Gabi's Birth Day {Picture Edition}

Christmas Morning

Thankful for Eli's photography skills...

Grandma & Grandpa Adams

First Look

Best. Christmas. EVER.

My original due date was December 25th. When I went to the OB/GYN for my appointment to confirm my pregnancy, my doctor told me I was actually a month behind where I originally thought I was. Bummer. That moved my due date to January 25th, 2013.

This baby decided way back in October that she didn't want to wait until January to come. Hence the reason I was in the hospital for a week. I knew she wasn't going to wait until the end of January. I figured she'd come close to the beginning, around the fourth. Luci was 3 weeks early. I thought this one would be similar. Wrong.

At my appointment on December 20th, my ultrasound came out normal. Baby Girl was growing just fine, my amniotic fluid was a little low, but all in all, things looked great. I asked the doctor if he would check my progression, just so that I could have an idea of how far along I was. Eli and I were pretty surprised when he informed us that I was already 4 cm dilated and 100% effaced. With Luci I was 2 cm and 100% and she came 5 days later. I knew this was going to be quite the waiting game. The doc said he would be gone for Christmas, but would be working the rounds at the hospital on New Year's Eve and would be happy to deliver her on that day. I prayed that she would wait that long.

Eli, Luci, and I spent Christmas Day at my mom's house after some festivities at our own house. We opened presents and ate breakfast at Mom's and then just hung out. My mom recently had shoulder surgery, so between the two of us it was a pretty chill day.

I hadn't felt Baby Girl move much that day. Because of all of the scary business beforehand, I decided to go into L & D to be monitored. I got hooked up to the monitors and was surprised to find out I was having mild contractions (not really so surprised since I hadn't been feeling them all along). The nurse checked my progress and I was still the same from the last appointment. She offered a medication stronger than the stuff I had taken before to stop labor, but I was tired of medication. My contractions stopped within the 3 hours I was there. I had an ultrasound done to make sure my amniotic fluid was up (it was) and that BG was okay. Eli and I decided that if she wasn't in any danger, I would be okay to go home. The nurse sent me home with instructions to come back in if I felt anymore contractions to come back in. She also told me that if I laid on my side or took a warm bath and my contractions went away, it was most likely false labor contractions.

We went back to my mom's around 5:30ish. We hung out a little longer, but my mom needed to sleep and Luci was getting tired. Eli and I picked up and headed home. While I was at my mom's, I started feeling some contractions, but they went away when I laid down. False, right? Wrong! As soon as I got in the car, I started having some strong contractions. It was about 7:15 and they were about 5 minutes apart. I could still breathe through them though. I decided I would lay down at home and see if they went away like before. Mind you, we're only about 15 minutes from my mom. So timing-wise, it was about 7:30.

When we got home, I (very slowly) walked upstairs and laid down in bed. Eli put Luci to bed and she fell asleep pretty quickly. I literally was in bed for about 2 minutes before I decided I needed to go back to the hospital. I was definitely in labor. We woke Luci up, put her in the car, and called the sitter on the way to the hospital. Eli was telling her that we'd drop Luci off on our way, but I cut him off and told her that she'd need to pick Luci up and the hospital. We weren't gonna have enough time.

We got to the hospital (7:45) and I walked (again, very slowly) inside, hopped on the elevator, and made it to L & D. I didn't have time to change into a gown, so they just hooked me up to a monitor over my clothes and threw a dressing gown over me while they prepped a room. Another nurse came in to check my progress - 6 cm and my water broke in the middle of the check. Wonderful. The sitter came and picked up Luci and took her home for the night. It was slightly embarrassing as I was bellowing like a beached whale. In fact, I was so loud that a nurse came in to joke around about actually having the baby in the observation room. Little did she know that she wasn't too far off.

By the time Luci was gone it was about 8:11ish. The room was prepped, the doctor had been called at home (it was Christmas after all),  and the nurse brought in a wheelchair to transfer me. I got up (slowly) from the bed and told the nurse and Eli (not very nicely) that I was pretty sure the baby was hanging out. Eli said it wasn't possible because I was only at a 6 10 minutes before. The nurse looked at him and informed him that it was possible. TMI: I made Eli peek while I was in the wheelchair. It was very possible after that.

I got on a bed, nearly fully clothed. The nurse told me the doctor wasn't here yet, but there was a midwife who had just delivered another baby. I told her to send her in because I was going to start pushing. The midwife walked in, straight into a scrub jacket, and told me to push. In between my two quick pushes, I was crying and asking the midwife if there was time for an epidural. She laughed sweetly and told me I was doing great and the baby was already mostly here. She told me to stop pushing as the baby had her hand against her chin, which I guess makes it a little more difficult to deliver. That didn't matter. The baby pushed her own way out at 8:20. I'll spare you the rest of the details. Just pray that if you ever have a baby with her hand by her chin that you have an epidural.

We got our best Christmas present that day. Our little Tonia Gabriella was born at 5 lbs. 9 oz and 18.5 inches. Surprisingly, she was an ounce heavier than Luci and a whole inch and a half longer. She is a healthy, chubby cheeked, little one. We only had to stay in the hospital for two days to make sure she was good. We couldn't be happier!

