Making Baby Clothes

So...today was an attempt to be more domestic than usual...meaning not only did I take care of Anna and cook dinner, and all the other housework, but I decided to make her some clothes....the result?

So it's a little big...but it turned out well, considering that except for the quilt from a few months back, I haven't sewn in years! Next will be a romper attempt!

1 Month Already!?

So it's been up and down so far, what with breastfeeding troubles and weight gain issues, but she's back to her birth weight now, and starting to fill out her newborn clothes a bit. We got her pictures done (again!) today, and they're just as adorable as the first ones!

Really, JCP Portraits is just a wonderful place to get baby pictures done! They have a great studio and an archival program that allows you to save all your sessions in their system for 2 years! It's wonderful! Plus, if you get a membership, your sessions are free! On top of that, they almost always have coupons online, so really, it's a great place to get portraits done.

First Photo Session!

Anna Marie is 2 weeks old today, and we went to Penney's to get her picture made!

We couldn't get her to be content without the pacifier, but it was still an adorable picture!

1 Week!

Anna's already a week old! I can't believe it!

She's not back up her birth weight yet, but we're working on it!

Anna Marie is here!

Well after 12 hours of labor and 20-30 minutes of pushing, I popped out my precious Anna Marie at 6:09 pm  February 24, 2011!

Anna Marie

8 lbs 3 oz

20 inches long

I was pre-eclamptic so I've had to spend the last 24 hours on magnesium, which means I haven't gotten out of bed yet! It's terrible! I have to have Cory or a nurse bring her to me; it's so frustrating!

In the meantime; nursing is so much harder than anyone told me it would be! Anna Marie won't open her mouth wide enough to latch on, and when she finally does she won't stay on for more than a couple of minutes. The nurse thinks the problem is because my nipples are relatively flat. So she gave me a nipple shield.

It's making it easier for her to latch on, but making my poor breasts suffer! Hopefully she won't have to use it forever!

Getting Induced!

Well it's finally happened!
Yesterday I went for my normal 1 week appointment and was told I was going to need to be induced due to abnormal swelling and high blood pressure. I spent the evening having tests done at the hospital to see if it needed to be immediately or if it could wait a few days.
My protein levels came back really high, so now I'm headed to the hospital to be induced. Wish me luck!

She doesn't want to come!

So it's the 19th...Anna Marie is due in one week and I'm huge! It's a full moon this weekend so I think we're going to try to get the ball rolling by trying some natural induction methods. I had a pedicure earlier today, and we're going to work on some acupressure points and nipple stimulation. We're not sure if we want to brave pregnant sex yet, but I'm starting to get desperate!

Hospital!

So Tuesday morning I felt pretty decent, but then it just went straight downhill. I started having severe lower back and pelvic pains...we thought maybe I was having braxton hicks contractions, but they got continually worse. Out of nowhere I began vomiting pure bile - I hadn't had anything to eat.


Well, we ended up at the hospital, where I was admitted and strapped to a fetal monitor and given an IV of fluids. At this point I couldn't even keep water down and kept vomiting bile. Anna Marie's heart rate was really low and we were pretty scared.


Wednesday didn't get much better - they tried to give me jello and popsiciles but I couldn't keep either down, but Thursday I was visited by an internalist and a gastroenterologist, and they put me on new nausea medication and a medication to cut down the acid in my stomach.


Thankfully by monday I was doing better and able to keep food down, so after a week in the hospital I'm home. Now I have to recuperate in time for Anna Marie to make her grand entrance!

OBGYN Apt - 34 weeks 3 days

Routine appointment today! Apparently I'm a Thanksgiving turkey, according to Dr. Wilson...she agreed that Anna Marie's dropped a little, though not much. She's put in the order for the Implanon, which is our birth control of choice. It's a small device inserted under the skin of the forearm that's designed to prevent pregnancy for up to 3 years, which, hopefully, is when we'd want to have another child.

I've gained a total of 22 pounds, which, for this stage of my pregnancy, is just fine. Blood pressure was fine, sugar was fine, etc. So all in all we're pretty happy and healthy!

Just a few more weeks!

Baby Dresses!

So today involved an extensive and exhausting trip to JoAnn's for fabric. Baby fabric! We have a few spring/summer dresses, but we wanted to make an easter dress for Anna Marie, and a few winter dresses.

We also went out to target and got some nursing pads and an infant head support cushion. So all in all it was a productive day! Hopefully later we can get started sewing!

Baby Shower #2

Alright, so I feel a little spoiled having two baby showers, but the ladies at my mom's church insisted! I'm the 3rd in a chain of women to have showers/babies in the last few months. It was quite a productive shower too! We received crib sheets, infant oral care kits, teething rings, a diaper caddy, an ear thermometer, and other useful things.

One of the gifts was out of stock, so it's being shipped to me. I'm so excited - it's an adorable infant bouncer. It's just precious!

The decorations and the cake were beautiful!

In other news, today marks 34 weeks! According to baby center Anna Marie is now a cantaloupe! Well, she definitely feels like one!

Everyone today has felt the need to comment on how big I am and how she looks likes she's dropping. The betting pools are leaning towards early February. Everyone's convinced she'll come early! I'm sticking with, "She'll come when she's ready!"

Dropping!

So apparently Anna Marie has started dropping.
I didn't really notice it other than the fact that my belly felt heavier and most of the weight felt further down, but mama pointed out that it looked lower. Very suddenly, over the span of two days or so, I suddenly had tons of stretch marks on my lower belly where previously I had none.
I asked Cory what he thought, and he said he definitely thought it was lower.

34 weeks!

Finally Moved!

Whoo! We're finally officially moved (except for a little bit of unpacking...shh). So excited!
We had breakfast in the apartment and then cory went off to run errands. Can't wait to try out my convection oven tonight - cooking a 6-cheese chicken alfredo with penne!

Snow Day

So yesterday it snowed several inches, which is pretty ridiculous for the area we live in. In fact, I tried to talk Cory into driving me to the beach so I could see the snow on the sand, but he wouldn't do it.

However, the roads are so slick that all the schools are closed, and even a few businesses. Including my OBGYN. So my appointment was not today, but has been rescheduled for next Tuesday. Bummer :[ It disappointed me because Cory was finally off for the day and was going with me, and he always lights up when he hears Anna's heartbeat.

Too bad. Maybe next week?
In the meantime! We finally got the phone line in the apartment turned on, so we can officially move as of tomorrow! Our 'house-warming' plans include chicken alfredo for dinner, and snuggling down to watch Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.

Pictures of the Snow from the Apartment :]

The Marsh in the snow just makes me think of LOTR.

Anna the Prophetess

"There was also a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, having been married to her husband for seven years until his death. She had lived as a widow since then for eighty-four years. She never left the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment, she came up to them and began to give thanks to God and to speak about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:36-38, NETBible).


Now, she may not be the most prominent character in the Bible, but Anna is definitely a character that was close to God. She dedicated her life to serving him; to the point that she 'never left the temple'. I hope Anna Marie will grow to love God this much! 

Moving Day 5 - Bad News

So most of the day went fine. I got my computer set up in the apartment (which is where I'm posting from now).
We got all the baby clothes washed and put up, as well as kitchen goods, art supplies, movies, and books.
Took me most of the day to get everything put up!

Well, despite having a wonderful morning, I've had a very tumultuous afternoon. Cory was laid off today, and we're really having to rely on God right now to keep from just falling apart. We're going to be spending the evening praying and trying desperately to figure out...What next?

Moving Day 4

So I skipped a day because I took mama to the dr yesterday, and then we ran some errands. We were picking up some stuff for the apartment, which is almost finished.

We spent almost 8 hours today moving stuff from the old place into the apartment, and there are boxes everywhere! I'll spend most of tomorrow organizing things.

Anna Marie has been digging around for the last few days, and its getting pretty painful. My ribs and pelvis are suffering equally at this point, but it'll all be worth it in the end. Just a few more weeks! I have my next OBGYN appointment monday!

Moving Day 2

So I had to take mama to the dentist today, and run some other errands, so we didn't get much moving done. I did however, manage to put together the desk for our living/study area, and we got a few goodies for the kitchen.

I managed to snap some pictures of the progress we've made so far!

It's all really cluttered right now, but after we get the shelving in we should be able to start organizing things! More pictures when it's finished!

Now Anna Marie has much more space for her toddler years, and we're so excited!

Moving Day 1

So we're trying to be moved into the new apartment by Friday. That gives us 5 days if you include today. Since Cory's working everyday, he can't help with the moving process very much, but my parents and I have gotten most of it done, and Kat's coming over Thursday to help move appliances and the one dresser that's still waiting to move.

My mom and I have gotten most of the apartment decorated including the nursery area!

 It's so adorable so far. Since most people say they never use their changing tables, I'm using mine for storage right off the bat. I've got all Anna Marie's baby shampoo and wash, as well as diapers and burp clothes lined up on top the changing table.

Cory's sick with something, not sure what but he was throwing up all this morning. I was tempted to go spend the night in the apartment to avoid getting sick, but the doctor said it wasn't anything to worry about.

We've got a whole bunch of packing boxes and I hope he'll be up to helping me pack this evening, so my mom and I can start moving stuff tomorrow while he's at work.

The Reason Why

So being the new year and all, I decided to write a post that summed up my blog, as if I were introducing it to the new year!

Alright. So I had a blog a few years back, but I didn't keep it up. A close friend of mine decided to start a blog, so I thought I'd start back up. Who knows? Maybe I'll stick to it this time. Especially when the topic I chose is something I'm so passionate about. My baby girl - Anna Marie.

A Little About Me:
My name's Yvonne. I'm 19, I've been married for 10 months, and I am 8 months pregnant. I am a freelance artist and I use charcoal, graphite, markers, and watercolors as my main mediums. I also enjoy reading, writing, roleplay, and video games. A classic nerd I suppose. I was raised conservative Christian, and met my loving husband at a Christian radio station here in my town 3 years ago.

A Little About Anna Marie:
She first became known on father's day, 2010. I was out of town at a LARP and realized my period was a few days late. My period is never late. I called my husband and wished him a happy father's day, to which he was ecstatic, despite the fact that we hadn't been trying. When I got home we took a test, which was positive. Being skeptical, we took 2 more. Which were also positive. With much joy and trepidation, we alerted our family, and scheduled a dr's appointment, and so our journey began! She's due on February 26th, 2011, just 54 days away!

These are our pictures of my little princess so far:

9 weeks 3 days

19 weeks 2 days

29 weeks 5 days

On to life's next big journey!