Today Emily is 3 weeks old. I am feeling slightly guilty that this is only my second posting since she was born. We have been busy visiting with everyone. Grandma D was here for two weeks and we were sad to see her leave last Monday. Then we went to Nashville to see Grandma Jamie and meet Aunt Leigh and Uncle Dillon and Uncle Aaron and her cousins last week. It was so much fun. Everyone loved her, of course! Now we are settled in back at home and getting ready for our first Halloween. I will be sure to post pictures in her costume soon.
Today I am feeling very, very blessed to have such a beautiful, HEALTHY, baby girl. Today is my boss' daughter, Grace, first birthday and they are spending it in the hospital. She has been fighting infections all year long and they still don't know exactly why. It really makes us realize how blessed we are. We care so grateful for every sleepless night at home and time Emily smiles at us; even if it is probably just gas. Just to have her home and healthy is such a gift that we are so thankful for. Today, I ask everyone to say a prayer for Grace and her family as they battle this illness.
Right now, Emily is done feeding and laying on my shoulder. She smells so sweet I have to wrap this up so I can just hold her and smell her. Love you all!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Emily Jean Chambless Has Arrived!
On October 8th, 2008 at 6:44pm, Emily Jean Chambless came into the world! She weighed 6lbs, 15oz and was 20 inches long and absolutely beautiful! We are both head over heels in love with her and could spend hours just looking at her.
Labor and delivery went smoothly. Dave and I went to my doctor the morning of the 8th and I was already 4cm dilated and 80% effaced. She said that she was going to send us over to the hospital and call them and tell them I was in labor (even though my contractions were still 10 minutes apart). She had another doctor in the practice come down at about 11:30 to break my water. Once they did that I started progressing pretty quickly. The first hour was pretty relaxed. Dave and I did some walking around the labor and delivery floor of the hospital and watched a little TV even. By 1pm however the story had changed. I had progressed to about 5cm but was in a ton of pain. By 3:30 I was about 7.5 cm and the pain was unbearable. The only way I was able to make it through each contraction was to be on my hands and knees, but after a few hours of doing that every 3 minutes, my arms and legs were about to give out. So, I begged for an epidural. Luckily, the anesthesiologist was quick on her feet and within 20 minutes, I was much more comfortable. The next 2 hours I napped on and off until the Doctor woke me up to tell me it was time to push. Less than 30 minutes later, our sweet Emily was born and was perfectly healthy. Daddy, Mommy, and Baby spent the first 30 minutes together and Emily even nursed right away! The next few days were kind of a blur. Emily met her grandparents and a few other friends. Grandma "D" spent almost 2 weeks with us and just went home to California today. It was so nice to have her here to help. Dave and I let Grandma have an hour with Emily almost everyday while we took a nap.
Now the three of us are home and all settled in. We are adjusting to our new life together although Emily still has her days and nights mixed up. She likes to be awake between midnight and 3am. :) Emily changes everyday and already looks so grown up. Her nose still looks just like Dave's. We look forward to introducing all of you to Emily very soon. Thank you so much to all of you who have called. We really appreciate all of your support. We feel so blessed!
Labor and delivery went smoothly. Dave and I went to my doctor the morning of the 8th and I was already 4cm dilated and 80% effaced. She said that she was going to send us over to the hospital and call them and tell them I was in labor (even though my contractions were still 10 minutes apart). She had another doctor in the practice come down at about 11:30 to break my water. Once they did that I started progressing pretty quickly. The first hour was pretty relaxed. Dave and I did some walking around the labor and delivery floor of the hospital and watched a little TV even. By 1pm however the story had changed. I had progressed to about 5cm but was in a ton of pain. By 3:30 I was about 7.5 cm and the pain was unbearable. The only way I was able to make it through each contraction was to be on my hands and knees, but after a few hours of doing that every 3 minutes, my arms and legs were about to give out. So, I begged for an epidural. Luckily, the anesthesiologist was quick on her feet and within 20 minutes, I was much more comfortable. The next 2 hours I napped on and off until the Doctor woke me up to tell me it was time to push. Less than 30 minutes later, our sweet Emily was born and was perfectly healthy. Daddy, Mommy, and Baby spent the first 30 minutes together and Emily even nursed right away! The next few days were kind of a blur. Emily met her grandparents and a few other friends. Grandma "D" spent almost 2 weeks with us and just went home to California today. It was so nice to have her here to help. Dave and I let Grandma have an hour with Emily almost everyday while we took a nap.
