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Allison Susan has arrived! Sunday, November 2, 2008 @ 3:52pm 6lbs, 15oz and 20 in long preview image

Post Partum Weight Loss: (Pre-pregnancy weight = 126 lbs. I gained a total of 41 lbs.) Nov. 2 (Allie born): 167 lbs Nov. 9 (1 week pp): 156 lbs Nov. 16. (2 weeks pp): 151 lbs Nov. 23. (3 weeks pp): 148.5 lbs Nov. 30 (4 weeks pp): 147 lbs Dec. 7 (5weeks pp): 146 lbs Dec. 14 (6weeks pp): 144.5 lbs Dec. 21 (7weeks pp): 142.5 lbs Dec. 28 (8weeks pp): 141 lbs Jan. 4 (9weeks pp): 141.5 lbs boo! Jan. 11 (10weeks pp): 140 lbs Jan. 18 (11weeks pp): 138 lbs Jan. 25 (12weeks pp): 138.5 lbs boo! Feb. 1 (13weeks pp): 137.5 lbs Feb. 8 (14weeks pp): 138 lbs Feb. 15 (15weeks pp): 137.5 lbs Feb. 22 (16weeks pp): 135 lbs Mar. 1 (17weeks pp): 134.5 lbs Mar. 8 (18 weeks pp): 133 lbs Mar. 15 (19 weeks pp): 131.5 lbs Mar. 30 (21 weeks pp): 129.5 lbs Birth Story: Here is my birth story and tips. Let's just say though that my recovery has not gone easy. I've been in A LOT of pain. So I'm going to start with an important but TMI tip:

If you feel that something is "just not right" with your pain level/bleeding/recovery don't hesitate to contact your OB and go in for a check. I had been in excruciating pain (yes I did have an episiotomy, but this was intense crazy pain that made walking, sitting, standing hell) while in the hospital and after our discharge. I finally went in to see my OB on probably Day 4 or 5 (I can't remember now) and as soon as she got down there to check things out she says "Yup, ok, hand me the blah blah blah". I literally breathed a sigh of relief. Basically what she said is that when you give birth etc new healing vaginal tissue grows/good tissue called granulation tissue. But it can grow out of control and when it does that it can lead to excruciating pain. So she used silver nitrate on the tip of a stick to burn the overgrowth off. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_treat_granulation_tissue

Didn't hurt a bit, at first, stung a little. But I do feel better now. She said what I had was definitely causing me extra pain than just the birth. I felt so relieved to have my feelings validated, and not just be told "this is normal, you just gave birth duh". So, please, don't hesitate to go get checked out if you feel something isn't right, because in my case, it wasn't just normal par for the course recovery pain, this was icing on the cake, and now it's taken care of.

LONG Birth story (copied from my personal blog/website):

Saturday, November 1 (40w,1d): After a typical Saturday Frank and I went out to dinner at Ruby Tuesday's. I had some light contractions throughout dinner that I thought were just more Braxton Hicks. After dinner we just lounged around the house watching TV. Pretty much right at 11pm I started experiencing actual painful contractions, followed by bloody show at 11:30pm and then diarreah at 11:45pm. That's when I knew. The contractions continued to get painful and we timed them with contraction master. They started out about 9 minutes apart and quickly got to 5 minutes a part.

Sunday, November 2 (40w,2d): Once the contractions were about 5 minutes apart and fairly painful I called the doc around 12:15am or so, who suggested we wait it out until they were more like 3-4 minutes apart. We waited another hour as the contractions continued to get worse, then finally headed to the hospital around 1:15am or so. Once there, they got me to a room, checked me and said I was only 2cm dilated and 70% effaced. I felt so defeated! Especially since my OB had told me I was 2-3cm and 80% effaced on Thursday! They checked me after 45 minutes and I was still only 2cm and 70%. Boo! They had to discharge me saying I was in "early labor" and that this could last for days. Great I thought.

So back home we went. But the contractions only continued to get worse. Much, much worse. And closer together, like 3-4 minutes apart. We tried to get some sleep, and I took a shower to see if that would help relieve the pain of the contractions, but it didn't. I was miserable. And in so much pain. Finally, around 8:30am I told Frank I couldn't take it anymore and was calling the doc again. I needed something for the pain. Thankfully she told us to come on in and get checked out, and if I was 3cm they could admit me and at least give me some IV meds. Praise the Lord. So back to the hospital we went. Let me tell you, having a contraction in a moving vehicle is not fun. Frank did his best to calm me during each contraction, but it sucked royally. And our hospital is only 10 minute from our homw by freeway.

Once we go the hospital, I started praying that I'd made progress, so they would admit me. We parked the car and made our way walking through the parking lot to the front doors - stopping 3 times to get me through a few contractions. Once we were all checked into our room, Dr. Herman herself came by to check me and announced that I was 4-5cm dilated and 90% effaced, and that meant she could order the epidural if I wanted it. Thank you Lord! And yes I wanted the epidural, badly. Unfortunately they had to draw a ton of blood (left a nasty bruise on my forearm, nurse "hit a valve" she said), check my platelet count (because it had been low earlier in the pregnancy and they warned me it needed to be above 100 to get the epi) and pump me full of a bag of fluids first. That whole process took about another hour, maybe less. Going through those contractions in bed was so painful! Thankfully my platelet count came back at 144 so I was cleared for the epidural. The nurse anesthetist and the anesthesiologist were both wonderful and talkative and light-hearted and the insertion of the epidural truly didn't hurt that bad. Holding still through a contraction took some will power, but I managed. They had me sit up on the edge of the bed, and lean over the food tray and I squeezed another nurses hand when I was going thru a contraction.

