Blakely's Birth-Day!

I can't believe it's been a week since our little Blakely Rae entered this world and joined our family. Everything has been a whirlwind and time has gone by so fast, I'm already thinking that I don't want her to get bigger!

So here's how it all went down....this is mostly for me to remember...

Last Wednesday I had my 38 week check up with my Doc.(10:30). I had mentioned to Brock the night before that I hadn't felt the baby as much over the last 2 days and that I was worried about it. Brock decided that he would come with me to my appointment ( he typically didn't go to appointments with me) since he hadn't been to one in a long time.

During the appointment they did the usual testing and we were both just thinking we'd be in and out and out to lunch in no time. However, my blood pressure was way up, my feet were ridiculously swollen and the baby's heart rate was super high. (185 and it was usually around 145) The Doc seemed pretty concerned and wanted to monitor the baby. They hooked me up to monitors to record her heart and movement. In casual conversation the nurse suggested that we might be having a baby that day. Brock and I kinda had a mini freak out when she left the room because we realized how serious the situation was.

After 20 minutes of monitoring, Dr. Korten looked at the results and she didn't feel good about sending us home. Instead, she sent us to Labor & Delivery to be monitored some more (12:00-12:30ish). By this point Brock was saying "they're not sending us home, we're having a baby today". I was the opposite saying "the numbers aren't that bad, I bet they send us home". All of the nurses were talking like we would be staying, I still thought we'd go home.

Brock and I just relaxed in the delivery room while I was hooked up. I ate some lunch that the nurses were encouraging me to eat because they thought I'd be having the baby and didn't want me to have and empty stomach. While we were being monitored Dr. Shomento and Dr. McDonnell came in to visit with us and they were hoping that Dr. Korten would decide to induce me that day so they could be around and meet the baby. Dr. Korten came in at 1:00 and told us that the monitoring didn't look too bad but that her gut feeling was that there was "something going on" in my body and she didn't feel good sending us home. That's when we found out that baby girl was on here way that day! Brock and I were excited, nervous and freaking out all at the same time.

Brock ran home to grab our bags and to take care of our pups. While he was gone they started my IV and they told me to get some sleep-yeah right! While Brock was gone I started dilating quickly and progressing really fast. Brock got back to the hospital around 2:30 and luckily he made it there just in time before it got crazy. They Broke my water (3:15) and soon after that contractions started. They gave me the epidural around 4:00 and that helped with the contractions for a while.

When I was getting closer to pushing, the epidural wore off and I was in a lot of pain. They called the anaesthesiologist to come and give me more drugs but they didn't have time to sink in before Blakely arrived. So yes...I felt everything!

Blakely was born at 7:04pm and we watched her take her first breath on my chest, it was so precious! Her first cry was a soft deep cry that just melted our hearts instantly. Brock went with her to get weighed, measured and washed up.

By 10:30 we were all settled in our room as a family! We were starving to we ordered take out from Pita Pit and then went to bed. Blakely was up off and on during the night but we didn't mind. It was like playing with a new shiny toy!

We came home Friday afternoon to a house full of excited Grandparents. My parents and Brock's parents stayed with us through the weekend, which was really fun!

Everything is going great at home and we just love Blakely! We can't get enough of her sweetness:)

Wednesday July 18th

Blakely was so content and looking around after she was born.

Blakely chillin' with her Daddy!

 Thursday July 19th

This girl love to be naked and spread out.

Snoozing in her hospital bed.

Brock just melts when he holds his little miss.

Love those pretty eyes!

Sporting the hat Granny made her.

Grandma & Grandpa Bennett

Snuggling with Gramps!

TIME TO GO HOME!
Friday July 20th

Blakely did NOT like getting dressed and ready to go home. She Threw a major baby fit when we put  her in her car seat too. I don't blame her though, she was having to deal with so many new things.

Blakely meeting Grandma & Grandpa Belnap

Blakers and Grandpa Belnap

Grandma Belnap holding Blakely

Grandma Bennett & Blakely

She is FINALLY here!

Blakely Rae

7/18/12 7:04pm

7lbs 9 oz & 20 1/2 inches

Sweet.Happy.Healthy



Blakely's Hospital Picture
Virtual Nursery

While we are waiting...

....for our little princess to arrive, we've been trying to have some fun. I can't handle too much these days because I get tired and uncomfortable really easy. Not to mention that my feet are like walking on beach balls lately.

We've gone on a few lovely drives, tried to fish and explored new places in Montana. Our last major outing was to the Missouri River where we cooled off from the summer heat and the dogs played.

Boog has picked up a new favorite game to play at lakes and rivers. We've found that he loves to "dive" for rocks that you toss into the water. He'll find the specific one you tossed and bring it back. Unfortunately, our last trip out ended with a late night visit to the vet. He scratched his cornea pretty good and his eye was irritated really bad. "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt"...right?

Missouri River

Our puppies have no clue about the changes coming to their posh lives.

Brutus was carrying these grapes around with him all day.

