And We're Back....

at the hospital that is...

When we left the hospital on Wednesday, Lily was a little yellow so they told me to watch her, and if she looked more yellow on Thursday to call. Well, she ended up looking more yellow on Thursday so off to the doctor we went. She had lost down to 6 pounds, 12 ounces and the doctor ordered a bilirubin test. We had to leave and wait on the results, and unfortunately we were late in the day being seen so we were worried if we'd get the results back before places closed.

We were told that she had levels at 19.3 and that was pretty high for as young as she was so she needed to be admitted to the hospital. We got our things together and headed back to the second floor at Wilson Medical. She is currently receiving phototherapy and eating every two hours from me and 2 ounces of formula. When they checked her levels again last night they had gone down to 16.8 so that was excellent news. They just came in and did another test so we will see what her levels look like soon. 

She has been a trooper through all of this! She is making Mommy and Daddy look like big ole babies! She seems to be doing better, but we'll just keep praying that she continues on the up swing.

She's Here!!!

Lily Marie Koufopoulos arrived on August 31, 2010 at 1:59 am. She was three weeks early, but weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces, and was 20 inches long. We are completely in love with this tiny person. She is absolutely perfect and looks just like her Daddy. I want to document the events leading up to her birth so I don't forget any aspect of it, so here it goes...

Around 5:00 am on Monday, August 30 I woke up because I felt a little trickle and thought I had peed the bed. I got up went to the bathroom and laid back down. In the back of my mind I thought maybe my water had broken, but I decided there was no way because I was only 36 weeks, 6 days pregnant. Well, at 5:15 am I had the same sensation, jumped out of bed, and muttered "oh shit". Chris immediately woke up, and I told him that I thought my water had broken, and of course he asked if I had peed the bed. We decided to go ahead and call the hospital to see what to do. At this point I wasn't having any contractions so I was still holding onto the fact that maybe my water really hadn't broken...silly me. Labor and Delivery told me to come in and get checked out because it sounded like my water had broken. Chris and I had nothing together, so we got everything we thought we might need together and headed to the hospital. At this point my water was just leaking a little so I thought we were doing pretty good.

We pulled into the hospital, parked, and Chris got me out of the car. As soon as I stood up the flood gates opened. I'm talking the whole bottom half of me was SOAKED! I squished my way in my flip flops into the Emergency Room where I was put in a wheel chair to get registered. Chris and I were dying laughing because I was leaving a trail everywhere I went! When we got up to Labor and Delivery they had me stand up to get my weight, and yet again the flood gates opened, and we laughed until we cried. 

Around 6:00 am I got changed, into bed, and hooked up to the monitors where we learned that I was having some contractions. They checked me, and I was 2 cm dilated and 80 % effaced. The doctor wanted to see what I could do as far as laboring on my own before introducing anything to help me out, so we started playing the waiting game. At some point, I decided that I needed to call school and let them know that I would not be there, and Chris had to call his work to let them know. We didn't call our families right away because we needed some time to let all of this sink in that this was for real. When we finally did call them, they were thrilled and starting making plans to come down.

By 12:00 pm I was only at 3 cm, 80 % effaced so they decided to start me on pitocin to help get things moving. My parents, brother, and Kristin all arrived sometime after this because they couldn't wait to meet little miss Lily. It was so nice to have everyone there to distract me from the waiting game. I wasn't in a whole lot of pain when they arrived, so it was fun to sit and visit. Things start to get a little hazy after this point, and I have no idea as far as a time line goes...

They kept upping my pitocin level every 30 minutes to help get my contractions into a regular pattern, and sometime late (9:00 pm?) into the evening it became more then my Lamaze breathing could help me with, so I decided to get a dose of Stadol. This is a very interesting drug. I felt so drunk after taking it, and I remember telling everyone that it made my eyes too heavy and I couldn't keep them open. It took enough of the edge off of the pain that I could deal with it again. By the time I could have my second dose, I was dying for it. My contractions were coming one on top of the other, with very little break between them. It was time for me to get my third dose, but I needed to PUSH!! 

