Madison Elizabeth's Birth Story

     My original due date was November 22nd. 10 days after my own birthday. Uncle Ricky's is the 18th, Cousin Ryan is the 19th & Mimi's is the 25th! Needless to say, we have a lot of November birthdays in this family.
     At my last few doctors appointments, I had progressed very little. This being the case, my doctor thought that I might go past my due date. I was not happy to hear this, but like they say, "baby will come, when baby is ready". Unlike a lot of other pregnant women out there, I didn't try to hard to induce labor on my own. Some women will drink crazy things, walk a million miles, bounce on huge yoga balls, or have lots of sex. Honestly, I was too big & lazy at this point to do any of those things.
     The Sunday before my due date, Mom & I went to the mall. I did end up walking for about 4 hours. After I thought about it, I did hope that it would help a little bit. Maybe give me a few strong contractions to help me dilate. But it didn't.
     The 22nd came, & since doc said Id probably go past my due date, I wasn't expecting anything to happen. Guess I was wrong.
     At 10:30pm, I started having contractions that were growing closer & closer together. The intensity wasn't so bad, but I called the triage nurse anyways. I was told to come into Labor & Delivery right away. I had been kind of slack the last few weeks so we really didn't have our "hospital" bag packed. So in a mad rush, I grabbed random items. A onesie, wipes,  my inhaler, & t shirt. I guess the reality that baby could really be coming clouded my thinking & made me a little nutso.
     Steve goes to tell his parents that "it's baby time" & Butch couldn't believe it. (at 10:20pm, Butch had made a comment that she only had a little more time to make it on her due date)
     We drove in the Mini to the hospital & I was checked in right away. At this point, the contractions were still coming, but getting further & further apart. I was uncomfortable so they did give me an injection for pain. Mom, Jesse & Michellei had shown up, hoping that it was the real deal. But sadly, we were all a tad disappointed. After 4 hours of monitoring contractions & the baby, they ended up sending me home. I figured they would. So it was no big deal.
     At home by 3am, I take a benadryl & hope to get some sleep. At 4am, I was woken up from severe cramping & back pain. I thought I may just have to use the bathroom, so I did. The pain was UNREAL & kept coming in waves. This was DEFINITELY the real thing. After 1 hour of sleep, I had to wake Steve up once again to take me back to L & D. I was moaning & groaning & could not believe how intense the pain was.
     The same nurse was there when we got back & I'm sure she thought I was just overreacting, but I was in some serious pain. Back in room 204, I was told to strip down & was attached to the monitors. The contractions were coming on fast & painful. I felt like I was dying. I couldn't stop crying & trying to catch my breath was almost impossible. Steve did his best to comfort me but there was little to be done.
     Dr. Salvemini, my OB, was not on call, so I had to see Dr. Craddock. I was still at 2cm (which I had been for 2 weeks) after another 4 hours of monitoring. He sent me home with sleeping pills & said to wait it out at home. He said that since I was so tense & could not let my body relax, I wouldn't be able to progress as he would like. I was unbelievably upset. I could not understand why a doctor would send me home in this much pain. He said there was nothing he could do & he had to send me home. I called him a very nasty name & got my clothes on. I later regretted being so harsh, but the pain took over.
     Once we got home, I pretty much collapsed in the driveway during another painful contraction. My poor husband was pretty much exhausted from sleeping 1-3 hour stretches during these visits to the hospital, that it was all he could do to get me upstairs.
     I finally made my way up to the bed & managed to fall asleep in between contractions. They were about 4 minutes apart, but the sleeping pills he gave me were pretty strong. Honestly, I had never made, nor heard, such awful sounds come from a human. I was screaming so loud during each contraction, that poor Taylor thought it was one of the dogs howling.
     Mom had just made it to the house & up the stairs when my water broke. I felt such extreme pressure during that contraction that I couldn't help but push. It felt like I had just wet myself, not a huge gush. Steve had to lift my leg to check, & Mom said that my water had definitely broken. They tried to get me out of bed & I just couldn't move on my own. I was screaming for them to call 911, but Steve said he could get me to the hospital a lot faster.
     Between contractions I made my way down the stairs, to the car. My water broke a little bit more in the car. Totally missing the towel Steve had laid out for me. I was so out of it from the sleeping pills, that between those awful contractions I was forgetting to breath. Mom kept tapping me on the shoulder to get my attention to breath. Of course, baby decides to be born on the day before Thanksgiving, so Steve is weaving in & out of Thanksgiving traffic on 485 to get us back tot he hospital, for the 3rd time! This time, they better not send me home or I will be liable to hurt someone.