The epidural was awesome. I could tell that it "took" about 150% on my left side, and about 95% on my right, but I wasn't concerned. Having "dead leg" is pretty funny/weird. I could NOT pick up/move my left leg at all. LOL. I really couldn't feel the contractions, every now and then I could tell when I was about to have one and would glance at the monitor to see the contraction peak. At some point Allie's heart rate was also being monitored, and she started having severe decelerations of her heart rate during each contraction. So they put on internal monitor on her head. http://pregnancy.about.com/od/fetalmonitoring/f/internalmonitor.htm

At some point through all this they had to break my water and insert a catheter. Didn't feel either procedure thankfully. But since they broke my water they didn't want to continue checking me internally for continued dilation. Basically they said, let us know if you feel pressure like going poo because that will mean it's pushing time. O-K I thought, but I wasn't sure I would be able to feel any of this "pressure".

To try to help get Allie's heart rate stabilized they had me lie on my right side. Didn't help, so they had me switch to lying on my left side. At some point the right side of my back started to hurt and my stomach started to hurt also. So I switched back to my right side. Didn't help. At this point, I was begining to realize that the epidural had started to wear off a tad on the right side, and these were contractions I was feeling, and the dreaded "back labor". So they checked me and said I was 9cm and fully effaced and just about ready to push. In fact, they said "push on the next contraction and we'll see if it can get of the last lip of cervix and get to 10cm". Did I mention that Frank was out of the room at this point down the hall somewhere trying to find Nancy (my step-mom) in the waiting room to tell her it might soon be pushing time? Imagine his surprise when he walked in and I was actually pushing! When he'd last left the room they had said for him to go tell anyone not yet on their way to the hospital to start heading that way now if they wanted to be around shortly after the birth, because things were moving along quickly. Ha!

The look on his face was so full of surprise, but once we got past that he and Nancy took up their posts on my left side holding my legs and head and helping me push with each contraction. This went on for about an hour (but honestly, it didn't feel like that long for me at all, and frankly I was pretty calm throughout it all, we even had the Detroit Lions game on the TV during this whole time, my husband later said it helped him to not freak out, to have the TV to distract him, honestly it helped distract me a bit too). I couldn't feel the contractions but my doc kept saying, when I felt one let them know and I would push 3 times for each contraction. I couldn't really feel them, so she had her hand on my belly/uterus and could sorta tell when a contraction was starting, so that helped cue me in on when to push. They had me feel down there a couple times and I could feel her head, it was so weird feeling. At one point Doc said I needed an episiotomy. I didn't care, I was like ok, go for it. Whatever will help get Allie here safely. She snipped me (couldn't feel a thing) and then in the next push (I think) Allie was born at 3:52pm. Pretty much her whole body came out at once, head and all.

They put her right on my chest and that was amazing! After cleaning her up and weighing her etc, we got to snuggle a bit more and test out breast feeding for the first time. Part of Frank's family and my family were able to come have a short visit and meet Allie that night too.

And my amazing husband even got me a special gift that he gave me to celebrate Allie's birth - a beautiful necklace with a tiny little blue topaz heart (Allie's birth stone for November) and a tiny diamond above the heart. His thought being, at some point down the road I could pass this necklace onto Allie. I love them both so much!

Monday, November 3:

Monday was a hard day for me/us. Allie had some screening tests done and they found that she was jaundiced and her bilirubin level was elevated (9 maybe?). They checked it again later in the day and it had gone up to 11.7. Then we had a visit from the lactation consultant to try to help us get breast feeding established, and that went only O0-K. The consultant was doused in perfume that was so strong. Her advice was only kind of helpful and she was kind of rough with Allie in demonstrating the proper technique for breast feeding. After her visit, Allie broke out in a rash all over her body and I'm convinced it was at least partially set off due to the massive amount of perfume this woman had on and then was touching Allie. I was furious and upset, because it's hard to see your nweborn baby with a red splotchy rash all over her body, who isn't taking to breast feeding well and who is jaundiced. I ended up crying a bit at this point in the day. Because of her elevated bili levels, Allie had to go spend the night in the Special Care Nursery under the bili blanket to try to correct her jaundice. Even though Frank and I were content at the thought of having uninterruped sleep that night, I was very sad that it was because of the jaundice. Needless to say I didn't sleep well at all and had nightmares all night - Frank even woke me up from one because I was wimpering and crying in my sleep. I remember that one. It was about Allie and it wasn't a happy one. I cried hard in Frank's arms at that point because I felt so broken and defeated, and exhausted.

Tuesday, November 4:

I shuffled my way down to the Special Care Nursery Tuesday morning to check on Allie - chillin in the bili blanket. They tested her levels again in the a.m. and I think they went down to 11.2 but then they tested them again in the afternoon and they went up to 11.7 again. Despite that, the Pediatrician said we could take her home and to just come into the office on Wednesday for her check up. I won't go on, but we had to have her poor little heel poked twice more after being discharged to check her bili levels. So sad, but she is recovering.

