One Week Later

We have made it through our first week with our sweet little Reese. It has been a big adjustment. Much bigger than I thought it would be. She eats every two hours for about 30 minutes...if you do the math that gives me an hour and a half to get things done in between feedings. Although I shouldn't admit this...I usually spend that hour and a half staring at her and checking to see if she is breathing:) She wakes up at least every two hours at night and in between those two hours I am looking at her to make sure she is breathing. Yes, I spend a lot more time than I should with my finger under her nose checking for air. That is something I didn't see coming! We had to go back to the doctor on Monday for another weight check and over the weekend she had gain 5 ounces! I was going to have a complete breakdown if she had not gained any weight since I had spent the entire weekend feeding her...or at least that was how it felt.
Look at these sweet little feet!

Daddy introducing Reese to Dixie. Dixie and Autie have not taken this new addition too well. My mums were scattered all over the yard when we came home from the hospital and our patio umbrella had been chewed on. In a matter of days they went from being our babies to being our dogs and it seems to be a hard fact for them to accept.

This was her first bath which went pretty well...until she pooped in the towel when we wrapped her up. Her second bath she pooped in the tub as soon as we layed her down! We have seriously got to get on the same page with all of this pooping business.

Reese has had lots of visitors in the last week. This is Adam's Granny. She couldn't stand that we had her swaddled up in a blanket. She says that hurts their legs:)

Uncle Robert and Aunt Bec

My Papa and Katherine


After going to the doctor on Monday she had a complete melt down in the car because we didn't stop before she got hungry. I am a nervous wreck the few times we have left home because she really doesn't have a schedule so she is likely to want to eat at any given time. And, as you can see, when she is hungry she is hungry!

We went to D.D. and Big Daddy's on Saturday to watch the Alabama football game. Even though Adam graduated from Auburn he (and his entire family) are huge Alabama fans. It is disturbing for me. I think that since our love blossomed at "The Loveliest Village on the Plains" it is mandatory that Reese be an Auburn fan....but there seems to be some controversy surrounding this issue. I will win this...at least until she is old enough to make her own decisions. Anyway Adam loves to watch Alabama football with Big Daddy and Uncle Greg (mainly because they all three act completely ridiculous about St. Nick and his entourage) so we made the trip to their house. Plus D.D. cooked supper so who could turn that down? Reese took a nap with Big Daddy (or this could be completely posed!). This all happened as the Auburn game kicked off...which no one seems to care about but me therefore those games don't get the attention I think they deserve.

And here he is trying to corrupt her little mind with all that crimson and white on TV:) Good thing she is sleeping.

We are just loving life with our sweet little baby! Two thoughts make me really sad so I try to stay away from them...1. she is going to grow up way too fast! 2. going back to work and leaving her. Actually three thoughts...3. Adam going back to work and being out of town over night. Which happened for the first time last night:( My mom stayed with me (and held Baby Reese all night) to help with her.

We had newborn pictures made yesterday and I am so excited to see them. Here is one I took while we were there.... Putting these on my blog probably violates some type of copyright laws, but they are too cute not to put up! I can't wait to see them all.

We're Home

We made it home on Wednesday and have been busy since then. I did not realize how much work a newborn is! The days seem to fly by which makes me really sad! Here are a few pictures of life since Reese arrived.

Reese with Dr. Ballard

Adam has been so great with her (and her mommy) since she got here. He didn't even get sick during her delivery (more on that later). This was our last night in the hospital and we were both exhausted!

Her coming home outfit...which I think is so cute...however it is not practical!! We had to take the flower off just to put her in her car seat.

