Wrapping up the Trip to CA

Today is our last day in California for a while. It's been a good trip out here. We've been here for almost 3 weeks, and it has been really good to be home for a while. We've had our ups and downs while here. John's grandfather went to heaven on December 6th at 2:00 am. It has been really hard on his family, but in many ways we can see God's design through it all. He called Grandad home in His timing.

We've really enjoyed showing Lainey off :). She has been a joy for everyone in our families, and she has been really, really good. She travels well :). Hopefully it stays that way, because we're definitely a travelling family! Just this month, we have over 4000 miles of driving planned. We're headed back to Surprise later today (400 miles). Then we're going out to Albuquerque for Grandad's funeral this weekend (400 miles). Then we're headed back to Surprise for a few days (400 miles). Then back out here on the 19th for Christmas (400 miles). Then, right after Christmas, we're driving out to Dallas to be with John's mom's family (1500 miles). Finally, we'll get home to Surprise from Dallas sometime early in January (1100 miles). So, 4200 miles (about 70 hours worth of driving) in the next 3 weeks with a newborn. Yikes. Gotta love the holidays! :) Still, it will be good to be with everyone. We haven't seen that side of John's family in about 3 years, and we really miss them.

Time to get packed!

Lainey's doctor appointment

Lainey had her two week check up today. She is doing great! She's 21 1/2 inches long and 7 lbs. 8 oz. She's growing into her feet! It looks like our care plan from Lori, the lactation consultant is working well! She's gained 10 oz. since Wednesday. The doctor says that she looks great and is doing everything a baby her age should be doing. From here on, she will be growing fast - between 1 and 2 ounces every day. She's working hard at it today, pretty much spending all of her time between sleeping and eating. She is a good little sleeper. She sleeps like a rock - nearly impossible to wake up if she doesn't want to (just like her mommy). I think it was all Daddy's band practice while she was in the womb that is to blame for that.

Lately, we have been really blessed by the members of our church, who have been coming by to bring us dinners this week. It's awesome to know that there are people here who care about us and are sharing in our joy. Many of these same people prayed along side us for years as we were trying to have a baby. So, if you're one of those people, and you're reading this, thank you so much.

Sleep?

Not for me! Lainey is not a bad sleeper... she just chooses to do it at the wrong time of day. Yesterday she slept from 11:30 until I woke her up just before 4:00. Who knows how long she would have slept if I didn't wake her up! I wish that long stretch of sleep was at night! She does seem to be settling into a pattern though. She likes to get up in the morning, eat and then stay awake for about an hour and a half. She'll eat again and then fall asleep for 3-4 hours. I am hoping we can find a routine in there somewhere that will help get her on track to sleep a little longer at night.

That 7 hour sleep we had last week may not have been that great looking back. We went to see a lactation consultant (different than the hospital specialist... this one is Board Certified) on Wednesday because I was still having so much trouble getting Lainey to latch on correctly and without hurting me. The amount I was able to pump was starting to decrease too which had me worried. Milk is made by demand... no demand and the supply goes down. I had a feeling that Lainey wasn't getting much milk even though I was nursing frequently. Her incorrect latch was leading to a lowered milk transfer. The lactation consultant, Lori, weighed Lainey at her office and she was 6lbs. 13oz. While this was on track to being back to birth weight by two weeks of age, Lainey had only gained two ounces in the week and a half since her doctor's appointment. She should have gained at least five. After feeding her in the office, we determined that she was getting about 1 ounce of milk from me and she needs about two per feeding at this point. So Lainey probably slept for so long that night because she was hungry, but didn't have enough energy to wake up. :(

Lori was a huge help. She said that my latching technique was actually pretty good and would work great for 70% of women and their babies. But for us, I need to be pretty close to perfect to get a latch that doesn't hurt and gets Lainey the milk she needs. She helped me see what a good latch really is and while I am still having trouble getting it on my own, it's much better than before. Since my supply is low (she wasn't getting enough, so it told my body that I didn't need to make more), I have to work to get that back up. We still aren't getting great latching all the time, but it's getting much better. We rented a hospital grade pump and that is really helping. It gets about twice the amount of milk that my personal pump was getting which means that we are at least able to supplement with only my milk and not formula anymore. I'm also taking a supplement called Lactaflow which might be the most vile tasting concoction on the planet. But hopefully it will help get my supply up.

I am off to get ready for church while Lainey is still sleeping. I had time to update the blog this morning because there wasn't enough time to go back to sleep after feeding time. Thank goodness for Sunday afternoon naps!

Many firsts

As a newborn, just about everything is a first for LaineyBug. We had our first bath, our first time at church, and our first walk in the stroller this week! The bath was not so fun according to Lainey. But today I put her in the bath with me and it was by far more enjoyable. I'm sure Lainey felt very insecure in that bathtub all by herself. We also went on our first outdoor stroller ride today. It was a really nice day here in Arizona. Sunny, a little breezy, and just the right temperature. Freddy sure was happy to join us on our first walk as a family. He's been a little bored these last few weeks. Lainey really seemed to enjoy our walk too. It's the Daily Lainey video for today. She did get a little bit overwhelmed toward the end and needed some Mommy cuddles to help her drift off to sleep.

Another first this week was going to church. That was an interesting endeavor... trying to time feedings and getting ready and getting to church on time. We made it though! Lainey's eyes got big when the music started, but she just looked at me and listened to the band. I think she's pretty used to hearing a rocking electric guitar and drums, although it was probably a little more muffled the last time she heard them. She fell asleep when the sermon started (sorry Jonathan... I thought your sermon this week was awesome!).

