Take My Hand: April 2010

Evy is one week old! We have had a whirlwind of a time this past week. Keeping up with schedules, doctors visits, sleep, showering, etc. has kept me busy. Evy is doing great! She has gained a few ounces since she left the hospital and has grown 1/2 inch! She now weighs 7 pounds 10 ounces and is 19 3/4 inches long. She is nursing well and is sleeping pretty good. I am healing from surgery and, I think, getting around well. My emotions are all over the place, but isn't that to be expected? There's a lot of change happening in our lives. Below are some pictures of Evy's first doctor's appointment, which went great! The doctor seemed very pleased with Evy's growth, which makes me happy to know we are doing something right. :)

And this is one of my favorite pictures so far...

Thursday, April 22, 2010

We're Having a Baby!

It is hard to believe we have made it 40 weeks. As I've said over and over this pregnancy has been such a blessing in so many ways. It's hard to believe the time has come for us to meet this little bundle of joy. There were times that it seemed the pregnancy was flying by, but these last three months have dragged. We have been so busy preparing for Evy's arrival and the time is finally here...and we are so excited to meet our Love Bug.

We checked into the hospital on Monday night to begin inducing labor.

I think I have been in denial about what was going to happen at the hospital. So when we walked in I began to feel anxious. I hate needles, never had an IV, and hate pain. Yet, here I was, in a hospital bed, about to experience all of this. I don't know if Chad or my parents were aware of my anxiety, but inside I was so afraid of the pain. In the end, whatever pain there was, it was all worth it. Labor was pretty uneventful until I was dilated to a 5 or 6 and had just received the epidural. The nurses had me laying on my back and all of a sudden the machines started beeping, the nurse was calling other nurses in the room (about 5 or 6 came running in), and they began to turn me on my side. After all this happened they finally told us Evy's heartbeat dropped significantly and quickly. They stopped the pitocin and contractions until her heartbeat stabilized. After about an hour they began the pitocin again and pretty soon I was dilated to a 10. There was just a little bit of my cervix that needed to soften before they would allow me to begin pushing. So we waited...and waited...and waited. We thought (and were placing bets) that Evy would be born by late afternoon. But, she had another plan in mind. I wasn't allowed to begin pushing until 9:00 pm. I pushed a few times but my cervix just wasn't ready for delivery. So we waited for a while longer. After almost 30 hours of labor and 2 hours of pushing, the doctor said Evy was just not decending enough. By this time it was 1:30 am. The doctor told me I could keep pushing for another hour but the liklihood of delivering her naturally was very slim. I asked to push until 2:00 am, but what I think I needed more than just wanting to push was to process the idea of a C-section for a few minutes before making that decision. After a few more pushes I was exhausted and ready for Evy to be in my arms. I asked the nurse if I was making any progress or if Evy was under stress and the nurse told me her head was beginning to swell. So I told her to get the doctor, I was ready for the C-section. At 2:37 am Evy was born and it was a wonderful feeling knowing she was here and was healthy.

What a blessing it was to meet our Love Bug. It was a few hours before I was able to hold her but it was well worth the wait.

We are so thrilled to have Evy in our lives and can't wait to share our life with you!

Evy Lynn Davis April 21, 2010 2:37 am 8 pounds 1 ounce 19.5 inches long

Monday, April 19, 2010

Last Weekend of Freedom

Since this was our last weekend of freedom before our world is turned upside down, we decided we needed to take it easy, go on a little date, and just relax. We were able to accomplish this to some extent but we were also busy at home cleaning and organizing the house for when Evy comes home. Her nursery is clean and organized, all her clothes are washed, and her bag is packed for the hospital. The rest of the house is cleaned and organized, but we have yet to pack our bags for the hospital. I'm not sure if it's a denial thing or just plain procrastination, but I don't think the bags will get packed until we are ready to walk out the door. I am having a hard time wrapping my mind around the reality that we are having a baby in the next 24-48 hours! Maybe God is distracting me by other things because if I really thought too much about what is going to happen, I might flip out a little! Please pray for us as we check in to the hospital tonight to begin inducing labor. We are praying for a healthy labor and delivery and for a healthy baby girl. We are more than anxious to meet her and introduce her to the world. We will keep you posted while we are in the hospital with emails, blog posts, and updated facebook statuses. We can't wait for you to meet her as well! On another note...we went to the movies yesterday and watched "Date Night". It was soooo... funny. If you like sarcastic humor and can stand Steve Carell and Tina Fey, you will love this movie! It was the perfect movie for us! Guess I better go pack!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Evy, We're Ready!

