Miss Daphne Kendall has Arrived!!

So Precious!

Daphne's Birth Story:

Bright and early we arrived to the hospital on Thursday the 15th to begin the induction process and bringing Daphne into the world. I was surprised at how quickly everything fell together and I am thankful for that. I must say that was the theme of the entire hospital stay for us: quick and efficient!  I chose to have my water broke first by  Dr. Ott, and that was NOT a pleasant experience. Then again I suppose much of the labor process would not be considered pleasant :).  She had a difficult time breaking my water leaving me nervous that it was not going to happen. After much trying it did FINALLY break only to be followed by Daphne not appreciating the intrusion. Her heart rate decided to drop so I was bedridden for the first 20 minutes until her heart rate became stable. At that point we were finally allowed up and able to walk around. Jeff was a fantastic walking partner as we made approximately 6 to 7 laps throughout the hospital. Good news? I did start contracting more! Bad news? No, I did not dilate any further than a 3 during this time.

Bring on the Pitocin!

At this point my anxiety started to get to me a bit because I quickly remember what happened when I got Pitocin with Jude; strong pains that come on forcefully! Once again as with Jude, Daphne was very finicky with how I was positioned so I was stuck on my right side just to maintain her heart rate. It didn't take long for the contractions to get more painful although they never seemed to remain consistent. I could have contractions just 2 minutes apart and then would not get another one for 5 minutes. Some were definitely stronger than others as well. Unfortunately, I started to feel most of the contractions in my lower back. I have always been warned of back labor and how awful it was, and I must say those warnings were spot on! Needless to say the back labor helped me to make the decision quickly on an epidural. I know how my body and my mind works and I was never going to relax enough with this pain to dilate to a decent amount in a swift amount of time. I did NOT want to do what I did with Jude and tire myself out waiting and waiting to dilate enough. The epidural quickly sped things up with him; I just prayed it would happen for her too.

The epidural was administered around noon and thankfully they let Jeff stay with me during that time unlike with Jude. At this point I just wanted to nap and relax and hope my body would just do it's job. I was dilated to a 5, and figured I still had all afternoon before anything would happen :). Jeff proceeded to leave for a bit to grab some food and talk to the family knowing we had plenty of time to kill. When Jeff returned he sat down to eat and I had yet to fall asleep but I was relaxed. While in the middle of trying to eat his burger, I noticed that Daphne's heart rate was becoming erratic Jeff assumed my belt had slipped and was trying to reposition it but with no avail. The nurse comes in at this time immediately asking if I felt any pressure and checking for dilation. I remember what the pressure felt like with Jude and I was absolutely not feeling a thing. I still just wanted to sleep! As she began to check her response was a good indication that I would not be resting anytime soon. She said Daphne's erratic heart rate gave her a hunch that I was most likely ready to push. We started with a practice push just to see how ready I was, and apparently it worked. She gave Dr. Ott a call and informed us that our baby would be on the way shortly! I couldn't help but to laugh at Jeff's response when he asked her how much time we had. She looked at the clock (it read 1:10) and informed us that Daphne would be here at 1:25. Jeff's face was in shock (I think he was more upset that he wouldn't get to finish his lunch though)! He left to tell the family what was about to happen leaving me afraid that he was not going to make it back time; Dr. Ott was there quicker than I would have ever expected and we were ready to go!

I could not believe Daphne was about to make appearance and I was fully aware this time. With Jude I was so beyond tired that I almost felt like I wasn't even a part of his delivery.  I was so mindful of what was about to occur, that I started shaking with nerves. Uncontrollable nerves! Ready or not it was time! I started pushing at 1:20 and Miss Daphne was here at 1:22. Unbelievable!

6 pounds 5 ounces, 19 1/2 inches long

Jeff and I spent the next 2 hours alone with Daphne holding her skin to skin. She was already showing her personality and true colors my pooping on me as soon as she was given to me. I'm sure it was quite a sight to see with her yet to be cleaned up, both of us covered in poop, and her learning to nurse! On a positive note, she came out rooting enabling me to nurse her right away. She was a pro from the start! After that we quickly realized that she must have been sucking her fingers and thumb in the womb as she was sucking her thumb at just a few minutes old! We had to end up giving her the paci the next day just to satisfy her beyond nursing. Family started to trickle in and she was showered with much attention!

First Family Photo

Jude loved Daphne from the beginning!