The most exciting first this week is that Lainey slept for seven hours last night! Who knows if we'll get a repeat of that any time soon, but it was nice to sleep. I was a little worried when I woke up by myself and it was light outside. Lainey still hadn't stirred much, but was starting the stretching and yawning phase of waking up. She's only been catnapping today, so I think we may have another long stretch of sleep tonight. However, she may have started without us. She fell asleep around 6:00 tonight and isn't showing signs of waking up yet. And forget trying to wake her up. She can sleep through anything. Once she decides she's sleeping, that's that. And with that, I am off to grab whatever Zzzz's I can before she does decide to join the waking world. Until next time!

Happy Birthday Lainey!

Lainey is one week old! It's been a wonderful first week with this little one. She lost her umbilical cord today. I wonder if she'll have an innie or an outie?? She says it's time to eat again, so off I go!

First night out!

We made a small excursion tonight for some dinner and to pick up some things from Costco. Lainey waited in the car with Mimi and Auntie Schmi (Michelle) while John and I ran into Costco. Then we all went out for some great Italian food at Cucina Tagliani! Lainey is a champion sleeper. She slept through the whole meal despite the loud noises and conversation. She even went back to sleep in the car after I changed her diaper. :) She really is such a good baby.

We went to see a lactation consultant today to help us with our breastfeeding struggles. I think we have some good tips now that will hopefully bring me some relief while getting Lainey what she needs. I never knew it could be painful to start. Pictures of breastfeeding moms always look so peaceful and sweet. We will get there though!

Mimi Janiece and Auntie Schmi will be heading back to California tomorrow. It was so nice to have them here to help with meals, housekeeping, and laundry. And of course to spoil little Lainey. She's going to get so used to being held I don't know what she'll do when we can't hold her 24/7! We will miss having our family around. We've had someone here for nearly three weeks! But the good news is that we will be in California for Thanksgiving, likely staying through Christmas. (I need to make sure she won't need any doctor's appointments in between or arrange to see someone in CA.) And then we are going to Albuquerque and Dallas to see John's side of the family. I really hope that we can make a trip to Ohio and Pennsylvania soon to see my Dad's side. We really miss you guys!!

I still can't get over how precious this little girl is. She's so sweet and cuddly. I love just holding her and watching her sleep. After she burps she snuggles into my neck and I just can't put her down! Here's a picture of us yesterday. My snuggly Lainey-Bug!

Lainey has her own website!

I will still be posting to this blog, but now all her pictures and videos are on her very own website! Check it out!

http://www.laineyhudgins.com

Enjoy!

Some Lainey love

Just thought I'd load a few pictures while Lainey is snoozing. She is such a blessing. We can't get over how much we treasure and adore her!!

She has really big feet. They didn't even fit on the crib card, let alone the box on the card. They had to do them sideways and there's no room for my fingerprint. :)

Our first moment as a family. I will never forget seeing her for the first time. It was so amazing.

Hanging with Uncle Kyle yesterday.

My favorite picture from a photo shoot John did the first night we were home.

First night home in her going home outfit!
That's about all I have time to add right now, but John is really close to posting her new website with photos, videos and everything!

Lainey is home!

Elaine Marie Hudgins arrived Friday October 31, 2008 at 12:55 pm. She weighed 6lbs. 14 oz. and was 18 3/4 inches long. We have been in baby bliss since she arrived! John and I are amazed by her every move. She's such a blessing and we just love her to pieces. Her delivery was relatively uncomplicated. I had had what I thought was going to be another round of false labor that evening, but around 12:30 it started into the beginnings of real labor. I decided at 2:30 that it was the real thing and we went to the hospital at 3:30. I tried to labor as long as I could on my own and made it to 4 cm before getting the epidural at 6:30. From there things moved along quickly as my body was able to relax. Her birth was amazing. I've never felt such a rush of emotions. They had concerns about her aspirating meconium, so she was not able to be given to me right away. Waiting for her to come back to me was the longest few minutes and the hardest part of the whole thing. She did not have any trouble though and was in my arms soon after.

She has had lots of visitors. My Mom was there with John and I when she was born, helping to take pictures, videos, and of course to help me too. My Dad flew in in the afternoon and John's parents and brother David drove in. My brother Kyle drove in too! My stepdad, John, flew in today and he, Mom, and Kyle will head home sometime tomorrow. John's Mom and sister Michelle will be coming on Tuesday for a few days to help out and spend time with Lainey. We are so blessed to have such a supportive and loving family. Once our family have left, our wonderful church family has offered to help us with meals.

We've had a great first two days with her. She is a pretty quiet little girl and her cry is very petite. She likes to look around and study whatever is in her field of vision. She knows her Daddy's voice and turns her head when she can hear him talking. We are having a little trouble with breastfeeding right now (not unusual for new mom's at this stage I'm told) and have had to use a little bit of formula supplementation. She had tested coomb's positive for ABO blood type incompatability and this increases a newborn's risk for jaundice. She's had great bilirubin numbers so far and we've not had a problem. We will go to the doctor's tomorrow for another blood draw to make sure that she's in the clear. As long as her numbers are good, I think we will be able stop the formula supplementation completely.

I will continue updating here as often as I am able to. John is working on putting together Lainey's very own website with pictures, videos, and other fun stuff. This way we will have a great way to share her with all of our far off friends and family. In the meantime, thank you for all your prayers. I will leave you with a picture of Lainey and Daddy on her birthday. She is our light in the dark!

