It's a Girl!

Please join us in welcoming Addison Taylor Eade to our hearts and home. She arrived at 0525 on 9/16/09, weighing 8lbs, 9oz and 21 inches long!

It's been a bit of a roller coaster week for me! I had been getting so frustrated b/c I had so many signs of labor this weekend that I felt like my body was just teasing me to death!! Just when I would start timing contractions they would stop. This went on Sun, Mon and Tue. I was so ready for my OB apt on Wed b/c I thought for sure I had progressed, maybe even enough that she would tell me just to head to the hospital! (Hey, a girl can hope right?!) Well, I almost missed my apt b/c I had it in my brain that it was 1:30pm when it was at 11:45 am, which I realized at 11:40!!! Thanks to Derek for calling to see what time it was b/c he thought he'd go too since he was still in town! I'm telling you this little girl took every last brain cell! Anyway, they squeezed me in at noon. She checked me and said that I was b/t a 2 and a 3. I was so bummed. Then she said since I was so uncomfortable and would be 39wks on the 16th, she'd see if we could induce on the 16th. Nope, the birth center was WAY to full and busy to schedule an induction so she said we'd just plan on Friday. I left there in tears b/c I was just so ready to have this baby. I think had I not been so uncomfortable, not sleeping, etc. I could have dealt with it much better, but I was so ready to be done!

The last thing Dr Gootjes said before we left was, "maybe this check will be all you need to get things going". Well, she was absolutely right! By 6pm that night, I was having really regular contractions and they were getting pretty comfortable, but not regular enough. By 8pm they were getting much more intense and Derek had to take over Ethan's bath and stuff. (Which Ethan gave him a pretty hard time about). I was trying to plan ahead for someone to watch Ethan the next day just in case I was ACTUALLY, FINALLY in labor. Of course, of all days, Bonnie had to report for jury duty the next day and my mom had dr's apt at 0830 for her neck/head pain that she'd had for several days and I didn't want her to have to cancel. We worked out a plan but I still burst into tears because this wasn't how I wanted it to go. I had to get over it real quick though because it was out of my hands now and I was in way too much pain! By the time we got Ethan to bed, my contractions were about 5 mins apart and almost unbearable. I finally decided to call the Dr on-call when I started feeling like a needed to push a little with each contraction. He recommended that I come in. Derek started getting everything ready and in the car almost immediately. Then I started second-guessing myself. I didn't want them to say that I wasn't really in labor and send me home, so I waited for a while to make sure that they weren't going to stop again! They didn't stop in frequency or intensity so I called Bonnie and she came over right away. Then I called the Coordinator for the hospital to make sure that they'd have a bed for me and not closet when I got there (sometimes it pays to have a few connections !), since I knew they were really busy. She assured me that I wouldn't have a closet to deliver in!

We finally got here around midnight. A few people I work with saw me and were really excited for us, that was neat! We got right up to a room and the nurse helped me right away. She checked me and said I was around 4cm, so I had progressed since the afternoon. She talked to Dr Gerard (the Dr on-call) and he said to go ahead with an IV and epidural... YAY!! I couldn't wait to get some relief from these contractions. I was finally comfortable around 0200. Everything went really fast and smooth. Then, Derek and I watched TV for a while and tried to just relax and close our eyes a little. It was hard b/c the nurse had to turn me every hour and so we didn't really get any actual SLEEP, but at least we rested for a while. Around 0450 Dr Gerard came in to tell us that everything was going really well, and Dr Gootjes was planning on coming in first thing to deliver me. Before he left, he asked if I'd been feeling any "pressure". I said that I could feel my contractions were coming really fast now and with the last couple, I felt A LOT of pressure "down there". He thought maybe he should check me so he went to get my nurse. He didn't even put his hand in, he just looked and said, "whoa, the head's right there, I think we're about to have a baby". I was shocked! My whole body started shaking. I wanted my mom and Karen to be there for the birth, but it didn't look like that was going to happen! I called them both and when he came back, he said we could wait just a few mins to start pushing, but Derek and I decided we didn't want to make our little peanut wait!!

I was a little worried about Derek b/c he had a little trouble when we were pushing with Ethan and my mom had to take over holding my leg. He assured me he'd be fine. I really wanted to see things this time so I asked for a mirror. Unfortunately, Derek could see it too, but he did a good job of looking at the wall while holding a leg and my hand. She was out in 4 pushes! Dr Gerard held her up so Derek could announce that she was a girl! It felt like it took him FOREVER to say it and her leg was blocking my view so I couldn't see!! I couldn't believe it when he said girl! I didn't want to admit it, but I was really hoping that we'd have a girl. Not that I would have been "disappointed" if she was a boy, but I REALLY wanted a girl!! Derek did just awesome and I LOVED being able to watch the birth! It was so cool! Looking back on everything, I'm also really glad that it was just us. It was a very intimate, private birth and I will cherish it!

Sorry for the book, I just couldn't leave anything out! I still can't believe that she's HERE and that she's a SHE! She's doing just amazing too, nursing is going just fabulous, she's just a perfect little miracle! Can't wait for everyone to meet her!

