Tonight we got a sneak peek on what's to come....Eva's little voice! Lately she's been moving her mouth alot and I knew she just wanted to say something so I kept telling her to "tell me!" and tonight, she finally did!
Jason and I were playing with her on the floor and out of nowhere, she let out this little noise! Not quite a "coo" but a little shout, it was ADORABLE! Of course mommy got teary when she heard it and daddy was so proud and happy he was home from work to hear it. Cannot wait for her to let out more and really get to hear that tiny little voice of hers.
...though I should be careful what I wish for. I can see Miss Eva being quite the talker as she gets bigger.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Meet Miss Eva Elizabeth
Although I missed out on the newborn pictures with the photographer I initially booked (my fault), I was still able to get her in and get some adorable ones done. She's going to grow up so fast, so here is our little Miss Eva Elizabeth Barrett!!
Eva's wearing the dress I wore home from the hospital!
Eva's great-grandmother made this white blanket for her baptism - so special!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Our Birth Story
After a long weekend of trying to induce labor and thinking I had totally failed, I woke up at 1:30am on Monday morning, with very strong contractions. They had stopped Sunday night before I went to bed so I was surprised to be woken up by them. I got out of bed and went to lay on the couch, figuring they would go away just as they had previous nights. No reason to wake up J for false labor again.
By 3:00am, they were now 5 minutes apart and they HURT! More so than ever before! And the biggest difference, was during each contraction, I could feel a small gush of liquid. However I had no idea if it was my water or not. I had always heard that it was either a slow trickle or a gush, and this was neither of them. I had been losing my plug and bloody show for days, so perhaps it was just more of that? Either way, I knew this was it!! As much as I had told J I wanted to labor at home for as long as possible, I also wanted to be sure this was it and was afraid it would move fast since it came out of nowhere. Time to wake up J and head to the hospital!
It took us about forty-five minutes to get everything and ourselves into the car. The contractions were still 5 minutes apart and when they hit, I was paralyzed in pain so it took quite some time to get dressed and add the last minute things to my bag. And the walk into the hospital was a long one. I didn't want to be in a wheelchair (I wasn't crippled!) so the walk was a slow one. And once we got inside, the guy at the information desk asked us if we knew where to go and I looked at him, looked down at my enormous belly, smiled and said "Yep". (what a dumb question to ask me! haha)
We were checked into a triage room and they hooked me up to monitor the baby's heartbeat and my contractions. Knowing how busy this hospital is with births, I asked if there were others here in labor tonight, well actually this morning since it was now 3:30am. She said there were a few, but she had just sent a couple home since the woman wasn't fully in labor. When she told me that, I looked at her and said if she sends me home, I'll die. And I was serious, I was here to stay and deliver this baby!
I informed the nurse about the small gushes I felt during contractions, so she decided to do a swab of the liquid to see if it was in fact amniotic fluid and not urine (though I was pretty sure I wasn't peeing my pants!). She came back 5 minutes later with the good news, my water broke! She checked my cervix and I was dilated to 4cm, I was officially in labor and not leaving this hospital without my baby! YEAH!! Time to check into our labor room!
It was now almost 5:00am and we were progressing well into labor. Contractions were really hurting and I wanted to really try and hold out on the epidural until I reached 5cm. I lasted a couple of hours but realized I wasn't able to fully relax, therefore hindering my progression. It was time for the epi. As much as we tried to nap, knowing it could be a long day, we just couldn't. We were so excited to meet this baby! Good thing the Olympics were on, as we watched ALOT of them throughout the morning and afternoon.
Skipping forward about ten hours, it was now almost 6pm and I was finally dilated to 10cm. It took quite a bit of pitocin to get me here, so thankful for that epi! Due to the fact I had AFib, they were cautious to have me start pushing too early, as to not put extra stress on my heart. They really wanted baby to drop down further before we started pushing. An hour later, we all agreed I could start pushing. It was now 7pm and I was STARVING and we were both exhausted after waiting and waiting all day with no sleep. The OB told me that it could take 1-3 hours of pushing but I looked right at her and said "oh, it won't take that long". I was determined to meet this baby sooner than later.
