1 + 1 = 3!

Zoey arrived! It was a tough entrance... but she made it!

Short Stats:

After 22 hours, almost passing out from installing the IV, 3 epidural full cartages, 2 hours of HARD pushing, and finally little baby Zoey makes her appearance. Poor little thing has a really sore head from the internal heart monitor (who knew that they screwed it into the baby's head?) a cone head from being pushed so long, bruises and skin removal from the suction of the vacuum (didn't work after 3 tries), and finally bruises from the forceps. She's a little trooper and is recovering nicely!

This part is probably too much information (TMI) but I'm going to record it since I don't keep on offical journal, so only read if you're into gory details:

Mom (me) enjoyed starving with good food (Grist Mill bagels) all about the room, EXCELLENT company, super low blood pressure causing her to almost pass out and vomit (twice). HOURS of waiting and waiting with little progress only .5 a centimeter after every 3-4 hours, but after a Priesthood Blessing dilation went from a 6 to a 9 in only 20 minutes, and then it wasn't long before we were able to start pushing. After the birth, I still had horrible contractions, trouble with the placenta - it was being stubborn and I needed a D&C. I had 5 stitches and a couple of moles removed since I was numb. Those 22 hours of labor I'm sure will be forgotten soon as we enjoy snuggling up with our little Zoey.

As soon as we get pics I'll post them.

Memorial Day Weekend

It's been a rough weekend. I've been very uncomfortable and have had some really strong contractions. We didn't sleep well Sat night, figuring we'd have to go to the hospital because the pain was almost unbearable... so early Sunday morning after I had all I could take, we went to the hospital. I found out my doctor is out of town this weekend and after an agonizing hour (uncomfortable bed and being hooked up to several devices) of being monitored, I still wasn't dilated enough to deliver.

They gave me some heavenly pills to reduce my uncomfortableness and let me get some rest, and I spent most of Sunday sleeping. So the waiting game continues and I found myself in awe of mother's everywhere who weather the storm of childbirth.

Looks like I'll be back to work Tuesday... with an even bigger belly, because this girl of mine keeps growing...

Dr. appointment

Today was the long awaited Dr. appointment.
And... there's no change. Cute little Zoey is VERY comfortable where she's at.

I'm enduring contractions and it seems we're getting closer. But she's going to come when she's ready. We're learning there's no rushing this girl.
Until then, I'm distracting my self with good books (Hunger Games, Ender's Game, Love Always Dave, Patrick McManus) and great company! (Mac's been such a good support when I'm feeling miserable! And PPaz likes to be right by me when I'm home resting.)

I'm sure news of Zoey will spread quickly once there's some action. I'm figuring she'll wait until Memorial Day or sometime in June.

Guess we'll wait and find out.

Haiku

Mac is amazing with words.
Below is the Haiku that he texted me Tuesday:

Frazzled, stressed out nerves
Uncomfortable pregnant wife
Zoey please come soon

And that about sums up what we're feeling.

(In case you don't remember what a Haiku is, it's a poem with 5-7-5 syllables.)

No Zoey yet...

The Dr visit didn't go as I wanted it to. I've been enduring contractions and feeling uncomfortable for over a week now... but Zoey's still not quite ready to come out. I think she may be too comfortable in there.

Hummm... maybe by next week or the week after.

Maternity Pics!

Clarissa is an amazing photographer!
Not only do we have soooo much fun at our photo shots, she has a real talent for capturing the moment!

Here are a few of my FAVORITES!

I'm sure Zoey will appreciate these pics too!

Can you tell we're Scrabble fans?

I love the double pics here! So creative!

I call this one,
"Stretch Marks are a Badge of Honor"

This one is my fav!
(can you tell my fingers are swollen?
I have to ware my wedding ring around my neck)

This was a candid shot. Mac's adorable!
I call this one, "Comparing Apples to Oranges"

Check out her name!
It's almost as big as my HUGE belly!

This one could be called,
"Patiently waiting for Zoey to arrive"

Doesn't Zoey have the coolest parents?!

Isn't Mac a s good sport?!

Today's Ultrasound

Zoey's doing well!

Right now she's about 7 lbs 3 oz.
She's happy and very comfy. We saw her lungs moving, her heart is beating strongly, and she's got cute little cherub cheeks.
We can't wait to meet her!

Zoey update

After spending most of yesterday (Mother's Day) in severe pain (cramps & contractions, and overall soreness), Mac and I decided to see if we could get an earlier apt with the doctor. I wasn't comfortable waiting until Thursday... it seems soooo far away!

I'm glad we went in. Not only for piece of mind, but we learned that I'm dilated to a 1.5 and 70% effaced and Zoey's riding low at -1 (if you know what any of this means - it means we're close).

The Dr said he's seen some women as far along as me go into labor the next day - but he thinks it's more likely she'll be here in a week or 2. (That's sooner than I anticipated. I was trying to gear up for June.)

We get another ultrasound on Thurs to check fluid levels and Zoey's growth. (I'm hoping she's not gonna be a 8-10 pounder!)


