Welcome To The World

She's here!! Welcome to the world Autumn Johanna Davis. Born September 23rd at 12:27 pm, 7 lbs 1 ounce and 21 inches long. This is her birth story.

At my last drs appointment on Wednesday the 21st I was absolutely sure my dr would announce I had made some progress, as I had been having contractions the last couple of days and I was already 2 days overdue. I was sad to hear that I had not made any progress at all, and that my dr wanted to schedule an induction for Friday. We agreed to the induction but later on that day I started having second thoughts. Why did he want to induce me so early? I would just be 4 days overdue on that Friday and many women go up to 2 weeks past their due date as a first time mom. I was stressing over it all day and finally decided that I would go to the hospital Friday and if I still felt unsure about it after talking to the doctor I wouldnt go through with it. Luckily, I was spared the whole induction!

Thursday evening Skyler, my mom, my MIL and I went to dinner at Outback to celebrate the last evening without a baby. I was starting to get excited that we would actually get to meet baby the next day. Halfway through dinner, around 10 pm, contractions came on all of a sudden fast and hard, so I pulled out my phone to start timing them with my handy contraction timing app. They were coming on 2 minutes and 50 seconds apart consistently, strong enough that I couldnt swallow the Bloomin Onion or respond to the waitress' pregnancy questions. They kept on coming, and after a while I realized that this was it, I was actually in labor. I told everyone we better go home and get our bag and head to the hospital. On the way home the contractions kept on, getting stronger and I just couldnt get over the fact that I was actually in labor. We showered quickly and packed the car and headed to the hospital. We arrived about 11:30 and we were sent to L&D room #2. The dr came in to check me. I was 1 1/2 centimeters and 90 percent effaced. I was happy that I had made a little progress but was irked when my doctor told me I had to walk for a couple hours. However, they were admitting me, which was good news, and I wouldnt have to be induced, which was better news. So we started walking, every other hour for an hour. The contractions made walking difficult, they were still coming every couple minutes and I had to stop and breathe through them. The stronger they got the more miserable I felt. Skyler held my hand and let me lean on him when they got too strong. I started losing lots of mucous plug, and the contractions continued on. Around 2:30 I stopped in the hall during a particularly painful one. I felt a pop, and I knew my water broke. We went to tell the nurse and she had me sit on the toilet so she could strip test the fluid. She looked and told me that it wasnt my water and there was not enough fluid. I was convinced it was my water as I felt the fluid gush out more. She ignored me and told me to get in bed and I could have my IV. I was dreading the hand IV because I knew it was going to hurt. And to make matters worse, the nurse hit a valve in my hand and blew my vein. It was in between contractions so I couldnt decide which was more painful. She tried again and finally got the IV set. She started my fluids. The contractions continued on and started to become unbearable. I was checked a couple more times and was making more progress. Still at this point nobody acknowledged that my water had broken. The contractions got bad enough that I asked for some pain meds. I was given Fentanyl and it immediately made me drowsy. The contractions still hurt really bad but I was so drugged I couldnt react. I. was. MISERABLE. Whomever said contractions feel like bad poop pains and period cramps LIED. I thought I was going to DIE. As they continued I didnt know how I was going to make it through. I asked for more pain meds. I wanted to puke. I asked for a barf bag. I called my mom and asked her to come, as I glared at Skyler who was snoozing in the recliner by the bed. I wanted to stab him, I was so mad that I was in so much pain and he was sleeping. SERIOUSLY?? The next couple of hours are a blur, thanks to the pain meds. I asked for my epidural and they said that the anesthesiologist was busy and offered more Fentanyl. I didnt want anything except my epidural and for someone to bury me alive in the ground. It was AWFULLLL. Around 7 am a man entered the room. OH THANK GOD i exclaimed, certain he was here with the giant needle of pain relief. I was then told that he was the dr, not the drug man. DAMMIT. Of course the one doctor from the practice that I had never met was the one on duty that day. Oh well, at that moment I didnt care I just wanted the baby out. I was checked again. 8 1/2 centimeters where the hell was my epidural. More Fentanyl. Finally, around 9 am, the epidural arrived. I was so happy. I couldnt even think about how bad it would hurt because I was in so much pain already. Plus I was drugged. I sat up and leaned against the nurse while he prepped my back. I felt the stab of the lidocaine and jumped a little, but I didnt feel the cath going in. It started working immediately. My epidural, I have to say, was perfect. I was numb enough to not feel the same pain I had been feeling but I still felt pressure and could move my legs. I rested while I waited to dilate the rest of the way. I started feeling immense pressure and tried to hold her in. I felt like I needed to push. The nurse checked me and said I was still 8 1/2. crap. I really thought I couldnt hold her in. With each contraction I felt pressure. Finally after a couple of hours I knew I couldnt hold it anymore. GET THE NURSE I HAVE TO PUSH. Someone got her. I was checked. I was complete. FINALLY.

They started setting up the room and broke my bed down. I was in such a daze I could not believe this was happening. And God, was I tired already. The pain had worn me out. Everyone left the room but we had Cari stay to take pictures. This was not the original plan but I was so drugged I didnt care and I thought I would be happy to have the pictures later. The nurse had me do some practice pushes. And yes, I pooped on the table. I was happy I could feel everything so I knew when to push. I hear lots of women have such a strong epi that they cant feel ANYTHING. not me. I felt it all. The nurse announced she had hair. They could see the head. After about an hour of pushing the doctor came in to check it out. He watched me push a couple times. Apparently I would push her head down and it would go back up. He offered a couple of options, a vacuum assist and episiotomy possibly. I said fine, whatever it takes to get her out without c-section. I really didnt think I could push anymore. I was SO tired. The dr told me I could have her out in 10 more minutes if I pushed hard. So I did. Skyler was such a good supporter. He and Cari cheered me on while I pushed with all I had left. I felt the episiotomy. It didnt hurt but it felt WEIRD. The vacuum popped off the first time. I felt the most immense pressure and knew she was almost out. I slept between pushes. literally. I was that tired. I would wake up to the pressure of needing to push, push for a couple seconds then pass out again. Finally, I looked down and saw her as he pulled her out. I couldnt believe it, she was HERE. They suctioned her and she cried and she had hair, look at all that hair. The dr cut the cord and gave her to the nurse quickly. I was a little upset about this. One, I wanted Skyler to cut the cord, and two, I wanted her on my chest right away. They started cleaning her up and I watched from across the room.

