So thankful today!

Today I am extremely thankful to God for my sweet little girl! I have been reading a blog where a couple just lost their 4 month year old daughter named Maddie. I can not imagine what they are going through! My thoughts and prayers are with them today. I pray that they have strength to get them through this horrible time in their lives.

Yesterday Maddie Claire was 7 weeks old. I can not believe she is growing up so quickly. Everytime we turn around she is so much bigger. This is my last week on maternity leave and it is going to be so hard to take her to day care. Next week she will be staying at my aunt's house for a few days and then my aunt will be coming here until Friday. We then have spring break off and the week after that my baby will be going to daycare. I am excited to get back to work but I know I am going to have such a hard time leaving her.

I hope you all are having a great day! Please say a little prayer for the family that lost their little girl.

Oh happy days!

Today has been such a good day! I know I haven't blogged in a while but I haven't had much to write and no new pictures. Today, I finally feel like I had a grasp on everything. This morning, got up and fed her. Instead of trying to get a little more sleep I straightened the house and cleaned all the bottles. I was a head of the game for the day. When she woke up, I got her dressed and ready to go. Usually she stays in her pj's until the afternoon unless we have somewhere to go. I feel accomplished!


This weekend we went to one of my best friends weddings! She was so beautiful. Adam and I had such a great time! Here are a couple pictures!


Our Baby girl in her swing!



Holly and I at Courtney's wedding.


Adam and I at the wedding.


I love the people I work with!!

Valentines Day

Yesterday was Valentines Day. Adam and I never do much on this day. This weekend we celebrated on Saturday night by going to eat Sushi and oysters. Last night we went and got Pappasitos to-go. It was so crowded, I am happy we decided not to go out last night. Instead we came home, watched Brothers and Sisters and bathed the baby. I know exciting night, right?! Although it wasn't the night we may have had last year, it was such a fun night!

Maddie Claire let me sleep to almost 9 this morning. Although she did not have the best night. I woke up with her at 11:30 and was back in bed by 12:30. Adam got up at 2:30 with her and didn't come back to bed until almost 5. I felt so bad for him when I finally realized it. She slept pretty good after that although she did get a little restless around 7. We are trying to get a good schedule going but I think right now it is constantly going to change. I was able to straighten the house this morning and Blog while she gets her nap in.

She is waking up so I hope you all have a wonderful day!

A wonderful weekend!

This weekend was all about relaxing and getting things done! On Friday Maddie Claire turned 1 month old. She had a Doctors appointment and had gained almost 3 pounds. She has almost grown out of all her newborn clothes. Her 0-3 months clothes are still way too big so this is a little dilemma. On Friday my mom and dad wanted to watch her for the weekend so we went down to Sugar Land and went to dinner with them. Adam and I left our little angel for her first weekend away... it was hard but we needed the sleep and had so many errands to run.

On Saturday we woke up and went shopping. I needed some new clothes because I am not quite back to my goal weight but do not want to wear my maternity clothes because there is no need anymore. While we were out I found some cute things for Maddie Claire. We are going to Florida in June with Adam's side of the family and I could not resist these buys.




Old Navy has the cutest stuff for little babies! These things were not expensive and I could not resist these buys.

We were able to go to dinner with his sister and brother in law and have a nice dinner! We were ready to see Maddie Claire and she just got home. So excited to spend the day with our baby girl! Have a good Sunday Blog readers!

Praise God!

Well as some of you know I am not getting paid maternity leave. My school district allows you to have up to 12 weeks off but will not pay you. You have to have purchased a short term disability policy with insurance and when it was time to sign up for the new insurance it was pointless because I was already pregnant. That is considered a pre-existing condition. I had signed up for a catastrophic sick leave bank just in case anything catastrophic may happen this year. If something occurs and you can not work you apply and they pay you for days that you miss. A "normal" delivery does not allow you to apply for this but since I didn't have a "normal" delivery I applied for it. I applied because I am going to have to be out of work a little longer. I received the phone call today that I was able to get this. This is such a huge blessing for our family! I am able to stay at home a little longer and fully recover. Praise God for meeting our needs! He has taken such a hard time and turned them into many blessings! Our God is good!

