Coming Home

While our hospital stay was wonderful, we were so ready to come home. It was a bit chaotic getting discharged, but we finally made it home around 12:30. Addison did great in her car seat, she slept the entire way home. Dad & Vicki met us at the house to help get settled.

Her First Bath

Brian got the honor of giving Addison her first bath. He was so cute and very meticulous in making sure every part got extra clean. He also dressed & swaddled her. It was sweet watching them together for the first time. I must say that Addison is blessed with the best father ever.

Hospital Stay

We delivered at Seton Northwest and our experience there was awesome. The L&D nurses got the heads up on our arrival because Aubrey's (our first employee) wife Nicole is a L&D nurse. We got the star treatment! Jill was our nurse, and she was awesome every step of the way.

Our nurses in the postpartum room were awesome as well. They taught us how to swaddle, comfort the baby, feed her, etc. They even took Addison for a few hours each night so we could get some rest. There are times though out the day when I wish I still had them to help me.

We were also blessed by many visitors at the hospital... Grandpa & GG, Grammie & Pops, John & Stephanie, Staci, Rachel & Shane, Aunt Susan & Amanda, Leanne, Tania & Kimball, Jeff, Amanda & Judah (they were our neighbors) and Steve & Mihaela. Thanks to everyone for coming by to share this special moment.

We are so very grateful for our awesome experience!

Baby Judah: The Escape Artist

My friend Amanda and I were due one week apart, it was great having a close friend to go though all the pregnancy stuff with. We saw different doctors in the same practice, so we would be delivering at the same hospital. Early on in the pregnancy I had a dream that my water broke when she was at the hospital.... turns out my dream came true. Crazy!

Amanda went over her due date and started the induction process on Wednesday July 15th. Sweet baby Judah was born on Friday. One Friday when I was admitted to the hospital I texted her letting her know I was downstairs. She & Jeff put Baby Judah in his crib and came on down to L&D. They were there a few minutes and then nurses & security were in our room looking for them. Turns out you are not allowed to leave the floor and when they did, people started looking for them. It was pretty hilarious and a fun story that we will always share.

After Addison arrived we were moved to the 3rd floor, next to Jeff & Amanda. It was such a blessing being able to share this experience with our dear friends.

Pictures

Click on this link to view pictures: http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1511319007/a=34652780_34652780/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

The Birth Story

Addison Rose Betzen

Saturday, July 18th 7 Pounds 9 Ounces 20 Inches Long On Friday I thought I was leaking fluid, so I called a nurse and she told me "if it was not running down my leg than it was not amniotic fluid". She was a bit rude and made me cry because I knew something was not right. I called Leanne and she said I need to call back and talk to a different nurse. I told her I would and instead took a nap. When I woke up I leaked more fluid and it was pink tinged, I called the after hours nurse line and they told me to go to the hospital. I asked if I need to take my hospital bags and they said yes. So, I called Brian and drove myself to the hospital. Upon arrival I went though all the admissions stuff and was sent to my L&D room. They asked me a ton of questions and I asked them if I would have to go though all this again when I come back to have this baby... I seriously did not think it was going to happen that day (remember I had no progress for 4 weeks straight). Well they tested the fluid and told me they hoped I brought my bags because I was staying. All of a sudden that labor & delivery room got very lonely! I had not planned on having a baby that day and there was so much I needed to do. I called Brian and told him we were having a baby... we were so excited to finally meet our baby girl. I was dilated to 1.5cm and 85% effaced (not bad for a day). They broke my water at 9:00pm and that is when the real contractions started. At 10:00 they gave me a shot to take the edge off and another shot at 11. At 12 I got my epidural even though I was only at 2cm. Getting the epidural was the worst part, but it was delightful once it was in (even though it gave me the shakes pretty bad). Brian says the epidural turned me from a lion to a kitten. Once the epidural was in, they started the Pitocin and cranked it up every 30 minutes. Brian and I slept off and on the entire night. At 5am I was 5cm and 6am I started feeling a lot of pressure, the nurse came in and said the baby was telling her it was time. Turns out I was 10cm! So I pushed for 15 minutes and baby Addison came into this world with no complications! Thank you God for the sweet miracle of life. I must say that was the most incredible experience of my life and our married life. We were both crying and could not believe our eyes. She is so perfect. Our birth story was incredible and we feel so blessed.

