lily's birth

May 9th would mark my 8th day overdue and was the date determined by my doctor that I would be induced. I was beyond ready, excitied, and anxious for that day to get here! My mom, dad, and sister Jacinda arrived in Springfield the weekend before that Monday morning on Saturday night, and Jimmy's mom and sisters arrived that Sunday. So we were able to enjoy a few days with family before the big day.
Then came Monday morning, May 9th. We were asked to be at the hospital, Cox South, at 6am and to not be late. So our alarm woke us up at 4:30am, after a shower, a final look through our bags, and a light breakfast we were on our way to the hospital. We were checked in and in our room by 5:50am and the process began.
After checking me to find I was still only 1cm dilated and 50-60% effaced they decided to first give me cervidil to help soften my cervix - this was a super small pill that they inserted vaginal right behind my cervix. They let that "sit" for a few hours before checking me again to find that I was 2cm and closer to 70% effaced.  So the next step was to break my water. My doctor came in about 11:15am and broke my water. 30 minutes after they broke my water they were able to start pitocin. Once they started the pitocin my contractions started pretty quickly and were immediately rather painful. By 1pm I was unable to talk during the contractions and had to just focus on getting through each one. By this time family had arrived at the hospital and came in and out of the room throughout the morning. However, once the contractions intensified they were no longer in our room - it was just Jimmy and I. Next check I was 3 to 4cm and maybe 80% effaced - slowly but surely. By about 3pm I decided to ask my nurse about an epidural - how long would it take once I say I want it, how much longer will labor last, how much stronger will these contractions get, etc. After learning that my labor was easily going to last another 6 hours, that my contractions would get more intense, and that it can take up to an hour between when I say I want an epidural and when I actually get it I decided to go ahead and "order" one. So about 3:30 the anesthesiologist came into the room and gave me my epidural. I was nervous that I wouldn't be able to sit still through the procedure and that it would be painful but surprisingly I barely noticed he was back there. As I sat up I just held onto Jimmy's hands, took deep breaths through each contraction and before I knew it he was done. Pretty quickly my toes began to tingle and become numb - it felt like the feeling you get when your foot falls asleep, the feeling rose up my legs to my waist. For a while I could tell when I was having contractions because my stomach would tighten but that was the only way I knew - it was almost instant relief!
At this point we invited family back into the room so we were able to visit a little more, all while I was having contractions:) The strange thing about the epidural and the only thing I didn't really like was that my legs felt SO heavy and I couldn't move much on my own. It's a strange feeling to not be able to roll over on your own or know if your leg is on or off the bed! But, for me it was so worth the alternative of 6 more hours of intense contractions plus who knew how long of pushing!
Next check I was a 4 to 5 and still 80% effaced. At this point the nurse rolled me almost completely on my side and used one of the stir ups to prop my leg up in the air. It was now about 7pm. We continued to visit, watched Dancing With the Stars as I dozed in and out of sleep for a few more hours. My parents then decided to leave and grab a quick bite for dinner, this was at about 9pm. My nurse came in about 9:20 or so to check me again and after she checked me her response was "Well, are you ready to have a baby?" Jimmy and I looked at each other with huge eyes and said "Yes!" I was now 9 1/2 cm and 100% effaced - we were finally ready to push!
Of course Jimmy stepped out to let family know and called my parents to tell them to hurry back if they wanted to see me before I started pushing! Of course everyone was shocked but excited and my mom was so mad they had decided to leave! But, they made it back in time to say hi and bye one more time before our baby was here.
So about 9:45pm I began pushing. I remember thinking to myself "ok, this is the "easy" part and the short part, only a little bit longer" however, little miss had other plans for me! Almost immediately after I started pushing Jimmy and the nurse told me they could see her head and that she had tons of hair. Again I thought to myself "not much longer"! I had trouble getting the hang of pushing - my nurse kept telling me to pull my legs towards my body, relax my butt and push down. My eyes were closed, I was trying to focus, and drown out the pain/pressure I was feeling over and over again but it kept getting stronger and harder. After an hour or so of pushing I remember feeling like it was never going to end and that I couldn't do it anymore. I also repeatedly thought to myself that I was never having any more kids! I started getting a little sassy with Jimmy, telling him that he was lying to me, that it wasn't almost over and that she was never coming since they could see her head for so long. Turns out she was face up which was causing some issues, to say the least. Our nurse called in several other nurses for opinions on what to do. They had called my doctor, who happened to be on call that night, to update her along the way and at some point, maybe about 2 hours after I had started pushing our doctor arrived. I remember hearing her come in the room but I still didn't open my eyes.  Soon after my doctor arrived I remember hearing the words "I need to do an episiotomy" at this point that didn't scare me even though I knew exactly what that meant. I knew, from previous conversations with our doctor, that she doesn't do episiotomy's unless absolutely neccessary so I knew at this point that's what needed to happen. I heard the snip and within minutes she told me to push one more time. And she was here!
I will never ever forget the feeling I had when they put her on my chest. She was slimmy, bloody, and beautiful! I remember looking into her eyes and hearing Jimmy say "she looks just like you" and instantly forgetting about everything I had just been through! She was more than worth it! So after laboring all day long, literally, and pushing for 2 and a half hours our baby girl arrived at 12:10am on Tuesday, May 10th. She weighed in at 7lbs 13 oz and was 20 3/4 inches long.
Jimmy was beyond wonderful the whole time. Even though I got a little sassy with him:) he was nothing but encouraging and loving the entire time! He held one leg and my nurse held the other the entire time, there were even a few times when the nurse left and he had no choice but to hold both legs!
We named her Lily May - which we had decided on a few months before. We had a list of 5 or 6 names that we really liked but Lily was one we both loved from the beginning. We went back and forth on her middle name. Initially we wanted to use a family name for her middle name but after trying several and not liking any of them Jimmy came up with May and we loved it. We liked the sound of Lily May together and like the simplicity of her whole name - short and sweet.
So now she's here and I still can't believe. Today she is 1 week old already. Before we know it she will be 1 month and then 1 year - it really does fly by.
She is a wonderful baby - she sleeps well, she's content and laid back and we can see parts of Jimmy and I in her already. She crosses her little arms on her chest while she sleeps like daddy, she peaks at us with 1 eye when it's bright out or when she's just waking up like her daddy, her little nose and mouth are the same as mommy's, and her eyes are still debateable - blue or brown? Time will tell.
So I promise this won't turn into a baby blog but don't be surprised if I have a Lily story from time to time and I'll be sure to share lots of pictures!:)
Aside from Lily we've had other exciting things happening as well. We have bought a house in Cedar Falls without even seeing it and close on June 15th. Call us crazy but after many prayers, lots of pictures, a virtual tour, and my mom and dad taking a look for us we decided to make an offer and it's ours! And, as of today, we have sold our home in Springfield. After being on the market for only 2 weeks the first people to walk through it made an offer and we have accepted it. So, lots to come for us in the next month but we are excited to be heading back to Iowa - closer to family and some close friends. More updates on all this with pictures of the new place to come.

