Birth Story

While my pregnancy was largely uneventful, my experience with labor and delivery was anything but that.

At 35 weeks and 5 days, I started experiencing some cramping and contractions that landed me in the OB ER overnight for observation. They were able to slow the contractions down and eventually stop them and sent me home. 

Over the next week, I heeded their advice and did not go to the gym (even though I really, really wanted to) scrub my floors, or do anything overly taxing. 

That Wednesday, I had put my daughter down for "rest" and decided to lay down myself for a bit. E called out to me, so I got up to find out what she wanted. Somewhere between her room and mine, I felt a pop! then a gush. 

My water had broken. 

So not what I had planned for my Wednesday afternoon. 

I ran to the bathroom and asked E to get my phone. I called my husband and two friends; one to pick up my daughter and the other to pick me up and drive me to the hospital. My husband was already in the city where the hospital is located so he was going to meet me there. 

We got to the hospital without incident, made it through the OB ER, where they confirmed my water had broken. They wheeled me to labor & delivery where they started the process of prepping me for the c-section. 

At this point the contractions were getting worse. and worse. and worse. By the time they rolled me into the OR I was starting to hyperventilate. In case you were wondering, running a marathon is easier then labor. Just as they were getting me ready for the spinal, the blessed spinal, a nurse popped her head into to say my Dr. had an emergency and I would need to wait. Yea. That was awesome. 

The poor sterile OR nurses could do nothing except stand there and watch me sob hysterically as the back to back contractions took my breath away. Finally, another nurse came in and held my hand, which helped tremendously. 

They wheeled me back into my room, much to the surprise of my husband, and gave me some pain medicine. 45 minutes later they brought me back into the OR, gave me the amazing spinal, and a few minutes later Baby G was born!

After warning us that he might not cry, because he was early and may have lung development issues, I was so thankful to hear that fabulous newborn wail. 

He was, and is, perfectly healthy. There was no reason for him to have to go to the NICU and he was able to go straight to the regular baby nursery. 

He proceeded to spend the next few days eating, sleeping, and pooping. He is a joy. A cuddly and calm little munchkin. He fits perfectly into our family. I can't believe that he hasn't always be here. We are blessed. 

Baby G!

Baby G has arrived!

He made his early and somewhat unexpected arrival on Wednesday, March 5th at 6:30 p.m.

Despite being early at 36 weeks and 5 days, he was a healthy 6 lbs and 12 ounces. Thankfully, he didn't need to spend anytime in the NICU. 

He is a wonderful, calm, and snuggly baby. Already, he fits in perfectly in our family and I can't imagine how we ever lived without him. 

Birth story to follow. 

#snowpocalypse

We don't get snow here very often in Northeastern Georgia. I've lived here for 5 years and we've seen snow twice, maybe three times.

Snow is scary when you don't have shovels, scrapers, salt, sand, or plows.

Panic sets in and this is what happens...


 (photos courtesy of Austina Jordan)

and then there was one...

don't worry there are still bagels...

want a broken egg?

Meanwhile, while the world is ending, I'm doing laundry, the bathrooms are clean, and dinner is in the crockpot.

My only problems now are what am I going to do with my kids who have no school FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK and what will I do if the power goes out and I can't watch the Olympics?

#firstworldproblems

#snowpocalypse2014

Product Review: Jawbone UP

I got a Jawbone Up for Christmas.

I did some very unscientific research to decide which activity tracker I wanted. Unlike my husband who spends days comparing and contrasting, I just read a few reviews.

I ended up picking the Jawbone because 1. I liked that it was a bracelet. I don't have to worry about it falling off or forgetting to put it on. 2. The iPhone app is visually attractive, easy to use, and very encouraging.

look how pretty!

3. The band comes in different colors! I ended up with the black but the baby blue or mint is fabulous. 4. It has a long battery life. The website states it will last about 10 days. I've been using mine for 38 days and have had to charge it three times.

Initially, I wanted an activity tracker because I was curious about how much I actually move in a day. I've long been convinced that I'm actually quite lazy. Other then running, I don't do very much. I was also interested in information about my sleeping habits.

So far, I've had more days where I've reached my sleep and movement goals then not. Having a goal and wanting to reach it has motivated me to getting up and taking those few extra steps. Instead of enlisting my children into getting something for me, I've gotten my bottom off the couch and retrieved it for myself.

I've only had two nights where I knew the sleep data was incorrect. One of the forums I read mentioned that if you take 250 steps at a time, during nighttime mode, the Jawbone will switch back to day mode on its own. A few night ago, after multiple trips out of bed dealing with my children, I discovered that if I press the bracelet once I can quickly check which mode I'm in.

I've also discovered that there is something psychological about knowing how much sleep you did or didn't get. The other night I didn't sleep well and felt even more tired when my Jawbone confirmed I was up half the night. Conversely, when I see that I had a good night with more deep sleep then light sleep, I feel peppy and well rested.  

Jawbone can also help you stay on track nutritionally. There is a handy dandy bar code scanner that can go a long way in helping you make better, more informed food choices. I don't log my food because I'm lazy and don't really want to know the truth about what I'm eating. I'm not ready for that shock yet.