The rest of our time in the hospital was truly relaxing (as relaxing as possible with almost hourly nurse visits). We got to give Daphne her first bath that evening and then we both actually slept some that night! Where Jude refused to be swaddled, Daphne loved it. Where Jude refused to sleep at night, Daphne loved to sleep! Amazing how opposite they are already. We had some wonderful visitors the next day and gifts from loved ones as well.

Daphne passed all of her screenings and tests allowing us to go home Saturday at the 48 hour mark. I was so ready. I really needed to see and feel the sun!

First Bath

Jude in his Christmas outfit 1 day old

Daphne in her Halloween outfit 1 day old

Ready to head home!

Already a Daddy's girl!

Final Days Before Our Little Pumpkin Arrives!

38 Weeks

We spent the week having our high risk pregnancy tests for our Little Miss. She passed them both with flying colors! My non-stress test was Monday the 5th. Within the first 5 minutes she had already moved enough that she passed perfectly! I always said she was quite the tumbler. It was amazing to lay there for 20 minutes doing nothing but listening to her heartbeat and feeling her move. It so difficult to find the time to just enjoy her inside of me when I have a toddler running around too! Thankfully Papaw Jim came down to watch him for me during this time.

Thursday the 8th we had another biophysical profile that she once again was able to breeze through. Her heart rate was steady around 153 bpm. She is still down pretty low but we were able to get some AMAZING pictures of her face this time! My heart was so full as we watched her stick her tongue out and move her lips up and down. Just fascinating.
The ultrasound tech provided us yet again with another picture of her hair! Yes, hair. We do not believe it either since hair is not something that runs in our family for babies. My guess is that this hair will all fall out and she will be our bald little princess for a while. I could be wrong though! :)

38 Weeks!

 

 

38 Weeks with Jude!

She is so sweet!

39 Weeks

I had my final doctor's appointment Monday the 12th before we get to welcome home our Little Pumpkin! It was another non-stress test and once again she passed perfectly. I'm still dilated to a 3 and nothing else going on! Just a waiting game. My conclusion is that my induction is definitely going to happen tomorrow. I am going to start with having my water broke as opposed to starting with Pitocin. Hopefully my body will just kick in and do what it needs to do.

We ask for many prayers for tomorrow that all will run smoothly with delivery and we will welcome our beautiful little girl to our family. We have had so much support and love during this pregnancy that we could not be more grateful!

39 Weeks!

 

How far along? 39 weeks and 3 days

Total weight gain: 26 pounds

Maternity clothes? Still in them and ready to be done!

 

Stretch marks? None! I am thankful for my mother's genetics!

Sleep: I want to sleep and I do off and on. I'm up a lot tossing and turning, unable to breathe, and needing to use the bathroom.

Miss Anything? I am going to miss not being able to feel her move in my belly everyday!

Movement: Still a mover!

Food cravings: Nothing at all. I have a tough time even cooking for lunch or supper. I don't really want anything.

Anything making you queasy or sick: No.

 

Gender: Girl!!

Labor Signs: Dilated to a 3, occasional cramps and contractions....that's really about it. Not much to brag about!

Belly Button in or out? Out.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Very happy, anxious, and tired. 

 

Best moment this week:Getting to relax all by myself for 20 minutes during the non-stress test just listening to her heart beat. 

 

 Looking forward to: Bringing our little girl into the world tomorrow! Can't wait to have pictures of her and Jude together! :)

36-37 Weeks

36 Week Appointment:
We had another weekly visit to the doctor. They are beginning to know Jude and I very well! :) Our little pumpkin passed her biophysical profile with flying colors, and my fluid levels are normal as well. Praise the Lord for another wonderful appointment with good news! Next week Jeff will be attending the appointment with us as it will be big one and full of many decisions. We will have another biophysical profile along with a growth anatomy scan. I am so excited to see how much she has grown! In addition to that, she will check me for further dilation and have the discussion on induction. As mentioned before, I do not want to be induced at 39 weeks just simply to be induced. On the flip side, I do not want to go much past 40 weeks as I know more complications can arise. So please pray for the decision Jeff and I need to make on either scheduling an induction at 40 weeks if I have yet to go, or to wait.

Yes, we have been told this ultrasound pic is creepy. You have to admit it is pretty neat though to see her eye like that!

Fall Fun:
I feel like I have a bucket list of fall activities I want to complete with Jude before our little pumpkin arrives, and such little time to do so! We started with a trip to the apple orchard where Jude got to help us pick his favorite fruit. He definitely loved pulling the apples off of the tree! We made applesauce and caramel apples together as well. Later in the week we headed to the park on a leaf hunt so we could do some leaf rubbings. Jude loved the leaf hunting part....not so much the coloring part. Pretty typical for our little man. From the picture below you can see he was absolutely proud of his leaf rubbings regardless! This week we will be headed to the Fall Festival here in Evansville as well as the pumpkin patch.

