Update :)

I can not believe my baby girl is almost 2 months old. Where has the time gone?! These past 8 weeks have been nothing short than amazing. The love that comes over you when you have a baby is so indescribable! I am happier than I have ever been before. Aniston is progressing great! She is such a chunky monkey now :) She eats about every 2-3 hours. Breastfeeding has turned into such an awesome bonding experience! Before my goal was "6 month" (but I would have been okay if I only did 3), but now I want to do at least 6 months and maybe closer to a year. I am practically a pro now and have no problem feeding her in public! Always covered of course! lol! Aniston rolled over at 6 weeks...it took at least 10 minutes and luckily we had the video camera or no one would believe us! She has not done it since though...I think all of our clapping and screaming freaked her out!!! She is also starting to smile and is so much more aware of her surroundings! For the past 2 or 3 weeks, Aniston has been sleeping through the night! Granted she doesn't fall asleep until 2 am, but she then sleeps until 8, eats, and goes back to sleep until 11 or 12!!! It is heavenly. Parenting is so much easier when you sleep more than 2 or 3 hours a night. Aniston's 2 month well check up is on Friday!! I promise to start updating a lot more frequently :) Random side note....I started reading the Baby Sign Language program and we hope to start that soon! She probably won't be able to sign back for 3 more months though! Can't wait for her to be able to interact with us more, but it makes me so sad how quickly she is growing! She looks like a baby now...not my little newborn. Anywho, I'll update Friday when we learn how big Ms. Piggy really is!!!

Aniston's Birth

Aniston is here!!! After 39 weeks and 4 days of waiting, we finally got to meet our sweet angel! She arrived on May 22, 2011...our PERFECT 1 year anniversary gift! Cody and I went in to the hospital on Friday, May 20, and Dr. Price was going to strip my membranes to get things going! She came in to check me, and said that my cervix was very favorable and suggested that we do Cervidil to finish softening my cervix. They put that in place Friday night and it had to stay put for 12 hours. We slept great that night and anxiously waited the morning for them to check my progress. The next day they removed the Cervidil and I was 100% effaced and dilated to 3 cm. At this time they broke my water and we were so excited knowing that it had to be within 24 hours!!! Cody and I spent hours Saturday walking the halls of TMH labor and delivery, but I progressed SOOOO slowly. Late that afternoon we decided to start Pitocin to speed up the dilation. Once the Pitocin started, contractions tripled in strength and about an hour later I got an Epidural. THE BEST DECISION OF MY LIFE!!!! After I had the Epidural, I was able to sleep, laugh, talk and really enjoy the entire process. My legs were not dead and I did not feel like I was not in control. It was just right! I could lift and move my legs, feel the pressure, and knew exactly when I needed to push without having to be coached....I just felt NO pain! Things really picked up and I went from 7 cm at 1 o'clock to 10 cm and station +3 at 2 o'clock! Dr. Mcalpine came in and told me this information and I remember saying so what are we going to do and his reply was, "Well I guess we can go home!" lol He was amazing! He stayed in the room from that moment until Aniston was completely checked out! He was so laid back and made me feel comfortable the entire time! I started pushing at 2 am and Aniston was born at 2:27! I pushed for 30 min....how lucky am I?!? I laughed in between pushes and I remember taking my camera from Mrs. Andrea to fix the setting she had it on! Once again the Epidural was AMAZING! lol! As soon as she was born they placed her on my chest and I could hear Cody sniffing back the tears as he cut her umbilical cord. It was the most PERFECT 1 year anniversary gift we could have asked for. She is absolutely gorgeous. She weighed 7 lbs 4 oz and was 20.1 inches long! She has a head full of dark brown hair, big juicy lips, the cutest little button nose, and big beautiful eyes :) She is so alert! The minute they placed her on my chest she just stared at me and admired her family.

