Labor Story

Here I am three hours before going into labor:

After living here for about three months, I decided that at 41 weeks and 2 days pregnant, at 11 o'clock at night, it was a good time to finally put up everything I've been meaning to in the living room. Matt had to take pictures because of how funny I looked up on the couch :)

And the finished product because I know you are all dying to see it!

After this, we went to bed. I woke up to waddle to the bathroom at 1:30 AM. Fell asleep, then at 2 AM woke up with painful contractions. I tried to sleep through them for as long as possible but they were getting worse and about 5 min. apart. So I got out of bed and started getting ready. Putting make-up on is hard while having contractions! :) I was surprised Matt didn't wake up because of all the noise I was making during the pain. I yelled to him a couple of times but he kept on sleeping, so I went over and shook him. Here is how it went:

Me: "Babe! Wake up!"

Matt: "Huh?"

Me: "We have to go!"

Matt: "Where?"

Me: "The hospital!"

Matt: "Why?"

Me (pointing to baby in belly): "I'm in labor!"

Matt then stumbles out of bed and wakes up while in the bathroom...he does not remember that conversation at all!

I called my midwife and she asked if I wanted to labor at home, I said nope! We are on our way to the hospital. I wanted pain relief ASAP! The song Viva la Vida by Coldplay came on the radio during a contraction and I was pounding on the car door to the beat of the bass drum. Matt found that amusing and imitates me every time we hear that song now.

We got checked in and I said I wanted the epidural so they called the anesthesiologist. I was throwing up during the contractions they were so painful! Once that wonderful man showed up with the needle, I was SO happy! I can't believe that people go through labor without anesthesia. It is truly beyond me!

My nurse, Claudia, was INCREDIBLE! She bent over backwards to make sure that my family and I were comfortable. She was such a sweet, calming, funny, perfect person to have around. Love that woman.

Here I am, happy, after the epidural holding up the awesome Jell-O I was allowed to eat. I HATED the finger heart rate monitor! It was always in the way and beeping because I was messing with it. A nurse on the second day told me I could put it on my toe, and my problems were solved :)

I continued to labor and had dilated to 4 cm. My mom, Matt, and I were able to get some sleep which was nice. At this point, Ada's heartbeat was dropping a little during contractions. The next course of action was to put me on Pitocin to try and move things along. So while on that, my epidural wore off on the left side. My right leg felt like it weighed 300 lbs. - while my left I could move. I was feeling painful Pitocin-induced contractions on my left side and it was AWFUL! My husband had disappeared at this point as well, so I was not a happy camper. I said, "Where is the man with the needle, and where is my husband?!" So my mom went out to find them both. Another anesthesiologist came and fixed the epidural so I couldn't feel anything again. It was wonderful.

At one point, it felt like we had every nurse from the station in our room! Ada's heart rate had dropped really low during a contraction and they all came rushing in. They then took off the external belly heart rate monitors and put an internal one in that is more accurate.

My contractions began to double up on one another which they said was odd. When Helen, my midwife, checked me again, I was only at 6 cm. I had been in labor for 14 hours.

I knew that I had done everything physically possible to have this baby naturally. For her health and mine, it was c-section time. I was okay with this even though it was not my original plan. At this point, I was just ready to meet my daughter!

Matt was more nervous than I was:

I was just excited!

I was amazed at how quickly things went. I could feel them tugging on me, but was completely numb. When they pulled her out and saw how big she was, they said, "No way was she going to come out the other way!" Helen kept telling me how beautiful she was and how much hair she had while holding my hand. Matt was watching everything, he's a curious boy like that. Dr. Kromhout was showing him all of my insides and he was fascinated by it!

I was not prepared for how hearing Ada's cry would affect me. I immediately burst into tears hearing that precious baby girl cry out and take her first breaths in this world.

I love this picture of her right after being born. Her little bottom lip she sticks out is so cute!

When they put her on my chest and let me hold her, she grabbed onto my finger.

She stopped crying when she heard my voice. She recognized that voice she'd heard for so long!

Our first family picture

The surgery went well with no complications.

One nurse said, "Oh my goodness, your stomach already looks better than mine, and we just pulled a baby out of it." That one made me laugh! Gotta love humor while you're laying on an operating table!

