Newborn pictures were taken by Melissa Lynn Hunt Photography
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Best. Week. Ever.
This time last week my anxiety was high and I was on edge... We had an appointment to start the induction process at 5pm on Sunday, July 3rd. Let me rewind a little bit. Last time I wrote, we were playing the waiting game. I was making plans with friends and going to the mall to walk during the day. Each night Jacob and I would take a nice long walk to try to encourage Chrisily to make her appearance. I had another doctor's appointment at 39 weeks 6 days. Nothing had changed as far as my progress and since my due date was the next day, we scheduled an induction for Sunday night. We were sad that there hadn't been any progress but glad to know that Chrisily and I were both doing well. We held out hope that she would decide to come on her own between Tuesday and Sunday but we knew we would be meeting her by Monday either way. Needless to say, the next few days seemed to drag by... Jacob's family came in town on Saturday so that they could be here for the entire process. We enjoyed some time with our families before expanding from a family of 2 to a family of 3.
So, Sunday arrived and we went to have breakfast at The Parkway House with Jacob's family and my mom. I wasn't very hungry.. my mind was on the upcoming excitement. We came home and us girls were relaxing and taking it easy while the guys put up ceiling fans in the upstairs rooms. After sitting around for a little while, the girls decided we needed to get out and stay busy until time for dinner so that I wouldn't sit around all day watching the clock until time to go to the hospital. Kathy, Mamaw, and I went to pick up some stuff and run some errands. Before I knew it, it was time for dinner and then to go to the hospital. Both mine and Jacob's family went to have dinner at the K & W cafeteria since this was going to be my last meal until we met Chrisily.
5 o'clock on Sunday came (finally!) and we headed to the hospital. We got checked in and settled into a room. I needed to be checked again by the doctor before we knew how to proceed. I had made a little progress but not enough to skip the cervadil (I was 75% effaced and 1 cm). The cervadil is a medicine to help my cervix prepare for labor and delivery. We started the cervadil around 6pm and it had to stay in until 5am the next morning. The goal was to begin the labor process... and it worked! I had been having contractions but they weren't strong enough to feel. Within an hour or two, they were getting stronger and I could definitely tell when one began and when it ended. The night was otherwise pretty uneventful. The hospital bed was uncomfortable and Jacob and I were both anxious to move the process along and meet our little girl. Monday morning finally arrived and at 5am we took out the cervadil, I got a shower, then we started pitocin to strengthen the contractions. By 6am they were coming pretty steadily and I was definitely uncomfortable. They gave me an epidural around 6:45 and Dr. Barefoot came in at 7 to break my water. I was still only 1 cm when he came in but I was 100% effaced. Once I had the epidural, I was resting much more comfortably and just visiting with family. They came in around 10 and I was 2 cm. They came back a couple hours later and I was 2-3cm. Dr. Barefoot decided to use an IUPC to monitor the contractions internally to make sure they were strong enough to dilate my cervix. After monitoring them for a while, we saw that they were. The next time they checked me I was 4-5 cm, and then the next time I was 7cm. A short hour and a half later I was at 10cm. This was around 5:30. Things started moving along after that. I began to push around 6pm and Chrisily Rose was born at 7:48pm on Monday, July 4th. The cord was around her neck when she came out so they had to take her over to the warmer to check her and suction her out. She was very quiet for a long time... Jacob went with her to make sure she was okay. The nurses continued to reassure us that she was okay. After they got her cleaned up and bundled up, Jacob brought her over to me. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. She was 6lbs 15 oz and 21 inches long. We had a few minutes of bonding time and I was able to feed her for the first time before Jacob went to get the family. He went out and got everyone to come meet Chrisily. For the next 45 mins. the hospital room was a flurry of excitement, ooohhhs and ahhss, and a lot of flashes/picture taking. We were moved to the Mother/Baby unit upstairs and left to enjoy our new addition. Neither Jacob or myself slept much that first night.. we were too busy just watching/staring at our little girl. We had family and friends come to visit on Tuesday to meet Chrisily. We didn't get much sleep on Tuesday night either. I am starting to see a trend here... :-) The majority of Weds. morning / early afternoon was spent getting everything together and being discharged from the hospital. We were so excited (and ready!) to be coming home. We devised a plan on the way home of how to introduce Chrisily to Chester and Sophie. Although I wasn't worried about how they would react, it was important that Jacob and I were on the same page and knew exactly what we were going to do. We spent a good hour introducing the pups to