New swing

I am so excited! Maddie Claire has been really good lately but it is so hard to do things around the house because she is constantly wanting to be held. I hold her in my lap and sway back and forth which puts her to sleep but when I try to lay her down it doesn't take long for her to wake up. We had bought a swing a while back on craigslist but it goes back and forth rather then side to side. So sorry to say I had to suck it up and go buy another swing. I did not use coupons which I should have or buy on craigslist, so it was expensive! I will tell you one thing, it was well worth every penny we paid. She is napping in it now and I have been able to do things around the house today. I was also able to eat which has been far and few between without her in my arms. I love holding my baby but it is nice to have some down time to get things done!

Nana decided to dress me up!




Cuddling with mom on the couch.



Fast asleep in my new swing!

Slacker!

I know, I have been such a slacker the past few days with my post. First off today started out a little rough! The moment I changed Maddie Claire this morning and got her all dressed she went to the restroom! Yes, I know this is normal but it was everywhere. I don't think I pulled the diaper up far enough in the back and it got all over her, her blanket, me and almost on the couch. As soon as I got finished cleaning up my sweet little angel I fed her. She then decided to spit up all over her clean clothes, me and my computer. I hate when she spits up. I feel so helpless and it makes me so sad for her. I was afraid my computer had stopped working but miraculously it did not. Needless to say it was a rough morning. So two outfits, two blankets, and many diapers later she is finally asleep in her bed. I was able to lay down for about 30 min. I never sleep well when it is just me and her because every little sound wakes me up. I also like it better when Adam is here with me. The extra set of hands is so nice! It just really makes me thankful for the times he is here!

A relaxing weekend!

This weekend was a wonderful weekend! I felt so much better than I have since I have gotten home. I actually felt like getting up off the couch and getting dressed.... which for me since the surgery is HUGE!!!

My mother-in-law came and stayed with us on Friday night and Adam and I were able to get some much needed sleep. My mom came Saturday and helped clean my house. I am not able to vacuum or bend over and clean things quite yet so she has been a tremendous help in that area.

I am hoping this week goes by pretty fast. I am all alone this week and the days can get quite long when you are cooped up in the house. I am not able to get out and about just yet so we are just relaxing at home until Adam gets home each night. I try to get what I can do during the day done so we can all hang out together at night. My poor husband hasn't had anything cooked by me since before we had Maddie Claire. I think he is ready for me to be able to do this again.
If it is pretty this week, I hope to get outside and walk around a little with her in the stroller. I can't walk long distances just yet but just to be able to get out for a little bit will be nice.

I will write tomorrow and let you know how it is going!


Emily

Dinner with the family

Tonight, my sweet parents brought Adam and I dinner. It was exactly what I wanted, beef and vegetable soup. They got to spend some quality time with Maddie Claire. Here are some pictures of tonight.

This is my Dad holding Maddie Claire





My sweet mother holding MC.



My sweet little girl!

A cozy night in

Wow, tonight I have felt better than I have since I gave birth. I would usually have been in bed for a few hours at this point in the night and instead I am able to blog and watch Tv with Adam tonight. Not only do I have more energy today so does Maddie Claire. She was awake for longer than she has ever been. I believe she is growing out of the "Sleeping all the time" phase. Not only do we both have more energy but my appetite is finally getting back to normal. I have not been eating much because my stomach has been so sensitive and it hurt whenever I ate anything. Tonight I really was craving a cheeseburger! I know, it is not exactly the best thing to help you lose baby weight but at this point I really didn't care! My sweet husband picked me up a Whataburger on the way home. Yes, I ate it all! The worst thing about this was I did it all while watching The Biggest Loser. Sorry Bob and Jillian, Salads are in my future...I promise!