I was only in the recovery room for a short while. They put Ada on me skin to skin and let me breastfeed right away, it was wonderful. She even peed on me! Haha

Here she is meeting my mom:

And Matt's mom:

Meeting Uncle Sean

Daddy & Nurse Judy giving Ada her first bath (which I'm sad I missed out on):

After meeting the family in the other room and getting her bath, they FINALLY all came into my room. It felt like forever because I hate being alone. It was really only a few minutes though. And they handed me my precious baby girl again. I still can't believe that we made something so beautiful.

I looked over at Matt later that night and said, "She is the most perfect thing we have ever done." She is so innocent and pure. I still get emotional when I think about this life that we have been entrusted with!

Giving birth was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The bond that I have with this child is so strong, and it was there immediately. I would do anything for her!

Ada's Photo Shoot

The talented Gena Patten came over today and took beautiful newborn pictures of my 8-day-old baby girl. Here is her blog post: A is for Ada.

Aren't they lovely?

Ada Elizabeth Miller

Born December 3, 2009

@ 5:34 PM

9 lbs.

21 1/2 in. long

14 1/2 in. head circumference

Perfectly healthy & beautiful!

She came out with rolls and a head full of hair just like her momma.

We are so in love!

Still Pregnant.

Here I am at 40 weeks 4 days pregnant!

I deleted the name badge from the blog because it was mocking me. On Thanksgiving it said, "Ada Elizabeth is two days old!" Liar.

How far along? 10 months 4 days
Total weight gain: 34 lbs!
Stretch marks? Nope...hallelujah! 
Sleep: I am the pillow lady. Poor Matt gets barricaded away from me :(
Best moment this month: Being told I look small & beautiful...haha! Even though they were probably just being nice it was awesome because I feel HUGE!
Movement: Is still strong! You can see her feet on my right side, she grapevines up and down from my hips to ribs.
Food cravings: Lemonade, orange juice, apples, peanut butter, & Dr. Pepper.
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: Tons of contractions, nothing consistent though. Just waiting for them to become more painful and regular so that I can go to the hospital! 
Belly Button in or out? My belly button is weird. I guess it's out? 
What I miss: Being able to bend over and pick things up off the ground, tie my shoes, etc. without being uncomfortable.
What I am looking forward to: Meeting my DAUGHTER!
Monthly Wisdom: Try not to get mad at people who give you unsolicited advice. They really do mean well :)
Milestones: She could come out any second. NOW! Nope. NOW?! Nope...

Matt's 25th Birthday!

It's that wonderful time of year when my husband and I are the same age! He can't call me grandma until I turn 26 in April :)

Matt wanted chili for his birthday. The boy loves my chili. (It is SO easy and SO good!) My father-in-law, Marc, has been quoted as saying, "I think this is the best chili I've ever had." Matt is the same way, so sweet and complimentary no matter what I make!

He woke me up Friday morning before he left for work to make sure I was making chili for his birthday dinner that night. His co-worker told me it's all he talked about all day. He called and checked up on me just to see what I was doing, even stopped by the house once and smelled it cooking in the crock pot. He is so funny!

Here it is after simmering all day and making the whole neighborhood smell fabulous!

I was surprised at the reaction I got regarding the plastic liners I use when I uploaded these pics to facebook! They are a lifesaver. You don't have to lift your heavy ceramic part into the sink to soak or scrub off any stuck-on goodness! Just throw that plastic liner away. Heaven!

Here's the recipe:

2 lbs. ground beef

2 cups diced onions

2 (15 1/2 oz) cans pinto beans

1 (15 1/2 oz) can pink kidney beans

1 (15 1/4 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14 1/2 oz) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes

1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (14 1/2 oz) can tomatoes with chiles

2 (4 1/2 oz) cans diced green chiles

1 (4.6 oz) can sliced black olives, drained and rinsed (optional)

1 (1 1/4 oz) package taco seasoning mix

1 (1 oz) package ranch salad dressing mix

For Garnish:

Corn Chips

Sour Cream/Ranch Dressing

Grated Cheese

Green Onions (optional)

Brown ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain excess fat, then transfer browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chilies, black olives, taco seasoning, & ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6-9 hours. Or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with garnishes of choice and enjoy!

