She's here!!

Elizabeth Jane Dart was born May 3rd at 3:49pm! We are so blessed to have our precious little Liza!

I was scheduled for a c-section at 11:30am on Thursday, but scheduled c-sections get pushed behind any emergency c-sections or regular deliveries, so I sat on this bed waiting for her for several hours...

Finally, around 3pm, they told us it was about time to go back and brought Matt his "daddy suit" - he was pretty excited!

I walked into the operating room and got a spinal and Matt came in about 20 minutes later. I had wondered what it would be like to be awake while being cut open. I didn't feel anything, but it definitely wasn't a pleasant experience. In fact, as soon as they pulled her out, they gave me something very strong that made me sleep until I was all sewn up and it was over.

Liza was 9 lbs 12 oz and 21.25 inches long! The ultrasound 3 days prior showed her to be 9 lbs 11 oz, so it was right on. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck twice, and my doctor confirmed that a c-section was the right choice.

I got to hold her as soon as I got to recovery. That was awesome! They checked her blood sugar and it was 20. They like it to be at least 40 in a newborn, so they had to give her a bottle of formula right away. They checked it again 20 minutes later and it was 41! This was good enough that she got to stay with us, which was a HUGE answer to prayer!

Later that night my mom brought Will up to meet his little sister!

Friday morning Matt's mom flew up here, and Liza got to spend some time with both of her grandmothers!

And Will brought balloons for his sister!

Mom had to leave Friday evening but came back to the hospital before she left to see Baby Liza a little more...

Beautiful flowers from my Aunt Faye!!

And amazing cookies from Grandmama (Matt's mom)!

Saturday afternoon our friends Dave and Courtney came to visit us! They moved to New York last fall and just happened to be in Evanston this weekend. It was so great to see them! Saturday night Matt and I had the "celebratory dinner" that the hospital provides on white tablecloths!

Sunday I woke up and got a shower and was hoping the doctors would let us go home. In our hospital it is customary for c-section moms to stay 4 nights, but we asked if we could leave early and were allowed to!

Liza wore the same dress that I'd worn home from the hospital 31 years ago! My mom surprised me with it a few weeks ago - I can't believe my mom kept it all these years! Here is a picture of me wearing it...

So happy to be going home!

We are extremely thankful for this precious, healthy little girl!!

We're gonna have a May baby!

Today we found out that this baby will be arriving via c-section on Thursday May 3rd! It's not what I wanted, but after my appointment today, we are confident that this is best for both me and the baby. The growth ultrasound today showed that the baby weighs 9 lbs 11 oz. I know women can give birth to 10+ pound babies, but what really concerned the doctors was the size of the baby's stomach, which apparently indicates how big the shoulders will be. If the shoulders are too big, it can lead to shoulder dystocia where the head is delivered but the shoulders get stuck and can cause permanent damage or death for the baby. My high-risk doctor consulted with 3 other high-risk doctors to get their opinion and all 3 said without a doubt I should have a c-section.

With Will I was so confident that I would have a c-section (it is very common in diabetics because of the size of the baby) that I wasn't prepared for labor at all. I hadn't gone through any classes and didn't know what to expect. I had a pretty horrible delivery and recovery. This time, I  desperately wanted things to be different and thoroughly educated myself on all things having to do with labor and delivery. I read Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, Husband-coached Childbirth, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, Baby Catcher, and Your Best Birth. I watched documentaries and educational videos - both of the Business of Being Born dvd's, Laugh and Learn about Childbirth class, and a documentary called Pregnant in America. And I researched things to death on the internet. I'd been doing so much to get my body ready for labor - squats, tailor sitting, and pelvic tilts, sitting on an exercise ball everyday, drinking 3-4 cups of red raspberry leaf tea a day, doing accupressure for the last few weeks to start labor, etc. So it was quite ironic to learn today that this time I was wrong once again and will be having a c-section! Strangely I feel peace about it though. Especially during these last weeks of pregnancy, I pray pretty often for wisdom for my doctors. So when they very strongly say I need a c-section, I believe them.

My mom's been here for 2 weeks but needs to leave Friday (my sister is graduating from graduate school with a degree in counseling this weekend - SO proud of you MB!!) so Matt's mom is going to come up to watch Will while we are in the hospital and for the first few days we come home. My mom has been a tremendous help taking care of Will, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, etc. I don't know how we would have survived without her!! Here's a few pictures of the last few weeks...

We made Scalini's (an Atlanta restaurant) famous Eggplant Parmigiana to put me in labor. It was absolutely delicious, but obviously didn't work on me!

Will liked it!

