Avery- 3 weeks old

A couple of pics from INSIDE the delivery room...

12 days old...

and I still feel like I am living in a dream. It still seems too good to be true that I have my baby boy at home and he is as perfect as they come. My mom came over everyday to help out with the baby during his first week. She cleaned house, did laundry, cooked, stocked the kitchen with yummy foods... and best of all let me sleep. I knew that the sleep deprivation would be the hardest part for me and thanks to my Mama I feel like I have finally caught up on some rest. I was lucky enough to be able to stay at my parents house for a couple of nights over the weekend which REALLY helped. One night I pumped so that my mom could take over the night shift. She even let me sleep in until 2pm!! It was awesome. Now I am back home and I feel like I have a better handle on things. Maybe tomorrow I will actually be able to get out of my pajamas (which I have lived in since 12/4).

I have uploaded the pics off of my camera from Avery's birth. Michael got some pretty cool pics during my c-section. I will post them as soon as I get a free minute. I also will write my birth story. So stay tuned...

**Side note** Avery HATES pacifiers. Not sure why but he starts acting like he is gagging when I try to give him one. However, my sister Amy gave him a Wubbunub (sp?) and he actually fell asleep with it in his mouth. Maybe there is some hope in the paci department. ;)

Avery's Birth Pics cont...

Everyone gathered around to see Avery on his way to the nursery...


















Avery's first bath in the nursery...


















Waiting for his Mommy in the nursery...












First time I got to hold Avery was outside of the nursery on the way to my room. I couldn't stop crying. It was the single most amazing moment of my entire life. I LOVE HIM!












My nephew Luke (aka Buzz Lightyear) was entertaining everyone in my room.

Avery's Birth Pics...Taken by my sister

Kisses in Pre-Op...

Just got the epidural and IV...

Apparently I was being pretty funny in the pre-op...

Thumbs up in recovery...

Proud Daddy escorting Avery to the nursery...

Sneak Peak...

Avery Parker Whitfield
Born on December 4, 2008 @ 12:29pm
9 lbs 7oz & 20.5 ins
He is PERFECT in every way!

Last night before Mommyhood...

I am sitting here at our kitchen table on the night before Avery's birthday just thinking about how lucky I am. I honestly feel like I am in a dream. I feel like my life right at this very second is way too good to be true. I am so thankful to God for allowing Michael & I to have so much. We love eachother more than we ever have and that in itself makes Avery such a lucky little guy. I KNOW that we will do everything in our power to give him a great life...I have no doubts.

Today I had this huge urge to have everything perfect for when Avery arrives home. Not that he will be able to realize any of it but still. So Michael and I spent the day cleaning house and setting up last minute baby things for him. The only thing we are lacking is his stocking. But rest assured, it has been ordered and is on its way from the Pottery Barn warehouse as we speak. ;)

While I am terrified about the actual surgery, it really doesnt seem as scary now. Dr. Clark said that once she starts, she will can him in out in about 4 minutes. And once I hear his sweet cry I wont be able to focus on anything but him so the rest will be a breeze. I am hoping and praying that everything goes smoothly and that by 1:00pm tomorrow I will have a healthy little boy in my arms.

Well, Michael keeps telling me that I should at least try to get some sleep. So off to bed I go. My last night without my sweet boy. If my blog readers could send a few prayers up to the Big Guy tomorrow we would grately appreciate it.

XOXO!

Christmas Tree...

Macrosomia aka "Big Baby Syndrome"

