Tagged!

I have just been tagged by my dearest friend Nancy Cornwell. Here is the deal:

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer.

2) Select the 4th picture in the folder.
3) Explain the picture.
4) Tag 4 people to do the same. No cheating (cropping, editing, etc.)

This is a picture of my brother Erik and his wife Jennifer, me and my husband Andrew. It was taken 4 to 5 years ago (?) in Wisconsin on Lake Michigan. We were in Wisconsin for my Grandmother's Memorial Service. I know, sad event. However, she lived a long life and battled multiple cancers for many years. Now she is living a pain free life with Jesus in Heaven!

I don't know any other fellow blogger's, so I will be tagging a few people to post on Facebook. I will also be posting this on facebook. I now tag Jennifer Neil Jones, Rachel Lee Gerlach, Kelly Nicholson, and Amanda Kipp.

Almost 1 Month

This coming Sunday Kelsey will be 1 month old. I hope to have her weighed sometime this week to see just how much she has grown. Above are a few pictures, Enjoy!

1 Week Down!

We've had Kelsey home for over a week now. Things have been a little rough but we are making our way through it. Just last night she finally had a sleep pattern. She fed every three hours which gave me a little more sleep. Yeah! Above are a few more pictures of Kelsey. Tomorrow we go for our first pediatric appointment. I am sure all will go well.

Pictures

See today's blog below!

MORE KELSEY MARIE COBB

It all began Friday at 4:45 a.m. when my water broke. So...., I immediately took a shower, shaved, painted my toe nails; you know, the important stuff. At 6:45 am we called the doctor whom advised us to go to triage. Upon arrival at triage it was confirmed that my water had broken and I was having contractions that were about 2-3 minutes apart. In the early afternoon, I went ahead and received an epidural, which was wonderful for the most part. We had some issues with certain areas not receiving the anesthetic but I made it. Around 4 I was feeling pretty bad due to issues with the epidural. I was feeling my contractions, having TONS of pressure, and was nauseated. Then the babies and my heart rate dropped so I was put on oxygen, which only made everything worse; as far as how I was feeling. At 5:06 she was born after only having to push through 8-10 contractions. She weighed in at 6 pounds and 3 ounces and 19 inches long.

We can home tonight and all things are going well so far. Recovery has been soooo much easier than I had anticipated. I keep on waiting for it to get worse. She weighed in this morning at 5 pounds and 12 ounces. So, she's lost a little weight but this is normal. All and all, I have been very blessed. The labor and delivery could have been many times worse. But most important of all, she is a beautiful healthy girl. Above are some more pictures!

KELSEY MARIE COBB

Finally baby cobb has a name; Kelsey Marie Cobb. We have tons more pics to download but I wanted to get at least one out there for everyone to see. She is a healthy 6 lbs 3 oz and 19 inches long. Probably more like 18 inches; she had somewhat of a conehead and boy is it covered with hair. It's amazing how much hair she has. Currently she has brown hair and blue eyes. Although, this can change in the weeks to come. So far, she's been just sleeping a lot and not wanting to eat much. I will post more pics and information once I've gotten some sleep. Thanks to everyone for your prayers.

Baby Bump!

Above are pictures of my 38 week baby bump! Also, I was able to get all of my pictures back from the Dr. that were erased. So, above is a picture of her 4D ultrasound last week. I am beginning to drop a little. The doctor's appointment went well today. She passed her BPP again and I have dilated to 2 cm. I am beginning to finally feel the discomforts of late pregnancy, but nothing unbareable. In fact, the Dr. today commented that she couldn't believe I was still wearing heels this late in pregnancy. So, I must not feel too bad. Today was my last day at work. Finally, maternity leave! She'll be here before we know it. If not I will be induced on December 3, 2008. Our next and probably final appointment will be next Wednesday; one last BPP and exam.

Baby Update

Today's appointment went well. She is doing just fine and growing consistently. She weighs approximately 5 lbs 9 oz. This is an estimate though. This puts her in the 8th percentile. So she is moving up already. She once again passed her BPP. My dilation hasn't changed since last week. She was so cute today during the ultrasound. She was moving her mouth all around. She stuck her tongue out at me it was so cute! I planned on posting some pics. However, when I inserted my CD I realized that somehow the DR. office erased all my ultrasound pics off my CD, except for the ones from my very first ultrasound. Luckily, I have print outs of all of them and had re saved most of my older ones. It's still upsetting though. There were some really cute ones. We'll see how things go next week. Hopefully, I will have dilated more. I am ready for this little one to be here.

