Update Coming Soon...

Hi friends!  Obviously I have had the baby by now!! :)  Our precious little Wyatt Owen arrived on July 17th at 12:30 AM, weighing in at 8 lb, 5 oz and 21 inches long.  I will update soon with more details and LOTS of pictures, but I'm having a hard time finding more than 2 minutes to sit down and  do anything right now besides feed him and change diapers!

Plus, the fact that my blog no longer has a background and I can't figure out how to take the scary fetus ticker off the sidebar is also keeping me from updating at the moment.  I need to figure out how to get a background again, then I'll tell you all about the birth of our sweet little guy!  Stay tuned...

40 Weeks and Counting...

Well, judging by the fact that today is my due date and Wyatt is still not here, I think it's safe to say that this baby is definitely a Ward/Baird baby.  Sam is pretty laid back, not ever in a huge hurry, etc. and I feel like there is a good chance that Wyatt is taking on that personality.  OR he could be taking on my personality, which is more of a "I can't come out until this is ready and that is ready etc. etc. etc. so I will just be SUPER late everywhere I go..." approach.  Either way, today is the due date and this baby is not budging. 

That being said, Sam and I had to make some decisions yesterday at my appointment.  The doctor said I'm only dilated to a 1, about 30% effaced, and he's still really high, so we really didn't feel comfortable inducing today (as was originally scheduled).  My doctor is a little concerned that if we wait much longer he's going to get too big to fit through the birth canal, so we settled on a compromise of inducing on Friday if he's not here before then.  That's only 3 days past my due date, but still gives my body a couple extra days to try and go into labor on it's own.  Obviously that is what I'm REALLY hoping for, but I feel more confident in inducing on Friday if we have to than I did previously.

One thing my doctor mentioned was that at this point, I have about a 50/50 chance of delivering him normally, which is a little discouraging to me.  I realize that having a C-section is a completely routine procedure and understand that if that needs to be done, that is what we will do, but I'm still hoping & praying that either A) Wyatt will come out all by himself BEFORE Friday or B) The induction will go well and will send me into a safe/normal delivery!  All prayers are definitely appreciated right now though.  Being a first time mom, having to make all these decisions, and still not knowing what to REALLY expect is all a little bit overwhelming. 

I know God's timing is perfect and I'm trying to remember that He is in complete control of this situation.  We are SO ready to meet our little guy!  I'll try to update if anything changes, or I'll see if Sam can jump on here and give a quick update if needed.  Thanks for all your thoughts & prayers!!

Well...

I got nothin.  Baby Wyatt is still all cozied up inside my belly with no obvious plans to say goodbye to his little uterine hut and say hello to the world outside yet.  I go back to the doctor on Monday for another check-up, so please pray that our little baby will decide to kick this labor thing into gear before then!  We have 4 days until the due date (7/13) and my doctor said if he's still like this on Monday she won't even be able to induce labor yet.  (Not that I want to be induced anyway, but it makes me a little nervous that even THAT may not an option!) 

In the meantime, it looks like Sam and I will be enjoying ONE MORE baby-free weekend after all.  Unless, of course, Wyatt decides to surprise us both and join the party.  Which would be A-okay with me!!

And now, I'm off to pray/walk continuously/bounce on my exercise ball/eat spicy foods/talk to the baby/and try whatever other crazy things I can to help move this labor along!  (With a few exceptions...castor oil and weird herbal supplements are definitely not an option.  Yet.)

38 weeks and counting...

So here I am at 38 weeks and 3 days and the little guy is making no apparent plans to come out any time soon.  At my appointment on Tuesday my doctor said he was still pretty high & I was not dilated yet, so I guess we'll just keep watching & waiting for now!  In the meantime, I am getting a little bit anxious that he's going to be overdue, which is causing more anxiety as I think about all the "what ifs".  I would appreciate any and all prayers that baby Wyatt comes out safe & healthy whenever he is ready, and that both of us get through the labor & delivery process safely and with no major complications!  I'm sure this gets a little easier after the first baby, but right now I really have no idea what's normal, what's not, etc. and I'm driving myself a little nuts! Here's a belly shot from last night though--I'm actually wearing normal clothes AND some makeup in this picture!  AMAZING!!

Sam and I are nearing the end of the "nesting" phase.  We've just about finished all of our projects around the house & will be putting the finishing touches on the nursery this weekend.  (I'll post pictures of that as soon as everything is in place.)  A couple nights ago, we were putting away more gifts from the sweet shower that Sam's church in Lawton gave us, and Sam decided that he needed to practice changing diapers.  Who am I to argue this??  They say practice makes perfect, and I'm ALL FOR him changing diapers whenever possible!  So, he goes into Wyatt's nursery, gets the teddy bear his parents got for Wyatt out of the crib & a couple newborn diapers, and settles back on the couch for some practice.  The proof is in the picture, people:

At least one of us is going to be trained & ready for some professional diapering here before long! 

We're looking forward to a long holiday weekend this weekend & the opportunity to spend it together with just the 2 of us for one of the last times before we become a family of 3.  We have a few last minute errands to run, but I'm hoping we'll be able to sneak in some time at the pool with friends, a 4th of July cookout & celebration, and perhaps a viewing of Eclipse!  (And who am I kidding, I'm sure I'll go back over the house at least once this weekend with the Swiffer...)

One thing that I have NOT been able to decide on (if there are any guys reading this, feel free to go ahead and continue on your business now) is the breast pump situation.  With the help of several gift cards, a 20% off coupon to Babies R Us, and some very generous family members, I was able to purchase the Medela Pump In Style Advanced.  I haven't opened it yet though, and since I bought it, I've been wondering if I should opt for the hands-free (and more expensive) Medela Freestyle Pump instead.  I've heard lots of great things about the Pump In Style Advanced, but since it's not hands-free, I'm wondering if any of you readers have had any experience or know anyone who has used the Freestyle model?  I'm just trying to decide if it's worth the extra money or not, and I probably need to make a decision here pretty quick! Let me know if you have an opinion on this "oh-so-important" topic and I may be exchanging out the pump I got for the hands-free version sometime in the next few days.  Or maybe I won't.  Who knows?

Have a safe & Happy 4th of July!!