We had the best doctors and nurses at the hospital! However, it was a hectic 2 days! They were constantly coming in to push on my belly (which was way worse then labor) and taking our vitals and running tests! It was non stop! And for some crazy reason they make people leave at 9 pm....we could have used Mia and GiGi's help until at least midnight! Since May 22, was our anniversary, Gigi brought us Macaroni Grill for dinner and Mia brought us the top of our wedding cake for us to celebrate! Cody gave me a diamond and emerald bracelet...the diamonds represent our anniversary and the emeralds represent Aniston's birthstone! We were able to go home on Tuesday the 24th and things started to get a lot better! Nursing was hard at first, but we have gotten the hang of it and I absolutely LOVE it now! It is so so sweet to have her cuddle me while she nurses :) She sleeps so well and only wakes up to eat every 3 hours! Cody has been such an amazing father! He is so in love with Aniston, and I can tell how much more he appreciates me after carrying her and delivering her! I love my sweet little girl more and more each day, and I am taking every moment in! Life could not be any better....

Things I'll Miss

All of the stories about women being miserable the last little bit are SO true! I am ready to meet Aniston and that is all I think about. She is stuck, though, and no matter what I do, she isn't budging!!! With that said, I got to thinking about the things I will actually miss about pregnancy. In all honesty, it is sad knowing that the experience of pregnancy will only happen a few times in my life. Though I have become quite the hypochondriac, with something new hurting every day, and I am growing more uncomfortable by the minute; I wouldn't have traded it for the world. Before pregnancy, I always dreamed what it would be like to have my own family. From the moment I found out about this peanut, those dreams became my reality. I have our whole future together pictured out. And when I found out this peanut was a girl, Aniston, those pictures were even more clear. I think about our tea parties, pedicures and manicures, makeovers, dances, park adventures, and baking extravaganzas. I could not imagine life without Aniston. I can not wait to hold her in my arms, squeeze her, cover her with kisses, and watch her grow into a beautiful young woman. But I will miss her squirming in my belly, the gentle rhythm of her hiccups that keep me up at night, her one little foot that she keeps on the left side of my belly, and the way Cody is in complete awe of her and my growing tummy. There is something about the look in his eye and the smile that covers his face when he watches her move inside of me. I will miss him talking to her through my belly and the soft kisses that he gives to her through me. It is like I am the passageway...the only connection to his daughter. Though I am glad they will soon form a relationship not centered around me, I will miss this. I am also going to miss having her ALL to myself. Right now she is mine...all mine and I get to talk to her and love her all day without having to share! We are so blessed with a great family and tons of friends that I cannot wait to introduce her to, but the jealous side of me doesn't want to let her go. Oh the wonders of pregnancy!

Early Labor

My last post was apparently right on! For the last three days I have started early labor. I was up all night on Wednesday night (and poor Cody was right there with me until 4 am and had to wake up for school at 7) so I decided I should give the doctor a call to make sure everything was ok. He asked me to come in right away on Friday so they could check me. I went in, and had lost 5 pounds in one week :( They were concerned, but Aniston seems to be doing fine and still has plenty of fluid. He checked me and I have thinned out and started to dilate. I was not quite one centimeter. He told me to take it as easy as possible, and that we needed to keep her in my belly for at least one more week. They are not sure why I am not keeping on the weight, and will watch that closely for the rest of the pregnancy. I was told to eat all of the food I possibly could...even if that means 10 cupcakes in one day :) We are almost finished with the nursery so I will post pics soon!!!

It's Getting Close!

Weird things have been going on in my belly! It has been extremely tight and crampy for the past few days! It last for about 15-20 minutes at a time though so it has been confusing!!! When I went to the hospital last time I did not have "warm up" contractions. I woke up throwing up and the contractions were so bad I could not talk through them. These are different...they last a long time are are uncomfortable but not painful. It is almost like period cramps and my tummy is SOOO tight. I haven't been able to get comfortable, sleep, or eat normally for the past few days. Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but maybe Aniston is preparing for her big debut!!!!

On a side note, the waddle is strong now! I can not walk normal for the life of me. She has dropped so low in my pelvis there is no room to put my legs together and walk! lol!

Another random side note: I am now the handy man of the house. Cody was not too upset to give up this title, but I earned it yesterday! I went to Lowes all by myself and explained to the guy about the "door thingy in the frame that catches the door nob breaking off and the srews ripped through the wood". He then showed me a larger metal piece with the standard size door nob catcher that I could screw in to the frame to repair it and not have to replace the whole frame. I went home and fixed the door. This inspired me to hang the curtains in Aniston's nursery. I rock.

