From Bean 2 Baby: March 2012

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

This past Sunday, we had a beautiful birthday party for Clara. Every plan was executed perfectly (which never, ever happens) and we were surrounded by friends and family. Thank you to all who came to celebrate a year full of smiles, tears, learning and love. <3

Photos were taken by a wonderful local photographer, Emily Goodemoot. Check out her facebook page!

She literally picked frosting up between her thumb and finger. You can see her finger lines in the frosting.

I wish she had this headband on for all her pictures, but she wouldn't keep it on.

Washing off all the cake.

She's so proud of herself. :-)

Earmuffs!

I've never seen her make a face like that before!

All the family and friends that came to celebrate Clara's birthday. She is loved! <3

I made the pinwheels using a DIY tutorial on Pinterest, and I got the straws at Heliotrope Home.

I made her cake myself (pretty proud of it!) but I got the idea off Pinterest.

I made the cupcakes myself :) The custom banner was made by the Avis and Iris Etsy Shop. I was able to choose my colors and it was extremely affordable!

Her eyes are blue or green, depending on the lighting.

SOOO many presents! Thank you to everyone! Clara loves them all!

Just to repeat, I did not take these pictures. (I wish I had skills like Emily, though!)

Feel free to throw us a birthday vote on TopBabyBlogs.com by clicking the button below! Thanks!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Month 0-March

Month 1-April

Month 2-May

Month 3-June

Month 4-July

Month 5-August

Month 6-September

Month 7-October

Month 8-November

Month 9-December

Month 10-January

Month 11-February

Month 12-March

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

I did not hear back from Kayla H. within 48 hours, so it's time to choose a new winner!

Congratulations to Amber B!

The winner must email me within 48 hours to claim their prize!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Starting on Monday, March 21st, I couldn't feel the bean move as much as she had been. Or, really, at all. I've heard from everyone that movement slows down in the week or so before birth, so I was hopeful that it would be happening soon. My doctor said she should still be moving after every meal and at night when I'm going to bed, which she wasn't. I had an appointment on Thursday, March 24th and asked my doctor about her movement. She ordered a non-stress test after my appointment. For the hour I was on the monitor, bebe moved once. The doctor said her heart looked good, but she ordered me a non-stress test for the following Monday, set my induction date for April 4th, and sent me home.
On Friday, March 25th, I woke up still feeling uneasy. My Mom and sister called from my Mom's chemo treatment, and I shared my concerns with them. I kept telling my Mom that something wasn't right, and I needed to hold the bean in my arms, and then I would feel better. They both told me to go in and demand a non-stress test. So, I did. I drank juice to perk her up, they put a vibration thing up against my belly, and the doctor tried moving her all around, but she wouldn't budge. I told my doctor that I would like an ultrasound, and it would really make me feel better.

She sent me to the hospital for a bio-physical profile, and they got me in right away. I called Lee at work to let him know what was going on, and he said to let him know as soon as I knew anything. I also called my Mom and sister. The ultrasound tech was mostly quiet, but I got to see little bean's hands and feet move, and see her lungs working. She told me I could go home and would know within the hour.

I really didn't think anything was wrong. We've had so many false alarms, I'm used to over-reacting, but feeling better once I was checked out. I went to Old Navy and looked at baby clothes, then went to Barnes & Noble to continue searching for baby names, and refreshing my birth plan. After the first hour with no news, I had a very anxious boyfriend, mother, and sister.

As I was beginning a list entitled "Things to do before the baby comes", the doctor called. She explained that my amniotic fluid was low, and that they wanted to induce me whenever I got to the hospital. I had a mini-panic attack, and she told me to pack last-minute things and eat a good meal. I left several books sitting out and left right away.

As I was getting in the car, I called Lee and said,
"We're having a baby."
"Today? Like right now?"
"Yes."

He left work to meet me at home. I called my Mom and sisters, drove home, and started grabbing last minute things. I forced myself to take a deep-breath, then walked in the nursery and cried my eyes out, staring at an empty crib that wouldn't be empty for long.
Lee arrived and ate a meal, all while freaking out. I ate a banana. I made him stand in the nursery and take a deep breath, then told him to appreciate the silence for the last time. I kept rubbing my belly, trying to imprint the feeling of the baby inside me. We got our last-minute things together, and left for the hospital.

Once we were settled and I was hooked up to monitors, the on call doctor came in to talk to us. She told us that we were in quite the dire situation. My fluid was not only low, it was dangerously low. There was 1 cc of fluid left (they like to see 10 cc). She said those are the babies that die, and that we were lucky to have found it now, before it was too late.

I have to say that the worst part of the whole process was the monitors and iv. Especially since it was in my birth plan not to have those things. I was tethered to the bed by them, and couldn't even walk the halls.

Anyways, I was induced around 10 pm on Friday night. I slept maybe a total of 20 minutes the entire night. It was torture. Around 3 pm the following day, the on call doctor broke my water. Nothing was left. At 4 pm, my cervix had only dilated to 2.5 cm. (I had been at 2 cm for the last 3 weeks, so I had only progressed a 1/2 cm.) So, after 18 hours of drug-free labor and only a 1/2 cm of progression, it was decided that I would have a C-section. I cried. A lot.

After all my work on my birth plan, my 2 months of hypnobabies, and TONS of research, I was disappointed. I felt like a failure. I know I wasn't, and the only thing that was important was a healthy baby, but I was disappointed. I wanted to do the whole thing naturally and drug-free. (*I learned that the best way of knowing what's going to happen, is to write a birth plan, and then expect the EXACT opposite to happen.)

Once a C-section was decided, the whole process happened very fast. Lee dressed in scrubs and got the camera ready. I said 'see ya later' to my mama, and they walked me into the operating room. (It was sterile and scary.) I was so afraid of moving while they did the spinal block (but I didn't). Not feeling pain is the weirdest sensation. I could feel what they were doing, but it didn't hurt. When I was all set up, they had Lee come in and sit by my head. From there, it went quickly. Lee talked to me the whole time and kept me calm.

When it was time to pull her out, the anesthesiologist held a mirror up so I could see her come out. :) She was so beautiful and perfect, all covered in blood and mucus. (Lee says she looked like a demon.) Lee just kept saying, "oh my goodness, oh my goodness", and taking pictures. I couldn't say anything. I just stared. I started crying right away. They cleaned her up and brought her over to Lee. I kissed her and stared. They took her to the nursery, and Lee stayed with me. I was so worried that everyone would get to hold her before me.

Now that she was out, and safe, I worried about me. They took about 30-45 minutes to close me up. I was trying not to freak out. They finally finished and took me to the recovery room. Lee's entire family and my mom and sister were waiting right outside my room. Lee and Clara Leanne Lynch were waiting for me, and I got to hold her second, after him. :)