The birth story

Well, she decided she didn't want to come on her own even though I tried everything "natural" to get her to come... We even went to the mall the day after Christmas! My blood sugar got really low but little Cranberry did not want to come. So, we left Nate with Nonna and headed to the hospital at 7am on the 27th.

They put us in our room right away, so I was in bed and watching Today by about 7:10. They had to ask me a bunch of questions and fill out all of  the "paperwork" (which is now mostly electronic). The Dr came in and measured me (I was around 3-4cm) and broke my water around 9, then they started the pitocin. The contractions started kicking in around 9:30. Unfortunately since I was on pitocin I had to be monitored, so I couldn't get in the tub or walk around... I had to stay in or right next to my bed unless I needed the bathroom. I tried everything I could but when they came and checked me at about 12:30 and I had only progressed 1cm, I caved and got an epidural. I was really hoping to be strong enough not to need it, but I couldn't really bear the thought of another 10-12 hours of labor stuck in bed. I'm really glad that I did though. :) I was able to sleep a little bit and started progressing much quicker at that point. I don't know if it would have happened anyway, or if my being able to relax helped to speed things along, but in another 2 hours I had progressed and was ready to push! Unlike with Nate I didn't feel like I HAD to push NOW, so the hour or so I had to wait for the Dr (he wanted me to labor a little longer to make sure she was nice and low) was much better. And, I guess she was ready to come out at that point because it only took 3 pushes and we were done!

Her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck twice and her body once, but it was so long (unusually so) that there was plenty of slack. So, it wasn't cutting off any of her needed supplies or nutrients and never registered any sort of stress during labor. Thank God for that! They did their initial quick tests and got her cleaned up just enough to give her to me for some Koala time. We were very happy to welcome our new little girl to our family!

37.5 week belly photos

Don't I just look awesome?!

It's a Guessing Game!

We are exactly one month away from Cranberry's due date! That means it is time to look into your crystal ball and tell me everything you know about her. This is a pretty serious pool (I stole from our friends Collin and Clare) that accepts guesses for everything from time and date of birth, hair and eye color and you can even put your guesses in for her name! Everything is judged a little differently for the point system, but they explain that on the main page below the survey. Again, this is just for bragging rights (I won Collin and Clare's pool!) but maybe we'll throw in an extra special picture of Cranberry or something. There's a permanent link in the bar to the right or you can find it here: http://bebepool.com/sjmorris31

Just in case you find it helpful here are some stats about Nate:
Estimated Due Date: March 7, 2009
Actual Birth Date: March 4, 2009 (39 weeks, 4 days)
Time of Birth: 1:04pm (Eastern)
Length: 20.5"
Weight: 7 lbs, 5 oz
Hair color: Blonde
Eye color: Blue

Also, our guidelines for picking a name are:
Can't be in the top 20 for the last couple of years (Nathaniel was 76 in 2009)
Has to be something we can make a nickname out of (Nathaniel ---> Nate)
Both given and nickname have to sound good with Morris alone and as her full name (???????? Diane Morris)

Good luck!

Cranberry update - 35 weeks!

Well, another week, another doctor's appointment. We are now officially on the weekly appointment schedule. This is also when they tend to get a little more exciting. And I really mean A LITTLE. Because really, unless there are issues (knock on wood) they still take maybe 10 minutes instead of 5. Unless your doctor is running an hour behind like ours was today! That was very frustrating. And it didn't help that I'm stuck in an exam room with very little air flow when I already run warmer than the average person. Peter's sitting there in his leather jacket and long sleeve shirt and is perfectly comfortable, and I'm sitting there half undressed and burning up! Come on people, you know you've got pregnant ladies in here... Anyway... vent over. :)

So today they did all the regular checks - Cranberry's heart and size are healthy and right on track, as are my weight and blood pressure. Then we did a test for Group B Strep and he offered to check my cervix for signs of progression, but I declined. I think Peter was kind of upset about this but I told him it wouldn't matter because even if I was dilated I could be at that point for another 4 weeks and we still might not have a baby, so what's the point! But I did tell him if he was getting nervous he could start doing some of the things that need to be done around the house that he keeps putting off! :)

The other frustrating thing is that for some reason they never want to schedule our appointments until the one before it, so now leading into a bunch of appointments only one week apart we start to feel a time crunch. We asked if we could make an appointment for 2 weeks from now and they only had one time slot available on both Thursday and Friday - and nothing at all on our normal Wednesday appointment day. I don't know why they couldn't just schedule us now for everything leading up to week 40. Oh well...