Recently, Jawbone launched the UP 24 band which wirelessly connects to your phone. I connect to my band to my phone twice a day, once in the morning and then again in the evening, and can't see spending the extra $20 for the wireless option. If you need constant motivation to keep moving through out the day then the 24 model might be for you, otherwise the original UP band will get the job done. 

Overall, I am pleased with the Jawbone. It does everything I want and need it to do. It will not replace my Garmin forerunner for running but for everyday use it's just what I wanted. 

**UPDATE** 7/2/14

It has now been about 6 months since I started my Jawbone adventure. I used mine faithfully from December until February 27th when I went into early labor with my son. I started using it again in April until I lost it during a trail run last week. 

It was totally my fault. It doesn't fit well on my wrist with my Garmin and my keys were already in my shorts pockets so I looped it on my shirt strap. Somewhere on that 1.88 trail it fell off. I ran it twice looking for it - nada. 

Surprisingly and thankfully, my Stepmother had a Jawbone UP 24 that she wasn't using and gave it to me! So this update is on the UP 24, which I've been using for about three days. 

As I noted before the main difference between the UP and the UP 24 is the ability to connect wirelessly. Now that I have used both, I will admit that connecting wirelessly is nice. However, I still do not think its worth the extra money. It would be if you need or want constant updates on your progress or motivation to keep you moving. 

Running (yes, Running!) @ 31 weeks pregnant

I had a revelation last week.

I was on the treadmill, logging time and miles for Meg, when I decided to try to run. I hadn't run in a few weeks, overwhelmed by a squished bladder and growing belly. This day, however, was about Meg so I pushed my doubts aside and implemented my version of Jeff Galloway's run-walk method - walking for 3 minutes, running for 1 minute.

BAM! Light bulb moment.

I was running again. Granted, just for a few minutes over the course of 40 minutes but I was RUNNING!

I can't imagine why it took me so long to figure this out.

All this week, I've been Jeff Gallowing it - working up a sweat and breathing hard.

Yesterday, I was on that machine for an hour - run/walking my butt off. It was awesome. Granted, I had to get off at 30 minutes to use the bathroom but I jumped right back on for another half hour. I can only imagine what the fit, athletic 18-21 year old college students think when they see this obviously very pregnant woman abruptly stop and make a beeline for the door. 

I can't even begin to explain how good it feels to run again, even in small increments. I feel like I have a part of myself back, a piece of myself that had gone missing.  

It also makes the post-baby comeback seem possible.

Let's be honest, when I can run, anything and everything seems possible.

nesting

I scheduled my c section this morning.

This is real. This is happening. I'm having another baby. I will have three children. Another body to wash, clothe, and take care of. Another voice added to the chaos. Another little face to smother with kisses. Another little hand to hold.

Beyond crazy.

The pre-baby To Do list has gotten smaller. E has been moved to a big girl bed. The crib is in our room. Our room has been dusted, vacuumed, and de-cluttered. W's room has been organized and has actually stayed clean for more than two days. The rest of the house is in pretty good shape and Seth has vacuumed the car, relieving me of some of my nesting anxiety.

Speaking of nesting: normally I don't give the dusty baseboards behind the bed a second thought but now that I'm pregnant, I found myself wedged between the side table and the wall desperately trying to vacuum under the bed. I actually got stuck for a minute and questioned my own sanity.

I also found myself dusting EVERY. SINGLE. one of the slats of the blinds in my bedroom. It was like an out of body experience; watching myself dust each slat and wondering if I was as bored as I felt.

The good news is that my husband is no longer sneezing when he's in our room and I feel less like I'm bringing my child into a potential death trap.

There's always a bright side. 

Running (or not) @ 30 weeks pregnant

I haven't run, really run, in weeks. Frustration and sadness have given way to acceptance and now I'm just trying to stay as active as I can within walking distance to a bathroom.

That means that I've been spending a lot of time at the gym; working up a sweat on the elliptical and treadmill.

I never look this happy

It is SO BORING.  SO VERY VERY BORING.

If there weren't televisions where I can watch Mike & Mike in the Morning (later dazzling my husband with all my sports knowledge), or Kelly & Michael, or (my personal favorite) Wendy Williams, I don't know what I would do. I can run for hours at a time and experience many things - but never boredom. Put me on an elliptical for more then 20 minutes, and its torture just to keep going.

I give you gym rats a lot of credit.

I will say this though - staying active while pregnant has been one of the smartest things I have done in a long time. I have had little to no swelling. Ankles are fabulous things. Other than a very unfortunate encounter with an avocado - I've had only two or three incidents of heartburn. I may feel huge and the scale may reflect that, but it really is all baby. I've been sleeping well - per my new Jawbone Up (product review forthcoming), I actually had more deep sleep last night then light sleep.

Granted, I'm pretty useless for the rest of the day after a workout, but you can't win them all. 

My daughter showed up early at 38 weeks, so we could be seeing this baby sooner rather then later. Hopefully, I'll be at home and not on the treadmill when that happens