36 Weeks and Counting

The picture above is an ultrasound showing that she has hair. If you can see the skull, the light/white areas around it are hair. She definitely has more than peach fuzz they say. We'll see what color soon!

We had another BPP (Bi-lateral physical profile) today. This is the ultrasound that measures her well being. They were actually training a USI student today, so I got to learn a lot about reading ultrasounds and the BPP and what it's purpose is.

BPP measures three things in an ultrasound; amniotic fluid, tone/movement, and breathing. When measuring the tone they look for a good strong movement whether it by a kick, finger flick, or squirm, and it has to be within 30 minutes of the beginning of the ultrasound. If the baby has a good tone this means her movement is great. Basically, an infant in distress would not be able to move much, let alone give a good tone. So whenever I feel her moving inside me this means she is doing great.

Today she passed her BPP again. Fluids were down but still with in the normal range. I have lost a little weight and my blood pressure has dropped a little but these are of no concern. It could be due to swelling that has gone down and/or improper measures. Also, baby has now turned and is in proper position meaning she is no longer breeched. Yeah! I am currently 1 cm dilated which according to the Dr. is normal and a good starting point for 36 weeks.

As mentioned in previous posts, IUGR babies tend to be delivered by Cesarean and/or early. I asked about this today and the Dr. is planning on NOT inducing labor. As the facts stand currently we are shooting for the same due date and a normal delivery.

It is getting closer with each passing day and I am getting really nervous about the whole labor process but I know I will be fine. Thanks again to everyone for all of your prayers and support!

She Has Hair!!!

We are now almost 9 mos; will be as of this coming Tuesday. We had our appointment today. They said as of last weeks measurement she was 4 pounds 1 ounce. The average baby around this age is approximately 5 and 1/2 pounds. They predict she will be at most 6 pounds when born, however, she will probably be about 5 and 1/2. Who knows though she may gain quickly. Today they actually confirmed that she has IUGR "Intrauterine-Growth Retardation." This is what they label babies that are under the 10th percentile. She is in the 6th. She is perfectly normal it is her growth that is retarded. Infants with IUGR are more likely to be delivered before full term and by C-section. They have not said that this is going to happen. So I am under the assumption that I am going to carry normally unless told different in the coming weeks. IUGR babies will usually catch up to the normal averages with in the first couple years. So it is not permanent.

The ultrasound today was another 4-D so I got to see that beautiful face in motion again. As usual she was sucking her thumb. We also discovered that she has hair. They assessed her movements and she passed with flying colors. In the first picture above she has both hands in front of her mouth, sucking on a finger. The second one, her eye is open and I think it's creepy, but she is still cute. The third is a profile picture of her with her fists in front of her face.

To summarize, all is well and looks great. Everything is normal except for her growth/size. This is a blessing. Hopefully all will continue to go as well. We have another ultrasound and appointment next Thursday to assess movement again.

Camping Trip, Bonfire, & Hayride!

Baby Cobb this past weekend went on her first camping trip, bonfire, and hayride. Saturday night the Cobb's and many other families (about 25-30 people approximately) met at Audubon State Park in KY for the annual "camping" trip. But don't think we roughed it. Each family has their own cabin and the weekend is filled with socializing, eating, games, and shopping. This was the second year the Cobb's were invited and once again we had lots of fun! Above are a couple pictures from Audubon.

On Sunday, we went to our friends, Chris and Jaleigh's House for a bonfire and hayride. Jaleigh is a member of my small group from church. Our group and a few others met for a bonfire, wiener roast, and hayride through Bonneville, IN. We had lots of fun! Baby Cobb is looking forward to next year already. :) Above is a picture of the girls from the West Side and East Side (my group) small group.

Also above are a few pictures of the nursery. As you can see we have a crib! And I must say Andrew put it together all by himself. I was so proud! He did a great job. The nursery is almost finished. We still have a few things to paint and then we can post pictures of the other side of the room. I am still trying to figure out what to put on the walls. If anyone has suggestions please post a comment or e-mail me.

As many have asked; we still don't have a definite name yet. However, we are trying to figure it out. As I said in the prior post our next appointment is October 30; this Thursday. I will post ASAP to keep everyone updated on Baby Cobb's health.

Thanks again for all of your prayers!

Baby Shower Cookout!

A lot has happened since I last blogged. We had a fun cookout baby shower in Nashville a couple weekends ago. Above are a few pictures from it. It was hosted by my brother Erik and his wife Jennifer (pictured above underneath Andrew and I). They did a great job! Thanks guys! It was great to get to see everyone again. Andrew and I can't begin to express how grateful we are to everyone who has helped and supported us through this pregnancy. We are so appreciative.