Still waiting...

We went to the doctor this morning. I am still dilated to one centimeter which is no progress from Sunday. I had another round of contractions through the night last night. I am pretty tired today, but the contractions have stopped again. Dr. Newman said that my guess is as good as his as to when she will decide to come. He didn't think it'd be today though. I am supposed to continue resting and doing kick counts to make sure Lainey is doing OK. We'll be going in tomorrow to the hospital for another round of monitoring. I will be 42 weeks on Tuesday and the doctor said that it is dangerous to continue waiting past that point. Lainey will be safer on the outside after that. His scheduler is going to call me today to set up a date for next week to induce when he will be available. It will probably be Sunday night for delivery on Monday. She still has a few days to decide to come on her own. I am hoping it won't be tomorrow, but it just might be! Apparently I am the most pregnant person my doctor has had since he opened his new practice more than a year ago. Glad I could be the one. :) In the meantime, I'm trying not to be discouraged and just rest. I suppose I have waited for three years to get pregnant and then nine months to get to this point, so what's a few more days?

We are moving in the right direction!

Last night after dinner my back started to hurt and I had really bad heartburn. We settled down at home and watched some reruns of The Office and I started to feel better. That was a little disappointing since I'd hoped the back pain was the start of something. Then at about 12:30 I started feeling really nauseous. That rolled into more back pain, and the start of contractions! They weren't terrible but they were enough to keep me awake and uncomfortable. So I thought we were really on our way, but Lainey decided she wasn't quite ready yet. I fell asleep at about 5 and woke up feeling better with no more contractions. But I think we are moving in the right direction. I lost the mucus plug last night, and that should mean that we are really close. I am just hoping and praying that she comes by tomorrow. I would really rather that she's not born on Halloween and I think if she doesn't make it by tomorrow then we'll be having a Trick or Treat baby.

I still feel kind of sick to my stomach. So I think I might take it light on the meals today. Nothing sounds good anyway and I really don't want to eat anything that is going to be terrible to have coming back out. We have a few errands to run that I could pass on, but I think I will go to keep moving and hopefully encourage Lainey to scoot! Please pray that we have real labor sometime today so that she can get here soon!!

This morning's tests

Everything looks good! My amniotic fluid level went up to 7.7 cm and Lainey scored another 8/8 on the biophysical profile. She's already a straight A student. :) We will go see the doctor on Thursday morning and then possibly go in to the hospital for another round of monitoring depending on what Dr. Newman says.

I have been having some contractions, but they are still nothing to get excited about. We are trying to determine when to induce if it should come to that. With Halloween on Friday, I am definitely not interested in inducing Thursday night. We may induce on Sunday night, but I will still be short of 42 weeks by then. And as long as Lainey continues to show good vital signs on her monitoring tests, I am hesitant to push her to come out earlier than she wants to.

Our plan is to take a little trip to Costco this afternoon and maybe grab dinner and a movie. We will just be waiting for the signs that she's ready to come out! It's getting harder and harder to be patient though!

No news...

Nothing exciting happened today. I wasn't going to post an update, but I was afraid some people would think I didn't update because I was having Lainey. :) Not today. We will be going tomorrow around 11 am to recheck my amniotic fluid and Lainey's status. John has been predicting she would come tomorrow, so we'll see if he's right. We are all getting pretty antsy waiting for her to decide to come. I will update tomorrow afternoon after our monitoring at the hospital. Hope you are all having a great week so far.

Another day gone by!

We went to church this morning and had some friends over for lunch today. I was a little bit worried that my water was leaking today, so we decided to go to the hospital to get checked out. I wanted to be safe even though I wasn't sure there was anything to be worried about.

They said that my amniotic sac appears to be intact. They also had me on the monitor again. Lainey's heartbeat was very steady and strong throughout the time we were on the monitor. I had a few contractions, but still nothing that is painful. They decided to do an ultrasound to check to make sure that I still have enough amniotic fluid. When you go past your due date, loss of amniotic fluid is possible and an indicator of placental function. My fluid levels were a little bit low. I was at 6 cm of fluid. Lower than 5 is dangerous, over 10 is normal. 6-8 cm is what they called a "gray area" in terms of how to proceed. Since we were in that gray area, they had the ultrasound tech come back to do a biophysical profile test on Lainey. They said that this test helps to prove that the placenta is functioning well enough to support the baby. To pass, you have to have a pocket of amniotic fluid that is at least 2 cm, the baby has to show practice breaths, flexion and extension of an arm or leg, and trying to roll over. They have 30 minutes to do all these things. Lainey did it all in about 5 minutes.

Since she is showing such healthy signs, the on-call doctor said we should come back for a repeat of the biophysical profile and heart monitor on Tuesday morning and Thursday morning, then see my regular doctor on Thursday. Of course, she could decide to come at any point. I am now dilated to one centimeter, so we are making progress!

Other than being overfull from eating Olive Garden tonight, I am still feeling pretty good. I think we will get a good night's sleep tonight and see what tomorrow brings.

A Haiku for Lainey

Not much news to report today, but I thought I'd share the haiku our friend Steven Payne wrote for Lainey:

A Haiku for Lainey....

This might persuade you
The world is bigger out here
Your Dad has a Wii

Thanks Steve-o!

If the haiku doesn't work, we are having pizza tonight... will it do the trick??

Apparently I am a little too comfortable

...for Lainey!