Here I am baking some cornbread muffins...with some honey and butter on top...YUM!

Matt got this picture of Sandy and it is my favorite. She has the best wrinkles!

Please note the candle in his muffin...it totally melted because the muffins had just come out of the oven. Oops!

My bowl, a la ranch

Matt's - a la sour cream

We watched the movie The Proposal after dinner and laughed so hard, it's a funny one! Makes us want to visit Alaska, too.

...

Sunday evening we had Matt's birthday celebration at Nana's! She made a delicious ham dinner with cheesy potatoes, green salad, broccoli, and her fabulous bread. She's the best!

Here's Matt getting ready to open his gifts!

He puts up with me shoving the camera in his face all the time. I think he's excited for Ada to get here so I have another subject to focus on :)

I made a chocolate peanut butter pie and Bobba made his famous apple pie!

The recipe is here. It's amazing! Seriously, you have to try it. I made it the night before and popped it in the freezer until we headed over to Nana's. It sat out while we had dinner and opened gifts and was perfect by the time we ate it. Chocolate and peanut butter...two of my favorite things together!

Matt thinks he looks creepy in this pic, but I think he looks adorable. A little excited for some yummy pie!

Happy Birthday Babe! You're the best and I love you more and more every year :)

38 Weeks Pregnant & Life Recently

Matt & Sandy tired from working in the Nursery. All of the touch-up paint is done! I'll post a separate entry later showcasing all of our hard work for Ada's room :)

Matt taste testing the minestrone soup. I made it and froze a bunch for when Ada arrives. It is SO YUMMY! Recipe via The Sisters' Cafe - I highly recommend this one! One thing my mom pointed out when I gave the recipe to her: you don't have to boil the pasta separately...just throw it in the soup! DUH...what would I do without my mom?!

Matt showing off the latest fashion for dads - their daughter's bath towels :)

Matt being ever-so-careful with the yummy Frrrrozen Hot Chocolate Diana gave us! YUM! He was so proud of the whipped cream and presentation...he's a pro!

Sandy and I hanging out in Ada's room. She is so funny with every new thing we bring into the house. She must sniff and inspect it before it is allowed to enter. It will be interesting to see her with a new baby! I have a feeling she is going to be very protective and go wherever Ada does :)

I love being this far along in pregnancy because I get to go see the midwives every week! It's exciting :) Everything still looks great. Her head has descended lower, her heart rate is strong, and movement still constant. My blood pressure is still low, weight gain right on, and I'm ready to have a baby! They said it could be tomorrow, or it could be in three weeks. So I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high in case she decides to come late :)

37 Weeks

Means FULL TERM! Woohoo!! :) If labor were to begin, they wouldn't try to stop it. Her lungs are fully developed and she wouldn't need steroids to help her breathing. Such a good feeling!

This is the best picture we got...we were both tired and it was really bright outside. Cute.

Your full-term (yay!) baby is gaining about 1/2 ounce a day and getting her first sticky poop (called meconium) ready. She's also brushing up on skills for the outside world: blinking, sucking, inhaling, exhaling, and gripping (it's getting strong!).

Ada gets the hiccups 2-4 times a day, so she's definitely practicing sucking and swallowing! She is active as ever and gets startled by loud noises. Trying out the massagers in Bed, Bath & Beyond was funny, the buzzing made her jolt in my belly.

Everything looks wonderful...her heartbeat is strong and in the 140s. My blood pressure is low and my weight gain is right on. I'm feeling great!

9 Months Pregnant!

So, I lied in my last post about doing it tomorrow. Ah well! So today I'm 36 weeks & 3 days, but who's counting?