And here is the proud Daddy changing his first dirty diaper. Her first dirty diaper in the hospital he said, "I am just going to watch you this time." Then convientiently he was either in the restroom or gone to get food every other dirty diaper:)

Our first night at home we really did not know what to do with her. We put her in the craddle in our room, but she wouldn't be still and was a little fussy. So we got her bouncy seat out. Adam swaddled her up and she didn't move...for a few hours at least. She sleeps so much better in the seat! It bounces for a little while and then automatically cuts off which is when she gets a little upset. Adam said we are starting a bad habit by letting her sleep with the bouncer going, but you gotta do what works (I would let her sleep in the bed with us, but Adam said NO!) The first night at home we layed her down around 9 and she never really settled down and slept until 3 a.m. which made for a tired mommy and daddy! Then she slept till 9 that morning. Last night was a little better. She slept from 9 to 1 and then was up and down until 3. Finally we slept from then till I had to get her up this morning at 7.

This morning we had to go have her weighed. Since I am nursing her it is hard to tell how much she eats so we have to keep a close watch on her weight. Her daddy picked out her outfit...

The good news was that she had gained an ounce since we left the hospital...the bad news...she has a little jaundice. So we had to go have her foot pricked...She did not like that at all. Once we got back to the car we got a phone call that the girl who pricked her foot did not get enough blood....so we had to go back and have it done again. That almost put me over the edge. The nurses are quick to say that it doesn't hurt them at all. I want to know which newborn told them that having their foot pricked and squeezed does not hurt? I find that hard to believe! She found her fingers in the doctors office...so sweet.



So this is how we are spending our day today....sitting out in the sunshine at MeeMaws. Why MeeMaws? Well our sweet puppies will not allow us to sit on the porch (something will have to be done about this small matter, but we haven't had time to think about that yet).

And here is her Daddy catching up on some sleep.

The statement I am about to make is hard to believe...where we live high speed internet IS NOT available... Can you beleive that? Where on earth is high speed not available??? So I have to go to my parents or Adam's parents to get in touch with the outside world. Which is another reason we came to MeeMaws today.

Hopefully this weekend I will have another chance to get in touch with the outside world and I will tell the story of her birth.

Introducing...

Since I know everyone likes to put a face with a name I would like to introduce you to Reese Caroline Robertson. She joined us at 4:30 on September 20, 2010. She weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long.

We are in love!


The epidural caused my face to be very relaxed and made my left eye do something crazy! But here we are waiting....








Right after she was born...


Our first family photo...



When we get home and settled I will tell her story. Thank you all for the prayers and phone calls. We are so blessed!

39 Weeks

At 39 weeks Reese is the size of a small watermelon. I noticed that next week she would be the size of a pumpkin and I'm so glad that at that size everyone will be carrying her around and not just me:)

How Far Along: 39 Weeks
Weight Gain: Too much. I had decided not to get back on the scales…because what is the point? I am BIG, does the exact number really matter? I think not. Then my BFF Stephanie reminded me that I needed to know the exact number the day she is born so that I can keep an accurate record of how much I have lost when the tragic day comes that I have to loose all of this weight. So…before we rush out of the house and squeal tires headed to the hospital I shall step onto the scales one more time. And yes, I think even though we have an appointment at the hospital for an induction Adam will run out of the house in a hurry and squeal tires when pulling onto the road just to add drama to the moment. It will take him back to his fire fighter days of running emergency calls.
Maternity Clothes: Yes and I have grown to like most of them. But I will be happy when my old clothes return. However I am not going to rush that moment.
Stretch Marks: Not yet…if she would hurry it up I might get through this entire pregnancy without one….But that glass of Barbers chocolate milk I drink every night says that I will have at least one stretch mark. Which reminds me…if you have never had Barbers chocolate milk you have not lived!
Sleep: I have finally gotten over the cold that I contracted from the wee little angels (or potential prison inmates) at school and I am sleeping much better. Adam says I have become high maintenance at night:) Up and down. Up and down. I can’t wait to see how high maintenance he think little Reese is at night.
Baby Movement: Yes
Food Cravings: Besides Barbers chocolate milk…I recommend JuicyJuicy Apple juice! It is utterly fantastic. Not too sweet. I am in love.
What I Miss: Since the end is in sight I find it difficult to complain at this point. I can absolutely do this for 4 more days.
Looking Forward To: I bit the bullet and took the day off on Friday so today is my last day of work and I am elated! I am looking forward to cleaning the house, getting a pedicure and manicure, and making the trip to the hospital on Sunday night. But we mostly can’t wait to see that sweet little face.
Milestones: At 39 weeks Reese is continuing to build a layer of fat under the skin to regulate her body temperature once she arrives. It is likely that she is around 20 inches long and weighing a little over 7 pounds. I am going to step out on a limb and guess that she will weigh slightly less than 7 pounds.