We went for the NST this morning and it showed a happy baby! Her heart rate responded perfectly to all her movements and I did have one small contraction during the test which she did fine with as well. We went to the doctor's after the NST and found out that I am 100% effaced, although still not dilated. This is good news since it means I've progressed some from Tuesday, so at least things are moving in the right direction... just slowly. Our plan from here is to continue waiting for her timing. Meanwhile we will be checking on her status with NST's twice a week. If she doesn't come this weekend, I am planning to go on Monday and Thursday of next week for NST's. We will have another doctor's appointment on Thursday to see how things are going and that will be my last OB appointment. If she hasn't come by then, we will decide on an induction date (probably Sunday night/Monday morning). The doctor doesn't think I'll last until then though. We'll see when she decides her birthday should be.

As for me, I am feeling fine. I have a little bit of anxiety about how she's doing, but the NST this morning did a lot to reassure me. Other than a sore back, I am doing great. We will probably try for another walk tonight when it cools off a bit. Maybe that will get things moving. I think I'll try almost anything (except Castor oil... blech). Thanks for all your sweet emails and comments. It's nice to know we have so many people praying for us!

The freezer is full, but the bun is still in the oven.

Mom and I spent the entire day cooking. We made chicken and dumplings, asiago cheese mashed potatoes, and pasties (a kind of meat pie, turnover style). The pasties took forever to make since the pie crust had to be rolled out and cut, then stuffed and baked. Plus we had a disasterous batch of pie crust dough that refused to roll out well. Betty Crocker Pie Crust Mix in a box is definitely better than our attempts to make our own dough. It wasn't all a loss though. We made cinnamon-sugar topped cookies out of the bad batch and they are pretty tasty! And despite how much work they are, the pasties are delicious. We had them for an afternoon snack and dinner. :)

All of the stuff we made today, in combination with the meatballs and pot roast we made yesterday, has the freezer full. I think we have dinners for about 2 weeks after Mom goes home and after our church friends are no longer bringing meals.

Baby news: Lainey is squirming around a healthy amount. I check on her a couple of times a day by laying down quietly, drinking something sweet and making sure that she's moving and kicking. We will be going in tomorrow morning for the non-stress test at about 9:00. They said as long as Lainey is cooperative, it should only take 30 minutes to run the test. For anyone who is unfamiliar with NSTs, it is a simple test where they place a monitor on my stomach to measure her heartrate. Then each time Lainey moves, it is expected that her heartrate should increase and then decrease when she stops moving. This indicates that the placenta is functioning well and that she's getting enough oxygen.

I will go see my OB after the NST to check my progress again. Depending on the findings we will determine our best course of action. As long as Lainey is doing well, I will wait for her. All of the doctors in my clinic are out Mon-Wed of next week for a conference, so I figure she will come one of those days when all three of them are unavailable. :) But don't worry, we will have a doctor... another clinic provides cross-coverage for them when they aren't available.

Now it's time to relax and watch some more baseball. You can expect an update sometime tomorrow afternoon. Good night!

Still waiting...

Well, today has been another uneventful day baby-wise. We went for a long walk this morning which was fun for Freddy and just tiring for me. Mom made paninis for lunch and then we went to the store to get the ingredients for several meals to fill the freezer. We got started with a few of them and we have all run out of energy for the night. Tomorrow we plan to make the rest of the meals... which probably means that Lainey will come tomorrow since we have so much food to cook! :) Of all the meals, I am looking forward to Pasties the most. They are the most work, but the most delicious!

We'll spend the rest of the evening watching the World Series and relaxing. Maybe tomorrow we'll have some baby action! Thank you for all your prayers and encouraging emails and comments. Talk to you soon!

Not much progress...

Lainey's due date is going to come and go. Our doctor's appointment this afternoon showed that her heart beat is strong and a good rate. I haven't progressed at all compared to last week's appointment though. Because I would like to try to wait for her, we are not going to induce labor. I am not really a good induction candidate at this point anyway, so we are sitting tight. I will be going in on Friday morning for a non-stress test (NST) on Lainey, then to the doctor's office to check if we've made any progress. Dr. Newman said that he is okay with waiting for her with a NST later this week and then if labor hasn't started on it's own by next week, we will go in for NST's twice. Hopefully we start having some contractions that make some progress!

My Mom got here today and we are going to work on getting some meals in the freezer while we have some extra time. It'll be nice to have her here when Lainey finally decides to show up!

Must have been false labor...

Last night my contractions diminished back to once an hour. I've had some today, but not too many. Tomorrow is my due date and we have an appointment to see the doctor. We'll see what the next few days bring, but hopefully she will be coming soon!

Early labor? False labor?

Who knows? I've been having contractions since last night. They are mild, but I've been having at least one an hour. This afternoon I thought maybe we were on the way toward having a baby with contractions coming every 10-15 minutes, but they have died back down to about one an hour. I don't know if this was "false labor" or "early labor", but either way I think we are going to have a kiddo here soon. Will keep you posted!

Baby Jackson is here!

I don't have too many details, but Jackson Spaulding arrived yesterday! My cousin Jenn had him yesterday. Now it's Lainey's turn!

Baby Shower Pictures

I'm not too blog-savvy. My sister says that if I paste what she sent me in here, there will be a slideshow of the pictures she took of the baby shower in California. It was a really nice shower. My Mom, sister, and Grandma out did themselves! Let's see if it works...

