Lucy is here!

Well, she wasn't quite a 4th of July baby but Lucy was born at 3:48 am Monday, July 5th. After Dr. Bailey decided to admit me, the nurse decided to take matters into her own hands. I don't know if she didn't want me to stay or if she just didn't want me to have an Independance Day baby, but she dumped a whole back of iv fluid in a couple of minutes, which basically brought my contractions to nothing. She was bragging about it to the other nurses at the nurses station and Brian over-heard her. So, it took me forever to dilate. At shift change, I got a 27 year veteran, no-nonsense nurse. She was great except for she wanted things her way and not my way. I was a 5 at 7:00 when shift changed. I was a 6 at 9:00 when they sent the anesthesiologist in. I really thought I could do it myself at that point but they told me he had a c-section to go to so if I was getting it, it had to be right then. So I did. The good thing I'd it let me sleep. My labor continued to progress so slowly that my epidural started to wear off by the time I reached an 8:00 at about 1:00 am. So the anesthesiologist came back in and boosted it, much to the horror of my nurse. She wanted it to wear off before it was time to push. To me, there was no point in getting the epi if I was going to be able to feel while pushing. Contractions never bothered me. It was the pushing I was afraid of. I finally got to a 10 at about 2:00. However, my nurse decided I was too numb to push so she made me wait and "labor down" before she would let me push. By the time she had called Dr. Bailey and was ready to let me start pushing, it felt like Lucy was going to fall out. I only pushed a couple of times and she came right out. Unfortunatly, this epi was not like the one I had had with Imma and I ft everything as she was coming out. So there was really no point in getting it to begin with. But, she came out a perfect 6 pound, 11ounce baby. She is beautiful! She looks so much like her sister. And for being 37 weeks 4 days, she was a good size. I will post the rest of the story (hospital stay, coming home, etc.) later and should be able to get some pictures up soon, too. I am so glad she is finally here!

Lucy is on her way!

Lucy should be here sometime tonight! I started having contractions yesterday evening and by 11:30 this morning they were 3 minutes apart and I was having trouble talking through them. It had been that way for a couple of hours so I decided to go to the hospital. My friend Debra came and got Imma and Brian and I headed to Baylor Frisco. When I got here, my contractions were still strong but they died down as soon as they started checking me. They said I was barely a two (even though my doctor said I was a three on Friday) and that first exam was really rough! They said they'd give me a couple of hours. Dr. Bailey checked me again a few hours later and she said I was a 4. So, I could hang out for a while and see if I made any more progress or go home. I chose to stay two more hours. By then, I had progressed to a 4.5. The nurse said Dr. Bailey would probably send me home but she didn't. So here I am! We'll see what happens.

It's Been a While!

It seems like it has been ages since I have posted anything. It's not that I have nothing to say, it's that there is just too much going on! I will try to list the highlights.
We went back to re-do Lucy's ultra-sound and she was much more cooperative! We got some great pictures and video, which I hope to post someday.
My friends at work (Joyce, Alyson, and Kary) through me an awesome shower with lots of great gifts, fun games, and delicious cake!
My friend Debra also through me a great shower at my house. I got to see a lot of friends and Lucy got some very cute things.
My sister McKinley and my moms (yes, both of them!) through me a shower in Missouri. I got to see some friends and family I hadn't seen for a very long time so that was very nice.
I hope to post pictures of all of the showers soon, too! (Maybe that will be Brian's job!)
The trip to and from Missouri took it's toll on me and I was on modified bedrest for a week. I gained over 10 lbs. in a few days, all in fluid. So I could still go to work but I had to lay down as soon as I got home. Brian did a great job of making sure I drank my water (and so did all of my friends at work) and he took great care of me, Imma, and everything else! I am really lucky to have a husband who will let me sleep when I need to and one who takes such great care of his little girls.
Imma qualified for PPCD as a child with a speech delay/disorder. This wasn't the easiest process but I think PPCD is the best thing for her and she will make great strides in that program. She will attend 1/2 day starting in the fall. ECI is over and I am very happy about that. I do not feel that she benefited from that program.
I am enjoying my role as principal at summer school but it is definitely the hardest job I have ever had in my life. Being solely responsible for everything that happens on a campus all day is very challenging. And the work doesn't stop when you go home. I do have the most amazing staff and that has been very helpful. And I have had a lot of support from other administrators, friends, and fellow teachers. So that is a good thing. I'm glad I am doing this but I don't think I will be able to breathe again until it is over!
Hopefully, Lucy will stay in for a few more weeks!
And that's what's going on, in a nutshell!

