the last 6 months... Lane's big day!

To rewind back to the week that Lane was born. I went to the doctor on Wednesday, August 22nd and I was 3cm and 90% effaced and having LOTS of contractions in the doctors office. She told me that we would induce on Monday but didn't think I would make it. Also, that evening I was playing and watering plants outside and my neighbor (she's a baby nurse) saw me and could tell that I was having contractions. At that point Clint still wasn't home from work (oilfield in Midland). She told me to have him come home tonight because she didn't think I would make it to tomorrow or Monday. I put Emma to bed and relaxed and the contractions went away. The next day I felt great... not much contractions and was pretty disappointed because I didn't want to be induced Monday but Clint would be home on Friday evening. I woke up on Friday morning at 2am and tried to get the contractions to go away by taking a shower, drinking water and relaxing. Also, since the week before was Clint's birthday we would celebrate when he got home so I baked and iced a cake (crazy, I know!!) Finally about 5:45am I called Clint and told him I was calling my mom to come get me and the neighbor to come stay with Emma because I thought it was TIME. He was working 6am-6pm so I figured he would be up. He was a good 5 hours away so he packed up and headed home. I got to the hospital about 7:04am and checked into Maternal Observations and they checked me and I was already 7cm so they sent me upstairs. In the mean time my mom called Clint and told him so he was FLYING to get here! After getting to the room the contractions kept getting worse and so they called for a epidural and called to the OR where my doctor was doing a C-Section. The nurse told her I was here and ready to have a baby! She told her she would come and break my water when she got done but the nurse stopped her and said NO we are still waiting on her husband to get here. She said OK, so get her a epidural to buy us some time! As she hung up the phone I told her... I think my water just broke! She checked me and said YEP it did!! At the point my mom got Clint on the phone because my contractions had gotten so close together, they were on top of each other. As the nurse called for the epidural again I told her I think I need to push! So she checked me and I was 10cm and I was GO TIME!! YES, that means this mama had no DRUGS and Clint didn't make his birth but he was on the phone for it all. Lane Cash Stuck entered this world on Friday, August 24th at 9:07am, 8lbs 8oz and 21.75" and yes that was less than 2 hours after I got to the hospital. It was a crazy morning but my mom was a AMAZING coach and I couldn't have done it without her.

Long over due.... more to come!

never a dull moment...

so after traveling back to houston and clint making it home for ONE night... we had a long night... i wasn't feeling good when he got home but we ran to get something to eat, and i couldn't eat anything (which seemed to be very common these days) because i felt so nauseated and contractions. after getting home, bathing, reading and putting emma to bed, i seemed to be feeling worse. finally about 10 i texted my mom to come over while we went to get me checkout out at the ER. we got there and it seemed like forever... hooked me up to monitors, they checked me, took urian sample, called my doctor and gave me some meds for the nausea and also started some fluids. finally about 2:30 AM she rechecked me and i hadn't changed since we got there and nausea seemed to have stopped and so did the contractions. it really seems that i brought all this on myself with traveling to houston, running around and not drinking enough water and the stress of not telling my doctor about leaving town, too. i plan to take it easy and stay out of this heat! i also realized last night... i am ready for him to be here but not sure if i am ready for labor, just yet! :) clint left this afternoon for finally job until little man arrives (he's planning to just drive FAST when it is really time, just praying that baby doesn't come really fast but leaving it in Gods hands and not gonna keep stressing myself about it... prayers for healthy mama and baby!

37 weeks and what was i thinking!