We purchased her crib last week so it should be here any day now. We are currently in birthing classes and learning a lot. I think they scar me more than help me. However, I am still learning a lot. Like where I need to go when I am in labor and the earliest I can receive an epidural. You know, the important stuff!

We had an ultrasound today to measure size again. Unfortunately, she has fallen again below the 10th percentile. She measured at the 6th. This means I will go weekly now and have an ultrasound at each visit. The ultrasound is a different type though. It will measure movements, etc. It is to determine if she is healthy. Then at 36 weeks they will begin to monitor if she needs to be delivered early. On a good note, everything about her is normal. She has a great heart rate, good blood flow in the umbilical cord, she is growing consistently, and moving all of the time. It could be that she is just genetically small. We will also undergo various different types of testing due to her size. At this point I am not sure exactly what. However, they are mandatory for all babies below the 10th percentile. I will keep you posted when I find out more. We have our next appointment next Thursday.

Other than that we have just been extremely busy with work life, social life, school, and preparing for this baby. We've just been running around crazy. However, it is all worth it!

Baby Shower Open House

This past Sunday we had our first Baby Shower. It was hosted by my sister and mother-in-law Anne and Brett; pictured with me above. It was wonderful. We had a great turn out and received so many great gifts. Thank you to Anne and Brett and everyone who attended. Unfortunately, I was unable to take many pictures due all the socializing. This coming weekend we have another shower in Nashville. I will have to remember to take more pictures there.

We recently purchased her nursery chair and put it together and I just finished painting her nightstand. Only a few more things to paint. We hope to purchase her crib in the next week or two. So, I will post some pictures when the Nursery is finished.

We have a doctor's appointment next week, just a regular check-up, but hopefully we'll find out when our next ultrasound will be.

31 Weeks and Counting

Today we had a regular check-up and all is well. Babies heart rate is great at 148. I met with a different Doctor. I have been on Doctor rotation so that when I go into labor 1 of the 4 is guaranteed to be there if my doctor can not. I met the Dr. that is on call during Thanksgiving which is really close to my due date and I really like her. I have liked all of them so far. So that's good news. We have another regular appointment in two weeks and then we will schedule another ultrasound to check on her growth.

Not much else is new. I have my shower in Evansville this coming Sunday. So that will be fun.

We are still working on a name. We pretty much have it narrowed down to a couple names. Andrew and I are just holding ground with our favorites. We just may need to see her first.

Baby Cobb in 4-D!

Unexpectedly our ultrasound today was in 4D. It was exciting! We got to see her face and body, it was surreal. The pictures above are only a glimpse into what we were able to see. They are a little distorted in areas due to her constant movement and the fluids around her, but it is still a great visual. The second one will take a little time but look at it for a while and you'll see her. The third is just a regular ultrasound pic of her profile. While the ultrasound was being conducted we were looking at her face and she literally waved at us, twice! It was so cute! Granted I realize she was just moving but it was a definite wave. It was a little blessing to be able to see kind of what she looks like before she is born.

As far a her health, we are happy to say that she has moved up to the 12th percentile. This means she is still really small but healthy. It was really important that she be at least above the 10th percentile. If she stays at this size she will be around 5 lbs when she is born. As of today, she weighs 2 lbs 12 ounces. It's hard to believe she will grow that much in 10 weeks. She is moving all the time and pasted all of the exams they performed during the ultrasound. Meaning, she is HEALTHY, just teeny.

The Doctor was pleased with the results of our appoinment today. We have another regular check up this coming Monday and then two weeks following that. Dr. said that they are going to perform another ultrasound is about 3 to 4 weeks, just to keep an eye on her development.

Thanks to everyone for all of your prayers!

Dr. Appointment Update

Today we went to the doctor for another check-up. This was a routine examination so really no new information. All things are normal, however, the Dr. moved up my ultrasound to this coming Monday instead of two weeks from today. She just wants to go ahead with re-measure, etc so that we can see if she has grown at all and make sure that all things are okay. Pray she has!

Other than that, not much else is new. Hurricane Ike took its toll on the Tri-State area. Luckily our house sustained no damage. Many others were not as lucky.

The picture above is me and my sister-in-law Jennifer. They came up about two weeks ago to visit.

Welcome Third Trimester!

I have officially entered the Third Trimester. Only 3 more months till we see Baby Cobb face to face. In the meantime, we had an eventful appointment this past Tuesday. I was tested for gestational diabetes, which came back negative and we also had another ultrasound. I wish I had more pics but she wasn't cooperating for us. Although, I think the pictures above of her head and ribs is neat.

