Welcome to the World Ellie!

After a day {and night} full of contractions yesterday, I woke up this morning, convinced that Ellie was going to be born this weekend. After much deliberation with Ben and then the "help" on the Labor and Delivery line, I started timing the contractions and they were coming pretty much every 3-5 minutes. Once we realized how quickly they were coming, we called Erin and Josh to come over to watch Noah and headed up to Abilene Regional Medical Center. But we couldn't leave before we took one last, "just in case", picture of the Smith Family as just the three of us:

And one last belly picture.....

When we first arrived to the hospital and I was hooked up to the monitors, the contractions continued to come every 3-5 minutes, but an exam showed no new dilation, so we were told that they were basically going to try to figure out what was causing the contractions and that it was possible that we wouldn't be having her today. However, an hour later, when my OB arrived, saw my chart and checked again {I had dilated 2 centimeters!}, he declared that I was in active labor and that he was going to get everything set up for a c-section.

At 1:30PM, Eleanor Denice was delivered via c-section weighing in at 11pounds 2.4 ounces and 21 inches long.

Moments after she was delivered, Ben got to cut her cord....

... and just like her big brother, she squirted a little cord blood all over him!

In the OR, she was doing great, APGARs were 9 and 9! And, instead of being taken directly to the NICU, she was taken to the regular nursery. But first, she got some kisses from Mommy:

Daddy even got to carry her down to the nursery!

Proof that the new "little one" isn't so little!

Once she was weighed, however, they tested her blood sugar and it was low - 28. So she was taken over to the NICU for further testing.

Once I was out of the OR and back into my room and Ellie was settled into the NICU, Ben went to meet Mom, Daddy-Man, and Noah at Chili's for dinner...

and then came up to the hospital to visit Sam and Ellie before heading home for the evening.

Welcome to the World Dear Ellie! We love you so much already!

36 Weeks

I'm still in slight shock that we've made it this far!

{And, even just since we took this picture today, I can already tell she has dropped even more!}

Officially

Today I am officially the most pregnant I've ever been! Wahoo!! Yesterday marked the gestation that I delivered Noah at {35w5d} and I am today 35 weeks and 6 days pregnant. I suppose it goes without saying that I was praying a little extra harder yesterday for Ellie to just stay put for a few extra days.

I had my last appointment with Dr. Maberry today and I took a picture of the NST read out for all of you who have been wondering if I've been having contractions:

That would be a yes.

And another yes for "Did you have to breathe through it?". And yet another yes for "Are they increasing in intensity?". But finally a no for "Are they consistent?".

{And for those family and friends who aren't sure how to read the chart: the squiggly line on the left is Ellie's heart rate and the line on the right is the intensity of the contraction. See that nice {big} peak? That's what a contraction looks like.... on paper. hehe}

Dr. Maberry also did a growth scan on Ellie, just to see approximately how big she is... he said right now she's measuring around 8lbs 14oz. Almost two pounds up from two weeks ago. He's guessing that she'll be nearly as big as Noah, IF she makes it to her scheduled c-section date. Other than being big, he says she looks great and that he can't wait to see pictures. :)

And, just in case you need a little more reassurance that Ellie is a she {like I did}, Dr. Maberry checked one last time for me:

A Quick Ellie Update

We had our weekly NST and {every other week} growth ultrasound today.... I'm still have contractions {which I knew and could have told them}, but thankfully I didn't get sent back to Labor and Delivery. Dr. Maberry says that Ellie is still looking good and is measuring at around 6lbs 15oz... and is predicting, that if she makes it to our scheduled c-section, she'll be another 10-pounder like her brother. I guess we'll see!

Getting Ready for Ellie

First, I have to show you this:

PUMPKINS! In AUGUST! Haha... and here we thought that Ben wouldn't be able to enjoy the "fruits" of our garden and we've already got pumpkins and have had tons of cucumbers. But we're still waiting on those tomatoes!

***

Last night, Ben got all the baby gear down from the attic. Today I've been slowly getting everything out of the bags, washing the covers, and setting them up. Noah's favorite item that I put up today was the bouncy chair. It's funny to me because obviously he doesn't really remember it, but I remember when the kiddo would play and fall asleep in it.