Macrosomia is the diagnosis that was written on the paperwork for my c-section. It usually goes along with moms who have gestational diabetes which thank God I do not have. While talking with Dr. C this morning I was asking her if I did something wrong. I can't help but feel like a failure since I am not able to have a vaginal delivery. I never understood it when other pregnant women said that but I do now. I feel like I can't even do what my body was meant to do. Dr. Clark said that I did nothing wrong. I didnt even gain too much weight, especially considering his size. She said that in my case it all has to do with genetics. I was an 8.5lbs baby at 36 weeks for goodness sakes. And I'm not sure if you have seen Michael but he is a pretty big guy. ;) She said that generally, the larger the baby the healthier the baby. Now let's just hope he doesn't come out at 6 lbs because then I will definitley be pissed. Honestly, I feel alot better about our decision to go the c-section route now. I think I just needed a few days to let it sink in and get over my hopes of a normal vaginal delivery. I read about a woman who tried to deliver a "Big Baby" and she ended up with her baby having a broken collar bone, then she had a broken tail bone, a fourth degree episiotomy AND ended up with a ceserean anyways. Talk about hurting!! I would rather just have one cut and for Avery to not be hurt in any way.

So there you have it...Avery is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, December 4th @ Noon.

I can't wait to hold this little boy and give him all of the huggies and kissies that he can stand! =)

9 lbs of Pure Baby Goodness...

We are going to meet with Dr. Clark first thing in the morning to schedule my ceserean. After thinking about it all weekend we decided that it was the safest/smartest thing for Avery and myself.

Here are some pics for your enjoyment...

39 weeks:





*FYI* The pajamas that I am wearing in the pics are heavenly! Thanks Mama!

Lots to think about...

So today I had an ultrasound to estimate Avery's size. Last week when Dr. Culpepper was out of town I met with Dr. Clark (who was my gyno since like 16). She was concerned that Avery was going to be a BIG boy and that we better check it out. I have expected him to be a good sized baby but it seems like we just didnt keep track of it accurately enough. Today the sonographer estimates him at weighing 9 lbs and 4 oz. WTF?!?! The thought of squeezing out a 7.5 lbs baby scared me but 9+ lbs... I dont know how I could physically survive that. So today I saw Dr. Clark again and when she checked me for dilation (which I am not even a little) she noticed that I have a "Narrow Pelvic Arch". This means that Avery and I are at high risk for experiencing "Shoulder Dystocia". This is something that could happen once he gets down low enough to be pushed out and his shoulders could get stuck. So then there is a wide range of things that could go wrong. One of those being that it could cause him nerve damage and he wouldnt be able to lift his arms over his head and it could possibly be permenant. YIKES! Dr. Clark told me NOT to google it so that I didnt freak myself out but I did and there is a ton of other awful things that could happen to myself & Avery.

So Dr. Clark suggested that we schedule a c-section for next week. I told her that I needed to talk to Michael & I would let her know. I am scheduled for an OB appt first thing Monday morning and I will then let her know what we have decided. Michael says there is no question whether or not to have the c-section and to get it scheduled. I guess I just want to be sure that Dr. Clark isnt being too quick to jump into a c-section which she is kinda known for. The more I think about it, the sillier it sounds that I want to even wait and try a vaginal delivery. I guess I just had it all planned out in my head and a c-section wasnt in the picture. I have had no complications at all throughout my pregnancy, so for all of this to come up now just frustrates me. I wanted Michael, my Mom AND my sisters to be in the delivery room but looks like all of that is out of the question now.

The Dr. said that if I do decide against the c-section that she wouldnt start anything towards an induction until December 8th. At that point if he has still not dropped any and I am still not dilating then she will start me on a cervical ripening cream. Also she said that she is not uncomfortable with me trying to labor him. She just would have to monitor me very closely and would do a c-section if ANY complications should arise. Who knows? Everything could go perfectly. It just sucks that we cant know until its too late.

I dont know. I am so confused and not good with making decisions right now. If yall know of anyone who has experienced this let me know. I would love to chat with them. I may also try to get another opinion from Dr. Millstein on Friday. I'll keep ya posted!

Things that I am thankful for....