so... after a handful of stuff on Tuesday (including Emma's dentist, pediatrician, lunch with my running friends and my weekly doctors apt). Emma wasn't too excited about the dentist but we made it through her first cleaning and a quick visit to the pediatrician. Emma stayed with my grandmother while I went to my doctors apt but before I went I already had our bags packet and ready to leave for Houston to see Clint at training. I really wasn't expecting to hear what my doctors said... she checked me and said well your 50% effaced and 1-2 cm dilated. oh wow... didn't expect that! I wasn't sure what I was thinking at this point but that I wanted to see Clint! So I didn't tell my doctor that I was planning to go to Houston either (oops). I left the apt went home and loaded the truck, picked Emma up and got on the road. It was a pretty good drive... Emma sleep the entire way and we got there right in time for dinner with Clint but didn't have much of a appetite.:) If you know anything about me, you would know that I am a "so by the book kind of gal" so for me this was a big deal! so needless to say I didn't sleep good Tuesday night but nice to wake up next to my hubby for once! he had class so emma and i went to visit with my friend maria and her twins (ava and mason). after my adventure in getting lost in houston we finally found their house and it was so worth it to see the kids light up to see each other! we went to a play-date at a place similar to the little gym and they had a blast! after that we went to McDonald's to finish letting the kids play (out of the heat!) after that the kids were hungry so we went to a mexican food restaurant and emma was so hungry she ate almost all of her chicken and some fries (never happens!) she said she was tired on the way to eat so i thought we would head back to the hotel but she really wanted to go back to their house to play. i decided we are not in houston often so we would go play some more. they played inside/outside and maria and I were able to chat and catch up too! finally clint texted and said he was about done with class so we headed to the hotel. we went to dinner but i was so tired from the day i could have just gone to bed. went to dinner and still didn't have much of a appetite and back to hotel for some olympic watching. we all got to sleep but i was up at 4 with some contractions and back pain and really questioning my choice to come to houston and not tell my doctor. so by 6:45 i told clint we were going to drive home because i was stressed and my body wasn't feeling right... the drive wasn't too bad but now working on a nap with Emma (good luck!) still have some contractions but not as frequent. i am just praying he say in till tomorrow night because clint will be home! until next time...

36 weeks...

I had my doctors apt this morning but I am technically 35 weeks 4 days (36 weeks on Thursday) but measuring well into 36 + weeks. Eerything looks good (blood pressure, urine and weight) but I have been having alot of pelvic pressure so she checked me again (so not fun!) She said... "no head hanging out!" That's good! She said my cervics was starting to soften but no dilation at this point and we would check again next week. She also checked me for group B strep and sent me for blood work. I have another apt next week Tuesday, July 31st and I am really hoping for no progress because Emma and I are planning to meet Clint in Houston for a couple days because he has a training there. Also, we want to try and see my friend Maria and her twins (Ava and Mason) and my BFF Tiff, Adam and Lawson. I know it sounds crazy to head to Houston when I'm almost 37 weeks but my biggest fear has been Clint missing the birth and this way I figure if I go into labor in Houston (A) we are next door to a great hospital in the Woodlands and (B) he will be with me! My doctor may not like the idea but I want to see my husband EVERY chance I get and I am only gonna be 3 1/2 hours away so I could very well be back too! I am still going to pack the carseat and hospital bags (just in case!) Also, this is my last week at work and the first in a long time that I have worked 40 hours (because both the girls that are replacing me are both out of town this week). I am working Monday-Friday with lots of lunch apt so it should make the week go by fast (I hope!) and Clint should be home Wednesday night for dinner (that is if nothing goes wrong :( He will get to be home till Sunday and leave for training in Houston and that is where we hope to meet up with him that Wednesday night. I am REALLY ready to meet this little man and not be pregnant any longer because of this terrible pelvic pain I have been having and it seems to get worse when my doctor checks me, BOO! Not much longer and it would be super exciting if he came on Clint's bday the 16th (if not sooner). After this week maybe it won't be so hard to get out of bed because at this point I am so tired and unconfortable that I am ready to be done! I have been trying to take my mind off things by finishing Lane's room with the super cute letters my friend Adrianne made and ALL the amazing gifts we got at my work shower and family/friend shower. WE are set! Emma has been a challenge the past couple weeks but I really hoping it is just because of the age, knowing something is fixing to change her world and missing her daddy. I have had a couple meltdowns but yesterday was one of my hardest days but thanks to my mom for recognizing it because she took Emma to swim while I had a private melt down at home, collected myself, called Clint and then went with my friend Maria to lunch and a little retail therapy! It was nice to have grown up conversation and really just someone to listen to me and let me know I am not crazy or alone. "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger" and "God doesn't give us more than we can handle" (sometimes its close:) I know this is just a season so I need to remember that...

34 - 35 weeks and OH so busy!

