even went out and got a glider rocking chair with an ottoman! I wasn't too excited about how it was going to look, since I would prefer a more mid-century modern style, but once I realized how uncomfortable I was just sitting on the couch with my big belly I figured I would really enjoy a comfy chair instead of just a nice looking one.

Speaking of being tired, I really don't have energy to make dinner or do much of anything these days. I'm too lazy to even do my weekly baby bump updates! I'll settle for a blurry iPhone photo this week :)

I am allowed to leave work early now (so only 8 hour days... whoopee) but I am still totally pooped when I get home. Joe has been awesome and is taking over even more of the household chores, including cooking. He even makes me lunch when I get home on my break! 

Mister doggy is doing very well and fitting in really nicely. We decided to name him Bill Murray, or Murray for short. I'm not sure where I got the idea to name him that, except maybe he reminds me of Bill Murray's character in Lost In Translation. He's pretty melancholy, he just wants to fit in and have a bit of fun too. Mrs. Peacock is getting more and more used to him and doesn't hiss (as much) when he rudely sniffs at her tail. She is still the princess of the house though!

The last picture is of the courthouse in the town we live next to. We had quite the Valentines Day weekend! It was full of not-so-great events and happenings. Nothing too major, but it kind of piled on top of more of those not-so-great grown up things we have been dealing with lately too.

Overall everything is going really great! I'm looking forward to these last 8 weeks and hopefully taking some time off before the due date. I can't tell if I want it to be over sooner so we can see our little Ellie, or if I wish it would last just a little longer.

Baby Bump - 30 Weeks!

Weight Gain: 13 lbs. We finally got our scale put out in the bathroom and I got weighed today at the hospital. I thought it would have been more, but she still has a lot of fattening up to do!

Belly Button? Still an innie. 

Feeling: It's hard to breath with Ellie all up in my ribs! That, and my right ear gets plugged up as if I have water in it.

Food I'm Missing: Whiskey sours.

Movement: She seriously has little temper tantrums in there! It's slightly scary how hard she kicks me.

Looking Forward to: My next appointment, which is in a couple days. I'll be getting my blood glucose test tomorrow too! This morning we went to the hospital to get all the paperwork from the last hospital organized but didn't actually see a practitioner. I hope we get another ultrasound soon. I feel like everything is great and she is healthy, but it would be good to know for sure since we were on a road trip for so long and couldn't get in to see a doctor.

Another thing I'm looking forward to is adopting a doggy! Joe has wanted another dog ever since his doggy, Knuckles, died a year and a half ago. Joe was a sweetheart and let me get Mrs. Peacock while we were in Alaska, but now it's time for Joe to get his doggy companion! Don't get me wrong, Joe loves our kitty, but I know he wants to have a friend to wrestle around with too. Even though we have a lot going on with the new house I want to get the dog training over with before Ellie arrives. This way I don't have to tear out my hair dealing with a newborn AND an over-excited dog. 

I took a look at Pet Finder and pointed out a Great Dane/Boxer mix and Joe fell love with him. We talked to the foster parents and they said he is an indoor dog who gets along with their three cats and kids, so I'm pretty hopeful we will all get along. Mrs. Peacock sure won't be happy about it! I'm sure she will get used to him though. 

On the yucky side of things, it looks like I won't be getting any time off like I was supposed to (stupid bureaucracy.) But we will see. Just take a look at those boxes in the nursery! I can't really do a bunch of unpacking after I get home from work because I'm too tired. I was pretty busy this past weekend and I got a bunch of things done, but not nearly enough.

On the good side, we got a spectacular gift from my grandpa - a washer and dryer! The dryer will be delivered later on, but I'm so happy we have a washer. We plan on cloth diapering, so this is pretty much a must-have. I'm super excited that we will own these and we never have to worry about going to a laundromat ever again. I'm too old for that! Nothing like owning a washer and dryer to make you feel like a grown up.

Baby Bump - 28 Weeks!

Name: Ellie. Still no decision on a middle name.

Belly Button? Innie. My mom says her belly button never popped out, so I'm hoping it stays in!

Feeling: Tired. Lots of tossing and turning at night and my shoulders are killing me! We had to sleep on the floor for a few nights and it messed me up.

Food I'm Missing: Prosciutto. I've been watching the Food Network and I wish I could have some on a panini or bagel. 

Movement: Still kicking like crazy. She is even stretching out and hitting my belly in two spots at once, which is weird feeling.

Looking Forward to: More time off from work! I'm so spoiled, I know, but I would love to get our house in order. We finally got into our house last week and got all our stuff delivered. We actually set up internet and cable! We've never had cable before so it's pretty fun to have a fancy cable box that records things. I can actually watch all the daytime cooking shows I love but never get to see. As you can see from the picture we got some tools for Joe so he could set up some shelving in the bathroom. We set up curtain rods too, but it's now up to me to sew the curtains! 

