http://laurabrettphotography.com/blog/2009/03/sneak-peeks/sweetness-high-point-newborn-photographer/
I can't wait to see the rest!!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Check it out!!
This just confirms why Laura Brett is the VERY BEST photographer in the world. I just said to Mike - go get my laptop I wonder if Laura sent us a sneak peak of the photos she took of little Madeline last night. And she did. Check it out
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Daddy Time
Madeline & Daddy on her "birth"day:
Maddie & Daddy on Day 2:
Maddie & Daddy on Day 3:
And just in case you need some help determining which one of us she looks like - here's a side by side shot:
Maddie & Daddy on Day 2:
Maddie & Daddy on Day 3:
And just in case you need some help determining which one of us she looks like - here's a side by side shot:
Monday, March 23, 2009
Love has a new meaning
On Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 3:24 p.m. Madeline Emerson arrived into our lives. She is a blessing, a miracle, the best thing that has ever happened to Mike and I. I can't explain the way I feel about being a Mom, and having a family with Mike. Life will never be the same. Love has a new meaning at our house and the face of it looks like this:
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Dear Madeline,
Dear Madeline,
It is apparent at this point, that you forgot to pack your calendar because today, my dear, is our due date. You know, your "projected" BIRTH day. The day on which Dr.'s, medical science, and Mommy and Daddy expected you to be here by, and yet you are still not here. I can understand you wanting to stay where you are. It's warm, you have a constant source of food, I rock you to sleep all day, our voices sound like sweet lullabies...but Mommy & Daddy would really like to meet you face to face. We promise to keep you warm out here, feed and bathe you, I'll even sing to you if you want (although I can't promise you'll like what you hear). Plus, even though you may have to wait a little while to try it, Daddy is a really good cook. He's been practicing for almost 10 months now because Mommy's been on strike and he's gotten quite good. He also is quite the planner, and if you don't come soon, there won't be any room for you to ride home in the car because Daddy keeps thinking of things that we need to take to the hospital.
The thing is Maddie, Mommy is on the verge of having a breakdown and it isn't going to be pretty. I'm pretty certain that Daddy's looking for the men in little white coats as we speak, just in case he needs to call them to come get me. I love you dearly, but I've been carrying you around every day now for 40 weeks. That's a long time. My body is starting to grow weary, and you don't really help things when you decide to get feisty at 2:00 a.m. and roll around in Mommy's tummy. Mommy needs some sleep. Especially if you plan on doing a lot of crying and staying up late at night once you get here. Normally, Mommy would just drink a nice glass of red wine, take a bath and then sleep like a baby, but having you inside of me kind of prohibits that too. Then there is all of these hormones that are building up inside of Mommy. Normally I'm a sane, rational person but not these days Maddie. Your little body is sucking all of the rationality right out of me. I have a temper that's instantaneous - really it's more like pure rage. And you know your Mom's not a cryer. But somehow the fact that you now have total control over my body and seem to have no plans to relinquish it anytime soon, makes Mommy cry for little to no reason.
You know other than being tired and weary, there's also the fact that I agreed to stop doing all of the things that Mommy enjoys doing - i.e. drinking wine, caffeine, and other fun stuff - for 40 weeks. Long enough to get you here. And it's not that I regret or resent that commitment - but sweetie my part of the contract is officially over today. Your now running on borrowed time and Mommy's not happy about it. In fact, I've had a lot of time to think about it. You know, when I'm lying awake at night in bed trying to figure out how water can give you a severe case of heartburn or why my hips feel like someone is prying them apart from the inside out, and I'm seriously contemplating grounding you immediately - once you get here that is. No sense in delaying discipline. And you know it's not just me, Daddy's not exactly happy either. He likes for everyone in our household to be on time. It's the courteous thing to do and well honey, you're not exactly abiding by his rules. It's not that Mommy and Daddy don't want to make sacrifices for you. We are totally prepared to do so and - with loving and willing hearts I might add. But here, on the outside, in the big world, where Daddy can hold you for a little while.
So my point is my darling is this, there comes a point in every parents life that you have to exhibit tough love. And today my dear, is my day to start. As much as I love you, and as much as the newborn stage is all about tender, sweet moments in time - you clearly need a push to get things started. So, as much as I didn't want to have to do this, please know it's with much love that it's being said - here it is:
You are officially being served an eviction notice.....
