3 Weeks Old!

Here's some more pics of the past few weeks! Most are already on Facebook..

The last few weeks have gone so fast...I can't believe she'll be 4 weeks old this weekend. Needless to say, I'm fairly sleep deprived, but the last few nights have been a bit better. Emerson's schedule is still all over the place. Sometimes she goes 3 hours between feedings, other times only an hour and a half. We are also fairly confident that she has reflux because she spits up soooo much. She sometimes spits up 10 times between feedings, and sometimes it comes out her nose and mouth. The midwife said as long as she keeps gaining weight and is happy, then we probably don't need to be concerned. The only thing they can do is put her on Zantac which I don't want to do unless it's necessary. For now, we try to keep her upright for at least 30 mins. after feedings, and we try not to move her around too much. Often times though, it doesn't seem to matter because she spits up anyway!

Some little tidbits about the past three weeks:

- Emerson had a minor tongue tie that prevented her from latching properly. We got it released on June.19th, and she's been latching on like a pro ever since!

- She will breastfeed and take a bottle, which means I get some extra sleep on weekends when Andrew gives her a bottle of breastmilk

- Emerson has already outgrown the outfit we brought her home from the hospital in...she's too long for it!

- We have no idea how long she was at birth. Andrew was sure that it was on the hospital forms, so we never measured her. I looked through all the forms last week, and the "length" spot is blank on all of them. She definitely looks long though.

- Emerson loves baths, she becomes very alert and would probably stay in the bath all night if we let her

- She loves having her back patted, but hates having it rubbed

- Sometimes she'll take a soother for an hour, other times she won't even look at it

- At 2 and a half weeks old, she weighed 9lbs 1oz

- Emerson loves music! Andrew discovered this last week when she was crying, and stopped when he started playing music on my iphone. Now we play soft music at bedtime every night and she seems to calm down

- She hates having her diaper changed

- She is most alert first thing in the morning and right before bed

- Her fussy time starts around 8pm and goes until she falls asleep

- She refuses to sleep flat on her back (probably because of the reflux)

- Sometimes she'll only sleep on me or Andrew, and nowhere else

- She likes to pee and poop on us while we're changing her diaper

- In her three short weeks of life, she has already done the following: had lots of visits from friends and family, gone out to Andrew's Uncle's for a BBQ, gone to a 50th birthday dinner, taken her first trip to Clarksburg, gone for lots of walks, taken trips to Costco, Target, Carters/OshKosh, Babies R Us, the midwife office, and the Dr's office in Cambridge

We love this little girl so much...it's already hard to remember life without her!

One Week Old!

12 Weeks

37 Weeks

One Week Old

She's Here!

Emerson Grace Cummings was born on June.8/13 @ 3:27pm weighing 8lbs 6oz. (the same as me at birth). It was a fairly traumatic c-section, but I'll maybe write about that another time. For now, here are some pics from her birth and the last 30 hours.  I wanted to share them with you guys, but not the whole facebook world. She is so precious, we love her to pieces!


The only labour picture...can you tell I was really impressed?

Andrew in his scrubs...ready for the c-sections

Here she is...a freshly delivered Emerson..

 Same birth weight as me....8lbs 6oz.

Getting her cleaned up...

My first look at baby Emerson...I will always treasure this one...

Sweet pea

First family photo...clearly feeling/looking pretty rough...

First visitor (besides grandma Levstik who was there for the delivery) Val works at McMaster...

 Visit from Grandpa, Carol, Jen, Jeff, and the girls

Feeling a wee bit better in the one..

Can't believe how precious she is!

Visit from the Cummings clan...apparently she looks exactly like Andrew as a baby..

37 Weeks (Final Post Before Baby!)

How Far Along: 37 Weeks! 5 more days people, or 4, depending on how you want to count it. We are having a baby THIS Friday....as in this week!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maternity Clothes: Uh, yeah...
Stretch Marks: still nothing....is it possible that I may make it through this pregnancy without stretch marks????
Sleep: Sleep? What is sleep? If it's that thing I try to do at night, but wake up to pee constantly, than it's not good.
Best Moment of the Week: Date nights this weekend!
Miss Anything? Still miss sleeping well, but I know that it's not going to happen again for a very long time. I also realized today that I miss going places and not being stared at by everyone. It's really a combination of looks, some people look terrified that my water might break right in front of them, others look sympathetic, and some just continuously stare....I don't like being the centre of attention
Movement: Tons of movement this week, she is all over the friggin' place! I don't know what's going on, but she feels so high up in my ribs..my belly even looks higher this week...
Food Cravings: Smoothies and frozen lemonade...yummy! Pretty sure I made a smoothie every single day this week!
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Showing: Haha...
Gender Prediction: Girly girl!
Labor Signs: Nope...but I've still been feeling some different sensations and stuff through my lower pelvis, and an occasional shooting pain. I was in a store on Thursday and I had to stop in a bunch of the aisles because of some shooting pains. I was worried I wasn't going to be able to walk out...haha! 
Belly Button In or Out? Still an innie, yay!
Wedding Rings On or Off: Off :( Can't wait to be able to wear them again. I've actually had only a tiny bit of swelling on hot/humid days, so it shouldn't be too long before I can wear them again
Happy or Moody Most of the Time: Half-and-Half...I am so excited for our baby girl to be here, but also very nervous/anxious for the delivery.
Looking forward to: Finally meeting our baby girl!!! We've been thinking about her for almost ten months now....it's hard to believe she'll be here in only a few days :)