Meanwhile, the dr pushed on my stomach and delivered the placenta. He proceeded to stitch me up, which I felt. I meant to count the stitches but was distracted by the beautiful baby across the room. She cried and I cried and I just couldnt believe that she was here. I finally got to hold her, and it was the most amazing moment of my life. She was so tiny, and looked just like Skyler. The lactation consultant came in and helped me breastfeed for the first time. This part is a little hazy for me because I was so tired. They took her to the nursery to be checked out, and the nurse helped me shower. I was so drugged and so tired, I just couldnt believe it was all over. My total labor was about 14 hours and I pushed for an hour and a half! We chose the name Autumn since she was born on the 23rd, the first day of fall, and Johanna after my Grandma Jo. It fits her just perfectly.

We spent the next 48 hours in a postpartum room. I had some type of infection that caused me to have a fever for a few hours, so I got a couple rounds of antibiotics through my IV. they never figured out what exactly was wrong. Autumn had a little trouble regulating her body temperature so she was put under the heat lamp a couple times. She also was a little jaundice so we had to supplement formula for the first few days. Breastfeeding was hard in the beginning. Every time a nurse came in the room I asked for help. It was frustrating and not what I expected. Im glad we had the extra day in the hospital so I could get more help. I had to get 7 shots of Rhogham because I had too much of baby's blood mixed in mine. My dr said he had never seen this in his last 11 years of practice. We were discharged on Sunday when everyone was announced healthy.

Here we are a week and a half later. Breastfeeding is getting a lot better. I didnt expect it to be this hard, but baby and I are learning together and it gets a little better each day. She is growing fast already and I cant hold her enough. She is the sweetest, most amazing thing I have ever seen, and I cant believe she grew inside me for 9 months. I kiss her constantly and just cant believe she is mine. Skyler is an amazing daddy and I love watching him with her.

Im actually pretty pleased with my recovery. I was down 15 pounds already when I was weighed a couple days ago, so just 10 more to go but I feel like it will come off quickly. My belly is almost back to normal and I have hardly any pain at all down below. I honestly dont feel like I delivered a baby a week ago and although I know I was in so much pain then I cant wait to do it again!!

just minutes after delivery

after her first bath

going home

family photo!

1 week post partum

 



2 days overdue

This. Is. Ridiculous. Today I am 2 days past my due date. I guess I always knew it was a possibility but I never really expected this. Whos 100% done being pregnant? this girl right  here. It would be a lot more bearable if I was not having contractions every 10 minutes for the last three days. Every time I feel anything I 100% overanalyze... "what was that?" or "is this IT?" or something of the sorts. I am praying, hoping, crossing fingers that today when I am at my doctors appointment that he will say ITS BABY TIME! and send me across the street to the hospital. But im kinda thinking... big fat chance. I feel like this baby is never coming out. On top of everything else, the dogs must "sense" that something is about to change because I cant even walk 5 feet without one of them clinging to me with a frantic "MOMMY DONT LEAVE ME!" look. Its bringing on odd behavior of wall staring and plant licking. (not me- the dogs) I have 3 major stage-5 clingers (4 if you count the baby who wont get out of my womb) Anyway, our last couple of nights have been filled with loooooooooooooong minutes of waiting (boring) and everytime I go to bed im thinking THIS IS THE NIGHT! and then I wake up the next morning... still pregnant. So GLAD I make such a nice warm home for you baby, but I signed up for 9 months- not 12- im not an elephant. EVICT! EVICT!

 So everyone cross fingers for me, that this girl makes her appearance soon! Until then, stick a fork in me. I. AM. DONE.

40 weeks



38 weeks 4 days...

So 10 days and counting... waiting for this little girl to make her appearance... any day now!! She is already proving to be just like her daddy: 1) stubborn and 2) trying to teach me patience.

I have to say im about to lose it. I pray every night before I go to bed that my water will break. When I wake up in the middle of the night to pee, I silently cross my fingers that I will stand up and feel a gush. but... NOTHING YET. sigh. At this point I feel like I am going to be pregnant forever. Im absolutely sure she has decided to stay in there until she is at least 18. Im glad my womb is a comfy cozy home and all, but this is an official eviction notice, baby, time to get OUT. I suppose it's only fitting to put a picture here:



and a frontal view since it actually LOOKS like a baby belly now.

I am so excited to meet this baby and see her precious face I cant stand it any longer!!! However its comforting to know that she will be here very, very soon. I must say im feeling pretty great. After having a week that I was "so positive" the baby was coming any minute, I have a pretty decent amount of energy, my weight gain has stopped, and im sleeping pretty well, (except for the 3-times-a-night-potty-breaks)

Everything is ready to go, the nursery is completely stocked and is missing just one thing... the baby! The only thing I have left to do is make some dinners to freeze. I bought the tupperware but havent actually made the food, haha, guess its a good thing I have one more week to get it done huh? We also have to install the car seat base (maybe daddy can do that this week) and set up the pack n play in our room, which Im planning on doing as soon as I go into labor. A couple of super cool things I thought I would share.

The Diaper Stash



we are still in limbo between the pampers and the huggies. I guess we will decide which ones we will officially be using once she gets here. But I have been stocking up everytime I get coupons or see an awesome diaper sale. The plan is to exchange the sizes we dont need, etc. Got a pretty good supply there!

Also neato: Her closet.

I spent 3 days washing baby clothes, refolding, and organizing. This is probably the nicest and neatest it will ever look. But can we say prepared??