He was very curious about it and within no time at all had climbed into the seat itself.

But it's this response that I'm not sure whether to laugh at or worry about:

Yet Again.

We started our weekly NSTs today with Dr. Maberry {the Perinatologist}. I have been having contractions, though never {or so I thought}, more than four an hour and only rarely were they ones that would stop me dead in my tracks. And neither Dr. Maberry or Dr. Ogdee seemed too concerned about it. So, imagine my surprise this morning when I went in, was strapped into the machine and it started showing contractions every 6-8 minutes! Knowing my history of pre-term labor, Dr. Maberry immediately did an ultrasound to make sure Ellie still had a normal level of amniotic fluid and then sent me on my way with direct orders to go to Labor and Delivery.

{Sheesh, I thought. NOT again!}

So, I get a hold of Ben, call Steph {THANK you so much Friend, for taking care of my little man!} , and Ben and I head over to the hospital, praying that today wasn't going to be Ellie's birthday. Luckily, by the time we got there, my contractions had slowed down {no need for terbutaline, like with Noah}, but hadn't completely stopped. Once the fFN test came back negative {three hours after we got there}, we were sent back home. At least we know that she won't be arriving in the next week or two!

So, for now, Noah and I are going to indulge in another round of "Cars", some yummy snacks, and enjoy some more quiet Mommy-Son time.

32 Weeks

Grow, Ellie, grow!

Updates {All Around}

We had another ultrasound this morning with Dr. Maberry and just as we had hoped, everything still looks great with Ellie. She's really starting to measure ahead now though {73% at approximately 5lbs 2oz.... compared to Noah who was 6lbs 6oz at about the same gestation}, but truthfully, I'm not too surprised by that - I mean, when you consider all the factors working against me {hubby was 10lbs, my Daddy-Man was 10lbs, my Grandpa was 13lbs, both my sisters were over 9lbs.... AND I'm type 1 diabetic} , I figure I'm just destined for big babies. She is head-down, unlike her {stubborn} brother ever was, but it doesn't really matter since we're planning on a repeat c-section. I'm just hoping she stays put long enough to ensure that we won't have another NICU stay.

***

In other news, Noah has {finally} made the transition to his big boy room! {Which, by the way, is almost complete and hopefully I'll get the room photographed soon!} And, for the first time last night, slept on his actual big boy bed! {Admittedly, I did not sleep well last night... between some contractions and worrying about him falling off the bed, well, sleep did not come easy!}

One of his favorite things about the bed is the mesh rail on the side... he loves to play with us through it!

Sleeping in the new big boy bed also meant getting new big boy PJs!

I know he's becoming a big boy, but in this big bed, he still looks like a little guy to me.

28 Weeks {and 19 Months}

Today, Noah is 19 months old. It seems unreal to me that he is on the downhill slope towards "2". It also seems unreal to me that in ten weeks we'll be parents of "2".

Oh, and yes, that little extra bump is my belly button - it has officially popped also.

We didn't get a chance today today to take Noah's 19 month photos.... with visiting Ben at the base bowling alley during the squadron's "fun day" and him getting to come home a little early from work, we spent more time playing and being silly than we did taking pictures. We'll take them tomorrow.

Dance Biscuit

Yep, my kiddo is a total dance biscuit:

Yesterday, Ben and I watched Kung Fu Panda and let Noah watch a portion of it with us before he went to bed. A preview for Madagascar came on and Noah went CrAZy! He was laughing, singing, and dancing along with the preview! We thought it was so hysterical. Since we had an appointment with the OB today {everything looks great so far!}, Ben got to come home early. And when I came back home from running an errand after we went to the appointment, I found the boys watching Madagascar.... and Noah was still dancing:

I guess he learned how to dance from his Daddy:

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the Daddies, Daddies-to-be, and Daddies-at-heart out there!