GET OUT.
When you ask?
NOW -
as in right now young lady.
Pack your bags,
Say your goodbyes to all that's been familiar,
and start marching your sweet little hiney towards the light.
Why?
Because your mother said so - that's why.
Love,
Your tired, weary and hormonal Mommy
It is apparent at this point, that you forgot to pack your calendar because today, my dear, is our due date. You know, your "projected" BIRTH day. The day on which Dr.'s, medical science, and Mommy and Daddy expected you to be here by, and yet you are still not here. I can understand you wanting to stay where you are. It's warm, you have a constant source of food, I rock you to sleep all day, our voices sound like sweet lullabies...but Mommy & Daddy would really like to meet you face to face. We promise to keep you warm out here, feed and bathe you, I'll even sing to you if you want (although I can't promise you'll like what you hear). Plus, even though you may have to wait a little while to try it, Daddy is a really good cook. He's been practicing for almost 10 months now because Mommy's been on strike and he's gotten quite good. He also is quite the planner, and if you don't come soon, there won't be any room for you to ride home in the car because Daddy keeps thinking of things that we need to take to the hospital.
The thing is Maddie, Mommy is on the verge of having a breakdown and it isn't going to be pretty. I'm pretty certain that Daddy's looking for the men in little white coats as we speak, just in case he needs to call them to come get me. I love you dearly, but I've been carrying you around every day now for 40 weeks. That's a long time. My body is starting to grow weary, and you don't really help things when you decide to get feisty at 2:00 a.m. and roll around in Mommy's tummy. Mommy needs some sleep. Especially if you plan on doing a lot of crying and staying up late at night once you get here. Normally, Mommy would just drink a nice glass of red wine, take a bath and then sleep like a baby, but having you inside of me kind of prohibits that too. Then there is all of these hormones that are building up inside of Mommy. Normally I'm a sane, rational person but not these days Maddie. Your little body is sucking all of the rationality right out of me. I have a temper that's instantaneous - really it's more like pure rage. And you know your Mom's not a cryer. But somehow the fact that you now have total control over my body and seem to have no plans to relinquish it anytime soon, makes Mommy cry for little to no reason.
You know other than being tired and weary, there's also the fact that I agreed to stop doing all of the things that Mommy enjoys doing - i.e. drinking wine, caffeine, and other fun stuff - for 40 weeks. Long enough to get you here. And it's not that I regret or resent that commitment - but sweetie my part of the contract is officially over today. Your now running on borrowed time and Mommy's not happy about it. In fact, I've had a lot of time to think about it. You know, when I'm lying awake at night in bed trying to figure out how water can give you a severe case of heartburn or why my hips feel like someone is prying them apart from the inside out, and I'm seriously contemplating grounding you immediately - once you get here that is. No sense in delaying discipline. And you know it's not just me, Daddy's not exactly happy either. He likes for everyone in our household to be on time. It's the courteous thing to do and well honey, you're not exactly abiding by his rules. It's not that Mommy and Daddy don't want to make sacrifices for you. We are totally prepared to do so and - with loving and willing hearts I might add. But here, on the outside, in the big world, where Daddy can hold you for a little while.
So my point is my darling is this, there comes a point in every parents life that you have to exhibit tough love. And today my dear, is my day to start. As much as I love you, and as much as the newborn stage is all about tender, sweet moments in time - you clearly need a push to get things started. So, as much as I didn't want to have to do this, please know it's with much love that it's being said - here it is:
You are officially being served an eviction notice.....
GET OUT.
When you ask?
NOW -
as in right now young lady.
Pack your bags,
Say your goodbyes to all that's been familiar,
and start marching your sweet little hiney towards the light.
Why?
Because your mother said so - that's why.
Love,
Your tired, weary and hormonal Mommy
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Just for fun...
Let's do some belly comparisons:
9 Weeks (& I thought I had a belly here!):
9 Weeks (& I thought I had a belly here!):
36 Weeks:
And after 3,965,412 Girl Scout Cookies,
also know as 39 Weeks:
also know as 39 Weeks:
It's Official...
