Our Early Arrival

As many of you have already heard, our baby girl arrived early this weekend! As of our last doctor's appointment we were still on target for delivering March 17th, but sure enough, just after midnight Friday night, my water broke. I was getting ready for bed, Chad was watching tv in the livng room. When it happened I wasn't entirely sure that it was what it was. I told Chad that I thought my water broke. He quickly jumped to his feet. We called the hospital and described our situation. The nurse advised us to "come on in".

At this point I was not yet having contractions. The hospital told me to go ahead and take my time finishing packing my bags. Chad and I wandered around the house trying to comprehend what was really happening. I am just like my mom in that when I know I'm going to be gone for a few days, I prefer to leave the house clean, dishes washed, laundry done, things put away. So there I was 37 weeks pregnant, water broken, unloading and loading the washer and dryer. Chad must have thought I was crazy, but I just kept thinking I wanted to bring our baby girl to a warm, clean, inviting home. At one point Chad was standing in the bathroom with his hand on his head. He looked at me and said, "I'm not ready for this." I too felt the same way, it was all happening so fast. We called Susan and Gary to tell them our news and asked them if we could drop Stella off to spend the night with them until our friends could pick her up the next day. We finished packing our hospital bags and headed out the door.

We arrived at the hospital around 2:00 am Saturday morning. Because it was so late, the hospital was very quiet. They were able to get me into my delivery room immediately. At this point I was still awaiting contractions. The nurse checked me and I was only 1 cm dialated. Chad and I were so tired but too excited to sleep. We turned the lights down and tried to relax. Once the contractions started, sleep became next to impossible. The nurse told me at that point I could go ahead and get my epidural whenever I wanted it. The contractions weren't that bad at that point so I just pushed through them. However, as soon as they grew stronger, I decided if I was going to have an epidural anyway, I might as well get it earlier than later and give myself a chance to sleep. The epidural was very scary to me. The doctor came in and walked me through the process. Chad had to leave the room. I can't say it really hurt, but I was shaking and very nervous. I've never been admitted to a hospital before so I really am a bit of a baby when it comes to anything hospital related. Overall the epidural went very smoothly. Chad and I then were able to fall into a deep sleep for a couple hours. The nurse came in and I was 4-5 cm dialated. It didn't take long until I was already at 6-7. In the meantime Susan and Gary arrived and sat with us as we patiently awaited for me to progress. At some point later that afternoon I was finally ready to start pushing. The nurse seemed very optimistic and encouraged us as we pushed through the first hour. She really thought it would only be another hour at the most. That second hour seemed to drag on and I really didn't feel like I was getting anywhere. Finally the doctor came in. He determined almost immediately that the baby was most likely going to need to be delivered via C-Section.

I can honestly say that I never, in a million years, would have thought I'd need a C-Section. I had it in my head that they were for at-risk babies or for women who were too small to deliver a big baby. It just so happened our girl was posterior when she should have been anterior, she was in fact a "big" baby and apparently I have a small pelvis. Those things combined would make it very difficult, if even possible to deliver vaginally. So there we were, making the decision to have a C-Section. I had tears streaming down my face. This was not part of my plan. Before I knew it I was being given more drugs and Chad was stepping into his scrubs. They wheeled me to the OR, where there were a ton of people. All I could see was the blue sheet in front of me. I was so out of it and nervous that I was starting to feel nauseous. I couldn't keep my eyes open. Finally they brought Chad in and started the procedure. I slept through most of it. I came to when they announced we had a baby girl and I could hear her crying. Again, the crocodile tears started flowing. Finally they brought the baby to me. It was nothing short of amazing.

We were then brought back to our orignial delivery room where we got to spend some time with the baby before she needed to go off to the nursery for her first bath. We moved to our private room and got some much needed rest. The last couple of days have been a whirlwind. We will be at Dallas Presbyterian Hospital for the next couple of days and will post more photos and info soon. I'm off to take a nap now.

Here are the baby's stats:

Name: Vienna Marie Blockley

Date Born: February 28th, 2009

Time Born: 4:06 pm

Weight: 8 pounds, 8 ounces

Length: 20 inches

On our way to the operating room............

37 Weeks - Day at the Lake

Yesterday marked 37 weeks along for Baby Blockley. We saw our doctor on Monday and he confirmed she is in the right position and moving downward. I'm already a whole centimeter dialated, only 9 to go! The doctor said we're still on target for a March 17th delivery. He's pretty sure she won't be late, in fact, she very well could be early. I'm all for early! This last week has come with a new challenge, sleep insomnia. I think it's a combination of being uncomfortable and having so much on my mind. Of course this means Chad has been affected as well. Maybe this is preparing us for what's to come. However, everyone keeps telling us to sleep as much as possible now, easier said than done. I've resorted to nightly baths and reading a fun "non-baby" book to relax me before bedtime. I think the baths and aromatherapy bubble bath really are helping. We're now in "waiting" mode.

