Meermaw and Granddaddy's visit

Meermaw and Grandaddy came to visit me this week while Meermaw is on Spring Break from teaching. We had a blast!

My first shower

And I love it as much as my baths!

Belly Button

Today my belly button fell off!!! Mom is happy because she thought the belly button was looking painful even though I didn't seem to mind it at all. Dad is glad because my belly button was starting to stink! At my doctor's appointment Friday, Dr. Steilgelfest told mom and dad if my belly button was not skin color and oozing after it fell off to bring me in to have it sealed. Well, it did ooze and was definitely not the same color as the rest of my skin. So, we'll go to the doctor Tuesday and have the doctor seal it up with a little q-tip of silver nitrate. That should make my belly button grey and should heal it within the week. If it is not all better, mom and dad have to take me back for another sealing next week. Hopefully they won't have to do that! Here's my belly button pics:

Oh, I just don't understand...

My second doctor's appointment

I had my two week appointment yesterday. All signs of jaundice are gone! Yea! I am now a perfect shade of pink. Actually everyone says I am just perfect all around. :) I could get used to all these compliments! My stats at this appointment were:

Weight: 8 pounds 3 ounces (45th percentile)
Height: 22" (96th percentile)
Head Circum: 14.28" (64th percentile)

It appears I had quite a growth spurt and the doctor was really happy with my progress. I was given the all clear until my 2 month appointment. Yea!

A smile for everyone

Stretch....

This is mommy and daddy's favorite stretch that I do because I wrinkle my forehead (she tried to capture the wrinkle in the first picture).

My first bath

Today I had my first bath (aside from the hospital bath). I like baths, until mom takes me out of the water to dry me off. Look how cute I am:

My 1st doctor's appointment

I had my first doctor's appointment on March 17th - St Patty's Day! Everything went great. When I left the hospital, the doctor's were a little concerned about jaundice, so they checked me again for jaundice today. I am still a little yellow, but am showing signs of improvement, so they weren't concerned. My weight is 7 lbs 1 oz (up a few ounces from my discharge weight, which is great). That puts me in the 27th percentile for weight. My height wasn't rechecked, so I'm still at 20 3/4" and in the 88th percentile. My head circum is 13 inches, in the 13th percentile. The doctor said everything looks great and she'll see me in 2 weeks.

Grandma's Help

Grandma is helping mom this first week of my life. Here's a glimpse of exactly what she's been doing (it appears I sleep a lot), aside from cooking (of course):

I'm HERE!!!!

After 33 hours, I am HERE! :)