     When Mom called my doctor back, they told her to bring me to the actual doctor's office, not L & D, since my primary OB was there. They wheel me into the lobby, pants soaked from my water breaking, screaming! They strip me down & check my cervix. I could NOT believe it.... but I had gone from 2cm to 9cm in 1 hour. 1 HOUR! After she checked me, my water broke the rest of the way all over the exam table. Good thing the office was in the hospital, so they took me right over to L & D.
     I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to get an epidural since I was progressing so fast. Before they would administer the epidural, they had to start an IV in my hand & get fluids going. I have always had trouble with IVs in my hand since my veins are so small. I asked if she could put it in my right arm, but they said it wouldn't work with having to bend my arms. The anesthesiologist came into my room & said I was too far gone. I yelled a profanity & got the epidural! Still being affected by the drowsiness of the sleeping pills, it was easy for me to just close my eyes, focus on being really still so they could get this done.  It did not hurt one bit, like a lot of women say it does. It felt like a normal shot, just in my spine.
     No pain... there was no pain. I felt nothing for the first time in hours. I was so calm & quiet after the epidural kicked in, one of the nurses commented on how she wasn't sure how they were going to get this baby out with me being so relaxed. I couldn't believe how good I felt. Pat was there to rub my feet & hit some pressure points that are known to induce labor. Since my progression had stalled long enough for me to get the epidural & have time to kick in that I had a little down time before having to start that hard part.
     Dr. Salvemini came in to check me & said that she is probably not going to deliver. It was her last day of work. It was her birthday & and her due date! I couldn't have expected her to stay even though I realllllly wanted her to be the one to deliver my baby. I had already offended 1 of the other 2 doctors who would be the ones to deliver. Sooo not thrilled about that idea. To my surprise, she decided to stay! I couldn't believe it. It's what I was hoping for this entire pregnancy! The few things on my birth plan were to have Dr. Sal deliver, to be able to get an epidural, have the lights down low, & to wear toe socks. Everything but the dim lights & toe socks happened. Apparently, my legs were too swollen to fit the socks, so that idea went out the window real quick. Oh well. & dim lights.. forget about it. 
     I couldn't feel the contractions when they came, so they had to tell me when to push. Trying to push, & feeling nothing, was extremely difficult. I couldn't tell if I was pushing too hard or not enough. Gayle was my main nurse & I could not be more thankful for her. She was calm, encouraging & patient with me. It took an hour or so but I finally got the hang of pushing the right way.
     Steve & Mom were the only ones in the delivery room, besides the nurses & Dr. Sal. Steve was so supportive & an even better coach. Him, as well as Mom, held my legs & counted to 10 every time I pushed. Cheering me on each go 'round. He fed me ice chips & rubbed my face & neck with wet washcloths. My amazing husband. :) Mom held up so well. I told her that if she cried she'd have to leave, because then I'd bawl my eyes out too. 
     After 2 hours or so of pushing, they wanted to try suctioning. She was stuck in my pelvis for the better part of an hour & it was starting to be concerning. If suctioning didn't work, they would do an emergency C-Section. I always thought I wanted a C-Section... but a soon as I heard the words & the reality of it set in, I was devastated & couldn't stop crying. Steve whispered in my ear that I could do this. That her head was right there. That we would meet our baby girl soon... That's what gave me the courage to keep pushing until my baby was here. I'm so thankful for such a supportive & amazing husband. Mom kept saying that he head was right there, & that she could see her hair... and she had a lot of it. Dr. Sal suctioned multiple times & finally got her further down the birth canal, to make it easier for me to push her out. 
     At close to 4 hours of pushing, we met our baby girl. She was born sunny side up & the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. Because of that, they had to get the cord cut quick, making Steve unable to cut the cord. They took her over to the incubator immediately to suction fluid from her lungs & get her to breathing. Steve was right by her side the whole time. I was being stitched up from a 2nd degree tear & all I could do was watch from the bed. After what seemed like hours, I finally hear a little whimper. That was our baby. 
     