I officially started my maternity leave last week, but im so bored sitting around waiting for this baby that I have decided to go back to work this weekend, (just for short shifts). After being home for a week I realized how quickly the time passes when im working, and im DYING to go back there. Not to mention its my only hint of a social life at this time. so, anytime now baby, would be great! We are all anticipating your arrival!

A Letter To Little.

Dear Baby,

While daddy and I eagerly await your arrival, there are precious moments I know I am going to miss. Right now, I can be selfish without someone accusing me of being so. I have no way to share you, though I do alert daddy when you are kicking and moving so he can feel you too. However, one day soon, I will no longer feel your kicks, punches, rolls, and hiccups from the inside. I know I will miss this closeness that I have with you, but at the same time I know there will be so many more precious moments that we will share. Even still, I cannot help but think about the things I will miss once you are born.

I will miss the morning wake-up kicks before I get out of bed- its our quiet time together. It makes me wonder if you will love morning cuddle time just like your daddy.

I will miss those soft punches that sometimes cause my leg to stumble- I know you don't mean to cause me to stumble, and you're just saying hello and stretching out.

I will miss rubbing your booty and back when you press it hard against my belly. Or feeling your elbow and foot pressed against my side. I pretend it's you saying "hey mom, here I am."

I will miss your hiccups after I eat something yummy. It's as if you enjoyed the meal as much as I did.

I will miss knowing that I can protect you from anything, safe inside my belly, and I'm the only one that can do that.

I will miss the black and white ultrasound images of you moving around or peacefully sleeping. I know I have pictures to remember these events by, but there is something special about seeing you for the first time, watching you move for the first time, and hearing your heartbeat from the inside. I remember being so amazed seeing you at barely 6 weeks, just a speck on the screen, and then months later when you were fully formed with a round belly and kissable lips. These moments were remarkable and I will neve forget how I felt each time.

I know missing all of these things means that I will have you in my arms, which will be an even better feeling, but I will have to share you, too. Daddy will want to hold you, and there are plenty of people in our lives who will want to love on you too! That's a good thing... but for now, I will enjoy being selfish and continue to cherish our moments together until you decide you're ready to make your big debut. I can't wait to meet you, and kiss your face for the very first time. It's almost your birthday, little one, and its going to be the best day of my life.

Love, Mommy

P.S. Please come out with a nametag as I have no idea what we are naming you.

ready to be done.

WOW... I can't believe how quickly the days have passed. I remember being about 12 weeks and my friend Nicole telling me that I would get to the end of my pregnancy and wonder where the time has gone. Well, she was right, where has the time gone? I can't believe I will have an outside baby in less than a month! How do I feel?

1. Exhausted. Growing a baby is hard work. I never realized how long 9 months really is.
2. Stretched. Skin really is elastic.
3. Excited. I cannot wait to meet this baby. I cannot wait to see Skylers face the first time he holds her.
4. Irritated. Honestly, the end is the worst part of this waiting game. 3 weeks feels like an ETERNITY.
5. Prepared. I have spent the last nine months reading and stockpiling. We have everything we need and more.
Oh, and I should add hungry to the list, because apparently baby is going through a growth spurt (again) and I cant fill my gut enough.

I feel like this is one of those "just add water" situations. We have everything we need, now just have to put the baby in it! Still havent decided on a name. I keep having this daydream of them handing me my baby and me saying "happy birthday whatever your name is!!" (because I imagine I would tell her happy birthday, but who knows) We have already made it this far without a name, that we have both decided to take a favorite name list with us to the hospital and see what she looks like when she comes out. (hopefully cute as pie).

As lovely of an experience as this has been, im ready to be done. Baby, let this be heard, you have two more weeks to bake and im officially evicting you. 39 weeks is plenty of time to put on that baby fat and youre done. All this "40 week" nonsense is ridic. You dont need one extra week to put on 3 more pounds because remember, I HAVE TO PUSH YOU OUT. I refuse, repeat, refuse, to push out anything over 8(ish) pounds. I have a growing list of things that I would like to have or have happen after she is out of me.

1. Drink an extremely large sugar free redbull. Feel free to bring one to the hospital for me, anyone who is reading this. I hope its really cold and tastes as delicious and mouth tingling as I remember.
2. Sleep on my stomach. or my back. Heck, ill do both in one night, flip flopping back and forth repeatedly because ILL BE ABLE TO DO THAT without a large belly. SHRIEK.
3. Have a really cold beer. or two. Preferably draft but im not going to argue about it.
4. Coffee in the morning. I have spent the last 9 months worth of mornings smelling the delicious coffee that Skyler makes in the morning. If I was a bitch I would have pretended that coffee made me morning sick and told him he couldnt make it *just because I was so jealous everytime he had a cup* sigh. im such a good wife.
5. Have a large turkey sandwich. Although in the back of my mind I think this listeria nonsense is a load of crock.
6. Getting my body back. I miss my flat stomach and a lower number when I step on the scale.

Thats all I can think of for now, but im sure there are more things that my pregnancy brain is preventing me from thinking of right now.
I feel like since this is sort of a listing post maybe I should add one more thing.

THINGS I STRONGLY DISLIKE ABOUT BEING PREGNANT



1. Everything is fragile. You have to be so CAREFUL. all the time. DONT DO THAT YOURE PREGNANT. I can't even go outside for more than 5 minutes, per drs orders.

2. Sleep positioning. Right side or left side... not enough options.

3. Having to pee every 10 minutes and YES I HAVE TO PEE AGAIN IM PREGNANT STOP JUDGING ME

4. Everyone giving me their baby "advice". so. annoying. it seems like every time I give my input about something, someone is saying to me "oh wait until that baby gets here you will have a big wake up call" HELLO I wasnt born yesterday, I got it, babies are hard, yada yada yada. I think we can handle it.

5. My body is not mine. Its currently on loan to an alien inside, take a number.

I weigh 152 POUNDS. SCREAM.

the end.