Brock's new pets-they are in my fridge! Yuck!

PREGNANCY UPDATE

Things are still going good and looking great. The Doctor thinks I will deliver the week I'm due, we'll see what happens:) I'm okay waiting for the due date but the thought of going over kills my soul. We are so anxious to get this baby here, we can hardly stand it.

I am feeling huge and uncomfortable but it's all worth it! We have the baby room finally done, which is a huge relief! I've been working on getting the house ready which is kinda a chore but it's coming along.

We feel pretty much ready (as ready as you can be) for the baby to get here. We are just praying that the delivery will go smoothly and that we all will be okay.



The baby gets moving like crazy when she hears her papa talking to her:)

37 Weeks

I spent a hot afternoon soaking my huge swollen feet while enjoying the view.

Brock bought us this little window AC which has been totally awesome and has kept me cool. I don't love the overall look of having it hang in our window but oh well.

Some pictures of the baby room before we had it all done:)

Our 4th of July Celebrations!

In the past we have typically made a vacation out of the 4th and we spend our time hiking, fishing, boating, camping and watching fireworks. This year was tricky with the 4th being in the middle of the week and myself being 36 weeks pregnant. We decided to just stay home and do some fun things around the area.
When the 4th got here all of our "fun" plans went out the window because we had a "To Do List" that needed to get done. So we spent the day doing the following:
-Slept in until 10:30!
-Went grocery shopping-Brock came with me because I had to do a HUGE Wal-Mart trip.
-Picked up the house-real cleaning is almost a foreign idea to me these days.
-Brock Spray Painted A BUNCH of things for the baby's room.
-Brock fixed our guest bathroom facet, which included 3 stops at hardware stores.
-I took a nap
-We had an easy dinner which consisted of Sloppy Joe's, Corn on the Cobb, Pasta Salad and Fruit.
-We headed to the nearby park to spend a relaxing evening as a family to watch the sunset, throw the balls for the dogs and watch local neighborhood fireworks.

It all sounds pretty uneventful but it was really nice to spend a day together with out any fuss. We have been spoiled to have so much one on one time together and we are trying to really enjoy the last few moments we have as just us. We are also so excited to share the adventures of the world  with our sweet baby girl.

These are my favorite flowers in my yard right now!

The sunset was really beautiful! If I had the energy in me I would photoshop the power lines out-but I don't so they stay.

The dogs had the whole soccer field to themselves to play catch! They weren't even bothered by fireworks:)

People were setting off BIG fireworks in our neighborhood (which had me a little nervous for my house) so we got a great show and didn't have to drive anywhere or mess with the crowds:)

 

PREGNANCY UPDATE

36 Weeks on July 4th!

Holy cow! I seriously cannot believe that I am already 36 weeks and that realistically this little baby could be here any day. This pregnancy has had some rough times but overall I've felt really good and very blessed to have had a healthy 36 weeks thus far.

At times I am so excited that I just want her here now but then I think about everything that isn't done yet and I think "no...she can't come yet, I'm not ready". When I can't breath or walk and when my hands are numb and my feet are puffy, I just want her here and to feel normal again! Although, I will miss being pregnant and feeling her wiggle around in me, it's a blessing I wasn't sure I would have in this life. My feelings go back and forth on a daily basis, overall I am just really excited to see her.

I'm doing okay but I am definitely feeling 9 months pregnant! It is hard to get motivated to do much because I'm really tired and uncomfortable. I feel pretty overwhelmed with my "To Do List" that isn't getting done. Brock keeps telling me to let it go but I want everything to be ready for when we head to the hospital and for when family arrives. It's hard to make those kind of plans when you have no clue what day to plan for! He thinks I'm nuts:)

Anyway, that's about it! My doc still thinks I will deliver around my due date and everything looks good for a normal delivery thus far. My baby is still really wiggly and they tell me she should be slowing down and I don't think she has. I think we are going to have our hands full with a demanding little princess:) We have decided pretty much on a name but we aren't putting it out there until she's here just to make sure.

We are just so excited!

Time to Celebrate Our Freedoms....

 I love everything about the 4th of July! It is such a fun time of year to be out and enjoying the warm weather with friends and family. I love the parties, the parades, the BBQ's, the food and the fireworks.

I also love it because it is a great time to reflect on the blessing of freedom that we have in this country. Although I cannot fully understand the sacrifices that have been made and that are still being made by those who fight for freedom, I am indeed grateful for those sacrifices.

I love, honor and respect this country and the foundation in which it was built upon.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

I am so thankful for men and woman who put their lives in jeopardy to protect others. Right now I am so thankful for Fire Fighters who are working so hard to preserve open land and homes. My brother is a Fireman and is currently fighting fires in Utah. I'm so proud of him and the work he does.

 Wildfire that burned portions of the Madison River Range.
 We drove by the river the other day and it was sooo sad to see the damage that was done. It is incredibly annoying how much damage can be done by a couple of stinkin' fools who were floating the river and chucking fire crackers onto the bank. So stupid!