Ellery is Here!

July 3rd was destined to be eventful! We went to the doctor at 10:15am to check on Ellery. It was her due date and we needed to check fluids to see if/when I needed to be induced. A breathing test was performed during the sonogram. The baby "practice breathes" during the last few weeks in the womb to prepare their lungs for the world. They like to see her do these practices breathes in 30 second intervals. Ellery wasn't quite meeting the 30 second mark so they gave her a low score. Believe it or not, this didn't worry me at all. I knew she was ok. 

We met with Dr. Gautreau after the sonogram and she said that the low score gave her a reason to induce sooner rather than later. She told us to be at the hospital on July 4th at 2:00am for induction! Needless to say that I didn't return to work. Geoff went back to work to wrap a few things up while Kelsey and I went to lunch and to find a red, white and blue baby headband! My mom and Anna got to Baton Rouge around 6:30pm that night. We ate burgers and I took a bath and got in bed around 9:00pm so I could try to get some sleep before leaving for the hospital. I doubt that would have happened anyway. As I was praying about still wanting Ellery to pick her own birthday (seriously, right in the middle of praying) I felt a pop and 3 gushes around 10:00pm. I gasped and walked downstairs to say "I think my water just broke. That or I soaked up too much water during my bath." It felt like a Home Alone moment when the family missed their flight. Everyone jumped off of the couch and ran upstairs to get ready to leave for the hospital. I decided to take my time and jump in the shower. My contractions started immediately. I don't know what I expected, but I was surprised to find out that contractions feel like extreme intense period pains. Mom said we should time them and I said there was no point! I called the hospital to let them know that we would be there a little bit earlier then planned. The Morthlands were already on their way down to Louisiana and were about an hour outside of Baton Rouge.

We got to the hospital around 11pm and it was confirmed that my water broke. We were admitted to the hospital and assigned to our labor and delivery nurse Hayden. She was very informative and honest with a hilarious attitude. She found a way to make us laugh which was much appreciated. I decided to get an epidural at 4 centimeters around 2:00am. While watching the lines on the contraction monitor create crazy high mountains one after another and feeling nothing, I knew I had made the right decision. Geoff and I were even able to take a couple of cat naps. By 4:00am I was 8 centimeters. No need for Pitocin to speed up the process! I was 10 centimeters by 6:00am and ready to start pushing. I had a moment of panic because who isn't freaked out by the thought of pushing a baby out of down there!? But she couldn't stay in me forever. Geoff was able to participate by holding my left leg while I was pushing. Each push session consisted of 3 sets of 10 second pushes. At 7:30am I was told to stop pushing until Dr. Gautreau could get there. She was on call for 8:00am and was headed to the hospital. She arrived a little before 8:00am, we did some final pushing and out Ellery came! I decided to watch the final moments in a mirror. And after months of Geoff refusing to even consider looking, guess who watched the entire delivery? We both agree that it was the most incredible experience of our lives so far. When they held her in the air and immediately put her on my chest....WOW! For a split second I thought "Whose baby is this? Is she really mine?" It all felt like a dream. She was BEAUTIFUL! 8 pounds on the dot, 19.5 inches, light brown hair, blue/gray eyes and olive skin. PERFECTION. Geoff went out to tell everyone in the waiting room that Ellery was here! They all came into the room to see her and as you can see from the "paparazzi" picture, she was instantly a star. Everyone said she looked just like Geoff.

In the waiting room: John, Corliss, Ally, Ricky, Tricia, Kelsey, Anna and Nana.

We were in the hospital for 2 nights and came home on Saturday, July 6. We couldn't wait for Norman to meet his little sister! He loved her immediately and is now her little guardian, which is exactly what I hoped for! My family had decorations waiting for us all over our house. It was the perfect welcome home :) We are slowly but surely settling into our routine. My mom is staying with us for the next 2 weeks to help me adjust to mommy hood. Kelsey, Anna, Corliss and Ally have been here for a week just staring at Ellery and helping any way they can. We are so fortunate to have such a strong support system.

Every morning, I can't wait to get the day started to see what Ellery will do. Geoff gets home from work early these days! Our lives have changed forever, and for the better.

Click here for Ellery's birth story in pictures!

My favorite moments so far:

• Watching how much Geoff loves her
• When she tries to suck my cheek with a wide open mouth as I am burping her over my shoulder
• When she makes this face:

*Born on the 4th of July*

I will be posting about Ellery's birth story as soon as I can!

Ellery Frances Morthland (fka Bitty Boo)

July 4, 2013 at 8:00am

8 pounds, 19.5 inches

Light brown hair and dark blue/gray eyes

40 Weeks

40 Weeks! Full Term and ready!

Ellery is about 7.5 pounds (she was actually 8 pounds at birth) 

and about 20 inches long  (she was actually 19.5 inches at birth)

Happy Due Date!

Happy Due Date to us! I cannot believe it is July 3. It feels like yesterday that I saw those two pink lines on a stick. I also can't believe that I am still pregnant. Well, yes I can. Deep down I knew I would never be the one to go early. For the past 2 weeks I have been walking the neighborhood, bouncing on an exercise ball and eating spicy foods with no results. Pregnant Chicken sent an article to me today on ways to induce labor and I wish I had known about some of these sooner! We have a doctor's appointment today at 10:15am. Depending on how it goes, I may have to go buy a pineapple. The good news is that I am feeling surprisingly great at 40 weeks! Maybe even better than the past couple of weeks. My energy is at a good level and I'm not feeling TOO large. It could just be all of the anticipation, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I personally think that Ellery is waiting for the Royal baby to be born so they can share birthdays.