***I am having technical difficulties... stay tuned.***
There we go!!

39 week check up

Well, we are making a little bit of progress. I am 70% effaced as opposed to last week when he said he had me at about 20%. I am still not dilated yet. I have noticed a few more contractions this week that are slightly stronger, but nothing painful or even close to regular. I imagine that she will come pretty close to her due date. The doctor said that they really do not like women to go past 41 weeks because of placental breakdown and the effect that can have on the baby. So we might be discussing induction next week if things haven't progressed further. However, I am really against inducing unless Lainey is in distress so hopefully that won't be necessary. I am all packed and ready to go the hospital whenever she decides to come! Only 5 more days until "D-day". :)

39 weeks

We are at the 39 week mark! Still no sign of Lainey's pending arrival. I had a few mild, but noticeable contractions yesterday. We'll see if those are the precursors to the real deal or not! I had a really difficult time sleeping last night so I'm pretty tired today. Good thing I don't have any plans! Tomorrow we have another appointment to check on things. I will update tomorrow with any news. In the meantime, here is a picture of me and Lainey on the 11th. We are 38 weeks, 4 days. It's a little bit of an awkward angle because I took it myself with the timer. :)

38 week check up

We had another appointment today. No news!! I am the same as last week... thinning, but not dilated. We just have to be patient! Lainey had a quiet day yesterday and didn't really wake up and start moving until 2:00am. She made me a little nervous, but I did feel her a few times throughout the day so I didn't worry too much. Today she's making up for the lack of movement yesterday. I don't think I've gone more than 10 or 15 minutes without feeling her squirm or kick all day.

In other exciting news, my cousin's wife had their little boy yesterday! Finnley Ryan Spuhler was born 10/07/08 at 10:08pm. He weighs 6 lbs. 7 oz. and is 19 inches long. Ashlee is doing well and it sounds like she had a pretty easy delivery... she only had to push 5 times and he was out! Let's pray Lainey is that easy! :)

Here's Ashlee, Nick and little Finn:


Congratulations guys! We love you!

Lainey's Room

I got Lainey's room all done this week. I had a lot of fun painting the artwork and her name letters. John put together her dresser and I did the crib a few weeks ago. I think it's turned out really nicely. We are awaiting the day that Lainey decides to join us on the outside. I'll be 38 weeks on Tuesday. I have another doctor's appointment on Wednesday. Last week, I was the same... thinning, but not dilated. The doctor predicts that she's 6.5 to 7 pounds. I have been having some Braxton-Hicks contractions, but not too many. I think she's content to hang out for little while longer. I had my first moment of being ready to have her out day before yesterday. I was so tired and uncomfortable, but I couldn't sleep. I decided I'd rather be tired and comfortable with her on the outside than tired and unable to get comfortable enough to sleep.

Nesting has definitely settled in. I am trying to get some reorganization projects done around the house, but my energy level has kept me from doing too much. Today was a day off from projects and it's been a nice relaxing day.

Here's some pictures of her room before I got it all organized. She got so very spoiled by all of our generous friends and family when we were home a few weeks ago.

So much stuff!! Where will it all go?


Her crib and some artwork hanging temporarily.


More stuff! Spoiled a bit?



And here are some pictures of her room completed. It is hard to get a picture of the whole thing, so here it is in parts.

Right side of the room with her crib and glider.


The artwork I painted for her.


Left front corner of the room with her new piggie bank and my old Cabbage Patch Kid piggie bank.




The most comfortable glider ever!!


Her crib with name letters.


We are going to get a toy net to hang in the corner for all her stuffed animals. For now they are hanging out in her crib.


Some shadow boxes I stained.


Overall, I think it turned out well. The couch is against the left wall and can still pull out for guests if we ever need it. It's a nice extra place to sit in there too. I have a Pack-n-Play for our bedroom with a bassinet attachment that she will sleep in at first when she comes home. I think we are just about ready! I have her bag all packed and I am going to start getting mine put together in the next day or so. I just have to figure out how to have the things I want to wear at the hospital packed when I want to wear them now too! The hospital is so close to our house though that if I forget something, it'll be no big deal to send someone to pick it up for me.

Thank you for all your prayers for us! We will keep you posted on our progress. My cousins Jenn & Andrew and Ashlee & Nick are also anxiously waiting for their little boys to be born. Jenn is 1 cm dilated and due on the 15th while Ashlee is about 2 cm dilated and due the 21st. We have an exciting time ahead in our family!

37 weeks!

We are in the final stages! They say most women deliver between 38 and 42 weeks, so we can expect Lainey to come at almost any time. I am feeling good. Just a bit tired and hungry almost all the time. I went to the doctor last week and he said things seem to be right on track. Her heart rate is good and she's in the right position. I have another appointment tomorrow to see if I've started dilating at all. I have been having some small contractions this week, but they are really mild and irregular. They say that you can have these contractions for a week or more before actual labor starts.

Lainey's room is almost totally finished. I just need to get a dust ruffle for her crib. I am going to try to get out to get that today and then I'll have pictures to share. I've been meaning to go for a few days now, but I've been taking 2 hour naps instead. :)

Our friends are moving out today. It will be very quiet around here after having someone living with us since February. I think I've gotten used to having people around all the time. But soon enough, we will have our own little noisemaker, so I'm not too worried.

For those who didn't get to see me last week for the baby shower or the wedding, here's a picture of me with my cousin-in-law, Ashlee. We are both due on October 21st and just about 36 weeks in this picture. Ashlee and Nick are having a little boy... Finnley Ryan.

The countdown is on!

