Our Dreams Have Come True!

Our dreams truly have come true!  Sarah Elizabeth was born Wednesday May 16th, 2012 at 14:12.  She weighed in at a whopping 7lbs 1oz and was 20.5 inches long.  Everybody, including the doctors and nurses were convinced that she was going to be at least eight and a half pound baby!

The process of induction was anything but speedy.  We were admitted into the hospital Monday night at 8pm.  After processing was finished and I met the doctor on the floor that night I was started on Cervidil.  This was a 12 hour process to ripen the cervix.  When admitted I was dilated 1cm.  After the 12 hours of Cervidil I had progressed to 2 cm.  Tuesday morning was upon us and so was the next phase of induction with Cytotec and Pitocin.  Contractions started to come more frequently and the intensity increased as time went by.  At one point in time my IV was pulled out of my hand and was replaced on the side of my wrist...ouch!

Late Tuesday night things started getting rough and although I really wanted to do it all natural I opted to get the epidural, primarily since things were not progressing very quickly and I was getting no sleep on top of the pain.  The anesthesiologist came in and started the epidural but it was not given correctly.  Not only did I want to jump off the bed and out the window while he was digging in my back with what I was told to be a very large needle I felt the entire thing.  The epidural did give some relief to the pain but I still had complete mobility of my legs, hips and upper body.  There was no problem maneuvering myself to which the doctors looked at me strangely and question the efficiency of the epidural themselves.  By the next morning the pain had increased and a new anesthesiologist adjusted the epidural medicine.

I was on a roller coaster of Pitocin.  At times it would cause Sarah's heart rate to drop so they would either turn it off or lower the dose. In order to get a better reading on Sarah's heart rate and a true measure of the intensity of the contractions the doctors wanted to place internal probes.  During the placement of the heart monitor probe they were not getting a good reading and the numbers were too low which started a panic.  Doctors and nurses started piling into my hospital room, surrounding me, repositioning, rotating and adjusting every monitor and piece of equipment hooked to me and Sarah searching for a good reading.  Then all of a sudden the doctor in charge stopped everything and said "I don't know what's going on with your baby right now but she needs to be delivered right now!"  I was only 3cm...there was not going to be any pushing this baby out so it was time for an emergency cesarian.   I was rolled down to the operating room where everyone was rushing and running around and in the mess of it all someone got caught up in my IV lines and pulled #2 out of my hand!   OMG!!!  The my new anesthesiologist was extremely upset and irritated with the mess of everything.  He put my third IV in my arm and refused to use the epidural that was done wrong  and instead gave me a Spinal Block.  He did a wonderful job, didn't feel anything more than slight discomfort and then nothing at all.

Having the C-Section was a little scary.  Mostly I just wanted them to get my baby out as fast as possible so we could know how she was doing and address any needs she may have.  Tim was able to come in the operating room.  He was so sweet, touching my face telling me everything was going to be ok.  He came prepared with a camera and the video camera in hand.  Tim said he was able to see the surgery and watched my insides taken out and set on top of me.  But no pictures were taken of that.  Tim was able to cut Sarah's umbilical cord and it was caught on the video camera.  While they were  working on getting Sarah out I was fine but as soon as she was out and they were finishing up I got sick and had to vomit.  Once that was finished I was much better and soon after saw my daughter for the first time.  She was perfect!  Healthy and beautiful.  Tim got to take her back to the room where Grammy was waiting and I came shortly after.

It was a long recovery in the hospital, slightly unnecessary on how long they kept us there.  Friday May  18th we left the hospital around 4pm.  Which brings us to today.  Frequent feeding, sleeping when ever it is possible and loving on our sweet baby girl.

So sorry for the delay in photos but life's priorities have shifted.  Enjoy!

Getting ready to leave the house to go to the hospital!

One last pregnant pose.

8PM Induction Monday May 14th, 2012  

Emergency C-Section Wednesday May 16th, 2012

Born @ 14:12

7lbs 1oz ~ 20.5 inces

First bath @ hospital

Sleepy Girl

Going Home Friday May 18th

Daddy Time

Induction Scheduled!

For those of you who voted that Sarah would be born before her due date...you are right!  We have been scheduled to be induced Monday May 14th @ 8pm at the Naval Hospital Jacksonville.  I am still in a little bit of shock that we are only days away from our dreams coming true with this miracle baby!  Praise God for His blessings!

This last week Tim and I have been making preparations for her arrival...last minute shopping trips, laundry, writing in Sarah's baby book, refinishing Sarah's dresser and organizing the closet full of clothes!    I have a feeling that our "To Do" list is revolving and will never really have a stopping point.

As soon as things calm down at the hospital we will be sure to update everyone with pictures and details via phone calls, texts and/or Facebook!

If you're lucky there might be one more picture posted this weekend of me and my big belly before it deflates!

