"Adewine Wose": 1 week old!

***"Adewine Wose" is how my 3-year-old nephew, Owen, pronounces the baby's name. According to him, her name is Addie for now. But when she gets bigger her name will be Adeline Rose (a bigger name for a bigger girl, you know). ***

Here is our first family photo. Apparently it's a rite of passage to take an "I just went through labor. Here I am in all my glory" picture. I earned the right to look that awesome. Gerrit is glowing. Isn't he cute?

This is most of what the little lady does during the day. If only this is what nighttime looked like.

Look at that face!

The love affair begins: Addie and her Daddy.

More of her favorite thing:

Fun Facts:

Miss Adeline does not like to be swaddled. She must have her arms out and free. Oh, and she hates sleeping in the pack-and-play. She will only sleep for long stretches in her car seat or on someone's chest. High maintenance! We'll get it right eventually...

She gets the hiccups everyday--just like when she was in the womb.

When we tell her she's pretty, she grins. And she looks great in any color. What a woman.

She enjoys foot rubs as much as Gerrit does. She also has a dimple in the same spot as her dad.

Life with a Newborn:

My mom has been staying with us since we got home from the hospital. She's leaving after this weekend and I know I'm going to weep. She's been a saint. How do you take care of a baby without at least 3 adults??? Thankfully, Gerrit is starting his paternity leave. Phew...

The nights have been loooooong. She thinks it's daytime. It's exhausting. On the plus side, I've gotten to watch some fantastic infomercials and chick-flicks.

I thought my body would be my own after pregnancy. Um.....hmmm....not yet. Silly me. I am still very much a life-giving vessel. Adeline comes at me with aggression. She gets a little crazy when she's hungry.

I'm not usually a crier. It takes quite the event to get the waterworks going for me. But for the past few nights, all it takes for me to blubber is to listen to an American Idol song or hear Gerrit say he's going to bed (he's needed his rest to start work at 5am each day). Or I may just cry for no reason. Talking about crying makes me cry.

Okay, looking back at these little bullets sounds negative. But really, she's the sweetest baby. She's very loveable. I just look at her and can't believe she's ours. What a gift. She's so nice to hold and love. She's a lovely newborn and I'm looking forward to each stage her life. I can't wait to get to know her more!

I Might as Well Have Shredded My Birth Plan....

....because labor and delivery were nothing like the visions I had in my mind. I wasn't too worried about labor, because I knew I'd get an epidural. Surely, God wouldn't allow a wuss like me to go through labor without one. I prayed for it. It was a done deal....God and I had an understanding. If you don't want to hear the details of the birth, stop reading now! You can't be offended, because I warned you. So there. But I'll try not to be graphic. :)

Gerrit and I headed to the hospital at 7:30 on Thursday night for my scheduled induction. We were all nervous smiles as we checked in, I got my gown on, and the nurses got us all set up. I was given Cervidil, which is supposed to get contractions started. The intent was to use that for 12 hours and switch to Pitocin (to really get labor going) at 8:30 the next morning.

We went to sleep around 10:30. Gerrit was on the pull-out couch and I was all hooked up to monitors on my hospital bed. Not long after that, I started getting uncomfortable. I was cramping every 5-10 minutes. The nurse checked in on me once and awhile when I needed help getting unplugged from the monitor to use the bathroom. She asked how I was feeling each time and I told her I was uncomfortable. She assured me I should be feeling cramps; that's what the medicine was supposed to do. I couldn't tell if I was sleeping or not in between these "cramps." They were getting stronger and closer together. I started counting slowly to 5 in my mind, knowing the cramp would go away shortly after that. Soon, I had to count to 10, then to 20. I kept thinking, My gosh! If this is bad, I can't imagine what contractions will be like! How am I going to do this?! How am I going to push a baby out?! I left Gerrit sleeping on the couch, thinking that we had a long tomorrow ahead of us. I would be in labor and I would need him alert. So, I breathed and tried to find my happy place.

By 4am, I was miserable. The nurse (Deb) came in to check on me and I let her know I was uncomfortable. She decided she should check me out. As she examined me, her eyes grew wide. She said, "Honey...you are dilated to 3 or 4 already. I'm going to take the medicine out, because you obviously don't need it. You're in labor." My thoughts: Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh. I was in labor and didn't know it? But then I got excited and asked, "Can I get an epidural now?" Deb smiled with understanding and said, "Let me make that call for you. We'll order that and get it going." My thoughts: Praise God. I made it this far without an epidural. And now I get one! Smooth sailing ahead!

