Nathan Michael Riker

I'm finally going to get a minute to update this blog! Hopefully I'll be able to finish it all in one sitting. Michael ran up the to store and Nathan is sleeping. Yes, my little baby Nate is here. Let me start from the beginning...

We got to the hospital and checked in on Monday at 7:30am. They gave me the pitocin at 8:30am, and labor had officially began. Jaime came up that morning and brought the dogs to the kennel and then headed up to the hospital. Labor seemed to progress slowly, and I was becoming discouraged each time I was checked and only changed by a centimeter, if that. We spent the morning watching tv and scrapbooking. Sometime in the afternoon the doctor broke my water and I was given my epidural. After he broke my water the contractions really kicked up and I was ready for my epidural. I was checked again in the afternoon and was only to 4.5cm. The doctor said I had several more hours ahead and so I didn't think I would have him until late evening. I was getting a little worried that things weren't going to progress like they should. Although it wasn't too much later and I started getting the shakes. I didn't feel cold but they put warm blankets on me, which felt nice and the extra weight was good. The nurse said I could be shaking from the increase in hormones. My body must have been shooting out the hormones because I was shaking and a couple hours of that I started feeling this pressure, like I needed to go to the bathroom. It was different than the regular contractions that felt like menstrual cramps in my lower abdomen. I felt the need to push. Michael called the nurse in and she checked me and said, are you ready to have a baby? I couldn't believe it. Hours had gone by with not much result and then in the last couple of hours I went from 4.5cm to 9.5cm. I couldn't believe it was actually happening. I pushed for 45 minutes and then heard the most beautiful sound I have ever heard in my entire life, the sound of my son crying. I still get emotional thinking about the moment I held him for the first time. Michael cut the cord and gave him his first bath. All I could think is he is here, finally, and the most precious baby I have ever seen. He weighed 8lbs 6oz and was 21" long.

He is now almost a week old. Things are falling into place more each day. We had some difficulties with his eating at first, but that has smoothed out. He sleeps and eats most of the time. I feel like a milking machine. And as exhausted as I am right now, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love him to pieces, could stare at him forever, and couldn't imagine not having him. Everyone is right, having a child changes everything, but is completely worth it.

**Note-I didn't get this finished in one sitting...welcome to parenthood, huh!?!

39 Weeks

Hopefully my last post about pregnancy! I went to the doctor today. I little more weight gain but under the usual 2lbs so I don't care. At this point, I really don't care about much except having this baby. The doctor checked me and I'm at 1.5cm, so not really much of a change from last week, but I am 75% effaced. She stripped my membranes to hopefully "encourage" labor, so we'll see if that helps. Since it's raining we're going to do some window shopping today and hopefully all the walking around will really help too. If not, then we are scheduled for an induction on Monday, the original due date.

Michael's Home!

I got the call this morning; he had arrived in Atlanta and would be at the Indianapolis Airport at noon. I was beyond excited and headed up there early and still missed his arrival! His flight got in early and so while I was waiting for him where the passengers get off the plane, he was waiting at the baggage claim. And we both had the same picture in our minds of what it was going to be like, running to greet each other. Oh well. It's good to have him home and I now feel a huge sense of relief that he will definitely be home for the baby's birth. He's sleeping now, his schedule is extremely off from being half-way around the world and not getting a whole lot of sleep the last few days, but hopefully he will catch up on all that sleep tonight. We don't have much planned, which is good as two weeks won't be long enough as it is. We're just going to relax and enjoy each other's company and anticipate Nathan's arrival. But he's safe at home and happy!

Trying To Be Patient

Michael should be coming home on leave in the next few days. The days have already seemed long and now I know they're going to seem extremely long until that day arrives. I'm super excited to see him and I just can't believe that the time is here. It feels like forever I've been saying only this much longer (weeks, months) until you get home. Now it's just days away. Which brings on the next thought, the baby. I tell Nate everyday just hang in there a little bit longer. Just wait until daddy comes home. It's is surreal to think that there's really only a little over a week at most until he is born. I'm so anxious to see both of them! I pretty much have everything ready, but I think I want to clean the house one more time so it's really clean. And I might have to make a stop at Hobby Lobby this weekend to grab some craft stuff to keep my mind focused on something else until Michael gets home. The worst part is not knowing when I will get to see either one of them. I don't have details on any of Michael's flight information and well, Nathan sure isn't telling me anything!

38 Weeks

Since Nathan is ready to come out there is really no new developments this week. Just growing a bit each day. They say 6.8lbs and just over 19 1/2 inches long. I guess we'll be finding out soon enough how big he really is.