At 6:38pm November 23rd, 2011.... Our sweet baby Madison Elizabeth was born. 

She weighed 6.8oz & was 20.5in long. 

Here Maddie is... with her slightly red hair & her cone head. It didn't last but a few days. 

     After it was all said & done, we allowed visitors for just a little while. Lots of people came to visit... Mimi & Poppie, Nana, Papa & Taylor, Aunt Kristina & cousin Caleb, Aunt Jenny, Uncle Jesse & Michellei. 

     Poppie drove all the way from Birmingham Alabama as soon as he knew I was in labor. He missed the actual birth, but was there just a few short hours afterwards. He is so happy to be a grandpa! I am so glad he was able to be there & see her so soon. It really meant a lot to us & I know it meant the world to him.

Cousin Caleb

Mimi 

Daddy, Papa & Maddie

Nana

 

That night...

    After all the visitors left, we were left to relax a little bit. One of our favorite shows, American Horror Story was on... I tried to focus on it, but I just couldn't stop looking at my little girl. What a blessing. True Beauty. The after care nurse, Shelly, was really sweet. She gave Maddie her first bath & she did well. I was trying to breast feed but Maddie wasn't catching on very fast. When they tested her blood sugar level, she was a 49. 51 & above is considered normal. To bring up her glucose level, they went ahead & bottle fed her. That was totally fine with me because I was not too comfortable with the breast feeding thing. Might as well get her used to the bottle now. We soon learned that she prefers Nuk nipples instead of the round ones.

     At around 11pm, they offered to take her to the nursery. I was so torn between keeping her at my bedside or letting her go off to the nursery. Steve & I were both so exhausted from the whole thing that we finally decided she could go. I did ask that they bring her back early in the morning so that I could feed her her morning bottle. So off she went. 

     From pushing as long & hard as I did, I was in pain after the epidural was removed. They gave me 2 Percocets. No sooner did that kick in, did I get extremely nauseated. I've never done well with pain pills. My legs were still numb & there was no way I could walk to the bathroom on my own. They placed a catheter during delivery so I decided to let them keep it in until I could make it to the bathroom on my own. 

My first time holding Maddie.

Sleeping with my little Monkey.

Thanksgiving in L & D...

    was not the best place to be. The "Holiday Menu" was not very appetizing, so we had "take out". Nanny & Pop came to visit & brought food from their house & boy was it good. Ham, Turkey, Candied Yams, Potato Salad, Dressing  & Gravy. Yummmm.... A little later in the day, Aunt Jenny & Nana brought even MORE food. Included in that spread were some absolutely DELICIOUS brownies. I ate all of them! I was stuffed to say the least. Then that evening Mimi, Poppie, Uncle Jesse & Michellei, & Christy came back to visit, WITH EVEN MORE FOOD. What more could we ask for, really? 

Maddie's Thanksgiving Dinner.

     This was our last night in the hospital & we again decided to have Maddie go to the nursery for the night. They didn't open until 11pm, so we got to spend a lot of time with her. We were okay with this once again, as we spent most of the day just laying in bed holding her. There was a Newborn Photographer that came to each room to do a photo shoot. Man, were they some cute pictures... but a little too rich for my blood. 

Newborn Pictures from Hospital

Leaving the Hospital...