I started pushing, and oh my goodness it hurt so bad!! I pushed several times, but I just couldn't get her under my pubic bone, so the doctor had to help me out with a vacuum. Arrived screaming and perfect. It was the most amazing experience of my life, and I couldn't have done it without Chris. He sat there with me through 21 hours of labor, telling me when my contractions were coming, getting me ice or water, and just reminding me that there was going to be an amazing reward at the end of all of this pain. We are so in love and cannot wait to show her to the world :)

Today is the day!!!

As you know, Chris and I have been living apart since November due to him getting a new job 2 hours away from my school, and me not wanting to leave my fourth graders in the middle of the year. Well, I'm happy to say last night was the last night I had to sleep alone!!!! I have a workday at school today that Chris is driving in to help me move things out on, and then I will be with him for good!!! (I still have to go in for another workday on Monday, but that's ok.) I cannot tell you how excited I am. I feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve. I cannot wait to be with him full time again :-D. I just needed to share my giddiness with someone!

No real baby updates to report, she's still just hanging out having fun kicking and punching around. I can't wait to kiss her sweet little face! However, I'd prefer she stay put for a few more months.

School ended yesterday with a half day. This year has been completely different from last, the kids were just so different. I will miss them, but I am glad to say I finished my first full year of teaching. The plan for next year is still in the air, but we're thinking I'm just going to stay out of work until at least January. We have some fun things planned with Chris's family this weekend, so I'll post some pictures when I can :)

Happy Friday!!!

Greatest Team EVER!

It's on days like today that I realize I am surrounded by the most amazing people. I adore the people I work with, and I am so sad to be leaving them in a week. I will miss their companionship so much. Without these ladies there is no way I would have made it through my first year and a half of teaching. They are strong, amazing teachers!

They threw me the BEST baby shower ever today. We were able to enjoy yummy snacks, good fellowship, and Baby Girl Koufopoulos was able to receive some wonderful gifts! I do not have pictures to add right now because I forgot my camera, but Linda took some for me and I will add them as soon as she gives them to me. I love you girls so much! Thank you for an awesome party!

Pictures

Here are some ultra sound pictures of our beautiful baby girl:

Here's our little peanut at 8 weeks

Here's our baby girl at 20 weeks! She's so much bigger!!


I have yet to take any pictures of me with my little belly, but I will post those as soon as I make some.

We are trying desperately to come up with names for this little one. I'm convinced she will be "Baby Girl Koufopoulos" for the rest of her life. If you have any cute suggestions let me know!

Oopsie Daisy

I have been a terrible blogger again...my bad. Things are just currently crazy trying to get things ready for baby, and finish out the school year (only one week left!!). I'm so excited to be finishing things up at school, and begin living with my hubby again (I miss him lots). Baby and I are doing very well. Things have looked wonderful at my appointments. Here's a baby update:

How far along? 24 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain/loss: still -1 pound from pre-pregnancy weight

Maternity clothes? yes!

Stretch marks? some

Sleep: depends on which of my beds i'm sleeping in. i love the bed at our apartment, b/c it's memory foam and allows me to sleep longer and more comfortably.

Best moment this week: watching my belly jump as this sweet baby moves around

Movement: tons! i'm starting to figure out her schedule so i know when she'll move the most.

Food cravings: nothing specifically, i just want to eat all of the time!

Gender: it's a GIRL

Labor Signs: none thank goodness!

Belly Button in or out? in, but after i eat i can make it pop out which really grosses chris out

Wedding rings on or off? on

What I miss: sleeping on my belly. chris promises to dig a hole in the sand at the beach so i can lay on my belly

What I am looking forward to: moving back in with chris so he can experience all of these new things with me instead of just hearing about them

Weekly Wisdom: take others' advice with a grain of salt. what was true/worked for them is not always the way to go for you

Milestones: seeing our baby girl move from the outside. she's a big kicker and loves to make my belly jump all around

I'm spending the rest of the weekend at Momma and Daddy's b/c I had to go to school on Saturday, so that's it for now. The puppies need some quality sister time :)

Baby Update

I'll try and post pictures of my ever growing belly this weekend.

