Cora's Birthday

Cora arrived on Saturday, October 29, weighing in at 6lbs 8oz and 18.5 inches long.  She is such a wonderful baby, and Jordan and I can not believe how incredibly happy and blessed we are.

Cora at 2 days old, waiting to go home.

I know a lot of people are curious about my labor experience, so I will start from the beginning.

After going to the hospital last Tuesday, I think me and Jordan were both on high alert.  We spent Wednesday going to Target and getting everything we would need incase something else happened and I ended up back at the hospital sooner than we expected, and I am glad we did.  Thursday I had a doctor's appointment in the morning, but it was just for them to draw blood and turn in my 24 hour collection of urine.  Then I was supposed to go back on Friday to meet with the doctor, look at my labs, and see what the best course of action would be from there on out.  Thursday I woke up feeling like crap.  I threw up twice soon after waking up, and I had a pounding headache.  I had just been given a lecture the day before that I should call the doctor immediately if I experienced any dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, or blurred vision because those are all signs of worsening preeclampsia.  My appointment was at 9, so I didn't bother calling the doctor.  I went in, had my blood drawn and asked if someone could take my blood pressure because I didn't feel well.  My blood pressure was 156/110 so they immediately scheduled me in to see a doctor and do a urine sample.  This time my urine sample was +1 for protein, which is another sign of worsening pre-eclampsia, so they sent me back to the hospital to do they could do stat blood work on me and monitor the baby.  We went back to the hospital and ended up having to stay overnight because they were waiting for all of my labs, including the 24 hour urine to come back.  While at the hospital my blood pressure was still high, the only way it  came down to a reasonable level was laying on my side.  They put an IV in, which took another 3 attempts with 18g needles (which hurt).  Between Tuesday and Thursday I got stuck 6 different times to get one IV started, so I will definitely have a little more sympathy from now on for patients that are hard sticks.  Cora was monitored for  4 hours and they did a non-stress test and an ultrasound where they could get a good look at her and the blood flow through my placenta.  Everything with her looked really good, so that was very reassuring.


Since we hadn't had much news from the doctor, and the tests with Cora all looked good, I started to think I was going to get sent home on bedrest again.  Friday morning the doctor finally came to talk to us, and I guess she knew what I was thinking because the first thing she said was "You're not going home." My 24 hour urine came back with really elevated protein levels, mine was around 400, above 150 is abnormal, and above 300 is considered severe preeclampsia.  Some of my other urine levels were also off, which indicated decreased kidney function, and my platelet level was decreased, which is another bad sign.  She said that she thought I should get induced immediately, because I would only get worse and there would be no benefit in trying to delay since Cora was already term.  I think Jordan and I were both a little surprised that my labs came back so crappy, but we were both on board with getting induced before things got worse. They wheeled me back over to labor and delivery, and we got things started.

Before getting my water broken.  Last shot of the pregnant belly.

The doctor came in around 2:30 Friday afternoon to break my water, which was the first step in induction.  Getting my water broken was pretty uncomfortable.  It feels like the doctor's entire hand is up there, and they use a little plastic stick with a hook on the end to break the amniotic sac.  I was already 3cm dilated when she went in to break my water, and she told me to remain calm as she used her hand to "wiggle" my cervix open to 4cm dilated, which caught me a little by surprise.  She said most of the time the longest part of induction is getting from 1cm to 4cm so the fact that I was already there was a good sign.  The plan was to wait to see if contractions started on their own, and if they didn't then we would start Pitocin at 5:00 that afternoon.  Pitocin is the artificial version of oxytocin, which is the natural hormone your body makes to trigger and get things rolling in labor.  Then I got moved to a gigantic labor  and delivery room, which was really nice because Brenna was there and my parents showed up soon after.  We spent the afternoon watching TV and hanging out.  I did not feel any contractions, and it was actually a pretty pleasant evening. 5:00 rolled around and they started the Pitocin.  When you get Pitocin it is a continuous infusion that they start at a really low dose and increase every 30 minutes.  A couple of hours passed, and I still didn't really feel much other than some slight cramping.

Shortly after I got started on Pitocin.

