Becoming a Mommy.

Boy is it hard to blog with a new little one. I feel like if I get a shower and all my meals eaten I am doing awesome for the day! Funny how priorities change for a new little one.

These past two weeks have been filled with an insane amount of emotions on top of a wicked learning curve. Glad to see I have made it this far and I keep hearing it gets easier as I go. Here's to progress!

Jack was weighed in today and I found out he is already 6 lbs 10 oz which means he has already passed his original birth weight. Something they hoped he would do by his two week birthdate. He seems to be a champion eater. He ate 3 oz in 15 minutes today.

Feeding was really the big struggle from the beginning. Maybe more so on my end. He hasn't seemed to be concerned or having any problems with it but I was needing constant reassurance that I was doing well, enough, the right way. Funny how you can be prepared (or so you think) and suddenly you have a baby and have no idea what to do with it. On that note, our daily routine (if that's possible) has gotten smoother throughout the week and I even ventured out on my own with Jack today. Something that I was worried about doing with him feeding so often.

From this whole experience, I have learned a few things.

• How fascinating it can be to watch a baby make faces for minutes upon end.
• How fast babies grow!
• The deep love for a child even when they are demanding to be fed constantly.
• How strong mommies can be.
• What a rockstar hubby I have!
• How important your hubby's support is through this whole emotional, life changing experience. There is no way I could have gotten to this point without his help. Becoming a mother is very demanding but of course So rewarding!
• How good it feels when people swoon over your baby :)

Meet Jack Mitchell.

Well I have disappeared from my blog for the past week because as many of you know, our Mini Bee made his arrival.

We went in Sunday, July 17th for the aversion to try turning him. It was an extremely uncomfortable procedure and caused lots of stress to Mini Bee, making his heart rate drop. It was a stressful experience and one I don't care to go through again. After the doctor said she wasn't able to make any movement, they asked if I wanted to have a c-section that day or schedule one. They typically do them at 39 weeks and here I was at 38 weeks, 6 days but hadn't really considered that I could have a baby within the hour!
After considering the options presented, I opted to go ahead with the c-section since I was already hooked up to the iv and admitted into the hospital. Within the half hour, I was being wheeled back into surgery and within the next 20 minutes Mitch and I fell in love with our baby boy!

Yay! He is here! :)

Meet Jack Mitchell.

Born Sunday, July 17th 2011.

19 inches--6.6 pounds

Life has been a big adjustment with a baby in the household but he is so sweet. He sleeps almost the whole day away, waking only for feedings. Mitch has been the most amazing daddy I could have ever hoped for, providing tons of support for me and helping out with Jack. We have also had lots of family help and have officially made it through a week of parenting! Feels amazing to have so much love for someone so new to us and is a relief to see life developing a routine again. 

Our little boy is very loved and got to meet lots of family this weekend. 

Life is sweet. This is definitely Joy with sweet sugar on top :)

Expect the Unexpected.

This has been an emotionally exhausting past few days. I have been busy trying to sort out my emotions.

We had our doctor checkup on Tuesday (38 weeks) and suddenly the doctor was unsure if our baby was head down still. At my 36 week appt he was, so I didn't even have that thought in my mind that he could have turned. I was sent in for an ultrasound to see what was going on with Mini Bee's positioning and we saw him frank breech. (Not the typical position for delivery--Instead of head first, he is butt first with his feet up towards his head)

My doctor was out of the office the day of our ultrasound and then didn't work until late tonight so I had been stressing as to what the procedures here on out would entail. Another stressor to the situation is that my doctor is on vacation starting Saturday until the next Sunday. Perfect timing, right? So anyways, I finally got the call and after the results they concluded that they are going to try turning the baby first rather than jumping straight to a c-section. This procedure can be somewhat risky, only works sometimes and is uncomfortable for the mother. However, my doctor thinks it is the better option for me. With knowing a few things about the procedure I am kind of stressed out and hesitant. I will have to trust that my doctor knows best and is looking out for me. It just is so hard to put my faith in the hands of other people.

I have been so stressed out and feeling down that things are suddenly a little more complicated than planned. Then on the other hand, I feel guilty and selfish for feeling so down and worried when I have a healthy baby and others aren't always as fortunate-- but all these uncertainties and last minute changes are coming at a time when I thought we were on the planned route to delivery. I know, nothing goes according to plan but I just usually ask that I have a little more time to prepare for the unexpected. Especially when I am past the point in which they typically try turning the baby and oh yeah, I could go into labor at any minute.

I am sure all will be fine but I unfortunately have a hard time not worrying so please keep us in your thoughts as we go through this little journey. I hope that I have the strength to get through the procedure and that Mini Bee cooperates. The doctor will call me tomorrow to schedule my appointment but my doctor is hoping that they schedule it for either tomorrrow or Saturday. :)

I will try to keep you updated -- Thanks!