They turned down my epidural so I could feel the contractions and push. J was an awesome coach and kept me motivated. The first few pushes felt like I was getting nowhere until suddenly the OB excitedly announced that Baby B had alot of dark hair! She grabbed my hand so I was able to reach down and feel the top of Baby B's head crowning. I felt the hair and began to sob. I was getting closer! I calmed myself down and really put all of my focus into pushing. Once Baby B had full crowned, the OB made the decision to make a cut to help me out. I was in quite a bit of pain and felt as though the baby was stuck. And after that, I pushed a few more times and the head was out! The shoulders and body were so much easier knowing I was so close to meeting our miracle! And then I heard it, The Cry. Per our wishes, they immediately put the baby on my chest and I was sobbing harder than I've ever cried before.
Our baby was here!! I was in LOVE. And then I realized, was it a boy or a girl?!? J was also so wrapped up in the moment that he didn't realize it either. He took a peek and then made the announcement. A GIRL!!! A very healthy, 9lb 11oz baby girl with a ton of dark hair. She couldn't be more perfect.
And as much as J wanted a boy, he was now a VERY proud daddy and as he said "already screwed".
By 3:00am, they were now 5 minutes apart and they HURT! More so than ever before! And the biggest difference, was during each contraction, I could feel a small gush of liquid. However I had no idea if it was my water or not. I had always heard that it was either a slow trickle or a gush, and this was neither of them. I had been losing my plug and bloody show for days, so perhaps it was just more of that? Either way, I knew this was it!! As much as I had told J I wanted to labor at home for as long as possible, I also wanted to be sure this was it and was afraid it would move fast since it came out of nowhere. Time to wake up J and head to the hospital!
It took us about forty-five minutes to get everything and ourselves into the car. The contractions were still 5 minutes apart and when they hit, I was paralyzed in pain so it took quite some time to get dressed and add the last minute things to my bag. And the walk into the hospital was a long one. I didn't want to be in a wheelchair (I wasn't crippled!) so the walk was a slow one. And once we got inside, the guy at the information desk asked us if we knew where to go and I looked at him, looked down at my enormous belly, smiled and said "Yep". (what a dumb question to ask me! haha)
We were checked into a triage room and they hooked me up to monitor the baby's heartbeat and my contractions. Knowing how busy this hospital is with births, I asked if there were others here in labor tonight, well actually this morning since it was now 3:30am. She said there were a few, but she had just sent a couple home since the woman wasn't fully in labor. When she told me that, I looked at her and said if she sends me home, I'll die. And I was serious, I was here to stay and deliver this baby!
I informed the nurse about the small gushes I felt during contractions, so she decided to do a swab of the liquid to see if it was in fact amniotic fluid and not urine (though I was pretty sure I wasn't peeing my pants!). She came back 5 minutes later with the good news, my water broke! She checked my cervix and I was dilated to 4cm, I was officially in labor and not leaving this hospital without my baby! YEAH!! Time to check into our labor room!
It was now almost 5:00am and we were progressing well into labor. Contractions were really hurting and I wanted to really try and hold out on the epidural until I reached 5cm. I lasted a couple of hours but realized I wasn't able to fully relax, therefore hindering my progression. It was time for the epi. As much as we tried to nap, knowing it could be a long day, we just couldn't. We were so excited to meet this baby! Good thing the Olympics were on, as we watched ALOT of them throughout the morning and afternoon.
Skipping forward about ten hours, it was now almost 6pm and I was finally dilated to 10cm. It took quite a bit of pitocin to get me here, so thankful for that epi! Due to the fact I had AFib, they were cautious to have me start pushing too early, as to not put extra stress on my heart. They really wanted baby to drop down further before we started pushing. An hour later, we all agreed I could start pushing. It was now 7pm and I was STARVING and we were both exhausted after waiting and waiting all day with no sleep. The OB told me that it could take 1-3 hours of pushing but I looked right at her and said "oh, it won't take that long". I was determined to meet this baby sooner than later.
