Are You My Mother?

Evie may have some confusion about who her parents really are as she has two furry mother hens watching over her every move.

(Don't worry, I'm holding her in this picture.)

Are they checking out her, or her grandpa pants fashion statement, I wonder?

Where's the manual?

So, Darin & I have discovered something.  All the baby items that were purchased for Evie's arrival have more instructions with them than Evie herself.  Had we not been in the NICU, we might have been in serious trouble when we got home!

First car ride!
I thought it was hard to get a doll in here.
It's harder with an actual baby.  :-)

We're finally home!

Things at home are actually going very well.  Evie sleeps for about 3-4 hours at a time between feedings and for some reason, after her last feeding of the night she will sleep for 5 straight hours.  Pretty nice considering that means Darin & I can sleep until about 9am as a result!  Hopefully that will always continue, but I'm not holding my breath.  

First night home.
Evie loving being held and Darin loving
holding her without monitors and cords!

She sleeps in her big girl crib (bumper pads are now gone).
I had a tough time with this, but honestly, I don't think I'd
get a wink of sleep if she was in our room with us.

Holding a sleeping baby means you sleep as well.
This is something I learned real quick!

She had her first pediatrician appointment on November 22.  She was down to 6lbs., but the pediatrician wasn't concerned about that.  Everything else is looking good as well!  Next appointment is at 2-ish weeks, November 30.

And we're off to see the doctor...

First bath.  Last time we did a little bath like this!
Amazing how quickly you learn when
you have a screaming baby teaching you!

Hanging out with the fam!
What kitchen doesn't have a pack 'n' play?
Also, diapers work great to prop up a baby!  

On Wednesday, November 23, Evie and I spent our first day alone together.  Although she's adorable, she's not yet the conversationalist I was hoping for.  Guess it's going to be me and the dogs "talking" until she decides to be awake for more than 5 minutes at a time!!

She had, and passed, her hearing test in the morning.
It was exhausting sleeping through it.

Life is really good.  The dogs have taken to her presence very well and are just very curious about her.  They like to check on her occasionally and will whine outside her door until one of us opens it.  Then they'll march in there, right up to the crib, "check" on her and leave again.  It's pretty cute, I have to say.  Louie, on the other hand, isn't so sure about her.  He smells her and runs off.  I think part of him is mad something else has taken his former "top spot" in the house.  First Darin, then Josie, then Boomer and then that eating, sleeping, pooping, crying thing.  Life's rough being a cat.

Evie's First Few Days: The LONG version

Evie came into the world at 37 weeks, 4 days.  She was a little early, but still full term, so no one was very concerned when my water broke on November 14 at 8:30pm.  I was in very easy labor from 8:30pm until 2:58pm the next day (I know the exact time because I was looking at the clock).  The nurses and, I think, my OB/GYN thought I was going to inevitably have a c-section.  I had resigned myself to that fact as well since I was so doped up on pitocin and nothing was happening.  However, at 2:58pm I felt a "pop" and we were off to the races!  I went from 1-2cm to 4cm in 15 minutes and then 4cm to 8cm in less than 2 hours after that.  I finally asked for the relief of the epidural at 8cm, but I would have asked for it a lot sooner had I known I was 8cm already!  That is the best drug ever!  For those of you who have not had the pleasure of a birth with an epidural, I have to say I'm sorry.  It made the experience actually very enjoyable.  I was able to focus on the exciting things going on around me and the miracle that was about to take place instead of the insane amount of pain I was in just a few minutes before.  Not to mention that it was wildly entertaining (to me) to have my legs doing things I didn't know they were doing.  Anyway...I digress.

After my OB/GYN finally arrived at about 8:15pm I began really pushing and our little miracle entered the world at 8:59pm.  She initially received a 10 on the Apgar scale and although that scale really isn't that important, like any parent, I was already proud!  So, the nursery nurse swaddled her and was about to hand her off to me when she started breathing very rapidly at 80 respirations/minute (the norm is about 40).  She was breathing so rapidly that her chest was concave.  A NICU nurse was called and she was watching her, waiting for her to slow down.  She decided to suction her and suctioned 4mL of fluid out of her lungs.  A second NICU nurse came in and decided the best place for her to be was with me, so they handed her to me and she calmed right down.  I was holding her for about 20-30 minutes when they came back in and had to take her to the nursery to get cleaned up and all that good stuff.  And I needed to rest and text (ha!) and get cleaned up myself.  So, all was well at that point.