FUN NEWS:
Clarissa took our Pregnancy pictures on Sat. I can't wait to see how they turned out! I can't wait to post them. She got a lot of cute shots!

Newsletters!

Yesterday I enlisted my adorable nephews (and Grammy!) to deliver newsletters while I looked for satellite violations. The cute little 6 year wanted to come with me instead of Grammy putting newsletters on the doors. He was quick to know what I was looking for and spot all the violations. "That's wrong!" he'd tell me. And then he ran around to the front to tell me the door number. What a helpful boy! (I need all the help I can get these days. I don't waddle very fast!)

The part that made me really crack up is when we stopped back at my place to recover from the little rain sprinkles that started coming 1/2 way through our job. Grammy was reading the newsletter articles out loud and he got a peak at the back page and said, "Can I see that?! That's Alpine Cleaning and Restoration!" He saw the Alpine logo and started singing a jingle.

(I don't think I learned the word 'restoration' until I was WAY older than he is. These kids just amaze me with their wit and intellect.)

Kitty, Kitty!

PPaz makes me smile!

She's been really good company at night when I'm fighting insomnia at night and in the mornings when I'm worshiping the "porcelain god" - AKA toilet. It was comforting to have on the top of the toilet while I was retching last week. She had a concerned look as she was trying to figure out how to help me.

Cute little kitty has been my little shadow lately. She likes to be near me - or at least on the same floor. That's progress from a year ago when I adopted her and she didn't like much human contact.
It's been really nice having her nearby especially since Mac comes home later since he's doing a night class.

"I get the couch all to myself!"

"The best part of a package is the wrapping!"

More pics of Zoey

Went to the Dr's this morning. Mom went with me since Mac had to work.

The good news is Zoey is STILL a girl.
It was fun to see our little 3.5-4 pounder moving around. We got to see a close-up of her drinking. She's got a cute little nose and mouth!
The 4 chambered heart looks good and healthy - her size and weight measurements were all where's she's supposed to be. Everything looks good!

Just about 2 more months until she arrives!Profile pic

Tilt your head to the right, then you can make out her eye sockets, little nose and mouth.

Zoey made me do it....

It's been about 3 weeks since I split my favorite pair of black pants while bending down to pick up some papers. (Good thing this embarrassing moment happened in the privacy of my own home!)

Yesterday I wore the largest pair of jeans in my closet... and they were too tight.
Zoey kept kicking me all day at work. I could tell she didn't like the smaller space... so today I broke down at lunch and found a VERY comfy pair of jeans and black pants!
Now we're both happy! (Too bad the checkbook isn't.)

Things are looking up from the beginning of the week.
However, I'm still not fully adjusted to daylight's saving time. I really wished our state was as cool as Arizona and maintained one time all year round.

Yesterday

Yesterday we started our search for a recliner so I could feel more comfortable - especially at night with my insomnia and heartburn. We were prepared to go to several places - starting with Edward's Furniture on Main Street. We found just what we were looking for and reasonably priced too! It was easy to transport - the back comes right off and our neighbors helped us carry it upstairs to go in the nursery!
After that purchase, we went to Levens since they had a sign up that read "$99 suits". We've been wanting to get one for Mac for a while. When we went in, looked around and discovered they only had one suit that would even partially work, we left disappointed and tried Kohls. They had limited sizes, so our last hope was to try Mr. Mac. We were impressed with the customer service and selection. We found the one we were looking for! We can't wait until it's tailored and ready for pick up next week!

Quick update on Eric, Brynn & the kids. They're on their last leg of this LOOOOONG 3 year journey. This is a pic they sent: I love how HAPPY the kids look with their Happy Meal!
We pray that the rest of the process goes smoothly and that they can come home soon!

Tues, March 2

Today I attended the funeral of Nedra Taylor (69 years). She was practically a legend in LR1 and the neighborhood. She was a bright spot for all of the young children because she gave them smarties at church and was also most recently "Sister Friendly" who shared stories (from "The Friend" magazine) during Primary. She was cheerful and had a deep love of God. I've had many good conversations with her and enjoyed listening to her testimony. She was burdened with health problems, but that didn't seem to keep her down. She was always involved with helping the community and others around her. I'll miss seeing her scoot along the road on her way to church on her little motorized chair/scooter. She has left a void and will be missed.


After the funeral Mom, Sue and I went to lunch. We went to Papa Kelsey's & Henry's (YUM!!!)- while waiting for our order, mom snapped this pic of me. Cute little Zoey is getting bigger, and is wiggling around a lot - and I'm really feeling it. Makes me wonder what the next few months will hold in terms of uncomfortableness. I can't wait to see what she looks like when she's done "cooking"

Insomnia

I found out another "blessing" of being pregnant. And that is a different sleeping schedule. This entire week I wake up and 1am and then usually 3am. That's when I'm up and can't go back to sleep... so I snuggle up on the couch with my lappy and watch videos or surf until I'm tired enough to go back to bed (usually about 2 hours). So I'm getting about a couple 2, 3 hours naps a night. I'm not doing so good on 5-6 hours of sleep a night. For that reason - since I'm a walking zombie, I took Friday off to recuperate. I plan on resting and taking it easy (besides doing dishes, taking out the garbage and straightening up the house.)