And here's moms labor story: mom started having labor pains Wednesday (March 11th) around 7:20 PM. They were all lower back pains and nothing like mom had imagined a contraction would feel like. Nonetheless, here they were - contractions! They were still pretty far apart, so mom and dad decided to stay home until morning. Mom labored all night, with little sleep, and went to the doctor's office first thing Thursday morning. She was sure today, the 12th, was it. Mom and dad had called the parents and they were all on their way into town. At moms appointment, the midwife checked her and she was only 2 centimeters dilated. Mom was so upset! Labor all night for only 2 centimeters! What kind of cruel joke was this?! The midwife said it could still be false labor, so she sent mom home to see if mom progressed or labor stopped. Oh, did labor progress! By mid-afternoon, moms contractions were 5 minutes apart. They called the midwife around 5 PM and was told shift change was about to occur, to arrive at 6:30 at the hospital. (Oh, how mom has come to hate shift change.) Well, mom was convinced I was going to arrive NOW and she didn't care about shift change. Dad, easily convinced by mom and using his better judgment, agreed to take mom to the hospital at that moment. Off they went. Mom was worried at this point she wouldn't be able to get the epidural, much less make it to the hospital in time because by the time they arrived at the hospital contractions were 3 minutes apart. Mom and dad left all their bags in the car, since mom could care less about them at this point, and they raced up to labor and delivery. Upon arrival, they were told to take a seat and someone would get them in a moment. What a LONG moment. Mom was furious. Here she was having contractions every 3 minutes apart and sitting in a waiting room!!! Finally, someone came and got them and brought them back to a room. This is when they were told shift change was occuring and a midwife would be in as soon as possible. Until the midwife checked mom, she was told she couldn't have any drugs. Devastating! It was now after 7:00 and after 30 long minutes, mom sending dad out to seek drugs, a midwife arrived. Yea! Mom knew this was it - 10 centimeters dilated. Here we go. So, the midwifed checked mom and.....only 2 centimeters!!! Mom had not progressed at all!!!! She was crushed!!! The midwife suggested, after mom took her death grip off of her, some staydal to ease the pain and relax mom. Finally, some kind of relief! The nurse then gave mom some staydal and it did ease some pain. Mom could still feel every contraction, but she could at least relax the few minutes between them. By late evening, the midwife came back to check moms progress and....5 centimeters! Yea - finally, progress! And, progress enough mom could get an epidureal! Double Yea!!! :) In came a team of doctors to give the epidureal. The doctors did a great job and mom felt instant relief. Her legs felt kind of like they were asleep, but she couldn't feel any pain. Mom was still able to use her legs - to help move herself around on the bed and hold her legs back. She was really grateful for this, as she had heard her legs would be dead weight. She had the perfect epidureal! Here we go - right? Oh, no. Mom stayed at 5 centimeters for several hours. It's now Friday, March 13th at this point and still I haven't arrived....mom can't believe it! The doctor came in around 2:00 and said moms contractions were actually spreading out and my heartbeat was slowing too much. They decided to try pitocin to speed up the contractions and hopefully dilation. It only took a few minutes of pitocin for the midwife to take mom off of it, as my heartrate was dropping dangerous low in combination with moms bloodpressure dropping too low. So, the midwife mentioned the possibility of a c-section to get me out, but that she would wait a little while longer. At this point, mom knew if a midwife mentioned c-section, it must be bad. She just wanted me safe and was open to whatever would make that happen! Around 3:30, the midwife came back in and said moms contractions were still spreading out and she doubted mom had progressed. She had already talked to the OB on call and scheduled moms c-section. I needed to come out as my heartrate was getting too low. The midwife checked mom one last time. And guess what?! 10 centimeters!!!! The midwife actually dropped her head in disbelief! (mom thought she dropped her head because mom was only like 3 centimeters, thank goodness it was the opposite) Anyway, the midwife said mom could start pushing and lets see what happened. She warned mom that since her contractions were 5 to 7 minutes apart, mom could be pushing for hours. Mom didn't care and she was determined to get me out right then! So pushing began. And guess what, only 45 minutes later and about 5 contractions, out I came! The midwife was again shocked at how quick I came out and how great mom was at pushing! Yea! Dad was there to catch me, as he had hoped to do. He compared me to a catfish in 100 degree water. That daddy! Whew - I made it at 4:23 AM on Friday, March 13, 2009, weighing 7 lbs 5 ozs and 20 3/4" long. And my name is Kayla LeeAnn.

1 centimeter dilated!

Moms appointment today went well. Everything is still measuring on track and my heartbeat is still strong. I am still in position to be born, but haven't dropped. I just don't want to come out! Mom measured 1 centimeter and hopefully will continue to progress (quickly)! Yea!

In the meantime, mom and dad took some last minute photos of mom pregnant with me. She's not sure how many more she's going to squeeze in before I arrive. Here they are:

Who do you think gained more weight during the pregnancy?? :)

Next appointment: March 13th!!! One day from moms due date!

Mom is 38 weeks tomorrow!!!

Hello everyone! First, on my moms last post, she meant that her next appointment was February 20th, not March 20th - silly pregnant lady. Nobody caught that?! :) Anyway, mom has now had an appointment on February 20th and today, the 27th. At her appointment February 20th she was checked and is not dilated at all. Of course, she hasn't had any contractions or pains to make her think she should be! I am quite happy where am I, why would I leave?! She was also measuring on track and my heart beat still strong! Yea! I am also moving all the time (I wouldn't really say kicking anymore, as I am all out of room!), which is a really good sign. Oh, getting checked is still optional and one reason mom opted to be checked was because this past week she went on a work trip to Chattanooga, praying the whole time I would not make my grand entrance. I decided to listen to her and did not even cause a pain while she was out of town. WHEW! Mom was so happy to be back on Nashville ground Wednesday. That is her last trip out of the city! Anyway, at her appointment today, she is still measuring right on track and my heart beat strong as ever. She has yet to have any contractions or show any signs of labor. I still haven't dropped and am still head down, back to moms left, butt up and legs/feet to moms right. The midwife she saw today said she is very good at estimating the baby's weight. According to her, I am right around 7.5 pounds and with being on track for my due date, I should weigh around 8.5 pounds at birth (if I decide to come in 2 weeks, gaining 1/2 pound a week). Mom did ask, since I seem to be very content, what happens if March 14th comes and goes and I haven't arrived yet. The midwife said they will let me go 41 to 42 weeks before enduction. OH MY! That means I could grow to 9.5 pounds!!!! I think mom would be very mad at me if I do that....hmmmm...how stubborn and mean shall I be???