Last week I was VERY close to being induced because of pre-eclampsia. My blood pressure was high and some of my lab work was showing signs of pre-eclampsia also, so a nurse called the day before my appointment on Wednesday and said to bring my bags with me, because there was a high chance I'd be induced (blood pressure had gone down a little by the time I went in so they held off). So Tuesday night we took Will out for ice-cream as a last "just the three of us" outing.

And Wednesday morning mom took a last "just the three of us" picture before my appointment!

Will giving his baby sister a "hug"

Mom and I have been busy doing lots of sewing projects while we wait on Baby Girl! Mom's projects are awesome and I'll get pics of them later, but I'm pretty proud of my simple little swaddling blankets!

We are SO SO SO excited to meet this baby girl in a few days!!!

Waiting...

I am officially full-term now and just waiting on this little girl to decide she wants to come out:) I'll be induced on or around May 1 if she doesn't come on her own sooner. My blood pressure has been high for the last week, so we are monitoring it closely and hoping it doesn't turn into preeclampsia like it did with Will. I am on modified bed rest, but thankfully it hasn't been that bad because Matt has been able to help out a ton and on Tuesday my mom came in town! I am SO thankful for that! She has been a huge help.

As of today's ultrasound she weighs 8 pounds 11 ounces! I know they can be off by up to 2 pounds, so we'll see how big she ends up being! I would love to avoid an induction or c-section so I am following some old wives tales to naturally induce labor but so far nothing has worked! It is hard to just be patient:)

Baby Girl Dart!

I went for an ultrasound Monday and got to see baby girl in 3D! It is so neat to get a glimpse of what she is going to look like! (And that is the umbilical cord in front of her face on the left!)

Also, she flipped! I am SO glad!! I laid upside down on a propped up ironing board (I read online this is the best way to do it) with frozen peas on my upper stomach every day for the last week. Matt took this picture of me one night...

Thankfully everything seems to be going well with Baby Girl Dart! I can't wait to meet her!!

34 weeks

How far along: 34 weeks

Size of baby: I won't show a picture of fruit this week because I am so far off the charts...according to an ultrasound Monday this baby is 6 lbs 9 oz already! For comparison, Will was 7 lbs 9 oz during this same week. So even though she isn't as big as Will was at this stage, she is still measuring very large.

How I'm feeling: Like a whale. Tired. Achy. Keeping up with our very active 2 year old takes every bit of energy I have! I really shouldn't complain though - at this point in my pregnancy with Will I was already on bed rest, so I am VERY thankful that things are going better this time.

Highlights this week: This week started my weekly NST's (non-stress tests - laying in a recliner at the hospital with fetal monitors strapped to me to measure baby's movements for 30 minutes) and ultrasounds. I found out on Monday that the baby is breech! Normally not a huge deal at 34 weeks, except for the fact that this baby is already so large, she has less time (and space) to flip around. I have looked up every method out there to flip a baby, and as crazy as they may be, I am trying them! Why not, if it can avoid a c-section, right? So I've laid upside down with my hips and feet up in the air, and put a bag of frozen peas on my upper stomach (with the theory that babies don't like cold). And two other things I haven't tried yet but have heard they could work is to play music through headphones really low on your stomach (babies can hear music and move towards it) and to shine a flashlight low on your stomach (they can also sense light and move towards it). I know, sounds crazy right? I am also doing a lot of praying:) I get an ultrasound each Monday so hopefully she will flip by the next time I go in!

31 weeks and nursery preview

How far along: 31 weeks

Size of baby: She is about the size of a pineapple!

How I'm feeling: Very big! Sleeping, getting comfortable, and doing things like bending over to pick toys up off the floor are getting harder, but overall I feel really good! I love being pregnant and feeling this baby kick and move around - it is the best feeling!

Highlights this week: I am in full nesting mode. I spend way too much time on Ebay (for baby girl clothes) and Etsy (for nursery decor) - more just looking than buying anything - but it is so much fun! I have found some of the best deals on Ebay for baby girl clothes - good brands for CHEAP! And I cannot wait to have the nursery done! It will probably be awhile before it is done enough to show pictures, but here is a sneak preview and things I like...

This is the bedding I'm using

lampshade in pink

I couldn't find a picture of the curtains anywhere online - this is the closest I could find, except the ones I got are pink (and probably my favorite thing in the room!)

I'm kind of obsessed with these owl bookends from PBK. One of these days I may break down and buy them!

And I like these knobs from Etsy for her chest 

Cute stool!

One of several name signs I like...

I like this bow holder (can you tell I like pink, green, and owls??)

And I love the idea of having a scripture in her room. This is one of my favorite verses and I think it would be cute in green and pink!