Now the three of us are home and all settled in. We are adjusting to our new life together although Emily still has her days and nights mixed up. She likes to be awake between midnight and 3am. :) Emily changes everyday and already looks so grown up. Her nose still looks just like Dave's. We look forward to introducing all of you to Emily very soon. Thank you so much to all of you who have called. We really appreciate all of your support. We feel so blessed!
Monday, September 29, 2008
They say hindsight is 20/20. I agree. If I had known 2 weeks ago that I could walk around forever dilated and effaced then I probably would have passed on the internal exam. At the time I so badly wanted to know if I was dilated and effaced because I thought it meant labor was right around the corner. Even my doctor told me it could be "any day now." I was hopeful that the end was in sight. Now, two weeks later, I am thinking I don't really want to know if I've made any progress this week or not. I've read posts on message boards this weekend from women who were 3-4 cm dilated for 3 weeks and still not in labor!
Everyone keeps telling me "she'll come when she's ready." While I know this is true, it's so hard being mentally prepared to go "any day now" and be patient enough to wait 2 more weeks. It's at times like this that I envy the women with scheduled c-sections because they know their time. Then I remember all the needles and drugs and the envy disappears! :)
The waiting is worse than all the physical discomfort. My feet and back can handle the aches. I'm just not sure how much longer my mind will hold out. Even Dave is climbing up the walls with anticipation and he is the most patient person I know.
Everyone keeps telling me "she'll come when she's ready." While I know this is true, it's so hard being mentally prepared to go "any day now" and be patient enough to wait 2 more weeks. It's at times like this that I envy the women with scheduled c-sections because they know their time. Then I remember all the needles and drugs and the envy disappears! :)
The waiting is worse than all the physical discomfort. My feet and back can handle the aches. I'm just not sure how much longer my mind will hold out. Even Dave is climbing up the walls with anticipation and he is the most patient person I know.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Getting Ready
The Nursery is ready. The car seat is ready. Dave is ready. I'm ready. Now we just need to wait for little girl to be ready! I am 2cm dilated and 70% effaced so it could be any day now. Or it could be 2 more weeks (Gosh I hope not)! Either way our latest ultrasound estimates baby girl is about 6lbs and 6oz so she is plenty big enough to be born tomorrow and yet she isn't too big which is a relief to hear.
As we near the end of this part of the journey and get ready to enter the next journey of parenthood I am ever more emotional. Sure it probably because of the hormones, but I am also reminded everyday how blessed I am to have this life growing inside me, a wonderful, loving husband, and great family and friends who have supported me throughout the years. We can't wait for baby girl to join our family and meet all the special people who have poured their love on us all these years.
As we near the end of this part of the journey and get ready to enter the next journey of parenthood I am ever more emotional. Sure it probably because of the hormones, but I am also reminded everyday how blessed I am to have this life growing inside me, a wonderful, loving husband, and great family and friends who have supported me throughout the years. We can't wait for baby girl to join our family and meet all the special people who have poured their love on us all these years.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Top 10 Things I Miss Most
10. Red wine
9. Running
8. My waistline
7. Waking up and not running to the potty
6. My common sense
5. My skinny jeans
4. High heels
3. My belly button
2. Taking a deep breath
1. A good night’s sleep!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Update!
I know you will all probably be surprised that there is a new posting here (If anyone is still checking this). This began as Dave's Daddy Blog about Little Pea. About halfway through he gave up on the blog and I started the Mommy Blog on the Cradle website.
This site is much easier to maintain and add pictures so I am preparing it for when Baby Girl gets here. This way we have one blog where we can keep everyone up to date. Make sure to save it in your favorites. Love you all!
This site is much easier to maintain and add pictures so I am preparing it for when Baby Girl gets here. This way we have one blog where we can keep everyone up to date. Make sure to save it in your favorites. Love you all!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Dave's Update
Well, we are almost to the half way point of this pregnancy journey and Dave has given up already. He asked me to update his blog for him which seems to me to defeat the purpose, but here it goes.
