We made it home!

We made it home on Wednesday evening around 5:30 p.m.

Staying at the hospital was nice for a while since they help out with everything, but it is definitely nice to be home! Our girls, Angel & Jade, were very happy to see us and also very interested in meeting Owen. It seems that Angel has taken on the role of "watch dog" for him...I completely thought that it would be Jade. Who knew!

Anyways, we survived our first night and I think things went very well. Owen slept for 2-3 hours at a time giving us a chance to sleep as well.

Here's a picture I took with my cell phone, shortly after we arrived home.

Our bundle of joy has arrived!!!

Words cannot describe how we are feeling right now...our little boy has finally entered this world and he is more beautiful than we could have ever imagined.

Owen Daniel was born on 8/25/2008 at 8:35 p.m. He weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 20 inches long. For now he has fuzzy blonde hair and blue eyes.

As the weekend progressed it seemed like I was continually becoming more and more sluggish. My belly felt so huge and the backaches did not seem to stop. On Monday morning I knew that I would never survive the day at work...I called Labor & Delivery at 6 a.m. to see if I should go in for an evaluation. We arrived at Mercy around 7:30 a.m. and the evaluation showed that I was having contractions...back labor...but was still only 1-2 cm dilated...basically there was nothing they could do for me until I dilated more or my water broke. Just as we were going to be getting sent home, I had another contraction begin and little Owen started to kick me...it was then that my water broke! What an exciting moment!!!

I was checked into my labor room around 10:30 a.m. and tried to cope with the back labor until a little after Noon when they would finally give me an epidural. (I had to wait until I was at least 3 cm dilated). From that point on, things got easier because I didn't have to feel the contractions...just wait for dilation to happen. Luckily I progressed at about 1 cm every 45 minutes to 1 hour and was ready to start pushing around 5:30 p.m.

I pushed for about 2 1/2 hours and was running out of energy...the doctor finally said they could help with a vacuum suction and 30 minutes later my little man was out and breathing on his own! It was truly a miracle!

39 weeks pregnant!

Well...another week has gone by and we are that much closer to meeting our little guy! :)

We had our appointment on Friday, August 22nd and our progress continues to be normal. My blood pressure measured well at 119/74 and we gained another 2 pounds. This week my tummy showed some growth...37 cm, so the little guy must be growing! His heart rate was fast again, 170 bpm, but the doctor attributed that to his being active again (and my morning spent walking around). There was also some progress with dilation...I measured at a 2 this week, so we are getting closer. Also, I was told the baby's position is -1...which, the doctor explained means our baby is very low and the next position (position 0) will be when labor begins.

Our next appointment is in another week...stay tuned.

Take care,

Angie, Jake, and baby

38 Weeks Pregnant!

Just 2 more weeks to go!!! Can you believe the day is getting so close?

We had our 38 week appointment this morning and everything continues to look normal. The most exciting news of the day was that I am now 1 cm dilated!!! Even though we could still be waiting for the little guy for weeks to come, it was nice to hear that there is progress!
Our little guy is very active...and for the first time he showed off during our appointment. While the doctor was trying to get his heartbeat he was moving all around. Because of his activity, his heart rate was higher this week (150 bpm)...but this was completely normal. My blood pressure remains steady at 116/69 and I am still measuring at 34 cm. Maybe he's going to be long and lean? :)
Also, on Wednesday, Jake and I finished our Childbirth Prep and Parenting class. It was a 5 week long course that we took to learn about the stages in pregnancy, labor, and infants. The class was very informative and overall a great experience.

Now we just can not wait to meet our little man!!! Our next appointment is scheduled for next Friday...we'll continue to post with any updates.

37 weeks pregnant!

On August 8th, we had our 37 week appointment.
We are happy to report that everything continues to go well. The little guy is gearing up for delivery. We were told that he is definitely head down and is rather low...perfect place for him to be at this point in the pregnancy.
My blood pressure was normal at 116/73 and his heart rate sounded very strong at about 145 bpm. Our weight gain is still on track; we're gaining about a pound per week, and our measurement of 34cm looks good. Finally, with the growth, his activity is slowing down a bit...but his movements are very strong. Sometimes uncomfortable, but I enjoy it nonetheless. We now begin our doctor visits each week...we're getting SO close! :)

We're starting a blog!

Hello Everyone!
I've decided to start blogging as a way to share various events in our lives with all of our family and friends. I think we will be much more successful at this than trying to send a "mass email" everytime we have something to share. :-)
Please subscribe to our blog so that you will be notified when Jake or I post something new.

At first I'll be making a few posts to get you caught up on the last month or so...and then we'll move right ahead!
Here we go...