Happy Birthday Aubrey!

I can't believe that my baby girl is already 2 weeks old! I remember 2 weeks ago from right now I was being wheeled into the delivery room and was so nervous and excited! Today my baby girl is 14 days old and has already grown so much! I am noticing that some of her tiny outfits are already getting too small on her. It is so sad watching her outgrow things already but it is so nice to see her getting bigger and stronger every day. She is also doing so well with eating and is getting on a somewhat regular schedule. She eats pretty much every 2 1/2 to 3 hours during the day and during the night she is doing about the same except for sometimes when she decides to stay awake all night (which was the case last night). I am hoping that she will get her days and nights switched around pretty soon here. I try to keep her up during the day but she is impossible to wake when she is sleepy. I am going to give her a bath tonight so that will make her get up and hopefully Troy will play with her enough to get her sleepy during the right times! We're having company this weekend so that will be fun. My Aunt Karin is visiting us so I will have to play fashion show with my little sweetie and get her in some of her cute little outfits finally. Not that her outfits now aren't cute (how can you not think everything is cute on this little tiny body?) but now I get to put on some of her "going out" clothes. Anyway, like I said earlier things are going well but please pray for us that she would get into a sleeping schedule and stop her 2-6 parties that she keeps having. Sorry this post is kind of random but I'm really tired!!! Will post again soon...

10 Days Ago

I can't believe that 10 days ago I was walking around the mall trying to break my water and having light contractions and scared and nervous about having a baby. I can't believe that this little baby that we now call Aubrey was scrunched up inside my belly and I was getting so tired of feeling heavy and huge and just over pregnancy and ready to hold my little baby. It is so crazy to think about all of my mixed emotions and worries and know that through all of that she is here and beautiful and perfect. The love that you have for your baby after she comes out is so amazing. I was told that it is one of the most spiritual experiences you ever have and I couldn't agree more. I have a renewed understanding and belief that there is only one God who could create such a miracle and do it is such an incredible manner. When I was pushing her out my doctor told me at one point to sit up and look down and I watched her as she came out into the world. What an experience. I will never forget that moment. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Thank you also for your encouragement during pregnancy. I am already realizing that the worry and stress that I thought would be gone after the baby came out and I knew things were ok are only stronger now that she's here and my responsibility. Please continue to pray for her and for us to be good examples and lead her in a life of loving and living for God. What an amazing God we really do have.

A Picture's Worth...

Aubrey Marie Bartholomew
March 25th, 2008
8:48PM
19 and 1/2 inches
7lbs 4oz

12:05PM on March 25th, 2005

So we're still at the hospital just waiting for this baby to come out. Kristin has taken some pain medication and it has helped a lot. Pretty soon here we should have another update on how she's dilating but for now we just press on. Coach just had a sandwich at the cafeteria to help get him through this whole process. Also, coach checks to see if there are babies in the nursery but so far there were only two early this morning. That's all for now, talk to you soon!

3/25 10:03 am

We're at the hospital and I'm getting loaded up on pitocin and I'm making progress. When I woke up this morning my water broke and I lost my plug all at the same time while I was getting ready to come in anyway - good timing huh? When I got here I was 2 cm dialated still and 100% effaced. I am having contractions every 2 minutes or so and they are definitely getting stronger. This will probably be the last time I feel like updating so I'll try to get Troy to put a few posts up here.

Contractions Here We Come!

It is Monday 3/24 at 3:55 pm and I have been having contractions since last night. They are not very strong yet (if this is as mild as my Dr. said they were I am getting a little nervous!) but they are about 8 minutes apart. I am 2 cm dialated and 80% effaced so that's good news. Troy and I just finished up some last minute things around the house that we've needed to do to get ready and we are going to leave in a minute and walk around the mall to try to get this show on the road. If it doesn't happen naturally tonight then my Dr. has scheduled to induce me tomorrow morning at 8:00am. Please pray that this will happen on it's own as much as possible as I am a bit nervous about being induced. Either way, we will have a baby in no time! Yay!

It's my due date!

And still now baby... March 20th came and is quickly passing me by without a baby. I am not having as hard of a time with it as I thought I would because I went to the doctor last night and found out that the baby has completely dropped and is in the zero position which means that the next step is - out! Unfortunately I was only dialated to 1 still so he offered to schedule to induce me next Tuesday but I really felt like I should wait it out a little bit more and see if this baby will come out on her own. I did decide to do a little to help out though and went walking after work for almost 1 1/2 miles (which before would have been nothing but when you are 40 weeks pregnant it is quite an accomplishment trust me!) I am hoping that this will help get the baby moving around and some more dialating starting.

I am officially on my maternity leave now, which is fun but also kind of scary to me. I am just afraid that if the baby doesn't make her way out in the next week I will have wasted a week where I could have been making money and saving up off time for when the baby is actually here. Hopefully that won't be the case and she will come out this weekend! I think my bosses think I am crazy because when I told them that I on Monday I have a 2 hr doctor's appointment and they are planning on probably inducing me on Wednesday if she doesn't come out on her own before then I explained that "I probably couldn't come in on Monday because I will be busy at my appointment during the time I would work and I couldn't come in on Wednesday because they will be inducing me, but I could probably come and cover some breaks on Tuesday" her response was "I think if you are being induced on Wednesday you should probably use Tuesday to prepare..." Haha I guess I just feel like I can't stop working for some reason. It's just in my nature to keep going! I can't decide if I should slow down or speed up to get this baby out. On one hand people say to rest and "put your feet up" all the time to me but on the other hand walking is supposed to get things going. I guess I haven't mastered walking with my feet up yet. Maybe next time...

Today was a beautiful day in Chicago with the temp reaching about 50 degrees but tonight and tomorrow we have a winter storm warning and they are calling for 6 inches of snow! Not a very nice welcome to Spring if you ask me. I am hoping they are wrong because I really don't want to be driving to the hospital in the middle of a snow storm. Then again, it could be another week anyway.

Please pray for me because I am getting very uncomfortable all of a sudden in the last couple of days and am getting very anxious to get this baby out of her and regain some of my own personal being again. On the bright side, it looks like I'll have a baby within the week!!!