How far along? 17 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: lost another 5 pounds as of last Tuesday

Maternity clothes? yes! all my non-maternity clothes are tight! on the plus side though i get to show off my belly when i wear non-maternity shirts

Stretch marks? some, but not on the belly

Sleep: it's getting much better. i loved to sleep before i was pregnant, and now i love it more than ever

Best moment this week: hearing the hearbeat at the doctor's office last tuesday

Movement: some. it's getting harder to tell if the thumps i feel are gas or baby

Food cravings: i am still in love with water with lemon, and i cannot seem to get enough vegetables. they are just way too yummy

Gender: we find out may 7! my prediction is boy and chris's is girl

Labor Signs: none thank goodness!

Belly Button in or out? in, but no one told me that it was going to do strange things like change sizes. it's a lot bigger than it used to be!

Wedding rings on or off? on

What I miss: sweet tea. i'm trying to be careful with the sugar and caffine, but very once in a while i have to have just a little :)

What I am looking forward to: chris being able to feel the baby move

Weekly Wisdom: enjoy every second of everything (even the puking) because it will all be over so soon

Milestones: my body is stretching and preparing for this baby. i've been so achy thanks to all of this round ligament pain

Happy Easter!

We have been busy so far this weekend trying to see everyone. All we can keep thinking about is how different next year will be :) We're so excited! We spent Friday afternoon, evening, and Saturday morning in Chapel Hill with Chris's family, and we're spending the rest of the weekend in Lexington hanging out with my family (some we haven't seen in a long time). I'm very excited also because Spring Break has started, and I get to spend an entire week hanging out with my husband :)

As far as the pregnancy, things are moving right along! My belly has started popping out major! Chris was shocked when he saw me on Friday. I'll try and post some pictures soon. I'm still getting sick some, but I'm having good days, so that makes things easier :) We go back to the doctor on Tuesday for blood tests to make sure everything's is moving along like we think it is. I cannot wait to hear my baby's heartbeat again!!

Happy Easter!

Update

I've been terrible about updating regularly. School has been overwhelming lately and our weekends have been busy actually getting to spend time together :) I found this cool survey thing that I wanted to share to update about the little one

How far along? 15 weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: lost 1 lb at the last doctor appointment in march but it was probably really more then that

Maternity clothes? some...the pants are just more comfortable so they are becoming a staple in my wardrobe. even though i've lost weight, it has moved to the belly area

Stretch marks? some, but not on the belly

Sleep: i miss it. it's been hard to find a position that i'm comfortable in where my back doesn't hurt and my hip bones aren't digging into the mattress

Best moment this week: listening to chris talk to the baby at night. it's become a ritual that i lay the phone on my belly and he talks with the baby. it's the sweetest thing ever!

Movement: none since march 18 and that was the coolest thing ever

Food cravings: i had a major craving for taco bell that was satisfied last night :) i have been obsessed with water with lemon!

Gender: we find out in may :) i keep having dreams about boys and chris had one last night about a girl

Labor Signs: none thank goodness!

Belly Button in or out? in

Wedding rings on or off? on

What I miss: sleeping on my belly!

What I am looking forward to: going back to the doctor next week to hear the little one :)

Weekly Wisdom: take it easy and really start taking care of yourself

Milestones: the baby can hear now so we're making a point of talking and singing to the baby

The coolest thing happened today...

I was sitting at the dentist office getting my teeth cleaned, and I had this really strange feeling in my tummy. It felt like a little flutter, and it kept happening. I finally realized that I WAS FEELING MY BABY!!! I almost jumped out of the chair! The poor lady cleaning my teeth was looking at me like I was crazy, but I explained and she realized the reason for my sudden excitement. It was the strangest feeling ever.