I'm a mall walker. And by association - so is Mike. You know this group. Most are senior citizens, dressed in their finest workout gear and best sneakers. They walk the mall because it's climate controlled and a safe place. We now have joined their ranks. We walked the High Point mall last night for an hour. How many loops is that you ask? 3 upstairs and 3 downstairs. I have to say that we were the youngest "walkers" there, and we also received the most pitiful looks. I think everyone in the mall, "walker" or not, knew why we were there and they were sympathetic. Not because we're getting ready to have a baby, but because I now sport that "She's going to go at any moment" look. This isn't our first "mall walk" - we've been casually walking around different malls for a couple weeks now. We even had a store employee tell us this weekend to "kindly get out of his store." He didn't want me to go into labor IN his store and he said that mall security was WAY too slow and they wouldn't make it in time to help. But last night was different. We went with one mission in mind, to get this baby moving. I left my purse in the car. I wore my sneakers with my jeans and we did nothing but power walk the mall.
It did help, I had steady contractions that started out every ten minutes, and then every six minutes and they lasted until about midnight. At which point, I decided to go to bed and get some rest just in case THIS was it. I woke up this morning to no further progression.
There have been other attempts to get this party started.
They say that pineapple has a natural enzyme in it that helps induce labor. I ate 3/4 of a fresh pineapple on Monday night. No lie. Ask my husband. I finished the balance of that pineapple last night, before our big walk.
Sitting on birthing balls - which are basically the same thing as a yoga ball - and rocking forward and backwards is also thought to help. I've sat on our yoga ball for at least an hour the last two nights.
I've semi attempted the old "spicy food" adage. Can't get too spicy though being that cold water tends to bring on a case of heartburn that last all night. Speaking of which, did you know that John Hopkins recently conducted research on the old wives tale that heartburn = a baby with a full head of hair. And that they found evidence to state that this is somewhat true? No lie. Google it. Which means that our baby girl is going to have one lustrous mane.
After much research, I've ruled out Castor oil for the time being. The side effects seem a bit cruel to a woman in my state. Although I may give her a try after my last day of work.
So for now, I guess the only thing left to do is accept that my daughter is trying to teach her mother a lesson in patience. Something I've never had much of, nor been very good at pretending to be. I'm guessing that this is just the first in a long list of things that our children will teach us.
Well, there's that and the new found companionship of my fellow mall walkers.
It did help, I had steady contractions that started out every ten minutes, and then every six minutes and they lasted until about midnight. At which point, I decided to go to bed and get some rest just in case THIS was it. I woke up this morning to no further progression.
There have been other attempts to get this party started.
They say that pineapple has a natural enzyme in it that helps induce labor. I ate 3/4 of a fresh pineapple on Monday night. No lie. Ask my husband. I finished the balance of that pineapple last night, before our big walk.
Sitting on birthing balls - which are basically the same thing as a yoga ball - and rocking forward and backwards is also thought to help. I've sat on our yoga ball for at least an hour the last two nights.
I've semi attempted the old "spicy food" adage. Can't get too spicy though being that cold water tends to bring on a case of heartburn that last all night. Speaking of which, did you know that John Hopkins recently conducted research on the old wives tale that heartburn = a baby with a full head of hair. And that they found evidence to state that this is somewhat true? No lie. Google it. Which means that our baby girl is going to have one lustrous mane.
After much research, I've ruled out Castor oil for the time being. The side effects seem a bit cruel to a woman in my state. Although I may give her a try after my last day of work.
So for now, I guess the only thing left to do is accept that my daughter is trying to teach her mother a lesson in patience. Something I've never had much of, nor been very good at pretending to be. I'm guessing that this is just the first in a long list of things that our children will teach us.