TIPS:

* They sent me home with some of the mesh panties and huge pads, some topical anasthetic cream called dibucaine (?) and a topical anasthetic foam called epi-foam. I'm not sure if they helped or not because I was seriously in so much pain. When the pads ran out I am now using Always Maxi Overnight Extra Heavy Flow pads. They are new, and they are awesome. They come in a dark navy blue packaging with purple and the pads are wrapped in purple plastic. We got them before the birth on a tip I read on thenest somewhere and I'm so glad we did. They come in a 20 pack and I had to send DH out for another 20 pack last night, that's how often I'm using them, but they really are great.

* Everyone has a different opinion on breast feeding your baby. And on whether or not to wake a sleeping baby. We were letting her sleep, and she would sleep for 4 hours+ a few times. Unfortunately I think when that happened she woke up starving and then was just plain angry and wouldn't latch. So now, we've made the decision to wake her up at 3 hours, and get her to eat. It's worked better so far. She still likes to scream at the breast every now and then before she finally settles into a good feed. But overall breastfeeding is going really well. My milk came in around Day 4 I think. I'm also pumping (Medela PISAdvanced, and I love it) and we give her a bottle of breast milk at night because for some reason this totally zonks her out. We're using the Born Free plastic (amber colored) BPA free bottles. So far, she likes them. We're also giving her a paci when she wants one, or to soothe her. She likes it. It's the Soothies brand. So far no nipple confusion.

I'm sure there are other tips/random thoughts I'm forgetting, but that is more than enough info for you all to chew on for a long time. If you've made it this far, congrats!

We're having a baby girl! Allison Susan is on her way! EDD: October 31, 2008 Scroll to the middle for more info and updates!

Just Married October 20, 2007
Our wedding was amazing! The day was so beautiful for late fall in Michigan and we had such a fantastic time. We're just so happy to finally be married. :)

Honeymoon in the French Polynesia We honeymooned in the French Polynesia for a week; first in Moorea and finished the trip in Bora Bora. What a paradise.

We're having a baby! UPDATE 2-17-08: BFP @ 9dpo! EDD: Halloween 2008! 1st Trimester: (January 25 - April 24)
First Month (weeks 1-4)....Complete!
Second Month (weeks 5-8)....Complete!
Third Month (weeks 9-13) ....Complete!
2nd Trimester: (April 25 - August 1)
Fourth Month (weeks 14-17) ....Complete!
Fifth Month (weeks 18-21) ...Complete!
Sixth Month (weeks 22-26) ... Complete!
3rd Trimester: (August 2 - October 31)
Seventh Month (weeks 27-30) ... Complete! Eighth Month (weeks 31-35) ....Complete! Ninth Month (weeks 36-40) ... In progress ...
Milestones... INITIAL BLOOD WORK ETC: #'s from 17dpo:
HCG: 2,462
Progesterone: 25

#'s from 19dpo:
HCG: 6,703
Progesterone: 25.9
Yay! My numbers more than doubled, they almost tripled! I'm so thankful! Morning Sickness: My morning sickness began at 5w,1d and has continued as sort of low-grade m/s ever since then. Some days I feel more queazy than others, and I don't want to eat anything, but almost every day it's there. And for me, it's mainly right smack dab in the middle of the day, or in the evening. But so far, no throwing up or gagging. Yet. :) Update: My mild m/s lasted from about 5w - 9w. Then it tapered off and is now (13w) just mild yuckiness in the evenings sometimes. I can feel the baby: I began to feel the baby giving me little pokes at 17w,4d. Then the next day was quiet, but a day later the poking picked up and I can feel it every day now! (Writing this at 18w,2d). So far it just feels like a little poke. Like if you take your pulse by putting two fingers up to your throat/neck and you feel that slight throb of your vein pulsing, that's kind of the intensity of the pokes. Yay! Can't wait until my DH can feel them from the outside! DH can feel the baby: Baby girl was moving around a ton the night I was 20w,3d so I asked DH to put his hand on my belly and he's pretty sure he felt one good strong poke! Yay! Can't wait till it's more obvious and stronger! Breasts started leaking colostrum: I woke up the morning I was 21w,1d with wet and dried stains (the color of dirty water) on my white t-shirt. My breasts had leaked colostrum while I slept! Then it happened again the next night, and again the night after that. I've read that for some women it only happens at night when their breasts aren't supported by a bra or camisole. So far (as of 23w,6d) it seems to be only "righty" as the culprit for now. Oh the joys of pregnancy! I can SEE my belly MOVE!: Last night at 23w,6d I was sitting on the couch wearing a patterned dress I had worn to work, when baby girl started kicking/punching pretty strongly and I happened to glance down at my belly kind of like "Woah tootsie! What's going on in there?!" and I actually SAW my belly jolt this way and that with her kicks! It was freaking awesome! My husband was even able to see it too. I watched closely today and totally saw my belly move with each strong kick. This is pretty cool I must say. :) Heartburn: I would say that for the last 4 weeks or so (I'm 28weeks now), I've had random episodes of bad heartburn. So, I guess I would say I started noticing it right around 24weeks. Makes everything taste bad. Yuck! Glucose Tolerance Test: I took my GTT when I was 26w,4d and I'm happy to report that the doctor called a couple of days later to tell me that I passed! I scored a 94. Under 140 is passing I believe. However she said my blood platelet count was low, so they'll just watch that by drawing more blood at my next appt. Come delivery day, if my platelet count is below 100, she said I would not be eligible for an epidural. Lovely. Braxton Hicks: Well I guess I've been having a few Braxton Hicks contractions over the course of at least a couple weeks, so let's say I started noticing them around 29weeks or so. I definitely had a few today (31w,2d) and they don't feel like I thought they would, which is why I probably didn't recognize them earlier on. At first I thought it was a butt or a head pressing up on my belly in one area that would really stretch the skin and make it hard, but apparently that is one way people describe Braxton Hicks! Today I could feel the hardness or tightening down lower also - like PMS cramps sorta, but mainly just a hardness on my belly, but not the whole belly, large sections of it would get hard and stay hard for about 5-10 seconds. Nothing to worry about, just interesting. Uncomfortable: Yeah, the end is kind of uncomfortable. I'd say I've felt generally uncomfortable since about 33weeks (and I'm 36weeks now). I mean, the largeness of my belly really makes sleeping, walking, rolling over, getting up etc fairly difficult. Basically, I can feel that she is running out of room in there and growing larger all the time. My belly is very round and firm from her being all squished up in there. Swelling and "Fat Face": I have been lucky not to have too much swelling this pregnancy. However, it's started. For about the last couple of weeks, since about 35weeks, I've noticied more swelling in my feet, legs, hands, and now, my face. Or maybe the weight gain has finally caught up to my face! LOL. Either way, I now have the dreaded pregnancy "fat face". Only 3 more weeks, only 3 more weeks, only 3 more weeks I say (I'm currently 37weeks today). Hopefully the swelling will go down as soon as baby girl comes out. Loss of Mucus Plug: I definitely lost my mucus plug at 39w,5d. It was so nasty, it was pretty obvious. This was 1 day after having an internal exam and having my membranes stripped, so that may have been what caused it to finally come out. Ultrasounds and Appointments 1st Ultrasound @ 6w,5d on March 12 Houston, we have a heartbeat! Yay! Baby measured 6w,6d so we're thrilled! Going back for another u/s in 2 weeks!