But I'm very happy that we are both doing so well and we will see what next week brings!

In other news I would just like to mention again how much I love my job! I decided now would be a good time to sit down with my bosses and discuss everything that needs to be done leading up to my leave, during my leave and after I come back. They said they are happy to have me as long as I am comfortable staying (which right now is until I give birth) but that if I start getting less comfortable and need to work less than full time they would be fine with that too.

I also talked to my female boss about pumping when I get back (the male boss stepped out of the room at this point, not feeling quite so comfortable with the subject matter). She is a major proponent of it and did with both of her kids for more than a year! So she is very willing to work with me to do what I need to do to make it work. Of course it's kind of the law now, BUT I think she'd be willing to anyway. She's giving up her conference room since it's pretty much the only available space that can be completely closed off. Of course, if it's needed there are other places I can use in a pinch (or I can just drive the 4 minutes home) but this will be the best bet. And she's letting me work a more flexible schedule so that I can get those in without having to work too much earlier or later to get in a full eight hour day. Hey, I still need to be a mom! This is all sounding better than the dirty bathroom stall I had to pump in while standing up (and sometimes trying to eat) at BN... And will hopefully result in Cranberry and I being able to keep up with breastfeeding for longer than I was able to with Nate. I'm so happy they are so willing to work with me for what's best for both me and my baby!

Feeling the love

For the second time in two weeks the wonderful people at work have shown how much they love me by throwing a baby shower for Cranberry! I knew this one was coming though, since they wanted to make sure that Peter and Nate would be able to attend and have all of my pregnancy cravings on hand. They did an absolutely fabulous job putting it together! Since they are forced get to hear the day by day stories of getting everything set up in the nursery, etc. they knew exactly the right colors and theme to make it fit.

Purple, pink, green and butterflies!

I even wore a "Cranberry" dress

As things usually do, we started off with a great food spread - everyone brought something and it was ALL delicious.

Nate and Peter digging in

Then we headed back to open our gifts and have some yummy cake.

Nate helping to open the stroller 

I like this one because you can see Nate (very excitedly) playing with his new Hot Wheels!

Everything we received was great. We got a bunch of cute little outfits, much needed toiletries, diapers and wipes, books, toys, stuff for the nursery, and a bunch of them pitched in and got us the stroller we had registered for! A few of the ladies (who must have some experience) even got a few things for Nate so he wouldn't feel left out.

Nate trying out his new ride!

Of course now Nate probably thinks that all I do at work is eat and party. Finance, shminance! But I really feel very lucky to have coworkers like these! 

Cranberry update

So, as of yesterday I am 33 weeks along! Seven more weeks to go! Everything is still going very smoothly. I'm measuring exactly as I should and her heartrate has ranged from 145-155. I started swelling on our trip to CA (thanks to 6+ hour flights!), but it hasn't been too bad since I got back. But Tuesday night my left ankle looked like a marshmallow, and it didn't get much better yesterday. The doctor said it was pretty normal at this stage and that since my blood pressure, tests and weight were all within the healthy range he wasn't too worried. So, that's very good. I have definitely started to waddle though!  :)

I'd also like to add a fun aside about this particular doctor (I see a different one at every appointment so I know them all by the time labor & delivery come along). He loves to wear fun prints on his pants and socks. Last time he wore some red and white striped socks and this time he was wearing pheasant print pants and socks with dogs on them... I guess he was going for a hunting theme! We'll see what he wears next time.

Cranberry has definitely been moving around a lot lately. She even had her first case of the hiccups yesterday afternoon, and then again last night. Really, hiccups are not one of the cooler things about pregnancy. I know a lot of pregnant women think they're really cool, and to some extent I guess they are, until they start waking you up at 5am! Like I don't have enough things keeping me up at night.

Sleep... Oh, precious sleep!