I guess the upside to this being awake at night thing is PPaz keeps me company. Good kitty!

I'm very excited for tonight. For Mac's birthday, I bought him Celtic Night tickets. The fun begins at 7:30 tonight - and I think we may try that new Jack's Pizza place Mel was talking about!

Wow... it's almost been a year since he first called to ask me out. One of our first dates was Celtic Night last year. What a crazy/wonderful year it's been! Can't wait to see what Zoey brings to the mix.

Silly Cat!

Saturday morning when I came home with our Bountiful Basket haul, (which was amazing by the way! Lots of fresh fruits and veggies! Yumm! And I had the best helpers. Ethan and Kile are so good at carrying the bags back to the van!) Mac had made me pink heart shaped chocolate chip pancakes (from Mom in MO!) They were really yummy! Unfortunately I was unable to eat the 3rd one Mac had made for me, and somehow in all the excitement of the weekend, it stayed on the counter for a couple of days before we got around to taking care of it. I sadly placed it in the garbage can Sunday night.

When I woke up at 3:30 am (as is now my custom as Zoey is preparing me for nighttime feedings and Motherhood), while sleepily waddling through the kitchen in the dark, I saw an odd moon shaped figure on the floor. I picked it up and discovered 1/2 a pancake that had been nibbled on.

Princess Paz?!

Our cute little kitty knows how to steal stuff from the kitchen garbage!

In the morning (at a reasonable hour when Mac was awake) I went up to tell him what a clever cat we have. On my way out the door for work I tossed it once again in the garbage.
When Mac came downstairs, he discovered it on the floor again, (and he being smarter than the cat, tore it up in pieces, placed it in the bottom and sprayed air freshener so she couldn't smell it.)

Great... now we know that PPaz LOVES pink pancakes and she's more clever than her innocent face and mild demeanor had us believe.

It's one of those days when you wondered why you got out of bed.

and I thought that's what Monday's were for...

This morning I woke up tired and stiff... I'm still struggling with my numb fingers (on both hands) and trying to maneuver my ever expanding body. (I feel like a whale!)

This morning, as usual, I was eating my cereal by my laptop and when I reached for the mouse I spilled my breakfast all over my laptop. arggg... I hope it still works. I turned it off and tried to clean off the excess milk that landed in the keyboard area.

Then I decided that I didn't like the outfit I selected for the day, and in the process of remedying that situation, I discovered the blouse I picked had grease marks on the front - not sure where they came from - arggg... so I tried on another shirt... only to find the same thing! argggg!
I finally found something that I felt comfortable in... but since it's a bad hair day, I look silly anyway. argggg...

Next, I set off to make some PBJ's for Mac's lunch and discovered the peanut butter was in the fridge (Do you know how hard it is to spread cold PB?) and then learned that we were out of bread. All I had to work with was a frozen loaf from the freezer. arggg....
Seems like whatever I touch today ends in calamity.

I'm convinced today's got to be better... it's still early though...

Carpel Tunnel

I broke down Monday (since my hands were STILL bothering me) and begged the Doctor's office to squeeze me in, (my appointment wasn't until Wed.). Luckily, there was a cancellation - and an hour later I got a call! The Dr gave me a cortisone shot and told me it would take a few days for it to kick in. (It burned like the dickens!) I'm scheduled to go back Monday for a shot in my other wrist (not looking forward to the pain). But it will be nice to have my fingers back again. Turns out most women that experience these symptoms usually had a similar problem before pregnancy... but it's just magnified. The symptoms usually go away after delivery. (Just one more reason to look forward to the arrival of Zoey!)

Today's the twin's first birthday! Can't wait to see them tonight!
Time flies when you're having fun!

Better Pic!

So my good friend Marilynn scanned these in for me! (THANKS AGAIN!) I must admit, they're a million times more clear than my last post.



This is one of my favorites, alien face!
(This was a couple of months ago.)


3D images
Zoey's Profile

I'm sure these pictures aren't of interest to many... I never knew what to look for when people showed me their shots, I think I'd usually just smile and nod and pretend I could make sense of what they were describing, but when it's your own - it's a different story! ;)

It's a...

GIRL!

I've been wondering why I've been drawn to the little girl dresses in the baby section!

To celebrate we enjoyed lunch at Formosa and then headed over to Storks Landing to spend our gift certificate from Dana, Jan & Clan! We picked out a couple of cute Baby Sleeper sets, then I headed back to work.

We can't wait to see what our little Zoey looks like in May/June!

(It's funny how knowing the baby's gender makes it more real.)

Here's some pictures of Zoey, the top 2 are 3-D images of her head and the bottom 2 are profile pictures of her head. (I can't get them to come out too clean - but then again... she's still developing and doesn't have any muscle or fat yet... so she's bound to become cuter!)