Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Madalyn Rhea Garner

Well, she's here. Madalyn Rhea Garmer was born Tuesday, November 25, 2008 at 8:44 p.m. She weighed in at 6 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20 inches long.

Jennifer did so well during the delivery. She pushed for a little less than two hours and was such a trooper.

Everyone was excited to meet her. So far, I think she's had close to a thousand pictures taken of her. I've been in a couple (which is just fine with me) but I think it would be easy to feel like someone normal that's dating a celebrity.

Anyway, I will write another post soon and will include some pictures. Unfortunately, I can't add pictures to the blog from my iPhone. However, if you are on Facebook, I have posted a few pictures and my sister has put up a small album.

Thanks...

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

9cm

Jennifer just got checked and is a 9. The nurse who was doing the checking said that jennifer's pulse went up almost as soon as she said it. So exciting...

Staying at the Hospital

Well, they decided to keep us. At this point, Jennifer is dialated to a 6 and the epidurral is working very well. Also, the baby is, as the doctor said, is right there. I'll keep you posted...

Maybe today...

I'm writing this between contractions, now between 3 & 4 min. Thought our water broke this morning, but the nurse said it was something else. She said thy she would probably see us later today. These contractions are much harder than we've had before. I think it's only a matter of time. Stay tuned...

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

All Hands On Deck - Week 36

Well, I'm back.

Sorry it's been so long, but there were a couple of reasons. First, I've been really stinkin' busy at work, trying to get things done before Madalyn arrives. Second, not much has changed recently. I mean, Jennifer is still uncomfortable and still very pregnant. She's not sleeping well and has trouble with mobility. Things that are on the floor are out of the question and changing postures (from laying to sitting, sitting to standing, etc.) requires all hands on deck.

One thing that has changed, though, are the contractions. She has long, painful contractions whenever she...
Well, pretty much all of the time.

It's getting hard for her to be in the car for any length of time because of the contractions (not to mention her missing bladder and absolutely chipper moods...). This past Friday was her last day of work, so she's been resting more and feeling better.

We've changed our sleeping arrangements a bit as a result of the pregnancy. For those of you who have been to our house, you most likely have seen our big, awesome, comfortable bed. That bed is now being used to hold laundry until it's put up. We are sleeping on the couches. Now, our couches are very comfortable, but it's just not our king-sized bed. But, Jennifer can get up and down so much easier from the couch that we've taken to sleeping in there.

The shower that our church threw us went really well. We got SO much stuff that I don't think that we'll need to buy Madalyn clothes until she's a teenager. Everything is in place except for the changing table, which is sitting in a box right in front of me. That's second on my list of things to do this evening.

The doctor has told us that Jennifer is dilated to a 1 and that her cervix is thinning. When Jennifer told my mom that "she was thinning", my mom mentioned that the statement is kind of a contradiction (see attached photos below). Madalyn feels like she is ready to come out by any means necessary. Last night, she decided to try a side-exit, which was unsuccessful. Hopefully, she's just testing all the other options before she decides to use the traditional exit.

We have completed all of our pre-birth classes. We took a "Well-Baby Class" a "Breastfeeding Class" and a "Labor & Delivery Class", all from the Norman Regional Hospital. I'm not bragging or anything, but we were the best students in all of those classes. In our last class, we had a Jeopardy game that asked us general pregnancy questions. I slayed those questions. My knowledge of all things baby is actually amazing. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I plan on using my vast knowledge for good, not evil.

Aside from that, it's just become a waiting game. Jenn's OB Nurse said today that she could last all the way to her induction date or she could go into labor later today. That makes it hard to plan meetings, but we'll survive.

I am so proud of Jennifer and how well she's done in this pregnancy. I really thought that she would get sick of being pregnant a lot earlier than she did. Even now, she only has moments when she's tired of it. Most of the time, she's enjoyed the experience. I'm also very proud of her belly-button. That little trooper has hung on and still hasn't popped. That's just amazing to me.

This is for Mandy, so she'll shut up about it :)




BEFORE






AFTER



I can't believe we've come this far. From deciding to try for a baby to finding out we're pregnant to today seems like an eternity and like no time at all--all at the same time. Today, Jennifer sent me a text message that our milk expires two days before Madalyn's due date. Milk doesn't last that long...

My goodness, what have we gotten ourselves into???


According to BabyCenter.com: "Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement. At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) and most likely she's in a head-down position.

Well, that's all for now. Check back for more and I'll try to comply.

Thanks...

Thursday, November 6, 2008

I promise...

New blog and pics tonight. I promise...