Juliet pictures

I forgot to put on this link of pictures that they took in the hospital. They are only available online for 2 weeks, so look and enjoy while you can. The website is www.bellababyphotography.com
The password is 0423julietfowers all lower case and no spaces.

Juliet Charyl Fowers

Our sweet baby girl finally arrived Friday morning. I did my last whining post on Thursday and that evening I started noticing that I was having a lot more contractions than normal. By 8:00 I realized they were every 10 minutes and they had been that way for 3 hours. Tim had to go back into work to get some things done, so I hung out at home trying not to get my hopes up, but really getting excited that I might actually be in labor. Tim got home at 11:00 and we tried to go to bed. I slept for 2 hours, but the contractions were really painful and I couldn't sleep through them anymore. I got up and walked around, ate, read, showered, just tried to keep myself busy. Tim kept dreaming that my mom was yelling at him for sleeping instead of helping his laboring wife, so he got up with me and we just talked- it was quiet and nice. By 5:30 am they were 7 minutes apart and I was just sure I was dilating- after 12 hours. We decided to go in and see how far I was. At the hospital they checked me at 6:45 and said I was still a 3 and only 50% effaced. I cried. They told me to walk around for an hour and if there was no change I would have to go home. After the hour my midwife came in prepared to send me home, but I was a 4+ and 80% effaced so she broke my water. 30 min later- 8:15 I was a 6 and 100% effaced. 30 min later- 8:45 I was an 8 and 15 minutes later I was complete. This labor was incredibly fast after she broke my water, an hour and a half, but it was the worst pain I could ever imagine. Davis' unmedicated birth was nothing like this. Finally at 9:05 when I was feeling like I would die I said I wanted to push so that I could be done with the whole thing. Davis felt good to push out- no pain whatsoever. This time I felt like I was going to tear in half! Aparently I was calm and collected on the outside, but on the inside I was verging on hysteria. I found out after that the baby was posterior- face up- and then she so sweetly decided to turn in the birth canal! Youch! So I kept my eyes closed and cried as I pushed and she joined us with a full head of crazy hair and beautiful as can be.

Juliet Charyl Fowers: 8 lb 2 oz- our biggest baby yet- 21 inches long, 9:26 a.m.

Me, still in shock from the delivery, not aware at all that someone was taking my picture. I loved the skin to skin bonding. IMC is very much in favor of this and it felt so nice.

Our new family of 5.

Emmary is very timid around the baby, and Davis just jumped right in. He is having a much harder time adjusting though. The acting out has begun and it is going to take a lot of energy to make sure he is entertained and busy so that he doesn't start acting naughty!

Juliet part 2

sound asleep on her daddy- her second favorite place to be!

A rare eyes-open moment. We don't see much of those big blues.

They always look so little in the big carseat

Proud daddy

UUGGHHH!

It's Thursday and I am still pregnant. I went in for my last checkup yesterday and I am dilated to a 3, which I am very happy about, but still not as effaced and I should be. My midwife is very confused why my body is acting so weird. Baby is head down in my pelvis and she thinks it is bald- we'll see. So we scheduled me for an induction on Tuesday if baby doesn't come on its own. That would be 2 days after my due date. I know due dates don't mean a whole lot and medically it is fine to go over your due date a little, yet I am so torn becuase I want to go into labor on my own and do the unmedicated birth again, yet I am so ready to be done with this pregnancy. With the 2 misscarriages last spring/summer I have really been pregnant for the last 13 months! Emotionally and physically that is a really long time! I really thought yesterday was the day- I woke up at 4:30 a.m. having contractions and I got up and paced the floor for and hour and a half with them coming every 3-5 minutes. Then at 6:00 they just stopped. After my appointment I had contractions all day- plus the storm- and I thought for sure I would be holding my baby by now. Nothing! I keep willing my water to break. I don't care where or what embarrasing situation it puts me in- I just want it to break and then things can get going! Once again, sorry for the whining, but this is a learning experience for me and next time I will know not to get my hopes up of having a baby before the due date! Hopefully my next post will involve pictures of a baby and fun information:)

Funny Story

Here's a funny story. I have been walking a lot to try and convince this baby to come- it isn't working. But anyway, Saturday Sarah and I had been at a toy party and our husbands had the kids so we decided to go walk late in the afternoon. I didn't want to sweat in the only shirt that fits me so she said I could borrow one of Greg's t-shirts. Years ago Greg did an intership with the Utah Starzz so he had this bright purple shirt she handed me. I put in on in the bathroom-which doesn't have a mirror- and came out and asked how it fit. Sarah just started laughing hard and I about started crying because I feel so HUGE. She told me to look and down and read what the shirt says. In case you can't see very well in the picture it says, "ALL THE WAY TO LABOR DAY!" Pretty funny coincidence!



What isn't so funny is my poor cankles. I have never retained water in a pregnancy before, but my ankles look like tree trunks. You can see the line on my feet where my flip flops had been. I do have cute gel toes though!

Oh, and Davis is a big boy! He decided to be potty trained on Thursday. He said he wanted to wear underwear that morning and then he sat on the toilet for 20 minutes, all his own idea, until he figured out how to make the pee come out. I kept telling him he could get off and try later and he would say, "mommy, I have pee-pees, I need to squeeze em out!" And that is just what he did! So I guess I will have a break from diapers for a couple of days before the baby comes!

10 days and counting...

This is the farthest I have made it pregnancy wise. Yesterday I hit my mark for when I had Davis and I hit that mark with Emmary last Friday:( It is a major curse to have 2 kids a couple weeks early because I am just about hating life right now. I am so ready to meet this baby and stop calling it "IT". I really think I might go to my due date- such a foreign experience for me. My amniotic fluid levels are great and I am only dialated to a 1 and 30%, but my midwife said yesterday that my cervix is very soft- she thinks I will go this weekend- I would like to believe her! Enough with the complaining, I know, I am grateful to have this experience and things are going to be crazy with a new baby around here. We are all so excited to use the baby stuff that we have pulled out and ready. I think the kids are going to handle the baby well and I can't wait to snuggle with that new little person!