Top 21 in no particular order:

1. My new home in my cute little neighborhood
2. My helpful & loving parents
3. Michael & the fact that he loves me even with a big belly & a bitchy attitude
4. Kailey, Cameron, Luke, Olivia, Baby Boy Sweezey, Jordan, Gage & The Smith Twins
5. My sisters who help me so much & are my best friends
6. AVERY!
7. Sophie & Bama even though they are making me nuts
8. That my loved ones are happy, healthy, and safe.
9. All of the pregnant chicks who can relate with me when I say "I'm OVER IT!"
10. The strength to make it through the last year which even though it was ROUGH was the best year of my LIFE!
11. My best friends who have supported me through everything
12. Finally becoming a Whitfield!
13. Bubble Baths which I could not live without
14. Having Jennifer Thomi to experience pregnancy with me since day one!
15. Being able to drink milkshakes without remorse for the past 9+ mos.
16. Leigh Ann Degroot! =)
17. For patience to show up when I needed it most
18. My brother-in-laws who put up with my sisters...hehe.
19. Sale items & Clearance racks
20. For being in the EXACT place that I am right now in life. I couldn't ask for me!
21. My backyard
22. Michael's J-O-B
23. My healthy pregnancy
24. Manicures & Pedicures
25. And especially for MY MAMA! I love her to death and couldn't have made it without her. =)

Just a reminder for my sis...

Dear Juli,

Because you ever so graciously tag your blog postings it was super easy for me to dig these up. Let's not forget that you DID get this big...so stop hatin' on my buddah belly biotch!

Love you,

Your Sweet Baby Sister aka Big Mama LaLa

Weekend Photo Dump

Kailey + Lukey+ Cammie= BFF

Sweet Baby Olivia

Olivia & my Mama

A super swollen preggo & my 2 favorite girls

The Hubby & I (haha...I like saying that)

37 weeks = MISERABLE

Today I had my 37 week OB appt. I was so wanting Dr. C to tell me that I was dialating or something. Instead she told me that she wasnt even going to check me. She said that Avery is still sitting high as can be and seems content to hang out a little while longer. Also, I am having no signs of labor of any kind. I randomly had like 3 braxton hicks contractions the other day when I was at Jason's Deli with Amy but nothing else. I want some REAL contractions! No I dont want to have the baby right this second because he may only be 6 - 6.5lbs, but I would like to have him in the next couple of weeks. Alot of people tell me stories of how they dialate to a 3 for a month and I just cant have that. Not unless the dialation starts real soon.

Dr. C and I talked about what would happen if my due date came along and still no Avery. She said she would let me go all the way until December 18th. WTF?! Thats when I started to cry. She said that since I have expressed to her how terrified I am about a C-Section that inducing me and forcing my body to do something that it isnt quite ready for would be silly. While I see her point and yes it is the smartest thing to do, I am just so over being pregnant! I am pretty miserable. My belly is stretched as far as it will go and it is rock hard all the time. I can't sleep but I am exhausted 24/7. I have heartburn all day long. I could go on and on but I wont. Basically, I didnt have the greatest time at my appt.

On a good note I did lose a few pounds. I was relieved to find that out considering my crazy weight gain from last week.

Tonight's supposed to be a full moon so maybe that will kick start some dialation. We shall see!

Fun Married People Stuff

Even though its not a priority just yet, I can't wait until next summer when we get to have an actual wedding. There is alot of fun stuff that goes with weddings like ummmm... wedding showers! I always wanted to be able to register for some towels that have a "W" monogrammed on them. Well, since my sister Amy is so crafty she gave us some. She monogrammed them herself and everything.

How cute are these??

People who snore deserve a big punch in the back of the head...

Just saying.

Michael's snoring has gotten sooo bad. It makes me seriously want to punch him. It is hard enough for me to sleep at this stage in my pregnancy so when I do get to sleep finally I really get ticked if I am woken up by A.) dumb dogs or B.) Michael the Snoring Dragon.

Good thing he LOVES the guest room bed cause he is going to be spending ALOT of time with it from now until the end of my pregnancy. The guest room bed is my old bed from my parents house and my mom refers to it as the 'princess bed' because it is so comfy. *Just thought I'd add that in so you people dont go feeling sorry for Michael.* ;)

Now that I am done hating... I'll tell ya something that I LOVE about Michael.

