Thanksgiving and Newborn Beauty

Here's a little update about the first few weeks of life: During the first 2 weeks, we learned a lot about our baby! She decided to put herself on a very strict schedule. She wanted to nurse every 3 hours! Day and night, every 3 hours. And if for some reason she didn't eat every 3 hours (she was too tired and didn't wake up or if we were driving somewhere so she overslept) she would wake up starving and mad! So mad that it was hard to get her calmed down enough to nurse. So I was very diligent in her eating every 3 hrs, even if I had to wake her. She pretty much just slept and ate and proved to be a very calm baby. Thanksgiving was pretty much a blur. We ate at Robert's parent's at noon and my parent's that evening. It was busy but I wouldn't have missed it for anything!

Dec 6th marked our first 2 weeks with sweet Jane Ellis. What better way to celebrate than to have her first newborn pictures taken. Cassie Bousson is a talented photographer who was so kind to come to out house to photograph JE. These are just a few of her pictures.

Jane Ellis' Birth Day Story

Sunday, November 21st, started out great. I had decided that I needed to do laundry that day for some reason. Shannon and Emma were at my house, and even though I was busy with chores and visiting with them, I kept noticing about every 15 -20 mins that I was having slightly uncomfortable contractions. This wasn't completely abnormal, except that I was feeling them in my back now. I had been to the doctor the monday before this and they scheduled me to be induced on JE's due date, Nov 23. 1) he wasn't sure I would go on my own because for the past 2 months I had been working overtime and was still only 2 cm, thick and not having any contractions. and 2) it was my first baby and I didn't want to be in the hospital over Thanksgiving. Around 7 pm I noticed that my contractions were really starting to get more uncomfortable and closer together. At 9pm I started to time them - almost exactly 15 mins apart. I took a bath - still there. Tried taking a nap- yeah right lol. I tried doing more laundry to get my mind off them ( I was pretty much in denial that this was early labor lol) - still there and getting stronger. At 11 I called the hospital to warn them I'd probably be coming up there. By 2 they were so strong I could barely blow dry my hair and finish packing my bag - 5-6 mins apart. We left the house around 230 am and called both sets of parents to warn them this may be it. We got to the hospital at 3 and I was admitted to a room. When they checked me the nurse said I was 3-4 but since my contractions were only about 5 mins apart they may not keep me... ummm I told them I wasn't going home just to come back in 24 hrs to be induced. By 4 I was hurting so badly that I was begging for some Stadol... I had to get a shot - it didn't touch the pain! Supposedly I was still 3 (yes now she said I was 3, not 3-4... someone was ready to just finish their shift lol) and may still be sent home so I couldn't have an epidural. By 6 I was in sooo much pain I wouldn't let them check me until I got some relief. I was crying and had back labor so badly that I couldn't lay in the bed, I stood up, hunched over pacing. My contractions were still about 5-6 mins apart but lasted about 2 mins. Thank goodness my new nurse came in at 630 and said they were definately keeping me. I got an IV, (I even let a student do it :) fluid started, and iv stadol given. The stadol helped enough that I could lay in the bed and have labs drawn for my epidural. By 7 I was still in so much pain, it was truely like an out-of-body experience. I didn't know pain like that could exist lol They hadn't checked me since 4 but I knew I had to be getting closer to meeting Jane Ellis. I was finally getting my epidural, which actually didn't hurt very badly at all. My doctor was either really good or it was because my contractions were sooo horrible! Only 1 person could stay with me, so I asked my mom to. I thought it may still be a little while before I was ready to start pushing so I sent Robert out to go get breakfast in the cafeteria with my Dad. By 730 my epidural was done, I felt better than ever and when they checked me I was 8cm!!! No wonder I hurt so bad lol As Robert and my dad were heading back to the room they heard someone over the loud speaker call for a delivery table for room 813... yep, that was me :) By 830 I was complete and by 912 our perfectly beautiful 7lbs 13oz 20 inch long of wonderful baby girl was welcomed into the world. Best day of mine and Robert's life. The feelings you have are indescribable. I truely wish every women could feel the sense of pride and admiration and love that comes with giving birth. It really is awesome. I am so thankful that the Lord saw it fit to give me such a beautiful, healthy family.


Jane Ellis's first picture! Isn't she the most wonderful thing ever!!

Our first of many family pictures!

Our going home outfit :)

Let's go home! Want to know something funny... her first outting was to Petco. We stopped there to pick something up for Daisy :)

Maternity Leave

November 18th was my last night at work in the old LB. It was very bittersweet to say the least. It hit me while I was driving across the bridge that night that 1) It was the last time I would see all my co-workers for 16 weeks and 2) the next time I work, it will be in the beautiful, brand spankin new LB!! Yep, bittersweet. I love our old unit. It's where I formed my most trusting friendships; it's where I learned to be what I've always longed to be - a nurse- a smart, caring, intuitive, trustworthy nurse. I will always remember the patients that inspired me, the ones that annoyed me, and the ones who made me cry out of hopelessness. Yes, I loved that dirty, old- fashioned, cramped unit. That same unit was always filled with some of the best doctors, nurses, RT's and secretaries/utility aids any patient could ask for. I hope and pray that the same atmosphere of love, compassion and empathy that encircled the old unit will be carried over to the new one. I wish I could have helped with the move on Dec 5, but I was fortunate enough to be home with my Jane Ellis. But I do have some pictures from facebook.