I woke Gerrit up and let him know of my progress. He got up, ready to be my support through my epidural and bliss-filled labor. Oh but wait.....4:30am came around and by now, I felt intense pressure. One nurse told me those were the "magic words." What does that mean???? Nurse Deb came back in and upon hearing of my "pressure" checked me. Once again, her eyes grew wide. She said, "My goodness. You are moving quickly. You are dilated to 7 already." To that I said, "And my epidural is coming soon, riiiiiight?" With sympathy in her voice, she said, "Cassie, I don't want to tell you that you can't get the epidural. I won't say that. But you just don't need it." My thoughts: YES, I DO! My eyes filled with tears and I cried, "I really want one!" Deb calmly said, "I know you do, dear. But by the time we get them up here, get the epidural going, and it starts working, you are going to be sitting on the baby's head ready to push. You are moving so fast, the epidural will not help you."

*{Cue the sound of my labor dreams shattering.}*

No, no, no. I am not a natural birth kind of gal! This is not for me! I specifically asked God for an epidural!

Instead, Deb gave me a shot of Nubain to "take the edge off." I felt tingly as it ran through my body. I grew groggy. But let me tell ya...no "edge" was taken off. What "edge" are we referring to? The midwife, Charita, came to hospital at 5:05am. She asked if she had time to change into her scrubs. Deb told her to hurry. By 5:10am, Charita was back. She and Deb were giving me advice on how and when to push. Until now, I had been holding back on pushing because they weren't ready yet. But by 5:15am or so, everyone was ready for pushing to begin. The nurse and Gerrit were on either side of me. The midwife was ready at the end to catch the baby.

As I pushed, things moved quickly. The baby's head was visible after a few rounds of pushing. Gerrit was encouraging me with, "She's here. She's coming. You're doing so great. Here she is." So, in my mind, this meant the baby was here. I wouldn't need to push again...not so much. He thought once you saw the head, the baby came all the way out. That's what movies and TV will teach you. Can you blame him? I pushed again and again. I laid back, nearly falling asleep between each push. I thought it wouldn't end. I remember crying out, "I can't do this!" But lo and behold, by 5:43am, Adeline made her real entrance into the world.

The feeling of relief was overwhelming. They laid her on my chest as they wiped her down. We said our "hellos", and they whisked her off to be checked out. Gerrit stood by her protectively, filling me in on what was going on. I didn't get to hold her again for about a half hour. I looked at her not really knowing what to think. I couldn't believe this had all happened...and not at all how I had planned! Adeline was very alert as she checked out the world. She didn't look like anyone I knew...but she was beautiful. I couldn't believe she belonged to us. Wowza.

So, that's the long and short of her delivery. It was not at all how I had planned it would be! But then again, it wasn't really up to me, was it? ;)

Introducing: The Bean a.k.a.....

Adeline Rose

Photo by Jess Cherico

Born May 13, 5:43 am

7lbs 1oz, 20 1/2 inches long

Happy, healthy, and very loved....

We're home now and doing well. Grandma Denna is here helping. We can't believe she's ours! She's very content so far and loves to be held! I'll post more later! Gotta go love our baby. :)

Dear Baby, I Love You....Please Get Out.

(Photo by Lindsay O.)

Okay, I've decided it's time. Time for her to come. I decided this a long time ago, before it was really healthy for the baby to be outside the womb. But it's perfectly safe now! So, let's get a move on it!

My midwife got my hopes up last week saying she might help move things along to get contractions started. (She doesn't want me to go too long with gestational diabetes.) However, at my last appointment, she checked and said, "Wow, you're not even close. You are not ready to have this baby." Wait, wait....yes, I am! She asked how I was feeling and I said, "I'm ready to be done." She cocked her head to the side and asked, "Why the eagerness to be done?"

Um, seriously????

Does that question really need to be asked of someone who is 9 months pregnant? I think not. But if you'll humor me, I'll give you my list of reasons of why I'm "eager to be done." And please understand that I am thrilled to be having a child. This blessing did not come at the snap of our fingers and we feel honored to be given this gift. I would do it again, because she is already so wanted and loved. She is worth every ache and pain. That being said, instead of seeing this as a list of complaints, please see this as my wish list for post-pregnancy:

10. I want to sleep on my back and stomach! Sweet bliss!

9. I want to be able to hug my husband tightly without bending my body to accommodate for the belly. I feel like I'm unwillingly hugging an awkward acquaintance.