I forgot to up date after the doctor appointment last week, but all is well. We were able to hear the heartbeat on the Doppler, and that was pretty neat. No new ultrasounds, but we did find out that at our May appointment we will find out if it's a boy or a girl. I am definitely starting to "look" pregnant. I don't have a huge belly or anything, but there's a bump there that wasn't there before.

We cannot wait to see our baby again, and now I can't wait for Chris to be able to feel it move. This is the greatest experience ever, and we can't wait to meet our little one!

March 10

We think about you every day Brandon. It doesn't hurt as bad as it used to, but we still miss you something terrible. We wish so bad you were here to celebrate with us that we're having a baby :) We were talking about that the other day about how excited you'd be. I hope you had a wonderful birthday in heaven. We love you!

Spring Fever

This weekend has been absolutely fantastic :) The weather has been wonderful, and seeing Chris is always fantastic. I'm getting ahead of myself though....I'll recap the week:

The weeks seem to drag on forever, but this week was a little different. The baby received it's first baby gift on Monday morning thanks to Mrs. Gantos. She had a sweet little rattle laying on my desk when I got in. We had some winter weather during the middle of the week, which had school canceled on Wednesday. I exercised my option to not work that day and enjoyed laying around and working on school work. It was finally Friday, and I got to leave to see Chris! That's my favorite thing to do!

We were both feeling yucky this weekend, but the beautiful weather and our busy schedules forced us to power through. Chris had to work on Saturday, but I came to his rescue with McDonald's for lunch :) Sunday we slept late, looked for cars, ate a wonderful lunch, and bought some new clothes that we both really needed. It was a fantastic day!

We are looking forward to next week, we have another doctor's appointment on Friday :) We are hoping that they do another ultrasound, because we cannot wait to see our baby. We have been reading old wives tales to try and predict if it's a boy or a girl, but we have no real evidence either way. I guess we'll just have to keep waiting.

14 Reasons Why I Love Him...

In honor of our 14 month anniversary (yesterday) here are the top 14 reasons I love my husband:

14. He has the absolutely sweetest smile.
13. He can always make me laugh (and always knows when I need a good one).
12. He accepts me at my worst.
11. When I'm puking my guts out because of our wonderful little surprise, he always fixes me fresh water and makes sure I'm ok.
10. He makes the BEST grilled cheese :)
9. He lets me sleep in the middle of the bed.
8. When he looks at me, I still get those butterflies from when we first started dating.
7. He takes the best care of me.
6. He always opens the door for me and waits until I'm completely in.
5. He gives the best hugs! He never lets go before I'm ready.
4. He loves to be with my family.
3. He lets me play games with him even though I'm really bad at them.
2. He thinks I'm pretty even when I just wake up and look like a hot mess.
1. He has given me the best gift ever that we get to meet in September :)

New Things

I have finally decided to enter back into the blogging world. We've had lots of changes around here that we're really excited about. Chris is officially moved into the new place and LOVING his job. I'm still at the old job counting down the days until I can join him. We had a wonderful holiday season full of family and fun.

We decided in December that we were ready to start trying to have a baby, and we were extremely lucky and successful. I went to the doctor in February, and was 8 weeks along. Currently I am about 10 weeks, 5 days. We are super excited about all of this and feel extremely blessed. We were able to see the baby in February and hear the heartbeat. This was an amazing experience for the both of us. We cannot wait to go back to the doctor in a few weeks to see the baby again. We are both already so in love with this baby it's amazing!

I am going to try and be a more regular blogger with this blog. I really want to document every event in this pregnancy and our lives together. It's so funny because we're still learning so much about being married, and now we get to embark on this wonderful adventure together. I cannot think of another person I'd rather be in this boat with :)

Here are some pictures from the first ultrasound: