Our New Life

Well, Dax is finally here, and it is amazing! The labor and delivery was easy-peasy...lucky me! We got to the hospital at 5:00 am on Monday, May 17, to be induced. The nurse started me on a low-drip of petosin, around 6 or 6:30 am to start the labor. After about an hour or so, the doctor came in and broke my water to really get things going. After my water broke, I finally started feeling the contractions. Not too bad yet. Then, the nurse upped my drip of petosin, and I started to get a little uncomfortable. I made it to 5 cm dilation before I decided to get the epidural. Once I got the epidural, we had Dax in our arms after about an hour! It was so fast, and I didn't feel a thing! He weighed 7 lbs, 13 oz, and was 20 1/2 inches long. He is just perfect! Over the past 5 weeks, he has basically just been eating, sleeping, pooping, and peeing! Josh and I pretty much spend our days and nights staring at him, holding him, cooing and making funny faces! We are loving every minute of it! He is still not sleeping much throughout the night, but I know that will eventually change. By the time we left the hospital, Dax had dropped down to 7 lbs, 4 oz. At his first doctors appointment 2 days later, he was up to 7 lbs 7oz. We went back 2 weeks later, and he weighed 9 lbs even, and was 21 3/4 inches long. At our next appointment, 2 weeks later, he weighed 10 lbs, 8 oz, and was 22 1/2 inches. Needless to say, he is growing like a weed, and is going to be a big baby!!! He is 5 1/2 weeks old, and we already have him in 3-6 month clothing! We are so lucky to have such a healthy, happy baby! He has a very strong neck, and holds his head up pretty well when you hold him up on your shoulder, and when he is on his tummy. Just today, he has really started focusing on our faces for long periods of time! It is such a wonderful feeling to see him focus on your face and to watch him take in the world around him!

39 Weeks!!!

Wow! We are finally here! Dax is still very content in his "home." We only dilated 1/2 cm more, so we are now at 2 1/2 cm. At this rate, he won't come out until October! We are scheduled to be induced Monday morning! We are going in at 5 am, then the fun begins:) My parents are coming up for the weekend. We are going to the Regions Charity golf tournament, then getting ready for baby! Maybe he'll come on his own before Monday morning...we'll keep our fingers crossed! We cannot wait to see his beautiful face!!! So excited!!!

38 Weeks!!!

We are now at 38 weeks! Dax must be really comfortable in my belly, because we have made no progress...I am still 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. We did the ultrasound, and he is showing to be approximately 7 lbs. 2 oz. Dr. Christine scheduled me in to be induced on Monday, May 17, which is only 4 days before his due date, because we don't want him to get too big for me to deliver! Hopefully he'll come out on his own before then, though!!! Other than that, everything is going great! This has been such a wonderful pregnancy, but we cannot wait to meet our little boy! Here is what is going on in my belly this week, besides Dax relaxing and not wanting to come out:)

Your baby has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds and He's over 19 1/2 inches long. He has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If he's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time he's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after he's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

37 Weeks!!!

Here we are at 37 weeks. Dax is officially considered full-term! We are at 1 1/2 to 2 cm dilated. Dr. Christine said that everything looked great, but Dax is still measuring ahead. She scheduled an ultrasound for our next appointment so we can get an idea of how big this guy is! Here is what is happening in my belly now:

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)
Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

36 Weeks!!!

We are now at 36 weeks! On Friday, at the Dr., Dr. Christine was not getting a very good reading of Dax's heartrate. She sent me down to Labor and Delivery so that I could be monitored more closely and she could get a good hour-long reading on his heartrate. I, of course, was worried, because Josh wasn't able to make it to this appointment since he was driving to Tupelo, Mississippi for work. Dr. Christine said that the worst-case scenario would be an emergency c-section, if the baby was in distress! Aaahhhhh! I calmly called Josh to let him know what was going on. He said he'd be there in 1 1/2 hours. They wheeled me down to the labor floor, and strapped me up to a couple of monitors. Fortunately, Dax's heartrate was just perfect, but apparently, I was contracting like crazy! Didn't feel a thing, though. They monitored me for about an hour and a half, and the whole time, I was having one contraction after the other! I couldn't believe it. My mom was the same way...never knew she was contracting, even when she was in actual labor! Hopefully I am taking after her! Anyways, all is well! They sent me home and said to call them if the contractions get painful, or if my water breaks. Josh got there just as they were releasing me, and we went out and had a wonderful lunch together at Jackson's! Yum! We'll see what happens...I was born on a full moon, and there is going to be a full moon this Wednesday! Still feeling great!!! We can't wait to meet the little guy!!!

34 Weeks!!!

Here I am at 34 weeks. This week, my mom came up and we went shopping for mother-of-the-groom dresses. We had so much fun just schlepping around! This was also an exciting week for me, because it was my last week of work!!! Josh and I have been discussing this for a long time, and we both decided that my staying home with the baby would be the best option for us and Dax. I cannot explain how excited I am to be able to be at home with the baby! I could not imagine having to take him to daycare every day. I feel so blessed, and I look forward to seeing Dax grow each and every day, and not missing a single part of him growing up!!!

33 Weeks!!!

This weekend was Easter. We went to Selma and spent the weekend at my parents' house. We missed Murray...she was in Fairhope doing some wedding preps, but it was a beautiful weekend...we even got to spend some time out by the pool!