Please pray SPECIFICALLY for an easy delivery and healthy baby!  My plan is to do it all natural...no drugs...no epidural!

Baby Registry

We have registered at three different location and all are available online.
Target
Babies R Us
Amazon (Look under Baby Department for Registry)

The information you will need to access these registries are the following:
Registrant Name: Alyssa Palmer & Timothy Palmer
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Due Date: May 18, 2012

Ultrasound Update

April 24, 2012
Based from measurements of Sarah's leg, belly and head she is measuring a week ahead of schedule.  They estimate her current weight at 6 pounds 9 ounces!  Sarah's body percentile is somewhere in the mid 60's and her head alone is in the 94th percentile!  She is head down already which is perfect.

Tim and I got to see her face a little bit, she was sleeping with her hands up around her head so it was a little blurry but I totally think that she is going to have Tim's chin and my nose!  I guess we will find out in just a few short weeks!  We also saw her feet, which looked really long and her chubby little hands and yes there are five fingers...I counted!  The best part of the ultrasound was when the tech said she could see some hair!  WHAT????  I had no idea that it was even possible to see your baby's hair on an ultrasound.  She pointed out that the wispy little things coming off the "circle" a.k.a. the circumference of her head was hair!  I was so happy to hear she was going to have some hair since I practically had no hair when I was born and what I did have was so light I looked bald until I was two.  Tim was born with  a good amount of hair.  Now if we only knew what color it will be.  Blond? Brown? Red? (The red comes from my mother's side of the family.  Her dad and brother had red-ish hair.)

So here is my question for you:  What color hair do you think Sarah will have?
I was and still am blond (that's a hair color Dad, not a state of mind!).  Tim was born with brown hair, then it turned blond and now...well, now its a mix of really dark brown and silver but growing up it had been really dark brown!  Please vote on the hair poll!

How many are in there?

We have now entered the last month of pregnancy!  Friday April 20th marked my 36th week of pregnancy!  Wow!  Where has the time gone!  It is amazing to think that now it is less than four weeks away that we will have our sweet baby girl in our arms.

This experience has been life changing for both Tim and me.  It is amazing what happens when you put complete trust and faith in God.  He has answered our prayers...in HIS perfect timing.  Thank you to all of you out there that have prayed with us for this baby for many years and during this pregnancy.  She is a precious gift that was given to us and a blessing.  Please continue to pray for us as we are nearing the end of pregnancy and we enter our new life as parents.  It is our desire to raise Sarah in a Godly home where she can develop a personal relationship with her Lord and Savior...it's so much more than "just" a religion!

 Funny story for y'all today!  As we were entering church the greeter looked at me and said "Wow, not much longer before you have that baby!?!"  To which I told him that there were only three and a half weeks left, May 18th is the due date.  His reply, "And how many do you have in there??????"  Ha!  Just one, yes folks, apparently I appear to be carrying more than just one bambino in my belly.  We laughed and had a good time, I was in an especially good mood today for getting absolutely no sleep the night before.  His best comment made was after he asked if it was a boy or a girl..."She is going to come out running!" LOL!!! The door greeter and I do agree that Sarah will be making an entrance in our lives before May 18th comes around...but that is out of our hands, it's just a hunch.

This coming Tuesday we have an ultrasound to see just how well Sarah has been growing and what position she is in.  Friday (which marks 37 weeks!) I will be meeting with a new OB doctor from within a team of doctors at the Naval Hospital.  So far I have only seen two of the four or five docs but now they like to start rotating them in so in the event that I go into labor...which is bound to happen eventually, I will at least know who this person is that gets to share this special moment with us.

35 Weeks!

Time is ticking and everyday is getting a little more exhausting.  I am looking forward to holding my little girl in my arms where I'm sure it will be more comfortable for the both of us.  She is starting to run out of room inside of me.  The baby books say she should be tipping the scales at five and a half pound and just over 18 inches long!

A few weeks ago Tim and I put the car seat in our VW Jetta to see how it would fit in the back.  It fit in the back seat fine but the front seat was an issue.  Tim got in the passenger seat and his knees were hitting the dash and when I sat in it I felt like I was up in the windshield!  So after many days of car shopping...with the car seat to test out in every car, we found the new "Baby Mobile"!

Check out our new 2012 Dodge Durango!  Sarah will be cruisin' in style!

33 Weeks!!!

Today marks 33 weeks!  Only seven more weeks to full term...thats assuming we make it that far.  Doctor appointment this week went good.  My belly measured 32cm and is right on track.  We also got to hear the heart beat which is always exciting and it sounded good.

Lately she has been quite the mover.  She especially enjoys stretching out, encroaching the space designed for my lungs.  Finding the need to rest more throughout the day and putting my feet up to avoid them from swelling too much.  I have thoroughly enjoyed being pregnant but I am more looking forward to the days that she will be here.