At our ultrasound last week we learned that LP is a GIRL!!!! Surprise. She already weighed in at 8 ounces and measured 5.5 inches, head to bottom, about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs were flailing around, which was so fun to watch. According to the websites we read, her kidneys are functioning and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch now. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head and myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves.
The next big step is baby's first kick, which until now are still like butterflies in my tummy. Nothing strong enough to know for sure that it's the baby and not my lunch digesting. Although, the doctor did say that eating and drinking juice tends to increase the baby's blood sugar level and make them more active. It sure worked with the orange juice for the ultrasound! I can't wait for her kicks to be strong enough for Dave to feel it. :) That's all for today.
Love,
Mommy
At our ultrasound last week we learned that LP is a GIRL!!!! Surprise. She already weighed in at 8 ounces and measured 5.5 inches, head to bottom, about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs were flailing around, which was so fun to watch. According to the websites we read, her kidneys are functioning and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch now. Her blood vessels are visible through her thin skin and her ears are now in position and stand out from her head and myelin (a protective covering) is beginning to form around her nerves.
The next big step is baby's first kick, which until now are still like butterflies in my tummy. Nothing strong enough to know for sure that it's the baby and not my lunch digesting. Although, the doctor did say that eating and drinking juice tends to increase the baby's blood sugar level and make them more active. It sure worked with the orange juice for the ultrasound! I can't wait for her kicks to be strong enough for Dave to feel it. :) That's all for today.
Love,
Mommy
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
16 weeks
Jennifer is now 4 months along and we can't believe how fast it is going. Everything has been great so far. Jennifer is feeling good these days. She is heading into the 2nd Trimester which is supposed to be the easiest on her. She is officially in maternity clothes now, and actually looks pregnant. She is excited about this because she is not in that in between stage anymore. She didn't really fit into her old clothes anymore and the maternity clothes were too big for her. She also felt like people were looking at her trying to decide if she was pregnant or had just eaten too much for lunch (Those are her words and not mine). If you ask me, she has never looked more beautiful!
Little Pea is growing right along. He/She is about the size of an avacado now. That's about 4 1/2 inches long. LP is weighing in at a whopping 3 1/2 ounces. Many of the advanced body systems are now working including the circulatory system and urinary tract. We are anxious to find out the sex of the baby as we now have less that two weeks to wait. We have a Doctor's appointment Friday morning of next week.
Recently we bought a home heartbeat monitor. It is pretty amazing. It is basically a small version of what they hook Jennifer up to at the Doctors. There is a little monitor and Doppler microphone. We put the microphone up to Jennifers belly and chase LP around. When he/she holds still for a minute we can listen and measure LP's heartbeat. It really is something to just sit there and listen to that perfect little heartbeat. The HB ranges from 140-150 which is right where it is supposed to be.
Thanks for checking in. I'll try to keep all of you as updated as possible. We log on most nights to read what y'all post. We really do appreciate all the love and support.
Little Pea is growing right along. He/She is about the size of an avacado now. That's about 4 1/2 inches long. LP is weighing in at a whopping 3 1/2 ounces. Many of the advanced body systems are now working including the circulatory system and urinary tract. We are anxious to find out the sex of the baby as we now have less that two weeks to wait. We have a Doctor's appointment Friday morning of next week.
Recently we bought a home heartbeat monitor. It is pretty amazing. It is basically a small version of what they hook Jennifer up to at the Doctors. There is a little monitor and Doppler microphone. We put the microphone up to Jennifers belly and chase LP around. When he/she holds still for a minute we can listen and measure LP's heartbeat. It really is something to just sit there and listen to that perfect little heartbeat. The HB ranges from 140-150 which is right where it is supposed to be.