So, I'm on my own this week from Saturday night until Wednesday while Peter is out helping his dad with a book signing in Colorado. Last night I took full advantage and took over the bed - me, my belly and 4 pillows! I have really not been sleeping very well the past week or so. A fun mix of pain, belly, the need to pee and heat. Luckily the last couple of nights have gotten down into the 50's, we've turned off the air, opened the windows and been a lot more cozy. I have a pregnancy pillow. It's shaped a little like a comma with a big part for between your legs then a little curl that's supposed to fit under your belly. It works alright, but it's a pain (literally) to try to roll over and I usually end up on my back which wakes me up (pregnancy no-no). So last night I took advantage of my empty bed to add a belly behind my back and another between my legs, and let me just say... I slept great! I still had to get up to use the restroom, but the rest of the time I was as comfy as can be. Now, the problem is that I pretty much took up 2/3 of the bed, so once Peter gets home I will have to come up with some other plan. (Or just hope that his skinny little bod will fit on the last third!) Of course I imagine that pretty soon no amount of pillows will make sleep comfortable. Until then I'll do what I can to enjoy my cool, comfy, roomy, soft, cozy relatively pain-free sleep!

Time to transition...

Nate and I went to visit my friend Jacque in Florida this weekend. Yes, I drove 10 hours with a toddler by myself! People kept telling me how brave I was. Luckily I was able to pick up a portable DVD player from Jack and Dianne at the last minute. He loved being able to watch Bambi and "DIggers" while riding in the car. This is definitely not something I think is necessary for short rides, but for that length - and especially by myself - it came in very handy. The main reason we were going to visit her was because she is due in just over a month and was having her baby shower on Saturday. Nate had a great time making all the ladies fall in love with him and, of course, helping Jacque open all her gifts. I'm not really sure he understood that all of the stuff wasn't for him. Luckily G-Baby was willing to share all of his awesome stuff with Nate - even his crib! 

Nate worming his way into a family photo 

Cranberry and G-Baby - their first picture together!

Preggers together!
Sarah @ 24.5 weeks and Jacque @ 34.5 weeks

Most of the trip was a great time, but Nate kept saying he wanted his daddy and wanted to go home. This made Peter feel good, but definitely made for some frustrating moments for me. I think it might have been a little too close for him to leave home again after just getting back from the long trip with his grandparents. This brings me to my next point: we are officially in transition mode. Over the next few months we have to work on the following projects with Nate: potty training, getting rid of binky, switching to a big boy bed and become a big brother. Of course, ideally, we would like the first three to be done before the fourth happens, but there's always something going on to make us wait. But it is time to get serious! First up - potty training. I have purchased a book and hope to start this weekend. Wish us luck!

It's A...

GIRL!!!!

I was right! I told Peter that it is going to be a source of pride that I have known what both of my children were before the ultrasound.

So, we had our ultrasound today... The first thing she did was to ask if we wanted to find out the gender and then go looking for it. It's a good thing she did it right away too because she had her legs crossed tight toward the end. Actually when she was first looking, Peter and I both saw something we thought might be BOY, but it turned out to be the umbilical cord or something because once she got her little wand in the right position it showed girl!

Of course she went through the rest of the important stuff too to make sure everything was functioning properly. The first thing she looked at was her kidneys to make sure she doesn't have any problems like Nate. The kidneys were empty, but the bladder had fluid, so they appear to be perfect! She went through everything else too like the heart, brain, spine... and they are all perfect as well. No markers for down syndrome, spots on the heart or any other defects. She said, unlike with Nate, that we wouldn't need a follow-up appointment to this ultrasound since everything looks just as it should. This was the best thing I could have heard - girl or boy!

Looking at the shots it seems to us like her legs are long and feet are big... just like Nate and Peter. She also seems to have a nice pointy chin just like Nate had, which definitely comes from Peter as well. I was really hoping this one would like like me, but I'm not so sure it will happen. :( I made sure to drink OJ before I went so she would be active and boy did that work! She was dancing in there... All the measurements indicate she's growing right on time with an actual due date of 12/20, which I think I've said before is what I think it is, but they just use the same formula for everyone.

When I got back to work I made the ladies wait a little while (which they really didn't like) before I told them with a fun reveal. Last night I baked a pink cake and a friend baked a blue one, and we cut into the appropriate cake to tell everyone what Cranberry was. They had taken a poll yesterday that was pretty evenly split, but when they saw the pink cake they all let out a great cheer! 