One last comparison photo.... 14 weeks (which was the first picture I made) and 39 weeks. And no, I did not include my face in the 39 weeks photo because I officially have the "pregnant" nose. It looks bigger to me, but Adam assured me (more like lied to me) that it looks no different. I also find it funny that I had to make the right screen bigger so you can see my whole stomach:)

If there is such a thing as an easy pregnancy I have experienced it. We had a couple of miscarriage scares right in the beginning, but thankfully everything worked out just fine. Although I have had no major problems I feel like a huge weight will be lifted off of my shoulders when I see that she is here and healthy. However, I also realize that that is when the worrying really begins:)


Hopefully by Monday afternoon we will be posting pictures of the new addition!

Baby Reese Update

So we had our weekly doctors appointment yesterday...except our doctor is out of town on vacation. So we saw the nurse practictioner and a student nurse practictioner. We were told to be at the hospital Sunday night at midnight to begin the induction process. Yes, Sunday night as in this weekend! So now I am questioning if I am really ready for all this???? I had to confirm with Adam that he realizes that they are actually going to let us bring her home. Get in the car, drive off, and be 100% responsible for raising this small human into a productive citizen.... Now that I am being faced with the big moment I am not so sure I am ready. Adam reminded me that I have been pregnant for 9 months (thanks for that reminder, I had almost forgotten! HA!) and we have had plenty of time to prepare for this. And this is another reason that it was a spectacularly smart decision to marry this man. He is so rational! I hope Reese is so lucky to receive that trait from her daddy.

Anyway, we will arrive at RMC at midnight Sunday where I will receive some type of drug to thin the cervix (I can't remember the name because my head was spinning at the thought of the IV etc). At around 6:00 a.m. they will being the pitocin. We were warned that this process could go on for around 12 hours. If nothing has happened by lunch Dr. Ballard will break my water and we are to expect a baby around 3 Monday afternoon. Now, of course, she could be here by 10 a.m. but I think they are giving us the worse case scenario just to prepare our families for the possibility of sitting around the hospital all day. At least I hope 3 is the worse case scenario!

So between now and then I am considering the possibility of taking off on Friday to get some things done. I will be getting a pedicure and manicure on Saturday morning (thanks Auntie Kay for that fantastic gift!), and Adam and I have to go grocery shopping at some point. Plus the last minute things that I feel need to be done... mop the floors, wash clothes, hang some things on the nursery walls, and maybe, just maybe sit out in the sun so I am not so pasty when my baby sees me for the first time:)

This is the day we have been waiting for for months now, but in a way it is hard to believe that it has finally arrived. Please keep us in your prayers on Monday. We hope and pray the day goes as smoothly as possible and that we meet a healthy Reese at some point that day. I will post pictures:) Which reminds me...I also need to call and find out if they have wireless at the hospital!!

38 Weeks

At 38 weeks Baby Reese is as long as a leek and should weight around 7 pounds...

How Far Along: 38 weeks
Weight Gain: Too much!

Maternity Clothes: Yes. Since I have my bag packed for the hospital I have severely limited myself on clothes I have to wear. I am affraid to wear any of them because if I went into labor they would be dirty and I couldn't take them to the hospital. Adam also packed his bag last night. He wanted us to carry 1 bag... 1 bag....Seriously, what does he think this is? I think he thinks I will be in a hospital gown the entire time we are there. HA. Gone are days that we can go somewhere and carry 1 bag, make 1 trip to the car, and be gone in under 10 minutes. So he said that if I insist on carrying my own bag that I have to tote it in and out of the hospital....again, HA! HAHAHAHA! I guess he is going to make Reese walk to the car from the nursery as well!! Stretch Marks: Not yet...but I am just waiting...at this size you can't get around having at least one stretch mark!