It was pretty lame that I had to jump right back into work as soon as we got all our stuff delivered. There are so many things to get done, like making new appointments and getting on the waiting list for daycare. By the time I get home I'm too tired to do any unpacking. Joe found the box that his Playstation was in so pretty much all the unpacking won't be happening until I-don't-know-when. But it's okay! I'm supposed to get some more time off to get everything organized anyway.

Baby Bump - 27 Weeks!

Name: Ellie, Ellie-Bear and "Ellie Belly." Thinking about "Violet" as a middle name, but Joe isn't so sure about it. I really need to sit down and take a look at Nameberry!

Belly Button? Innie still, but Joe predicts it will pop out in two weeks. Yucky!!!

Feeling: Pretty tired after the road trip. I have a sore spot at the bottom of my ribs most of the time too.

Food I'm Missing: Deli meats. I missed out on some nice sandwiches at Which Wich!

Movement: Joe and I still like to watch her punch my belly.

Dreams: Nothing unusual.

Listening to: Iron Maiden, courtesy of papa-bear. 

Looking Forward to: Our new house! Well, technically it's an apartment... but thats okay. I'm so sad our road trip is over but I'm glad to be at our final destination. Mrs. Peacock is happy too, but she is still suspicious that we will leave again. She keeps getting into her carrier in the morning when we wake up and start to get dressed. Soon she will have her favorite kitty-tower back to take naps in and she can relax again.

This picture was taken in Roswell at the UFO museum! I cheated since this was technically taken on the very last day of week 26. Oh well! I'm too tired from all the travelling to actually get myself together and find a nice place to take another photo. I will be posting some more pictures in a couple days of the museum. It was pretty fun!

Baby Bump - 26 Weeks!

Weight Gain: Not really sure at this point. Hotels never have scales!

Name: Ellie, Ellie-Bear and "Ellie Belly." 

Maternity Clothes: Just bought some "palazzo pants" and hopefully they look trendy and not like lazy-pants.

Feeling: My back starts to hurt after a while of standing up.

Food I'm Missing: Once again, bagels with lox. We went to a bagel shop and I really wanted some smoked salmon lox.

Movement: Joe and I can both see her punching at my belly. It's so weird how strong she is! I was poking back at her to see if she would react. It work (I think.) I will have to try a flashlight!

Dreams: Nothing unusual this week!

Listening to: The Yeah Yeah Yeah's and an audiobook by Craig Clevenger called The Contortionists Handbook. It's a really good book! Not so kid-friendly, but Ellie doesn't know that yet.

Looking Forward to: Decorating the new house. I got all my furniture out of storage and it's being shipped to Louisiana. I haven't seen my stuff in so long! I have some pretty unique things and I'm excited to put everything together. 

I know I'm skipping ahead with my posts right now, but since these are the only photos we took in Phoenix I might as well update. We had a nice breakfast at Lola's Coffee Bar and went skating in Tempe. I got to go shopping at a second hand store and we picked up a bunch of stuff - I was all excited to find some legit southwestern turquoise jewelry. I figured we weren't going to have many cool places to shop in Louisiana so we should probably pick up some stuff now. 

I love the landscape of the desert! I wanted to go through Joshua Tree in California - it's an amazing place - but it was faster to skip it. There will be plenty of desert in New Mexico to see though, and I'm hoping we can get a little visit into Roswell. Yay, aliens!

Baby Bump - 25 Weeks

Weight Gain: Joe insists that the scale we used was off by at least 5 lbs. So maybe 10?

Name: Ellie, Ellie-Bear and "Ellie Belly." Still no decision on the middle name! That's me, indecisive about this type of thing.

Maternity Clothes: I went shopping for some new clothes and I stocked up on some shorts, a maxi skirt and a couple dresses. The after-Christmas sales were really helpful.

Feeling: I still feel a pain where the skin is being pulled but other than that I'm feeling great.

Food I'm Missing: Nothing really right now. I discovered that there were some soft cheeses that are pasteurized so I had a little with my family for the holidays.

Movement: Both my dad and my brother could feel her moving! She liked to kick a lot and then as soon as I called my dad over to feel her she would go still. Little stinker! Finally the day my dad was going back to New York he felt her moving.

Dreams: I had a nightmare one night that she wasn't alive anymore. I woke up so scared and relieved that it was just a dream. Another night had a dream that I took her out of my belly like a kangaroo and looked at her, but had to put her back. Weird!

Listening to: Tame Impala and Sigur Ros.

Looking Forward to: Setting up the nursery and revamping the bedroom set I will be using for her.

Sunset on California Route 1! We have just left Santa Cruz and we are making our way down the coast. I'll still be posting up my San Francisco photos this week. I've been having so much fun on this road trip!