32 Weeks!!!

This weekend we went to Lake Martin for my friend, Natalie's, birthday. The weather was a little chilly, but beautiful, and we had a blast! It was nice to just get away for the weekend. Here are a couple of pics from Dax's first lake trip!

31 Weeks

This weekend was our baby shower!!! It was SOOOO perfect! I had such a wonderful time with our friends and family, and we got tons of great gifts to help us prepare for Dax! Here are some pictures from the shower. The one with all of the girls is of me with all of the hostesses plus mine and Josh's moms. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives!

30 Weeks!!!

We are now at 30 weeks! Only 10 more to go! Everything is going great! My baby shower is this Saturday and I am so excited and cannot wait to see everybody!!! Here's what's going on inside my belly this week:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from his face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

29 Weeks!!!

We have hit 29 weeks! This week, we celebrated my 26th birthday at my parents' house in Selma! We had so much fun and lots of delicious food, of course! My cousin, Andy, and his girlfriend, Tina, came to visit us this week, too! It was so nice seeing them!They drove from Orlando, Florida to Savannah, Georgia, and came through Alabama on their way back home. They stayed in Birmingham for two nights, and had dinner with Matt, Murray, Josh and me both nights. It was a nice visit! At our Planning for Parenthood class this week, Josh (and the other dads) had to dress up in an empathy belly. I posted a couple of pics of that! What a good sport!!! :)

28 Weeks

We have hit 28 weeks! So far, so good! We started our Planning for Parenthood class this week at the hospital and it was pretty informative. We will be going once a week for the next 3 weeks. We also had our Drs appointment on Wednesday. They re-did the ultrasound, but Dax was still not cooperating. He ended up deciding to turn his entire body and face toward my spine. He just really wants us to wait to see his face in person. Oh well! Only 11 more weeks!!! Our next appointment is in 2 weeks. Other than the 4D, everything else looked good! I am measuring at 29 cm, which is right on target, and his heartbeat was great! I also got my diaper bag, thanks to my mom (Mimi) and Josh's mom (Nana). It's Petunia Pickle Bottom, and I absolutely LOVE it and CANNOT wait to wear it. It even folds out in front to make a take-anywhere changing station! Here are some belly pics at 28 weeks and a couple of pics of my diaper bag. We are going to Selma this weekend to celebrate my 26th birthday! Will post more pics soon!

27 Weeks

I totally forgot to get a belly picture this week, but you can kind of see it in this pic of my mom and me. This is the crib bumper that my mom made! I absolutely love it and so does Dax! I don't know why I am standing like that in the picture, but it is definitley not a very flattering position! The crib looks wonderful...thanks, Mom!!!! Everything is PERFECT!!! I will post some nursery pics once we get it looking good!

4-D Ultrasound Pics

Here are a few of the 4D ultrasound pics from 26 1/2 weeks. Dax wasn't cooperating. He didn't want to move his hand from in front of his face, and his foot was on top of his head the whole time! So cute, though! I don't know if you can tell, but in the first one, he has his eyes open. The last one was of him getting mad at the ultrasound tech, and flicking her off, for trying to wake him up! Looks like we're going to have a handful!:) We are officially in love with him and cannot wait to meet him! Since he wasn't cooperating, we get to get another 4D ultrasound this Wednesday, when we will be almost 29 weeks! Yay! We can't wait to see him again!

26 Weeks!

Guess what happened on our 26 week birthday? It snowed! Alot!!! Here are some pictures of Josh and I with the baby out in the snow! These are his first snow pictures! Also...here is the big reveal.......Baby Alford's name is going to be..........
Dax Thompson Alford.
Dax, just because we love the name, Thompson, because it is a family name on Josh's side. Hope you all like it as much as we do! :) Also, Dax had his first bout of hiccups this past Wednesday! It was so cute! Josh and I couldn't stop laughing. He had them for about 5 minutes. We are going to the doctor this Wednesday for our 4-D ultrasound! YAY!!! We are counting down the minutes until we get to see him again! We are so excited! We will also be testing for gestational diabetes that day, so hopefully all goes well and my test results come back good! We will keep you posted. Here is what is going on in my belly this week:

The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches from head to heel.

25 Weeks

Here we are at 25 weeks. This is what is going on in my belly this week:

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabega, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. He's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

Matt and Murray

This past weekend, we all went to Fairhope to celebrate Matt and Murray's engagement! Murray's family hosted a brunch on Saturday...it was so much fun! We had a blast and had lots of great food!!! Best of all, our oldest brother, Dave, flew up from Ft. Lauderdale for the weekend! It was wonderful having the whole family together to kick off the M & M's wedding! Here are some pics...I am 24 weeks in these.

23 Weeks!!!

We are now at 23 weeks! We saw Dr. Christine yesterday, and everything is looking great! We heard his heartbeat, music to my ears, and it was 148 beats per minute...just right. She also measured my uterus, and it is measuring at 25 centimeters...she said it should be between 21 and 25 at this point, so we are good there too! He is kicking like crazy now, and I am feeling great. Our next appointment is on February 17, and at that appointment, we get our 4D ultrasound and DVD!!!!!!! We CANNOT wait! Here is what is going on in my belly this week:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound, you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

22 Weeks!

Here are some pics from 22 weeks...we had the whole family over for Aunt Murray's birthday.

21 Weeks

We are at 21 weeks today! Here is what is going on inside of me this week:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like he's practicing martial arts as his initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to his activity as you get to know him better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

This picture was taken right before Bama won the National Championship! Roll Tide!!!