Nobody warned me about these aches and pains.

hello again! lots going on in the baby department. for one, we should start out with a photo...i dont think i look as pregnant as a feel. But i guess thats a good thing?

excuse the mess of hair on my head... if you were 29 weeks pregnant and wrestling dogs during 8 hour work days you would careless also.

She's definately in there, as you can see. Kicking like a maniac and asking me for chocolate frozen yogurt every 10 minutes. "mommy i dont want CARROTS i want CHOCOLATE!" and i think "well ok, if you INSIST, ill take a LARGE. with sprinkles." which may be the reason why i feel like i have gained 100 pounds, although i have only gained 13. At first i was like HOLY CRAP 13 POUNDS? THIRTEEN? THIRTEEN POUNDS? THATS MORE THAN I HAVE EVER WEIGHED IN MY LIFE.

But then i realized that most women at this point would have gained at least 20 so im feeling better about it. Its ok i have an after baby plan- TIGHTEN IT UPPP. (i do however, sometimes turn to skyler and say IS MY CHIN WADDLING? IS MY ARM FLAPPING?)... just to be sure.

SIGH. so nobody ever told me about the aches and PAINS involved in pregnancy. I was expecting all this vag pain to come AFTER i push the baby out. So the first morning i woke up and was waddling like an old lady, i asked my dr if it was normal. i frantically told him "Hi, i feel like someone kicked me in the crotch with a steel toed boot... is this normal???" (thinking surely, its not.) "oh yes, he says, and it only gets worse." WORSE? WORSE?? WHADAYA MEAN IT GETS WORSE???? HOW COULD THIS POSSIBLY HURT ANY MORE THAN IT ALREADY DOES???  .......

and then it got worse.

that dang doctor was right. another sigh. I have to sit on the edge of the bathtub to put my pants on because it hurts to lift my leg. ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME. and i thought the hip pain was bad. HAHAHAHA.

ok rant over.

The nursery is coming together... its almost finished, the last touch will be to put her name on the wall (if we can ever decide.) and a few other small touches. But it looks really cute and im EXCITEDDD. the best part is the closet, thanks to my mom. It is extremely organized and looks AWESOME. pictures coming soon!

This Saturday is my baby shower. (so excited) The only thing that would make it better is if i can drink LOTS AND LOTS of wine with everyone else. (one thing im missing at the moment) BUT i figure this one year of sobriety can only be a benefit to my health. Im making up for it in frozen yogurt and donuts.

Besides all this nonsense the first trimester tiredness is coming back and all i want to do is snooze. unfortunately *but at the same time fortunately* im working so much i dont have time for naps. Im going to try to work up to the week or two before my due date, but for now im taking it week by week.

OH one more cool thing. I did this onesie gift exchange on a pregnany forum i participate in online. (its like a chat board for pregnant ladies due in September) pretty cool deal. But anyway, we each got a *secret* person and sent gifts in the mail to eachother. I was really excited to receive this:

cute right??? more clothes to add to our little squash's drawer (oh, since she doesnt have a name im calling her by the veggie/fruit that she is sized with each week. this week its squash.) i promise she wont REALLY be named Eggplant Davis.



Couch Potato.

I cant believe I have been absent from my blog so long (feeling guilty here). Things have been craaazzyyyy lately (but at least I have stayed on top of the belly picture taking!!) Quick recap of what has gone on. Our nursery has made some progress, finally. The closet is organized and pictures are almost all hung. (pictures coming soon) Baby Davis ALMOST has a name, were between two right now. ITS A SECRET :) and shes growing and kicking like crazy. Im pretty sure im growing a mini Mia Hamm in there. My bladder is her favorite place to kick. The biggest news so far happened this last Friday. I was washing my neighbors dog and long story short, I dumbly put the leash around my foot to hold him. BIG MISTAKE, as he took of running. My feet went strait out from under me and I landed right on my side. He proceeded to drag me 5 feet before my foot came loose. I learned my lesson by spending the next 5 hours in labor and delivery. Baby is ok, but one contraction was enough for me to never want to do THAT again. Im on 24-48 hour bed rest. My mild cramps have continued over the last 24 hours but im working hard to keep baby an inside baby... still have 14 weeks to go!! (cant believe how time goes by)

IT'S A GIRL!!

Well you definately didnt hear it here first, but between my work, taking care of skyler after his shoulder surgery, and making death by chocolate brownies, i havent had much time to blog. We found out monday that we are definately expecting a baby GIRL!! WOOOOO HOOOOO!! I am SO excited. Skyler is... also... excited. It took him a couple hours to come around but is adjusting to the idea fairly well. We are now in search of the perfect girl bedding that isnt "too pink" ... and he definately has an opinion. I think we have finally narrowed it down to two.
We made a second attempt at the baby registry creation at babies R us... after a Mcdonalds cup full of captain and sprite he VERY WILLINGLY let me scan some pink items and complete the WHOLE registry. I was REALLY happy to get it done! (so for the record we are registered at Target and Babies R Us) :)
anywho back to the anatomy scan, baby Davis is healthy and growing. Im feeling lots of kicks and rolls in there, and should be felt from the outside here in the next couple of weeks. SO EXCITING! I have only gained 2 pounds, and am under doctors orders to "eat whatever sounds good" to try to put some weight on. HENCE THE DEATH BY CHOCOLATE BROWNIES BAKING RIGHT NOW. They take two hours to set before i can taste... absolutely worth staying up an hour past my bedtime for....
Please excuse me while I devour half the pan. Heres some updated pictures. Baby and the belly. almost 19 weeks... cant believe it!!

here she is!! 18 WEEKS

little baby butt... its a girl!!

Getting there.