Since the weather has been so beautiful here we decided to pass some time and take Stella to the lake. She absolutely LOVES it and we want to try to do as much with her as possible before the baby comes. I'm guessing we'll go back again today or tomorrow. All we have to say is the magic words "go swimming" and she is waiting at the front door, ball in mouth. We're all trying to enjoy the calm before the storm ;).

Dallas Baby Shower - Our Last Hurrah

We had our last baby shower on Saturday in Dallas. Our dear friends Jana and Jason hosted the shower at Primo's Restaurant on McKinney, directly across the street from where Chad and I first lived when we moved to Dallas. Seeing as my due date is still set for St. Patrick's Day, the shower had a St. Patty's Day theme.

This shower was for guys and gals. Who says baby showers are only for women? Chad is just as much a part of this as I am. It was very low key and gave us a chance to simply catch up with friends. We played one game which involved our guests guessing just how round I am by cutting off a piece of measuring tape that they thought would wrap around me. Then each guest took a turn and measured their guess on me. Almost everyone guessed WAY too big. Our winner was Jana, our host. Is it fair for the hostess to win the only shower game??? We thought so, way to go Jana!

And the winner.........

After the game, some appetizers and cake, we moved onto gifts. Our friends are all so generous and really have the BEST taste. Chad's reps gave us our Diaper Genie and a huge box of over 200 diapers, exactly what we need! Carol gave us a Fisher Price playmat and a beautiful photography book called Hollywood Dads. This was one of Chad's favorite gifts. We also received some bath toys, beautiful soft stuffed animals, some trendy onesies courtesy of Mari, a Leapfrog Learn and Groove toy from Kenny and Leslie, a Woobee water resistant blanket - the latest rage from Sandy and Garrett, an adorable flower bath wrap towel from Debbie - sure to be seen in a future baby photo, as well as many many other much needed items including our diaper changing pad and cover. No shower would be complete without a Baby on Board yellow car window sign - you think of everythign Mari. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful friends. I saved one gift for last, which was a diaper bag from me to Chad filled with all sorts of goodies. I thought it would be fun to have a sort of gag gift for him to open, so after reading aloud a little message from me, he preceded to pull out items from the gift bag. He started with the basics - baby bottle, diapers, baby wipes, pacifiers, and moved on to the necessary diaper changing tools - rubber gloves, a face mask, goggles, tongs, hand sanitizer, etc. I also included a can of Red Bull and some Excederin to keep Chad going - all in good fun of course.

All in all it was a great shower. It was our last hurrah before the baby comes. Thank you Jana and Jason for hosting this very special day for us!

Nursery Additions

Little by little we are working to complete the nursery. Uncle Clay and Aunt Hayley gave us a dresser/changing table that matches our crib. It is beautiful! Clay had the dresser shipped to our local Babies R Us, where we picked it up last week. Chad's pickup truck has really come in handy for situations like this. The clerk at the store helped us load the big box, but once we got home, it was all up to Chad. He managed to get it in the house after slowly pushing it across the lawn. Hey, I'd help, but my services really are off limits these days. The dresser didn't take too long to set up and once it was ready I started stocking it with clothes and diaper changing supplies.

Another item we recently added to the nursery is a glider and ottoman, as seen above. This was NOT an easy item to find. I came to learn how vastly gliders range in price and quality. To all of you ladies out there who someday may have to buy a glider, I suggest buying one far in advance. Many of them have a 12-14 week delivery period as there are a limited number of stores who keep these in stock. I was so indecisive about this item (I think a symptom of pregnancy) that Chad finally had to put his foot down and make me decide. We are both VERY happy with our decision and I know that the little extra we spent on comfort will be well worth it on those late, sleepless nights when I'm feeding or rocking the baby to sleep. Actually, I've already enjoyed it in the early morning hours when I've experienced pregnancy insomnia. What a wonderful Valentine's day gift to each other, ha, how romantic!

Finally, one long-awaited item we just received from Susan and Gary is our crib bedding and mobile. Chad picked it out on our first trip to Babies R Us. It's gorgeous. We have based the design of the nursery from the bedding. I washed everything the very first day and couldn't wait to put it all together, even though the baby probably won't sleep in the crib for two to three months. Maybe this is what everyone means when they tell me I'm "nesting". I have this huge sense of relief now that the crib is ready. We have just a few more things to do and the nursery will be complete as well, at last.