The power went out shortly after I got to the doctor's office. They had flashlights set up everywhere--they were very prepared! And unfortunately the scale is battery operated so they could still weigh me--yay! Which my weight was about the only thing that changed from last week. Another 2 pounds! I can't believe it! So this means I'm officially over the 190 mark, which I never thought I would hit at the beginning, but now it looks like not only am I going to hit it, but probably pass it up by next week. I've been okay with my weight gain up to this point and it's a good thing there's only a couple weeks left or it might really depress me. So my weight went up but I'm still at 1cm and not effaced at all. I have my next appointment on Monday and we'll see where I'm at at that time and talk about induction. Crazy how real this is all getting.

I was up last night again with horrendous heartburn. The pain was so bad it felt like it was going straight through my body to my back and into the bed. Must have been the darn broccoli at dinner! That's all I can think of. And I guess taking it moderately easy is working, just until Michael comes home in about a week. Then I'm going to do whatever it takes to bring labor on. Although the closer to the end it gets, the more I'm relishing the pregnancy. Weird, right? I just want to remember his little movements and hiccups and stuff. We've been so close for so long it's going to be weird not to have him inside me anymore and to feel all his little movements. Yes, I must be going crazy---can't wait to have him and already missing him before he's born!

A Day at the Spa

Well, a couple hours actually, but it was a wonderful couple of hours. Jaime received an email from a spa in Madison for this amazing deal for the first 15 callers. She had told me about it on Saturday when they came up and so we called and they had 3 spots left. It included a facial, full body massage, and a hand & foot paraffin dip, all for $50 (originally over $200!). We thought it might be some kind of gimmick, but it wasn't. I've never had a facial before, so that was neat. The guy liked to talk, but that was okay. I've never had a paraffin dip either. The wax was so hot! But it left my hands and feet pretty soft. And the body massage was exactly what I needed. She didn't talk at all, which I loved (have you ever gone for a massage and had the person talk the whole time, not relaxing at all), and she was really good about the big belly. I laid on my sides and then when I was on my back she elevated the back and put a pillow under my knees. It was all very wonderful and relaxing. Now Jaime is getting her turn today--a very much needed break for her.

37 Weeks

Well, today I am officially considered full-term. So I could have this little guy and he would be all ready to enter the world. He's approximately 6 1/3 lbs. and around 19 inches long. And from here on out the only thing that will be changing will be his size. All developing is done! It's weird to think that one minute he's on the inside, making movements that from the outside are very alien-like, and the next minute he will be this little baby. And even though he's all developed, it's my plan to keep him in there until Michael gets home in a couple of weeks. Let's just hope Nate's on the same page.

My doctor's appointment went well. I gained another 4lbs, which is probably much more than I should be gaining at this point (I think it's at most a pound a week, so 4lbs in 2 weeks doubles that, but oh well). Everything else was good-blood pressure, measurement, heartbeat, etc. I'm dilated to 1cm so just a bit up from 2 weeks ago. I'm happy about that because I don't want to progress too quickly and have to worry about having this baby before Michael gets home. And while it is still a concern of mine, I feel a lot better. Now it will be not having this baby too late either! I talked about inducing with the doctor today. A lot of it will be based on my body and where I'm at. The concern is with a first pregnancy that inducing before my body is ready doubles the chance for a c-section. He would like me to be at least 50% effaced and dilated to 3cm before he induces me, but is willing to induce me at 40 1/2 weeks if I don't go into labor before then. So as soon as Michael gets home, I see a lot of long walks happening, even if the doctor says that doesn't work. Just ask my sister.

Other than that, I'm feeling pretty good. Since Nate has dropped the foot in the ribs is much less of an issue. I'm surprised at the strength of his movements though. When he really gets going I think he could knock the book or plate (or whatever else might be resting on my belly) right off. It's amazing to feel and see. I'm extremely tired and enjoy my afternoon naps almost daily. This might have something to do with my sleep, or lack thereof, at night. But I'm lucky that I can take those naps. I've been feeling a lot of anxiety over the birth and becoming a mother. I ask Jaime a million questions and I just hope that everything will fall into place when he arrives. I'm becoming more terrified of the birth, the anticipation and the unknown are probably what's making it even worse. But I know I will get through it and I am so excited for the reward I will get at the end of all of this. I cannot wait to meet my baby Nate.

Trick O' Treat

The Toppes came up on Saturday. They were in the area for their family pictures and came over afterwards so that Lucas could go trick or treating in the neighborhood. He dressed up as a ninja and it was so cute to watch him go to the houses. He was so excited about getting candy and was so happy when one lady commented how nice his costume was. We probably hit less than a dozen houses but he was ready and that was good amount for a 3 year old. We came back to the house to look at all the candy he got, drink some hot cocoa, and watch a Halloween tv special. I'm so glad they came up so I could go trick or treating with them. These are the activities I can't wait to do with my own kids. It will be such a fun part of parenting. And I haven't been in a really fall festive mood with Michael gone (I didn't even carve a pumpkin which means no seeds for me), but I just wasn't into it. I can always count on little Lucas to lift my spirits. And maybe trick or treating will be a new tradition for our families.