I am 34 weeks... just a little more than a month to go! It's exciting and a little nerve wracking to realize Lainey is so close to her debut. We just took a labor and birth class last week and I feel much more prepared. This week John and I are in California. We will be here until the 22nd. We came for a follow-up appointment for John's elbow surgery. The doctor said all seems to be going well and John should be back on the mound to test his elbow by the end of the year.

We have lots to celebrate in the next two weekends. My cousin Nick and his wife Ashlee are expecting their little boy, Finnley Ryan, on the same day that we are expecting Lainey! Ashlee's baby shower is this Saturday and I am glad we are in town to be able to share that with them. Then next Saturday, my Dad is getting married! We are really excited for that special day too. Dawn and her two kids, Dillon and Katija, are really great and we are glad to have them join our family. The next day after that is my baby shower that my Mom and sister Jessica are putting on for me. We have a packed schedule!

After all this great time to spend with family, we will be heading back to Arizona so that John can start physical therapy on his elbow and so that we can get all of Lainey's things organized before she comes. We will be staying in Arizona until Lainey is here and fully settled. No more travel... Dr. Newman wasn't very excited that I was traveling now as it is!!

I need to put up a new belly picture. We are growing daily! I think that will have to wait until we get back from this trip though. Love and hugs to everyone!! ~Amanda

30 weeks

We went to the doctor yesterday. Everything looks good! He said that Lainey is growing well and is really stretched out. She has herself stretched up under my ribcage on the right side which is occasionally uncomfortable for me. But we are doing well and feeling pretty good. I got a little overzealous cleaning on Monday and pulled an ab muscle. I was back to feeling good by Wednesday though. I didn't realize how careful I have to be since my abs are stretched and moved around. I didn't do anything overly strenuous in my opinion, but the doctor said that sometimes even too much vacuuming can overdo it for a pregnant woman. So we are taking it easy.

My friends in Arizona are throwing me a shower on Sunday. I'm pretty excited for that. And my shower in California is going to be in September. Any of you out of state family, the shower will be on Sunday Sept. 21 at 2:30. If you are planning to come to my dad's wedding on the 20th and can stretch your travel plans out, I would love to have you there!

Love you!

29 weeks!

OK... here is the most recent picture of me. Taken yesterday at 29 weeks! We are growing!

By request!

As requested... here's a picture of me. This was taken on July 9th which puts me at about 25 weeks, so I'm a bit bigger now than I was four weeks ago. But, hopefully I can get someone to snap a new one in the next few days. :)


The new doctor's office was much nicer than my last one. I did the glucose tolerance test and another CBC and all tests came out normally. The cool thing about this office is that they email me when my tests are done and they are posted on a website that I can log into. I can see all my lab values for myself, which I really like!

Lainey is growing fast. She seems to be constantly in motion, but of course she stops whenever I offer for someone to feel her kicking. :)

Registry info

My registries are pretty much complete now for anyone interested in looking. John and I had fun putting it together. I was into finding soft fabrics and nice colors. John was more interested in inflatable tires on our stroller and testing all the rocking chairs. We have another appointment on Wednesday with a new doctor. Our last office was way too busy and we didn't even get to see the doctor most of the time. I really liked my NP, but she won't be there when Lainey's born and I want to know the person delivering her. Anyway, here's the links to my registries:

Babies 'R' Us Registry

Target Registry

I'm sure there will be another update at the end of the week after our appointment! Love to everyone!

She's waking me up now!

Lainey is a wiggle worm. Last night around 2 am she woke me up for the first time with some kind of happy dance she was doing. Maybe it's because I've been looking at buying her lots of cool stuff. :) I went to work on her registry yesterday with my friend Wendy. We had fun browsing the thousands of things at Babies'r'Us. I am planning to finalize a few additions to that and my Target registry this weekend. But if you are curious as to what we are looking at so far you are welcome to look them up. I'll post a link to each when we have them officially done.

Finally! Ultrasound pictures!!

I know they are so very late, but I finally had some time and a functional scanner to get our 18 week ultrasound pictures scanned and posted. We are in our 23rd week now... only four months to go! Yikes! Time to get that registry started! Lainey is really moving now. I was watching her beat out a rhythm on my belly this afternoon. It's amazing to SEE her kicking now.

Without further ado... Little Miss Lainey Marie!

Profile

Apparently those three miniscule white lines mean she's definitely a girl.

Five fingers!

Smiling

Happy Father's Day!

Lainey gave John a nice Father's Day gift. She kicked him for the first time! :) We are growing more each day and I'm told she weighs about a pound now. I'm starting to think about registering for things, but boy is that overwhelming! Between all those aisles of stuff at Target to the monstrosity that is Babies 'r' Us, it is a daunting task. If anyone has tips on the must-have's and/or the don't-bother's please let me know!

P.S. I promise to get those ultrasound pictures up soon. We have a new monitor for our desktop, so the scanner is easily accessible again.

It's A Girl!!

Just a quick post to update anyone that missed out on yesterday's news...

We are having a little girl! We are very excited and she looks great. All the measurements are right on and she was very cooperative with the tech to get all the measurements he needed to get. Hopefully that means she'll be a cooperative kiddo. :)

We have decided to name her Elaine Marie. This is a combo of John's Mom's middle name and Amanda's Mom's middle name. We are going to call her Lainey.

Ultrasound photos will be up in a few days when I get the scanner reset. Love to you all!!