Chad Turns 34

35 Weeks

Lamaze and Hospital Tour

On Sunday Chad and I had our second and final lamaze class. Rather than going to multiple classes, we opted for the two-day crunch session since we live a little ways from the hospital. The crunch session option turned out to be two very long days. We learned about the different stages of labor, the step by step birthing process, relaxation and breathing techniques, different kinds of medication options, epidurals and cesarean deliveries. Of course we also had some lovely videos to watch. Finally we reached the part we were most looking forward to, the hospital tour.



Our instructor showed us where to park and enter when in labor, a little bit of relief for Chad. We saw the triage area, where I'll be assessed to see if I am in fact far enough along or if it's still too early. We then got to see a typical delivery room. Most of the rooms have relaxation bathtubs, which are an added bonus. We learned all about how the delivery beds work, they are rather complex. We headed up to the nursery to see where the baby will spend some time. Unfortunately there weren't any babies up there at that time :(



Finally we ventured on to our recovery/postpardem rooms. Most insurance companies cover the shared room, the next room size up is the private room for an additional $100 a night as well as a suite for an additional $250 a night. We'll most likely get the private room so that Chad can spend the night with me.


By the end of our tour, my feet and back were killing me..........



Although the two lamaze days were long, they were very informative and have taken some of the unknown out of all of this. We have two more classes coming up in the next two weeks, Baby CPR and Breastfeeding. Hopefully we'll have great instructors!!!

All of this is REALLY happening and QUICK!

Double Oak Baby Shower

Saturday morning four of Susan's best girlfriends threw me a baby shower. The shower was a brunch from 10 a.m. to noon and held at Karen Day's beautiful home in Double Oak, Texas. Our hostesses were Karen, Margie, Dottie and Rosemary, longtime friends of Susan's. I'd already met these lovely ladies at my bridal shower a few years ago and was looking forward to seeing them again, as well as meeting more of Susan's friends and coworkers.

As we waited for the guests to arrive I was able to spend some time talking with our hostesses. They are all so very excited for Chad and I, but I think even more excited for Susan. They told me they have been waiting and waiting for Susan to become a grandmother. They want her to be able to enjoy a grandchild the way they all so proudly do themselves.

As guests arrived, we all enjoyed getting to know each other over a delicious brunch consisting of punch, coffee, yogurt and granola, muffins, fruit and a very delicious breakfast casserole prepared by Miss Dottie. I loved this casserole, had I been alone, I would have enjoyed even more. I have to get my hands on this recipe. We also had some very tasty cupcakes, of which they let me take home the leftovers. These leftover cupcakes definitely did NOT last long around this pregnant woman!

Next we moved onto gift opening. I'm still overwhelmed how generous everyone was. I received some beautiful gifts, from cutesy clothing, toys and books to a Boppy pillow, crib baby soother, high chair, etc. We also received some very special handmade blankets, I can't imagine how much time was put into each of these. Susan really does have some very special friends.

Chad showed up towards the end of the shower, just in time to get a present just for him. I think he was a little overwhelmed when he walked in the door to have all eyes on him, and so many women in one room. He was a good sport though and wanted to participate and be able to thank everyone for coming to the shower. Paula had a special gift for Chad, a Baby Bjorn backpack, or as commonly seen, frontpack. Chad has wanted one of these and now he finally has it. I can't wait to see him carry the baby in it. Stay tuned for a photo of that.

All in all, it was a very lovely baby shower. Thank you so much to Susan, my hostesses and everyone who participated. Here are a few photos from the shower.

Nursery Progress

We are continuously working on the nursery and have had many requests to post some photos along the way. Today we added some detail to the tree Chad painted, little flowers, fireflies, caterpillars and butterflies. You can also see the dresser Chad recently repainted. This dresser was actually Chad's when he was little. It used to be yellow and white. Doesn't it look pretty now? Nicky helped me pick out some of the items on top of the dresser, which are still being placed, as well as her amazing chandelier find in the corner! Thanks Nicky!!

I'll post more photos as we make progress. Thanks for your inquiries!

Waiting for Baby

It has been a few weeks since my last entry, not much new has happened. We are patiently letting time pass waiting for baby. We had a doctor's appointment scheduled for last Wednesday, but when we arrived, the office was closed. We had ice storms in Dallas last week and apparently they thought it was bad enough to close the office that day. A 40 minute drive into Dallas for nothing, oh well. We're headed back tomorrow, which will put me at almost 34 weeks. I have no idea where the time has gone.

I'm still feeling pretty good aside from the common side affects, backpain, leg cramps, restless nights. It's a little more difficult to bend over and tie my shoes, put on socks, pick up Chad's clothes, you name it. (J/K Chad, you'd never do that to your pregnant wife ;) Oh, and I no longer have ankles, well, the ankles I used to have anyway, ha! Overall, I really can't complain.