Sleep: What sleep? As previously mentioned I have a cold and between not being able to breath and not being able to get comfortable there is no sleep happening for me. I am seriously considering going ahead and taking off all next week just to rest!

Baby Movement: She loves to kick her feet out into my left side. Or at least I assume it is her feet.

Food Cravings: Nothing...there is NO room in there for food!

What I Miss: Sleep and all the good things that come from sleep! Everywhere I go I get the, "you look so tired" statements... and I agree. I look tired because I am tired. Exhausted is the correct term.

Looking Forward To: As the big day get closer Adam and I can't imagine what it will be like to see her for the first time. I am the first to say that a baby just looks like a baby for several weeks, even months. However, I am certain that I will not feel that way about my own baby. As long as she is healthy when she comes the hospital we are using does something called Kangaroo Care with newborns. For the first hour she will be wrapped in a blanket with me for "skin to skin" bonding. We were informed that she is not to be moved during this hour. So..... no one can see her for the first hour besides Adam and I. You can all imagine the reaction we got from our families when we told them this. After 9 months of carrying her around I love the idea of being able to hold her the first hour of her life! Don't I deserve that?? Plus it will probably take an hour for me to dry the tears up enough to actually be able to see her!

Milestones: At 38 weeks Reese's organs have fully matured and are ready for the outside world...Reese, do you hear that???? You can come now!!! And we are waiting!! PLEASE!

When I looked in the back seat this morning it was sort of shocking to see this....

Oh, and what I would give to meet the baby that will be riding in that seat....meet her today! But I'm NOT complaining! No, not me. Because I LOVE being told at church, "you look ready...your nose and lips are getting that puffy look." You have to love the elders of the church:)

We're Ready

We are offically ready for Baby Reese to make her debut! Adam got the car seat in the car this weekend, and her coming home outfit came in. It is a really good thing we took the time to install the car seat before the big moment because it took way longer than I had anticipated! This is largely due to the fact that my car seemed to have shrunk the moment it saw a baby seat coming! It is amazing how much space one baby seat requires!

I had decided that I would pick one of the outfits Reese had been given as her coming home outfit....but then I saw this outfit online and she just had to have it. Her daddy could not believe that I could not pick an outfit out of all the ones she already has, but I told him that this is one of many days in her life she will need a special outfit....coming home from the hosptial, baby dedication, prom, wedding...these are all eventful days and not just any outfit will do. A girl needs to feel pretty:)

Baby Reese,

I am more than ready for you to come! And your daddy is pretty excited too. So any day now....

"I'm not complaining. I'm just telling you how I feel."

I am constantly telling Adam that I am really not complaining I just want him to know how I feel. After all this is his kid too! When I hear about other people's pregnancy's I realize that mine has gone pretty well. Maybe I am speaking too soon. I will say that I can tell a big difference since I have gone back to work. I can no longer wear my wedding band which makes me feel very weird. I have it stored away in the box it came in, and oh the monumental day that I can wear it again! So these are not complaints- they are symptoms.
My personal pregnancy symptoms:

• I am FAT and it is HOT! I am just waiting for James Spann, the weather man, to announce that this has been the hottest summer ever recorded. I've been waiting on this announcement all summer, but it seems as though the weather people aren't paying attention to the heat the way I think they should.
• My tailbone is broken...ok, so maybe not broken, but there is definitely a problem. Dr. Ballard said that some women get pregnancy induced carpel tunnel and some get an inflamed tailbone. I would get the tailbone problem.
• My feet hurt really badly! Adam wants me to wear tennis shoes all the time. I have tried to explain to him that tennis shoes and the cotton dresses that I wear on an almost daily basis DO NOT go together! I may be BIG, but fashion will not be sacrificed.
• How many trips to the restroom does it take?? Oh my goodness! I am back and forth to the restroom all the time. Thank goodness I moved to the classroom right across the hall from the teachers lounge.
• If one more student looks at me and says, "you bout to pop" I might just pop them. But if the news people are going to come to school to do a report on me for slapping a kid I really don't want to be this big. You know how they say everyone gets 15 minutes of fame? For my 15 minutes I would like to be slightly smaller than an elephant. So I will refrain from such actions at school.