I love how Michael never tries to act cool. Ya know how some guys can get really into trends or do/say things that they think make them Mr. Cool...well, Michael hasnt ever been that guy. I love that about him. On Halloween we spent the day watching the Goosebumps marathon on Nickelodeon and lets just say that I'm not the one who is the Goosebumps fan...hehe. Tonight when he got home from work we ate dinner, got ready for bed (yes at like 5:30pm), turned off all the lights and cuddled up on the couch for the Little People marathon. Now that's MY kind of cool!!

Gotta get back to the couch because at 8pm is the John & Kate Plus 8 Wedding Special and we are NOT gonna miss it. HECK YEAH!

Quick Weekend Update...

Friday, Michael made me hang out at home all day so that the crazy swelling in my feet/ankles would go down. And what do you know....it went down after some rest and relaxation. That night we went to see Role Models which was hilarious. If you havent seen it, GO NOW. You will laugh your bootay off!

Saturday, I tried to stay off of my feet for the most part. At night I went to dinner with Tara, Jessica, and Adria. It is always nice to catch up with my besties. Here is a 36 weeks pic that Michael took before I left...


On Sunday I ran around looking for Thanksgiving decorations with my Mama, Juli & the kids. We were unsuccessful because apparently all stores go from Halloween to Christmas and skip right over Turkey Day. *So annoying* Here is a pic of Lukey "putting a fire out". Lets just say this wasnt the only time we had to make an emergency stop to let him go pee-pee.


Here are a couple of other pics that I ran across tonight:


Avery's Letters that I made him.


Olivia when she was just a couple of weeks old....SO CUTE!

It's Official!

You can call me Mrs. Whitfield. =)

We went and made it legal today. It definitely wasnt how I ever imagined my wedding to be like. I had a hard time being serious which made it awkward for Michael I think. But come on, its comical. Who would've ever thought that Michael and I would be standing before a judge with me 9 mos pregnant saying our vows. The judge said a really nice prayer which made it special though.

Nowadays, people focus so much on the wedding and dont think too much about the actual marriage. But for us we wanted the marriage...the wedding can wait. I really dont mind doing it all out of order. It works for us. November 4th marked our 10 year anniversary of dating. I still remember November 4th ten years ago. We were 16 years old and it was super cold outside. We stayed up really late talking on the phone (on a school night) and thats when we decided to exclusively be girlfriend & boyfriend. I never thought for one second that we would be together forever but I wouldnt have it any other way. Now, we love eachother so much more than we ever have. Our love has matured. We love and fight in a completely different way than we used to. We no longer take eachother for granted like we had in the past. And the amount of respect we have for eachother is on a totally different level than it ever has been. Avery will never have to know how hard the past 9 mos has been because we pulled it off...we are finally officially a family and everytime I think about it I just get so happy!

Just in the knick of time we are married and settled into a beautiful home. Now, I can finally relax. Maybe I will take a couple of days to slow down, rest my feet and be thankful for all that I have.

Obama is sick!

About to POP & other ramblings...

I feel like I could pop at any given moment now. That excites me and scares me all at the same time. At my doctor's visit last Thursday I gained 5 lbs over the past 2 weeks. *NOT GOOD* So my goal this week is to eat alot healthier. I really have to put a stop to eating so many sweets which is exactly what has been putting so much weight on me. I asked my Dr if I was gaining too much and she said "no" since I only have gained 25 lbs total (she said I can gain about 10 more but I am going to try my very hardest not too). She also said that the baby should be gaining about half of what I do over the next few weeks. I would go walking more now but with the crazy swelling I have going on in my feet that just seems like torture. Thank God I am I am having Avery before it gets too cold because all I can squeeze my chubby feet into is one pair of ballet slipper shoes and flip flops.