     Today was the day. It was time to take Maddie home. I was able to take a shower the morning & It was nice to get clean before heading home. It took a while for the discharge to take place. Had a lot of things to go over with nurse Gayle. We got Maddie strapped in her car seat & headed on out. The escort that we had to wheel me out was asking all about her. He asked her name & when we told him he said,
"Oh, I love Jennifer."
     We were just a little confused since her name is Madison, but we knew eventually that he was talking about Jennifer, Steve's sister, who works on the 4th floor. Funny stuff. 
     On the ride home she did wonderfully. Didn't make a peep. Me on the other hand, I was in a lot of pain & every bump in the road was killing me. Once we got home & got you settled, we both laid on the couch. I just stared & stared at her. She is so beautiful. So much like the both of us, it's scary. 
     That day, we had a quite a few visitors.... Mimi, Poppie, Uncle Jesse & Michellei, & Uncle Chris! 

The whole family is oh so happy to welcome this new addition! 

Steve & I couldn't be any happier with our little girl & 

can't wait to document all the important things in her life. 

     

The abridged version of my pregnancy & events during....

March 14, 2011... The first day of the rest of our lives

   Steve told me that Id been really bitchy lately & that he thought I was probably pregnant. I didn't believe him, but made an appointment with my doctor anyways. We weren't exactly trying for a baby, but weren't preventing it either, so I don't know what we thought was going to happen. Sure enough, Doc runs the test and it comes up positive in less than 2 seconds... that's when I hear 

"Yep, you're realllly pregnant! Congratulations!" 

    I was happy and shocked at the same time. I called Steve after leaving the appointment and said 

"Guess who's going to be a Daddy!?" 

    He was so excited & he immediately asked if he could tell people. I was only 4 weeks 3 days at that time, so it's not exactly "pregnancy etiquette" to tell people before 3 months, since miscarriage is such a higher risk at that time. But I didn't care. I was too excited to hold it in, so I told him he could tell whoever he wanted.

    I headed to work & called a few people... My Mom, Nanny, Kristina (Steve's sister) & Kari! They were both happy for us... but those were just 2 of the MANY that were to find out. 

    That night I got home to a vase of multicolored flowers from my wonderful husband. We went out to eat, of all places, BIG DADDY'S BURGER BAR! Ha, it was a fitting place for the occasion. 

right around 3 months or so

    3 weeks later I got the worst "morning sickness" ever. Its called Hyper Emesis, and about 5% of pregnant women suffer from this, and I was part of that lucky 5%. Basically, I was sick morning, noon and night. I couldn't keep any food or drink down whatsoever. I had originally decided to use Bradford Clinic as my OB, but they wouldn't see me unless I was 8 weeks or further along. So when I called explaining my symptoms they sent me to the ER & Urgent Care multiple times for IV fluids. I couldn't continue to feel this way & miss so much work, so I had to find a new doctor who would see me.
     Luckily, Southeast OB got me in the same day I called & admitted me right away. I was severely dehydrated & weak. I stayed in the hospital for 5 days. On the night before discharge, they started a Reglin Pump. Its a tiny pump that resembles a diabetes monitor. I would poke a small needle into the fatty part of my stomach & then it would release anti-nausea medication. I was on this pump for close to 2 months. It was a complete pain in my butt, but it did help ease the nausea enough for me to eat. During my stay at the hospital I lost 12 lbs, bringing me down to 100lbs. I hadn't weight 100lbs in years.
    Dr. Salvemini was my attending doctor at Southeast & I could not have been happier with her. She was also pregnant the same time as me, and her due date was the day after mine! How crazy is that? It's was nice to know that when she said "I know what you're going through", she really did. She wasn't a man who had read it in a book & been told that pregnancy is what it is. Hats off to Dr. Sal & the entire staff at Southeast OB/GYN. They took great care of me & I could not be more grateful.

Work Troubles...
 