As we were going to our room, our labor and delivery nurse said that Evie would be joining us in our room in a little while.  About an hour later, the NICU nurse came in instead of Evie and told us that she was breathing very rapidly again and her eyes also crossed and stayed there spasming for a few seconds (a sign of a seizure) while at the same time she stopped breathing and her heart rate dropped.  She wanted to update us and then left.  A few hours after that, she came back and told us about the tests they needed to run to rule out infections and seizures: blood draw (x2 eventually), lumbar puncture, EEG, CT scan & chest x-ray.  What was the happiest day of our lives quickly turned into the scariest.

Since Evie was going to have all her testing done, they told us they'd call us to the NICU when we could go and see her.  So, we continued to "rest" (really, I don't think you could call it that) in the room until it was time to go down.  As soon as we got down to the NICU the EEG was just getting under way.  As if it wasn't traumatic enough to see our HOURS old baby hooked up to IVs, breathing monitors and heart monitors, we then also had to see her having what seemed like 100s of leads attached to her head and a few to her body.  We stood there and cried as she was having her EEG done.  When it was finally complete, we got to hold her!

The NICU nurses and neonatologist were hoping the results for the EEG would be back the same day they completed the test.  They knew one of the cultures wouldn't be back for 3 more days (the others would be back in two).  Well, the EEG results weren't back the first day and it wasn't until 5:00pm the next day, November 17th, that we found out there was an error on the CD and wouldn't find out the results until that error could be fixed.  Until then, we'd just have to wait.  The CT scan showed a very small (5mm) hemorrhage on the back of her head which the neonatologist wasn't very concerned about.  Her thought was that if all newborn babies had CT scans, more likely than not there would be some kind of hemorrhage, as birth isn't easy!  The chest x-ray showed some fluid in her lungs, but nothing significant as, again, most babies have some fluid left in their lungs after being submerged for the previous nine months.  There was good news on the 17th because she got to eat her first bottle!  Her goal was to finish 30mL of formula and she didn't really have a problem with that at all.  This was huge in getting her home.

On November 18th we got a few of the results for the cultures and all were negative.  She was taken off one of her antibiotics, but had to stay on the other, more abrasive one until we got the results back for it the next day.  Also on the 18th, at about 6:00pm, we finally got the results for the EEG, which was normal.  That means there is no reason to believe she would have any additional seizure activity.  After talking to the neonatologist, she said she wasn't 100% positive Evie had a seizure to begin with, but because the NICU nurse and the NICU nurse practitioner both saw her eyes cross and spasm there, they had to be on the safe side and treat it as a seizure.  We couldn't agree more.  Also on the 18th, her IV nutritional supplement was turned off completely as she was a pro at eating.

Poor little Evie had her IV in several spots...her hand, her foot, her head and, on the very last day, in her elbow crease like an adult.  The head IV was the scariest for us initially, but after holding her with it, it was so much easier.  Plus, it is apparently the least painful and lasts the longest.  It didn't seem to bother her!

On November 19th, we finally got the news we were waiting for...the last culture came back and it was negative!  Yea!  Darin and I packed up our hotel room and went out to eat as we were waiting for the final order to be written.  (We were kicked out of the NICU every day from 6:30-8 am/pm for change of shift.)  When we got back at 8:00pm we changed her into her going home outfit and headed out the door to begin a new chapter in our lives...Parenting Without Supervision.  AHHHHHHH!

Adorable little onesie...fit for a newborn!

Adorable little jeans...fit for a 6 month old
(even though it says "newborn" on the tag)!

Boiler Up!

We came as a family of two and left as a family of three!
(Humans, that is.)

Even though this was probably one of the scariest experiences Darin & I have ever been though, our time in the NICU was made tolerable with the fantastic nurses and awesome neonatologist we met at Kingwood Medical Center.  They gave us all the information they could about Evie's health and lots of tips and tricks on how to care for a newborn.  Could not have asked for a better experience if we had to have one.

Introducing Evie Maye Coble

Well, well, well.  Be careful what you wish for!  Little did I know that 1 hour and 16 minutes after publishing my last post my water would break and we'd be arriving at the hospital just two hours after that! That's right, our very sweet little baby girl entered this world with a bang!