Our Newborn - Baby Center has failed me

Every week I post an update from Baby Center regarding the size, etc. of Addison. I logged into Baby Center this morning and here is what it said: Your newborn How your baby's growing:Because he was curled up inside your uterus until recently, your newborn baby will probably look scrunched up for a while, with his arms and legs not fully extended. He may even appear bowlegged.Don't worry: Your baby will stretch out, little by little, and by the time he reaches 6 months, he'll be fully unfurled! In the meantime, as he adjusts to life outside the warm, safe confines of your womb, he may enjoy being swaddled in a light blanket. Haha! Thanks for rubbing it in Baby Center... they should give you an option to continue with the weekly updates or move on to the newborn stage. I mean seriously, how many people give birth on their due date, I think it is less than 20%. Ok... time for some yoga.

40 Weeks: Happy Due Date

I have waited for this day to come for so long! 40 weeks, wow time really did fly by! I think due dates are over rated and think doctors should give you a "due range" instead of a specific date. We still have some time to wait before Addison will make her arrival (11 more days) according to the revised "plan". I go in on Monday to see Dr. Hughes (my temp doctor) and will get a stress test.

I am actually doing pretty good! I am walking and doing yoga to try and progress things. I am not sure if it is helping, but it makes me feel better that I am trying. I am believing that my body will progress so that I can have a natural birth.

Please just continue to pray for my body to progress and handle these last 11 days... pray also for the health of our precious baby girl.

From the Baby Center:

It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor. This so-called "molding" is the reason your baby's noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it's normal and temporary.

Daily Devotional

Melody sent me her daily devotional today... it is perfect and I had to share. July 15, 2009 How God Builds Your Faith: Delay by Rick Warren "But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" (Habakkuk 2:3 LB). Even as you make a decision to follow the dream God places in your heart, you can expect a delay. God will not fulfill your dream immediately because this is another step toward building your faith.In Habakkuk 2, God says, "These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled." In this step of faith-building you will most likely start asking the question, "When, Lord? When are You going to answer my prayer?"And we hate to wait. We don't like to wait in a doctor's office, or in traffic jams, or at restaurants, or for Christmas presents, or for anything else. But what we hate worst of all is waiting on God.Have you ever been in a hurry when God wasn't? It's so irritating! You're ready, but God isn't. God wants to work on you before He works on the project. Every believer must go through the University of Learning to Wait (ULW). Some of us are still working on our degrees from ULW! • Noah waited 120 years from the time he started building the ark until it began to rain. • Abraham was told he would be the father of a great nation and didn't have a child until he was 99. • God told Moses he would be the leader to lead his people out of 400 years of slavery, but then made him wait in the desert 40 years. • Joseph spent years in prison before God raised him up and he became the ruler God wanted him to be. • God had David anointed as king, but then David waited for years until he actually got to be king. We all have to go through these waiting periods. Even Jesus waited for 30 years in the carpenter's shop before setting out on his public ministry.Why do we wait? It teaches us to trust in God. We learn that His timing is perfect. One of the facts we have to learn is this: God's delay never destroys His purpose.A delay is not a denial. Children must learn the difference between "no" and "not yet," and so must we. Many times we think God is saying, "No," but He is saying, "Not yet."

Addison's Revised Birth Date - The New Plan

Today was a pretty big appointment for us.

• My blood pressure was 97/60
• Addison's heart rate was 144
• Measured right at 40 weeks
• 0% Effaced, 0cm dilated

So obviously I am not progressing towards labor and there is not much I can do about that. My doctor goes on vacation starting tomorrow and will return on the 27th. I have an appointment with Dr. Hughes on Monday at 11:40 for a stress test (NST) and will check all the normal stuff (blood pressure, heart rate, size, etc.). I will see Dr. Hughes again on Thursday. If on Thursday I am 50% effaced and 2cm dilated then we will start the induction process on the 26th and Addison will be born on the 27th. If I have not progressed then we will schedule a c-section for the 27th.

The blessing is that it looks like my doctor will deliver Addison after all! I am not thrilled about the extended pregnancy, but oh well! God is in control, not me.

The prayer is for me to progress so I can have natural childbirth (medicated of course). We are also nervous about the higher possibility of me having a c-section, so please also pray for peace.

With God All Things Are Possible

Yesterday during my quiet time I came across Matthew 19:26, "With God all things are possible" and Luke 1:37, "For nothing is impossible with God." There are so many times God has made the impossible possible, so that is what I will choose to believe. The lack of physical progress is frustrating, but I do believe she could still be born anytime. My prayers are for my body to start progressing and for my doctor to be able to deliver her, but that may not be His plan for me. So instead of allowing myself to be depressed and stressed, I am going to rise above this and enjoy my final days of pregnancy (even in this 100 degree heat). I know I am going to miss this life growing inside my belly and would regret focusing this time on details I ultimately have no control over. Prayer Requests:

• Patience during these final days
• For my body to start progressing towards natural labor
• For the doctor and nurse that will be with us though labor & delivery
• For Brian and I to enjoy these final days of it just being us
• That we will not stress over the details and just focus on the blessing

Side note: Please also pray for Brian's back, he has been having a lot of pain and discomfort.