Work shower

So it has literally been months since I've updated this blog, ugh! I have so much to post.

In October my work friends threw me a wonderful baby shower! It was held at Nicole Meredith's beautiful house and all my closest friends were there. Including my sister and my niece Emma. Here are some pics!

No shower would be complete without Muddy's Plain Jane Cupcakes!! They were so good, and it was really nice because we had some left over... that means cupcakes for breakfast!!

I was so excited to get some books to read to sweet Jane Ellis! These were her first books... such a wonderful thing to know I'll be reading them to her in just a few short weeks.

No respectable PICU nurse would be caught without a baby scale! My sister and her mother-in-law bought this for me. They know me too well lol

Some dear work friends Ashley C. and Jenny S.

Here is a pic of everyone who came... This was taken by Emilie McDuffee. Thanks pal!

Jane Ellis Shower

Here are some pictures from my first baby shower given by some wonderful family members. The food was wonderful and the company was even better. It really makes it real when you have a baby shower... just a few more weeks!

I'm about 32 weeks here and still feeling wonderful. I'm still working nights, and honestly prefer to do that. I'm still able to sleep during the day and nights are calm enough that I'm not just totally exhausted when I get home.

Here are some pictures of my ADORABLE cake! sarah Wright took these pictures with her awesome camera so you can really see the details.

This is a picture of the gift Robert's grandmother gave me. It is a framed pink bib that her mother crocheted years ago. Her mother is gone now which makes this gift especially special.

Got to love Edible Arrangements!

Here I am with my mom, Stephanie, her mom Alma, and my dad's mom Joyce. All wonderful ladies who I'm proud to call my family.

My mom, my grandma, my sister Shannon and her 7 month old daughter Emma.

Here are some pictures of Jane Ellis's room. I had a wonderful baby shower this past saturday and got some beautiful things. Pictures of that shower will be uploaded soon :) Now, back to her room. Robert and I decided that she needed a beautiful blue ceiling to look up at so that's what we did! I painted it in one day... yes it was a bigger job than I originally had planned, only because it required three layers of paint and not just two, but I think it was well worth it...

Here is Jane Ellis's shelf with all her sweet toys/stuffed animals... far away from Daisy! There is also an adorable frame with her name on it from my bro Ray's sweet girlfriend Megan :)

This is a mirror I found at Garden Ridge. I plan to paint it white and hang it above her dresser. The frame is metal so I'm hoping it will work.

This is my sweet glider from my MIL! I love it... it's so comfortable. It will glide, recline and glide, and lock. I also really like that it's small enough to be in her sweet little room but big enough that Robert it comfortable rocking in it... and yes, he's already tried it out :) The yellow blanket on it used to be Robert's when he was a baby. The little table is from an antique store in Forrest City, I bought it for $25... a very good buy I do believe!


Here's a closer picture, you can see the curtains a litttle better. I bought those at Pottery Barn outlet for $35 for both panels. I love them... they have a small strip of sage green along with a little bit of pink. The sweet little stuffed animal stacker also came from PBO. it was originally $90 but I waited and waited and was able to get it for $25! Yay :)

Here's JE's dresser I found on craigslist for $90. Robert and I had to drive to Brinkley to pick it up, but for that price, and it was already painted green... I didn't think I could do much better. The flower photo holder was on sale at Pier1 and the cute little piggy bank was also a gift from my bro Ray's gf Megan.. tooo cute! The pink pail with her name on it is from my aunt GiGi, friend's Kristy and Sarah Wright and Kristen Murphy... also adorable. I love that her name is everywhere because I love her name!

I also love her bed! It was a gift from my mom and the mattress was from my grandma Oma. The bedding is from Pottery Barn... it's "CoCo Dot" and I love that it's not themed! But I do want to incorporate owls... I just have to figure out how to do that tastefully and girly.

Here is her closet full of sweet clothes! I need to buy some organizers for the shelf but it will be organized! And I will post pics of that soon :)

This was a gift from Robert's Gandmother Hill. Grandmother's mother crocheted this bib years and years ago. Mrs. Hill found it and wanted to have it framed so that it could be passed down for generations. How awesome is that?

Here is a pic of JE's beautiful stroller! It's a Safety 1st AeroLite LX Travel System Stroller in Pegasus. So far I love it... but we'll see when baby Jane gets here.

This is her infant car seat...

And here is her stroller!

There are still a few things I need to do to get her room ready and when it's officially finished I'll be sure to post more pics!

Mmmmm.... Glucola!

So we've made it to 30 weeks! I'm so proud of Jane Ellis all ready, she's growing big and strong and is still head down :) Good news to this mamma! I went to the Dr friday and had to do my glucola test. I wasn't too nervous about it, but I didn't want to fail... and I didn't. I had to drink the orange, but it wasn't too bad. I scored a 135 out of 140! Woo Hoo :) Afterwards... McCalister's, Pier 1 and to see Emma! She's getting so big! Here's a super cute pic my sister took the other day.

Emma and Riley at 7 months