Holiday World fun for the Toyota Family Picnic

Apple picking

Learning to make applesauce. Pants are not required!

Showing off his leaf rubbing

37 Week Appointment:
On the 2nd I had my 37 week appointment which included the biophysical profile, anatomy scan, and regular check-up.  Little Pumpkin passed with an 8 out of 8 again and a heart rate of 138. On the downside she is measuring on the small side still in the 13th percentile. This shows she has actually gone down in ranking. She was 5 pounds 14 ounces. Now to me this did not seem like a big deal; she was almost 6 pounds and I was almost 38 weeks. Jude was born at almost 41 weeks and was 6 pounds 12 ounces and perfectly healthy. Dr. Ott agreed that I likely just have small babies due to genetics, but (there is always a but) it could also mean that my placenta is deciding it is nearing it's time to be done and possibly not providing the nutrients she needs. To be honest I was a little concerned too with the fact that she dropped so much in percentile. In my heart I know that God has a plan and He is watching over the both of us and I feel confident she is a healthy little girl. Just a petite healthy little girl! Due to all of the nervousness, Dr. Ott has me coming in on Monday to do a non-stress test, on Thursday for another biophysical profile, and again on the 12th for another non-stress test. We are remaining cautious due to her size and want to continue to be sure she is progressing inside of me. With all this being said, the doc assured us she was not nervous as of Friday for there being any serious problems occurring as of right now. She did say she was not comfortable with allowing me to go full-term with a baby who is continuously measuring smaller. She was ready for us to be induced on Monday the 12th at 39 weeks. I simply was not. Jeff and I did agree to meet in the middle with her and set up an induction for Wednesday the 14th. Truth be told neither one of us is thrilled with the idea. I still prefer to let my body do what it needs to do and trust in God. I am hoping that after my tests this week I will have a better feeling towards keeping the induction or not based on how our little pumpkin is doing. The only thing I can continue to do now is pray and have faith it will all work out perfectly and in the end we will be holding our precious baby girl!

Love comparing pictures! The one on the left is with our little girl at 37 weeks. The one on the right is with Jude at 37 weeks. 

Yes, she has hair! Not a lot, but it is there.

Nursery:
Nursery pictures are finally here!! I am very happy with how it all turned out. It is light and airy and full of vintage and family touches. Jude loves her room too as he will often announce to people, "Welcome to ________'s room!" I have included pictures of Jude's big boy bed as well as he is pretty thrilled with it! :)

The beautiful family quilt made by my great-great aunt.Also in the picture you will see a blanket made by Aunt Jennifer, a painting made from a friend, and the old night stand (belonged to Jeff's grandparents) refurbed by a friend.

This little wicker rocking chair was mine as a little girl.

Jude's big boy bed!

How far along? 38 weeks today!

Total weight gain: 26 pounds...I lost a pound this weekend though to 25. I did this with my last pregnancy too.

Maternity clothes? Same old story...I am getting really tired of wearing the same things over and over again!

Stretch marks? So far so good.....

Sleep: Difficult! I wake up a lot and am usually uncomfortable especially now that I am cramping and contracting off and on.

Miss Anything? Being able to breathe when I go on walks, go up the stairs, just sitting down... ha!

Movement: She still moves a lot. Seems even more so the past few days.

Food cravings: No. In fact I do not have much of an appetite at all. I do crave a Coke quite often which is odd since I never drink Coke or soda period anymore.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing particular. The past couple of days I am queasy off and on but that is mostly just from my body preparing for labor. 

Gender: Girl!!

Labor Signs: Wow, have the labor signs started this weekend! I am dilated to a 3 now which is crazy since I wasn't even a 2 when my water broke with Jude. Our pumpkin has dropped VERY low and is in position. The ultrasound tech could barely get a measure of her head and could not get a picture of her face. She did say that she had some hair and took a picture of that! I have been cramping a lot this weekend and contracting off and on. Nothing regular. I am super super exhausted. All of these symptoms are new for me as I never had any of them with Jude. A brand new ballgame so to speak!

Belly Button in or out? Out.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy but tired.

Best moment this week: Seeing our little pumpkin again and knowing that she is healthy. The realization that we will be meeting her in less than 2 weeks regardless!

Looking forward to: Relaxing and waiting for her arrival. I plan to have fun and play with Jude as much as I can this week.