Chrisily... I must say that we have been extremely pleased with how they have reacted. That night we had both families over for dinner. Kathy made a beef brisket.. it was delicious. That evening we didn't get much sleep either. Since we were in a new place, we had to figure a new routine and how everything was going to work. That has pretty much been our lives since we got home... figuring out and settling into routines. It has gone smoothly for the most part. It was a huge help to have Jacob's family here. They were a big help with chores around the house and helping with Chrisily so we could get a couple of hour of sleep. Friday was Chrisily's first doctor's appointment. Everything went really well, except that she looked a little jaundiced. Dr. Morgann wanted us to go have labs done to check her levels to see what we would do about it. The levels came back a little elevated so he ordered a Bili-blanket for us to use on Chrisily for the night and then we had to take her to get more blood work on Sat. morning. Those levels came back the same as Fridays, so we had to continue using the Bili-Blanket for another 24 hours and then take her this morning for more bloodwork. The blanket is great for reducing the bilirubin levels but it limits her mobility and makes everything a little more difficult. It has been a little harder when she has had to be on it, but I would much rather her be on it here at home where we can hold her, etc then her be in the hospital. We are currently waiting on the results from today's blood work.
Yesterday after getting the labs done, Melissa came to take newborn pictures of Chrisily. She spent several hours here and was wonderful with Chrisily. She put up a few sneak peak pictures and they are gorgeous. I will post some pictures in another blog post.
Jacob's family left this morning to go home so it is just us three at home today. We hated to see them go but we are excited to get into our own routine and have some family time. Jacob and I are beyond in love with this precious girl. She has stolen our hearts. We are so blessed and we thank all of you for your love, support, and prayers.
Until next time...
![]()
So, Sunday arrived and we went to have breakfast at The Parkway House with Jacob's family and my mom. I wasn't very hungry.. my mind was on the upcoming excitement. We came home and us girls were relaxing and taking it easy while the guys put up ceiling fans in the upstairs rooms. After sitting around for a little while, the girls decided we needed to get out and stay busy until time for dinner so that I wouldn't sit around all day watching the clock until time to go to the hospital. Kathy, Mamaw, and I went to pick up some stuff and run some errands. Before I knew it, it was time for dinner and then to go to the hospital. Both mine and Jacob's family went to have dinner at the K & W cafeteria since this was going to be my last meal until we met Chrisily.
5 o'clock on Sunday came (finally!) and we headed to the hospital. We got checked in and settled into a room. I needed to be checked again by the doctor before we knew how to proceed. I had made a little progress but not enough to skip the cervadil (I was 75% effaced and 1 cm). The cervadil is a medicine to help my cervix prepare for labor and delivery. We started the cervadil around 6pm and it had to stay in until 5am the next morning. The goal was to begin the labor process... and it worked! I had been having contractions but they weren't strong enough to feel. Within an hour or two, they were getting stronger and I could definitely tell when one began and when it ended. The night was otherwise pretty uneventful. The hospital bed was uncomfortable and Jacob and I were both anxious to move the process along and meet our little girl. Monday morning finally arrived and at 5am we took out the cervadil, I got a shower, then we started pitocin to strengthen the contractions. By 6am they were coming pretty steadily and I was definitely uncomfortable. They gave me an epidural around 6:45 and Dr. Barefoot came in at 7 to break my water. I was still only 1 cm when he came in but I was 100% effaced. Once I had the epidural, I was resting much more comfortably and just visiting with family. They came in around 10 and I was 2 cm. They came back a couple hours later and I was 2-3cm. Dr. Barefoot decided to use an IUPC to monitor the contractions internally to make sure they were strong enough to dilate my cervix. After monitoring them for a while, we saw that they were. The next time they checked me I was 4-5 cm, and then the next time I was 7cm. A short hour and a half later I was at 10cm. This was around 5:30. Things started moving along after that. I began to push around 6pm and Chrisily Rose was born at 7:48pm on Monday, July 4th. The cord was around her neck when she came out so they had to take her over to the warmer to check her and suction her out. She was very quiet for a long time... Jacob went with her to make sure she was okay. The nurses continued to reassure us that she was okay. After they got her cleaned up and bundled up, Jacob brought her over to me. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. She was 6lbs 15 oz and 21 inches long. We had a few minutes of bonding time and I was able to feed her for the first time before Jacob went to get the family. He went out and got everyone to come meet Chrisily. For the next 45 mins. the hospital room was a flurry of excitement, ooohhhs and ahhss, and a lot of flashes/picture taking. We were moved to the Mother/Baby unit upstairs and left to enjoy our new addition. Neither Jacob or myself slept much that first night.. we were too busy just watching/staring at our little girl. We had family and friends come to visit on Tuesday to meet Chrisily. We didn't get much sleep on Tuesday night either. I am starting to see a trend here... :-) The majority of Weds. morning / early afternoon was spent getting everything together and being discharged from the hospital. We were so excited (and ready!) to be coming home. We devised a plan on the way home of how to introduce Chrisily to Chester and Sophie. Although I wasn't worried about how they would react, it was important that Jacob and I were on the same page and knew exactly what we were going to do. We spent a good hour introducing the pups to Chrisily... I must say that we have been extremely pleased with how they have reacted. That night we had both families over for dinner. Kathy made a beef brisket.. it was delicious. That evening we didn't get much sleep either. Since we were in a new place, we had to figure a new routine and how everything was going to work. That has pretty much been our lives since we got home... figuring out and settling into routines. It has gone smoothly for the most part. It was a huge help to have Jacob's family here. They were a big help with chores around the house and helping with Chrisily so we could get a couple of hour of sleep. Friday was Chrisily's first doctor's appointment. Everything went really well, except that she looked a little jaundiced. Dr. Morgann wanted us to go have labs done to check her levels to see what we would do about it. The levels came back a little elevated so he ordered a Bili-blanket for us to use on Chrisily for the night and then we had to take her to get more blood work on Sat. morning. Those levels came back the same as Fridays, so we had to continue using the Bili-Blanket for another 24 hours and then take her this morning for more bloodwork. The blanket is great for reducing the bilirubin levels but it limits her mobility and makes everything a little more difficult. It has been a little harder when she has had to be on it, but I would much rather her be on it here at home where we can hold her, etc then her be in the hospital. We are currently waiting on the results from today's blood work.
Yesterday after getting the labs done, Melissa came to take newborn pictures of Chrisily. She spent several hours here and was wonderful with Chrisily. She put up a few sneak peak pictures and they are gorgeous. I will post some pictures in another blog post.
Jacob's family left this morning to go home so it is just us three at home today. We hated to see them go but we are excited to get into our own routine and have some family time. Jacob and I are beyond in love with this precious girl. She has stolen our hearts. We are so blessed and we thank all of you for your love, support, and prayers.
Until next time...
(Chrisily's mom)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The Waiting Game...
Schools out for summer! And that means that I have absolutely nothing to fill my days with since I did such a great job of nesting while working... the nursery is complete, baby items are assembled, I even have the changing table area down stairs stocked with diapers, wipes, burp cloths, extra onesies, etc. I was hoping for a few days to rest between work and meeting our sweet girl. Well, we're going on a week of resting. Don't get me wrong, I like to rest and be lazy... but I am also a 'do-er'. I like to have projects, I like to be actively doing something, so this waiting game is killing me! And yes, I know she will come when she is ready... but that doesn't mean I can't walk a little more or try to convince her that life on the outside will be just as good (if not better) than life in the womb. :-)
Last week at my doctor's appointment we had another ultrasound. I had measured a 1 1/2-2 weeks ahead at my 37 weeks appoinment and the doctor wanted to check fluid levels and get a weight estimate. I had been measuring right on up until then. The doctor wasn't concerned about it and I sure wasn't going to complain about getting another sneak peak at our little one. Jacob went with me to this appointment. We had the ultrasound and then saw the doctor. Everything was great with the ultrasound. My fluid levels were good and Chrisily was measuring good. They estimated her weight at 7lbs 6 oz. Whoa babies!! The ultrasound tech also said she had long legs. She must get that trait from her Uncle Luke or Aunt Briana. :-) During my appointment I had a little bit of protein in my urine but my blood pressure was perfect. I have also had minimal swelling in my feet so they weren't too concerned about the protein (at least, not yet). We finished up the appointment and I scheduled another one for a week later. That appointment is tomorrow morning and we are hoping to have some new information and my progress and hopefully when to expect Chrisily. However, those of you that have been through this know that we might get some useful information and we might not... it all depends. Below are the ultrasound pictures and a 38 week belly picture.