     At about 3 & half months along, we moved to Madison Park to be closer to Mama & Nanny for when the you came. This was great because you would be the first Grandbaby for my Mama & first Great Grandbaby for Nanny. Not to mention MY Great grandma would now have a Great Great Grandbaby. Amazing to have 5 generations of women, all born in Charlotte, living in the same neighborhood.
    Being so sick & in & out of work did not make me look good. My supervisor was not happy with the amount of work I was missing, regardless of me being admitted to the hospital for high risk pregnancy. I felt bullied & harassed to be on point & make my quota. There was one time where I was having an asthma attack & needed to go home to use my nebulizer. I was told that if I left early again, or missed another day of work, I would be fired. So I had to sit at my desk & suffer through not being able to breath. It was one of the scariest asthma attacks I had had in years.
    A few weeks later, I was fired from my job at Lending Tree. They say it was due to me not informing 3 customers in 1 day that "my call may be recorded". I believe that my pregnancy played a huge part in my being fired. I was devastated. During the time that I was working there I was a high # producing employee who was well liked & successful. But its business & they have to do what they feel is best for the company. Who cares about the employees...
    So there I was, unemployed. I felt like such a failure. Like I had failed myself, my husband, & you. I was in the deepest depression in years. I was out of work for a total of 7 weeks. I had tried so hard to collect unemployment. I even appealed the denial twice, with no luck. Lending Tree never responded to the Unemployment Office, which meant they only had my side of the story to go off. I tried to explain in my appeal that I felt discriminated against due to my pregnancy, but they would not allow that go on the record. If it was not stated in my termination interview, it would not be relevant to my case. Can you imagine how upset Mama was?
     We had a few grand saved up, as we were planning to buy a house later in the year. But that was all gone before we could blink twice. After rent, car & insurance payments, utilities, food, gas, etc. we were broke. Steve had worked so hard on painting the house inside & getting everything decorated, having to debate moving was like a slap in the face. We ended up taking out a loan to help make ends meet, or we would've been evicted. I looked for jobs online all day, went to multiple interviews & got maybe 1 or 2 callbacks. The pressure was definitely on... making me even more stressed about finding a job. I hated that Steve had to hold all of the weight of our lives on his shoulders. He is such an amazing man, husband, & my best friend for years. I know he was extremely stressed with a sickly, pregnant wife at home... slowing falling into a depression. But he stuck by me & that made me love him even more.. which I didn't think was possible.
  (((  During this time, we found out that we were having a BABY GIRL. I had known all along it was a girl & so did Steve. We just had that feeling. Knowing the sex made things even more real for us. )))

    I eventually fell back on a previous job & was hired right away. Banfield The Pet Hospital was hiring at their new location in Cotswold & Dr. Collins was the attending doctor. I was so excited to start working again, that I really pushed myself, even with being 5 months pregnant. I felt validated again. Needed. Important. Working, pulling my own weight, & bringing in money to help catch up on bills. I had worked for Banfield for 2 years from 2007-2009 in Matthews & not much had changed since I left. So getting back into the swing of things was a piece of cake. I enjoyed being a receptionist. Helping clients with their pets, which were really like their children. I had reunited with some of my regulars from the Matthews location, making me feel even better about working there. It made me feel amazing that I had made such an impact on these clients years before & that they still remembered me.

Mama & Ginger Grillo.. one of my many favorites. I held her til she woke up from anesthesia after her dental cleaning. What a sweet baby. I will miss my furry friends.

Cohen - He was waking up from sedation after we took Xrays of his spine. Look at that face!

    I was pretty much the only receptionist for the 1st month I was there, as Stephanie was moving back to Miami. Fine with me, because it was a growing practice, so business was slow. Once we started hiring more receptionists, even though we were still a small practice, it became very stressful. I don't feel that I am a very good teacher, so training these girls was tough. Mentally I was not able to focus as I should have to train them to the fullest of my ability. I just wanted to do everything myself. I knew that if I did it, it would be done right & wouldn't have to be done again. But I had to learn how to let go of the reigns a little bit so that they could learn the position. 12 hour shifts started taking a toll on me & my ever changing body around 7 months along. I would come home so sore, exhausted & irritable that I would just want to take a hot bath, & go to bed. Making it hard to stay up & watch our favorite shows together. God, how I missed my normal routine with my husband. Just 2 more months I told myself... 2 more months.