2nd Ultrasound @ 7w,3d on March 17 Emergency u/s after trip to ER (long story). Baby measured 7w,6d - great!

3rd Ultrasound @ 9w,0d on March 28 Another great u/s! Heartbeat and wiggly little gummy bear! Head is to the bottom left. Baby measured 9w,2d.

4th Ultrasound @ 9w,3d on March 31 (due to spotting)

5th Ultrasound @ 11w,0d on April 11 (for peace of mind) Baby measuring 2 days ahead and was even somersaulting in there! 2 pics.

6th Ultrasound @ 11w,3d on April 14 (NT Scan) - 2pics Regular check-up @ 13w,1d on April 26 No u/s sound today, but doc used the doppler and we could hear the heartbeat! Regular check-up @ 17w,6d on May 29 No u/s today, just the doppler for the heartbeat and a quick BP check. BIG u/s @ 18w,4d on June 3 IT'S A GIRL! We had our BIG U/S today and found out we're having a baby girl. Everything looked good except for a small Choroid Plexus Cyst on her brain. I am going back for another U/S to check on it in 4 weeks. Doc said not to worry. Yeah right.

Follow up U/S and Regular Check-Up @ 22w,4d on July 1 The cyst is gone! Hallelujah! Baby Girl checked out healthy at an approximate 1lb,10z. She was pretty chill for the u/s just hanging out sucking her thumb. Oh and she's still a girl! The gender shot isn't so great, but if you look close you can see the 3 white lines.

1Hr. Glucose Test and Routine Check-Up @ 26w,4d on July 29 The GTT wasn't too bad - tasted like sugary flat orange pop. Fundal height measured 28cm, so a little ahead, but apparently it measured 2cm ahead last time. BP 122/60 and everything else is on track. GTT Results: My doc called me a few days after I took the GTT to let me know that I passed with a 94! Woo hoo! Passing is under 140. She did say that my blood platelet count was low, coming in at 138k. Most people fall between 150 - 400k. So she said they'll do another blood draw at my next appointment and check it again. Hopefully it won't continue to fall. She warned me that if it falls below 100k I may very well be deemed ineligible for an epidural. Routine Check-Up @ 30w,3d on August 25 Normal check up. BP was 110/76, and she got the heartbeat on the doppler going really strong, said baby girl is head down but has lots of time to still move around. She said I'm still measuring slightly big, my fundal height was between 31 and 32 so she said "Why don't we go ahead and schedule a growth u/s for the next appt?" Um, hell yes, thank you very much. :) They drew some blood to test my platelet count, and the results came in a few days later at 140k. So, a slight increase, but nothing impressive. They'll test it again at my next appt. From here I start going in every 2 weeks until I hit 36 weeks, then I'll go every week.
Routine Check-Up and Growth U/S check @ 32w,4d on September 9 Ultrasound shows baby girl to be about 4lbs, 1oz (her measurements put her in the 36th percentile). And she's head down! BP was 110/68 and I even lost a pound over the last 2 weeks! No blood work for the platelet count issue.