Today Brian and I are going to get Addison's coming home outfit and are going out to dinner. I must say I am enjoying all the outings with my very sweet and supportive husband. Yesterday he came home early to spend time with me, brought me my favorite candy bar and then went to Berry Cool for a treat after dinner.

Ok, it is almost 4am (I have been up since 3). I am going to do my bible study and then back to bed.

39 Weeks: Zero is my lucky number

I had our 39 week doctor's appointment this morning and good news is that Addison is doing great! My blood pressure was 100/70, Addison's heart rate was 144, minimal swelling, etc. Dr. Solomon estimates her size to be about 7 pounds 12 ounces. Unfortunately I STILL have not progressed, I am 0% effaced, 0 cm dilated and she is still high. This lack of progress means I will NOT be induced next week, which makes total sense because my Doctor will not induce unless my body is progressing towards labor. So instead of scheduling my induction, we scheduled another doctor's appointment for Wednesday. My doctor goes on vacation on the 17th, so chances are that he will not be the one who delivers our baby. It looks like Addison will probably make her appearance the week of July 19th. I am super bummed, but very thankful for the healthy baby girl in my GIGANTIC belly.

39 Weeks: Finally a Watermelon

From the Baby Center:

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

Cord Blood Banking

Brian and I decided (sort of at the last minute) to bank Addison's cord blood. After a lot of research and talking to Dr. Solomon we decided on Viacord to do the collection. We liked Viacord because they are FDA approved and do research on the cord blood, which makes them more than a "bank". While we hope the cord blood never needs to be used, it does offer some insurance in just in case. The cord blood is also available for our families if needed. Dr. Solomon made a good point at our last appointment by saying right now tons of valuable information is thrown away with every discarded cord and within the next 10 years he does not think a single cord will be discarded. We will receive our kit tomorrow! For more information you can go to www.viacord.com.

38 Week Doctor's Appointment: Induction Date Set

We saw the doctor this morning, the only real exciting news is that I will be induced on July 15th if Addison does not make her appearance before then. My doctor is going on vacation and I really want him to deliver our baby (yes I know nurses do 90% of the work). I of course would love to go into labor naturally if possible.

• My blood pressure was 110/60
• Addison's heart rate was 140
• Fundal Height is right on target at 38cm
• Dilated to a big whopping 0cm and 0% effaced
• Doctor said he did think she was a bit lower

As you can tell from this picture, I am huge. Hard to imagine we have 2 weeks left!

38 Weeks: <14 days to go

We are so close to the end of this pregnancy! This past week definitely seemed like the longest yet. I am feeling pretty good, just the normal end of the pregnancy stuff. I finally started packing our hospital bags yesterday. I still have some shopping to do, but I am not too worried about it. Brian and I also need to make our final trip to Babies R Us to purchase the final necessities.

I have started spending time in prayer specifically in regards to L&D and becoming new parents. Hopefully this will help me focus less on the scary stuff and more on Him. He blessed us with this child and I know that He will give us the strength to deliver and figure this whole parenting thing out.

"I can do everything though him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

Our doctor's appointment is at 8:00, hoping for a good progress report!

From the Baby Center:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Note from Carrie: There is a 99% chance that Addison's eyes will be blue. 1% that they will be green.

Hello July

Hello July! This is the month I have been anxiously waiting for and now that it is here I am scared to death. Seriously, time has flown by since finding out we were pregnant. I remember thinking that July was FOREVER away and then bam here it is. It is time to get my act together and finish getting everything ready. Today also marks the day that I am officially working from home. It is strange. Normally right now Brian and I are praying and I am about to walk out the door. Instead I am about to log into my computer, check e-mails and do what I normally do except I will be home. I know I will be more comfortable here (sitting in an office chair all day was painful), but I am going to miss everyone at the office. I am also going to unload all my work stuff from my car and get organized. I am sure Brian is going to love all my stuff in the office. So my prayer request is specifically for the transition to working from home and soon becoming a mom. I feel like life as I know it is gone and I have to rediscover and figure things out. Don't get me wrong, I am one of those people that does not mind change. It's just that this baby changes everything (in a good way) and I just want the transition to be as streamlined as possible for me, Brian, our marriage , career and new life as parents.