Shower from Leah :)

The baby shower that Leah threw me yesterday blew me away! I seriously have not stopped talking about how amazing everything was. It was perfect from the decor to the food and games! So many people showed up, and we were so blessed! As part of the decorations, Leah had tons of baby goodies such as pacifiers, rags, and onesies hanging from the most adorable tree...I am now using that tree to hold all of her bows and it is the perfect addition to her room :) She also got a play mat, portable stroller thing, diamond earrings from Grandma Ledford, a beautiful hand made quilt from Rita Hancock, a baby breeza food maker and her crib/nursery furniture from Mia, the Medela breast pump from Gigi, and SOOOOO much more. I now feel prepared and can relax knowing that she has everything that she needs! Speaking of the breast pump, the owners manual shows these women cleaning their house and reading to their children while hands free pumping....seriously?!? They couldn't take a 15 min break and do it in the privacy of their bedroom!!! Don't think I could ever get myself to do that, but at least I have the option! lol! They played this game at the shower called "Winner Takes ALL" and everyone guessed how much money was in an owl shaped piggy jar...Katina got the closest and won a bottle of ALL detergent! It was so cute! Anyways, can't wait to meet my baby girl :)


Random side note: I want to learn to coupon so I never have to buy cleaning supplies or toiletries...someone want to teach me how?!?

Baby Shower and Birthing Classes

Aniston and I had our first baby shower this past Sunday and it was AMAZING! Kaylan and Sadie did such a good job with the "owl theme" decorations that match her nursery and making sure all of my favorite foods/pregnancy cravings were there! They even had cereal :) So many people showed up and gave us goodies! We got her swing, bouncy/vibrating seat, pack n play, high chair, video monitor, silver cup spoon and fork set, Coach diaper bag, awesome handmade Vera Bradley burp clothes (shout out to Jackie Pipkin), the most adorable clothes, and so much more! It is amazing how much someone so small needs!!! We played the "guess how big Karli's belly is" game and it was hilarious! Everyone was really close, but Jackie took the prize! My mom was a close second though..she was only off by maybe an inch! All of the in-laws decided to go short...didn't want to be on the baby mama's bad side I'm guessing! lol! I cannot wait for our next shower on Saturday...SOOOO EXCITING!

Cody and I have also had our first 2 child birth classes! We love the instructor, Blythe. She is very down to earth and realistic. I like that she doesn't try to sugar coat things...she lets you know it's going to hurt worse than anything you've ever experienced, but then gives you ways to deal with that pain and makes you realize it's only temporary. She has also had 6 kids....3 naturally and 3 with an epidural so she can give you first hand knowledge of the differences. The first class we learned about the signs of labor, your water breaking, and had a meet and greet with the other couples! It was so cute...we were driving down the road the day after talking about her birth and Cody randomly said we just need to remember "COAT- Color, Oder, Amount, and Time" if your water breaks! He really was paying attention! lol! The second class was a little more intense. We learned how to track contrations, when to come to the hospital, the different stages of labor, and breathing/relaxation techniques. We were shown some pretty graphic videos, and it scared me to death! OUCH. We then got on the floor, and learned how to take slow breaths in through your nose for the count of 4 and out through your mouth for the count of 6 during a contration. Cody laughed the whole time we practiced! She also told us to find a happy place that we can go to during a contration as a form of distration. My happy place is a private island with crystal clear, calm water (similar to St. John) with lounge chairs partially in the water so you get just enough of your body wet and endless amounts of frozen fruity drinks :) Cody is supposed to be able to describe this place to me during a contration to take my mind off of it. We'll see how well these distractions actually work...

Our 33rd week check up was yesterday! She is still in the right position, and growing well. She weighs 4.75 lbs, the average at this age is 4.9 so she is a little small! Her body is pushing against my lungs, which doesn't allow them to inflate fully making me feel like I can't breathe. We had to do an oxygen test to make sure I am getting enough oxygen and I am :) My brain is basically being tricked into a panic attack because it feels like I can't breath. The doc said this would probably only get worst...oh the joys of pregnancy. Her head is pushed firmly against my pelvis bones so she is ready to go! This is my last time going 2 weeks between doc appointments, and then I start my weekly visits. Only 6 weeks and 6 days to go!!!