Babies, dogs, and elbows

In baby news, our appointment yesterday went well. The baby's heart rate was 146 and sounding good. We have an appointment set for Friday at 3:00 for an ultrasound and hopefully the baby will show us whether it's a boy or a girl. As for me, my belly has popped out a bit and my own jeans aren't comfortable anymore. My CT scan was negative for active bleeds, but they can't see any potential aneurysms. We may have to redo it with contrast later in the pregnancy or have an MRA to determine if there are any problems.

Landis has decided he doesn't like his job as a service dog in training. We are in the process of figuring out where he's going to go, be it with us for a little while, or someone else adopting him right away. It's a little disappointing that he didn't make it, but at least I'll have a say in where he goes. He's a good dog and learned all of his commands, but was frustration barking and whining when in the presence of other dogs or animals. He has never liked being restrained when he thinks he wants something on the other side of a barrier. I thought he'd grow out of it, but I guess not. We'll see soon where he ends up going.

In elbow news, John's MRI showed no tears or damage to his ligament. He has some fluid where the muscle connects to the joint, so they think it's a bad muscle strain that hasn't had enough time to heal. He's on four more weeks of rest and a slow build back to pitching. We hope he'll get back to playing sometime in late June/July.

We'll update you after our appointment on Friday with the gender news!!

Some baby news and other news too

Well, last week on Wednesday night, I felt what I can say for the first time was about 15 seconds of for sure baby flutter. I'd felt a few flits and twitches before this, but this time I knew it was definitely baby and not the burrito I had for lunch. It's pretty neat! I haven't had a continuous flutter since then, but still getting those flits and pinches. Our next doctor's appointment is May 19th. We will likely make an appointment for another ultrasound for that week and we hope to find out if it's a boy or a girl then.

In other news, I finished my last day at work on Saturday. It was also my official goodbye to Lexi. I didn't expect to get too emotional since Lexi has been cared for by other people for about 3 months now, but I guess being pregnant and the fact that I've had her for 10 years got the better of me. It was a tough goodbye, but one that is best for both of us. She is being doted on and spoiled to pieces by a lady I used to work with. I have an open invitation to come see her any time and Suzi is going to email me pictures and updates regularly. Lexi is currently living at Remuda where she lives the easy life munching hay and going for a couple of trail rides a week. Suzi is really enjoying her and I couldn't have asked for a better situation. It was totally set up by God and we all know His plans are the best ones!

Unfortunately, at this point, John's elbow isn't feeling too good. So we don't know what is going on in the baseball arena right now. We are going to San Diego this week for John to have an MRI and see the team doctors. Hopefully we can get a diagnosis and it's nothing too serious.

Love you all!

Ultrasound pictures!

We got quite a few pictures this last time. Hope you enjoy!

Facial profile:


The token alien face pic. :)


Arms labelled. Hands are on the right.


Full body with spine and jaw.


Lower legs. You can see the two lower leg bones on the left with the knees on the right.


Peace out!

It's A.....

Baby! We still don't know boy or girl though! Our appointment went well today. All measurements were right on and everything growing in proportion. It was really neat to see and hear the heartbeat (158 bpm), see where the stomach and kidneys are, the bones in the arms and legs, etc. We will likely have a repeat in about 4 weeks. At that time we hope we will have a definitive answer about the gender. Today the tech said, with multiple disclaimers about how unsure he was and not to paint the nursery yet but if he had to guess, he'd guess it's a girl. Who knows though?? We will scan and upload the pictures this weekend. We got some good ones and a rather alien looking one and one with the baby throwing up a peace sign. :)

And in other good news... my insurance said no pre-authorization was needed for the CT scan, so I'm scheduled for that on May 5th. Thanks for your prayers about that! It also seems that the ovarian cyst has begun to shrink and they said they typically disappear by about 18-19 weeks. We love you all and while we wish we knew for sure what we are having, it's kind of a fun mystery. Things are changing daily with me, so I will probably put up more updates than there have been in the last few months, so keep checking in!

Doctor's appointment update

We had our appointment today. Seems like things are right on track. We got to hear the heartbeat... 165 bpm! No ultrasound today, but we are scheduled for a detailed ultrasound on Friday afternoon. Hopefully we will get to find out what we're having on Friday! The doctor is also getting me pre-authorized for a CAT scan to check for aneurysms in this trimester. They say that MRA scans have too much radiation to be safe, so a CAT scan is what we'll have to do. If you can pray for a speedy pre-authorization, we'd be so grateful. She said her last one took three months to get authorized and we don't want to wait that long. The scan is safest for the baby in the second trimester.

I lost 1/2 a pound this month, but it's not something she's worried about yet. Despite the lack of weight gain, my shape is certainly changing! I can't sit down comfortably in hardly any of my pants anymore, so I went ahead and bought a few maternity things. Hopefully they'll last me a while since they are pretty roomy right now. :)

I also got a new pillow that will hopefully help me be more comfortable at night. Sleep is elusive these days, and only going to get harder to find as I get bigger! I believe that my last day at work will be May 10th. We are moving to our summer schedule, which last year meant split shifts and 110+ degree weather. I don't think I'd cope well with that this year. Hopefully John's elbow will get better soon and we hope to be heading out of town by the end of May anyway. I am thinking that I will get the bracelet business back up and running now that I will have some more time. And hopefully it will help supplement our income.

Thank you for all your prayers and we will update you on Friday after our ultrasound appointment!

Last week of the first trimester!

Based on the fact that I've had little to no nausea and have generally felt pretty good for this first trimester, there's not been much to say! I managed to make it through with only one episode of sickness, but I think it was more related to low blood sugar and high stomach acids than baby stuff. Don't eat just strawberries on a hungry, empty stomach.

