Sylvia Faith Anne Meyer Makes Her Dramatic Entrance

It has taken me just over a week to finally update this thing, but I guess I better get used to it. Lesson Number 1: Parenting is a full-time job.

Before the details escape me, I wanted to share Sylvie's birth story (although even now things are already a little fuzzy).

My water broke last Wednesday, January 23, 2013. I was at home alone after finishing up my last day of work. I tried to reach Buddy on his cell phone, but he was in trial and didn't pick up for about a half hour, so I let our parents and friends know we were headed to the hospital and by then Buddy had gotten my messages and met me at home. By about 8:30pm we were at the hospital. They confirmed that my water had broken and admitted me.

At that point, I wasn't contracting, so they put me on pitocin to get things moving. Almost immediately I got the epidural. Pitocin contractions are no joke, my friends. I labored through the night and all of the next day, but by 6:00 pm on Thursday, I had not progressed and the baby had not dropped enough for me to deliver her myself. The doctor came in and called for a c-section. Within 5 minutes, I was being rushed to the OR to deliver our baby. 5 minutes after that, I heard Sylvie's first cries - long and loud and angry.

I was so glad to know she was OK and sent Buddy over to her to get photos. I got to see her briefly and then she and Buddy left the OR while the doctors worked on me. Unfortunately, even though the baby was healthy, I lost a lot of blood and the doctors spent about an hour working to put me back in working order. It was a scary time for me, but probably even scarier for Buddy who waited anxiously in the recovery room with Sylvie. During that time, the nurses and Buddy got her cleaned up and her Grandma and Grandpa Meyer got their first glimpses of her through the nursery window.

Before too long though, we were back together in recovery and I was able to snuggle and feed my girl for the first time.  I am so thankful we got that time together as soon as possible.

And that's the story of the first night. I'll finish up with pictures of the hospital stay and her going-home photos in the next post. For now, Sylvie is letting me know it is time to feed her.

Eviction Date

Rudy has an official eviction date - January 25, 2013. If she chooses not to make an appearance before then, we will be induced that day.

The doctor also gave me an option of inducing sooner, but I would like to give Rudy every chance to do things her way. So, we are moving forward with the 25th in mind and making plans for family to come in to meet her, since we now have a guarantee that she WILL be here on a date certain. I'm hoping that booking flights and making plans for the 25th will spur her to come early, because as has become crystal clear, she laughs at planning.

For now -  we wait. I have to find some more activities to keep me busy this weekend and may try to fit in one more Oscar movie. I see some Vitamix experimenting in my near future, as well.

Rudy says, "Planning is for suckers!"

That's right. 38 weeks and 5 days and the little munchkin has not made her arrival. Now that she is fully cooked, I am very, very ready for her to make her appearance. Buddy and I are thrilled to have made it this far, and I admit to being more than a tiny bit happy that my body is acting like a normal pregnant lady body. The only problem is that a normal pregnant lady body means swelling, pain and some really special acid re-flux leading to mostly sleepless nights. As you can see, Bacon and I do a lot of napping and putting our feet up.

We won't be discussing any induction plans until my appointment on January 16th. Who knows, though? It is quite clear that Rudy wants me to understand that from here on out, she is running this show. Our best plan is probably to plan on no plan at all.

The Nursery!

Rudy has decided to meet and exceed all expectations. That's right, at 37 weeks she is still not here, but her furniture is!

This is the view from the door.

 

This is the view of the crib wall. We still need something to put over the crib... thinking maybe a decal, or hanging the quilt that goes with the bedding.

This is the other window in the room. Just to the right of the window is the changing table.

 I'm thrilled with how it is turning out. We need a few more things for the walls, but it feels good to have all Rudy's things put away where they belong. Now we just need our little girl.

Yesterday's ultrasound showed a 6 pound, 10 ounce little girl, with a (thankfully) totally average size head circumference. I'm about 2+ centimeters dialated and 50% effaced. The doctor is still saying that it could be any day. Buddy's new bet is that she arrives during the Browns/Steelers game on Sunday. Something is telling me though, that this baby is going to have a 2013 birthday.

Just for the record...

Rudy is now almost 6 pounds and still growing like a champ. We had a regular doctor's appointment on Monday (December 17). Overall the doctor was happy with how she was looking, but not with her movement. Especially over the weekend, I had noticed a decrease in the amount she was moving. So, he sent us on a little trip to labor and delivery for a non-stress test. They monitored her heartbeat and my contractions for about 45 minutes. She was sluggish at first but after they gave me a lime popsicle, she performed beautifully!

The doctor came in and declared her heartbeat and movement to be "gorgeous!" We didn't expect anything less, but it's still a nice relief to hear that she is doing so well.

We are trying to be prepared for her to come any time now but it's difficult since I decided that this would be the perfect time to re-do the kitchen floor and paint the kitchen. As a result, our house looks like this:

That is not the ideal situation for a nesting pregnant woman (can you say understatement of the year?). Thankfully, Buddy is being the trooper he always is and helping me do as much cleaning and organization as possible under the circumstances. I would also like to heartily recommend our contractor if anyone in the Cleveland area is looking for one. He has promised to come on Christmas Eve to hook up my appliances so I can cook Christmas dinner. Now that's service!

Next up, we have another regular appointment on December 26 and an ultrasound on December 28, as long as she is still cooking.

Prediction?

This was the fortune I received today at lunch. 

Dear Rudy, I sincerely hope this isn't a message from you. You need to cook at least 3 more weeks and I need at least 3 more weeks to get ready. Do you hear me?

32 Weeks!

I had a normal check up with my doctor yesterday and everything is still right on track. In fact, he says we are even measuring slightly ahead of 32 weeks! Unicornuate Uterus Victory! 

As long as I make it to December 14, they won't stop my labor (for those playing along at home, that is only 17 days away!) We did schedule one more ultrasound on December 28 as a "just in case" but... I might have a baby by then.

My next regular appointment is December 10.

Here is a gratuitous photo of Bacon. You are welcome.