My family left around 8:00, so then it was just me and Jordan.  Around 9:00 I started to get uncomfortable.  I sat on an exercise ball and rolled through contractions while Jordan sat behind me.   At 10:00 I was maxed out on Pitocin, and by 11:00 I was really feeling the pain.   Jordan and I have been really into natural birthing techniques throughout the pregnancy.  We read books, did practice exercises, and took a birthing class that focused on a natural childbirth.  The class we took emphasized that there is no wrong decision, whether you give birth without pain medicine, with IV pain medicine, or with an epidural, you need to make the best choice for yourself.  Jordan and I both agreed with this, and the plan was to take labor one step at a time, and to make the best decision possible.  By midnight, I was still only 4-5cm dilated and hadn't made much progress since that afternoon.  And I was hurting really bad.  I was prepared for pain, but this was pain that I couldn't even think through.  Massaging, heat packs, repositioning, nothing was helping.  If I was going to get an epidural, I wanted to do it when it would be the most beneficial, which is generally around 5-6cm dilated.  I also wanted to do it before I completely lost control of myself during contractions, and I felt like I was getting close to that point.  So I called my nurse in and told him I thought it was time for the epidural, and it was the best decision I ever made.  After the epidural I felt absolutely no pain, it was wonderful.  I rolled over and went to sleep.

Jordan snoozing through the night.

I slept for 3 glorious hours and woke up with some slight cramping on my left side.  I didn't really think much of it, but gradually the cramping got worse, and I realized my left leg was much less numb than my right leg.  I called the nurse in and he called the anesthesiologist who came and said that my epidural had gotten dislodged and pulled out a little bit.  He gave me a dose of pain medicine in the epidural that helped for about 45 minutes, and when that faded off it felt like someone was stabbing me on my left side, I could feel everything and I could barely breathe it hurt so bad.  If that is what full blown labor feels like without an epidural then I don't know how anyone does it, or has the energy to push at the end.  They tried an additional dose of medicine and that didn't do anything except completely numb my right side so that I could not move my right leg at all.  Then I got really nauseous and started throwing up.  Thankfully Jordan was there to roll me on my side and hold a trash can to my face because without him I would have puked all over myself.  Around this time I also noticed that I was starting to feel a lot of pressure and the urge to push.  My nurse came in and checked me to find that I was fully dilated (yay!), so he called the doctor and told me to get ready to start pushing.  It was now around 6:00 am.  At this point I still felt like I was being stabbed, was still throwing up and I was questioning whether or not I would be able to do anything when I was in that much pain.  Jordan and the nurse were great, and gave me the encouragement I needed to start pushing.  Once I got started pushing and really got the hang of it, I stopped noticing the pain.  I was so focused and amped up on adrenaline that nothing else mattered, I just wanted to meet my baby.  A contraction would come, and Jordan would count to ten while I pushed through it. They brought in a mirror so I could see my progress, and that really helped to motivate me.  For me, pushing was the best part of being in labor because it was the only part that I felt like I had any control over.  Finally, I was done waiting and it was totally up to me to get the baby out.  Finally, I could actually do something and make a difference instead of laying around in pain.   I started pushing around 6:30 and Cora was born at 7:07.  I will never forget the feeling that I got when she was born and I heard her cry.  I looked up and Jordan was beside me with tears in his eyes. They held her up so I could see her and put her on my chest, and that moment is one I will never forget.  The happiness, the peace, the love that I felt was overwhelming, and it was by far the best moment of my life.

Getting passed up to mom 

9 minutes old.

Getting all cleaned up.

Meeting Cora

Completely in love.

Grandma

Grandpa

Daddy

In her favorite hat

One day old

Cora's first birthday cake.

First night at home.

 Overall, I think that Cora's birth went pretty smoothly.  The only part where I was really miserable was the last two hours when the epidural was dislodged and I was throwing up, but it was a small price to pay.  The pain was definitely worse than I imagined it would be, and I am very thankful for the pain free hours that the epidural gave me.  The after effects weren't as bad as I thought they would be either, I felt relatively back to normal after a 4 or 5 days.  I am proud to say that my ankles and face have finally returned to normal size.  I have never been as swollen as I was in the hospital after having Cora.  They gave me about 4 liters of fluid during labor and I am pretty sure I retained all of it.  My face, hands, legs, and feet were huge, and it took about a week for them to go down.  Now I am feeling good, and Jordan and I have had so much fun getting to know and love Cora.  Hopefully I can get a post up soon about life since coming home, there is so much to say and so little time :)

The Final Countdown

I wrote this post on Wednesday, but never got around to actually posting it since I ended up going back to the hospital on Thursday.  But, I figure better late than never so here it is...

I have been working on a third trimester post for a while now, and every time I sit down I ended up getting distracted/sleepy/hungry and not finishing it.  Now that I am stuck at home all day drinking water and peeing in my jug, I decided it would be an opportune time to finish it.