Of course now we're starting to think about how we are going to decorate her nursery and what we're going to name her... Now the fun begins!

Congratulations to the 11 of you who voted in the poll and were correct! I'm glad you all trusted my instincts. :)

18 week Drs appointment

So, we had our 18 week check-up and it was as boring as the first few months usually are. Of course, our doctor was almost an hour late, which was kinda annoying because that means I had to use extra sick time, but also broke up my 10 hour day a little more. But he still answered our questions and listened for Cranberry's heartbeat. It was coming in at a healthy 145-150bpm. This still points to girl, but a lot less than the 160s from the previous appointment. But, we don't have too much longer to wait to find out as we were able to schedule our ultrasound for this Tuesday! Since I'm still only feeling movement every once in awhile it will be nice to see little Cranberry again and, of course, start planning for the nursery! Check back Tuesday for more big news... assuming Cranberry plays along. :)

Almost time to find out!

So, I am 17 weeks pregnant today! As I explained in my last post, I really have no idea when we will be finding out little Cranberry's gender. My next appointment is next Wednesday, July 20, so I figure why not start a poll? On the off chance that I actually get the ultrasound that day there will be a week for people to put in their votes. You can ask questions of me if you like, and I will answer them to the best of my ability. I will tell you this: my instinct says girl. Why do I think Cranberry will be a girl? A few reasons:

1. I have been incredibly clumsy. If you recall, with Nate I caught a piece of chicken (in my mouth) at Hibachi and got a hole in one at mini-golf all in the same night! This never happened pre-Nate and made me sure he was a boy. Now, I'm not normally the most athletic person in the world, but since being pregnant this time around I have been an absolute klutz. I've spilled pitchers of tea, bowls full of dog food, not even gotten over 100 at bowling, stepped on dog tails, the list goes on.
2. Chinese Gender Chart - With Nate it said boy, with Cranberry it's saying girl.
3. Baking Soda Test - I didn't do it with Nate, but according to legend, it's saying girl.
4. Heartbeat test - Now, this one I don't put too much stock in because based on Nate's heartbeat, he should be a girl... but at the last appointment Cranberry's heart rate was in the high 160's, and anything over 140 supposedly points to girl. 
5. Just a gut feeling. I know that gut feelings totally don't mean anything because many a pregnant lady has had her heart set on Jack and ended up with a Jill. But you have to go with something...

Of course I could be totally wrong. And based on the way that this pregnancy has been going (pretty much exactly like it was with Nate's, no morning sickness, extreme fatigue even into 2nd trimester ) it could mean boy! Either way, we will be happy!

So get your vote on!

Cranberry?

I know a lot of people were expecting it any day now, and the time has come – Peter and I are expecting baby #2! We are both very excited and very nervous at the same time. I keep thinking, are we crazy?! But we really want a sibling for Nate and would prefer it to be in semi-close proximity age wise. If we waited until the time was exactly right he’d probably be 15! Nate doesn’t really know what’s going on, but we plan on getting him a couple of “Big Brother” books a little closer to the arrival, and he loves the shirt I got him to share the news with everyone!

We had our first appointment on Friday, which included an ultrasound. Friday the 13th sounds like a great day to find out if your baby is healthy right? But, the baby looks great-measuring at the proper date and a good strong heart rate (179, which according the old wives' tales means GIRL). Our official due date is 12/21/11! (Like we needed any more holiday babies in our family what with Peter being 12/26, his dad being 12/22 and Nate's cousin Kat on 12/23!) My clever brother dubbed it Cranberry and we decided to stick with that for the baby's nickname. It fits the time of year and is about the same size as a Blueberry!


Peter couldn't contain his excitement and told everyone at Barnes and Noble almost as soon as we found out. I'm sure they are super excited to be losing a manager at the busiest time of year! I told my bosses on Monday, hoping to let them get used to the news before our crazy season really kicks into high gear come June. They seemed genuinely excited for us, which was great - I was really nervous! I think part of it is that when I told my two bosses that I needed to talk to them they automatically thought I was going to quit! So leaving for 6 weeks during some of the slowest months of the year is awesome! 


Here are some parting ultrasound photos of Cranberry to keep you coming back for more...