Last week at my doctor's appointment we had another ultrasound. I had measured a 1 1/2-2 weeks ahead at my 37 weeks appoinment and the doctor wanted to check fluid levels and get a weight estimate. I had been measuring right on up until then. The doctor wasn't concerned about it and I sure wasn't going to complain about getting another sneak peak at our little one. Jacob went with me to this appointment. We had the ultrasound and then saw the doctor. Everything was great with the ultrasound. My fluid levels were good and Chrisily was measuring good. They estimated her weight at 7lbs 6 oz. Whoa babies!! The ultrasound tech also said she had long legs. She must get that trait from her Uncle Luke or Aunt Briana. :-) During my appointment I had a little bit of protein in my urine but my blood pressure was perfect. I have also had minimal swelling in my feet so they weren't too concerned about the protein (at least, not yet). We finished up the appointment and I scheduled another one for a week later. That appointment is tomorrow morning and we are hoping to have some new information and my progress and hopefully when to expect Chrisily. However, those of you that have been through this know that we might get some useful information and we might not... it all depends. Below are the ultrasound pictures and a 38 week belly picture.
This is a profile shot..
This is a head on view.. You can see her little eyes, nose, and it looks like her mouth is open
38 weeks
Right before school got out, some of the parents in my class through a baby shower/end of the year party for me (and the kids). They had the kids do a diaper relay race (who could clean, powder, and diaper the fastest) and they had to guess how big around my belly was with toilet paper. They actually did pretty well with the guessing game! Several of them were perfect. The parents were very generous and I left with a trunk full of gifts for Chrisily. Below are some pictures of me opening the presents.
It was a great way to end a wonderful year! The kids are very excited to meet Chrisily. I promised I would bring her up to the school next year to visit.
Still waiting,
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
The Home Stretch
I can't believe that I have been pregnant for 36 weeks. There have been days/weeks that I thought would never pass and there have been times that have flown by. I have reached that stage where I am uncomfortable but it's not unbearable. Work is getting more difficult. Those knee high tables/chairs/children really take a toll on you at this stage. I have trouble getting comfortable on the couch after dinner but as soon as I get upstairs, I am able to fall asleep right away (most of the time). I pray that I will continue to get such a good night's sleep... There are two things I really like these days- food and sleep. :-)
I went to the doctor today for my first weekly check up. He said everything looked good. I am measuring good, my weight gain is on track, and Chrisily has moved into the head down position. Although we are getting closer and the doctor said that she is now welcome to come anything she would like, he doesn't think it will be in the next week. This is good news since I would really like to finish out the school year with my kids (their last day is next Thursday).
Over the last few weeks we have had several baby showers. My friends gave us a shower, my sister and aunts gave us one, and both mine and Jacob's work had showers for us. Needless to say, we have been very blessed and have everything we need for when Chrisily arrives. We spent the weekend picking up the remaining things we needed and some organization items. After all of that, the nursery is pretty much finished (pictures soon to follow).
Jacob and I are getting so excited for Chrisily's arrival. I will miss feeling her sweet kicks and hiccups but I cannot wait to meet our precious little girl. It won't be long now!
Below are some pictures from my friends and family showers and a belly picture from 34 weeks.
Some of my Favorite people.. and wonderful hostesses
My "Walking Buddy"- Brooke.. She is also expecting a little girl.
The wonderful PSRES ladies
Briana, myself, and mom
The delicious cake
Measuring my belly
A hand sewn quilt that my grandma made for Chrisily
Monday, May 9, 2011
Mississippi or bust!