Not only am I excited about meeting Cora in the upcoming weeks, but I am also excited about getting my body back to normal.  I did an entire post devoted to the symptoms I experienced in the first and second trimester, so I thought it would be fun to discuss the joys of the third trimester as well.

First of all, I feel the need to list the side effects for the eighth and ninth months that are listed in "What to Expect When You're Expecting".  It makes pregnancy sound really miserable, so much that I actually laughed out loud when I read it.

"Strong/regular fetal activity, increased vaginal discharge, increased constipation, occasional headaches/faintness, nasal congestion/increased nosebleeds, ear stuffiness, sensitive gums, leg cramps, backache, pelvic achiness, swelling of hands, feet, ankles, and face, varicose veins of legs, hemorrhoids, itchy abdomen, protruding navel, stretch marks, shortness of breath, difficulty sleeping, increasing Braxton Hicks contractions, increasing clumsiness, enlarged breasts, leaking from the nipples, increasing absentmindedness, heartburn/indigestion/flatulence/bloating, headaches, frequent urination, increased difficulty getting around, extra fatigue, increase in appetite, impatience and restlessness, irritability and oversensitivity, excitement and anxiety."  

I feel bad if there are actually pregnant people who do experience all of those symptoms, because that would suck.  I have experienced some unpleasant symptoms, but nothing too bad.

Heartburn-
Well, really more like throatburn or acid reflux.  It isn't in my chest, it is up in my throat.  Any time I eat something that does not agree with me, or lay down, it is like someone lights a fire in the back of my throat.   It doesn't matter what I eat, anything can cause it.    Luckily, there are a few easy ways to cope.  Tums at the bedside is a necessity.  I take two before I go to bed and when heartburn wakes me up I pop some more.  I've also found that milk  is pretty helpful, so I try to keep the fridge stocked with some chocolate milk incase I need it.  Sitting up helps too, but I have a really hard time sleeping propped up on pillows or up in a chair.  Normally I will take a Tums, try to sit up for a little bit and then lay back down.  Cutting down on the spicy foods is another obvious way to help, which sucks because I have been craving spicy foods.  However, after an incident with some of Jordan's chili that led to an entire night of coughing and vomiting, I now try to avoid them around bedtime.

Stuffiness:
While nasal stuffiness might not sound bad, at this point it is my biggest complaint.  Those of you that know me, know I have bad allergies.  I normally get sinus infections a few times a year, especially when the seasons change.  Pregnancy has taken my congestion to a whole new level.  When you are pregnant your membranes swell up and it is normal to feel really congested and stopped up.  So for someone who already has chronic sinus problems, this is a nightmare.  I feel like I have a sinus infection that won't go away.  The worst part about being congested is that it makes me really sleepy, so I struggle to have the productive days that I'd like to be having.  Oh well, I guess I better enjoy peaceful sleep while I still can.

Swelling:
I never imagined the extent to which I could swell.  I thought I had swelling before, that was child's play compared to what happens now.  My feet and my ankles are basically unrecognizable at this point, especially after a day at work.  My hands are also super chubby and clumsy.  Feet and hands I was expecting, but the thing that really freaks me out is the swelling that happens in my face.  Some days I wake up and my face looks like it belongs on the body of a 400 pound woman.  My cheeks are all fat and puffy that I literally look like I am squinting.  Then some days, I wake up and I look (relatively) normal.  My doctor assures me that this can be expected as my body is hoarding extra fluid for delivery , but it is still weird to adjust to.

Generalized fatigue/achiness:
My energy levels have plummeted since the second trimester and are very unpredictable.  Some days I have energy,  other days I have a really hard time getting out of bed.  It probably hasn't helped that I've been rotating shifts at work, so pulling myself from days to nights and nights to days has messed with my body even more.  My ankles and my back have also been hurting, but it is nothing too bad and I was expecting that I would be kind of uncomfortable at this point in pregnancy.

And that's it, those are my main complaints, nothing too bad. There are also some perks to being this pregnant:

Fetal Activity: I can feel every move she makes.  While this is sometimes a little painful because she is pretty strong, it is very reassuring to know that she is doing well.  A lot of her movements now aren't really kicks or punches, but more of her readjusting herself or trying to change position, which results in my belly rolling or getting really pushed out for a minute while she gets comfortable.  This is really cool because I can see her pushing out and if I reach down I can normally guess what body part I am feeling (I think it is her knees and legs most of the time).

