Home Sweet Home

Going into having the baby I was scared to spend the night in the hospital - I have never done that before and thought it would be awful. It was wonderful. I loved the bed and how easy it was to get in and out of. I loved that after Elizabeth Magee was born I only left the room one time in three days - one night I walked down to the nursery to see her - but besides that I stayed put. It was so nice to have the nurses and doctors come in with medicine, food, and baby. I felt very safe and like nothing bad could happen to me or baby the whole time we were there. Needless to say, I had no desire to go home...and the hospital said we could stay one more night but the weather was supposed to be bad on Thursday and I knew Oliver was miserable sleeping on the sofa.....so anyway, we decided to come home but it was a scary move...

I have to take a minute to brag on Oliver. Elizabeth Magee is a lot smaller than any of us thought and newborn clothes do NOT fit....like not even a little bit. So I had packed three "coming home" outfits but they all look awful b/c they are just too big! On Wednesday morning, Oliver went home before us with all the "stuff" - and came back to the hospital with a beautiful pale pink premie gown and bonnet! It made me cry! He went to Cotton Tails all by himself and picked it out - it is so pretty and Elizabeth Magee is lucky to have him for father!

The acutal "coming home" was a little anti-climatic b/c it was 1) just us, 2) the drugs wore off on the way home, and 3) the camera battery died so we didn't get any good pictures in her new outfit.

My mom came on Wednesday and left today. Poppy is spending the night with us tonight and my sis is FINALLY coming tomorrow! We have adjusted to being at home and everything is going smoothly. Yesterday we gave her the first sponge bath - which she didn't mind, went on her first walk (only made it five houses down the street), and had her first tummy time. We laid her on her stomach and she flipped over and then she lifted her head and turned it to the other side! Very advanced (or maybe a freak accident)!

We had a good doctor's appointment today - but go back Monday for a weight check! Hopefully she will start gaining weight - she is down to 5 and 1/2 ounces - the doctor is not worried and says this is normal but she needs to start gaining by Monday. She is such a good eater - she is a wonderful nurser and has lots of dirty diapers - so we are on track to gain weight - just pray that it happens!

All in all it is so nice to be home sweet home!

Elizabeth Magee has arrived!

We are very proud to annouce that Elizbeth Magee made her big debut on Sunday, February 20, 2011 at 5 pounds, 9 ounces. She is 19 and 3/4th inches long. Oliver and I aren't too suprised that she made an early entrance - since she has not of the most impatient parents in the world!

This is her birth story:

On Friday morning I was in Court and had the biggest (and really only incident) of pregnancy brain - I was walking from one courtroom to another and I thought to myself, "I have no idea what month it is".....I was trying to figure out if it was before graduation or after. I looked in my file and saw that it was February 18 according to the Order I had just entered! Friday night we went to a wine tasting to raise money for Carnival Cares. Of course, I couldn't have any wine but I sampled all the cheeses. Afterwards, we went to Quinton and Rebeccas' house and he boys had some bourbon. We got home around 11:15 p.m.

Oliver had to work Saturday morning so we set the alarm for 6:oo a.m. When the alarm went off, I got up and went to the bathroom and everything was fine. I got back in bed and about 5 minutes later I thought something didn't feel right. I went back to the bathroom and noticed that I was bleeding. I started yelling from the bathroom that we needed to go to the hospital. Oliver jumped out of bed and we got dressed in record time....Oliver drove us to Germantown Methodist - I have been giving him a hard ime b/c he didn't exactly sped and refused to put on his flashers and run a red light! But anyway, Oliver is always calm in emergencies - not so with the little stuff - but real good with the big stuff!

So once we got into the hospital and checked in, they hooked me up to a monitor and said I was having contractions - every 5 minutes - but I never felt them. All my family and friends came and sat and we were all real sure we would be having a baby. My mom was actually in Athens AL and raced to Memphis as quick as she could! But it turned out that Dr. Kennedy was able to stop the contractions, which stopped the bleeding, and he wanted to wait -at least a few more days. The worst part about the whole day was that they told me I couldn't eat until they made the decision about the c-section! It actually ended up only being until 1:00 p.m. but the thought of not being able to eat was enough to really bother me!

They kept me overnight and it was kinda nice - Oliver and I watched a movie and spent some time just hanging out - they gave me an ambien about 10:00 and I was out! Sunday morning we got up around 6:15. Oliver went to McDonlads and we had sausage biscuts and lattes . ARound 7:00 a.m. they put the monitor back on and saw that I had started having contractions again - no blood though! Dr. Kennedy decided that he should go ahead and take her before we had an oppourtunity to get into an emergcey situation. So we called our families, May went to the house to gather the remaning of our things, and I was sent down to the Labor & Delivery floor.

The worst part about the c-section (excluding recovery which the jury is still out on) was having to go into the OR by myself without Oliver. It was very bright and cold....a little embarrasing to have all those people looking at your naked...but modesty is over and they let him in after they got the curtain up. It was so quick - I don't know exacly how long the surgery lasted but it was quick and didn't hurt a bit! She came out perfect and crying. Oliver got to go right over to where they were cleaning her up and got to hold her. He brought her over the operating table so I could see and she is beautiful! We were able to have a pretty successfuly first breastfeeding session within an hour of the c-section. The nurses and doctors said we were really lucky because she missed having to spend her first 24 hours in an incubator by 20 grams (I'm not sure what that measures out to be)....but anyway we are very thankful for a perfect health baby girl.