My sweet Aunt and Paw Paw are coming up for the day tomorrow. My aunt is exactly like my mom so I know that she will be a big help! The best thing about them coming is I get to see my Grandfather hold his great Granddaughter. There is absolutely nothing sweeter! I will post pictures tomorrow.

Update from the Doctor.

I went to the Dr. yesterday and she said what everyone else has been saying. I am not going to feel better for another 6-8 weeks. She reiterated that I had major surgery and my whole inside is cut up and down with hundreds of stitches. This is so hard to hear, especially having a 2 week old little angel that eats every 3-4 hours. My husband and our family has been a huge help! My mother-in-law has been staying with us since yesterday and watched Maddie Claire last night. Adam and I both got some much needed rest. I am resting during the day when she sleeps and trying to take it easy. I hope that I bounce back a little sooner then they say. I have not taken pictures lately but I will updated later this evening and put some new pictures up soon.

Emily

Just the three of us!

My mom has been staying with us since my surgery. It has been so nice to have her here since it is hard for me to do everything! She has cooked, cleaned, done laundry etc. Did I mention she cleans! My house hasn't looked so good in a while! She is leaving today because she has to go back to work on Monday. Although we will miss her, we are excited to start this journey as a family on our own.

This weekend we plan to lay low and relax. We can not take the baby out in public, such as the mall, restaurants, the grocery store, etc for one month at least. I almost feel like waiting 1 1/2 to two months since it is cold and flu season. My best friend Jennifer is coming in town to see MC tonight. She has not seen her yet and I know she is excited beyond belief. The visitors have slowed down quite a bit which gives me a little more time to rest. Again, we want to thank everyone for all the dinners and the gifts! We have really appreciated everything everyone has done for us!

Below are pictures that my sister in law who is a photographer took. You can visit her sight at ashleygillen.com.

One week old!

Well, it is hard to believe it has been a week! Adam and I were talking today and we both just cried because we are so thankful for each other and our little angel! We are so thankful for our family and friends. We have had a lot of visitors this week and a lot of wonderful meals that our caring friends have brought us so I have not had to cook.

Adam took off last week and a couple half days this week. I can not drive for at least two weeks because of my surgery so Adam has to drive me everywhere. We have MC's first Dr. appt tomorrow. It is amazing to see how she has grown so much in one week so I am excited to see what he has to say.

As for me I can finally get out of bed by myself. Adam was having to help me do EVERYTHING!!! So it is nice to be able to get up off the couch and out of bed without help. My mom has been staying with us all week. It has been a blessing not to worry about laundry, cooking or picking up. I will miss these days when they end.

I will be updating a lot more often now that I can move a little more and feel better to get out of bed and get somethings done.

Here are some pictures that I have not uploaded yet!

Praise the Lord!

Thank you so much for your prayers and beautiful messages over the past few days. Some of you do not know entirely what happened and have asked me to post some things.

First things first. We checked into the hospital late on Monday night. Everything was very smooth. My water broke around 7:00 am Tuesday morning. They gave me an epidural not long after that. My labor was progressing beautifully. I was dilated to 10cm and 11:30am. My Dr. told the nurse to hold off on pushing until 12:30. I did just that and Maddie Claire was born at 1:11 pm on 1/11/11. A lot of people have asked if that was moved or if that was the real time. I promise that was the time. She was Perfect! She weighed 6.59 LBS and was 18 1/2 inches long. Adam was able to hold her why they were cleaning everything up.

As they were cleaning me up the Dr. started ask for different items. Nurses started to leave the room and a lot of people were coming in and out quickly. I heard her say to see if there was an Operating room open. She said if she could not get the rest of my placenta she may have to think about a hysterectomy. I was a little out of it but was a little shocked since I thought everything had gone smoothly. I suddenly felt a rush of blood coming out of my body. I got very queasy and very light headed. I heard her tell them to call some Dr's and meet us in the OR. I looked up at Adam and his look said it all. I remember telling him "I don't think I am going to make it." That is when I blacked out. The next thing I remember was in the OR with A Dr. standing over me. All I told him was "Please don't let me die!" As I was going in and out I just remember praying to the Lord and asking him to Please allow me to live so that I can raise my little girl. I prayed this prayer over and over.

