Say a prayer for Connor...

During the night, Connor struggled a little bit with spitting up mucous. So, today they suctioned out his tummy to try to help him get rid of it. Well, he is still struggling with gagging on it. I can't nurse him because he gags everytime I try. They are evaluating him again in the nursery right now. But, we won't be going home until they have a better understanding and we can get him to eat properly. The pediatrician will be back in the morning to evaluate as well. It's probably something minor that just takes time to work itself out.

In the meantime, I'm going to just enjoy snuggling with our sweet little boy...

He's here!

Here's a summary of the day's events:
Epidural - 9:30 a.m.
Pitocin - 10 a.m.
Water Broken - 1 p.m.
Baby delivered - 6:10 p.m.

Connor Stephan is 8 lbs 12 oz & 21" long. He is a big boy!!

I'm so tired, but so thankful to have a healthy baby. Leah visited for a few minutes & she loves her baby brother. She wanted to check out his fingers and his belly. Then, she gave him kisses (or in her words - "I give him sugars"). She really does seem intrigued, but happy to see us and her brother. She cried when she had to leave and I heard her saying "stay with mommy & daddy" the whole way down the hall. It broke my heart, but I know we will have plenty of time together in the days ahead.

I feel tired and I am trying to keep up with the pain management. I'm thrilled to already be able to be up and walking without too much pain. It's more just feeling kind of weak.

Jesse is a proud daddy. He has had some good "holding" time with Connor. He is going home to get some rest & my mom is going to stay tonight.

Well, it appears Connor is hungry and wants his momma!! So, I need to run. Thanks for all of your well wishes and prayers.

Much love,
Anna

Getting Ready to Go!

So, I went to bed around midnight, but I just couldn't sleep. My mind was racing to make sure I had packed everything. The funny part is that we live less than 5 minutes from the hospital, so there is nothing so critical that I can't get pretty quickly. Oh well! I have a few hours of sleep to go on...which is better than last time, so I guess I'll just be thankful.

I am really excited & ready to get this done! To be completely transparent, I am nervous. I'm not nervous about delivery, but I am nervous about the baby's health. We are taking extra precautions this time (IV antibiotics while I am in labor, controlled induction, etc), but I have to admit it lingers in the back of my mind - will he struggle like Leah? We have done all we can do on our side, and now I am just trusting God to lead us through the next phase. I learned so much through our journey with Leah, but it was quite journey! I want to maintain that same heart of openness to God's plan with Connor.

Please pray with us today. We are ready to meet our boy!

We have a date!!

Today's dr. visit stats:
dilated 3 cm & almost 100% effaced
Connor is measuring 8 lbs 3 oz (+/- 19 oz) - I laughed at this because he could be only 7 lbs or he could be over 9 lbs...love those estimates.

The doctor thinks I will have the baby before my appointment next Tuesday. He said that gravity is my friend and walking will help. If I have more than 4 contractions in an hour, then I can go to labor & delivery to be induced. If I don't have the baby before next Wednesday, I will be induced at 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, 3/4.

My mom arrives on Thursday night so I'm going to try to be good until then. :)

Dr Appointment

I had a great doctor's appointment this morning, despite only sleeping 3 hours last night. My proteins, blood pressure, etc are all holding steady. Not much has changed in the way of "progression" (2cm, 80%, -1), but the doctor was really pleased with all of my numbers and my overall health.

My next visit will be next week on Tuesday. I'll have my ultrasound first and then meet with the doctor to decide next steps. He is a very big boy, so I am hoping he will come before next Tuesday. But, if he doesn't, I need to start preparing myself for a c-section.

I took a great nap today and I am hoping I will be able to sleep well tonight. Leah is getting anxious to meet "beautiful Connor" as she now calls him. And, I'm anxious too.

I'll update if anything exciting happens. :)

Waiting..

Valentine's Day was a nice relaxing day at our house. Leah and I received beautiful tulips from Jesse/Daddy. We watched cartoons most of the morning, then Leah and I took a long nap. Then, Leah's Poppie (Jesse's Dad) came by with a humongous balloon & a mini-cake for Leah for Valentine's Day. She LOVED both. Jesse's mom has pneumonia and is still running a fever, so we weren't able to go visit. But, we hope to visit this week when she is feeling better. Then, last night we ordered curbside-to-go from Outback. Yes, we splurged, but it was so good! I still have half of my dinner left so I'm looking forward to lunch!

On the baby front, not much has changed other than my stomach is growing out more & more each day. If he was 7+ pounds 2 weeks ago, I'm curious as to how huge he must be now. I'm looking forward to my doctor's appointment tomorrow. I have promised myself that I will not be discouraged if I haven't progressed, but I need a little bit of hope that the random contractions and pains are actually doing something!! Either way, I am extremely thankful that we have managed to get past 36 weeks now. His lungs should be stable for when he arrives, and we are so thankful!

Well, Leah is wanting me to watch Blue's Clues, so I better get going. I'll update tomorrow after my doctor's appointment!

Job security?

Wal-Mart announced 700+ layoffs today...many coming from the Real Estate division where I currently am employed. Due to my medical leave status, I will not know about the security of my position until I am ready to report back to work (6 weeks after Connor arrives). So, it will be weeks before I know anything.

My co-workers are keeping me updated on all of the changes. My team has remained whole so far, but my department lost several employees. My division (Real Estate) took a hard hit. \

My position is a diversified support role for new stores, remodels & mechanical services. I believe our positions (on my team of 8) will all be kept.

If I find anything else out, I will update. But, for now, it appears I survived the storm.