Name: Evie Maye Coble  (Evie rhymes with levy, chevy, bevy and Darin's fave...heavy)
Born: November 15, 2011 at 8:59pm
Weight: 6lbs. 6oz.
Height: 18.5"

Evie has had a few problems in her first few days of life, but she's a trooper and is doing great.  Mom and Dad are handling it as best we can and love spending all the time we can with our little baby...even if it has to be in the NICU.  I will explain all that happened at a later time, but for right now, just know that she's doing great!!!  ...And enjoy the pictures.

WARNING: Some photos may not be suitable for all audiences.  Proceed with caution.

On our way to the hospital!  Two very excited people!!!

It's confirmed...my water broke.  Woo hoo!

Darin is BEYOND excited...at this point.
Little did he know that the show really wouldn't be started
until 16.5 hours later!

Epidurals are the BEST!

We're READY!  Right before I started to push.

Cutting the cord

Thank goodness I knew she was going to look like that.
Darin thought she was covered in cheese!  :-)

A little swollen...water logged?

The next day in the incubator.
Sorry for the orientation problem.
It's late and I'm too tired to change it.

Father and Daughter

Mother and Daughter

First family photo

I AM HUUUUUNGRY!
SOMEONE FEED ME!!!!!!!!!!!
She wasn't allowed to eat anything.  And, for a full term baby,
this presents a problem.  And I totally get that!

OK, you don't have to feed me.
Just hold me.

Skin to skin time with Mommy!
And Daddy watching over me too!

I finally get to eat!  Best day ever!
She did great.  This was 11.17.11 at 6pm.

37 weeks

I am 37 weeks along.  Nineteen days until the due date, but I'm still hoping to go early.  I think anyone who's had a baby can relate!  

37 weeks

Holy huge.
No stretch marks yet!

I had another appointment today.  I'm dilated to a full centimeter and 75% effaced.  Everything is looking good and apparently I'm in a "great place" for 37 weeks.  I would liked to have said that 10cm dilated and 100% effaced would be a much better place to be at 37 weeks, but I kept my comment to myself.  

Last weekend proved to be yet another weekend full of random household chores, but I did get to put up my Christmas decorations, much to Darin's dismay.  Normally I don't decorate until Thanksgiving weekend, but I'm still thinking positive that I'll be in the hospital that weekend!  Either way, I love decorating for Christmas, it puts me in such a good mood.  And this year, for the first time ever, I got to put up my own ornaments that I've been collecting since I was a kid!  My mom sent them all down South for me--a great surprise.  Unfortunately, we don't have a spot for a big tree in this house, so we improvised and got a 5' tree and I loaded it up with ornaments.  Looks great!  I love looking at all the different ones, remembering when I got them and who I got them from.  Darin and I also have ornaments together and of course, I got to put up the best ornament of all this year...Baby's First Christmas 2011.  Yea!  Can't wait!

I also finished up Baby C's Christmas stocking.  This is a project that I really don't enjoy doing and when I made Darin's stocking I seriously thought I might end up in the psych ward, but the end result is so worth it!  I'll post a pic after she's born.  The stocking already has her name on it and since we're not sharing that with anyone until after she's born (unless you talk to Darin who has blabbed it to many a person), I have to keep it under wraps.  So yes, that's right people, she has a name!  She will not be leaving the hospital being called "Baby C", thank God.   

Let's hope we're arriving at and leaving the hospital sooner rather than later!

Playing House

So Darin and I have read that buying a doll and pretending it's a baby is one way to help the dogs get used to not being the center of attention.  I feel like a complete moron, but I think it's sort of working.  Hopefully.  Plus, it gives me a chance to try out all the baby gear!  So, here is one day that the dogs were very confused and oh...so neglected!

Darin's ingenious idea for getting our fearful dogs used to the stroller with food.
Josie was all for it!  Boomer took a minute...or fifty.

Pseudo Baby C

College education needed to work this contraption. 

Dad put up a baby gate...and Mom put us in jail!
Getting the puppies ready for the baby's arrival.
They'll probably be on one side of the gate or the other
much more than they'd like to be.

  

And so it begins...

I had my 36 week check up on the 7th and all is well!  I have started to dilate (almost 1cm) and am 60% effaced.  Woo hoo!  Here's a current picture.