Routine Check-Up @ 34w,4d on September 23 Just a normal appointment today. BP was 109/68, heartbeat on the doppler, Dr thinks she's still head down, and my fundal height was measuring right on target. And no weight gain! Routine Check-Up and GBS Test check @ 36w,4d on October 7 Regular check up. BP was 114/76, heartbeat on the the doppler. She's still head down. Small weight gain. And I had my GBS test. Doc also did an internal exam - says my cervix is high and closed, but that it may be about 50% effaced. Routine Check-Up and Internal Exam @ 37w,4d on October 14 Regular check up. BP was 114/86, heartbeat on the doppler. Test results = GBS negative. Yahoo! Doc did an internal exam again, this time I'm 1cm dilated and 70% effaced. He was impressed with my progress from last week and thinks I may actually go a couple days early now. We'll see what next week holds. I'm spotting a little from this internal today, but no sign of the ole mucus plug yet. LOL. Routine Check-Up and Internal Exam @ 38w,4d on October 21 Regular check up. BP was at first high, but then he got a reading around 114/76, so no worried because there was also no protein in my urine. No progress since last week: still 1cm dilated and 70% effaced. Gained 1 lb. No spotting from the internal this time. He said my fundal height hadn't changed since last week, so he ordered a growth u/s for next week to check on her. Growth U/S, Routine Check-Up and Internal Exam @ 39w,4d on October 28 U/S showed baby to be about 7lbs, 2oz and totally asleep! Fluid levels and everything else is fine. Internal exam has me at 1.5 - 2cm dilated and 80% effaced. Doc offered to strip my membranes - woah! What an uncomfy procedure, but it did get me cramping for just an hour or two. The next day I lost my MP. No contractions though. Routine Check-Up and Internal Exam @ 39w,6d on October 30 Went back in to see the doc after having lost my MP yesterday. He did another internal exam and says I'm a "loose 2" so he said "ok, 2-3cm dilated and 90% effaced". Other than that, nothing going on. No contractions, nada. Routine Check-Up and Internal Exam @ 40w,4d on November 3 Coming soon Belly Pics Etc. Weight Gain: 4w,0d (2/29): 126 lbs 6w,5d (3/12): 127 lbs 7w,3d (3/17): 128 lbs 9w,0d (3/28): 130 lbs 9w,3d (3/31): 128 lbs 11w,0d (4/11):130 lbs 11w,3d (4/14):132 lbs 13w,1d (4/26):133 lbs 17w,6d (5/29):139 lbs 22w,4d (7/1): 144 lbs 26w,4d (7/29): 151 lbs 30w,3d (8/25): 159 lbs 32w,4d (9/9): 158 lbs 34w,4d (9/23): 159.5 lbs 36w,4d (10/7): 163 lbs 37w,4d (10/14): 166 lbs 38w,4d (10/21): 167 lbs 4 weeks

5 weeks

6 weeks

7 weeks - feeling like dirt from m/s

8 weeks

9w,1d - soooo bloated!

10w,1d - more bloat!

11w,2d - in the morning

12w,1d - in the morning

13w,1d - in the evening

14w,1d - how am I this big already?

15w,1d ~ in Florida! 16w,1d 17w,3d 18w,1d

19w,1d 20w,3d

21w,1d ~ at a black tie wedding!

22w,1d ~ at my girlfriends baby shower - she's 27w with twins! 23w,0d ~ up north in Petoskey, MI for the 4th of July!

24w,3d ~ I got lazy over the weekend, so I had my co-worker snap these photos on Monday morning!

25w,1d ~ at a block party with Darth Vader!

26w,0d ~ up north with friends

27w,2d ~ celebrating DH's birthday

28w,2d ~ covered and bare!

29w,0d ~ Allie's first "trip" to "see" the Detroit Tigers!

30w,3d ~ covered and bare!

31w,1d ~ Allie "at" her first U-M football game! It was so HOT! Check out those sweat marks! LOL!

32w,2d ~ our crib arrived!

33w,2d ~ all dressed up from my last baby shower!

34w,4d ~ covered and bare.

35w,2d ~ and feeling like dirt from a cold and allergies :( Didn't have the energy to put on makeup or brush my hair.

36w,2d ~ next to our baby tree (we found it growing out of a bush when it was only a couple feet tall and replanted it). It's getting so tall!

37w,2d ~ yay for being full term! Only a few more weeks now.

38w,1d ~ celebrating "Sweetest Day" at the pumpkin patch & cider mill!

39w,2d ~ hopefully my last belly shots!

40w,0d ~ I'm due today, on Halloween! Where are you little pumpkin?!

40w,2d ~ November 2, 2008 ~ in labor finally, at the hospital!

************************************************************************************************* Old TTC Story/Miscarriage: We TTC immediately after our wedding on 10/20/07, and were blessed to get a BFP on 11/12/07 that first cycle. Sadly, our baby stopped growing at 5w,5d. Our first u/s on what should've been 8 weeks showed it was behind in growth, and a follow up u/s at what should've been 10w confirmed it; a missed m/c / blighted ovum. I had a D&C on 12/27/07. We're devastated. AF arrived 30 days later. We gave it a shot our first cycle after AF arrived... BFP! See above updates. :)

Nursery Pics NURSERY AFTER: UPDATE 9-24-08: The nursery is complete! The furniture is Bonavita Peyton, the bedding set and matching lampshades are Laura Ashley Claudia Collection by Sumersault (from Target.com), and I scored the 2 plain white lamp bases from Kmart for $4.79 each! DH refinished an old side table we had laying around and painted it white, I got a cd/clock radio ($24) from Target to play baby some lullabies, the prints, purple butterfly bins in the closet, magenta mirror and "imagine" sign are all from Home Goods or TJ Maxx, the ceiling fan is from Home Depot, the quilt rack I found at Michael's for $10 and DH painted it white, the magenta storage ottoman is from Bed Bath and Beyond (even though it looks red in the pic, it's not) and DH installed the 4 corner shelves from Home Depot ($10/each). The 3 shelf unit next to the dresser was $10 at Home Depot also, and the white wicker basket with all the changing products was found at Target (their chabby chic line). The paint is Lavender Sparkle by Behr, and I scored the the perfect match shermag glider from craigslist for $130!