I Give You the Adams Family Christmas Tree!

Our first REAL Christmas tree! We've had an artificial tree the last 4 years. We thought we'd upgrade two years ago. Our tree turned out to be a Charlie Brown tree. Last year, we were at my mom's house. This year we have a REAL tree!

We're learning a lot about having a toddler running around the house. We've learned that you can't decorate the bottom of the tree with anything breakable or special. We've put a couple of foam and fabric ornaments down there. Also, be careful how you teach your toddler about things that are hot. We told Luci that she couldn't touch the Christmas lights on the tree because they're hot. She now likes to blow on them. She also really likes decorating the tree. We found the remote we couldn't find for two days hidden in the branches!

I love having a real tree. I love the smell, the wonky top, and it is so much fuller than our other two trees were. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tree 2010

Christmas Tree 2012

Luci LOVES decorating

She REALLY wanted the pink ornament.

Here she is throwing a tantrum because she couldn't have the pink ornament.

Thanksgiving at Home

Our Thanksgiving this year was more than a little different this year. We usually go up to Logan to my grandma's house or down to Scipio to Eli's parents' house. We did neither this year. Being on bed rest has limited the traveling distances. We probably could have made it to Logan, but Provo has the best premature baby resources available. SO, we stayed home!

Due to the bed rest, Eli did all of the cooking and cleaning. Amazing husband! To add to it all, my gestational diabetes put the kibosh on most of our traditional Thanksgiving fare. I went through the diabetic thing with Luci in the last pregnancy, so it's nothing new. Most people think diabetes deals with how many sweets you consume. Gestational diabetes has to do with carbohydrates and sugars and how your body breaks them down. Needless to say, there are a ton of carb-loaded foods at Thanksgiving.

Dinner was delicious. We had crock pot cornish game hens, garlic green beans, maple-roasted sweet potatoes, and some crescent rolls. It was nice to be able to spend some quiet time with my little family at home. We watched the parade with Luci (she loves balloons) and "Christmas Vacation," which Eli was totally pumped about. I have a pretty strict no-Christmas policy before Thanksgiving. I think Thanksgiving is such a wonderful time of year to really be thankful and be grateful for the blessings we have.

I'm grateful for my family and the love and support they give me every day. We have truly been SO blessed over the past few years. Even with the difficult things we've dealt with, we've learned so much and have grown together.

Dating Divas Giveaway

I do have actual blogging to catch up on, but if there is something free to win...let's just say I have a lot of time on my hands lately.

I LOVE this website, The Dating Divas. It has a ton of ideas on how to strengthen your marriage, ideas for dates (some on the cheap), and fun printables and gift ideas. It's great because I truly believe that after people get married (or date for a long time) and have kids, they stop making time for their partner-in-crime. A relationship takes work and effort to become stronger. It's all about compromise, working together, and serving one another.

A benefit to checking out the site right now, they're hosting a giveaway! I'm not gonna lie, I like free. They're running a contest to pick your own prize and they're choosing five winners. They have something for everyone. You should definitely enter their contest here!

Luci's Helmet Hat

Eli and I were worried about Luci's head. She had a lot of hair, but we still thought it was a little flat in the back. We brought it up with the doctor at each of her appointments. He assured us that most kids grow out of it, but to be sure to give her lots of tummy time. By the time she was 9 months, it was time to take some action. 

We took Luci to a prosthetic doctor who specializes in head molding. He put this cool sock on her head and covered it with imaging dots. She looked kind of like batbaby. Dang cute!

He then used a camera to scan her head and came up with the image of her head. As you can see, it was a little flater than normal. I don't remember the exact ratio that put it in the non-normal range, but we were hoping for a big change.

He then completed the image. When we weren't there, he rounded out the back to what Luci's head should look like and sent it to some company. That company created a thick, clear plastic helmet. The helmet prevented her head from growing out to the sides and pushed her growth to the back to round it out.

We're not exactly sure what caused her head to be flat. Obviously baby skulls aren't totally fused together or hardened after their birth. She could have spent a lot of time on her back the first few months after her birth. The doctor also said it could have been her position in the womb.

 It took Luci a little while to get used to it. Her head was always sweaty! She had to wear the helmet during the hottest parts of the summer. She had to wear it 23 hours a day - even to bed! She was able to take it off for bathing, swimming lessons, and for a head breather.

Most of the time, she was reasonably happy. She didn't really like putting the helmet on and off. We had to wash the helmet all the time though because it got so sweaty and stinky! Luci had so much hair! The doctor was worried about her overheating because of her hair. He said most kids he dealt with had less hair, so we had to put her hair up in a fountain through the top of the helmet. Her hair took awhile to retrain after the helmet came off.

 

Sometimes she wasn't very happy. Isn't her dress that her aunt made her super cute? Her baby doll has a matching dress too.

In the end, she only had to wear the helmet for 3 months. Her head shape changed so much faster than expected. It's still on the lower range of the "normal" range, but it worked! It's amazing what doctors can do these days. We still think she's perfect!

