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!