36 Weeks

I also gained a whopping 6 pounds in 2 and a half weeks.  Holy smokes!  Like I said before, this 3rd trimester is kicking my ass.  I have always wanted sweet food throughout this whole pregnancy, but 99% of the time I did the responsible thing and chose fruit.  Fruit juice.  Yogurt.  Frozen yogurt.  Smoothies made with frozen yogurt.  But you know what?  I don't want any of that anymore!  I want ice cream!  And not just vanilla ice cream.  I want cookies 'n' cream or chocolate fudge or peanut butter swirl or, better yet, all three!  And when Halloween rolled around and we didn't have many trick or treaters, there were Snickers and Kit Kats left over.  I put them in the freezer for when my choc-o-holic parents arrive in a month but there will definitely not be any left.  

I've also had to quit walking so much because, quite honestly, the payoff was not worth the pain.  Or so I thought.  If I gain 3 pounds before my appointment next Monday, I may be singing another tune.  However, for now, my back and stomach and pretty much the rest of my body are very much enjoying the hiatus from our 2.5 miles treks through the neighborhood.  Can't say the same for the dogs though.  Anyway...bottom line is that this is the beginning of the end of the pregnancy chapter and the light at the end of the tunnel is near!

In other news...nesting is in full swing!  Darin and I worked all weekend around the house to get pretty much everything done before the baby comes.  He put up another ceiling fan (now every room in the house has one), cleaned the windows, cleaned the patio (which you can barely tell was clean thanks to our crappy yard and 2 dogs who end up with very muddy paws), hung up the hoses, picked up the rest of the house, bought even more baby goods and still had time to see friends on Saturday night and chill on the couch on Sunday!  Feeling pretty prepared for Baby C's arrival!

31!?!

Well, it's happened.  I'm 31.  And I've said it before and I'll say it again...turning another year older sure as hell beats the alternative!  But still, 31!

I spent the day, for the most part, not doing a whole lot of anything besides complaining to anyone who would listen about how sore and uncomfortable I am.  I took the dogs for their walk (they apparently do not care about how sore and uncomfortable I am), made breakfast for tomorrow and made some brownies.  Then watched a riveting National Geographic show on "The Real Serengeti", talked to my mom for over an hour and took a little nap before Darin got home from his work trip.

When he got home I was surprised with flowers, a gift card for a mani/pedi (yea!) and a box of Chips Ahoy cookies.  This would be my second box of those cookies just this week.  I ate the first box I bought on Tuesday after grocery shopping.  Yep.  The whole box (well, the whole box except 6.  I ate those for breakfast on Wednesday.).  I'm tellin' you, the 3rd trimester is kicking my ass!  I was eating healthy and doing great, but now I'm so annoyed with all this extra weight and this huge addition to my body and all the annoying things that go along with the 3rd trimester of pregnancy that I feel I deserve all the chocolate I can handle.  And I can handle a lot.  At this rate, I'm slightly worried I could be giving birth to 15 pound baby.  But that chocolate tastes so good....

After talking to a friend who was going out for Mexican food tonight I decided Mexican sounded delicious. So, Darin made some reservations at a restaurant we've never been to and off we went!  It occurred to us that in just one short month, we will not be able to do that.  Wow...our lives are really going to change!  But really, bring it on.  I am becoming more and more ready to be a parent with each passing day.

So, in summary, my 31st birthday was a little lame, but that's all I really wanted!  Guess that's what getting older is all about...being happy just being with the one you love!  (OK, I really wanted a margarita also, but I'm gonna have to wait just a little while longer for one of those!  Ha!)

Well, Darin and I have officially taken our last childless vacation.  We headed to Dallas and went to the State Fair last weekend with friends Mike and Christy and their little boy, Asher.  Good times!  I tried a deep fried peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwich.  Very delish.  Darin had the country fried bacon.  Not so delish.  My photos seem to consist only of the pregnancy progression, the dogs and cat and the nursery.  So, in keeping with that recent tradition, I only took two pictures and neither are particularly great.  But, anyway, here ya go!

Big Tex greeted us at the entrance

Darin and I sort of in front of the State Fair marker

In other non-newsworthy news, I am now 34 weeks along and although I feel every additional pound that's been added to my belly (and arms, legs and face), I am still amazed I am this huge!  I feel huge, don't get me wrong, but wow!

34 weeks

As of today, I have 38 days until my due date.  Yikes!  It seems too close and too far away all at the same time.  Our house is pretty much ready, but are we?  Guess we'll find out soon enough!