How far along? 36 weeks
Total weight gain: 28 lbs!
Stretch marks? Nope *keeps fingers crossed*
Sleep: Has been difficult this past week. Lots of potty breaks, sleep for 20 mins, then awake again. Got up at 2 AM the other night and made some chocolate milk and watched TV until I got tired again. It's frustrating, but I figure my body is just getting ready for the many sleepless nights ahead!
Best moment this month: There have been so many...feeling so much love at the baby shower, watching Ada bounce & roll like crazy, shopping with my Nana, making tons of progress on the Nursery, wonderful Temple day...how can I choose one?!
Movement: Is stronger than ever! They say you should feel 10 movements every two hours, I feel close to 100. No joke! Haha Matt and I were reading in bed the other night and just gave up because she was being so active. We just watched the Ada Show instead :) Feeling her arms and legs is so cool, she pushes back and will high-five you. Pretty sure she's a genius already ;) She loves having her little feet wedged up in my ribcage on the right-hand side. By the end of the day, they are sore!
Food cravings: Lemonade, orange juice (drank so much yesterday that my urine had traces of vitamin C in it at the Dr. - whoops!), apples, cheese, & milk.
Gender: Girl!
Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks contractions! They take my breath away (not hard to do these days - ha!) and make my whole stomach rock hard. They're doing their job, too!
Belly Button in or out? I don't know what you'd call my belly button. It's never really known what it wants to be, and it's being that way during pregnancy as well. It's still like a half innie/half outie.
What I miss: Rolling over in bed without having to rearrange pillows and move slowly so my pelvis doesn't snap in half!
What I am looking forward to: Ada making her grand entrance into this world!
Monthly Wisdom: Is it bad that I love the attention I get from being pregnant? I seriously think it's awesome. Yes, I know, I've always loved the spotlight :) I just love that strangers smile at me and come up to me to tell me how beautiful I am. I love that it makes the world a smaller place...women and men feel completely comfortable striking up a conversation about when I'm due, what I'm having, is it my first, etc. It's wonderful! The best was shopping with my Nana and seeing her light up as she told people she was going to be a great-grandma :)
Milestones: Yesterday my midwife asked me how much I weighed when I was born. I told her around 8 lbs. 11 oz. She said, "Yup, she will probably be about the same! You're not growing a small baby, that's for sure!" YAY!!! I love big, fat, chubby babies! :) She is also in the head-down (vertex) position, ready to go!

Baby's skin is getting smooth and soft, her gums are rigid, her liver and kidneys are in working order, and her circulation and immune system are basically good to go. Her lungs are the only organs that still need to fully mature, but every day she gets a little closer to breathing on her own.

Updates

We finished our childbirth class! Matt got to play doctor during one class, I was his assistant. Good times. He had a freak out moment where he had the mask on and needed it off immediately, it was so funny!

We had our tour of the hospital and it made the reality of everything sink in! We are going to have a BABY! Seeing those tiny little newborn diapers and hats they put on them was crazy.

The nursery is coming along nicely! Here is Matt installing the ceiling fan. I'll do a separate post once the touch-up paint is done and frames are hung on the walls :) It's my favorite room! Love my little handyman.

We went to the LA Temple yesterday for our Ward Temple Day. It was a beautiful day! We took a picture under the wedding tree, here I am at 35 weeks 5 days.

I had to post this picture of Bobba! He forgot his glasses at lunch and had to wear Mommy's. Isn't he stylin? Haha!

I've cut back on subbing, I'm only doing half days here and there. I worked a full day last week and it was too much! I came home and crashed, not to mention the hugeness of my feet after being on them all day...hello swelling!
That's about it for now, I'll do a post tomorrow for my 36 week mark!

Baby Shower!

This past weekend, my sister came out from Utah to throw me a baby shower. 10 out of 10 people agree that she needs to do event planning professionally! We've toyed with the idea of starting our own business together...parties are so fun to plan :)

Ada is SO loved! Lindsay, my Nana & Bobba, mom, aunt & uncle, cousins, husband, and family friends all helped out tremendously to make it a perfect day.

For some reason when we plan to do things, like move, heat waves tend to show up. Thankfully there was a nice breeze, and the recently completed pavilion provided some lovely shade.

The masterminds behind it all, Nana & Linds!

One of Lindsay's beautiful centerpieces

My beautiful cousins, Rach (who also traveled from UT for the event!) & Becca

Pretty sure my mom is saying that she's #1 on the babysitter list, I love her face in this one!

The group gift was this beautiful, comfortable glider. I am in LOVE! It definitely helped keep the cankles at bay for a few hours :)

Yum yum yummy food!

3, soon to be 4, generations of Drake/Johnson/Miller women :)

Thank you to all of my dear friends and family who came (and those who were there in spirit!) and spoiled Ada & I rotten.

I am so grateful to have so much love in my life!