Thanks for checking in. I'll try to keep all of you as updated as possible. We log on most nights to read what y'all post. We really do appreciate all the love and support.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
14 Week Doctors Appointment
Jennifer went to the Dr. again today. She got a great bill of health. Little Pea also had a great checkup. His / her heartbeat was 164, which is high, but good. Apparently we have a very active little baby. The Dr. was having a hard time getting the heartbeat because LP wouldn't hold still. Does that sound familiar? We are very excited. Jennifer also found out that the pulling sensation she gets from time to time is perfectly normal. This is due the the ligaments that are trying to hold her now over sized uterus in place. She was a little worried, but feels much better about it now.
There was some big news that Jennifer received at her appointment. Nothing about her or LP, but she found out that her Dr. is actually pregnant. She is due 2 weeks before Jennifer. Needless to say, she will be on maternity leave when Jennifer is due and will not be able deliver the baby. We must now decide to switch Doctors, or to keep her Dr. and phase in another one who would end up doing the delivery. The problem is that Jennifer and I both really like her current Doctor. Any thoughts or Advice?
There was some big news that Jennifer received at her appointment. Nothing about her or LP, but she found out that her Dr. is actually pregnant. She is due 2 weeks before Jennifer. Needless to say, she will be on maternity leave when Jennifer is due and will not be able deliver the baby. We must now decide to switch Doctors, or to keep her Dr. and phase in another one who would end up doing the delivery. The problem is that Jennifer and I both really like her current Doctor. Any thoughts or Advice?
Thursday, April 10, 2008
First picture of Jennifer "holding" the baby!
Hey Guys,
Sorry its been so long since my last posting. We are in that stage where no news is good news. Little Pea is developing as expected and on schedule. All the levels and what Jennifer is feeling right now is exactly as it should be. She seems to feel good 23 1/2 hours out of the day. There is about half an hour that she will not feel great, but it seems to pass and not last too long.
You can see that Jennifer is starting to show. As she puts it, "She has popped." With every new development I continue to be amazed. Jennifer has never been more beautiful! I can't wait for her belly to get even bigger.
We will be finding out the sex of the baby in about a month. Then we will not have to call him/her Little Pea anymore. We can call our little bundle of joy by a real name. That will be a special day. As always, thanks for your love and support. Please keep us and Little Pea in your prayers.
Sorry its been so long since my last posting. We are in that stage where no news is good news. Little Pea is developing as expected and on schedule. All the levels and what Jennifer is feeling right now is exactly as it should be. She seems to feel good 23 1/2 hours out of the day. There is about half an hour that she will not feel great, but it seems to pass and not last too long.
You can see that Jennifer is starting to show. As she puts it, "She has popped." With every new development I continue to be amazed. Jennifer has never been more beautiful! I can't wait for her belly to get even bigger.
We will be finding out the sex of the baby in about a month. Then we will not have to call him/her Little Pea anymore. We can call our little bundle of joy by a real name. That will be a special day. As always, thanks for your love and support. Please keep us and Little Pea in your prayers.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Little Pea at 6 1/2 months BB (before birth)
What an incredible 4 weeks. The pictures on the right show "LP" at 6 and 10 weeks respectively. Wow! Jennifer had the ultrasound taken on her doctors appointment this afternoon. We are floored. It looks like a little person! If you look closely you can see ears and arms. Jennifer was able to see LP move and actually wave at her. LP lifted his arm and she could see the hand and even 5 perfect little fingers. The heartbeat was 171, and the doc says that is perfect. The most important thing is that Jennifer and LP received a perfect bill of health. Did I mention that we are so excited.
Jennifer is feeling much better these days. Which is perfect timing since we are flying to Savannah, GA tomorrow for the weekend. We will spend Wed - Fri at a conference for my work, and then the weekend in Hilton Head, SC.
When I first saw the picture, I was like "yes, it's a boy........... and what a boy." Turns out that is the umbilical cord.
On that note. I would like to take a survey. I am taking bets as to if LP is a boy or a girl. Jennifer and I have our guesses, but we would love to hear yours. Please post your comment and let us know. We will be finding out ASAP the sex of the baby. For two reasons really. First we just really really want to know, and secondly the use of personal pronouns would really make these post read a lot better. I realize the use of LP is a little repetative. We should know the sex in 8 weeks from today!
Jennifer is feeling much better these days. Which is perfect timing since we are flying to Savannah, GA tomorrow for the weekend. We will spend Wed - Fri at a conference for my work, and then the weekend in Hilton Head, SC.