      My office manager, Kandice, ended up shortening my days. Having extra hands on deck made it easier for me to come in a little later & leave a litter early if I was feeling beat. I basically got to come & go as I pleased as long as things were running smoothly. Eventually, it all fell into place..  & then it was time to take my leave. My last day at Banfield was October 28th. Sad & happy to be leaving, as I had made a few friends in PetSmart & Grooming. I'm sure the girls at Banfield were ready for me to leave. I was hard on these girls while training them, because they had very little time to learn A LOT of information.
     That same weekend, we broke the news to my Mama & Grandma that we would be moving into Steve's parents house. After looking into the cost of day care (freaking unbelievable fees), we knew we would not be able to stay in Madison Park. I was so sad to leave the neighborhood where my Mama & Nanny were, since that's the main reason we moved to that area in the first place. If my Nanny didn't have my Nanny Green to care for, she could have watched Madison for free, & everything would have stayed the same. But that just wasn't going to work out. Nanny Green will be 101 on Christmas, so she is basically an infant herself. That would be entirely too much for her to handle. I know it broke their hearts that we were moving, but we had to do what was best for our family.


A little retreat....


    At 4 months along, Steve planned a surprise mini-vacation for us. A night at the exclusive Westin Hotel in downtown Charlotte. Talk about FANCY! Earlier that day though, I was admitted to labor & delivery once again, for good poisoning of all things. I had been doing so well & had not been sick for a few weeks, then BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE... vomiting every hour on the hour for 2 days. I was only in the hospital for 4 hours to get fluids & anti nausea medications. I told Dr. Sal that I HAD to be discharged that day because of the night Steve had planned for us. She made it happen :) I still didn't feel 100% but it was so nice to get away from the house, the dogs & just have a night to ourselves in a gorgeous hotel. He even splurged & got me a massage. I love this man, have I mentioned that yet?

15 weeks & 5 days

Trip to Savannah Georgia.....


    September 23rd, we made our way to Savannah, Georgia for our very good friends wedding. Katie & Robert. We met Robert & his brother Doug on Craigslist, of all places. We were selling our couch & they happen to be the ones to buy it... becoming our best friends in the process. Katie came along a few months later & we couldn't be happier to have met such amazing people.
    We had a great time in Savannah. The rehearsal dinner was awesome! They had it at Bubba's Raw Bar & Crab Shack. Low country boil & vegetables. I could not have been happier with the spread. Not to mention Katie & Robert being so completely in love it showed for miles & miles.
      Robert had a beach house for all the guys in his bridal party, so we went to hang out with them after the dinner on the beach. As pregnant & as tired as I was, (I wore heals to the dinner, bad idea!) we hung out on the beach, in the dark, while the boys played guitar & sang. It was relaxing once I made my fanny down to the sand & laid my head in Steve's lap. 2 of the guys that were there with us were Mike & Tony. A gay couple from Mobile, AL. These guys were hilarious & we hung out with them most of the time that night, as well as at the wedding reception.

Here's Mama, 7 months pregnant in the sticky heat of Savannah, GA. 

    The wedding... was beautiful. It was at the Mackey House. The original ceremony was to be in the garden under an arch... but the weather had different plans. It poured for about 30 minutes right before the ceremony was supposed to start, so all the chairs were moved to the covered patio (still just as gorgeous). Katie looked absolutely radiant in her gown. She's not one for make up, glitz & glam... but she was astonishing. Robert looked so dapper in his tux. It was definitely a sight to see. Both Katie & Robert are pretty much hippies, so seeing them all done up was crazy.
    The father & daughter dance was adorable. They started out as if they were going to do a slow dance, but ended up breaking it down! Her dad was in a kilt backing it up & doing the running man. Talk about awesome. My father & daughter dance was on a gravel lot, at a motorcycle lodge, to a slow country song, & we both cried our eyes out. Dad is such a sap ;)


Baby Shower.....
 