They turned down my epidural so I could feel the contractions and push. J was an awesome coach and kept me motivated. The first few pushes felt like I was getting nowhere until suddenly the OB excitedly announced that Baby B had alot of dark hair! She grabbed my hand so I was able to reach down and feel the top of Baby B's head crowning. I felt the hair and began to sob. I was getting closer! I calmed myself down and really put all of my focus into pushing. Once Baby B had full crowned, the OB made the decision to make a cut to help me out. I was in quite a bit of pain and felt as though the baby was stuck. And after that, I pushed a few more times and the head was out! The shoulders and body were so much easier knowing I was so close to meeting our miracle! And then I heard it, The Cry. Per our wishes, they immediately put the baby on my chest and I was sobbing harder than I've ever cried before.
Our baby was here!! I was in LOVE. And then I realized, was it a boy or a girl?!? J was also so wrapped up in the moment that he didn't realize it either. He took a peek and then made the announcement. A GIRL!!! A very healthy, 9lb 11oz baby girl with a ton of dark hair. She couldn't be more perfect.
And as much as J wanted a boy, he was now a VERY proud daddy and as he said "already screwed".
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Game On!
So this weekend I was determined to get this baby OUT! We've already had the eviction notice and the due date is now 5 days behind us.
Friday night I got home from work and bounced on my exercise ball while folding laundry and watching tv, then I took a 2 mile walk with a girlfriend in hopes to increase these Braxton Hicks and get things moving along. It wasn't a comfortable walk and it was warm, but I didn't care! We also had some spicy Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner, hoping that old wives tale would work. My contractions increased to about 10 min apart and we got a bit excited. Packed our bags and the car but I told J that we should really wait it out. Not only did I want to labor at home for as long as possible, but also wanted to make sure this was really it. I went and laid down in bed and the next thing I knew, J was waking me up when he came to bed and the contractions were gone. Going to be a long weekend.
Saturday the contractions sped up and were about 7 minutes apart and stronger than normal, but still not enough to know I was in labor. But good signs, right?? I had a baby shower for a coworker and decided I'd still go, no need to sit around and wait for labor to kick in as I'm just not sure it'll happen. And of course by the time I got home and rested, they stopped. Sigh. We had some friends over for dinner and right before they arrived, I had a meltdown. Totally lost it. I locked myself in the bathroom and sat and bawled for about 15 minutes. I was so frustrated that my contractions kept coming and going. They were exhausting and kept me up, so I'm sure lack of sleep was adding to my hormonal mess. Thankfully our friends totally understood and cheered me up and assured me this baby would come soon enough (though not soon enough for me!).
So today, Sunday, was time to keep on moving. Still having contractions about 7-10 minutes apart so I figured that if I just kept busy and on my feet, they would progress. I did the grocery shopping and also ran to Target. I was that super pregnant woman, pushing her cart very slowly and stopping every so often to grip the handle for each contraction. I wonder if anyone noticed? I didn't care, I knew if I sat at home and waited for it to happen, I'd lose my mind. And to no surprise, it's now bedtime and I'm going to bed with NO contractions. I already emailed work, no way I'm going in tomorrow. I am tired from not sleeping much and no way I can face all the reactions from coworkers. I envisioned myself smacking the next person that came up to me and said: "you're STILL here?" and "when is that baby coming?" Plus I have a Dr appointment in the afternoon, hopefully to set an induction date!
Friday night I got home from work and bounced on my exercise ball while folding laundry and watching tv, then I took a 2 mile walk with a girlfriend in hopes to increase these Braxton Hicks and get things moving along. It wasn't a comfortable walk and it was warm, but I didn't care! We also had some spicy Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner, hoping that old wives tale would work. My contractions increased to about 10 min apart and we got a bit excited. Packed our bags and the car but I told J that we should really wait it out. Not only did I want to labor at home for as long as possible, but also wanted to make sure this was really it. I went and laid down in bed and the next thing I knew, J was waking me up when he came to bed and the contractions were gone. Going to be a long weekend.
Saturday the contractions sped up and were about 7 minutes apart and stronger than normal, but still not enough to know I was in labor. But good signs, right?? I had a baby shower for a coworker and decided I'd still go, no need to sit around and wait for labor to kick in as I'm just not sure it'll happen. And of course by the time I got home and rested, they stopped. Sigh. We had some friends over for dinner and right before they arrived, I had a meltdown. Totally lost it. I locked myself in the bathroom and sat and bawled for about 15 minutes. I was so frustrated that my contractions kept coming and going. They were exhausting and kept me up, so I'm sure lack of sleep was adding to my hormonal mess. Thankfully our friends totally understood and cheered me up and assured me this baby would come soon enough (though not soon enough for me!).
