A Rude Awakening

(Cute picture of the day)

Okay, I have something to grumble about. The Mom stuff is more than I hoped and dreamed except for one thing...my boobs.

I am a stomach sleeper. Always have been one and thought I would always be one. I always knew sleep would end for me in pregnancy the day I couldn't sleep on my stomach, and it did. I could not wait for pregnancy to end so that I could sleep on my stomach again and perhaps actually sleep again. Pregnancy now over, and there is one major flaw in my plan...MY BOOBS. There is no way I can lay on them. Ugh! I hate them. If Livie didn't need them so bad, I'd just cut them off.

So what is the deal with certain patterns and certain colors that make your boobs look smaller? Someone please enlighten me! I seriously didn't know they could get bigger. I spend my mornings trying on shirt after shirt to see which draws the least attention to my boobs. So gross! Please tell me they will get smaller again some day...

In other news Livie had a photo shoot yesterday. A lady in my ward is the best little photographer. I can't wait to get the prints back so I can up-load them, send out baby announcements...that sort of thing. More later. Maybe next time I'll focus more on Livie and less on my boobs.

An Eventful Day

I know, I know. This is a first for me posting two days in a row! What can I say...motherhood has inspired me. Plus, I have a bunch of family (now aunts, uncles, and grandparents for the first time) who haven't had the chance to meet Olivia yet and are dying for pictures. This is for them.

Here's Olivia's cute outfit of the day. I think it is funny that every day when I get her dressed I spend a majority of the day trying to get a good picture of her outfit for the day. How long does that last? Do you just take a picture of every outfit they ever wear. I have probably taken more pictures this week than I have in our whole marriage.

Okay...confession time. I remember talking to my good friend Crystal a while ago and she was telling me how taking her kids to the doctor to get shots was like the most traumatic thing for her and that I'd see when I had my own and feel the same way. Now I, the PA, who has given vaccine upon vaccine and drawn blood and PKUs and all sorts of other torturesome things to kids thought she was insane. Perhaps it affected her in that way, but I certainly would have no trouble when my time came because of all the exposure I had to it previously. Right? WRONG!

So today, Derek and I take little Livie to get her bilirubin levels rechecked at the hospital. They basically poke her little heal and have to keep squeezing it to fill up this little vial of blood. No biggie, and I was not worried about it at all. Then, they poked her and kept squeezing and she screamed and screamed. I was still totally fine until I saw the first tears I had ever seen rolling down my sweet baby girl's cheeks. I mean she cries now and again at home, but I have yet to see tears. Anyways, those tears rolled down her cheeks and seconds later tears are rolling down my cheeks. Derek is hugging me and trying to console me. They finish and we get Livie back in the car and she pretty much falls asleep, but I cried the whole way home. Derek thought it was hilarious that Livie, who was now obviously unfazed, was just fine, and I cried for 20 minutes over the whole ordeal. I'd like to blame it all on lack of sleep and hormones gone crazy, but I also was shocked at my strong emotional reaction to seeing my little baby girl experience pain.

In other momentous news, Livie had her first stroll today. We thought we'd get a little sun on that skin to help decrease her jaundice, which really isn't too bad, but it was a nice day so we took advantage.Livie seemed to love the great outdoors and Derek totally cracked me up because he was walking so slow trying to keep the stroller ride bump free for her. All for now...maybe tomorrow?

Baby Post (Chelsea Style)

This is the new Chelsea finally finding time for a post. The old Chelsea had energy and when asked what she did would respond I'm a PA. The new Chelsea is exhausted (persistent dark circles under her eyes), still hasn't fully gotten ready in a day (no make-up, no time to do hair...just lucky to get a shower), is now a full time professional (though very amature) feeder of Olivia, and has constant sore nipples (and other sore things as well).

But, let me catch you up to speed. We left the house for our 1 pm scheduled induction at the hospital.At the hospital they got me all checked in and started my pitocin around 2:30. I spent an hour bored until the doc came in and decided to break my water at about 3:40. Then, oh boy! I lasted about 3 or 4 contractions feeling like I would throw up, pass out, etc and then quickly asked for the epidural after which everything was heavenly. So by 4:30 epidural in place real labor began. By 5:30 I was a six, 20 minutes later and 8, and 20 minutes later a ten and ready to push. I pushed for a little over an hour and then our sweet baby girl was born at 7:49 pm. So that was like a 5 hour first labor. Awesome.