Baby Bump - 24 Weeks!

Weight Gain: Unknown! I still don't have a scale.

Name: Ellie, Ellie-Bear and "Ellie Belly."

Maternity Clothes: Searching for some decent pants, but no luck. I can't wait to start wearing dresses when it gets warmer!

Feeling: I still get a stitch in my side a lot.

Food Craving: None.

Food I'm Missing: Pâté and wine! We are sooooo close to Napa and Sonoma and I can't go wine tasting!

Movement: Joe can feel her a lot now and said he puts his hand on my tummy while I'm sleeping and can feel her kick. So cute!

Dreams: None really.

Listening to: We are still playing a lot of CDs in the car. Included are Au Revoir Simone, Sleater-Kinney, The Black Keys, The Yeah Yeah Yeah's and ELO.

Looking Forward to: Visiting friends in San Francisco.

This was a picture Joe took while we visited the Redwood State Park in California. I'll be posting more photos of the amazing trees once I catch up posting all the Portland pics. I hope everyone is ready for the holidays!

Baby Bump - 22 Weeks!

Weight Gain: Unknown! I don't have a scale right now.

Name: The first name will be Ellie but I still have to decide on the middle name. We thought about Rain, or something equally hippie-ish like "Moon," but I think only Moon Zappa can pull that one off! We have nicknamed her Ellie-Bear and we call my tummy the "Ellie Belly."

Maternity Clothes: I am wearing and loving my maternity leggings.

Feeling:  My tummy stretching hurts sometimes so I have to be careful about twisting or reaching for things.

Food Craving: None.

Food I'm Missing: Beer.

Movement: Joe felt the first kick two weeks ago! It was pretty cool. He has felt a few more since then and is surprised at how strong they are.

Dreams: I had a dream about going to VooDoo Donuts in Portland. I've never been there but I guess I want donuts! 

Listening to: Lots of Devotchka. I haven't put them on the Belly Buds yet but we have been playing a lot of CDs in the car while on the road. I figure it's loud enough that she can hear it.

Looking Forward to: Everything! It's been so much fun so far on our road trip. 

We took some family photos in Haines before we got on the ferry to Washington. Kitty needed to stretch her paws and get out of the carrier for a while. She wasn't too impressed with the snow though!

Baby Bump - 20 Weeks!

Weight Gain: 5 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I got my maternity uniform for work after I decided that it was way too uncomfortable to wear the regular pants anymore. I don't need the top yet, which looks ridiculous unless you have a big belly, but the pants are much better even though it's the old school elastic waistband. 

Feeling:  Considering the failed baby shower I'm still feeling pretty awful, but physically I'm fine. It's getting more and more uncomfortable to sleep though.

Food Craving: Reese's Puffs cereal, which is like eating razor blades. I couldn't eat anything for almost three days because those darn things scratched up the roof of my mouth! 

Food I'm Missing: I suppose I miss lunch meat. I've been running around at work and needing to pick up quick lunches. The veggie sandwiches at Subway are okay but I really want some gross processed deli slices.

Food Aversions: None.

Movement: Lots of moving around and kicks. It's still too light for Joe to feel them though.

Dreams: I had a dream that my husband and I were at a Rocky Horror midnight showing and he wouldn't sit next to me. I woke up very upset about it!

Listening to: I don't want to use the Belly Buds too much since I can't really tell when the bear cub is awake or not, so I only play a little music once in a while. I've been enjoying The Neighborhood album "I Love You" and Au Revoir Simone. 

Looking Forward to: Getting packed! We have things packed up and ready for the movers. Tomorrow night we are officially staying in a hotel!

Oh, and by the way...

Baby Bump - 19 Weeks!

Weight Gain: 4 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I prefer to wear my maxi skirts or my stretchy black jeggings from Aeropostale that I bought 3 years ago. Jeans are not happening. 

Feeling: Some leg cramps. My calves have been sore and since I started getting set up to leave Alaska I don't do my pregnancy fitness class. I think it must be leg cramps. Not too bad though. 

Food Craving: Sweets like tiramisu, cheesecake, yogurt and hot cocoa (NOT with almond milk though. I want the real stuff!)

Food I'm Missing: Bagels with lox.

Food Aversions: None.

Movement: I feel kicks a lot more often now. I'm excited for Joe to be able to feel them.

Dreams: I still haven't had any weird dreams.

Listening to: I just started using my Belly Buds, so the bear cub and I have been listening to The Middle East. I'm so happy the adaptor is split so I can listen to the same music.

Looking Forward To: One week until we find out the sex! I have no idea what to expect. The technician predicted a girl, but I still have the feeling that it will be a boy. I just always pictured having a boy first. I will be happy either way though!