A Note to Friends and Family

We have been asked a lot about going out or having people come visit after Anson is born .  Here is our thought process and reasoning.  We love that you all want to see him, whether visiting or just coming over and we feel very grateful.  Clark and I want our bonding time with Anson as well, so please keep that in mind.  I don't want the following to sound harsh, but I would really appreciate if people can respect our wishes.  

We will definitely be having visitors at the hospital.  The only time we will not be having visitors is during my actual delivery.  The only people in the delivery room will be Clark, myself, my doctor and nurses.  In return, we won't have any visitors for about an hour to an hour and a half after I deliver.  I want to do the kangaroo care time and they say a good solid hour without interruptions is best.  In return, if you get a text an hour after he is born, please do not be upset.  

I just have one personal request in regards to visiting:  Please call or text either Clark or myself before you show up.  We can only have so many visitors at one time and we don't want to be flooded with 8 people at one time.  We would like to space them out so people don't get rushed in and out.  

Let me just remind everyone that this is our first baby, not our second or third, etc.  We might be blessed with a great sleeper or un-blessed with a baby who wakes up all the time, etc.  Please keep in mind we will probably be very tired.  On top of bringing a newborn home, we still have 2 dogs to deal with on a daily basis that do take up a lot of time.  If you are a dog owner, a large dog owner especially, you understand how tedious it can be to take care of them.  That will be a challenge in itself I am sure.  

In return, if you are wanting to visit, please understand that we will try and accommodate everyone as best as possible.  However, if we aren't feeling up to it, please do not get offended.  Please call or text us before to see if we are feeling up to it.  We do NOT want people showing up unexpected.  I say that because Kole and Yogi will start barking at the door and if we just put the baby down, I am sure he will be right back up and it is hard to settle down the dogs after that. In return, I am making a sign like this so that when you do arrive, you will know what to do ;).  

Anson won't get his first set of shots until he is 2 weeks old.  In return, we probably will not be going anywhere for those first two weeks.  Same goes with having guests over.  Please understand we need to learn how to deal with a newborn, dogs, sleep deprivation, etc.  

Another huge reason for a lack of visitors would be our dogs.  I have done a lot of reading and it can take UP to two weeks for dogs to acclimate to newborn babies.  They get put on the backburner, and they know it.  A lot of articles say do not have anyone over for two weeks as it can confuse the dogs and have more envy for the newborn baby as they see them getting all of this attention.  To me, my dogs are my babies, so in return, I don't want any extra stress or anxiety on them.  We have a lot of medical bills for Yogi as it is and I don't need one for anxiety lol!  We actually just had a $300 vet visit... sadly we go once a month for him... I don't want his bills getting larger!  Anson's safety does come first and we don't want the dogs "resenting" him.  I highly doubt they will, but I don't want to chance it.

After 2 weeks, we will definitely play it by year.  We probably won't introduce him to kids for a while as now is the season for colds, flu season, etc.  So, more than likely, kid activities will be kept to a bare minimum until he is over 6 weeks.  Our pediatrician recommends no children interaction between 6-8 weeks for a baby who hasn't had full immunizations. 

Please be patient with  us.  I will reiterate that Anson is our first baby and this is all new to us! 

Thank you for understanding and feel free to ask us any questions!  We are trying to accommodate as best as possible, but our number one goal is to make sure Anson is a healthy and strong baby!

Week 38

Less than two weeks to go!  I don't think I will make it full term as I keep getting told "you are ready to go at any moment"... the most annoying thing is that moment hasn't happened yet, lol!  I have been mentally preparing myself since 3 weeks ago that "any moment" I could go into labor, yet, here we are... getting larger and more uncomfortable and Anson is still not here.

Clark and I cannot describe how impatient we are getting.  For me, it is getting much harder to sleep.  I am exhausted during the day and as soon as I crawl into bed, everything hurts.  In return, that makes me WIDE AWAKE!  The worst part is, as soon as I get into bed my back starts throbbing.  It hurts less when I am sitting or standing.  Here is a perfect picture about how I am feeling in regards to sleep exhaustion!