Food:  I can basically eat whatever I want.  I used to feel bad about it, but now I have no shame.  And the remarkable thing is that as soon as I stopped caring about my weight gain, I stopped gaining weight.  This is likely because her major growth period is nearing an end, and I can't eat as much as I used to because there isn't as much room in my stomach. Anyways, eating is fun, so I definitely consider this a perk.

People are nicer.  I don't know if it is because they feel sorry for me as they see me slowly waddling along or because babies just make everyone happy, but people are constantly saying nice things and smiling at me and it just makes me feel good inside.

Delivery:  The more uncomfortable I get means that the closer I am to delivery day!  And that my friends, is the biggest perk of all.  The time when we get to meet baby Cora is finally getting near, after our experience yesterday it is finally sinking in that it really could be any day now.

Speaking of delivery, yesterday kicked both Jordan and I  into gear on taking care of all our last minute baby tasks.  I think after one more trip to Target, we will officially be ready.  While I have spent the day getting my FMLA stuff straightened out at work, resting, and re-packing Cora and I's hospital bags (the ones I threw together yesterday were not my best pack job), Jordan has been a cleaning machine and has totally stolen all of my nesting thunder.  If we do need to have baby Cora next week, we will not be caught unprepared.

38 weeks pregnant.  Cora is should be around 7lbs and 20 inches long.

Last belly shots!

Cora has some decisions to make when she gets older.

Packing up Cora's bag for the hospital, I couldn't decide on one outfit so we will be taking a few.

Burp cloths, wipes, lotion, giraffe, pacifiers, clothes, and diapers.  Next time I go to the hospital I will be prepared!

Scooby saw me packing things up and immediately got nervous, he does not like when mom and dad leave him.

The nursery!  Only thing we have left to do is to hang the curtains!

Crib shot

Inside of crib

Closet

We also decided that we needed to make sure Scooby was well taken care of before the baby gets here.  He went to the vet this week, got a bath, and his teeth brushed.

Jordan bathes and brushes Scooby's teeth on a weekly basis, I would say that Scooby does not like getting his teeth brushed but I think this look pretty much says it all.

Someone who does not mind mom getting put on bedrest.  

So... I think we are ready!  We are very excited and can't wait to meet Cora!

Bad Day.

Today started off like pretty much any other day that I have off.  I woke up incredibly hungry and had a cinnamon raison bagel with peanut butter and some grapes for breakfast around 6 am, watched the news, then went back to bed (tough life, I know).  Then I got up at 10, and did stuff around the house until my doctor's appointment at 1.  Most people who are pregnant probably look forward to their doctors appointments, but I think that going every week gets kind of old.  Jordan has been to all of my appointments, but Scooby had a vet appointment today at 2 so I told him to just skip my appointment and take Scooby so we wouldn't have to reschedule. My trips at this point aren't very exciting, I wait 30 minutes to have them take my vital signs, urine, and listen to the heartbeat, and then I go home.  I should have known that the one day I tell Jordan to miss my appointment is the one day that I would've given anything to have him there.

The first thing they do at every appointment is take your vital signs.  All of mine looked just fine and then my blood pressure pops up on the screen as 150/110... which is high.  A normal blood pressure is around 120/70, and anything over 140/90 is considered high.  And when you are pregnant and in your third trimester, a high blood pressure is one of the red flags they look for in preeclampsia.  Preeclampsia is a condition where your blood vessels constrict and it can limit blood flow to both vital organs and the baby and cause an assortment of other problems.  Mild preeclampsia can normally be monitored closely, but in serious cases the treatment is immediate induction or cesearean delivery.  My mom had severe preeclampsia with me, which is why I was delivered a month early, and after spending a semester in maternity class and on the labor and delivery unit at Rex I know that it is not a condition that is taken lightly.  So, as soon as I saw the blood pressure I thought "Nope we need to take that again because that can not be right."  They took it again, and again, and then again lying down, then after lying down for 20 minutes, and the lowest it got was 140/100.  The other red flag of preeclampsia is protein in your urine, and mine came back with trace protein, which isn't bad, but it's not really good either.  The doctor came in after my first blood pressure and lab tests were back, and told me that this was obviously concerning.  She told me to do a 24 hour urine collection (which is where I dump all my pee in a big jug for an entire day) to get a better look at the protein in my urine, told me I am not allowed to go back to work, and that I would have to come back on Thursday and Friday for more appointments and labs.  Then my blood pressures kept reading  high despite changing positions and resting, so she came back again and said that I'd actually have to go to the hospital for at least two hours of monitoring, more labs, and possible induction.  If they didn't induce me today, and my pressures were still high, they would probably induce me next week because high pressures can restrict blood flow to the placenta and cause problems and if the baby is term, it is better to get them out.  Then she said she was calling the hospital to let them know I was coming and walked me to the door and told me to go straight there.  So I walk out to my car, and sit in it, and I think "What the hell just happened in there? A baby? Today?"

