One Month.

As I'm sitting here watching London sleep, I can't help but wish these past 5 weeks would have gone by a little slower. It feels like just yesterday I was holding him for the very first time. To think that he is already a month old blows my mind. Yesterday we had London's one month check up and everything looked great. He weighed 8 lbs and 15.5 oz and he measured 21 3/4 inches long. He also rolled over (back to front) twice while we were at the doctor's office. His pediatrician said he was being a little show off since that was the first time he had done that. ;) He also had to get a shot which completely broke my heart! As soon as it was over I scooped him up into my arms and held him as tight as I possibly could. Although I hated more than anything to see him in pain, it was an indescribable feeling knowing that I could bring him such comfort. Today we took London to have his picture made with Santa at Northlake mall. I was excited that he was actually awake for the picture! Of course, as soon as the picture was over he went right back to sleep. London has been such a good baby from the moment he was born. He is so laid back and really only cries when he is really hungry. He usually goes between 2-3 hours in between feedings during the day and between 3-4 hours at night. I am still breastfeeding, but we have also started supplementing some formula. London does really well with both. This makes things a lot easier, because Justin can help with feedings. Tomorrow we are heading to the beach to visit grandma and grandpa for a few days. The rest of the family will be coming on Friday/Saturday and we will be celebrating grandpa's 80th birthday. I'm really looking forward to being there and having some time to relax with no agenda before I go back to work. Speaking of going back to work, Monday is the day. I will work the entire week next week and the two days (teacher workdays) the following week and then will be out until January 2nd for Christmas break. Even though I'm only going back for a week, I am still feeling sad and anxious about returning to work. I don't want to leave London. I know that it is going to be a difficult transition, and I'm just trying to prepare myself for that. I know I will cry, a lot. But, I also know that God will carry me through and He will give me the strength I need. For anyone that is reading this, I would greatly appreciate your prayers. Well, I am going to feed little man and then head to bed. I will end with some pictures of my sweet boy. Until next time...

Hugs,

Meredith

Happy Halloween!

I'm finally getting around to posting about baby London! I'm not sure how long this post will end up being because the little man is going through his first growth spurt and may need to be fed soon.

Let's start at the beginning...

Justin and I arrived at the hospital on Sunday, October 30th around 6:00 PM. We checked in and within the hour the Dr. came in and gave me cervidil, which would work to soften my cervix overnight. This was quick and painless, and all that was on the agenda for the night. I was hooked up to the fetal monitor which would continuously monitor my contractions as well as London's heart rate. I was also attached to a blood pressure cuff that checked my blood pressure every 15 minutes. An IV was put in, but nothing would be hooked up to it until the next morning. My mom, dad, Blair, Alex (her bf), and Justin's mom all stopped by to visit that night. Around 11:00 PM I was given an ambien to help me sleep. I honestly don't think I slept a single hour that night. With all of the attached cords, my blood pressure being checked, and having to unhook the cords to get up and go to the bathroom multiple times, it was quite an uncomfortable night.

The next morning I got up and showered and was given pitocin through my IV around 7:00 AM. I was not in a lot of pain and was not having very strong contractions at that point. My Dr. came in around 8:30 or so and broke my water and checked to see if I was dilated. At that point I was 2 cm and he gave me the go ahead to get an epidural whenever I wanted it. Needless to say the anesthesiologist showed up about 30 minutes later to administer the epidural. To make a long story short and to spare you from all of the gory details, my epidural had to be administered twice because it didn't work the first time. All day long my epidural kept wearing off, about every two hours. We think it was because of the placement of the epidural in my back. So, after being in and out of comfort all day long, at about 8:15 PM my epidural had worn off completely and there was no getting back. I was 9 cm at that point and I started pushing at 8:30. I pushed for about and hour and 20 minutes and I felt everything! It was brutal! Justin was such a great coach and I had some amazing nurses to help me through. At 9:48 PM on October 31st, 2011 it was all over and all worth it when I got to meet my little boy for the first time. Justin and I were so overwhelmed with love for this little guy from the moment we laid eyes on him. London Starr Evans weighed 7 lbs, 3 oz and was 20 inches long.