So today, Sunday, was time to keep on moving. Still having contractions about 7-10 minutes apart so I figured that if I just kept busy and on my feet, they would progress. I did the grocery shopping and also ran to Target. I was that super pregnant woman, pushing her cart very slowly and stopping every so often to grip the handle for each contraction. I wonder if anyone noticed? I didn't care, I knew if I sat at home and waited for it to happen, I'd lose my mind. And to no surprise, it's now bedtime and I'm going to bed with NO contractions. I already emailed work, no way I'm going in tomorrow. I am tired from not sleeping much and no way I can face all the reactions from coworkers. I envisioned myself smacking the next person that came up to me and said: "you're STILL here?" and "when is that baby coming?" Plus I have a Dr appointment in the afternoon, hopefully to set an induction date!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
40 Weeks
As someone told me "The bun isn't quite done!"
The due date has officially come....and gone. Okay, so maybe only by a day, but each day seems like an eternity! I am beyond excited to meet this baby!!
Had Dr appointment this morning and was really anxious to hear some good news. I've been having pretty good contractions the last few days, ranging anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes apart. Obviously not enough to be in labor, but enough to prove that I'm progressing...right?? Apparently not.
Turns out after 4 weeks, I'm STILL only dilated to 1cm. ONE centimeter. How is that possible?! What are those contractions doing then?! The Dr really stripped my membranes this time, so let's hope that gets something going. If not, I'll be back on Monday for an NST (non-stress test) and ultrasound. So they'll monitor the baby and check amniotic fluid levels and see how the baby is doing in there. She'll also check my cervix again and depending on all that, we'll talk induction dates.
So now we sit...and wait. Wait 5 more days until next appointment as I can't possibly get my hopes up again that this baby is coming before then. Don't think I can handle the disappointment!
I did have some faith in that it's a full moon tonight and was then told that it's actually a blue moon! Meaning there are two full moons this month, aka: once in a blue moon. Perfect time to be born, right Baby Barrett?!
The due date has officially come....and gone. Okay, so maybe only by a day, but each day seems like an eternity! I am beyond excited to meet this baby!!
Had Dr appointment this morning and was really anxious to hear some good news. I've been having pretty good contractions the last few days, ranging anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes apart. Obviously not enough to be in labor, but enough to prove that I'm progressing...right?? Apparently not.
Turns out after 4 weeks, I'm STILL only dilated to 1cm. ONE centimeter. How is that possible?! What are those contractions doing then?! The Dr really stripped my membranes this time, so let's hope that gets something going. If not, I'll be back on Monday for an NST (non-stress test) and ultrasound. So they'll monitor the baby and check amniotic fluid levels and see how the baby is doing in there. She'll also check my cervix again and depending on all that, we'll talk induction dates.
So now we sit...and wait. Wait 5 more days until next appointment as I can't possibly get my hopes up again that this baby is coming before then. Don't think I can handle the disappointment!
I did have some faith in that it's a full moon tonight and was then told that it's actually a blue moon! Meaning there are two full moons this month, aka: once in a blue moon. Perfect time to be born, right Baby Barrett?!
Bring on the Bump!
I figured I better start capturing pictures of the baby bump; before I know it, I'll really be showing and will have forgotten that I did have a waist :)
So here's the ever-growing Bump!
August 1st: Week 40: One day overdue, and as I call it, "torpedo belly". Hoping this is the last pregnant pic I'll be posting! And Bear is super excited to be a brother :)
July 5th: Week 36: 9 MONTHS! Not sure I'm getting any bigger..or maybe I'm at that point where I'm just big so any change is unnoticeable :)
June 24th: Week 34: This is how I'm feeling lately, tired! So here's a sleepy pajama pic :) I actually feel like I'm carrying higher? Is that possible when it's supposed to drop soon?
June 4th: Week 32: Here's to 8 months! It's so close but yet so far away!
May 24th: Week 30: Only 10 more weeks to go! Starting to wonder how much bigger this belly will get by the time Baby B is due!
May 8th: Week 28: Into the 3rd Trimester we go! Feeling like I'm carrying a bit low..could mean a girl??