When I first saw the picture, I was like "yes, it's a boy........... and what a boy." Turns out that is the umbilical cord.
On that note. I would like to take a survey. I am taking bets as to if LP is a boy or a girl. Jennifer and I have our guesses, but we would love to hear yours. Please post your comment and let us know. We will be finding out ASAP the sex of the baby. For two reasons really. First we just really really want to know, and secondly the use of personal pronouns would really make these post read a lot better. I realize the use of LP is a little repetative. We should know the sex in 8 weeks from today!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Picture
As you can see, I figured out how to post a picture. You can now see little pea in all his/her glourious wonder. The picture was taken on Jennifer's first ultrasound at 6 weeks. The circular shape you see is not the baby. This is what the baby is feeding on until the placenta is formed. The baby in this picture is the undefinable form attached to the "bubble". We were also able to hear the heartbeat and it was one of the most amazing and humbling experiences of my life. All I could think about is the song "I Saw God Today". If you ever need proof of God's existance, listen to the dopplar heart beat of a fetus at 6 weeks!
Update...... since the picture, little pea has more than doubled in size. If another ultrasound was taken now, you would be able to see hands, feet, elbows, eyes, and even the tip of a nose. Also, the baby no longer looks like an alien! Which is good really. For a while I was afraid Jennifer was abducted by aliens and I was really not as talented as I previously thought.
Jennifer is experiencing some more nausea, though not as bad as before. Unfortunatly, we are not out of the woods on the sickness yet. One can hope though. Again, thank you all for your support and we appreciate your comments posted on here. Hope to see you all soon. God Bless and we love you all.
Update...... since the picture, little pea has more than doubled in size. If another ultrasound was taken now, you would be able to see hands, feet, elbows, eyes, and even the tip of a nose. Also, the baby no longer looks like an alien! Which is good really. For a while I was afraid Jennifer was abducted by aliens and I was really not as talented as I previously thought.
Jennifer is experiencing some more nausea, though not as bad as before. Unfortunatly, we are not out of the woods on the sickness yet. One can hope though. Again, thank you all for your support and we appreciate your comments posted on here. Hope to see you all soon. God Bless and we love you all.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Daddy's Blog / 8 weeks
This is my first post on our blog. I am excited to use this to update friends and family on the progress of Jennifer and Baby Chambless (a.k.a. little pea). We appreciate your support, and I have created this to try to keep all interested parties in the loop as much as possible. Please forgive me if I switch from I to we several times. I am speaking for the both of us but for the most part it is from my perspective. The goal is to give you an inside view into our home as we progress through this wonderful journey. Warning..... I am not much of a writer.
Today we celebrate the two month milestone. Over the last week or two, Jennifer has been feeling some of the symptoms associated with early pregnancy. Mainly morning sickness and nausea throughout the day. The last couple of days have been much better, and we are hoping that this trend will continue.
Jennifer goes back to the doctor in two weeks for a check up. As of now, the baby is doing very well and their have not been any complications. Thank God.
We very much appreciate everyone's support and calls. We consider ourselves to be very blessed not only because of the baby, but also because of the people we have around us. I will try to update the blog as often as possible, but please feel free to call anytime. Hopefully I can figure out how to post attachments on here and will be able to post ultrasound pictures soon.
Good night. We love you all and again really appreciate all of your support. God bless and I'll update you again soon.
Today we celebrate the two month milestone. Over the last week or two, Jennifer has been feeling some of the symptoms associated with early pregnancy. Mainly morning sickness and nausea throughout the day. The last couple of days have been much better, and we are hoping that this trend will continue.
Jennifer goes back to the doctor in two weeks for a check up. As of now, the baby is doing very well and their have not been any complications. Thank God.
We very much appreciate everyone's support and calls. We consider ourselves to be very blessed not only because of the baby, but also because of the people we have around us. I will try to update the blog as often as possible, but please feel free to call anytime. Hopefully I can figure out how to post attachments on here and will be able to post ultrasound pictures soon.
Good night. We love you all and again really appreciate all of your support. God bless and I'll update you again soon.
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