I tried to call Jordan, but he didn't answer and hadn't responded to the texts I sent him in the office, so I just went home.  I decided I needed to call work and let them know that I wouldn't be coming in again, which was probably a bad idea.  I thought I was fine but as soon as Linnea asked if everything was ok I started crying and could barely talk and probably really scared her and Will, so if you guys are reading this, I am sorry, I should have had Jordan call or waited until I could talk properly.  This uncontrollable outburst also led me to decide to not call my parents, because I don't think anything would have terrified them more than having me call them sobbing about how I am going to the hospital for rule out preeclampsia.

After calming myself down some, I started throwing together a bag for the hospital and thinking about getting induced.  Induction is a really long process, even for someone who has reached their due date.  When you get induced you are in the hospital and hooked up to monitors the entire time you are in labor, which is a loooong time from start to finish.   The main drug they give you, Pitocin, causes really strong contractions that can come in unnatural rhythms and are harder to handle than normal contractions.  In majority of inductions that I have seen, the women don't dilate at the rate that the doctors would like to see, and they end up having a ceserean.    Cora hasn't dropped down yet, she is still pretty high up, I feel like getting induced at this point would be an extremely long and painful labor experience that would most likely end up in a ceserean delivery because my body isn't ready for it.  Thinking of induction worried me, but it also reminded me that I needed to pack baby stuff as well as my own, and that was kind of surreal.  I pulled down Cora's hospital clothes I have had hanging up for months now and one of her blankets and smiled for the first time all day.

Jordan finally walked in and I try to explain the situation to him, up until this point the only thing he has seen is our text conversation, which was as follows:

Me: "My blood pressure is 156/110. Not my best"
Me: "They are going to retake it a few times so I will let you know."
30 minutes later I walk out of the office and try to call him. No response, I decide it is better that I wait until I am more composed to try and call again so I don't terrify him.
20 minutes later I get home and try to call again. Still no answer.
Jordan: "Sorry, I am at the vet, call you in a minute."
Me: "You should probably call me now."

This was followed by a brief phone conversation where I told him he needed to get home because we had to go to the hospital.  He acted calm but I think he was pretty freaked out.  I told him he should pack some stuff and he put deodorant, a toothbrush, and a contact case in a Food Lion bag like that was an adequate amount of supplies for what could turn into couple days in the hospital.   Then we get in the car and he starts going to the hospital in a way that I have never been.  I mention this, thinking he has found some new, fast route to get there, and after a minute he tells me that he has no idea where he is.  Luckily we weren't too far off track, and eventually we made it to the hospital.  They admitted me and hooked me up to the monitors and tried to start an IV on me.  I say tried because I got stuck three different times by two nurses who proclaimed themselves the IV masters, yet they could not get an IV in me.  Finally they gave up and just drew blood on me, which took forever to come back.  In the meantime I laid in bed and watched my blood pressure, which took every 15 minutes.  Sitting up upon admission it was 150/100, but after laying down on my side for a while it gradually started to come down, and eventually was at 110/64, which is good.  Cora's heart rate was also good, and she was really active so the doctors were pleased with that as well.    Every time I go to the doctor she gets super active and  bounces around and punches at the doppler, I think she knows when all the attention is on her.   After my blood tests came back normal and about 5 hours of waiting, they told me I wouldn't have to get induced and that I could go home on bedrest.  Depending on how my 24 hour urine results, labs, and blood pressure look later this week they will decide whether or not they think I need to be induced next week or if I can go until my due date.  I am really hoping and praying that I can go to my due date, and that Cora will come on her own by then.   I don't want to be induced, but I'll obviously do whatever I need to do to have the safest delivery possible.

So today was a crazy day, but at least I learned a few things.  First of all, not to take a healthy pregnancy for granted, because things can go wrong quickly and it is important to be mentally prepared.  Secondly, there is a reason why they make me go to the doctor every week now and it isn't a complete waste of time.  Also, that Jordan should come to all of these appointments because being by myself and getting that kind of news was hard to handle.  Lastly, that we might be parents sooner than we thought!  How Cora gets here is just means to an end and as long as she arrives safe and healthy I will be thankful.