This is my "holy crap I have to deliver a baby this week" picture:

This past week was fairly busy and productive. Monday I don't think I did too much, just odd jobs around the house. On Tuesday I had planned to go out and finally buy some nursing bras, but Union Gas came to change our meter and they were here for almost four hours. By the time they finished, I wouldn't have made it to the store on time. I had already showered and gotten ready to go out, so I was annoyed.

On Wednesday I had my appointment at Mac with the OB. It was scheduled for 9:15am, and I was also supposed to meet with the anesthesia dept. afterwards. When I got there at 9:10am, the waiting room was already packed, so I knew I was in for a wait. They run the clinic on a number system, first come first serve so I don't know why they give appointment times. The nurse didn't call me in until almost 11am. She measured my belly and it was 38cm, which is normal for 36.5 weeks. Then she listened to baby's heartbeat and it was 187!!!! That's crazy high for those who don't know. She told me I would need to be monitored for 30 mins. just to be safe. I wasn't concerned because baby girl had been moving around like crazy! Then she felt my tummy, and she was worried that baby may have turned and may not be head down anymore. I wouldn't be surprised because I feel like she's so high, and the upper right side of my belly has been so hard this week.

Anyway, I went for the anti-stress test as they call it, and everything was fine. Her heartbeat was on average around 150 which is perfectly normal. I then had to go back to the waiting room until the OB was ready. Well...I ended up waiting for another hour or so before finally getting called, then waited again in the room.

Finally the OB came in and apologized. She said that things had been crazy, and they had sent tons of women for c-sections and to be induced that morning. She told me I'd be coming back to Mac next Wed. so she can check my cervix to determine if I need cervidil gel on the Thursday. She also said we'd check baby's position, and we can discuss the induction and any questions that I have. 

So, next week I am going to Mac on Wed. to see the OB, almost definitely on Thurs. for the gel, and then Fri. for the induction. Wed. I'm going by myself, but Andrew will be taking me on Thurs. and obviously on Fri. too.

I met with an anesthesiologist after I met with the OB. She was so surprised about my blood clot, and kept saying that she hadn't had a young healthy woman with a blood clot in forever. She explained everything I already knew about not being able to get an epidural within 24 hours of taking an injection. She also told me that she sees women in labour every day, and if I'm getting induced, I will definitely want an epidural...hahaha!

I didn't end up getting home until 3:30 or 4pm, even though my appt. had been for 9:15am...it was a long day of waiting!

On Thursday I met a friend from work for one last lunch date. Afterwards, I went and picked up my prescription for more injections, and went to a few stores. I got a little table lamp for the baby's room on clearance at Bou Clair, it's very cute, and some storage baskets that were also on clearance.

On Friday, I finally went out and got nursing bras. I hate bra shopping, but it wasn't that bad at all!

I also finally packed our hospital bags this week! I feel like I'm bring a lot, but I know I'll be there at least a couple of nights, and want to be prepared. I only have the diaper bag for baby, and my lululemon gym bag for me...so I don't think it's that much. Andrew still has to pack a small bag with a change of clothes, but he'll do that on Thurs. night I'm sure.

Last night, I took the dog for a walk, and my neighbour was outside when we got back. She called out "so Friday's the big day" so I went over to talk with her. She then proceeded to tell me her friend's horrible delivery story, even after I told her I didn't want to hear anymore bad stories so close to my own delivery. I was annoyed, so I said I needed to bring the dog inside for water. As we were walking away she yells out "your life will never be the same" and "you know you can never leave them alone, and you can't put them in a cage or anything like a dog". What the hell is wrong with some people? Seriously....

Onto happier things. Andrew and I went for dinner on Friday night, and today we went to a movie and for a last dinner date to the Keg. It was nice, but also bittersweet. It's been just the two of us for 11 years, so it's hard to imagine things being different. Either way, it was nice to have a couple of dinners out together before baby comes.

I think that's all for now!

I'll try to remember to take a last belly pic on Friday morning, and I'll do a post about our baby girl when I manage to find some time. Thanks for reading all my weekly posts!!!!! It's baby time!