Sarah's Nursery

We've been working on Sarah's room for a few weeks doing a little here and there as time permits.  Here are some pictures that we took of the painting project.

BEFORE

DURING

We had to prime the walls to cover the dark red.

DURING

Tim had to do the high parts and I did the lower section and the red dash lines.  Margie (Tim's Mom) helped paint the cream stripe in the middle while she was here visiting.  Merrillee (Tim's Sister) climbed up the ladder and helped paint the high parts during her visit too!

AFTER

Still working on decorating the nursery but tonight we cleaned out all the painting materials and put some of the furniture in the room.  We found a dresser to refinish and will be putting that in the room soon!  Pay no attention to the curtains hanging up...still trying to decide what to do with the window.

Thanks Tim (Sr.), Margie and Merrillee for my super comfy chair that is perfect for my short legs and easy to get in and out of...hands free!  My hands will be holding precious cargo soon!

Now I will be working on the fun part of decorating Sarah's room!  I will be sure to share more pictures of the room as it all comes together!

32 Weeks!!

Before we left to visit Tim's Grandma down in south Florida we took a picture to show you how much Sarah has grown.  Friday March 23rd marked 32 weeks!  Sarah should be here within the next eight weeks!

Came across this video and laughed all the way through it.  I thought you might find it as funny as I did.  I can relate to so much of it!

Fly Boy Tim!

While Tim's parents and sister were here visiting they were able to see Tim fly his helicopter around the base and do some maneuvers.  Watching Tim I have to admit I had an overwhelming sensation of pride.  I am so very proud of my husband and all his accomplishments he has achieved in his career and life.  This is truly a dream come true for him.  He absolutely loves flying! 

(click on the picture to see it larger) 

Tim is the one in the white helmet at the door of the cockpit.  He had just walked out to the aircraft.

Tim is still at the cockpit door. 

Cockpit door has opened.

Tim is switching with the other pilot. 

The other pilot is shutting the door and Tim is in the helicopter.

Taxiing out to the runway.

Taking off!

And a little higher now...still taking off.

Baby Registry

I have recently been asked by a lot of people if we have registered for baby things anywhere.  We have registered at Babies R Us and at Target.  At both locations the registries can be looked up by using my name, Alyssa Palmer.  There may be a few options with the same name so it may have other criteria to narrow it down by, either Sarah's due date ( May 18th, 2012) or by location (Jacksonville, FL).

We are going to be using cloth diapers!  The brand and style that we have chosen to use are called Rumparooz.  They are a "one-size fits all" ranging from birth to potty training ages and are adjustable by snaps...no more pins and plastic pants!

10 Week Count Down!

If Sarah decides to stay nice and cozy inside my belly until her due date we are officially in the 10 week count down.  A few of you have already voted that you think she will arrive early so that means less than 10 weeks! Yesterday, Friday, I was 30 weeks!

Took a quick picture in the front yard.

This pregnancy has gone by so fast, almost too fast, but I am so ready for Sarah to be in my arms instead of her strategic position over my bladder!

My last appointment went really good.  Everything seems to be doing just fine.  There was a small concern about my blood sugars but nothing to worry about quite yet.  My next appointment is March 29th.

In order to wear shoes and put them on myself they have to be slip-ons.  Bending over to put socks on is nearly impossible and Tim had done a great job helping me in this area.  My belly is now big enough that not only can I not see my toes I can only see my belly button from looking in the mirror.  I asked Tim to look at it yesterday and he said it now looks like a dimple on a golf ball!  I love the way his brain works and the things he says...most of the time he is hilarious.  In previous conversations he has mentioned the growth rate of our daughter and related it to how the circumference of my belly will increase and referenced  "pi" approx. 3.142 ...oh my, that was an interesting moment.  Luckily since I am a math guru I understood what he was saying. 

This week we picked up Sarah's crib and set it up in the nursery.  Tim did a great job assembling it and making sure all the pieces were secure for his little girl's safety.

Tim didn't really like my idea of reading the directions.

Ringo thought he was a BIG help!

He too thought directions were for girls.

Finished!

We also started painting her room.  First we had to prime the walls where there was red paint.  The previous paint job was really nice but the colors just didn't work with the rest of the decor.

BEFORE

Fixing holes in the wall from the model home decorations. 

First coat of primer.  Will need a second coat before painting.

The paint scheme that we are going to do for the nursery came from the following picture.  

The walls will be tan with a large cream stripe at eye level.  Inside the stripe there will be little lines or dashes that match the coral color in the fabric we chose for the bedding.  

Bedding fabric...Thanks Margie for all your help!

When we finish working in the nursery and put everything back in its place I will be sure the update the blog with a new picture, so keep an eye out for updates!