I had my 16 week appt yesterday and it went really well. The BEST part of the news is our anatomy scan was scheduled for April 18th at 11:30 am... one and a half more weeks we can say ITS A... girl or boy. !! so excited. Babys heartbeat is going strong at 155 bpm, which the dr says is great. I got the results from my first trimester bloodwork and everything came back normal (MORE YAYS)
Lets talk about cravings.
I was standing in the kitchen last night making waffles and bacon. (My 1 week craving of belgian waffles could not be satisfied by one breakfast so we invested in a waffle iron... smart decision.) I devoured two waffles and 4 slices of bacon and found myself wanting something else. I opened the pantry *as i eye the spaghetti sauce...* "baaaaabe? are you hungry for spaghetti??" whoever hasnt eaten waffles with a side of spaghetti is crazy... its DELICIOUS. Ill add to the list sour pickles (only to be found at harris teeter) as ell as cheeto puff curls and sausage biscuits and gravy. *DROOL* my mouth is literally watering as I type this. They werent joking when "cravings" was added to the list of pregnancy symtoms. it is a SERIOUS matter that has to be addressed as soon they arrive. otherwise you will be waking up at 2 am to pee and thinking about pickles and sausage. *more drool.*
Speaking of waking up at night. Dear lord my hips. I feel like a 100 year old lady. I spent 3-4 nights tossing and turning and waking up in the most awful pain imaginable 8-9 times a night before I drug my large pregnancy pillow back in the bed. Sorry Skyler, (he says it takes up 3/4s of the bed) I cant sleep without it anymore. Thanks baby davis for adding elastin to my joints and giving me hip pain. Problem solved. Skyler can fit on 1/4 of the bed, hes a dude. :)
Thats about all the update for now. Got another belly picture here... 16 weeks 2 days and growing... Ill be reaching for the maternity shirts in another week im sure... half my shirts look like an elementary school student lent me their clothes. WAY. TOO. TIGHT.
1 and a half weeks counting down!!



Update!

Everything has been so non eventful that I havent really written anything... I did go back to my OB for some bloodwork (routine stuff) and they moved my due date AGAIN to Sept. 19. So were back to the 15 (now almost 16 week) mark. THANKS FOR MY WEEK BACK! Nothing much going on in there except a couple (make that 4) baby roll arounds.... so exciting to feel something! Should be another 2 weeks or so before baby can be felt on the outside. We should be finding out around April 18 or so the gender for SURE this time. Our nursery furniture has YET to arrive. sigh. I will NEVER order from jcpenney again. To quote my mother "IM GOING TO WRITE A LETTER!" haha. that'll be the day!
Im FINALLY going to post a belly pic, since theres semi-something to look at now. This is from the FIRST day of week 15. I swear its getting bigger everyday. We had one nice day last week and I tried to squeeze into my cute summer dresses. Ya no... I looked like a pregnant summer slut. Oh well. So here ya go:



Its A....

Baby! (haha sorry.)

We went to our first trimester screen today in hopes of finding out the gender of the baby. I found this really awesome perinatal expert in Raleigh and we were lucky to get an appointment pretty soon. So we went in for my 12 week 3 day ultrasound. The dr did the NT scan for down syndrome and other defects and said everything looks GREAT. Baby looks healthy. We are measuring a week behind, but he said it was because my conception dates were miscalculated. SO I am actually 11 weeks 5 days pregnant instead. Our new due date is Sept. 24th. He said baby is measuring right for everything and nothing of concern so far, so thats GREAT! We are very happy. Our ultrasound actually lasted over and hour and we got our OWN SCREEN to watch it on. Baby was sleeping for a majority of the time but we did get to see it move around a bit. We also got to hear the heartbeat which is going strong at 168 bpm!!

Anyway, back to the gender stuff, If we WOULD have been correct with our 12 week assumption, then we could have found out the gender of the baby today. But since we were a little off, he could only tell us 70% that the baby is....  a GIRL! CAUTION he said "he couldnt tell for sure because we are not 12 weeks" but if he had to lean more one way thats what he would guess. So heres hoping.

I also had to get my finger pricked. I was mad. Skyler made fun of me.

Our next appt is set for April 25 for the anatomy scan. We opted to go back to this dr again because he was so wonderful (im so bummed he cant be my OB, but he doesnt deliver babies anymore AND hes in raleigh) So 6 more weeks we will know the gender for sure. Guess ill hold off on buying pink stuff- SIGH.

HEY MOM AND DAD!



Gummy Bear With A Heartbeat!

I just got back from my official first dr appointment with my new OB. I got another confirm ultrasound and it was AMAZING!! I got to see its heartbeat and it was waving its little arms around like crazy ("Hi Mommy!!!") It was so incredible and I am so happy I cant even stand it. Our new due date is Sept. 19th which is just a day off of what we originally thought, and the dr said baby is growing just fine and everything looks good and normal! I have gained 3 pounds so far which is right on track,  goal for first trimester is 5-7 pounds and I am 3 weeks away from being out of it! What a relief to see everything going well. The next appointment is in  2 weeks to go over family history blah blah blah BORING STUFF when do I get to see my gummy bear again? I also have to give 10 vials of blood which im less than ecstatic about so ill pretend its my red cross donation for the next 8 years. I secretly wore my maternity sweatpants today because my belly is swollen and the thought of putting on jeans made me want to yack. I was walking through the hospital looking at people thinking "do they know i have on maternity pants? can they tell?" im sure they couldnt, they look like plain sweatpants just with a roomy-er waist... which is fine with me so i can hide the 3 whopping pounds i have gained. Nap time!!  Oh i suppose you all would like to see gummy bear too!!



FINALLY! HOORAY!

YES! I am SO excited to say that I have finally gotten a dr. appointment scheduled! TOMORROW!! The only bummer is Skyler is out of town for work :( but I will feel so much better once I have a dr. tell me everything is going ok!! Today I didnt even FEEL pregnant... remember when I was complaining about being hungry not being hungry breakouts etc... well ill take all of that back PLEASE because it makes me feel better since it all reminds me theres a baby in there!! Cant wait to share new ultrasound pictures (hopefully) and more good news!! :) Being pregnant is DEFINATELY not as fun without my husband here. womp womp.