8. I wanna eat carbs!!!! Bread. Noodles. Noodles on bread. Cake. Ice cream. Ice cream cake. Fruit! Juice. Fruit juice....you get the idea.

7. I would like to visit the bathroom less frequently. I feel like I live there.

6. I would like bend-ability back. Easily tying shoes, grabbing things off the floor, putting on pants, and sitting in certain positions would all be luxuries.

5. Not having the "What is going on with my body????!!!!!!" feeling wouldn't be horrible. Being the hypochondriac that I am, pregnancy has been quite the experience. I've had many Should this really be happening???? moments....on an hourly basis.

4. Oddly enough, I'm excited to zip and button my pants again. Maternity pants, though comfortable for a time, are not oh-so-flattering and can make me feel like a toddler with elastic waist pants.

3. I could do with less back and body pain.

2. Keeping it G-rated and avoiding T.M.I overload, I have about 5 unmentionable reasons for being ready. Hey-o!

1. And of course, I want to meet the Bean! I wanna hug and kiss her up. And then I wanna give her a piece of my mind for hurting her mommy for the last 9 months. And then I wanna snuggle her some more.

Any day now.....

Baby Showers Galore!

Oh my! I was blessed with a plethora of baby showers! Our baby will want for nothing, thanks to my wonderful co-workers, friends, and family. I'll share some picture highlights. But I don't yet have pictures from our last shower with Gerrit's family--which was so great. :) My family also came bearing gifts while they were here for Easter and I don't have pictures of that. Gerrit and I feel very loved by all.

My after-school co-workers threw a dinner shower. It was colorful and loud--just like they are! Co-workers who are reading this: You know it's true and you know I love you. :)

Co-hostess Sally made this sign!

Everyone loves a Boppy! (Co-hostess Melissa is in the background)

Me and Co-hostess Kim.

I also had a joint baby shower with a co-worker at school. We are due about a month apart and it's been great to celebrate, complain, and bounce questions off each other (Is this normal? Are you going through this?). We both felt very loved by the faculty and staff at school. One of our co-workers has a gift (and business) for making cakes! She made the one in the picture. It was delicious and diabetic friendly. :)
Finally, my dearly loved Renovation Church house group ladies threw a shower. They've been a wonderful support throughout the pregnancy with their excitement, prayers, and advice. My friend, Lindsay, took the pictures.

Some of the ladies The presents!Melinda, Me, Evie, and Jordan.
After the shower, Evie, took some maternity pictures for Gerrit and I. Head over to her photography blog if you would like to see some of them!

I can't thank everyone enough for the amazing showers. We are so appreciative. Our little girl is set with all the necessities for her arrival. And she definitely has more clothes than I do (better looking ones, I might add! Not gonna lie, I'm a little jealous). Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Updates

I really want to blog about all the wonderful baby showers I had, nesting instincts, and the days to come. But where is the time? I know. I know. There will be even less time when the baby comes. I'll do my best to blog soon. No promises. The Bean could come at anytime now! EEEEEK! I'm still here though and we're still waiting. We'll keep you posted!

Baby Shower #1

My amazing bosom buddies threw me my first baby shower this weekend. I can't believe how great it was (actually, I can believe it. They're pretty crazy good at what they do). I stole pictures from Jess and Mandy. They get the credit.

The Hostesses: Jess and Rachel (who opened their townhouse for the occasion) and Mandy who flew from afar to be here!

The food and decorations...made with love.

I have to tell you about these paper flowers. Jess took vintage childrens' books and folded them into flowers. Then Jess and Rachel grew real wheat grass in glasses and "planted" the flowers in them. Amazing!

These shoes were handmade (!!!) by Jess and Rachel's mom, Deb. Could they be any cuter? What a diva this baby will be!All the "showerers" (minus Mandy's mom, Kay, who took the picture). I love them all!

The "Seven" minus Brittany (who couldn't be there because she is being a missionary in Ukraine. I guess we'll let her off the hook. She was very missed, but she was with us in spirit and in the button decorations!)

With all the preciousness of the day, there had to be a little silliness, too. Here are Mel and Jess modeling the Bumbo chair (hopefully the baby will use it correctly)!

Molly and Tara's present had this extra large bow on it. Mandy said, "You know that's ending up on your belly at some point, right?" And so, it did.

I can't tell you how blessed I felt that day; and how I feel to have these women in my life. I hope the Bean is influenced by every one of them!