OK, to what everyone really wants - pictures! For some reason, mom skipped right over pictures of her three showers! The pregnant lady really does lose her mind! (She's not very good at this blog thing, is she?!)


Sooo, here are two pictures from the shower on Christmas Eve by the Jones family, which I mentioned in an earlier blog:

And the shower on January 24th. This shower was thrown by Mandi, who is also preggers (yea!) , at her mom, Dottie's house (for some reason not many people pictures were taken, just pictures of mom opening gifts. She'll spare you those pics! Here are a couple of the other pics). There were both friends and coworkers at the shower and mom got all kinds of great stuff from bibs, a carry bag for nursing, and clothes to a stroller and high chair:

While Laine couldn't make it to the shower, she sent a diaper cake. Is this not too cool???





And here are some pictures from the shower on January 31st in Knoxville at Elizabeth's house. There were lots of friends and family at this shower. Mom was given items such as her pack-n-play, books, diapers, clothes and toys. Grandma also gave me a blanket, baptism outfit, hat and booties from Grandpa. They are items Grandpa used as a little baby and mom and dad are very excited to have them for me. They can't wait to show them to me!











Here is mom at 37 weeks. She is no longer doing face shots.. :) Just kidding - she just doesn't happen to have one to post.








And, lets not leave out dad...how embarrasing?! This was taken in their baby class a month ago. Mom forgot to post it, once again, can you believe her?!

Mom's next appointment is March 6th. Only two appointments until my due date!!!!

Happy 5 year Anniversary, Mom and Dad

Today is mom and dad's 5 year anniversary. They were going to get away for a night, but decided to save the money (to spend on me later, I am sure!) and stay home, order in dinner and watch movies. It was a nice, relaxing day (esp after all mom has had dad working on in preparation for me!).

6 Pounds and growing!

Since I'm supposed to be growing 1/2 pound a week, I should now be 6 pounds. Can you believe it?? I'm out of room and pushing on mom all the time now. She seems to struggle a little more everyday with simple tasks like getting out of bed. I'm sure it will only get tougher for her!

Mom had her appointment last week and everything is still going well. She is measuring on time and still gaining too much weight. It looks like I am still on track for March 14th - yea!

This weekend is a 3-Day weekend and mom is looking forward to making more progress on the house. Dad has been working very hard and getting a lot accomplished, but moms list never seems to end.... With the help of Uncle Bubba, we got a new (back) roof last weekend. Exciting!!! This weekend her plan is for the gutters to be fixed and hung, along with garage clean-out. Hopefully dad will make more progress (and keep mom happy, right?). Poor dad can't wait for my arrival - hopefully mom will give him a break then!

No pictures this time....

Moms next appointment is March 20th. She also has the remainder of her appointments scheduled for every Friday thereafter until my arrival. (That's only 3 additional Fridays for anyone counting!) She'll be sure to keep you posted. I know everyone is getting very excited!!!

Happy New Year! I'm 4.5 pounds now!! Watch me move!

Well, it has been too long since mom has posted. As you can see, I started this post on January 1st. It is now January 24th and mom is finally posting! Get ready for a novel! She has been her stubborn self and didn't want to post until she could get me on video (on video in a size that Blogger would allow her to download). What a chore that has been! She has finally succeeded, although the clip is only a few seconds long! Either way, Yea!

Let us begin. First, Mom and I made it through the holidays! Both a little plumper, but that's no surprise given mom's prior 28 weeks of growth! :) More importantly, we all had a great Christmas and New Year and hope you all did too. Meermaw's side of the family threw us a surprise shower at the Christmas Eve gathering. Mom and dad were very excited! It was their first shower. They (well, I) got lots of goodies. So many cute pink things, from a Boppy, hats, a grow chart, socks and towels to a handmade blanket from my Great-Grandma Felts. Mom and dad can't wait to show me the blanket. It is so special to them both, they are very excited to have it in my room and be able to share memories of Grandma Felts with me!

Second, mom had appointments on January 5th and 22nd. Dad hasn't missed an appointment yet, he is such a great dad already! Both appointments went well. The doctor was really just checking moms weight, blood pressure and my growth. And making sure mom didn't have any questions or problems. All, well except for moms rapid weight gain, went perfect at both appointments. We won't talk specifics, but let's say she's over 40 pounds gained....Her next appointment is February 5th.

