amazed.

i am amazed by life. i am in awe of our creator. i am a mommy and i am so blessed.

reese delaney clark was born into this world on 8/17/10 at 3:44 am weighing 7lb 11oz measuring 20 inches long. i cannot imagine life without her now. i am so lucky.

41 weeks: A Baby Update!

Today marks 41 weeks of pregnancy, but more importantly 1 week OVERDUE! Overall I have been feeling fairly well and am still keeping a positive attitude about things. I do have low back pain, swollen feet and hands, bad heartburn, and major trouble sleeping at night but I guess that goes with the territory. I will happily trade it all for a happy healthy baby very soon! As part of the routine testing for "late" people like me, I had an appointment today for a non-stress test and an ultrasound. The non-stress test consists of two monitors hooked up to the belly (see pic below) for about half an hour. One measures the baby's heart rate and the other measures uterine contractions. They also gave me a little Jeopardy-like clicker to push each time the baby moves. Although I had absolutely zero contractions, little Reese's heart rate was awesome and she had plenty of accelerations! The doctor even commented about how "beautiful" the print out was and what a "happy" girl she must be!

The ultrasound came next! I was most excited for this because I've only had 2 "real" ultrasounds throughout the pregnancy, one at 8 weeks, and one at 20 weeks. Around 13 weeks I bribed a cardiologist I work with at the hospital to take a peak too (but that didn't count)! Mostly I just wanted to confirm that she was "she" and not a "he"... Something I've had nightmares about! I still haven't taken off tags to most our clothes or bedding in case our little girl comes out a boy. Back from that tangent... The real purpose of the ultrasound was to check amniotic fluid levels and again everything looked "excellent" according to the doctor. Normally at this point in pregnancy a level of 5 is good for fluid levels, and my average was 11! Yay! So with all good outcomes to the tests our plan is to go back on Friday and do the same tests again just to make sure everyone is still healthy. Assuming it is we'll go back Monday and discuss induction!

Fingers crossed we make it through Saturday (at least) to be in the Lockhart wedding!!

{My view of the non-stress test}

{Non-stress test machine, heart rate on top, contractions on bottom}

Keeping Busy!

In an effort to keep my mind off the baby situation I have been trying to get out and about and enjoy time away from home. A couple weeks back my mom, sister and I took my nephews down to Funderland in Sacramento. It was a hot day but the boys had a blast on all the rides!

{Devin and Ethan on the train}

{Ethan on the fish ride}

{Devin's favorite ride, the dragon roller coaster}

{Devin on the car ride}

{Boys on the airplane}

Overdue :)

(Sorry for the absence of posts for a month!)

I honestly never pictured still being pregnant today but rather enjoying my newborn and adjusting to the life of a new mom. I guess Reese has other plans in mind for our family! I am officially 4 days overdue today with no end in sight! I haven't even had as much as a braxton-hick contraction and am still not dilated (sorry if TMI). I should have guessed this would be the way things would pan out, Tyler and I are both scheduled to be in a wedding in less than a week, EEEK! BUT we were hoping Reese would be about 2-3 weeks old and attending as well (outside the womb.) She even has the most beautiful fancy dress hanging in her closet to wear for the occasion!

The day after I was due was a pity-party of sorts, lots of crying, ice cream, and poor-me's. It wasn't until my doctor's appointment the next day that my attitude changed to one of humor, this is just the way life goes and it's better to laugh about it than cry. We will have a wonderful baby girl in less than 2 weeks (no matter what) and life will be good! I am definitely physically ready to be done with pregnancy though. Just when I thought I couldn't possibly get bigger somehow my skin stretches more and it just happens. Oy.

Our next appointment is Wednesday where we will see a new doctor (mine decided to go on vacation for a week.) I'll also have a non-stress test and an ultrasound to check amniotic fluid levels. If everything is still good with me and baby we'll go back next Monday to discuss induction. Oh Boy! No matter what this week is sure to be full of excitement and I will try and post more frequently! At least the weather has been nice!

{Me and Reese 8/8/10, 4 days overdue!}