Monday was pretty uneventful for Clark and myself.  We have been taking the dogs on longer walks to help labor come naturally.  I would prefer for my water to break or my contractions to start getting more regular as I don't want my first baby being a C-Section or Induction baby.  I don't say that in a bad way, just for my health and my babies health a lot of reading and doctor recommendations, it is best to let labor take it's course naturally.  

On Tuesday morning we went to Dr. Barnes' office and we were surprised with the news we got.  She was talking to us, making sure I was okay and all of my awful and painful symptoms are quite normal.  She went over our ultrasound with us and stopped after she read the weight and information.  Our ultrasound was reading at 8 lbs the day of our ultrasound, but the report that was sent over was closer to 9 lbs apparently.  She told me that if I continued to 40 weeks without going into labor I could be close to having a 11 lb baby.  However, the ultrasound is give or take a pound, so it worries me regardless of his size.  She stopped mid sentence and said "You are having a large baby whether you like it or not" and she looked at Clark and goes "Didn't you realize what you were getting yourself into when  you got married?"  I didn't realize you take your husband's size into accountability when you have a baby!  That wasn't in a book or told to me :) LOL!  

Dr. Barnes did worry me a little.  If I wind up measuring 40-41 weeks before I hit 40 weeks, I will more than likely have to have a C-Section or get induced.  I am HOPING and PRAYING that he comes before that.  In return, we have been taking longer walks and I have been cleaning and walking around as much as possible.  Dr. Barnes then told us I am 2cm and I could go from now until next week (October 17th).  In return, it put Clark and I in a panic as Dr. Barnes continued to say "I am going to be on vacation from the 9th to the 13th".  All I could think was "I did not drive all the way to Ventura once a week for you to be on vacation when I go into labor", so I have been down a lot this week as well.  

Wednesday - Friday I worked from home to be as calm and stress free as possible.  The most activity I got was cleaning up a little and doing the nightly walks.  I DID NOT want to go into labor while Dr. Barnes was gone.  She comes back on Monday at 12 p.m. so I am hoping I can wait at least until then to go into labor.  

Saturday was the busiest day by far.  It was VERY exhausting.  I woke up at 7:00 a.m. and tossed and turned the whole night before.  However, Clark and I decided to go to Costco at 9:30 a.m. and brave the people who go to the Costco in Oxnard.  We prefer Simi Valley, but there were some food items that I wanted that only the Oxnard Costco holds.  After 2 hours at Costco and $507 later, we are completely stocked for at least 3 weeks of food.  It was a nice fat chunk of change that came out of our pockets!  In return, when we got home, we air sealed a lot of fruits/veggies for the deep freeze and put everything away, which took another 2 hours.  In return, I was on my feet for almost 6 hours by the time I got a chance to sit down!  My ankles and feet were quite swollen.  The whole time in Costco I thought I was going to go into labor as I had the worst pelvic and hoohaa pains ever.  Clark and I took a long walk after that and then we came back and by then the day had already gotten to 10:00 p.m.  I don't know where the time went!

Overall, with all the comfortableness and having to deal with pains, I am doing well.  Yes, I am tired, but I don't need naps and I sure don't want to take them as then I will never get to sleep at night.  I have been pretty moody though the last few days.  Clark notices my temper will flare a little more than normal.  I have been pretty good moodiness wise the whole pregnancy only have maybe 3 real instances of outbreaks of pure anger/crying fits.  But, I can tell I get more agitated these last few days. Maybe it is because I feel a little stir crazy working at home.   I plan on going back in on Monday, if I wind up going into labor, I just have to make it past noon ;)!

We did get an amazing gift from Tasha on our doorstep this week!  Thank you so much again!  It is beyond perfect :) I also got a little camo outfit for Anson for our trip to Montana at the end of February :) I couldn't help myself!!  And, I couldn't help but get a pedicure ready for Halloween!!!

How far along? 38 Weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: 20 lbs total... I lost 3 lbs over

Sleep: Tossing and turning and crying from being uncomfortable
Miss Anything?  Being in control of my body

Looking forward to: Having my baby boy in my arms

Week 37

Since I am late at posting this... we are already 2cm dilated as of 10/07/14 and have been told it can be anywhere from tonight until a week out... But the baby won't stay in longer than a week.  She said that unless my water breaks or I start having contractions, to stay home/work and rest.  Other than that... we are close!!!

