And Then There Were Three

As most of you know, we officially brought our sweet baby Hailey into this world on Wed, Sept 21, 2011. She weighed a whole 6 pounds and 11 ounces and 18.5 inches long. I was in labor for 8 hours and only pushed for 20 minutes. It all went pretty smoothly. I was put on pitocin at 7am on Wed and by 2pm I was only dilated to 4cm. It was at this point that I caved and requested an epidural. After I received the epidural I went from 4cm to 9cm in 30minutes. The nurse was so surprised and the doctor wasn't even in the building yet. They had to call him in and boy was he rushing. The nurse told me to try not to push- which wasn't hard to do because I was so tired and couldn't really feel a whole lot in the lower regions. So the doctor rushed over and we pushed the baby out in 20 min! I did receive a small episiotomy to help bring her out. But it was all worth it in the end! She was born perfectly healthy and absolutely beautiful! I couldn't have asked for anything more.



Hailey May Ferons is now a week old and even more beautiful than the first day. She loves to snuggle and be bundled up nice and warm. She absolutely HATES being unwrapped, undressed, or getting her diaper changed. It's a traumatic experience every time. But she is eating really well and sleeping... well, we're working on that one. But we love and adore her!
It's been really great having my mom around to help too! She's been so great helping out with chores around the house and making food and being the best grandma ever! I will be sad when she leaves on Saturday... Then will come the real challange- keeping a house organized AND taking care of a newborn. We shall see how that goes.

Inducing

So at 40 weeks and 5 days I still have not dilated more than 1cm so I will be inducing tomorrow (Tue, 20th) at 8pm at the Madison Memorial Hospital. I'm a little disappointed that I have to be induced, but I am excited to have some finality to this pregnancy! I'm excited to get this little girl out and see and hold her for the first time! It's so exciting! Yet... so surreal. I feel like it's not really happening to me. It's weird. I'm excited too that my mom will be flying in tomorrow and will be able to spend 2 weeks with us! I can't wait to see her!
Today Ryan took me out to lunch to Applebeas for a "final" date where we don't have to worry about children or babysitters. It was nice! :) He is so sweet! He is also very excited for baby Hailey! So here we are at the threshold of a new chapter in our lives together and I am so nervous and excited all at once. This is a huge responsibility! God has sent us his sweet and precious baby girl to raise and call our own. I can't help but be so eternally grateful that I get to experience this with the wonderful man I get to call my husband. This is only the beginning of our family and our life together. Bring it on! :)

Tortellini Marinara

So since I only used half a bag of tortellini for Ryan and I in the last recipe... I decided to try a new one last night with the last half of the bag! It was equally delicious and once again- super easy! Here's the recipe!

1pkg cheese tortellini
1 lb itallian sausage
1 pkg marinara sauce (we just used spaghetti sauce!)
1 can diced italian tomatoes, undrained (we skipped this step since the spaghetti sauce was already chunky)
1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms (we also skipped this one due to the lack of mushrooms in our fridge :( )
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

FIRST, cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.
SECOND, stir in marinara sauce, tomatoes and mushrooms. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mushrooms are tender.
THIRD, drain tortellini and stir into the skillet. Sprinkle with cheese and let stand until cheese has melted. Serve!

Bon Appetite!

Chicken and Cheese Tortellini

Due to popular demand, here is my recipe for Chicken and Cheese Tortellini that I made the other night! It's SUPER easy and only takes about 15-20min! Enjoy!

1 pkg (9oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 cup frozen peas
1 tub (8oz) garden veggie OR onion and chive cream cheese (we went with onion and chive cream cheese)
1/2 cup milk
1 pkg (9oz) chopped cooked chicken breast

FIRST, in a large pot, cook tortellini according to package directions 7-9min. Cook frozen peas in colander. (I just threw them in with the tortellini and they turned out fine!)
SECOND, in a small saucepan combine cream cheese and milk; heat and stir until cheese is melted. Heat/cook chicken as desired.
THIRD, Stir cheese sauce into cooked pasta and pea mix. Gently stir until all is thoroughly heated. Spoon into individual bowls/plates and top with cooked chicken cubes!

Bon Appetite!

Tick Tock Tick Tock

This week Ryan started school and full time work, meaning I am left home all day to do nothing but wait for this baby. Its torturous! Today I spent an hour in a bubble bath watching Psych. Then I cleaned the apartment... again. Made lunch for Ryan (for his 45 min break between school and work). Then I took a nap for an hour. After that my sister-in-law, Ashley, was kind enough to come entertain me for a few hours. We went for a walk and then made my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! Delicious!!! And then I made a new dinner recipe of Chicken and Cheese Tortillini! It was very tasty! I'll be saving that one for the future! After dinner I watched 3 more episodes of Psych and did the dishes again! Eventful, right?
Well tomorrow is my due date and I have an apt with the doctor in the morning! So hopefully I have progressed enough to have something to be excited about! :)

The Final Countdown

(Hailey's Room)

(Hailey's Crib with the wall frames I made!)

Well as of today I am dilated to 1cm and 50% effaced. Which is not bad! I was hoping for a little more dilation... but I can't complain. Technically I still have 5 more days until her due date! But the pressure in my pelvis is more than uncomfortable, so any time now would be GREAT! (Do you hear that, Hailey??? ANY TIME NOW!) I've gained a total of 30 lbs as of this week for my whole pregnancy. I've just started to get a little puffy in my hands and feet this last week too. No wonder they say the last couple of weeks are the worst. Swelling sets in, pressure on your pelvis and sciatic nerve, bending over is an impossibility, and all you can think about is going into labor!!! It's torturous, really.

We finally got her crib all set up and her room is now all done! It's so exciting and weird to have a baby room all set up! Ryan was so excited to put it together and see everything looking finished finally! We are both just so anxious to hold her in our arms and to see her in the scene! For now, it just seems surreal to have all this baby stuff with no baby! I can't even put a face to the little bundle of joy yet! Soon enough... soon enough.

Positive and Reinforced Thinking!

I'm down to 12 more days! And going into labor consumes my thoughts all day AND all night! It's a bit ridiculous! But what else am I supposed to think about!?!? This is kinda major! Ryan and I have decided to do this birth without an epidural and other such medications. It's surprising to me how touchy this subject can be with people! So before you get your panties in a wad over this decision I would like to say that it's not because I think it's more "womanly" or whatever. It's not because I think I'm stronger than other woman or "above" them in any way. We've made this decision based on research and personal desire. I think that it is an experience worth having- an empowering experience with a sense of accomplishment. I can honestly say that I am excited! I can't wait! I've been trying to naturally induce this baby early (if she's ready of course) by walking a lot and staying on my feet a lot. It's exhausting! Hahha. I spent all night the other night envisioning going into labor and how I was going to handle it and such... to no avail. Still no dilation. But she is in the correct position! Which is a plus! :) We'll see if some spicy food wont throw me into labor!