Feats of Getting Festive & Early Christmas Presents

Getting Festive

So I know I haven't blogged in quite a while & that this latest post is super late, but it will probably be extra long. So here it goes.

The last two weeks have been really eventful for me & my family. On Saturday, the 6th, Nick, Desiree & I went to get our Christmas tree so we could start decorating. Now usually we wouldn't have started so early, but I wanted to be able to help with the decorating (no matter how minimal it was). So, we went up to Safeway to pick the perfect tree, once we decided on one we had to get it tied on to my car (for those of you who don't know, I have a little '89 Mustang, two door, one of which doesn't open) to get the tree home, thank goodness we only live up the road from Safeway. So we finally get home with the tree & poor Nick has to make some 'adjustments' on it so it would actually stand in our tree stand, once that's done we got the tree inside & started putting the lights on it. Once we got the lights on we ran up to Wal-Mart to get some little adhesive hooks so we could hang our stockings. When we got back home we lit up the tree & Desiree & I started putting the ornaments on the tree, she did such a good job (when she wasn't playing with the ornaments), after the tree was all decorated Nick put the hooks on the wall & we put our stockings up, Desiree put her stocking & baby Emily's stocking on the wall just like a big girl. Here are some pictures of the finished product (it's not much).

So that's our festive living room, not much, but Desiree was excited about it (especially the Christmas tree). The days that followed consisted of us getting ready for our new addition. I washed all of her baby clothes & crib bedding so it would be all ready to be worn & slept on when she got home. Nick put together the crib & the changing table in Desiree's room. I also busied myself packing up baby Emily's diaper bag with some clothes for her to wear home from the hospital, & a bag of clothes & other essentials for myself to have too.

The Big Day

So, Thurday got here super quick! Let me tell you, it was by far the wierdest day of my whole life!! I had an appointment to have a baby....how wierd is that?!?! So, it's Thursday morning & Nick & I are getting ready to leave for the hospital. We of course had to get all of my stuff together & wait for Hila & Mom to get to our house so they could watch Desiree while we were in the O.R. When they got here Mom had a HUGE grin on her face (I love you Mom), she's hilarious; I was nervous & so was Nick (he was going to be in the O.R. with me). We got to the hospital & got set up in my room. When we got in there I was told to go in the bathroom & get my gown on after I took a dry bath...haha, that's what it felt like to me anyway (wierd). After I was done with that the nurse came in & hooked me up to a monitor to listen to baby's heartbeat & monitor my contractions. By this point I'm super hungry (I wasn't allowed to eat or drink after midnight on Wednesday night) & thirsty. Nick went out to get the bags out of the car while the nurse started my IV. That was an experience. She started my IV in my arm, but it wasn't working so she had to pull it out & start again, so she put it in my hand instead. She got the needle in, & when she pulled out the needle to leave just the tubing, SPLAT, I leaked quite a bit of blood on the floor (she said that she had found a good vein, but it still wasn't a nice experience). After that I got another nurse (the nurse that was gonna be in the O.R. helping w/ my C-Section). She got me all prepped up for my surgery & brought in the gear Nick had to wear in the operating room, then the Anasthesiologist (spelling?) came in to meet me & tell me exactly what he was going to do & tell Nick where he was going to be sitting for the whole thing. About 10 minutes later it was time to go in to the O.R. Now I was getting really nervous & poor Nick was getting whiter with every step closer to the O.R. We got in there & I sat on the table to get my epidural done (thank goodness I didn't see the needle, Nick said it was HUGE), that didn't feel too good :( I hate needles. After that, they helped me lay down on the table (I couldn't move my legs) & got me all hooked up to the monitors. While they were doing all of this & we were waiting for Dr. McMillan to get in I started freaking out! I did not like the feeling of not being able to move my whole lower body at all, & then it started getting hard for me to breath!!! Talk about scary & uncomfortable. They assured me that all that I was feeling was completely normal, but I still wasn't calming down much (poor Nick, I scared the mess out of him, he was white as a sheet!) I was moving my upper body around a lot, the Anasthesiologist thought I was gonna fling myself off the bed (or table....whichever you prefer) & tried to calm me down. I finally started to calm down & stopped moving, but I still was scared of what I was feeling & was now hot & sweating. Dr. McMillan got in & they got started. First they put the sheet up, then Dr. McMillan said she pinched me super hard to make sure I was good & numb (apparantly I was because I didn't feel a thing), then they got to work on my tummy. Poor Nick was pretty scared & he could hear everything that was going on & being said, I could too, but I could also hear like a fuzz noise (kind of like white noise) & was trying to block it out. I guess I didn't look too good because Nick wanted me to look at him & talk to him to make sure I was doing alright (I had my eyes closed & my hand on my forehead...it helped me stay in the zone to stay calm, helped me feel better). The Anasthesiologist kept checking on me to make sure I was alright & was telling us what was going on (with the baby & what he could see of her), he told Nick that he could look over the sheet to see Emily's head Nick who looked like a ghost by now just gave a scared shake of the head & stammered that he was gonna just sit here with me (I don't blame him). At 12:17 baby Emily was completely out, the minute she hit the air she was screaming & crying (that made it all worth while!) & ready to go into the nursery to be cleaned up. Nick decided that for last part of the surgery he was going to go w/ Emily into the nursery. Here are her very first pictures, taken right after they cleaned her up in the nursery. She was exactly 7 lbs. & 19.7 inches long. when she was born. I'm glad he did because I started feeling nauseated. So the Anasthesiologist gave me something for nausea & then brought me a little basin to get sick, i won't elaborate why i got sick (Tarylyn, you probably know why). They finished getting me all back together & then took me back to the room. It was just me & Nick for an hour after the C-section for my recovery. When I was able to have visitors Hila, Mom & Desiree came up to see me & baby Emily, I still didn't have the use of my legs but all in all felt much better now that I was back in my room. When the nurses came to check on me, they told me that I wasn't warm enough (even though I was burning up) from the surgery so they kept putting warm blankets on me to try to get my temperature back up; they also had to keep pumping fluids into me because I was dehydrated, so even though I felt "fine" (as fine as can be expected after major surgery) I apparantly wasn't doing very well. Thank goodness for all the wonderful nurses that took care of me (& baby Emily) while we were at the hospital, they were absolutely wonderful! Here are our first pictures together.