36 Weeks!

How Far Along: 36 Weeks! 12 more days!!!!!!!!!! Holy crap....
Maternity Clothes: You betcha...
Stretch Marks: still nothing....I'm still just waiting for them to appear...
Sleep: Blah...not good. I get up so many times every night, and then I can't fall back to sleep. And sometimes I wake up sweating which is just gross.
Best Moment of the Week: Buying a new vehicle/family BBQ/ super cute voicemail from my niece Leah checking to see how I'm doing
Miss Anything? Sleeping well...really missing that this week, unfortunately it's not going to happen for a very long time.
Movement: I haven't felt as much movement this week, she seems to go through spurts where she moves A LOT, and then nothing for a while. I think she keeps getting the hiccups because sometimes my tummy just bounces every 5 seconds for a while.
Food Cravings: Still loving all things cold and refreshing - water, juice, fruit, cereal, greek yogurt, ice cream...I made a lot of fruit smoothies this week...yummy!
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Showing: Haha...
Gender Prediction: My little sweet pea :)
Labor Signs: Nope...but I've been feeling some different sensations and stuff through my lower pelvis, and an occasional shooting pain. Yikes...this is getting too real.
Belly Button In or Out? Still an innie, just a flatter one...
Wedding Rings On or Off: Off :( I put them on today and they fit, but I don't want to leave them on in case my fingers swell.
Happy or Moody Most of the Time: Half-and-Half...I think my anxiety is starting to kick in...
Looking forward to: Seeing the OB again on Wednesday, asking some more questions about the delivery.

I don't have too many updates this week. I went for my second rhogam shot on Tuesday, I had to wait for an hour even though I had an appointment. I ran into a guy in the parking garage elevator with a big smile on his face and he was carrying an infant car seat. I asked if he was taking home a new baby, and he confirmed he was. He noticed I was pregnant, and we ended up talking all the way into the hospital and up to the 4th floor. He told me that his wife had been induced at 37 weeks for medical reasons. He said that she had contractions for 48 hours but was only 1cm dialated, so they ended up doing a c-section. Luckily, I don't think they will make me labour for that long, as I can't be off the blood thinners for too long. I'm going to ask the OB about it on Wednesday.

I can't remember if I mentioned last week, but last weekend we went to Hyundai to look into trading in my car for a small SUV. I went back on Tuesday night to work out the details, but didn't sign anything because I wasn't happy with a few things. Andrew and I went back on Wednesday morning. We told them we would only buy the Santa Fe if they met a list of our requirements, which they did. So...I'm getting a brand new Hyundai Santa Fe. I won't have it for several weeks because we're getting one from the factory, but I'm still excited to get it.

On Thursday, I had to take Casey to the vet to get some teeth removed. I felt so bad leaving her there. She was supposed to have 4 teeth removed, maybe 6. They called me around 1pm to tell me she was doing well, but they had removed 11 teeth!!!! I was freaking out, thinking it would cost waaay more money and she wouldn't be able to eat her food anymore. The price ended up being in the middle range of the quote they gave, so it wasn't that bad. It was so sad when I picked her up, she was so dopey. I brought her home and laid her on the couch, she instantly fell asleep exactly the way I laid her down, and she didn't move for about 2 hours.

Dopey Casey

Anyway, she seems to be doing ok and can still eat her food, so it wasn't that bad afterall.

Friday and Saturday were pretty uneventful, just random little errands and things here and there. We went to a movie yesterday, and did some organizing around the house.

Andrew had to go back to work at 5am this morning. We had a BBQ here for Rob's birthday which is on Tuesday. My mom and John came and brought Ryan, and my grandparents and Rob and Madeleine came too. I spent the morning cleaning the house, and then I did a bunch of things in the yard and the garden, because my mom and I had planned to plant some flowers. I also had to get some groceries. By the time everyone got here, I was exhausted and my hips were so sore. I think I'm really starting to feel 9 months pregnant. Anyway, my mom and John were great and planted the flowers for me, and supper was really good. I'm going to bed super early tonight...like as soon as I finish writing this, and I would bet that I'm going to be really sore tomorrow too.

This week I don't have too much planned. I'm going back to the OB on Wednesday, and I'm also meeting with an anesthesiologist to discuss plans in case I need to be put under (very unlikely). I'm going to try to meet my friend Arijana for coffee afterwards if we can work out the timing. I'm also going to meet the girls from work for lunch one day. Other than that, I'm just going to continue "nesting", as Andrew says, he's sure that I'll manage to find a million things to do even though I barely have anything planned. I still have to pack a hospital bag for me and baby girl, I'm sure I'll get that done this week. I also wanted to go try on some nursing bras.

I think that's all for now......next week will be my last weekly update........AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!