Canaan Lily

Canaan Lily was born Saturday, May 23 at 10:28 pm. She weighed 6 pounds 4 ounces and was 19 inches long. She is perfect! Labor was nothing like I feared and went very quickly. Everything happened so fast that Matthew and I both feel like we didn't really get to take it all in at the time. And after several days of sleep deprivation, we feel like we've already forgotten some of the details. I hope that is not the case and once we are well-rested things will become a litle less fuzzy.

Unfortunate for Canaan, we have been to the hospital every day since her birth getting blood associated with her jaundice. I already had a teary breakdown when having to treat her for the jaundice on a UV bed. And hearing her scream while getting blood drawn is not so much fun either. However, I just got a call from the doctor's office that we won't have to do that tomorrow. I am so thankful!!

My parents are here and I have no idea what I would have done so far without my mom. She has taken care of us with meals and nap times as well as spending much of the night awake with Canaan while her days and nights are mixed up.

We have had an exhausting week (I think even Max is exhausted), but we are so in love with our little girl. The miracle of life is truly so amazing. With all the challenges of this week, we have still been amazed by the amount of love a heart can hold for someone so tiny. We are discovering new things about her each day and are so proud of her.

Photo Shoot

Matthew's Aunt L is a fabulous photographer. She has a wonderful eye for artistic and beautiful pictures. I wish I had even a smidge of her photography talent. Matthew and I haven't had our picture taken professionally since our wedding. We were pretty disappointed with some of those pictures so I have always wanted to get our picture made again. I finally convinced Matthew last year to let me ask Aunt L to take our picture for our 5th anniversary - because it had been 5 years and because I had finally lost the weight I had gained since we got married. Around the time we had scheduled to get our picture taken, Matthew had his toe accident. He was in a boot and on crutches and really didn't feel like getting his picture taken. So we never got the pictures taken.

And ever since then I have still wanted to get our picture taken. Then I thought it would be really fun to get pre-baby pictures taken so we could look back and see what we looked like right before the baby made her appearance. I almost waited too late to ask her, but yesterday we went to Aunt L and Uncle J's house for the photo shoot. I am definitely not photogenic, but I really had a good time yesterday. I think it is much easier to "pose" for someone you are comfortable around. Aunt L sent the photos to me today. I am really pleased with them.

Thank you Aunt L!

Week 37

• The guys in our Sunday school class have a neat tradition. For every expectant father, they generally play diaper football where they get together on a Saturday morning to play football, bring diapers, and pray for the father. Being the smart guy that Matthew is (and the fact that I have threatened him that I am the only one of us that is allowed a hospital visit this calendar year - just refer to any of my posts that are labeled "ER Visit" for further information), he suggested to the guys that rather than playing football they go out to breakfast together. They got together last Saturday and blessed us with hundreds of diapers. And more than the diapers, we really appreciate that they care enough to gather to celebrate the upcoming birth of our baby and to pray for all three of us. It is so touching to me that I am tearing up just typing this today (and I don't think it has anything to do with pregnancy hormones).

• I had a dream this week that I had the baby but did not know/remember any of the details of the birth. I was asking Matthew and my mom all kinds of questions about what happened. Matthew told me he had named Baby Girl "Joey". I was so disappointed. There is nothing wrong with the name Joey, but it is not one we have even considered. So I told him after sharing my dream with him the next morning that there can be no naming the baby without my input. Hopefully, I will be aware of what's going on when the baby is born and I won't have to rely on others to tell me what happened.

• I finally have my hospital bag packed and ready to be put in the car. It feels good to have that done. I hope I didn't forget anything although we'll be close enough to home that I am sure I can get someone to get what I need if I did forget something important.

• I think we are pretty much ready at home for Baby Girl's debut. I have washed all the newborn and 0-3 month clothes, blankets, sheets, changing pad covers, burp cloths, towels, wash cloths, etc. I have things organized, but I'm not sure if they'll stay the way they currently are. There is just so much stuff for such a small space. I may find as I start using things that my current arrangement is just not practical.

• Matthew and I went to the mall on Sunday to do a bit of shopping. While there, a woman asked me when my baby was due. I told her that I was just 3 weeks away from my due date. She was shocked. I keep getting this reaction from people. I have no idea why they think I'm not as big as I am. I have gained around 35 pounds at least! I'll have to check my records to find the exact amount, but it has been more than I hoped I would gain.