You're Having a Baby...Now!

On most Sundays Eli, Luci, and I head up to my mom's house for family dinners. It's a tradition that started while I was in college and carried on when Eli and I moved closer to my parents. I had been feeling a lot of "pelvic pressure" for a little bit before we went up and was feeling a lot when we got there. I was talking to my sister Melissa about it while we watched the girls play with their kitchen. 

I didn't want to seem paranoid, but it was starting to freak me out. I felt like I had a few Braxton Hick's contractions throughout the day, but nothing like labor contractions. I just thought that baby girl was stretching out her arms and legs while she still had a little room left.

Taking Melissa's advice, I called the after hours nurse at my OB/GYN's office. I described what was going on and she told me to head over to Labor & Delivery at the hospital to be monitored. I'd done that a dozen times with Luci (I had to be monitored twice a week due to my gestational diabetes), so I figured it would be a quick trip. We left Luci with Grandma saying that we'd be back soon and to save us some sopita and tacos. Lucky for us, the hospital was 5 minutes away.

We checked in and got hooked up to the monitors (a fetal heartbeat monitor and one for contractions) and then waited. Baby girl's heartbeat was strong and I wasn't registering any contractions. The nurse had me drink about 100 oz. of ice cold water and do a urine sample. After about an hour, Nurse came back and did an "internal" exam, just to make sure things were okay. She gave me a worried look and said, "You're 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced." What?! I didn't have any contractions, how the heck was that possible?

Per the on-call doctor's orders, I was swabbed for fetal fibronectin (a protein that can cause preterm labor) and monitored for another hour. There were still no contractions and my test came back positive for the protein. The nurse was pretty sure that I wasn't going to be able to go home. After the hour, I was examined again, had dilated another 1/2 cm and was 75% effaced. I was officially diagnosed with preterm labor and was going to be transported to a Provo hospital that was better equipped to deal with babies born earlier than 34 weeks. The nurse was pretty sure that I would have a baby girl by the end of the night.

While waiting for the ambulance, I was given an IV drip with fluids, antibiotics, and a bag of magnesium (which is supposed to stop contractions). I was also given a steroid shot that was supposed to help the baby's lungs develop faster. My brothers, Jake and Josh, also came and helped Eli give me a blessing and followed us to Provo with our car. The ambulance came, loaded me up, and we were on our way to Provo. On the trip down I made several phone calls to coworkers to get a sub and see if they could help with lesson plans (the perks of being a teacher).

We arrived in Provo and got set up in a room on the maternity floor. I was re-examined (stayed the same) and was left to be monitored. For a week. I was finally taken off magnesium (which made me go cross-eyed) and the IV drips and put on an oral antibiotic after two days. I had to wear some annoying compression machine on my calves to help circulate the blood. And I just laid there. The only excitement I experienced was a few contractions (that I didn't even feel) during sleep. I was given an oral medication to stop those contractions. It worked.

I was left to do lesson plans, read books (Divergent & Insurgent - books recommended by my students), watch a Law & Order: SVU marathon, and a lot of GSN. By the way, I am really good at Chain Reaction and The Pyramid. It was nice to have room service. I enjoyed carrot cake or mint fudge brownies with most of my dinners. However, by the end of my stay, I was done. Even though I had a lot of visitors, I was bummed I couldn't move. Luci was with her grandparents. I missed my brother's wedding. And I felt FINE. I was finally able to leave on Monday, after a week, and was sent home on strict bed rest.

I had an appointment with my OB, who changed my bed rest to a modified bed rest. I can now lay in bed, sit in a chair, and sit on the couch. I can even shower on my own - thank goodness! Eli is back at work. I've finished a couple of more books, watched all seasons of Cake Boss (thank you Netflix), and planned out the rest of this year for my long-term sub.

Since I really can't do much, we've arranged with the Relief Society (what the group of women in my church are called) for ladies in my ward to take care of me. I've been spoiled! These wonderful women volunteer their time and come over to visit, make me lunch, and toss some ingredients in our crock pot so dinner is ready when Eli and Luci get home. They've also helped clean and do laundry, which are all things I can't do, and things that Eli is sometimes too busy to attend to every day since he plays with, feeds, and bathes Luci.

Despite the fact that I can't do anything helpful around the house and there are days when I can't feel my rear end, I haven't gone crazy yet. The time is passing by quicker than I expected and I get a little human interaction during the day. Even though I can't hold or play with Luci, she still cuddles next to me and we sing songs and read books. And I have an amazing husband. I know this is a lot for him to handle, but he knows the importance of giving baby girl a little more time to cook and goes above and beyond.

I'm 29 weeks tomorrow. We're aiming to last 34 weeks, are hoping for 37 weeks, and will be amazed if we can hold on until 40 weeks. Here's to 5 to 11 more weeks!

I could never finish the carrot cake. It was amazing! Surprisingly, I lost weight in the hospital.

 I did have an awesome view in the hospital. This was the first day it snowed here.

This showed up on my daily pregnancy countdown the day after I entered the hospital.