After the c-section , the pain was bad but the nurses got it under contol with plenty of drugs! We had visitors - and it was a like a little birthday party - so much fun! At 4:00 we had another feeding and Elizabeth Magee already had a dirty diaper - which means my milk was good!

She slept in the nursery Sunday night and they brought her into my room to feed. The feeding was a lot harder on Day 2 than on Day 1 - think Elizabeth Magee was just really sleepy on Day 1 and didn't feel like causing any trouble by crying. Today, Day 2, we have had very successful feedings - only one that was really difficult around lunch. My mom came back and we played dress up with her and some newborn gowns - which absolutely swallowed her-- I don't think her clothes are going to fit for a few weeks!

I have only been a mama for a day and a half and I love it! Oliver has now changed two poop diapers which is amazing b/c as late as last week he was swearing he would never change one! We are so thankful to have a healthy baby - her original due date was March 21 - one moth from today! I cannot wait to see what Day 3 and thereafter hold for us - please come visit and meet her if you haven't already!

Almost Ready!

Only 20 days to go and the nursery is almost ready! The doctor's office rescheduled my c-section for Monday, March 7 at 7:30 a.m. I am so ready.......

Many many thanks to Leigh Allyn for coming this weekend and painting the pretty pictures! I am so thankful I won't even post any of the pictures I took of her painting!

So excited! I want to enjoy every mintue of the next 20 days but it's a little hard - in the last two weeks I've gotten big and uncomfortable. I'm most comfortable standing, walking, or laying down - sitting is the hardest.... Also, Oliver is in the thick of busy season so Ally and I are a little bit of Big 4 Widows right now - but the worst will be over by the time Elizabeth Magee makes her debut!

Non-Valentine's Day Gift

We don't do Valentine's Day at our house. Oliver has always said it's a commercial holiday and he won't support it. It has never bothered me. Growing up my parents always gave us chocolate and a card at breakfast but that was it - there were no giant ballons delivered to school or anything extravagent. So anyway, when we started dating I didn't have any huge expectations for Valentine's Day.....but Oliver would always send me flowers the day before or a few days before Valentine's Day. Just to cover his butt. Over the years, this has involved into a joke between us....he won't celebrate but he always makes a small purchase.

Earlier this week Oliver's aunt offered to let us borrow her bassinet for the baby. She made it herself, it was really cute, and I love anything passed down.... so I wanted to borrow it...but the problem was that she lives in Coloumbus and we were trying to arrange how to get it to Memphis. After bugging Oliver to find someone to go pick it up, Oliver comes home and says he is going to give me my non-Valentines gift early:

He and my friend Rebecca were sneaky and she picked it out and Oliver sent it to her house. I had been wanting a moses basket but hadn't been able to talk Oliver into it. Thankfully, Rebecca can sale anybody anything! I absolutely love it and can't wait to put my baby in it! Thanks Oliver! Thanks Rebecca!

Christening Gown & Easter Dress

Only four weeks to go! I have started to pack our hospital bag and am trying to convince Oliver to go ahead an install the car seat. We are going to Greenwood in two weekends for a make-up Christmas dinner (our Williams' family Christmas dinner was cancelled because of a flu outbreak) - and I've already told Oliver we have to pack everything we are taking to the hospital -- just in case!

My grandmother brought me the Christening gown that my great-grandmother, Vera Magee Buford, also known as Mammy, made for me when I was baptized:

Mammy handstitched this antique lace....it's such a beautiful heirloom we are scheduling Elizabeth Magee's baptism around when the dress fits! I think it makes it extra special that she is named after Mammy - I know she'll have plenty of family smiling down from heaven watching!

Yesterday I got EMW's Easter Dress back with the monogram:

Now I'm just looking for big French smocked bonnet to go along with it! She'll be almost 2 months old by Easter!

I'll post pictures of the nursery soon - all we lack is some artwork on the wall but Leigh Allyn is coming to take care of that this weekend!

Ideal Hospital Stay

This post is completely copied from the Pregnant Chicken blog....she had copied it from another blog but anyway I had to share because it's priceless and the ideal hospital stay:

Top Ten Reasons to Give Birth at the American Hospital in Paris10. You are guaranteed a spacious, private room.
9. No one will kick you out mere hours after giving birth. You can stay as long as you'd like. Really.
8. A one to one nurses to newborn ratio is maintaned at all times.
7. They moisturize your baby's skin with the most amazing smelling cream ever invented.
6. They are very liberal with the drugs during labor. No need to wait until you are 4 cm dialated for pain relief. All you have to do is ask once for pain relief and you'll get it.
5. Every room comes equipped with satellite TV and WiFi.
4. You can order a bottle of champagne sent to your room. It will be delivered by a guy wearing a tuxedo.
3. Three gourmet meals are delivered daily. A sample menu: crab salad on green apple gelée, free range chicken with taragon sauce and pommes dauphinoise, bread, cheese and of course, mini pastries for dessert. I loved the food so much, I even took a picture of it.
2. Wine served with every meal, of course.
1. A hairdresser and make-up artist on call to prep the you for your first photos after the birth of your bébé.

Of course, numbers 2 and 4 sound absolutely amazing....now that our c-section is FIVE weeks from today - the whole hospital stay/actual birth is really on my mind. I've never spent the night in the hospital. I've never had a broken bone much less major surgery! I'm nervous to say the least....I will probably panic on the actual day but the thought of getting to meet our baby will hopefully keep me from running away/having a real panic attack!