Third, mom and dad started baby classes this month. The basic baby class is a 5 week class every Monday starting the first Monday in January. They have had 3 classes so far and they are going great. Did you know in only 10% of women do their water break naturally?? That was going to be mom's signal - now what?! Anyway, last week was a tour of the hospital. Dad knows where to go, but mom has grandma's sense of direction and doesn't know which way is up! Good thing dad will be driving! They got to see the nursery in the tour and all the new babies of the day. There was a little 4.5 pound baby in the nursery which was too cute (and which is the same size I am now - holy moly!). Mom and dad are even more excited now, if that's possible! Mom and dad also took a baby/infant, child and adult CPR class (with mom's genes a part of me, you can never be too careful!). The final class, which is this coming Thursday, is a Breastfeeding class. I sure hope I will breastfeed for mom!! I know how mom is - if she paid $40 for a class, I better latch on! :)

Fourth, mom and dad have been on the hunt for a pediatrician. Who would have thought this would be such a chore?! I guess if they (and I) have to live with this doctor for the next 18 years it's good to put a little thought into it now. They have had two appointments so far. One went well and the other was terrible (the doctor didn't even show up...). Mom scheduled two more appointments and they will pick from one of those three (obviosuly the one who didn't show up is off the list). Mom will keep you posted on their grand decision! The next two appointments are this coming week. If you are keeping track, that's 2 pediatrician appointments, baby class and breastfeeding class all next week! It will be a baby week!!!

Fifth, baby showers! Mom has her second shower today in Nashville and her third (and final) shower in Knoxville next Saturday, the 31st. She is very excited to see all her friends and get to open more goodies!!

Sixth, my chair arrived!!! Yea! Daddy surprised mommy with it last Friday and had it all set up in my room. Here it is:

Finally, and to the good stuff, I am moving a whole lot now. Dad loves to entice me to kick and roll. I am definitely more of a roller, but aren't afraid to kick dad when he deserves it. I am starting to get a little cramped, so I'll probably slow down my movements a tiny bit in the next few weeks. The doctor told mom I will peak at 30 weeks with my movements. Mom and dad got a video camera for Christmas from Meermaw and Grandaddy. They have been trying to catch a quick glimpse of my movements and here is what they were able to capture last night:

Finally, for real this time, here is mom at 32 weeks....

Mom's next appointment is Thursday, February 6th.

I'm 2 whole pounds and active as ever! Look at my new room too!

Well, I can't believe it has taken mom a whole month to post another blog for me. What has she been doing?! Oh, yeah, she's been shopping for me, registering for her baby showers, working on my room (well, dad has for sure), shopping for Christmas gifts (personal and work customers), delivering those gifts to the work customers, and the list goes on! Enough about her, though, I know you all really just care about what is going on with me! I am now over 2 pounds and mom is growing like crazy (not that a 25 pound weight gain before now wasn't growing like crazy!). I am kicking a lot more and just more active in general. I have found moms sciatic nerve. She gets down right immobile if I lean on it just right. I think I'm going to have fun with this the next three months! :) Mom did have a doctor's appointment on December 4th that was relatively uneventful, which is a good thing. She did get tested for gestational diabetes and thank goodness passed the test! Yeah! Now she won't have to worry about our health, watch her carb intake and be even more hormonal than she already is!

Mom and dad tried to video tape me last night to illustrate my activity and had some success. It was with their camera, as they do not have a video camera yet. It's not a thrilling 6 minutes, but mom and dad sure enjoyed it, and there are kicks and moves throughout, in addition to daddy annoying me! Well, after hours of waiting for the video to download, mom cannot get the blog to upload the video, she thinks it is too large. Darn! I guess you'll just have to wait in anticipation and see it next time! Keep coming to my blog and mom will record a shorter video that will upload.

Dad has also been busy the last two weeks. He has completely redone my room. I now have new paint, new trim, new crown molding, new doors and a new ceiling fan. Am I spoiled already or what?! My room is not very large, so it's hard to take pictures, but here is what mom was able to get (oh, check out what you can see of my new furniture and bedding too! Soon I will have my pictures and quilt hanging on the walls, but for some reason daddy just couldn't get to that yet this week!):

And last but not least, how much has mom grown? No numbers are being mentioned, so photos will have to do:

Mom's next appointment is the beginning of January. Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful, safe holiday!!

Happy 30th Birthday, mom!!!

Today is moms 30th birthday and while dad had a cruise to Cabo secretly planned, I have changed those plans just a bit! :) Instead, dad surprised mom with a day out. He took her shopping, had an hour prenatal massage pre-scheduled and a Japanese dinner. Mom had a great birthday!!!