NURSERY BEFORE:

It was pink when we bought the house. We haven't made any updates yet....
Baby Things and Ideas Our bedding: Laura Ashley Claudia Collection by Sumersault - at Target Our stroller and infant carrier (SnugRide), Graco Metrolite in Platinum
Our play-yard, Graco Bermuda Pak N Play, and swing, Graco Lovin Hug Swing in Bermuda
My diaper bag, and DH's diaper bag!
Birth Announcements: Baby Card Expressions http://www.babycardexpressions.com/ The proof she sent me looks just like the proof from the computer! I'm so happy with the way they turned out! The labels aren't bad either - the color is a little more "grapey" but totally doable.

Baby Showers! September 3- WorkShower My unit co-workers threw me a little shower/sprinkle yesterday afternoon and my husband came as well! It was so fun and sweet of them to put together - with tons of yummy food and some great gifts for Baby Allie!

September 3- Ann Arbor Shower What a great night! After my work shower I drove to Ann Arbor for a shower hosted by my step-mothers best friends, for all their friends. Her home was gorgeous with pink roses and baby's breath everywhere. Everyone was so generous with their gifts and I had a great time!

September 7- Eastside Shower My mother-in-law and step-mother-in-law hosted a great lavender themed shower for me! Lots of great gifts, friends, family and a fun time!

September 13- Royal Oak Shower This shower, called "Babie's 4th Kegger" was hosted by my close friends as a co-ed shower/bbq including husbands for 3 of us who are due around the same time. Great time!

September 14- Bloomfield Hills Shower An awesome shower hosted by 3 of my aunts and 2 family friends. So much fun!!!!!
October 21- Division Work Shower A very small shower thrown by my Division co-workers. Allie received TONS of adorable clothes. I was very surprised by this shower, and extremely thankful for their generosity.
Lots of Freezer meals!