As for what the Dr. said I wish I had better news. Baby Cobb was in the 23rd percentile at 5 months which was small but okay. However, she has since dropped to the 5th percentile. Dr. said that this means she is abnormally small for her age. It could be due to multiple reasons though. It could be stress, the placenta may not be properly attached meaning she doesn't get the nutrients she needs, or it could be that the ultrasonographer measured a millimeter off when doing the ultrasound. So this is some troublesome news, however, the Dr. reassured us by saying that in the ultrasounds conducted there has been no abnormalities noted, which is good.

So, what now? Well, I go to the doctor a week from Monday for another regular check up. We won't find out any information at this visit. But we go back for an ultrasound 3 weeks from Monday and should find out more then. Until then pray Baby Cobb catches up, at least to the 20th percentile.

Her nursery is coming along. We've finished most of the painting and have gotten her dresser. We still have to paint some furniture and buy some furniture. I will post more pics of the nursery once there has been progress.

Pictures!

Okay, so I have been asked for an updated picture. Let me tell you, the camera is not friendly when you are pregnant. UGH! But anyways, here is a pic. Not a great one but hopefully, it portrays my current size. Also I included a picture of her bedding for those who haven't seen it. We have purchased the paint for the nursery and hope to begin on it soon. There is also a picture of one of her baby bags I purchased last weekend. Of course, Vera Bradley! Nancy, don't hate me, I know you liked this pattern hopefully you won't be mad. Please! I figured the state separation made it okay.

All is well here. Just moving along. I've been tired lately and it's beginning to become hard to move around from particular positions; sitting, sleeping, etc. But nothing too big deal. My biggest challenge is still my diet. But I think it's hard for anyone to continually put on weight with little to no control over when it happens and where it goes. At least in my case. I hope it comes off after pregnancy!

On a happier note, each day I feel her moving more and more. Andrew and I have signed up for a few classes. In October we will begin our Child Birthing Class and in November we will be taking a breastfeeding class, as well as, a Pediatric CPR class. Hopefully, we'll be as prepared as one can be, considering.

Getting Bigger and Bigger!

We had another appointment this past Monday and the doctor confirmed, or shall I say the scale confirmed, my consistent growth. This is good though for Baby Cobb, so bring on the pounds! Well, at least the needed ones. Anyway, nothing really new. I am now 6 months along and the time is flying. I am now constantly feeling her kick and boy is she active! It's probably all that sugar I feed her. :) Momma has a weakness! Does anyone have Oreos; double stuffed?

Andrew and I have just been in constant prep mode. We have finished replacing our roof, thank goodness. We've been ripping apart our whole house. I think half of our house right now is primer and not paint. We currently are decorating everything, moving stuff around, cleaning up, installing things, and tearing apart our bathroom. Poor Andrew has his hands full.

We get to see our baby girl again on September 2. This is our next appointment. We'll have another ultrasound and the glucose test, to test for gestational diabetes. So, pray all goes well.

This vs. That

For those of you who do not currently have children; Beware! of the choices. We started the registry process this past weekend and oh the decisions. It's overwhelming! I thought I was prepared. I can't tell you how many nights/hours I've spent researching this and that. For me, it's fun, but overwhelming. Cloth or disposable diapers, BPA containing or BPA-Free bottles, Organic or Regular, consumer ratings, safety ratings, and it goes on and on. Of course, it's not a perfect world and you can't make all the right choices. However, I'd like to try and get it right the first time. Hopefully soon I will make my choices and finalize a couple registries.

No real updates right now. I am at 21 weeks, which is about 5 1/2 months. We are currently trying to think of names. So, we are open to any suggestions. I still can't really feel movement. At this stage, I should be feeling it. So, I guess I do and don't realize that that is what it is. Our next appointment is August 4th. It will be pretty uneventful just a check up, no ultrasound. Back to researching.

The Results are In !!!

Per our Poll, the majority predicted that it was a Boy. However, IT'S A GIRL!!! Andrew knew with out a doubt that she was a girl. I, on the other hand, had no idea. I kind of thought she might be a boy. I was wrong. The ultrasound experience was quite amazing. Being able to see her little body for the first time was miraculous. The technician confirmed that she has all her fingers and toes and is currently a healthy little girl. Although, she only made the 23rd percentile in size. This means she is a little small for her age, but the OBGYN said it's nothing to worry about. Andrew and I are so excited and can't wait to begin decorating and preparing for her coming in November/December.