    October 2nd 2011... Steve's parents house. We had the BIGGEST baby shower I think there has ever been. It was more of a cookout/party than a baby shower. Everyone was invited, men included. I'm so not traditional, so an all girl baby shower was NOT something I was going to do. I wanted my hubby to be involved in everything! We had smoked BBQ compliments of Butch (what an amazing cook I must say!) & all the fixin's. There were more than 60 people there & it warmed my heart to know that we had that much support behind us & our baby Maddie. We got everything that we registered for & were more grateful than you can imagine. Dad, Lisa & Mollie made it up from Birmingham, AL to be there for us. Cheryl also came up from Ridgeland, SC to be there for us. For all of them to make the trip for a baby shower meant so much to us. (I worked with Cheryl at Lending Tree & we become best friends so fast... that when she moved it hurt my heart... so seeing her for a few hours was much needed)
    Nanny hasn't been able to leave the house for the past few years now, since Nanny Green has gotten harder to handle at 100 years old. For them to make it out to the shower meant soooo much to me. Ceal, Tim, & Lauren drove Nanny & Nanny Green out to the party & they stayed as long as they could. Nanny Green gets cold real easy since she's so tiny, so they had to leave before we opened gifts. I know Nanny was happy to be able to come, no matter how stressful it was to get Nanny Green in & out the car. Ill never forget it. Just wish I had more pictures with them from the shower.
    There were a few games that Mama had planned. One was the Baby Beer Bottle race. You forget how hard it is to chug an actual baby bottle, so it was hilarious to watch the fellas suck their hardest! Robert was that one. Another one was to guess the inches of my waist. Fun for others, but not so much for me, but whatever. Mama made me come out in the middle of the crowd & do a nice little spin so everyone could get a good look. 40 inches was the actual measurement & I think 6 people guessed it right! Nanny was one of the winners. Taylor's guess 80 inches!!! I was appalled! I'm barely 60 inches tall. Lord love her.
    Needless to say, we had a great time. Food, friends, family, support all the way around. By the end of the day I was exhausted, my head was spinning, & my cheeks were killing me from all the smiling. I could barely open all the gifts that were brought for Maddie.
      A big thank you to Mama, Butch & Dana for making our baby shower as amazing as it was! What would we do without you guys!!??


Here are a few pics from the shower...

Gift Table just for Baby

Mama at 7 months

Daddy & Mama opening all your special gifts!

*he had to hand me the bags off the ground because it hurt to bend over*

Mama's cousin Jordy doing the baby beer bottle contest!

There's your Mimi, making sure no one is cheating!

Mama & Aunt Tina, Mimi's sister.

Mama & cousin Ginny.

Moving in......

    The weekend of October 28th, my last week of work, we moved into Steve's parents house. As crazy as some people may think we are, mostly me, for moving in with my in-laws... I have no problems with it. I love them & they love me. We get along great & I couldn't ask for more. We have the bonus room as our bedroom & nursery. The middle bedroom is set up as our living room. It was a bit of a stressful move, as our landlord didn't give us til the exact end of the month, which we paid in full for. But we made it happen. Well, Steve, Mama & Jesse made it happen. Once again, I couldn't have done anything without the help of my loving husband & family. Moving is always stressful, pregnant or not... but we were only in the house on Wexford for what? 5 months.. had just gotten settled & then we had to move again. Not the ideal situation, but like I said, you do what you have to do. Bubba & Daisy got added into the family of dogs here at the Hopkins house... 5 Cocker Spaniels (Bubba, Copper, Lady, Dixie & Sumo) & a Daisy, whatever mut mix she is.
     Getting used to staying home all day was hard to do. I'm sure most people would love to just sit around, watching TV, sleeping in, etc. I loved it for the first week, but after that I got super restless. I've been working for years, almost 10 years, so it was killing me to not be productive. On top of being 8 months pregnant, I was alone all day. I was not used to not having contact with people all day long, since I've always worked with the public. You would think I would've liked the peace & quiet & kept myself busy with cleaning, washing & rewashing baby clothes & accessories, but nesting did NOT happen for me. If anything, I got even more lazy the bigger & more swollen I got. I had no desire to go anywhere because that meant Id have to actually get ready, put on make up & find SOMETHING to wear that didn't constrict my airways! Oh, the joys of pregnancy. 1 more month... just 1 more month!