Wow, 3 weeks left... yet I feel like it can be any day now.

Monday was one of the worst days yet.  At 2:30 I had gone home early from work and was trying to rest.  Yet, at 2:30 I  had a lovely surprise and I started throwing up like crazy.  I thought, what is going on?!  By 7:00 p.m. I couldn't keep water down, yet alone ginger ale or anything.  Clark told me I needed to call my OB immediately as he was getting worried.  The only way I could describe it was that I was dying from the inside out.  Usually, I am good with throwing up, but this was brutal.  Dr. Barnes said she would call  us into the labor and delivery ward at CMH and to head over.  We were admitted to the hospital around 7:30 pm.  I had 6 different vials of blood taken, as well as a urine sample... then they wanted a catheter sample.  The catheter was absolutely awful and burned/hurt so incredibly badly!  Anson was doing fine and all my blood work and urine came back normal.  On a positive note, I do NOT have preeclampsia, which was ruled out from the 2nd set of blood work done for it at the hospital.  However, after waiting 2.5 to 3 hours, they couldn't find anything wrong with me.  They said it was either food poisoning or the flu.  Well, considering that I only had two symptoms of a headache and throwing up, I couldn't imagine it being either.  I was reading a lot of the pregnancy forums and a lot of women have the same problem.  From what I was reading, it is common to have the vomiting and a lot of women go into labor within 2 weeks after that... So I have one week left to see if that is accurate ;)!  However, it was definitely a "practice run" for the hospital.

Tuesday and Wednesday were slow as I tried to be as calm as possible.  We did have our ultrasound on Wednesday though.  I didn't even get to see Anson :(.  We went to Grossman Imaging and because it was just to estimate his weight, Clark got to see him, but the monitor wasn't pointed towards me.  The first thing the tech said was "he is a large baby".  She said for 36 weeks and 3 days he was quite large.  In return, he was 8 lbs exactly (give or take a 16 oz, aka a pound).  Unfortunately, we asked the tech about how long he was.  She told us that there are no length measurements after 16-18 weeks because the baby is already to large.  We figured as much since we haven't heard any updates on how long he was.  She said he was VERY squished and there wasn't much room in there for him so his measurements are a little more accurate, but not by much.  Overall, his head is VERY low in my pelvic bone as well as that meaning he is head down!

I have had a LOT of pain this week and when I saw Dr. Barnes on Thursday, she told me Anson is definitely resting in my pelvic bone and we can be ready any moment.  She measured me at 37 weeks, yet she said because his head is already in the perfect position and very low in my pelvic region, I am more than likely 38 weeks measurement wise.  Plus, the ultrasound showed us being 38 weeks and 6 days.

Friday and Saturday were bum days for me too... Especially since I  have been having cramps and lower back pain.  It has been hard to do much of anything because of the amount of pain I am in.  But, I know in the end it will all be worth it :) So, I have been resting... however, I know being active helps induce labor naturally.

Sunday was just very quiet.  I was really tired and then around 8:00 p.m. I got a great burst of energy and we took a long walk with the boys and when we got home, watched Blue Bloods... I really like that show... it is different.  Granted, I like cop shows.

  

Maternity Pictures

First, before I say anything.... A HUGE thanks to Kali for taking these pictures.  Clark and I love them and are so blessed we could share this moment with you and your busy schedule!  You can't imagine how incredibly blessed we feel and grateful to have this moment!  A huge thanks!  If you are looking for a photographer, look no more!  Check out http://www.kaliyahn.com/ or Kali's blog (which is amazing) http://kaliyahnphotography.tumblr.com/!

Here are the pictures :) We love them!!!  If I could add all 100 I would!  But, I did add a lot of pictures!  

I am sure many of you are wondering where are my shoes?!  Well, I didn't think the night before to check out what shoes did/didn't fit me!  Well... the only shoes that fit were my sandals that I have been wearing most of the pregnancy!  I couldn't get ANY of my heels on or even my sneakers or Uggs!  Go figure!  So, I went with the barefoot/sandal approach haha!  Clark said it's okay my tree stump ankles blend into the ground... LOL One of the many reasons why I love him haha!  It was also hard to find an outfit for me because of how large I am!  But, to me, these pictures are amazing!!!