She's so beautiful!! Don't I loook gorgeous too.....HAHAHA. :) Thursday was a very busy day. We were in the hospital for a total of 3 days. We got discharged on Saturday, & even though we were all expecting me to get discharged in the early afternoon at the latest, the doctor didn't get in todischarge us until like 8 pm!!!



How absurd, he didn't even have a good reason for not discharging me at around 3 pm he was on the labor & delivery wing to see patients at that time, he left to have dinner or something at like 5 pm & still hadn't come to discharge me, while my doctor came in, the day before, on her day off to see me & check my incision. So that was about the whole of my hospital visit. Here are more pictures from our stay at the hospital.

My Big Surprise

So last night Hila, Mom & I were going to take Tarylyn out for her birthday & after dinner go back to Tarylyn's house for cake & ice cream. Well, it turns out this wasn't the case. I had been tricked, I just didnt' know it yet! Hila came over yesterday around noon so we could make Tarylyn's birthday cake & spend the day together; we worked on Tarylyn's cake for almost an hour, while it was baking we watched the NCIS marathon. After the cake finished baking we took it out to cool then went to Safeway to buy the frosting for the cake, Rainbow Chip icing for Rainbow Bright :) Hila, you're so funny. While we were on the baking aisle I found rainbow candles for the cake to go along with the theme, & Hila thought they fit in perfectly (apparantly she was looking for the same thing, but wasn't finding them). We also picked up our lunch while we were at the store, then headed back to the house to fill & ice the cake. After our lunch we decided to try giving Desiree a nap so she would be good for Brad while he watched all the kids so the girls could go out for "Tarylyn's birthday". Well, that wasn't happening, so after about like 30 minutes we finally gave up & decided to ice the cake completely. After we finished the cake we got ready for the big night. Hila suggested that I put on some makeup so I could look nice since I never get to go anywhere without my kiddo or really go anywhere to get made up. We packed up all the goodies for Tarylyn's birthday surprise & headed to her house. Just as we were about to pull into the house Hila turned off her headlights so they wouldn't see us pulling up & we could put the final part of Hila's sneaky plan into action; we got into the driveway we snuck over to Brad's truck & put the cake, ice cream & other goodies for the birthday surprise in there for Brad to get after we pulled out of the driveway with Tarylyn. We got Tarylyn & headed to Miller Woodlawn to get Mom to leave work (or so I thought). I must admit, Hila's really good at these tricky secrets, even when two are coinciding with one another & she's having to keep two people in the dark. So, we get to Mom's work & Hila says she's gonna go in & see if Mom's ready to leave. Meanwhile Tarylyn & I are sitting in the car, & she's trying to keep me talking to her & my full attention focused on her; although I didn't realize that's what she was doing at the time. Apparantly Ben, Michele & the boys were sitting in a car (I didn't even see their car, & if I did, I didn't know it). Well, while Tarylyn & I were talking mom pulled up & backed in to her usual spot, blinding me & Tarylyn in the process; which drew my attention, & poor Tarylyn was trying to get it back inconspicuously so I wouldn't notice it was Mom with Grandma & Grandpa. Ha ha, they did a really good job because I still didn't suspect a thing. Then Hila came back out to tell us that Mom just got back from running an erand for work (which she actually does frequently, so was completely believable) & for us to come inside to wait for her to finish up & get her stuff together to leave. So we go inside, talk to Pam (the receptionist) for a couple of minutes then went downstairs where Mom's office is. We went into the meeting area & there were a bunch of people sitting in there, I didn't register anybody's faces & just assumed it was people that worked with Mom waiting for the Family Gathering to end; it took me about a minute to register what was going on & who was sitting at the tables. When it completely dawned on me everybody was just looking at me & smiling, I'm sure my face was completely hilarious. So, I was completely fooled & felt so silly at how long it took me to realize what was going on; but I was also extremely greatful at how much trouble they all went through to surprise me & what everybody did for me. I really do have the best family ever & know some really great people! Everybody that works with my mom is so wonderful, & I'm truly blessed to know them. I can't believe, they did all that for me! I found out it was all their idea to throw me a surprise baby shower, Hila just had to keep it a secret & get me there without any suspicion. Last night was a truly amazing night! I got lots of great gifts for baby Emily. Sean, Tony & Royce (Ben & Michele's boys) got her an awesome little sleeper (it's super soft & thick so it'll be really warm for being born in the middle of winter, & it has little slots in it so we can buckle her into her car seat with the sleeper on), a pack of cute little socks, & two little tins with plaster in them to make Emily's little handprint (& one for Desiree, so she won't be left out), Ben & Michele got her an awesome Rainforest Open-top Cradle Swing that plays music, Grandma & Grandpa gave us $20 to buy diapers or other baby stuff we might need, Julie got her some cute little clothes, two adorable little dresses, a cute onesie, an adorable Classic Pooh sleeper & a cute little outfit that's super soft & has little ruffles on the bottom of the pants (hehe rufflebutts), Mom got her a baby bath, two bottles, a bottle brush, extra bottle nipples, a pack of wash cloths, & an adorable little pink onesie with frogs on it & a bib with it, Hila & Tarylyn got her diapers & wipes, & all of the wonderful people that work with Mom pitched in & got her a baby crib & changing table. There was an awesome spread of food there too, Hila & Mom made Hila's Oreo Truffles & these yummy little appetizers that have bacon, cheese, & onion in them, & Yvonne (a lady that works with Mom) had a cake made at Costco, it was super yummy with butter cream frosting & strawberry mousse in the middle.










Last night was a great night. After the baby shower we went back to Brad & Tarylyn's to "drop off" Tarylyn. We all went inside so we could see the kids & I could get Desiree, but not before we surprised Tarylyn with her birthday cake (which Brad put the finishing touches on, per Hila's instructions that you can see on her blog).
It was a great night & everything went as planned.