Baby Care Tips.

So I came upon this website and it listed these essential tips for newborn care. Thought I would share a few of my favorites :)

Enjoy!

Baby Shower 3.

This post is so overdue, but I guess better late than never?!?!

We had our third baby shower back in May which was mainly for Mitch's side of the family and for all of our friends from the area. There were lots of yummy sandwiches, cake and of course presents. Something unique at this shower was that our guests were asked to bring a book for our baby rather than spending money on a card. Mini Bee accumulated lots of good books for his book shelf!

This shower was held at the Holiday Inn in a more casual setting because we invited a wide variety of guests, both guys and girls. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and it was great having Mitch at a shower to celebrate our upcoming arrival since guys usually sit the fun parties out.

Another fun part of the shower--My mom surprised me and showed up! I had no idea she was coming to town so it was a great surprise!

Here are some pictures that Mitch's dad took:

All the goodies!

 The adorable diaper cake filled with lots of baby goodies!

 Mitch all enthusiastic--He will love this picture :)

 Checking out the cute monster bath towel!

 Our baby swing--Yay! Also the changing pad my mom made on the side.

 Mitch saying thank yous to all the guests!

Many thanks to Mitch's sister, sister-in-laws, and parents for pulling together a great shower--and of course our guests too for coming!

37 Weeks.

We have hit a HUGE checkpoint in my pregnancy today!!

Mini Bee is 37 weeks today which means he is full term and it is safe for him to come anytime! He also hit his last fruit checkpoint. Today he is a...

Watermelon!

Baby Development:
No big changes from here on out. Just putting on weight.

Dr. Checkup:
Everything checked out good again. His heart rate was in the 140's and he is still head down. He also seems to have dropped judging by my tummy.

Things I am Loving this Week:
My compression tights: Although not attractive, they definitely help with swelling and make my legs feel better. More important in my book these days.

Pop: Caffeine Free of course and yes I limit it to no more than 1 a day with lots of water.

My New Recliner: This has made a huge difference in my ankles and worth every penny.

Tylenol PM: I used this a few nights and I forgot what it was like to have a nights worth of sleep. In fact I went nuts and accomplished a ton in those days.

Clear Eyes Contact Solution: I have been having major contact/eye issues since becoming pregnant and so far so good with trying a new contact solution. They are thinking I may be allergic to the other brand which would explain why my eyes would get so irritated. Hoping this works!!

Mommy Symptoms:
Mostly just swelling but this is old news at this point.
Definitely rocking the waddle walk which Mitch refers to as the "Baby Swagger" :)

Big Accomplishments:
Let's check out the to-do list to see what progress has been made.

Here is an update on the to-do list we made:

• Wash baby's laundry--YESSS!!
• Pack our hospital bags--YESSSSS!
• Put together a playlist for the nursery--YESSS!
• Make a labor playlist--YESSS!
• Clean out the cup cupboard to make room for bottles--Nope
• Finish baby book up to birth part (new addition)--Yep!
• Write up our birth plan--Yep!
• Clean the Garage--YES!!! And it's amazing to walk into.
• Put up gates--No but these are more for the dog for now.
• Finalize baby's middle name--we have a few finalists. I think so!
• Take a babymoon-Yep!
• We still need to install the carseat but have it :) 
• I also finished and completed a few sewing projects which I blogged about a few days back. 

I think we are ready!

What i am Excited For:
For when labor starts. Even though it will hurt like crazy I am sure I am still excited for the moment that the ball gets rolling.

Guessing Game.

A little late I know, but I was holding out thinking maybe Mini Bee would have arrived so I wanted to wait to write this. Plus, with the storm last night we get our 4th of July firework show tonight--so there :)

Onto the reason for writing this...
For a little while there, I was thinking we were going to have a 4th of July baby. Looks like he is going to hold out a little longer.

I am interested in some guesses.... When do you think Mini Bee will arrive??
Feel free to guess weight, inches and anything else too :)

Some maybe / maybe not helpful details to consider:   My due date is July 25th -- I am dialated 3 cm as of last Tuesday (headed to the dr today)

So let's see those guesses (don't be shy)....

When do you think Mini Bee will arrive?!?!?!!

Maternity Shoot Pt. 1

Here is a sampler from my indoor maternity shoot. 

They were taken by mJoy Photography (my husband!)

All images property of mJoy Photography

To see more images from the shoot, click HERE :)

While there, be sure to "like us" :)

Baby Pictures.

As I anticipate Mini Bee's arrival, I often wonder what features he will get from Mitch and I. I was curious as to what we each looked like as a baby and dug out some pictures.

Our pictures from birth:

                        Mitch                                                                              Melissa

Both of us were relatively small and had lots of hair 

so I think that may show up in our Mini Bee.

Pictures from when we were a little bigger:

Looks like we may have a pretty cute baby on our hands ;)