London is 2 weeks old now and we have loved being at home as a little family. Minnie loves her little brother so much and she is doing great with him. Of course it has been an adjustment for all of us, but we are settling in to a routine now and we are enjoying every minute of being new parents.

I am going to try and be diligent about updating my blog with posts/pictures as often as possible.

Until next time....

xoxo,

Meredith

3rd Trimester Survey.

How far along? 38 weeks, 3 days

What was the first thing you bought for your baby? A cute little outfit for $3.00 at a consignment shop!

Total weight gain/loss? I'm not sure of the total, but over the last month I have lost about 1-2 pounds.

How are the maternity clothes? Any kind of clothing, other than pajamas, are pretty uncomfortable at this point. I am ready to fit in to "normal" clothes again. However, I am so grateful for all of my friends who have let me borrow/have their maternity clothes so that I didn't have to buy too many.

Stretch marks? Yes and Yes! Also dealing with PUPPP...itchy, itchy.

How’s the sleep? I have been sleeping pretty good for the past week. Justin has moved to the couch, leaving the bed for me, Minnie, and London. Neither one of us were sleeping all that well, and although we don't love sleeping separately, we are both getting much more rest.

Best moment this week? Having my family over for dinner/spending quality time with them.

Movement? He moves a lot! Most of his movement comes at night, however there are multiple times during the day where he doesn't seem to slow down.

Have you taken a birthing class? Yes, we took them back in September.

Type of delivery you’re planning on? Hopefully a smooth and quick one!

Biggest change in your body besides belly? Having gestational diabetes/high blood pressure are both changes I have had to adjust to.

Food cravings? Nothing too specific still. I do love my nightly ice cream snack before bed.

Gender? Male

Labor Signs? TONS of Braxton-Hicks contractions, especially at night.

Belly Button in or out? Flat

What are you missing? Regular Coke, being able to easily put on my shoes, sleeping on my stomach, Starbucks.

What are you looking forward to? Seeing what London looks like, how much he weighs, etc. Bringing him home to meet Minnie. Having him and Brooklyn "play" together. Seeing how Justin and he interact/bond.

Other Updates? I suppose the final, most important update is, unless he decides to come on his own sometime during the remainder of this week, London will be a Halloween baby! I am being admitted to the hospital Sunday night and will be induced first this Monday morning. Prayers are much appreciated for this excited/anxious mama to be!!

Minnie.

I felt the need to post some Minnie cuteness on my blog since it has been a while. She is still just as cute and as lazy as ever. I cannot wait to see what she's like with her baby brother!

Watermelon. (Well, kind of)

Well, it's been exactly a week since I was put on bed rest and so far, so good. We had quite a lengthy doctor's appointment this past Monday. We started out having an ultrasound which was so exciting! I had been dying to see how much our baby boy had grown and changed since our last ultrasound at 20 weeks. My mom, Alyssa, Blair, Brooklyn, and Justin were all there to share this experience with me and that was really special. After the ultrasound, they did a NST (non-stress test) to check London's heart rate, movement, etc. There was one monitor that checked his heart rate and one that checked whether or not I was having any contractions. Every time I felt London moved I had to push a button-this lasted 20 minutes. The results of the NST all came back normal. I finally met with the doctor and went over the the ultrasound, NST, my blood pressure, etc. It seems that little London is currently living up to that name. He is measuring about a week behind and weighs approximately 5 (ish) pounds and they said he would likely take after me in length (he may be a little on the shorter side)...we shall see. :) The doctor was pleased with the results of the NST and my blood pressure was still a little on the high side, but not nearly what it was on the previous Friday. He told me to continue to take it easy and stay off my feet as much as possible. However, he did give me permission to go to church and on short outings where I wouldn't be doing a lot of walking or vigorous activity. For that, I was very thankful! Needless to say I have been taking advantage of resting and relaxing this past week. We have been so blessed with family and friends stopping by for visits and dinner for us.

According to my iPhone app, London should be about the size of a watermelon this week, weighing about 6.5 pounds and measuring between 19-22 inches long. However, according to our visit this past week our little London isn't quite ready to be a watermelon. I am 36 weeks, 5 days pregnant as of today. That leave about 3 weeks, 2 days left until we meet our little man! I cannot believe how close it's getting!