Birthdays and numbness

Geoff's 31st birthday came and went without Ellery's arrival. He seriously wanted her to be born on his birthday. We did a lot of walking and I even ate an entire raw jalapeno, but nothing worked! She obviously wants to have her birthday all to herself. I know what people say: "All good things come to those who wait!" and "She will come when she is ready!" I once told my friend Maggie that her baby Charlie just needed a little more time in her belly. She said "You don't understand. I'm just ready. You will see when you are pregnant." I totally get it now.

I am self diagnosing myself with pregnancy carpal tunnel syndrome. My hands have been going numb during the night for a few months. But as I type right now I can't feel the tip of my fingers on my right hand. This syndrome is prevalent during pregnancy due to excessive fluid and should go away after birth. It's not like it wakes me up in the middle of the night. You have to be sleeping to be woken up ;)

2 days to go until my due date! Looks like I will be taking that 40 week bump picture after all!

We had our 39 week check up today! Even though I am super uncomfortable and ready for her to come out, I'm so thankful to be able to say that I am full term. I am 2 centimeters dilated and almost fully effaced. My doctor would like to see Ellery's head drop a little bit lower into the birth canal before she induces (if she has to). I will go back for a sonogram on July 3 (my actual due date) to check on my fluids. If they are low, she wants to induce on July 4. If my fluids are ok we will induce on July 8. I REALLY want her to come on her own and chose her own birthday. But it is exciting to know that we will be a family of 4 (I will always include Norman in the count, people) by July 8 at the latest!

I took a few maternity pictures 2 weeks ago. I wasn't planning on taking them, but they came with Ellery's newborn picture session. Thankfully for everyone, I insisted on being fully clothed the entire time. I do have swollen face in a few, but I think they turned out ok! I got the black maxi dress last minute from Target. Black is definitely maternity friendly.

http://photobella.shootproof.com/event/221822/view#a_all-grid (this link expires July 3, 2013)

I went to Lexlee Kids today to make sure that we installed our car seat correctly. I had to make an appointment and fill out a form online prior to the appointment. These people do not mess around with safety. I played with a 7lb baby doll and got tips on how to put Ellery into the car seat and make sure she is secure. Geoff's car seat installation was approved with an A+!

The one tip that stood out was not to forget the baby in the back seat. Apparently this happens! They recommended the Baby Reminder phone app that tracks your driving and giggles and asks "Did you remember your baby?" 2 minutes after you reach your destination. I'm going to download it because you can never be too safe, but lets hope that I never have to use it (or admit to using it).

Running Out of Room and Clothes

39 weeks is no joke. If I sit on the ground, no way am I getting up unassisted. I wake up (if I ever actually fall asleep) with my hands swollen and numb and can barely bend my fingers. Ellery is running out of room in there and looks like an alien trying to escape her cocoon. My stomach has never itched more. I scratched it so much last week that I bruised it! I am down to about 3 solid comfortable outfits to wear. I started walking the neighborhood and bouncing on my exercise ball which supposedly expands your pelvis and encourages labor. I AM JUST SO READY to have this baby. If one more person asks me if I'm ready, I may scream. Yes, obviously I'm ready. And is there ANYTHING else besides my pregnancy to talk about around here? Oh, and my hormones are raging :)

Here are just a few "funny" things that I have heard in the last few days and weeks:

• "You still haven't had that baby yet?" - If I was on my game, I would respond with "I had her last week, why?"
• "Look at you!!"
• "Oh my gosh you don't even look pregnant from the back! But then you turn around..." - I never DIDN'T want to look pregnant from the back. Why is this THE thing to say?
• "Your face is fatter! That means you are ready!" - Good to know.
• "Girl! You just like that white girl with blonde hair who sells them shoes. She's been pregnant forever." - I later figured out she was talking about Jessica Simpson.
• "It's getting close!" - How would you know? Are you some expert or psychic?

Cravings:

• ice
• cake batter
• watermelon
• cantaloupe

38 Weeks

We had our 38 week check up today. We saw Dr. Charles Lawler because Dr. Gautreau is on vacation this week. I was hesitant about seeing a guy doctor. By now its nearly impossible to keep "down there" landscaped as it normally would be and for some reason that is all I could think about! I've tried using a mirror in the shower but it just fogs up and is no help. Once I met Dr. Lawler I completely forgot about all of that. He turned out to be SUCH a nice guy. He was gentle and talked to me the entire time. He predicted that I will deliver next weekend, which happens to be Geoff's birthday weekend! If that's the case, then Geoff will never really have a birthday again :( BUT it could be the best birthday gift he ever receives!

I am still 1 centimeter dilated and we didn't talk about effacement. Well, if we did I wasn't paying attention because he also told me that Ellery will weigh in the high 7's or low 8's (pounds). My heart skipped a beat. What happened to this "small" baby that my doctor was predicting a few weeks ago?! My mom had all 6 pound babies and I'm about her size so that is what I was expecting! But Geoff is pretty tall so I guess it makes sense. No matter what, I'm super nervous about something that size coming out of something NOT that size. But people do it all over the world and have been doing it from the beginning of time. So I will just have to man up.

Ellery's heartbeat was about 150 and she was moving all around to show off for the new doctor. She is still head down and continues to drop into the birth canal. I had predicted that she would come June 23 because not only is it a full moon, but its the Super Moon. We'll see! For now it is just a waiting game!

Ellery's Wreath

My friend Courtney Dyer made this BEAUTIFUL wreath for Ellery's hospital door! How cute is she?! And the wreath :) It even has a little teal bird to match Ellery's room!