1 Week Old

Wow, this week has sure gone by fast!! Emily had her 1 week checkup today and everything is going very well. She was down to 6lbs 12oz last Friday and today she is up to 7lbs 0.5 oz. We are so proud! She's eating very well and she's given us some adventures in the diaper changing area!

1 week old



Snuggling with Mommy, (I had to get a picture where I actually did my hair and had makeup on)

Welcome Emily

Emily Allen was born May 19, 2009 at 4:39pm. Weighing in at a (controversial) 7lbs 11oz, 19 inches long, and light brown hair. Contractions started as soon as I laid down to sleep at 11:00 Monday night. I left bed at midnight and Eric realized I was gone at 1:00, and we decided it was time to get ready and go to the hospital.

We arrived around 2:00 am, my blood pressure was high and they thought I was pre-eclamptic, I think I was scared out of my mind. We were admitted and I was given some Stadol for pain. It definitely took the edge off and I was able to get a bit of sleep. Around 8:00 they checked me and asked if I wanted the epidural, of course I did. (I don't deal well with pain). The epidural didn't hurt at all and was amazing. The only drawback was that I had absolutely no feeling in my legs and that was a little hard to deal with. I was checked at 3:15 and was 9.5cm, at 3:45 I was fully dilated. I pushed for 45 minutes and Emily arrived at 4:39. Bonus, Eric didn't pass out, but he had his own nurse in the room which we found out about later in case he went down.

We're both completely in love and awe of our beautiful little girl, she looks just like her daddy.

Here's a video of pictures we put together, make sure your sound is turned on. Maybe you should have a tissue ready, at least I needed one.



Finally, Congratulations to our baby pool winners!

In third - Aunt Carrie
Second - Uncle Chris

and with the Gold - Aunt Erica Your prize is a beautiful niece who can't wait to meet you!

40 Weeks

That bun in the oven is fully baked! That's the good news. The possibly not so stellar news: Actually giving birth on your due date is hard to do—even for overachievers. In fact, many first-time moms go up to 2 weeks past their due date. Hopefully now that baby is cooked to perfection, she'll come bouncing out any day now. Other last-minute progress:

At birth baby has a total of 300 bones. Some of the bones will fuse together later, which is why an adult has only 206 bones.

Babies vary in size at this point, but the average full-term baby weighs around 7 to 8 pounds and hovers around 19 or 20 inches. That's about the size of a ... BABY!


Well, I don't have to worry about going 2 weeks late. Emily is being evicted on Thursday whether she likes it or not. Of course, I would prefer for her to come out on her own, but it satisfies the planning side of my brain to know that I only have a few more days left. I think I have everything ready to go, and we're doing a little more cleanup on the house today. Eric and I decided to go out to eat today for our last childless time. Nothing too exciting though.

For the last time Emily.....GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!!!

39 Weeks

One uncomfortable complaint of late pregnancy is frequent hiccups. No, not me, the baby. Because there is no air around baby, when she practices breathing, it can cause amniotic fluid to get into her windpipe, resulting in regularly spaced thumps that make me think I'm carrying a jumping bean in my belly. Other news this week:

The lanugo (soft, downy hair) that used to cover baby's body has mostly disappeared, but we may find a bit leftover on the shoulders, forehead and neck.

The color of baby's skin is changing from a red-pink hue to a white or blue-pink color. These changes are due to the amount of fat our little pudger is putting on. The circumference of baby's head and abdomen are about the same size now.

The placenta is lending baby antibodies that'll keep her strong and healthy after birth. That said, it's still a good idea to invest in that mega-size bottle of hand sanitizer.

At this point baby is about 19 to 20 inches long and weights about 7 pounds. That's just around the size of a large rabbit.

So, here are the finished projects. First the blanket:



Booties that I made this weekend:


Emily's coming home outfit:


And yes, the bags are (mostly) packed:



Alright little girl, come out!!!

I've made you a blanket, booties, mobile, and painting. I'm done, if you come out I might make you some more cute things!

38 Weeks

Baby's intestines have accumulated a considerable amount of meconium (the code name for black, tar-like baby poop), which is usually eliminated shortly after birth and gives us our first experience with the 100-wipe diaper change. Here's what else is up:

Baby might just scratch herself in the womb as the fingernails have grown over the fingertips now.

Baby's lungs continue to mature and her brain and nerve function are working better every day. The latter two will continue to mature until she is a teenager, at which point she'll know it all (or at least she'll think she does).

Baby weighs about 6½ pounds and is around 19 or 20 inches long—as long as a duffle bag.

Alright Emily, I've had my week off, come on out. Your daddy is ready to play with you!

I think she'll be in there a little bit longer though. I'm still not dilating at all, but we have another doctor's appointment Friday morning so hopefully we will have some progress. I asked the doctor and she will only let me go a week past due at the most. So the latest Emily should be here would be May 23 or 24th. I hope she comes on her own though.