NOTE: For all recipes except the meatloaf, make sure to cook all meat (chicken, sausage etc) fully as part of your dish, and continue to prepare the dish as if you were about to put it in the oven to bake. Stop short of baking the dish and wrap the dish well with tin foil. Write baking instructions on top of foil in permanent marker. I like to make these recipes in the disposable foil pans you can find at your local grocery store. For the meatloaf, this is the one dish you can freeze with the meat mixture raw in the pan. When ready to eat a dish, I reccomend thawing at room temperature first, then adjusting your bake time as necessary to cook the dish throughout. Meatloaf 1.5 lbs lean ground beef 1 cup milk 1 egg 3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs 1 med onion - chopped finely 1 Tb ketchup 1 tsp horseradish 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp allspice 1 tsp dill Sauce: mix 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/8 cup worcestchire sauce and 1 Tb brown sugar in a bowl. More or less of each to your taste. Preheat oven to 350 F Mix together in a bowl. Press into greased loaf pan. Spread sauce over top of loaf. Bake @ 350 for 1 hour and 15 min. Let sit for 10 minutes. Drain and Serve. Swiss 'n Chicken Casserole www.kraftfoods.com 4 cups boiled cooked chicken or turkey, shredded or chopped 2 cups seasoned croutons 1 and 1/2 cups shredded swiss (or mozarella) cheese 1 cup sliced celery 2/3 cup miracle whip lite 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup chopped onion Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Spoon into 2qt casserole dish. Bake @ 350 for 40 minutes or until heated through. Chicken 'n Rice Casserole http://members.tripod.com/~lotsofinfo/FR11chickenricecasserole.htm 1/2 cup butter 1 and 1/2 cup raw rice (Uncle Ben's is best) 1 can cream of chicen soup 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 can cream of celery soup 1 and 1/2 cup chicken broth 4 cups boiled, chopped chicken or turkey 1-2 cups cornflake crumbs 1 bag frozen peas Preheat oven to 275 F. Melt/soften butter in microwave. Combine all other ingredients in a large bowl, add softened butter and mix well. Press mixture into 2 and 1/2 qt casserole dish. Top with crushed cornflake crumbs. Bake @ 275 for 2 hours. Note: I used chicken flavored Uncle Ben's rice and cooked it ahead of time; worked just fine. Spinach Lasagna www.kraftfoods.com 1 container (16oz) 2% low-fat cottage cheese 2 eggs, beaten 1 pkg (10oz) frozen chopped psinach, thawed and well drained 3 cups shredded mozarella cheese, divided 1/2 cup grated parmesan, divided 1 jar (26oz) spaghetti sauce, divided 9 lasagna noodles, cooked, drained Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix eggs, cottage cheese, spinach, 2 cups mozarella cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Layer 1 cup spaghetti sauce, 3 lasagna noodles, and 1/2 the cottage cheese mixture in a 13x9in baking dish. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles and sauce and cheese. Bake @ 350 for 45 min or until heated through. Let stand 10 min before serving. Simply Lasagna www.kraftfoods.com 1 lb lean ground beef 1 egg. beaten 2 and 1/2 cup shredded mozarella cheese, divided 1 container (15oz) ricotta cheese 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 jar (26oz) spaghetti sauce 1 cup water 12 lasagna noodles, uncooked Preheat oven to 350 F. Brown meat in large skillet on med-high heat. Mix egg, 1 and 1/4 cup mozarella cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and parsley until well blended. Set aside. Drain meat, return to skillet. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Add water to empty sauce jar. Cover with lid and shake well. Add to meat mixture. Stir until well blended. Spread 1 cup sauce on bottom of 13x9in pan, top with layers of 3 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of ricotta mixture, and 1 cup sauce. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining noodles and meat sauce. Sprinkle remaining 1 and 1/4 cup mozarella and 1/3 cup parmesan. Cover with greased foil. Bake @ 350 for 45 min. Remove foil. Bake another 15 minutes. Let cool/set slightly before serving. Mexican Lasagna http://members.tripod.com/~lotsofinfo/FR8mexicanlasagna.htm 1lb lean ground beef (or cooked chicken shredded) 1 large green pepper, chopped (about 1 cup) 2 cups spaghettie sauce 1 and 1/2 cups picante sauce 1 Tb chili powder 8 flour tortillas (6inch) 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 2 cans (2 and 1/2 oz each) of sliced or diced black olives In skillet over med heat, cook beef and pepper until beef is browned and crumbly. Drain beef. (If using cooked shredded chicken, just add the chicken and chopped pepper directly to spaghetti sauce). Add spaghetti sauce, 1 cup picante sauce, and chili powder. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread remaining picante sauce on bottom of 3qt (or 2 9x9 pans). Arrange 1/2 of the tortillas in dish. Top with 1/2 of meat mixture, 1/2 cheese, and 1/2 olives. Repeat layers. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes or until hot. Chicken Enchiladas http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Whits-Chicken-Enchiladas/Detail.aspx Approx. 4 cups cooked chicken chopped/shredded 2 Tb olive oil 1 (4oz) can diced green chile peppers, drained 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese 2 cups shredded montery jack cheese, divided 1/2 cup water 8 flour tortillas (10inch) 1 cup heavy whipping cream Preheat overn to 375 F. Heat olive oil in large skillet over med heat. Add green chilies, jalapeno and garlic. Cook and stir for a few minutes, until fragrant, then stir in cream cheese and 1/2 of the monterey jack cheese. As the cheese begins to melt, gradually stir in the water. Stir the chopped chicken meat into the skillet, coat well. Remove mixture from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into torillas, and roll up. Place the rolls seam side down in a 13x9in pan. Sprinkle the remaining monterey jack cheese over the top, then pour cream over all. Bake @ 375 for 30 minutes or until the enchiladas are golden brown on top. Baked Ziti http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-ziti-with-italian-sausage/Detail.aspx 8 oz. dry ziti pasta (penne), cooked, drained and kept warm 2 tsp olive oil 12 oz mild italian sausage links, casings removed 6 oz mushrooms, sliced 1/4 tsp fennel (optional) approx 30 oz marina sauce 1 and 1/2 shredded mozarella cheese 2 Tb grated parmesan or romano cheese Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease 13x9in pan. Heat olive oil in large sauce pan. Add sausage; cook, stirring frequently, until no longer pink. Drain. Add mushrooms and fennel; cook stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender. Add sauce; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Remove from heat. Add pasta to sauce mixture; toss well to coat. Spoon into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake @ 400 for 15-17 minutes of until cheese is bubbly. Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Note: I layer the pasta mixture with ricotta cheese (15 oz container divided and spread evenly between layers) and extra mozarella cheese a couple times. Finishing with a layer of mozarella and parmesan. Spinach/Cheese Quiche www.kraftfoods.com 1 cup sliced mushrooms (I use canned) 1 cup chopped onion 1 pkg (10oz) frozen spinach, thawed and drained 1/3 cup miracle whip 1/2 cup milk 4 eggs 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1 deep frozen prepared pie crust (9inch) 1/4 cup real baco bits Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray nonstick skillet with cooking spray, add mushrooms and onion. Cook 5 minutes or until tender. Break apart and stir in spinach, mix well. Mix dressing, milk, and eggs together until blended, add spainch mixture and cheese. Pour into pie shell, sprinkle with baco bits. Bake @ 375 for 50 minutes or until set. Quiche Lorraine http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quiche-Lorraine-I/Detail.aspx 1 deep frozen prepared pie crust (9 inch) 12 slices bacon 1 cup shredded swiss cheese 1/2 cup minced onion 4 eggs, beaten 2 cups light cream 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp granulated sugar 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper Preheat oven to 425 F. Place bacon in large skillet, and fry over med-high heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels, then chop coarsly. Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onion into pastry shell. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, salt, sugar and cayenne pepper. Pour mixture into pastry shell. Bake @ 425 for 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 300 F and bake an additional 30 minutes or until a knife inserted 1 in from edge comes out clean. Allow quiche to sit 10 minutes before cutting into wedges. Note: I use evaporated milk instead of cream, I fry the bacon most of the way and finish cooking it in the microwave to get it extra crunchy. Then I drained most of the grease, saving a small amount to saute the diced onion as well as 1 diced garlic clove. I used only 1/2 tsp salt, omitted the cayenne pepper, and included 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (as other Quiche Lorraine recipes call for it and I don't like spicy foods). I also mixed all the ingredients together in a big bowl before pouring into the pie crust, rather than the way the recipe calls for the bacon, cheese and onion to go in first.
Home Upgrading/Renovating and Ideas Master Bathroom 12-30-07: Since I just m/c'd I figured now would be a good time to paint our master bathroom cabinets white, as I've been wanting to do this for awhile. We're also going to take out the fluorescent lighting, add some drywall and put in three 5" recessed lights above the sink. After all that, the plan is to remove the sheet mirror and hang a framed mirror. I just need to work on finding a mirror large enough. Below are some of the before and after pics. Eventually we'd like to totally re-do the master bath... here are some ideas and inspiration pics:

(pics above from bio of brooke8281)

Kitchen ideas:

Formal Dining Room ideas:

Basement & Bar Area January 2008: The basement of our home was "finished" when we moved in; drop ceiling, carpet, paint etc. It just wasn't made for us. We also wanted to build a bar in the basement as my DH had done in our previous home. So after the m/c we set to work on adding in the bar! We recently decided to rip out all the drop ceiling tiles and paint the ceiling joists black. The walls are also getting a makeover with Behr color matched Benjamin Moore "Shenandoah Taupe". Pics to come soon! Study/Office 12-31-07: Some before pics of our office. The walls are an interesting faux leather gold wallpaper. A piece started to rip away and with a little help we realized we have wood paneling behind the wallpaper! Fun fun. The ceiling is a pale blue highlighted by interesting stencils featuring a rooster, reindeer and a wolf. It's all gotta go. I'm thinking of painting the paneling Cameroon Green by Ralph Lauren.
Home Decor - ongoing Christmas 2007 Photos
Our Home We bought our dream home in July 2007, a 4B, 3.5BTH colonial in a wonderful neighborhood complete with "commons" areas with jungle gyms for children, miles of walking paths and even a gazebo and tennis courts for association parties.

(Above pic taken during walk-thru).
Family Room We replaced the maroon sheers with maroon drapes.

Kitchen Eventually we'd like to replace the stark white formica with a warm colored granite, and also replace the cabinets at that time (similar color) and likely replace all the appliances too, perhaps to stainless. Cut out over the sink looks into family room, we have a double oven in the brick wall, and a nice buffet counter near the dining table. (Valentines Day placemats and napkins, normally they are a maroon plaid color).

Mud Room We love having a mud room! Eventually we'll replace the old cabinets, but otherwise this room works well for us. Coat closet in this room was turned into a storage closet for paper towels, light bulbds, dog food etc. (Pic taken during walk-thru with previous owners stuff in it).

Formal Living Room This room needs work... but we won't be replacing the furniture anytime soon at all because the room gets used so infrequently, so what color paint goes with green leather sofas? I'd like to remove the vertical blinds and put in serious window treatments with hardware, sheers and drapes. The carpet stays. If we had the money I'd love to do like a "cottage-chic" theme in here.

Formal Dining Room This room also needs work... we need to put in a chandelier (a simple light fixture is up now), paint, possibly put up wainscotting below the chair rail, replace vertical blinds with window treatments, purchase new dining room furniture (though I'd love to somehow coordinate it with my mother's hutch - honey colored wood), and DH wants to rip out the carpet in this room and put down hard wood floors). Again, we were thinking sort of a homey-country cottage feel for this room.

This pic below was taken during our walk thru. It's of the dining room looking in from the formal living room - the previous owners didn't have any furniture in there.

First floor 1/2 bath Possibly one of our favorite rooms in the house! Granite countertop, kohler toilet and sink. Love this room. The lights on the wall are set on a dimmer switch, which is cool. (Decorated with red carnations for Valentines Day).

Master Bathroom We have a tiny master bathroom, with a tiny stand up stall shower. Eventually we'd like to gut it and put in a new vanity with granite counter top (maybe a double sink vanity if there is room) and also re-do the shower. It's a project that isn't going to happen anytime soon though. The countertop is currently a blah faux-marble corian. We already: ripped out fluorescent lights and put in the 3 recessed lights above the sink (the soffet was already there housing the fluorescent lights), ripped out a sheet mirror that covered the entire wall there and painted and put up the frames mirror, and painted the dark wood cabinets white.

Guest Bath Guest Bedroom #1 - Queen bed Guest Bedroom #2 - Full bed Guest Bedroom #3 -Nursery
Entry Foyer
The pic above was taken during our walk-thru, and shows the formal living room empty - the previous owners didn't have any furniture in that room. Our first home Our first home was a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath ranch. My husband finished the basement himself and had help putting in the brick paver patio in the backyard. These pics were all taken in 2007.

Front landscaping:

Kitchen: Paint color is Pine Needle by Martha Stewart

Entry Way: Bench from Kmart, rug is "Block Island" from Lowes

Family Room: Paint color is Toffee Crunch by Behr

Master Bedroom: Paint color is Indulgent Mocha by Behr, window treatments and hardware from Bed Bath and Beyond

Master Bathroom: Paint color is Contemplation by Behr

Guest Bedroom:
Guest Bath: Paint color is July Sky (by Waverly?), Shower curtain and hand twels from Kmart

Study:

Basement and custom bar:

Basement 1/2 bath and urinal:

Backyard and Brick Paver Patio:

Just for Fun Just a few pics of me and my DH that I like. . . To try to remind myself of the good things in life (pre-miscarriage).