With a Little Help From My Friends...& of course, my Family

I know I haven't blogged in like a month, but here's some good news for you guys. We have accumulated some stuff for the new baby, & have decided on a name. First off I want to start by thanking a couple of the wonderful people I work with :), James & Erin & Ramone & his wife (I think her name's Rachel, but I can never remember). James & Ramone gave me some really awesome stuff for our new baby. James & Erin gave us a little basket full of goodies; which included some Pampers Swaddlers, baby socks, an awesome Baby Healthcare collection (the usual stuff, safety scissors, baby nail clippers, the nose sucker thing, etc.), & some super cool baby toys, a couple that go on the car seat for entertaining her in the car. Ramone & his wife gave us some super cute baby clothes (they just had a baby girl in July, so they gave us all of the 0-3 months stuff for our baby) which included some really cute little baby dresses, a couple pairs of adorable baby shoes, some little headbands & some little shirts. Yay, less for me to buy! I also want to thank Mom & Hila for getting all the cute baby clothes they got at the garage sale they went to & the car seat from St. Vinny's from our day packed full of shopping on Saturday. They picked up quite a few cute little sleepers for winter to keep her warm, & some other little outfits, like some dresses & pants. I also got some cute stuff for our new baby at St. Vinny's. I got a cute little dress, a couple of onesies, & a pair of pants or two (I couldn't help it, I also bought myself of couple of books & a dish drying rack...had to endulge a little for myself; I'm so terrible). Saturday was such an awesome day! I have such a blast hanging out with my family, especially my sister & my Mom, they really are a couple of characters; I don't know what I'd do without them. Thank you guys so much for being so awesome & supportive, & always being there for me.

Hila & I added in some close ups so you can see everything I have so far.

Finally, to the biggest news of all. My tummy's finally showing that I'm pregnant, for all of you who have made comments about me sucking for not showing any proof of being 7 months along; I'll be including a picture of my new pregnant tummy. Last but definately not least, Nick & I have decided on a name for our new little girl; Emily Judith (Judith after Nick's late mother). Oh, & my doctor has, or was going to, scheduled my C-Section. If I remember correctly, she wanted to schedule it for a week prior to my actual due date, which she estimated for about the 12th of December. Well, I don't really have anything else to tell you so I'll close for now & hopefully will have more news in a couple of weeks.

And The Results Are In...

Just wanted to put this cute picture of Desiree in to mark the start of our day, this was before we left for the Social Security Office.

Today was my ultrasound appointment, & let me tell you, it was a rough morning. Hila came to pick me up around 10 this morning, after she had to go & get Desiree's car seat from our car at Nick's work. We started off the morning by going to the Social Security Office so I can get a new Social Security Card & a letter stating that I've applied to get a new one. When my number finally got called it was like 10:50 & my ultrasound appointment was at 11:15, good thing it didn't take me long to get the application put in. So, off we headed to Salmon Medical Center Imaging Department for my ultrasound. When we got there Hila took a pregnant tummy picture for pre-ultrasound, I guess for perspective.

So, we get inside & I go to check in with the receptionist; here's the best news of the day (if you could hear me, you'd be able to hear the sarcasm in my voice) apparantly I wasn't scheduled for an appointment, today or any other future date, at the Salmon Medical Center! The receptionist called another Imaging office linked with the Doctor's Clinic to see if maybe I got my information mixed up, well, I wasn't scheduled there either; so Hila, Desiree & I went back up to the Doctor's Clinic to see what was going on & how we could fix it. It turns out my Doctor's assistant did make me an appointment at Salmon Medical Center, but somebody over there screwed up & didn't put me in the system. Well, the receptionist was finally able to get me an ultrasound appointment it was with a place called AMI in East Bremerton at 2:30 (at least I was able to get it fixed & still able to be seen today). So, we went back to my house & layed Desiree down for a nap (she was being a very rotten little girl), I did the dishes & Hila went to the store to pick up the last of the ingredients for the cookies we had planned to make. When Hila got back we got to work on our Peanut-butter Blossoms, they turned out really yummy!!

There's Hila putting them on the rack to cool (I'm a little ghetto, I don't have a cooling rack so we used upside down pizza pans). While we made the second batch of cookies we also cooked Velveeta Shells & Cheese for lunch, it was rather yummy. The day was certainly looking brighter :). After we ate our lunch & all the cookies were done we had to leave for AMI for my ultrasound appointment. Yay, no repeats of this morning; I was able to get in to get my Ultrasound done. The nurse who did my ultrasound informed me that I'm 27 weeks & 2 days along. Wow were my calculations WAY off!! All of the baby's measurements & estimated due date are as follows...oh & my ultrasound pictures. For those of you who don't know where to look for what on one of these things, my estimated due date is 12/20/2008 or 1/19/2009 (I know I can only read a little of it, couldn't begin to tell you what the baby's measurements for it's head & such are).

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!