One development from this weekend was the purchase of our crib for the nursery. The crib we orginally ordered is on backorder and we decided we'd better just go out and get one rather than risk waiting. Even though the baby will sleep in the bassinett for the first couple of months, it's most likely our "nesting" instincts kicking in that make us feel more comfortable having the nursery ready to go. The salesman at Babies R Us predicted it would take Chad just 20 minutes to assemble the crib. That turned out to be a bit of a stretch, it was more like an hour and a half. Thank you Chad, it looks beautiful and is much more sturdy than those cribs at the store that the 20-minute salesman assembled! This weekend we also finished painting the nursery. We still have a few finishing touches to work on over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!!!!

30 Weeks

Today marks 30 weeks along for Baby Blockley, just 70 days until our due date. I'm getting significantly bigger by the day. The baby is getting stronger and is much more active. According to Babycenter.com, the baby is approximately 15.7 inches long and weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). It's not long now.

I'm still feeling pretty good. My heartburn has subsided, thanks to my new prescription. I'm sleeping fairly well aside from the 7-8 times I have to get up per night to visit the restroom. I swear she's been sitting on my bladder since day one. Other than that things really are going fairly well.

As most of you know I was recently laid off from work and most likely will be off until after the baby is born. The bright side of that is I will have plenty of time to get ready for the baby's arrival as well as update the blog :).

Nursery

Chad and I started working on the nursery New Year's Day. We were delighted to discover Home Depot happened to be open for a few hours even though it was a holiday. We grabbed the window valence we were given as a gift to use as a color swatch and hit the paint department. We decided on a few different colors, Lavender Meadow, Mystic Purple and Aberdeen Place. All three colors match beautifully with the bedding and theme we picked out. Chad really enjoys painting and is very good at it. Of course he had a little helper. Stella just couldn't help but to be involved in planning for her little sister.

We'll keep you posted as the nursery is coming along. My girlfriend Nicky will be visiting from Wisconsin mid-January to help me with the finishing touches. If there's anyone who has an eye for decorating, it is her. I had no idea just how much fun all of this would be!

Christmas 2008

The week of Christmas started out having family over Sunday evening (Dec. 21st). Chad's Aunt Marilyn and Cousin Laura drove all the way from Missouri for the week. We were so happy to have them here in Dallas for Christmas. Uncle Bob and Aunt Beth also came over along with Susan and Gary. We ordered in Pizza from Bari's. It was a wonderful way to start out the holiday. Marilyn and Laura brought us MORE gifts for the baby.

This year we were so happy to have my brother Joe visit. He flew in Tuesday morning. Unfortunately it wasn't as warm as I had hoped it would be. Then again, he was coming from single digit temperatures, still considerably warmer. We brought him to the house and relaxed for a bit before deciding to head out to the Gaylord Texan to see their holiday "ICE" exhibit. ICE is a 14,000-square-foot display featuring a variety of magical holiday scenes and sculptures hand carved by 40 visiting artisans from Harbin, China. We had to bundle up in parkas as they kept the exhibit of 2 million pounds of ice at a wintry nine degrees. The rest of the week would lend itself to the irony in this, the same day Joe arrives in the South from the frigid midwest, we drag him to an ICE exhibit.

Wednesday we got an early start and did some last minute Christmas shopping. Joe and I had been planning on cooking mom's lasagna for some time. Seeing as Clay was flying in later that evening and Susan, Gary and Laura were right down the road, we decided to have everyone over. This also gave me the perfect chance to use my mom's china for the first time since Chad and I picked it up in Wisconsin. Chad, Joe and I were busy that afternoon preparing the pan of lasagna and garlic bread, setting the table and getting the house ready. It was actually alot of fun. Susan brought over a very tasty salad. Everything turned out wonderfully.

Here's a picture of the house on Christmas:

The next morning, Christmas Day, we headed over to Susan and Gary's. We exchanged gifts sitting around the beautiful flocked Christmas tree. We received so many gifts, including many for Baby Blockley. We are very blessed to have so much support from our family. Later that afternoon we headed over to Mike and Tammy's house for Christmas dinner. They had a house full, with 24 of us total. Even though Joe didn't know anyone, I think he really enjoyed himself. Later that evening we went to see the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It was a very nice Christmas overall.

Friday was Joe's last day. Finally, a warm day in Dallas. Although it was very windy, Joe didn't mind since it got as warm as 83 degrees! We took him into Dallas and started out at the Sixth Floor Museum. This was an obvious stop considering Joe's love of history.

We spent the rest of the day giving Joe a tour of Dallas, Uptown and Highland Park. We headed home, ordered Pizza and watched a movie. Saturday morning I had to get up very early to bring Joe to the airport. I was so sad to see him leave. His visit went way too fast. I hope he'll come back and visit soon, maybe this summer so he can meet the baby.

Christmas 2008 was very special. Next year will be even better with our baby's 1st Christmas!