Lucy the acrobat!

We went to our 3D/4D ultrasound on Saturday and Lucy was
not very cooperative. She was wadded up in a little ball with her knee over face-- the back of her knee! So we get a second chance in a week or two. Hopefully she will be more cooperative the next time!

Progress

Imma seems to be making a lot of progress as far as communication is concerned these days. Yesterday in particular she did several things that I have never seen/heard her do before. I want to record them here so that we can remember.
1. She found Elmo's nose! Ever since she was about six months old, we've played that game every mother plays, "Can you find Elmo's nose," (or whatever) in a book. Usually, she responds by pointing at something else and saying it's name or turning the page. Last night, three times, she pointed right at Elmo's nose and said, "Elmo nose." Yay!
2. Brian was standing in her way. So she said, "Beep! Beep!" in order to get through. Not even sure where she picked that up from.
3. She nodded her head, "yes," in response to a yes or no question. Lately she has been saying yes about as frequently as she says no but I have never seen her nod her head before.
4. She unlocked the dead bolt on the back door. I guess she really wanted to go outside! This one is a little scary.
We are having more conversations. This morning, while driving to school, we talked about what animals we saw. We saw birds, dogs, and cows. She also told me that she wanted to watch, "more" Barney. She usually just screams when the show is over and she wants me to do something to fix it. I really think she is making a lot of progress, though it was disconcerting earlier in the week when the ECI people told me they thought she might be autistic. I frankly don't see it at all. She has some tendencies but I think all children have some tendencies. There are some major things that most autistic children do that I don't see in Imma at all. But we are going to have her evaluated by the early childhood center next week so we will see what they have to say.

Glucose Screening

I failed my one hour glucose screening. The nurse said it wasn't by much, but I still have to come in and do the three hour test. I am not extremely excited about this. That means I have to sit in the doctor's office for three hours, not to mention having my blood drawn three or four times. I am going to try really hard next week not to eat too (or drink!) too much sugar. I would really, really hate to fail the next one. I don't need a gestational diabetes diagnosis--no thank you!

Baby Registry and Easter

I went ahead and did our baby registry for Lucy last night. I decided to register at Target, Wal-Mart and Babies R Us. I also decided it would be easier to do it by myself than to try and make sure Brian agreed with all of my decisions. Doing on-line seemed a lot faster than going to the store (and I could do it in my PJs!) While I was advised by several people that I should just ask for diapers (good advice!) I did pick some cute things out for Lucy. It seems like she is getting a lot of hand-me-downs so it would be nice if she had some things that weren't stained with Imma spit-up. Mostly I just chose some towels and sheets for her, and some things for her room. I think I could change her clothes three times a day for the first year and we might make a small dent in all the clothing she has. (Thanks Grandma Libby and Grandma Kelley for keeping us stocked!)
I do have some Easter pictures of Imma to upload but I am having trouble uploading anything and have been having trouble for the last few days. Might need to call in an expert (Alyson!). We ended up not making it to church because all three of us have a horrible cold. Imma fell asleep around five this evening, she was so tired. Brian made a nice ham though so we at least didn't miss out on Easter dinner. I feel bad that we didn't make it to church but I'm sure the people we would have been coughing all over appreciate it!