This has been a busy week... Monday~ my aunt and cousins came in from Virginia, Tuesday~ had a growth sonogram, doctors apt, a great baby shower at work!Friday~ winery and dinner with mom, Barabara and Mimi, Saturday~ finished thank you gifts up for my shower, Dinner at Fireside Pies and Magic Mike! (good news it was good but bad news it didn't send me into labor :( SUNDAY~ Lane's Family/Friend Baby Shower, it was amazing!! We are so blessed with some extremely generious people in our lives! Also, my hostess did a GREAT job on everything! We went to the lake house with family after the shower. Monday~ wasn't feeling so great so rode back into town with my mom so that we could start going through all the wonderful gifts from the shower. We made a couple returns of duplicate gifts and went home to start washing this little man's clothes (he got a LOT!) We also went over to my grandmother's to visit with aunt and cousins because they are leaving on Wednesday :( after a little visit we headed home and made a quick dinner, Skyped with Clint, bath, books and bed for Emma. I stayed up entriely too late making cookies for a work bake sale and washing Lane's new whardrobe! I need to start going to bed sooner but I keep telling myself that and it doesn't evern happen! Nothing too exciting today... just tried and ready to go home and take a nap. Should be a pretty easy week and weekend. only plans we have are Friday... play date at the house with Maria and the twins (Ava and Mason) and wedding reception on Saturday. I am really hoping that Clint gets a day or so break to come home soon because I miss him terribly and so does Emma. I have gotten everything pretty much ready for Lane but know for the waiting... this is the part I am not so good at! Next doctors apt is next Monday and my last day at work is next Friday :(. I am happy to not have to get up and go to work but I will really miss these people since I have seen them for the past 5 1/2 years. New chapter is really about to start! Until next time... These are the hostess from my shower (more pictures to follow)

Dixie Stampede, Branson, MO, Happy 4th of July (yesterday) 33 weeks today!!

It's been a busy couple of weeks... Clint came home last Friday (YEA!!) from a long 5 hour drive from Midland in just enough time to get a shower and jump back in the car for another 8 hour drive to MO (but we ended up stoppping in Texarkana for the night because he was tired, I was pregnancy hurting and Emma couldn't get comfy to sleep in the car). Last week we spent Friday to Wednesday in Branson, MO/Table Rock Lake with my family (mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law and grandma). It was a beautiful lake but not the best place for an almost 9 month pregnant mama! I wouldn't have made the trip if it weren't for the pure joy of a three year old wanting to see the Dixie Stampede! It was so worth it! She had so much fun and we even went back two other times to just look at all the horses in the stables so she could remind us of their names and breeds. This little girl LOVES horses!! The lake was also nice but between mine and Emma's fair skin we didn't stay out on it very long plus she seems to fall asleep every time we go for a ride on the boat. Ha! We also went to a Berry Farm down the road from our cabins and it was lots of fun to let Emma pick her own Blackberries and eat them but it was sure HOT! The trip home was much better and we all went to my doctors apt on Thursday morning. It was the first apt Clint has gotten to come to so they got to hear Lane's little heart beat and the doctor confirmed he is still ahead of schedule. Only issue is that I am having some pretty significant contracts so they had to do a not so comfortable test to make sure I wasn't at risk for going into labor in the next few weeks (it came back negative but they will still have to do the test everytime to keep a handle on it). I am excited for my next apt next Tuesday because we will have another sonogram and it is the same day as my baby shower at work. It has been pretty sad to think that at the end of this month I won't be working with this family of people that I have grown to love over the past 5 1/2 years. I know I will come visit LOTS but also crazy that my new job will be FULL TIME MOMMY :) I am excited and scared all at the same time. Also, some of my super sweet friends have offered to give me a small shower on the following Sunday so after that we should be all set for little Lane's arrival! I can't wait to see his little face and just enjoy my babies!! We had a wedding on Saturday for a family friend and I actually had a date because Clint didn't go back to work till Sunday (so nice)! We all looked so fancy too! The 4th was nice but HOT and I have decided ALL outdoor activites aren't the best idea for me at this point (swelling toes and fingers:( I was misrable and not the best company! Emma had a great time... riding her stick horse Flicka everywhere and that little girl can make any situation enjoyable! Love her... and so glad tomorrow starts are weekend together and only three more weeks of work until I can just stay home when she says..."mommy I don't want you to go to work today!" It has been so hard on all of us with Clint working away so much but she truly is a blessing that makes me crazy in the same breath she makes me smile in! "Live everyday as if it were your last!"