Derek already posted some after shots, but now I get to post the after after shots. Coming home from the hospital I didn't realize Livie would drowned in a newborn outfit, but still cute.Then, we came home and scrounged for an outfit that she wouldn't get lost in. Thank you Desiree!Today Livie had her first bath well not including the bath after labor...Then we scrounged for another outfit that would fit...enter in cute gown (from a lady in my ward- love it maybe we'll just live in these for the next weeks) and booties (from Paula)Anyways, she's so fun and I may be biased, but I think she is the cutest little girl in the world. I tell people we paid extra to make her so cute. And even though at the start of this post I just finished feeding her and now she is already ready to be fed AGAIN...I am absolutely loving every minute of it. More later.

Pictures of the little one

Olivia Nadine Marshall is here!

6 lbs, 14 ounces; 18.5 inches; born 9-15-10 at 7:50pm. Mommy and little Livvi (or Livvy, Livy, Livvie, Liv, Livia, etc. as we haven't decided on the spelling for what we'll call her) are both very beautiful and doing great. Dad is very proud and extremely exhausted.

For the bad news, I'm having computer issues at the hospital so no pictures yet (can't upload the photos to blogspot). I hope to get some up later today.

I'm sure Chel will provide one of her witty and informative posts about the birth soon, so check back in. Thanks everyone for all the well wishes, thoughts, and prayers throughout this pregnancy. It has meant a lot to us and to the little one.

Derek

Newsflash

The news is...another normal non-stress test, another ultrasound yesterday which was pretty good except placenta looked "gnarly" (in the words of the ultrasound tech), and an appointment today.

Drum roll please...I was at a 2 almost 3 and 80% effaced!!! I was just thrilled with anything other than 1 (which is where I have been for weeks).

I blame it on yesterday. Yesterday I could not breathe. This baby and uterus are encroaching on my lungs. I walk around all day arching my back and trying to breathe through pursed lips. I'm sure my patients get a kick out of this. Yesterday I was done!!! I was going to have the baby so I could breathe.

So, I came home from work, paced up and down the stairs, did loads of laundry, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, made dinner, went outside in the garden and picked all kinds of stuff...and it went on and on until first one foot then the other cramped into painful charlie horse cramps that would not let up. At that point, I surrendered, hobbled to bed, and there I stayed for the rest of the night. So my plan totally backfired...I did not go into labor. All I did was exhaust myself and get super sore. Very disappointing. But, its all worth it today because I'm dilating!!!!

Anyways, the big news is that due to "gnarly" placenta. I get to try to go into labor for the next few days, but if I don't go into labor by Wednesday, September 15th (less than one week away) my doc is inducing me (hurray...except not exactly what I was hoping for).

Thought I'd recap the pregnancy a little since it's almost over. So, this pregnancy....

• I threw up a total of 8 times
• Consumed about 20 Jamba Juices
• Probably 10 Costco smoothies
• And another 10 McDonalds smoothies
• Finished off 2 bottles of TUMS
• 1 Bottle of Maalox
• 1 bottle of vitamin B6
• 2 boxes of Unisom
• 4 bottles prenatal vitamins (don't get me started on how many bottles of prenatal vitamins I went through while waiting to get pregnant)
  
• I increased through 3 different bra sizes
• Was blessed with 5 massages
• 1 pedicure
• Had 6 ultrasounds
• 3 non-stress tests
• Made 5-6 stops at Roberts (a store I never frequented before this...baby has inspired craftiness I guess)
• Used 5 target gift cards
• 3 Babies R Us gift cards
• 1 Walmart gift card
• Had 5 baby showers
• Used at least a zillion gallons of water for all my bathroom trips
• And you'll have to ask Derek about how many episodes of crying for no good reason (I've lost count-- almost daily now).

So, that's a wrap. Pregnancy rules.

Baby's room just about done

Well my envisioned baby room is just about done. Thought I'd post some pictures. Plus, this baby is just about done. Just two more weeks until my due date, and I look hot!

So this picture is from the baby shower Derek's mom and sisters threw me. This table was incredible. Diane made that baby carriage cake. The food was fabulous and the decorations over the top.Okay, so here is a little virtual tour of the room from right to left. I feel like derek and I stink at taking pictures. So, I fear they don't do the room justice. It is so dang cute. And, I have to publicly thank all my clever friends that helped me pull it off. I had a vision, but my non-crafty self just didn't know how to make it come true. Thanks to everyone for all your help (especially my awesome awesome friend Bonnie)!