For weeks I've been asking Evy to give me more time because I felt I needed it. But, now we are ready! The house is ready and I think we are ready in all ways as well. I thought you'd like to see what Evy's nursery looks like so far. It is still a work in progress as we are trying to find other things for her wall. I am also in the process of making her a mobile the will hang in the corner above her crib.

This was my bed as a teen and will be Evy's when she is older

I just love her crib! The bear to the left of the crib was one my Mema gave to me when I was younger.

The rocking chair was given to us by Chad's Aunt Jane

I bought this table at a garage sale for $10. It was painted shiny black with neon pink knobs. I think my version turned out much better and I love how it fits perfect next to the rocking chair.

My mom found this sign when we were shopping at Hobby Lobby

I just love these letters! They were given to me by one of my childhood girlfriends. They match Evy's room perfectly! Thanks Angie.

I also wanted to show off Evy's going home outfit. Isn't it so cute?!? We searched for a long time to find the perfect outfit for her to wear home from the hospital. I saw this dress at Target and the rest just came together. I can't wait to see her in this outfit. Thanks Uncle Jerry and Aunt Carol for the gift card that helped us to purchase Evy's outfit! We love you.

Her dress and sweater

Evy's flower headband and shoes

39 Weeks and a Plan

Not much has changed from last week to this week. Evy continues to grow...although I don't know how she has room to grow much more. She should be between 18 and 20 1/2 inches long and weigh around 6 1/2 to 8 pounds. I have noticed this past week I've been feeling nauseous at different times during the day, which I've heard is normal at this stage of the pregnancy. I asked the doctor about it and he said it depends on the way I sit or lay. So, I'm still just dealing with the uncomfortable feelings of the pregnancy. I think I'm starting to grieve the loss of this pregnancy. I am going to miss being pregnant so much! It's been such an amazing experience, and as the reality of Evy's arrival is setting in, I'm getting sad about not being pregnant anymore.

(hmmm...strips may not be the best to wear at this stage)

We went to the doctor today for our checkup. My body has not progressed at all to deliver Evy. And, my blood pressure was a little higher than it has been. So, my doctor (and Chad and I agree) think its best to induce on Evy's due date. Dr. Storts does not think my body will do much more on its own at this point. I do have to go back to get my blood pressure checked on Friday to make sure it's stable. We will then check into the hospital Monday night. They will give me something to soften my cervix (and hopefully start the contractions). Then on Tuesday morning they will begin giving me pitocin to get the contractions stronger and start the labor and delivery process. Dr. Storts did say I have a 25% chance of having a C-section so please pray that my body will do what it needs to so I don't have to have a C-section. He did say he will let me labor as long as I can (as long as Evy's not in distress) before making the decision to do a C-section. The reality of having a baby and bringing her home has not completely set in. Since our appointment I have been "floating" around trying to take in the news. It's so exciting and we cannot wait to meet Evy, see who she looks like and what her personality will be like. I just don't think reality will sink in until we are at the hospital or even bringing Evy home. We will keep you all posted on the progress while in the hospital and can't wait to introduce you all to our love bug! We love you and are so blessed to have you in our lives.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

38 Weeks

We are pretty bummed that no major progress has been made to get us closer to meeting Evy. There haven't been many changes in my size although I can tell Evy is bigger and running out of room. She has dropped some and the doctor said I am almost 1 cm dilated. Evy is still pretty active with the little space she has to move. Most of her movements are of her stretching and taking her feet and pushing up on my ribs...not the most comfortable! She also has a lot of movement with her arms and hands at times and will even push her bottom out against my stomach. The books say Evy should be between 17 and 20 inches long and weighs approximately 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 pounds. I'm still very uncomfortable and can't sleep well, but I am also savoring these final moments of my pregnancy.

We are now in a waiting phase. Everything is pretty much ready for us to bring Evy home. My mom is coming again this weekend to help me finalize everything at our home. We are getting our carpets cleaned, which I'm so excited about! Chad is having a baby shower at his job Thursday, which will be our final shower, and is one that will hopefully bring us lots of diapers and wipes. I feel after this weekend we will be even more anxious for Evy's arrival since we will be ready to bring her home.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Lots of Love

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Happy One Week