• Seeing all the summer clothes in the stores and having a touch of warmer weather is making me want to be skinny for summer. During the winter, it doesn't bother me as much because I am completely covered up in long pants and sweaters/sweatshirts. I expect it to take a while to lose this baby weight. I am debating about whether to start attending Weight Watchers again. I am a lifetime member and would like to keep that status, but I believe I have to continue attending meetings to do so. The program definitely worked for me and helped me to lose about 35 pounds a couple of years ago so I know it can work again. I can't say I'm excited about paying for the program, but the accountability definitely helps me to stay on track. They ask you to come in when the baby is 6 weeks old so I have a little time to decide what I will do.

• Tuesday evening several times I clearly felt either a foot or a knee on my right side. Matthew felt it a couple of times. It is the most distinct movement I have felt. I felt that same movement several times during the day yesterday. It is amazing and strange!

• My doctor appointment yesterday went well. My blood pressure was 110 over 70. The baby's heart rate was 136 beats per minute. And the doctor said my body is progressing. Yesterday was the first time he checked. He thinks Baby Girl will be here by her due date and could really come at any point now. I haven't felt a single contraction yet - not even Braxton-Hicks contractions.

Max

I am getting ready for warmer weather (although I may be singing a different tune later in the summer). We have had several warmer days recently and have taken Max to the park and to the pond. He still likes swimming, and it still wears him out after a while. He has sustained two injuries lately. Several weeks ago he tore one of his pads while playing out on the cul-de-sac. We know it's not the best thing to have him run on the asphalt while playing fetch, but sometimes it is frankly the most convenient thing for us. This is the first time he has gotten injured doing so. We felt so bad. He did not whine or yelp, but it was pitiful to watch him limp for a day or two. The worst was watching him try to go number 2 without putting pressure on one of his back legs. It didn't stop him from wanting to play fetch though. It is healing nicely now.

On Saturday we took him up to the pond. This was his second visit to the pond in the past week or so. I think it may be just as much fun or even more fun for us to watch Max swim as it is for him to do so. He gets so excited in the water and swims really hard (at least in the beginning). It is also nice after taking him swimming for him to be so worn out. He'll just follow us around the house and plop down wherever we stop. If we are busy and all over the house, he'll finally just go to bed. While running around at the pond, somehow he tripped and skinned part of one of his legs. That has healed pretty quickly so it didn't bother him much.

Week 36

• My doctor told me this week that 37 to 42 weeks is considered full term so I am getting close. The baby could really come at any time now. I had another mostly good report at the appointment this week. My blood pressure was 116 over 60. Baby Girl's heart rate was 144 beats per minute. However, I also found out that my Group B Strep test I had last week came back positive. I was crushed to get that news. My doctor said that about 30% of pregnant women end up having this bacteria. Because he said it was so common, I wasn't worried at first. Then I did a little research on the internet out of sheer curiosity. I am not sure if that was a good idea. I had a rough day the day I did that research. I found out there is a small chance the baby can get an infection from this bacteria. It can be really serious for the baby if she does get this infection. So I will be given antibiotics when I am admitted to the hospital and rather than staying only 24 hours after Baby Girl's birth (which is all that is required in Colorado), I will stay 48 hours so they can monitor the baby. I spoke on Sunday with a friend of mine at church that is a pediatrician. She told me that yes it can be serious, but that this happens all the time without the baby getting the infection. So I am trying not to worry (worrying is something that is just second nature to me) and trust that God is in control and knows best.

• I also met with a second pediatrician this week. Now I just have to decide between the two. One is super close to home, but I think I feel more comfortable with the second one I met with.

• One of our neighbors is about to move and brought over a freezer meal for us to have after the baby comes. I thought that was extremely thoughtful of her. She recently gave birth to her third child who ended up being born 8 weeks early. She is now 8 weeks or a little bit older and doing well. I can't believe that in the middle of being with 3 kiddos 4 and under all day and packing to move that she made us a meal. She asked me if I was getting ready, and I told her what I tell everyone...that I would be ok if the baby waits to make an appearance close to her due date. She laughed and said that I may be the first person she's ever heard say that. It's not that I'm not excited, I just don't mind waiting a little while longer. Matthew and I just have no idea what is coming in the next few weeks, months, and years. It can be overwhelming to think about! I think there are a couple of other reasons that I could wait a couple more weeks. I have really enjoyed being pregnant. For so long, I wondered if I would ever become pregnant and get to experience all of this. I have not become completely uncomfortable in my pregnancy at this point either so I am just trying to enjoy it all. Who knows if this will happen for us again some day?

• Even though I am not to an uncomfortable state yet, I have finally started to feel hot at times. I generally am always cold so this has been a strange reality. Now I see why some people complain about being pregnant during the hottest part of summer. I have also had a few Charly horse encounters that were not pleasant.