Well, there's that and the new found companionship of my fellow mall walkers.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
39 Weeks & 3 Days
Four days to go to our due date. We've spent the weekend enjoying our time together and doing a lot of walking. On Friday night, we had dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant, with some of our favorite friends - Matt, Christina and their daughter Kylie. We had a really good time and some really good food. Afterwards, we left and decided to walk around several different stores. We walked about 1.5 hours, and then went to Baskin Robbins for some ice cream. On Saturday we slept in (which is a miracle in and of itself), had breakfast, and then went to the Greensboro mall to do some walking because the weather here is cold and rainy. On the way home we picked up some groceries. When we got home Mike gave Annie a haircut and a bath. She is now ready to meet her little sister! We decided to order pizza and watch a movie. It turned out to be a really, really lame movie - "Role Models." If you are pondering whether or not to rent this movie - don't. Mike and I are fans of slapstick humor - but this was just a bad movie. So far, that's been our weekend - completely normal. Except for the fact that we are just waiting on a very monumental moment - the birth of our daughter. Who - by the way - is still completely content where she is.
Our Dr.'s visit on Thursday went much better than last week. I am 50% effaced. Dr. said that with your first pregnancy most women efface before they start dilating. It's signs of good progress, however, it really means nothing different at this point because it's still just a waiting game. Our Dr. did tell us that he won't let me go more than 1 week past my due date, so our baby girl will be here soon - in less than 2 weeks one way or another. I also decided that this week will be my last week of work. If Madeline isn't here by Friday, I'll start my maternity leave on Monday. This will give me some time to rest before she gets here.
On a totally different note, I want to ask for you for your thoughts and prayers for a "stranger." There are a few boards online that I visit that are a venue for pregnant women to go to for advice and really just a place to share your experiences with other pregnant or "new" moms. I've gotten a lot of great advice on baby products and support from these women. On the board for North Carolina "Moms" one of the women who lives just down the road in Greensboro got a really difficult diagnosis this week. At 20 weeks pregnant, she was told that her little girl may have a form of dwarfism. On Friday morning they went to a specialist for more testing and discovered that she in fact has severe skeletal displasia. Short of a miracle, little Megan Grace will not be able to survive very long outside of the womb. If little Megan makes it to birth, she may only have seconds, minutes, days or a few short weeks to share with her parents. I can't even begin to fathom the pain and suffering these two parents are going through right now. At a time in life that is suppose to be full of excitement and anticipation of bringing a new life home, these two parents are having to make difficult, heart wrenching decisions that no one should ever have to face.
I realize that terrible diagnosis like these are unfortunately made everyday around the world, but so close to the end of our pregnancy and to know that someone just right down the road is suffering like this - has just really affected me. If you will, please take a minute to say a prayer for this family and their little girl Megan Grace. Miracles can and do happen every day, pray that this family receives a miracle. And that they somehow find comfort and peace during such a difficult time. Their story has just made me realize once again how quickly all of our lives can change, and how fortunate Mike and I have been with this pregnancy. The end of pregnancy is not easy - but it seems so silly now to complain about being uncomfortable, tired or having heartburn knowing how petty these problems are in comparison to what others - so close by - are going through. It just put things in prospective for me again and actually made me thankful for our petty, "normal" problems. So please say a prayer for this family and their little girl.
Our Dr.'s visit on Thursday went much better than last week. I am 50% effaced. Dr. said that with your first pregnancy most women efface before they start dilating. It's signs of good progress, however, it really means nothing different at this point because it's still just a waiting game. Our Dr. did tell us that he won't let me go more than 1 week past my due date, so our baby girl will be here soon - in less than 2 weeks one way or another. I also decided that this week will be my last week of work. If Madeline isn't here by Friday, I'll start my maternity leave on Monday. This will give me some time to rest before she gets here.
On a totally different note, I want to ask for you for your thoughts and prayers for a "stranger." There are a few boards online that I visit that are a venue for pregnant women to go to for advice and really just a place to share your experiences with other pregnant or "new" moms. I've gotten a lot of great advice on baby products and support from these women. On the board for North Carolina "Moms" one of the women who lives just down the road in Greensboro got a really difficult diagnosis this week. At 20 weeks pregnant, she was told that her little girl may have a form of dwarfism. On Friday morning they went to a specialist for more testing and discovered that she in fact has severe skeletal displasia. Short of a miracle, little Megan Grace will not be able to survive very long outside of the womb. If little Megan makes it to birth, she may only have seconds, minutes, days or a few short weeks to share with her parents. I can't even begin to fathom the pain and suffering these two parents are going through right now. At a time in life that is suppose to be full of excitement and anticipation of bringing a new life home, these two parents are having to make difficult, heart wrenching decisions that no one should ever have to face.