I still need to pack my bag for the hospital. I must do that this week. Hopefully it will put my nerves at ease a bit. I will get this done tomorrow. Promise. ;)

**Weekend Update**
On Friday night Michael and I hung around the house and passed out candy for a little while. Our friends (who we used to live next door to while living in the condo) stopped by to see the new house and to let us see their baby, Cooper. He is 8 mos old and was dressed up like a dinosaur. He was too cute! It was really nice to have friends over even if it was for just a little bit. Then we went to Michael's sister Karen's house. She lives in Woodbridge so there were tons of trick-or-treaters. Seeing all of the cute little kids got me all excited about Avery getting dressed up next Halloween.

On Saturday, my sisters and I went to Dream Dinners to make some meals. We got an awesome deal and the dinners look so yummy. Now I just have to try to keep Michael out of them until the baby comes. I think it will be so helpful if all he has to do is pop one of those meals in the oven. I know I will be in no mood for cooking so with the help of Dream Dinners he should be able to handle it. After that we went to get my mom a birthday gift as well as stuff to cook her for dinner. We all went over to my parents house on Saturday night which was lots of fun. When all of the kids get together they are WILD & CRAZY but its still a good time. Juli and Amy made Chicken Spaghetti which Michael fell in love with. They made enough that I got to bring some home to freeze for yet another meal while I am recovering. =)

After dinner we all watched the Texas game...which SUCKED by the way! It was such a nail biter and I literally ruined my manicure while watching. My dad, who is a diehard fan, just about broke his new expensive plasma TV when Tech pulled another touchdown out of their ass in the last 8 seconds of the game. Texas had to give up their #1 spot which is heartbreaking. On the other hand, Michael wasnt too upset considering that Alabama got bumped up to the #1 spot because of the Longhorn's loss.

Enough about that. So today I woke up in a sour mood because of the dogs. They just get on my nerves. I love them but I can honestly say that I could probably live a perfectly happy life without them. Everything they do now just pisses me off. Pregnancy and dogs do not mix. And the further along I get, the more I want to open the front door and set those puppies free. JK....well...kinda.

The rest of the day we spent in Garland at my parent's and Michael's parents houses. I love Sundays! And I love being at my parents house on Sundays. I dont feel like I had a real Sunday without some Lifetime Movie Network and a little shopping too. Welp, now I am pooped out.

I will post some belly pics this week. Just when I thought it couldnt possibly get any bigger...it DID! ;)

34 Weeks

Here are a couple of pics taken last night. And the video is a MUST SEE! This morning while watching Regis and Kelly I figured that I should probably record the craziness that Avery puts his Mommy through ALL DAY, EVERYDAY! Watch closely...between the heavy breathing you can see him making some major waves in my belly.

Enjoy!

Dinner....Big Gurl Style!

Man, I so cant wait to not be pregnant anymore. Maybe then I wont think its okay to have chicken nuggets and a cookies & cream milkshake from Chick fil a for dinner.







Oh sick! I just looked up the nutritional facts and my little meal consisted of 1050 calories and 46 grams of fat! But it did have 44 grams of protein so that is how I will justify it. I must eat protein...Dr's orders!! ;)

Maternity Pics

My sister Juli came by on Saturday morning and took some maternity pics. She did an AMAZING job!

Here are a few of the pics that she has edited so far...












More to come!

The one and only...Laurin Dove

My parents did good! This is when I entered Laurin Dove.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1 or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

This is when I entered Avery Whitfield.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 2 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

This is when I searched for Michael Whitfield even though his first name is technically Patrick.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 524 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Nursery Pics...

We are just about finished with the nursery. I still need to hang the letters that spell "AVERY" over his crib. I painted them myself and it has taken longer than I thought it would. I also need to hang his vintage firetruck mobile over his crib. Oh and we might get a bookcase too. And maybe one of those cute quote thingies to put on the wall by the rocker.

Here is where we are at currently...

Bama Pics

Today Michael had the day off and so we lounged around for awhile then he left to run errands. When he left Bama got soo sad. They are pretty much obsessed with eachother and Bama doesnt quite know what to do without him. She finally fell asleep staring at the front door. =(

I was bored so I took some pics of this poor little pup...


This is right after she saw him drive away.


Bama is waiting and Sophie is checking out the window for her.


Bama thinks she hears him...but she didnt.