We spent the week after Easter in Mississippi with Jacob's family. We left NC on Monday after taking maternity pictures with Melissa and drove to the other side of Atlanta to spend the night. We stopped every couple of hours so I could walk around in order to avoid swollen feet. It also made the trip seem a little shorter since riding 10+ hours in a car when you are 7 months pregnant is not a lot of fun nor is it comfortable... at all. We made it into MS early Tuesday afternoon. Our first stop was BOPS to get me a strawberry patch and then we headed to the house. We enjoyed spending time with everyone throughout the week. We had family dinners, several trips to BOPS, and even had some friends over for crawfish one night. Everyone enjoyed feeling Chrisily kick/move around (well, almost everyone) :-) . Before we knew it the week was over and it was Saturday. Saturday morning was our first baby shower. Eight wonderful ladies hosted a beautiful shower for us at the church. We got so many nice things and it was great to see everyone. We planned to leave Saturday afternoon to drive half way home so Sunday's drive wouldn't be too bad. After the shower we went back to the house and proceeded to pack every inch of our Highlander with baby stuff. It was sad to say goodbye but we will see everyone again soon... and next time we see them we will either be holding our sweet little girl or will be very soon!
Below are some pictures from our maternity session with Melissa (Melissa Lynn Hunt Photography) and some shots from our baby shower.
When we got back from MS we didn't get to ease back into the real world. Jacob and I both had very busy weeks at work. He had projects to complete and I had a field trip and field day just a day apart. I went to the doctor on Thursday for my 32 week check up. Chrisily and I both got a good report. :-)
Needless to say by the weekend we were ready for a break. We spent most of Saturday just laying around being lazy. Sunday was Mother's day and we went to lunch with my family, Grandma, Aunt Cathy, and Mommie Ellie. Even though I am not officially a mommy yet, I got a couple of cards and a pretty corsage to wear. It was a nice day. I hope all of the moms out there had a wonderful day!
I'm down to 5 weeks of school left and around 7 until we meet our sweet girl. Time is flying and our excitement is mounting!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Welcome Third Trimester (and Spring)!
It's been about a month since my last post...and there hasn't been too much excitement in the Townsend household. In fact, there has been a lot of long hours at work for Jacob and trips back and forth to the doctor for me. The appointments were mainly to get my sinuses under control. When all of these beautiful trees, grasses, and flowers bloom my sinuses go crazy! I have been fighting sinus infections on and off for the last month and and half. This is usually one of the worst times of the year for me, so it's not surpirsing that I am having all of these issues. I did have to vist my OB for some blood work last week. I was exposed to Fifths Disease at school and it can be dangerous if you get it during pregnancy. They drew some blood on Monday and when I went in on Thursday for my monthly check up, they had the results for me. I'm immune (thankfully)! Obiviously I have been exposed to it in the past or I have actually had it... either way there is nothing to worry about for me or Chrisily during this pregnancy or any future pregnancies. My 30 week appointment went very well and now I get to go every two weeks (this milestone seemed like it was so far away at the beginning of this pregnancy journey... I can't believe we only have two months before we get to meet our sweet Chrisily)!
(27 weeks)
I have officially entered my third and final trimester. It's still hard to believe that time is passing so quickly. I still feel pretty good overall. Chrisily's kicks have gotten harder and more frequent... I just love laying there feeling her move around. Jacob has also been able to feel more movement. It makes my heart smile. I have been a bit more tired these last two weeks but I think that is to be expected... I've been sick, I haven't had a break from work since January, and well I'm 30 weeks pregnant! Luckily it is my spring break and I will have plenty of time to get caught up on my rest.
Speaking of work... Jacob and I have decided that it would be best for me to take next year off to be home with Chrisily. I am sure there will be some adjustments that will need to be made but I know that this is the best decision for our family. I must say that I am really excited about it.. I mean look at this sweet little darling and tell me you wouldn't want to spend every second of every day with her?? (Also notice that she is making the 'I Love You' sign in sign language.)
Last week I met up with one of my good friends, Melissa Hunt. She started a photography business a year or so ago and I asked her to take some maternity pictures for me. We met up for a mini-session last week and we are meeting up tomorrow at the park to take some pictures with me and Jacob since he was busy with tax season before. Below are a couple of sneak peaks from our session last week, I was 29 weeks.
As I mentioned before, I am off on spring break this week. I look forward to spending some time with Jacob and his family, resting, and having my first baby shower next weekend! I couldn't ask for things to be going much better. God is good. Thank you for your continued support, love, and prayers!
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