I realize that terrible diagnosis like these are unfortunately made everyday around the world, but so close to the end of our pregnancy and to know that someone just right down the road is suffering like this - has just really affected me. If you will, please take a minute to say a prayer for this family and their little girl Megan Grace. Miracles can and do happen every day, pray that this family receives a miracle. And that they somehow find comfort and peace during such a difficult time. Their story has just made me realize once again how quickly all of our lives can change, and how fortunate Mike and I have been with this pregnancy. The end of pregnancy is not easy - but it seems so silly now to complain about being uncomfortable, tired or having heartburn knowing how petty these problems are in comparison to what others - so close by - are going through. It just put things in prospective for me again and actually made me thankful for our petty, "normal" problems. So please say a prayer for this family and their little girl.
Friday, March 6, 2009
My Due Date Has Been Pushed Back
to Christmas, of next year. Apparently our daughter has no intention of leaving my body any time in the near, conceivable future. My 38 week appointment was this morning and per the Dr., "no progress." None at all. Zero.
Someone.Make.The.Insanity.Stop.
On the way to the Dr.'s office, I had run that scenario through my mind - to prepare myself. And I completely expected to break down in tears if it really happened, but instead, when it did I laughed - out loud - a lot. And I think that I made the Dr. and the nurse a little uncomfortable. But they laughed with me, or maybe at me - I'm not sure which.
So that's it - I go back in a week - Thursday at 8:15 a.m. Say a little prayer for me that I make it through the week, and that I don't kill anyone in the process, and that we make some progress this week. Otherwise, at this rate, I have a fear that I'll be carrying this little girl up until her 18th birthday. I have visions that I go into labor just in time for her to walk across the stage and receive her high school diploma.
In the meantime, I have a confession/declaration. I am officially vowing not to return to Walmart, or to go grocery shopping anywhere anytime soon. At least not by myself and not while I am still pregnant. Well, actually Mandy strongly advised against me doing either. The problem is that twice now I've had a serious case of pregnancy rage while doing each that was, well, it was ugly. The first time I went early on a Saturday morning to return a duplicate baby gift we received. I was hoping that I would avoid the crowds and the crazies by going early in the morning and that proved not to be the case. I pull into the Walmart parking lot that morning and proceeded to drive up and down the rows trying to find a spot close to the door, because it was cold and raining, and I didn't have my return in a bag. I finally found a car getting ready to back out, so I put on my blinker and waited patiently. Just as the car backed out, a red car from hell comes screeching around the corner and intentionally whips it way into my parking spot. The rage came from deep within and was instantaneous. Before I could even stop myself or even begin to think rationally, I pulled my car up behind those little redneck demons and laid on my horn. The stream of obscenities that came out of my mouth for the next two minutes would - well, thankfully the sound of the horn drowned out the horrible things that I found myself saying.
Have you ever watched the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes"? Remember the scene where the same thing happens to Evelyn, except to get revenge she rams her car into the other car over and over and over, the whole time screaming "TOWANDA"? I seriously considered reenacting the entire scene.
Then I thought about getting out of my car, walking up to the driver side window, taking my jacket off to fully expose my very pregnant belly, and screaming "REALLY?? REALLY?? Do you feel good about it now? You just stole a parking spot from a 8.5 month pregnant woman in the rain!!!" But gratefully, my rational returned and I stopped blowing the horn, and I stopped daydreaming about revenge, and I forced myself to pull away. When I finally found another spot I had to sit in the car for a while and cool down. It scared me that I reacted like that. I would never, ever do something like that - except apparently when I'm pregnant. 38 weeks pregnant no less. Thankfully the two women in the car did not get out of the car to try and retaliate during my hissy fit. And thankfully I was able to avoid them when I went into the store.
The second episode was not quite as bad. I was at Costco later that day and it was ridiculously packed. Every shopping cart was taken, it was raining, and extremely windy and people were just standing outside the doors waiting on more shopping carts. After waiting about 10 minutes, this lady brings 3 or 4 carts to the front - right to where I'm standing. This 16 year old girl walks right in front of me and tries to take a cart. I looked at her and said "Seriously?" and looked down at my belly. I took the cart and walked away. Poor thing. She probably had no idea that I was pregnant. I kind of felt bad for her, later on. I mean, really, it's not her fault that her parents taught her no manners what so ever. Bless her heart. I bet she won't pull that one again, at least for a little while anyway.