Feeling Slugggggiiiiisssshhh.

As a ever so slowly walk my way into week 10 (EEK!) I find myself more and more tired. I cant get through the day without a nap. At least I have my appetite back, and still havent kicked the sweet tooth. Our house is full of brownies, rice krispy treats, and cupcakes, and im guessing Skyler is happy to have skipped out of the house for the week (work trip) so he isnt eating like the pregnant lady. I FINALLY have my insurance, so tomorrow i can hopefully *CROSS FINGERS* get an appointment. I will feel so much better when I can see baby on the ultrasound and hear the heartbeat. Lack of pregnancy symptoms are making me slightly stress and I just want to make sure that little Davis is growing strong in there!! Not much else, im sleeping like no other and feel like I could stay asleep for days at a time. Ready to find out the gender of this baby! the suspense is killing me!!! Thats all for now, im hungry.... Goodbye blog, Hello food.

Chocolate Truffles, Chocolate Muffins, & Chocolate Cupcakes.

I havent felt the urge to write anything lately because frankly, theres not much new news around here. Besides the fact that I have a new hard obsession for anything chocolatey/peanut buttery or better yet, both mixed together. I found the most amazing cooking blog and my dear husband is probably ecstatic about all the extra treats that are making their way to the fridge/pantry. OH. and I have this awful need to clorox everything. SCRUB. Im not kidding, lampshades included. Im completely obsessing over dishes, etc, which I suppose is not neccessarily a bad thing, but now im finding myself needing new cookie sheets, pots, pans, etc because no matter how much i scrub everything in this house is RUSTED. sigh. Big baking lady sigh. Skyler leaves for a one week work trip on Sunday and the first thing im going to do is pull everything out of the cabinets and completely reorganize the whole kitchen so I can reach things better. After all, Im a chef. And right now my house smells like peanut butter muffins and im drooling.

Belly is growing, i know i know, everyone wants to see pictures. Soon, i promise. im so busy baking.
Still waiting for a doctors appointment, if my birth certificate EVER arrives then maybe I can sign up for my insurance and get in there. clocks ticking, its supposed to be here Friday. cross fingers.

Thats about it, no news is good news, hopefully. Were 9 and a half weeks and still no throwing up, THANK THE LOOOOOORD. Although my husbands not so careful driving over a bumpy road did almost cause me to toss my cookies today. literally, because thats what i ate for lunch. Sssh, im pregnant and a girls gotta eat ok? Sleeping better, and still getting up 3 times a night to pee. Last night i think i fell asleep on the toilet, not kidding. Im making cake batter pancakes tomorrow. If anyone wants to buy me cooking supplies, please feel free. I need a food processor and one of those awesome mixers with the bowl underneath. :) :)



I Got Mrs. Davised.

WELL hello again fellow blog readers/writers/ etc. Im sorry I havent written lately (i feel as if i owe this apology, i didnt blog for 2 days and my mother called to say "IS EVERYTHING OK? YOU HAVENT WRITTEN IN YOUR BLOG.").... I was too busy getting married. thats right folks, MARRIED. I am officially Mrs. Davis, carrier of the baby Davis, and wife to the Mr. Davis. We spent an awesome weekend in Gatlinburg, just the two of us, and got hitched at a NO LIE drive-thru wedding chapel. It was classic........and took exactly 2 minutes and 13 seconds. We are planning a real wedding for spring of 2012 after baby arrives.
I am currently convinced I am carrying a girl. Ever hear the saying "baby girl steals your beauty" ?? well, shes stealing it all right. im PUFFY. and BROKEN OUT EVERYWHEEERE zits. ZITS dear lord the zits my poor once clear complexion has gone to Hell. im PALE. and im TIRED. BUT i suppose i cannot complain too entirely much, because I have made it strongly to week 8 and a half and still no vomiting (knock on wood.) I got close the day I came down with a minor cold/fever (courtesy of Skyler) but luckily held everything down.
Remember when I was starving to DEATH every second of every day? When i couldnt eat enough? well now i cant eat AT ALL. Im lucky to shove some sorry excuse of crackers down once a day. im just NOT hungry and its so hard to force myself to eat. So the nurse has prescribed me *GAG* Ensure, a discusting nutritional drink in MMM chocolate. Im slowly choking it down in hopes of making baby grow. My first doctors appointment has been moved to next week, because SURPRISE north carolina has the most ridiculous laws and now we are having problems with the insurance and all that jazz, hopefully to be cleared up Monday of next week so we can make babys appointment on Thursday.
We have started collecting diapers, to 1. get in the habit of buying, and 2. so we dont have to buy all at once. I let Skyler pick them out, hes so cute comparing prices and reading boxes "HEY BABE, THESE ARE SWADDLERS." precious.
so thats about it for now, broken out tired face with a slow growing belly. Ill try to post a belly picture this week for all of you who are dying to see. :)

streeeetch.

I am SO happy to say I got to eat buffalo wings last night, as well some pizza dippin sticks. Thanks to my (soon to be) husband who patiently waited around at 11 pm while I called SIX pizza places (who knew pizza places close at 945 pm? ridiculous) finally found one and F-E-A-S-T-E-DDDDD. craving satisfied.
Pregnancy. ahhhh between the hours of 4:30 am and 9:30 am I have this AWFUL ache to STREEEEEETCH my body. im so exhausted and cant get comfortable and cant sleep. Skyler was getting ready for work at 5 am, and after 30 straight minutes of tossing and turning I sat up and said "UGH I CANT SLEEP I NEED TO STRETCH I HATE THIIIIIS" he said "guess what you're pregnant." please tell me something I dont know. This child is taking over my boddyyyyy. Nicole says "sleep while you can because after September you'll never feel rested again" hrrmmph. easier said than done my friend.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. the smell of the leftover pizza garlic butter is making me NAUSEOUS
2. My first OBGYN appt. is scheduled for Friday the 11th.
3. Im getting married this weekend. MARRIED. eeeek.
4. My mother is sending me boy baby clothes in the mail so apparently she has determined the sex of the baby with her magic psychic powers, or shes just hoping for a boy. either way, they are cute, getting us excited, and going in a box in the nursery.
5. We FINALLY decided on a crib. and no, its one from the 1,437 choices at Target.

thats all for now, im up to my ears in baby books.

