Two Week Checkup

Oct 16th-Neil had his 2-week checkup today. He weighed 8lbs 2oz and measured 20.75in long. His weight was in the 35% for his age group and his height was in the 50%. The doctor was very impressed with his growth and stated that Neil looked very healthy.

Neil has been eating, sleeping and pottying very well over the past couple of weeks. Justin and I have made some adjustments in our daily routines. :) Justin has been home with me these two weeks but will have to return to work next Monday. On Tuesday, I had my 2 week checkup and the doctor said my incision was healing nicely. I was cleared to begin driving again. I'm still not supposed to pick up anything over 10 lbs. Do you know how hard that is?

Neil eats every 2-3 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night, so Justin and I are getting a good amount of sleep, relatively speaking. Neil has run many errands with mom and dad and he has been to Grandma and Grandpa's house several times. He has also been to his great-grandparents house a few times and visited the pumpkin patch. Neil even hung out with the grandparents in the mall for a few hourse while mom and dad went to a movie. He has adjusted to our busy lives quite well.

The Pumpkin Patch

October 12th-We went to one of the local pumpkin patches with Grandpa Gwinn, Grandma Sheila, Mimi Cheri, Uncle Bryan, Aunt Stacy, cousins Summer and Aaron, Uncle Corey, Aunt Emily and cousin Corban. Neil dressed as a lion and his cousin Corban was dressed as a Blue Monster. Neil slept most of the time but seemed to enjoy the outing overall. (Who wouldn't enjoy sleeping while being carried in someones arms for a couple of hours)? Neil was able to select his very first pumpkin (with a little help from Dad). Bryan, Stacy, Summer and Aaron drove down from Portland today to meet Neil. We all had a great day visiting with them.

The New Arrival

Sept 30th-Neil Douglas arrived at 5:25 am, weighing in at 6lbs 15 oz and measuring 19 in long. He was delivered by c-section after over 24 hours of labor. He was born with lots of dark hair and was very alert for the first few hours of life. Justin and I were so excited to meet him! Many family members waited all day on the 29th and into the evening, but only Granpa Gwinn, Grandma Sheila and Mimi Cheri were still at the hospital when Neil arrived. Nonetheless, he was welcomed with much enthusiasm.

D-Day

Sept 24th-Well, today is the due day (and my grandma's birthday) and still no contractions. We had an appt yesterday. Still not dilated. We set up an induction to start Sunday evening, Sept 28th. The induction is a two-part process. I will get a tablet on Sun evening to help "ripen" the cervix and then pitocin will be started through an IV on Monday morning to start contractions. Hopefully, I won't need to be induced. We are all praying that the baby decides to come on its own. But, at the very latest we should have a baby by Mon/Tues next week! In the meantime, I will continue to walk and try to stay active. They say it doesn't really help speed up labor, but I figure it can't hurt either!

39 weeks

Sept 19-39 weeks and 2 days, still no sign of impending labor. I've been resting a lot the past couple of days and have decided I really like a restful day. I can finally see my ankle/feet bones again though there is still some swelling by the end of the day. The baby's room is basically ready, minus a few decorative touches here and there. We've accomplished most of the things I wanted to get done before the arrival of the baby, so now we just sit and wait. I've attached some pics of the nursery and pics of me this week. Acckkk! Look at those feet!

Last day of work

Sept 17-Today was my last day of work!! Yea!!! Can you tell I've been waiting for this day? My sweet husband sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers with wishes for a happy birthday and a good last day of work. The day went well, but I was so glad to be done with work for a few months. My legs (from the knees down) are particularly excited about a break. I now having pitting edema from the knees down at the end of each day. Not the most attractive look. I know it would help to prop up my feet for a couple of hours each day, but have you ever tried this?! I have too much to do to prop up my feet for a couple of hours each day!

38 weeks

Sept 12-38 weeks and 2 days, still no activity. I realized I was more ready to have this baby than I thought when I grew pretty discouraged about not dilating any. Tummy is still measuring a week behind, but all is well. Baby is still quite comfortable in my tummy; still sitting quite high. Oh well. I'll just have to be more patient.

We had a tour of the labor and delivery area and the mother/baby unit in the new hospital (where I now work) earlier this week. The laboring rooms are huge and very nice. Not that we will need a lot of room since Justin will be the only other person in the room with me. I guess we will have visitors earlier in the laboring process, but as the pain intensifies I might embarass myself by acting out of character, so Justin will be the only one to witness that. :) The mother/baby room is nice also, though not as big. The best part is that it is a private room. At the old hospital the rooms were semi-private. So glad I won't need to share a room!

This weekend we are going to camp in the motorhome at Justin's parents house and celebrate September birthdays. Gwinn, Emily and I all have Sept birthdays. I celebrate the big "30" this year. Agh!! At least I get a great birthday present this year!