I've been working on a pregnancy journal and I was looking back at the different ultrasound pictures we've had. I thought I'd share a few. It's so neat to see the progression of how London has grown over these past several months! Enjoy!

London at our first u/s. 8 weeks/5days

3-D image at our first u/s.

3-D London at our 2nd u/s. 19 weeks/3 days

It's a BOY! 2nd u/s.

Sweet boy at our 3rd u/s. 36 weeks/1 day

Hugs,

Meredith

Large Cantaloupe.

It has been quite sometime since my last update, so here it goes...

Little London is now the size of a large cantaloupe. He is somewhere between 19-22 inches long and now weighs around 6 pounds! Today I am exactly 35 weeks and 6 days, leaving only 4 weeks and 1 day left until his due date. I have had a handful of doctor's visits from the day of my last post until now. My blood pressure has been creeping up more and more over the last month and my doctor has been keeping a close watch on it. Last weekend I started not feeling so great and so I called and made an appointment for this past Monday. My blood pressure was high, but they wanted to check it again later on in the week. Yesterday afternoon I went to have it checked, and after checking it 3 different times over the time span of about 20-30 minutes my numbers were not looking good. The nurse took down some information from me about how I've been feeling, along with all 3 blood pressure numbers and went to discuss things with the doctor. I was definitely not mentally prepared for what she came back with. As of yesterday afternoon I have been put on bed rest and am not allowed to return to work until after London is born. I am also being put on medication for my blood pressure. I am supposed to become a "lady of leisure" as my doctor so delicately put it. I will say that this caused a lot of mixed emotions inside of me and it is still something that is settling in this morning. I am thankful/happy to not have to deal with the stress of work everyday for the next month and I have a feeling that the job I have was probably some, not all, but some of the cause of my high blood pressure. However, I am not so excited about having to sit/lay on the couch all day without really being able to go many places. I know that in the end it will all be worth it and that God has got a plan for why this is happening. I am going to make a conscious effort to see this as a blessing and something that is positive for both me and London. (I will say that the fear/worry/anxiety will still creep in, I'm sure). I am so blessed to have such a great family and such great friends who have already offered to help and come and visit with me so that I don't go completely crazy! We will go back to the doctor on Monday morning for an ultrasound (yippee!), and a non-stress test to make sure that little London is doing fine. I should be getting the results of some lab work I had done yesterday and if everything looks normal, then I will continue on bed rest and will be monitored weekly. However, if my lab work comes back abnormal, they may want to deliver the baby SOON. Ahh! I'm not quite sure what "soon" means, but we will cross that bridge when we get there.

All of that being said, if anyone is reading this please lift us up in prayer. I know that God has got this all under control and I don't need to worry about a thing. However, it is definitely in my nature to worry, stress, and have major anxiety.

I will definitely try to update as things happen over the upcoming days/weeks to come.

Hugs,

Meredith

Pineapple.

To all of my blog followers, I apologize for the lack of updates recently. Life has been pretty crazy and we have been staying very busy. I cannot guarantee that this will be a complete life update, because I do still need to write some lesson plans and I am getting ready to watch the season premiere of Modern Family!

In baby news, London is now the size of a pineapple. He is now somewhere between 19 to 22 inches long and he weighs about 4.9 pounds. Today I am 33 weeks and 3 days along, with 6 weeks and 4 days remaining. AHHH! I cannot believe how close it's getting. London is moving around all the time now...punching, kicking, kneeing, etc. I love lay down and watch my belly move. I cannot wait to meet that little boy. :)

Things are starting to feel more like home around here since we moved into our new apartment. We moved into University Center Apartments on Labor Day. I absolutely love living here and I'm so thankful that God has given us the opportunity to serve at the CARES team.

School is really tiring and draining most days. I am exhausted, sore, and swollen by the end of each day. I know that it will all be worth it in every way, but sometimes it's difficult to think that way in the middle of the pain.

Anyway, time for Modern Family and a few more lesson plans. Thanks to everyone who keeps up with my blog.

Until next time...

Hugs,

Meredith