I. AM. EXHAUSTED. welcome to 7 weeks

I'm tired. I'm SO tired. Do you want to know what time I got tired last night? seven. SEVEN! that's insane. 7:15 I could barely keep my eyes open. I told Skyler I was going to bed. He glanced at his watch then looked at me like i was crazy. If this is what seven weeks feels like, I cant imagine what it feels like two weeks from now. I'm going to sleep, wake me up at the end of the third trimester ok?

ldkajkfdjglkdfjglks oh sorry, face-plant on the keyboard. yes I'm that tired.

Lets talk about cravings. At this moment I would give my own arm for:

• Buffalo Wings, preferably a mix of mild buffalo and also some lemon pepper ones. drool.
• Pizza Hut pepperoni dipping sticks ($10 for anyone who feels like sending them my way...)
• smoothies. particularly Smoothie King's Power Punch Plus

DROOL.

DROOL.

DROOL.



If someone could please deliver all of these things to my house that would be very nice. thanks. Yesterday I craved wings for 9 hours straight, woke up this morning thinking the craving would be gone, but that's what I wanted for breakfast. I know what I'm having for lunch today. I'm trying really hard to not give in to the bad food cravings but I'm getting weaker as the days tick on. Almost ready to say oh screw it goodbye hot 24 year old body.
On an up note, this week baby is the size of a blueberry. Its growing. For the last week I was convinced Blueberry Davis was a boy. But today I woke up thinking it was a girl. I would like to know how correct a mothers intuition is.

I dread sleeping, even though I'm sooooo tiiiirrrreeeddd. Its hard to stay comfortable. And I get up at least 3 times a night to pee. At 630 am Skyler tried to use my belly as a pillow. Cute, yes, comfortable, no. I got up and moved to the couch. Which is actually where I will be taking my nap, starting now. toodles.

1,437 Cribs.

Did you know that target carries 1,437 baby cribs? And that the only baby crib that Skyler really wants isn't listen in those over a thousand listings? Solid back, 4 in 1 convertible in an espresso color. I swear this crib does not exist and he made it up in his head. Okay, it DOES exist, but its also very expensive, if not discontinued. So he has finally changed his mind and decided we can choose something different. (Not to mention after reading a LOT of reviews you cannot tie a crib bumper into a solid back.) I think i have spent a total of 72 hours looking at JUST cribs. I'm slightly over it.
On a good note, I took a break from searching for the non-existent Skyler-worthy crib to clean up the guest room, which will become the nursery. I would like to say that Honey Lamb has a LOT of stuff. In fact, i think she has as much stuff as Target has cribs. (1,437 for those of you who forgot) I somehow magically packed all of her Afghan-sent trunks and boxes galore into the closet and even shut the door. HA! take THAT! Then i took another break and ate another quarter jar of green olives. and my back hurts. After moving all the boxes around I thought, hmm, maybe I'm not supposed to lift heavy items? Is this a pregnancy no no? so i did more research (getting so good at the pregnancy research stuff) and found out that indeed, you are NOT supposed to lift, because you take the risk of separating the placenta from the uterine wall blah blah blah. Soooo, I guess I'm done lifting, thank goodness I finished the room before I read. And I guess i will no longer be picking up Sasha from one couch and putting her on another when she INSISTS on cuddling with mommy and daddy. I swear she senses that shes about to be replaced....
I feel good today. CLEARLY, since I did all that moving around. Every ten minutes I ponder IS IT STILL IN THERE? and sometimes out loud "BABY ARE YOU STILL IN THERE!" It's in there alright, I have bloat to show it. Oh, and the excessively oily skin? gag me. I had to scrub my face THREE different times in the shower to make it feel clean. everything is soooo oily. But my appetite seems to have calmed down today and I didn't get nauseous once. yessss. (I must be having one of those really easy pregnancies that every other toilet hugging constipated mom-to-be is jealous of.) And now I have heartburn. Goodnight!

WHAT THE HECK IS THAT SMELL.

Im starting to think this pregnancy bit is a bigger piece of cake than most women claim they have been served. Despite the little bit of nausea and extreme hunger strikes and afternoon exaustion I have been experiencing, I'm glad to say I'm halfway through week 6 and haven't thrown up ONCE. so where is this morning sickness stuff? How come I'm not hugging the toilet? I read a lot online that women who do not experience a lot of morning sickness are carrying a boy. OHMYGAAAH. We will not know until week 20 if that is true or not, but until then, I am thankful that I am not face-first friends with the porcelain thrown. I am, however, craving olives. My whole family knows that I have always been so obsessed with green olives that I even go as far sipping the juice. welllll I cant keep my spoon out of the olive jar, though I'm trying really hard because the sodium count is high. unfortunately. why cant I crave something like.... broccoli? although i must say that veggies are extremely appealing these days. enough of the food talk...
what the HECK is that SMELL??? it smells like a ROTTING cheeseburger that i left under the seat of my mothers station wagon when I was 2. DEAR LORD the stench. I have looked EVERYWHERE because I'm just positive i will find a rotting cantaloupe or something of the like, but nowhere to be found. NOWHERE. whats that SMELL?????!! and the coffee skyler made this morning? it smells like he put 16 scoops of grounds in the pot. Heightened sense of smell? CHECK.
Now dont get me wrong, im not saying this is easy or anything. I cant sleep at night because my belly feels funny. And all the mentioned above. plus a few other symptoms. BUT i was just expecting, after reading all these horrible stories of how miserable people are, that it was going to be a lot worse. WATCH... week seven on the dot ill probably be puking.