Little did I know that I had lost 8 units of blood. (One person has 10-12 units of blood in their entire body.) They had to make 3 runs to get more blood. They were able to implant a balloon into my uterus to save it. The nurse said that she had never seen a doctor try more than once or twice. My doctor did it 3 times. They also pumped me with 10 pounds of fluid. I am so thankful for all the doctors and nurses. I am especially thankful for those 8 people who made the decision to give blood! I do not know those eight people and they probably have no idea but they saved my life and forever, I will be grateful!

While I was in surgery my entire family both Adam's side and my side were there. They were praying a calling others and having them do the same. Prayer is such a powerful thing and Adam and I both believe this is why I am here today. I love and appreciate them so much!

The next time I opened my eyes I saw Adam. I knew I had made it so I knew that it must have meant that I had had to have a hysterectomy. He had huge tears in his eyes and smiled at me. My first question was," Are we not able to have anymore babies?" He told me that they were able to save everything! I just cried! The Lord had not only answered my prayers but he had answered everyone else prayers too!


The Lord has shown us so many miracles in these last few days. He gave me my little miracle and He miraculously saved my life. Today is my birthday and I have received the most precious gift of all! My baby girl and my life! The Lord is good all the time! I know there were so many prayer chains and circles going on all over the World from the US to Germany! Adam and I truly thank you for all of your prayers and concerns. The Dr. says this will not be an easy recovery but is already amazed at how I am doing! Thank you again!

Emily and Adam!


This is the first picture taken when I had just gotten out of surgery in the ICU!




This is my amazing Dr. with Adam after my surgery!



My first picture after surgery with Maddie Claire!

One week away!

That's right it is finally here! This time next week I will finally be holding Maddie Claire in my arms. I am excited, nervous, and scared all at the same time. Ok, so maybe I should back track since you are probably wondering why I know for sure that this is the plan.

Yesterday I went to my Dr. she is out of town on vacation so I saw one of the other Doctors in the office. She had made a note to talk to me about induction which we had talked about since the beginning of my pregnancy. Why? I don't know just because.She had told me she could not induce until the 39th week. I had mentioned to her that I had been feeling uncomfortable as you all must imagine in the 9th month of pregnancy. I also mentioned to her that the 39th week fell on 1-11-11. I am usually not a number person but this was too cool to pass up! She told me that we would talk about it the next time I was in but that it should be fine. Well this new Dr. came in and told me that this was all fine but that my Dr. would not be in the next Monday when we were supposed to talk about it. She decided to go ahead and schedule an induction for Monday evening and let my Dr. know to be at the hospital late Monday night and Tuesday morning. When she told me Monday I immediately got excited. This was only a week away and insured that I would have the baby on 1-11-11.

So on Monday, if MC doesn't decide to come sooner, I will check into the hospital at 8pm. they will give me some medicine to hopefully start the labor process. Then early Tuesday morning they will start the pitocin drip. I am so excited to have a plan. I know a lot of people don't believe in inducing if it is not necessary. Trust me I have heard it and seen the looks on peoples faces when I tell them but My view is that if my Dr. has approved and believes that it is safe and I know the order in which things will happen then this having a plan makes me feel better.

I have never gone through labor before so I am not sure what to expect. After my appointment yesterday and the nurse explaining in detail how inducing works it makes me feel so much better.

This works out for everyone. My sister will be driving in that morning and coming to the hospital for a little while that night. My parents will be getting up early Tuesday and coming to the hospital and Adam's family is just a phone call away since they live closer to the hospital then we do.

Last night in preparation for MC we moved the pack n play and the glider into our bedroom. We are finally all ready for her! I know this has been a super long post but I have had a lot on my mind. Please keep Adam and I in your thoughts and prayers on Monday as we get ready to have our baby girl! She truly is an amazing gift from God. We are so blessed and could not be more thankful for our family and Friends!