Overall things continue to look good. I'm still not really showing, but I think that will change soon as all the books and info on growing babies says they grow very rapidly at this point. I've only gained about 4 pounds, but I know that will change really soon too. Other than getting winded easily at work and some low back pain, I am really feeling pretty great.

My next appointment is a week from today. So we'll have more of an update for you next week! Love you all!

Doctor update: Everything looks great!

We had our appointment on Monday. Sorry it's taken me so long to update you all. I have been trying to get all the loose ends at work tied up and get the house in order as we are leaving soon. John leaves on Sunday for Portland! We are excited and I am so glad to get to beat the heat this summer!

Baby is doing really well. We are measuring right on schedule as my appointment was on exactly the 10 week mark and the baby measured exactly 10 weeks, 0 days! Our "official" due date is October 21, 2008. We got to see wiggling arms and legs and a nice strong heartbeat. We didn't get an exact heart rate, but the NP said it was in the 150-160 range. Any guesses Dave, or do you need the actual data? :)

The only bad news is that I have a 5-6 cm cyst on my right side that they are monitoring for growth. It shouldn't cause any problems and would only be painful for me if it twists or ruptures. It is no threat to the baby. My thyroid was measuring a little low, but not low enough to treat so we will repeat that blood work in 4 weeks. And they are recommending a CT scan in my second trimester to help rule out any dangerous aneurysms since I cannot do an MRA brain scan now that I'm pregnant.

The wiggling arms and legs sure makes this all seem a little more "real". I am not showing or really feeling super pregnant, so I don't think it fully set in until I saw those little limbs waving at me. My mom was able to come to the appointment too and that was really special.

I will attach our two pictures. The baby's head is on the left side with a hand popping up just below and the legs sticking up on the end. The other gray line on the end is the umbilical cord. It's head is about half it's whole length, but the baby will double in size in the next three weeks!

P.S. If you click on the pictures it will make it bigger and if you look closely you can see the baby's profile!

New cravings and dreams

It's been a while since my last update, but only because there hasn't been much to say. I have been feeling good overall. I am not as tired, but I'm also trying harder to get enough sleep. Last night the baby decided that I absolutely must have pickles... a fairly common craving. I also discovered that I like salad peppers now. I did not like them at all before. The only "symptom" I'm having is lots of dreams... and not good ones. I have had a few dreams where something bad happens to me or the baby. Thankfully they are just dreams and totally normal for pregnant women to have.

My next appointment is on Monday. We are hoping to get to hear the heartbeat and maybe get another ultrasound. We move in one week! Things are crazy- trying to get organized, packed, get the horse taken care of for the summer, and figure out where we are going! Hopefully we will know if it's Portland or not in a few days. I will update Monday after the doctor's appointment. Happy Easter everyone! He is Risen!

Baby Hudge!

We had our first appointment today. Things look good and the doctor says all is going well! We got to see the baby's heart beat for the first time and actually see the baby instead of a little black blob. :) I am battling a cold that has kept me from work for two days. But otherwise I am feeling fine. Eating really well and craving lots of protein. Without further ado... here is little Baby Hudgins!!



Baby is circled in this one. The other blob is what will become the placenta.

Naps and cravings

I had to get up this morning at 5:30 to be to work by 6:30 to feed the horses. Fortunately, I had a short day and was home by about 12:45. I laid down at about 1:00 feeling a little bit hungry, but way too tired to bother. Right as I fell asleep I remember thinking that a nice Fuddrucker's style hamburger would be just the ticket. But then I didn't wake up until 4:00!! And guess where we'll be going for dinner tonight? I'm looking forward to a 1/3 pounder with extra tomatoes.

Last night I didn't know what I wanted for dinner. I thought I was content to find something around the house, but John wanted Taco Bell. While he was out there was a commercial on TV... "I'm thinkin' Arbys." So John got his first last minute phone call that the baby needed a large roast beef sandwich. I have a feeling that more of those calls are on their way. :)

~Amanda and the meat lovin' baby

Welcome to our Blog!

Dear Family and Friends,

I thought it would be a good idea to have a blog like my Mom's caringbridge site to give you all updates about what is going on with little Baby Hudgins! That way everyone can check in on me and the little one without worrying that you are calling too often. :) John and I appreciate all of your prayers, love and support!

Today marks the "official" beginning of week six (although the doctor says week six started on Monday). I am pretty tired, getting hungry late at night, and having occasional queasiness after lunch sometimes. But overall, I am feeling good and looking forward to our first doctors appointment next week.

So far all my beta hCG testings have shown good increases. We had an ultrasound on Monday of this week (2/25). Thankfully, there was a gestational sac right where it's supposed to be! What a relief since my last pregnancy in May of 06 showed no baby anywhere to be found. I am high risk for another ectopic pregnancy, so we were so happy to know the baby was in the right spot. Unfortunately, the baby was too small to see, or to hear a heart beat. The size of the gestational sac measured the pregnancy at 5 weeks. The doctor said they'd like to repeat the ultrasound week after next.

Our first real doctors appointment is on Wednesday, March 5th. We are hoping that John will be able to come since it will be during the first week of Spring Training and the doctor's office doesn't take appointments late enough for him to come after workouts.

Well, that about wraps it up for today. I don't know that I'll update every day, but you'll hear from me often. Thank you everyone for your loving prayers! We love you all!

~Amanda, John and Baby Hudge