Baby Bloat

I. AM. BLOATED. im so bloated, that I couldnt even sleep on my stomach last night. WHAT?? im not even showing yet why cant I sleep on my stomach? My neighbor says if im already having problems sleeping im in for a LOT of miserable nights of sleeping, or not sleeping, as my belly grows. Guess ill need to get a body pillow soon. Thank goodness, not a bit of nausea today, but extremely tired at about 2 pm, same as yesterday. I didnt have time for a nap. sigh. Skyler made an awesome dinner. I said I could only eat half but ate almost everything on my plate (hey, im eating for two here.) I only eat till im full, but i think im going to nix the big meals and go for lots of small ones.... because that constipation they talk about in your first 3 months? ya... its just about the opposite right now. SORRY. No super new developments... This week baby is growing its spinal cord, eyes, nose, and ears! (the better to hear you with my dear.)

6 Weeks

It's confirmed, I am 6 weeks pregnant as of today, Baby Davis is due September 20th! I had my very first ever ultrasound done, which, I might add, is not that thrilling, but we got to see our little Pea! SO EXCITING. The nurse had a hard time finding it at first, so the doctor came in and prodded until the little baby dot appeared on the screen. (Thank you, God, for giving me a low sitting and wierdly positioned uterus...) Soooo there it is, tucked in very comfortably in the middle of my uterus... begging for food every 30 minutes. I didnt realize it was possible to eat 3 pieces of chicken and a whole can of corn and still be hungry. Oh, and an apple. *stomach growl* hungerrrrr. The doc says this is normal. NORMAL? really? and that I should eat EVERY TIME IM HUNGRY. are you seeerioussss? We're going to need a LOT of groceries. Still guzzling water but hardly any nausea today, thank goodness. The morning sickness fairies have skipped me. thank yoooooou.
I started thinking about when my rabbit, Trixie, had babies 2 years ago. Rabbits are so fascinating when they are pregnant, they tear up anything they can find to make a nest and pull out their hair for the babies to sleep in. Then they are born, this time there were 9. I woke up one day to find them tucked all warm in their mama-fur-nest. precious as can be, seriously. They stay that way for about 3 weeks, and you're like awwwww cutest thing I have EVER seen. And then, all of a sudden, THEY ARE ALL WALKING AROUND THE HUTCH. AT THE SAME TIME. im not kidding. and they all want to eat. and they want attention. I remember staring with wide eyes like oh CRAP i have 10 rabbits now GO BACK IN YOUR NEST IM NOT READY GO BACK GO BACK. they were really nice when they were blind and hairless in their nesting box and then they could WALK. anyway, im not really sure where I was going with this... except I hope when this baby comes out im not like WAIT GO BACK IN FOR A COUPLE WEEKS IM NOT READY. And, for peace of mind, I will not be pulling my hair out to make a baby nest. thats all.

So here is the first official of our pea. precious right? It will double in size in 3 weeks. It's already big, I think, that must mean its a boy.

Puffalump.

Im staving. still. The leftover spaghetti satisfied me for a whole 30 minutes. I also cant stop peeing. I thought I had a child bladder before, but now its even worse. I could also drink a whole swimming pool of water. Maybe 2. And this is only 6 weeks. Did I mention the bloating? PUFF-A-LUMP.
Today we go to our first ultrasound, (walk-ins welcome, thank goodness) to find out how far along I actually am. Then im getting vitamins. And healthy food. .... yayyyy. This is like someone forcing me to follow my new years resolution of get healthy. The bad part? I'll be gaining weight, not losing it. I feel like I have already put on 15 pounds. Goodbye, young sexy self. Hello mama. Hopefully some kind of black and white photo coming soon? Can't wait to see my little blur!!

Gotta add... we are going to have the CUTEST baby. EVER.
oh, also, for those of you who dont know, the background of this blog is a photo from MY favorite baby book as a child. :)

Fruit Snacks.

Im bloated. Oh, gosh, am I bloated. And the sad thing is, this is probably the least bloated I will be for the next 9 months. I hope I look good in fat. Im hungry. Starved, actually. Crackers, apples, fruit snacks. Bad idea. Baby Pea doesnt like fruit snacks. Instant nausea, thank you. Im so hungry every 30 minutes, and the minute something is in my mouth I want to spit it out. Cant wait for my saltine cracker fest for the next 2 months, since it seems to be the only thing that agrees with me. Yay. Im trying to get our first dr appointment, me skyler and little pea, that is. Because daddy says hes going to every single one, which im absolutely thrilled about. I should be about 6 weeks along, but we want to find out our little Pea's exact arrival. My mom is already buying me maternity clothes. She asks me what size pants I wear. She gets them 2 sizes bigger. I refuse to get fat. REFUSE.
Shes also planning the baby shower. And the nursery. And the wedding. OH DEAR.

Oh. My. God.

I have to play a little catch up here. Lets go back to Saturday night. I was 2 weeks late, but absolutely convinced, despite being nauseous all day, that I was under no circumstances pregnant. "oh my body is just messed up from my pill" and "it's not that easy to get pregnant". WRONG. Hello, as im sitting on the toilet with my sister impatiently waiting. "One.... Two... Three..." as I pee on the stick, which is OF COURSE going to be negative... "Four... this is stupid, im not pregnant... Five." I set the stick on the counter and rolled my eyes as Cari snatches it up. "OH. MY. GOD." she says. The next few moments are a blur. Im smiling, im crying, im freaking out. Im pregnant. Oh, gosh, im pregnant. Skyler, he's delighted, or at least I THINK hes happy, or maybe hes just smiling because im crying and he doesn't know what to do. Actually, I think he STILL doesn't know what to do. But were excited. And scared. And nervous. But it's all gunna be just fine... as he takes 3 shots of crown and exclaims "IT BETTER BE A BOY!!" Here we go....

it's positive!

daddy is a little surprised!