Okay, so today I started to complain about a pesky cold that I have contracted and then I happened upon a blog. I have become slightly addicted to reading people's blogs...the scary/stalkish part of it is that I don't know these people. Their blogs have become popular for different reasons. Several of the blogs are popular due to the loss of a child while others are due to infertility issues. So if you choose to go to the links below and read their stories please brace yourself! They are SAD! After reading their stories I realize how incredibly blessed Adam and I really are. I know several people personally who are dealing with infertility and then I think of how easily Adam and I conceived a baby. Just as the Bible says, "Behold, children are a gift from God, they are his reward." So today I will not complain! I will not complain that I am hot, fat, swelled, that I have a cold, that I am really ready to have this baby, that I am tired of dealing with teenagers everyday, that I no longer sleep at night, that my feet hurt, and that my house isn't clean enough. Because even on a bad day God has blessed me with an amazing husband, great family and friends, a baby that I can't wait to meet, a healthy body to carry a baby, a job to go to, a bed to sleep in, and a house to get dirty. And for all those things and countless others I am thankful!

http://www.therowefam.blogspot.com

http://www.theritchiesnwa.blogspot.com

http://www.therumleys.blogspot.com

http://www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com

37 Weeks

At 37 weeks Reese is the length of a swiss chard??? What in the world is that?





How Far Along: 37 Weeks
Weight Gain: 31 pounds and I refuse to admit one pound more:)
Maternity Clothes: Yes
Stretch Marks: None I know of.
Sleep: Not so good. Up and down all night.
Baby Movement: Yes
Food Cravings: I had Olive Garden Saturday night and Longhorn on Tuesday night and it was delicious! We have currently broken all previous records...as of last night we have eaten dinner with at least one of our parents for the past 6 nights. Which I love due to the pressure it takes off of me to cook:)
What I Miss: Being able to breathing normally. I sound like I need oxygen all the time. I also miss being able to eat a whole meal! I have been to all of these really good places to eat but I can only eat a little at a time. I also miss being able to paint my own toenails...Adam graciously painted them Tuesday night which was so sweet of him. But I just hope I don't go into labor before I can get them a little bit more presentable!
Looking Forward To: Seeing her sweet little face:)
Milestones: At 37 weeks Baby Reese is considered full term and is fully baked! Now that she is fully baked her growth slows down drastically this week. At this point babies vary in size, but the average length is between 19 and 20 inches and most babies weigh approximately 6 pounds. About the size of an average largemouth bass caught in Minnesota…Adam will love to see that she is being compared to a bass!

Happy Birthday to Big Momma…

Now that I am the big 2-5 I guess I am old enough for a baby, but that is still questionable. Adam really knows what I like and it is exercise equipment! I know some of you might be offended if you got a piece of exercise equipment from your husband for your birthday, but not me!!! This is just what I wanted…an elliptical! Since I drive almost an hour to work everyday I seriously doubt I will be making my normal trip to the gym after school anymore. Because lets face it…Baby Reese will be waiting on me at day care and the gym simply will not be a priority in my life anymore. However, I don’t want motherhood to cause me to completely let myself go either. I love to exercise. Really…I do. It makes me feel better and it is a slight addiction for me. Or at least it was in my pre pregnancy life. I hope that workout desire returns once she gets here. I also got some lovely fall decorations from Dee Dee and Big Daddy. MeeMaw and PeePaw found these scarecrows- it is me, Adam, and Reese! I would have put them outside, but Dixie and Autie would not have allowed them to exist.

In other news…
We had a doctors appointment on Tuesday and Dr. Ballard says I am 1 cm dilated and 50% thinned out. She also says that since I have already made some progress if Reese isn’t here by her due date that she will induce! This makes me happy. I have no desire to carry a baby 41 or 42 weeks.