Labor Day Weekend

Well, I think I scared Derek this week. On Wed, I had my 37 wk check and I was dilated to a little more then 1cm "but not quite a 2" and about 50% effaced. Roughly the same as last week. But Thur, I had worked pretty hard around the house (I'm nesting something fierce and have this sense of urgency that just won't let me relax!), so I decided to lay down for just a little while. Derek, got Ethan up from his nap a while later and brought him in to me and Ethan just loves playing our bed, so I let him before I had to get up again. But as he was playing, I started having contractions and they felt MUCH more like contractions then Brackston Hick's I've been having. I looked at the clock and I had about 5 of them that were exactly 5 mins apart! I started getting excited and nervous and scared to death all at the same time! I called for Derek to take Ethan b/c he kept laying on me and it was making it a little more uncomfortable then they already were. The look on Derek's face said it all! But after those 4 or 5, they just stopped and I haven't had anything else since.

On Sat, Derek was up before all of us and he started getting the rest of the stuff out of the spare bedroom and down stairs. He had vacuumed and was putting the toddler bed together before Ethan was even done with breakfast! I'm really glad too, b/c I wanted to be home with Ethan a few days to ease him into his "Big Boy Bed". Ethan could not wait to climb in the bed once Derek had it put together. I didn't have sheets or anything on it and he was laying on the mattress! As soon as he got in there, he was calling it "Ethan's Big Boy bed" and then he was telling Daddy to get all of this "friends" out of his crib. His pillows, his puppies, his teddy bears etc.. Later that morning I got all of his bedding washed and thought now or never by nap time. He must have been so ready to get out of that crib, because he did just awesome! What I love is that (so far), when we're all done reading books and giving kisses etc and leave the room, he stays in his bed! He'll call out for stuff he wants, but he hasn't gotten up to get it himself or leave the room when he knows he can! We'll see how long this lasts, but what big boy!! Here's some pictures of his new room and bed!

Daddy's little helper!

So excited!!

1st successful ni-night in the "Big Boy Bed"! (Ethan after his 1st nap)

He wants nothing to do with keeping "the blankies" on, so we're still wearing a sleep-sac for now!

I'm so excited and relieved with how well this transition has gone! I've been so worried about it! Mostly, that it wouldn't happen before the baby arrived and that he would feel like he got kicked out his bed by the baby! He absolutely LOVES being in his new room now, we have to wake him up from his naps and sometimes even then, he doesn't want to get up or much less leave the room! It's so cute! I can't believe how big he is! I know he's going to look even bigger to me when #2 arrives!

Sunday my mom had a cook-out and unfortunately, the pool was just a little too cold for swimming since the weather was so cool the past week or so! But we had a great time any way and Ethan splashed on the edge with Grandma and then played in his little pool so all was good! That evening Derek and I went to the Yacht Club for dinner and Ethan was a little charmer as usual!

Today, I was up around 5am (yes, on purpose) to get ready for a little marina fishing tournament! When we had a boat, we slipped it on A-dock and we still have a lot of great friends, most of them all fish, and we came up with having a Labor Day Fishing Tournament, this year being the 1st! Team Pier Addiction was a little short on crew since Mom and Dad Eade are on vacation and Cory had to work, so it was Derek, Brian, Sara, Heidi (Cory's wife) Me and Ethan! I got Ethan up around 5:30am. I rubbed his back and said "Ethan do want to go fishing with Mommy and Daddy?" He almost immediately sat up and said in his sleepy little voice, "Ethan go fishing, Ethan reel, reel, reel?" It was so sweet. He did not care how early it was at all! We got dressed real quick and Daddy was hounding us to get going!

I would have thought for "fun" tournament, maybe a 6am start time was a little early, but I wasn't there during the negotiations.... What a beautiful day! I've been a little apprehensive about fishing this late in my pregnancy b/c I have issues with sea-sickness usually and I can't take anything for it right now! I was totally unaffected today, which was wonderful! Ethan was such a trooper, except when I went to reel in a fish, then he wanted me to hold him, and well, I can't do both so he had a little melt down there. But, I landed the fish (a really nice Lake Trout) and that was the only one for me unfortunately, but I loved cheering everyone else on throughout the day! We ended up with 10 fish. This was the most fish you could weigh according to the rules so we thought we were sitting pretty since it was sort of struggle to get 10 today! Most of the boats we talked to didn't have that many. Unfortunately, a couple others did and we ended up 3rd b/c a lot of our fish were small! Oh well, it was GREAT day with family!! I only wish someone had grabbed a photo of me at 9mos pregnant reeling in a fish!!

Here's a couple pictures of Ethan and Daddy from today that I just thought were too precious. Ethan's really getting attached to Derek recently. He can't wait for Derek to get home and pretty much won't leave his side until he goes to bed! I knew these days were coming as I've been warned by my friends, but so far he still wants his Mommy too! I'm sort of glad that he's wanted to be with Derek more b/c I think that's really going to help when the baby's here and I can't be 2 places at once!