{Especially to my Daddy-Man! We love you!}

I think Ben had a pretty good Father's Day today. Noah and I {and Ellie}, got our present and cards together and woke Daddy-Ben up to open his present {hence the reason there isn't a picture of him opening the present!}. We got him a Harley Davidson clock to hang in his Harley Davidson-themed garage. {Once we get some of our other big projects out of there, like the bedroom bookshelves, I'll take some pictures of it all to show everyone how handy Ben is at painting too - he painted orange stripes on all the peg boards!

I wish I could say that we relaxed all afternoon, but we didn't. It seems that Nesting Season is upon both of us. We spent the afternoon {particularly during Noah's nap} cleaning out the cars, getting the Jeep ready to be sold {anyone want to buy a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee?}, and steam cleaning the carpet in Noah's big boy room. And, despite all this, we still got in plenty of Daddy-Son time, dinner out, and even a movie after Noah went to bed.

Happy Father's Day Dear One.

I'm so happy to be on the journey of parenthood with you and feel so lucky that our kids can truly say you are an awesome and loving Daddy. Noah and Ellie {and the kids to come} are so lucky.... and so am I. I love you!!

Video Games and a Growing Belly

All this week, Ben has been working the swing shift. Which, actually, for the most part, has been really great. He gets to spend the morning with Noah and I, and doesn't have to go in until after lunch. I took advantage of this today and went to the commissary child-free and husband-free.

Imagine though, how annoying it must be to call your husband to ask him to start the grill, only to have him not answer his phone - four times. It didn't help, thinking that he was probably playing his video game. And, when I got home and opened the garage door, all I heard was machine gun fire from the TV - confirming that he was, in fact, playing Medal of Honor. So imagine my surprise {and giggles} when I walked around the corner and discovered this:

Evidently, playing with Daddy this morning wore him out so much that he needed to take a nap. But not before he watched Daddy play a little bit. Ben said that Noah fell asleep within minutes of him starting to play his game!

***

Ellie is growing! I'm 24 weeks today and we've got 14 more to go!

A Present Day!

I'll admit it: Ben spoils me. He bought me a Silhouette for no "real" reason, for heaven's sake! And, truly, I just love it. But sometimes I'll cut things out that are a little difficult to adhere to the project that I'm working on.

For example, these lovely little grids:

Enter my birthday present:

I got a Xyron Creative Station! Basically it turns whatever you run through it into a sticker. OR, you can laminate it. OR, you can put laminate on one side and a magnet on the back. It's the perfect {and much needed} companion to my Silhouette SD.

Seriously, these boys spoil me.

{Thank you Dear One!}

***

And look what UPS dropped off at my house today:

I'm seriously swooning over the cuteness of this little pink and white tutu - I can't wait to get some pictures of Ellie in it! Just like I did with Noah, I'm participating in another "FF Shower". My exchange partner, Crystal, sent this beautiful handmade tutu early because she said she "couldn't wait". I don't blame her - it's darling! Thank you Crystal!

{And, if any of my Mommy-to-be friends or Mommy-already friends are interested in getting one for your little one, let me know and I'll get you Crystal's info!}

Baby Smith #2: Her Name

We're just about 100% sure of Little Miss Baby Girl Smith's name. And yet, for some reason, I hesitate to share it. I think it's because I don't want to hear the reactions to it. Or rather, I don't want to hear the bad reactions like, "Oh. That's nice." or "Oh, that's my {insert distant, older relative here}'s name." The good reactions, on the other hand, we love! And, we're totally in love with her name. We've even started calling her by her name too. So, without further ado.... Baby {Girl} Smith #2 can now officially be called:


Eleanor Denice.

We simply love the name Eleanor and plan on calling her Ellie {Norah has been tossed around too but we plan on using Ellie until she can decide differently}. We really like the fact that her name will fit her through all stages of life, from infancy to "grandparent-cy". And Denice is my {and my Mom's} middle name, so I knew I wanted to use it also.

***

Miss Ellie just received her first package from Nana and Papa filled with lots of pink!

And there were even a few items for Big Brother Noah too:

But his favorite thing was the pink hairbrush.

Thank you Nana and Papa!