Week 26 - Break - We didn't get a picture this week because we were a bit busy with our little hospital "tour".
April 10th: Week 24: Six month mark! Definitely noticing that I've grown from two weeks ago and my belly button is close to being flat. May soon need to do a bare belly shot :)
March 27th: Week 22: Baby B is much more active, but still decides to be shy when J tries to feel it. Soon enough he'll get to feel and SEE all this movement! Yep, Baby B is kicking hard enough to see my belly move!
March 15th: Week 20: half way there! We have an active Baby Barrett inside; lovin' all the little kicks and somersaults!
Feb 27th: Week 18: no longer hiding the fact that I'm pregnant. The bump is here! Getting excited to start feeling the lil' bugger which I'm sure will come soon!
Feb 13th: Week 16 - four months! I think I "popped" last week while in Seattle, though this picture doesn't seem to give the bump justice. Could be the outfit, since black is slimming :) I will most likely be taking pics in my regular clothes from now on. They're cuter and show my cute belly more (and hubby thinks this black outfit thing is boring). Belly is a growin'!
Jan 30th: Week 14 - the start of 2nd Trimester!! I feel like I may be have a bit more of a bump than two weeks ago and definitely feel like I'm close to "popping". I've started putting clothes that no longer fit into bins for storage; time to make room for some fun, cute maternity clothes! (and Bear decided to be a part of this pic; I think he's excited to be a big brother!)
Jan 16th: Week 12 - the pants are getting snug! I feel chubby at this point so looking forward to popping out, though I can definitely tell there's been a change in the belly (and bust!) over the last two weeks. It's hard being in-between regular pants and maternity pants.
Jan 2nd: Week 10 - not much going on yet. What you think is the baby bump, is probably just a food baby. I definitely indulged over the holidays. This could be the last time I'm this small for awhile!
So here's the ever-growing Bump!
August 1st: Week 40: One day overdue, and as I call it, "torpedo belly". Hoping this is the last pregnant pic I'll be posting! And Bear is super excited to be a brother :)
July 5th: Week 36: 9 MONTHS! Not sure I'm getting any bigger..or maybe I'm at that point where I'm just big so any change is unnoticeable :)
June 24th: Week 34: This is how I'm feeling lately, tired! So here's a sleepy pajama pic :) I actually feel like I'm carrying higher? Is that possible when it's supposed to drop soon?
June 4th: Week 32: Here's to 8 months! It's so close but yet so far away!
May 24th: Week 30: Only 10 more weeks to go! Starting to wonder how much bigger this belly will get by the time Baby B is due!
Week 26 - Break - We didn't get a picture this week because we were a bit busy with our little hospital "tour".
April 10th: Week 24: Six month mark! Definitely noticing that I've grown from two weeks ago and my belly button is close to being flat. May soon need to do a bare belly shot :)
March 27th: Week 22: Baby B is much more active, but still decides to be shy when J tries to feel it. Soon enough he'll get to feel and SEE all this movement! Yep, Baby B is kicking hard enough to see my belly move!
Feb 27th: Week 18: no longer hiding the fact that I'm pregnant. The bump is here! Getting excited to start feeling the lil' bugger which I'm sure will come soon!
Feb 13th: Week 16 - four months! I think I "popped" last week while in Seattle, though this picture doesn't seem to give the bump justice. Could be the outfit, since black is slimming :) I will most likely be taking pics in my regular clothes from now on. They're cuter and show my cute belly more (and hubby thinks this black outfit thing is boring). Belly is a growin'!
Jan 30th: Week 14 - the start of 2nd Trimester!! I feel like I may be have a bit more of a bump than two weeks ago and definitely feel like I'm close to "popping". I've started putting clothes that no longer fit into bins for storage; time to make room for some fun, cute maternity clothes! (and Bear decided to be a part of this pic; I think he's excited to be a big brother!)
Jan 16th: Week 12 - the pants are getting snug! I feel chubby at this point so looking forward to popping out, though I can definitely tell there's been a change in the belly (and bust!) over the last two weeks. It's hard being in-between regular pants and maternity pants.
Jan 2nd: Week 10 - not much going on yet. What you think is the baby bump, is probably just a food baby. I definitely indulged over the holidays. This could be the last time I'm this small for awhile!
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