Links to info about preeclampsia:
http://www.preeclampsia.org/
http://www.babycenter.com/0_preeclampsia_257.bc

Days until due date: 16

Baby Shower!

Last weekend was Cora's baby shower, and it was a lot of fun!  I am still shocked by the number of people that were able to show up, and it made me realize how lucky I am to have such supportive friends and family.  I'd like to thank my mom, Brenna, Sarah, Casey, Emilie, Molly, Allison, Christy, and Mariah, who all did such an amazing job of decorating and planning for this party.  Jordan and I had such a wonderful time and we will never forget it!  We received a ton of things that we really needed (diapers, wipes, car seat base, bath supplies) and Cora got several cute new outfits and toys to play with. Here are some pictures to help sum up the big day!  I completely forgot to try and take any pictures, so all of these were taken from Facebook or are pictures that my Aunt Joyce took.  Thanks to everyone who has unknowingly contributed :)

Decorations

Party favors

Diaper game!  The key to winning is putting your nose all the way into the diaper and closing your eyes so you can really focus.

Kasey, Sarah, Heather, Sarah

The 35lb cake which was absolutely delicious

Hannah and Jordan playing the Mad Lib game

A picture that captures several of the beautifully wrapped gifts we received

Gift card from Jordan's mom and step-dad that  we used to purchase our glider!  

My mom... aka Grandma Poole.  

Hannah, Jordan, Casey, Brenna

One of my favorite gifts, a hand-knitted blanket, cardigan, booties and hedgehog from Allison!

All of my high school friends that were able to make it to the party minus Kaylan!  Sarah, Noelle, Heather, Brittni, Amanda, and Jordan! 

They are hard to see in this picture, but baby jeggings from Jenna!  Too cute!

Cute clothes from Mariah!  Jordan looks truly delighted in this picture.

Welcome banner that my mom had made :)

Yummy food! Thanks to everyone who helped contribute!

 I found out I was pregnant 2 days before I was supposed to leave for Christy's bachelorette party in Vegas so I wasn't able to go.  Now Cora has a Vegas t-shirt from Allison and stuff dog from Brenna to commemorate the trip :)

The wonderful hosts! Sarah, Molly, Emilie, and Casey

Brenna, Mariah, Allison, and Stephanie

Jenna, Mariah, Brenna, preggo, Stephanie, Allison, Christy

The "How big is Amy's belly?" game.  Obviously Brenna over-estimated my size.  My cousin Dianne won, but I couldn't find any pictures of her guessing.

Brenna and I with my "sand dollars".

Ladybug Boppy from Christy

A shot of the storage shelves and cubes that Emilie, Molly, and Casey got for me.   The storage has already come in really handy with all of our gifts and looks great in Cora's room!

The amazing gift basket from my Aunt Joyce and cousins, Kasey and Sarah.  This basket was stocked full of baby gear and supplies!

 Graco high chair that my grandma got for us :)

Overall it was a really fun day, and Jordan and I left talking about how blessed we are to be surrounded by so many people who love us.  We are truly grateful for everyone who came, and for everyone else who has taken the time to send us gifts and cards in the mail.

Work Shower!

 I went  the whole month of September without updating my blog (oops),  but our wonderful co-workers on the ISCU threw a really fun shower back in the middle of September for the three ISCU babies due in October and November.  We received a lot of cute gifts and a very generous Target gift card which has already gone towards diapers, bottles, and other necessities.   Here are a few of the pictures I managed to steal from Amanda!

Talking dog toy from Angela, we checked him for fleas per Amanda's advice :)

Group shot of the men

Group shot of the ladies with all the preggos in the middle :)

Julie, Kristen, and I 

Hosts/Planners:  Amanda, Shelley, Lindsay, and Shannon

Lindsay and Amanda

Will and Kristen (due 10/27), Jordan and I, and Julie and Reid, who just had their baby boy Isaac on 10/5!!

We can't wait for baby Cora to meet all of our friends, family and co-workers... only a month to go!!! Here are a few belly/nursery updates...

35 weeks.  Cora is about 5 1/2 pounds and 20 inches long.  She is already positioned head down and her favorite activity is kicking mom in the ribs.

Nursery is still in progress, but it's coming together.

My new favorite seat in the house.  Scooby is ready for a bedtime story.

My boys :)