So, yeah, say a prayer for me this week. Thankfully Mike gets home tomorrow evening. So I'll have a full time chaperone until little Maddie decides to make her appearance. Wednesday is a full moon and I'm hoping that gravity will work it's magic. Otherwise, I'll be at home avoiding anymore pregnancy outbursts.
Someone.Make.The.Insanity.Stop.
On the way to the Dr.'s office, I had run that scenario through my mind - to prepare myself. And I completely expected to break down in tears if it really happened, but instead, when it did I laughed - out loud - a lot. And I think that I made the Dr. and the nurse a little uncomfortable. But they laughed with me, or maybe at me - I'm not sure which.
So that's it - I go back in a week - Thursday at 8:15 a.m. Say a little prayer for me that I make it through the week, and that I don't kill anyone in the process, and that we make some progress this week. Otherwise, at this rate, I have a fear that I'll be carrying this little girl up until her 18th birthday. I have visions that I go into labor just in time for her to walk across the stage and receive her high school diploma.
In the meantime, I have a confession/declaration. I am officially vowing not to return to Walmart, or to go grocery shopping anywhere anytime soon. At least not by myself and not while I am still pregnant. Well, actually Mandy strongly advised against me doing either. The problem is that twice now I've had a serious case of pregnancy rage while doing each that was, well, it was ugly. The first time I went early on a Saturday morning to return a duplicate baby gift we received. I was hoping that I would avoid the crowds and the crazies by going early in the morning and that proved not to be the case. I pull into the Walmart parking lot that morning and proceeded to drive up and down the rows trying to find a spot close to the door, because it was cold and raining, and I didn't have my return in a bag. I finally found a car getting ready to back out, so I put on my blinker and waited patiently. Just as the car backed out, a red car from hell comes screeching around the corner and intentionally whips it way into my parking spot. The rage came from deep within and was instantaneous. Before I could even stop myself or even begin to think rationally, I pulled my car up behind those little redneck demons and laid on my horn. The stream of obscenities that came out of my mouth for the next two minutes would - well, thankfully the sound of the horn drowned out the horrible things that I found myself saying.
Have you ever watched the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes"? Remember the scene where the same thing happens to Evelyn, except to get revenge she rams her car into the other car over and over and over, the whole time screaming "TOWANDA"? I seriously considered reenacting the entire scene.
Then I thought about getting out of my car, walking up to the driver side window, taking my jacket off to fully expose my very pregnant belly, and screaming "REALLY?? REALLY?? Do you feel good about it now? You just stole a parking spot from a 8.5 month pregnant woman in the rain!!!" But gratefully, my rational returned and I stopped blowing the horn, and I stopped daydreaming about revenge, and I forced myself to pull away. When I finally found another spot I had to sit in the car for a while and cool down. It scared me that I reacted like that. I would never, ever do something like that - except apparently when I'm pregnant. 38 weeks pregnant no less. Thankfully the two women in the car did not get out of the car to try and retaliate during my hissy fit. And thankfully I was able to avoid them when I went into the store.
The second episode was not quite as bad. I was at Costco later that day and it was ridiculously packed. Every shopping cart was taken, it was raining, and extremely windy and people were just standing outside the doors waiting on more shopping carts. After waiting about 10 minutes, this lady brings 3 or 4 carts to the front - right to where I'm standing. This 16 year old girl walks right in front of me and tries to take a cart. I looked at her and said "Seriously?" and looked down at my belly. I took the cart and walked away. Poor thing. She probably had no idea that I was pregnant. I kind of felt bad for her, later on. I mean, really, it's not her fault that her parents taught her no manners what so ever. Bless her heart. I bet she won't pull that one again, at least for a little while anyway.
So, yeah, say a prayer for me this week. Thankfully Mike gets home tomorrow evening. So I'll have a full time chaperone until little Maddie decides to make her appearance. Wednesday is a full moon and I'm hoping that gravity will work it's magic. Otherwise, I'll be at home avoiding anymore pregnancy outbursts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