more than ready to go!

welcome to the world lily may

may 17th - 1 week old - rockin' the skinny jeans

lily may

Our baby is here!

After a long day of being induced on Monday Lily May Grover arrived at 12:10am on Tuesday morning, May 10th.

She was a perfect 7 lbs 13 oz and 20 3/4 inches long and we already love her to pieces.

More on her birth story and pictures to come:)

brand new baby girl

her 1st day

getting to know grandpa davis

after her first bath at home

wearing one of her many BIG bows

doctor update

Well we had another appointment yesterday afternoon and not much to share since there was no progress. I am still measuring normal but when she checked me I'm no more dilated than "a finger tip" and still 60% effaced. I was a little surprised but told myself going in to not expect anything so I think that helped.

We talked through everything that will happen Monday, which is when she plans to induce me if she does not come before then. Our doctor said of course it could still happen any day between now and then but that she is assuming it will be Monday. I have had some definite labor signs, aside from contractions I have lost my mucous plug, had nausea most every day for the past week or so, have had frequent diharra, and have lost weight this past week.

But the plan is to start my induction at 6am on Monday, which is great - I am so happy we don't have to sit around all day and can just get things going first thing. She explained that she usually starts by breaking my water but if I am no further along than I was yesterday than she will not be able to do that first thing because she can't get to where she needs to in order to do that, so she'd give me a medicine to try and soften the cervix or stimulate dilation. She would then break my water, when she's able, and we'd proceed accordingly after that, whether they'd have to administer another medicine to get or keep things moving or not. Then of course all depending on whether I dilate at all we may still be looking at a c section. She had a slight concern as I basically haven't progressed in 3 weeks that my cervix may be one of those that will just not dilate, or do what it's "suppose to". However, we definitely feel strongly about giving it a chance and "helping" my body through some medicines to try and have a vaginal birth. So, lots will happen on that Monday and she warned us that it can be a very long day but a day we are definitely looking forward to! 5 more days is all - I can do this!

So that's the plan and the update. My parents and sister Jacinda are heading down on Saturday in case she comes over the weekend and if not then they will be here first thing on Monday morning. Jimmy's mom and sister's plans are still in limbo depending on class schedules but there's a good chance they will be here over the weekend too. So that's definitely something I'm looking forward to at the end of the week!

On one hand it's so crazy to believe that this day is actually almost here and on the other I don't know how I can possibly hold this stomach up another day!:) To think that each day that passes this week is our last Monday without having a baby, and yesterday was the last Tuesday, and today is the last Wednesday, etc etc. We can't wait to meet our little baby and share pictures and her NAME with you all!

40 weeks + 1 day

I am officially past my due date. Sigh. This baby girl must be just fine where she is. As a friend of mine put it "you must have a nice uterus"

To say that I'm uncomfortable is definitely an understatement. After a false alarm on Friday night - more details to come - we had a pretty low key weekend. We are trying to keep our calendars plenty open yet finding things to do that keep us from just sitting around and waiting. We are so anxious to meet our little one! It's crazy how fast 270 days can go by but the last 10 seem to just drag on and on. And now that I'm officially overdue each day seems like an eternity. The good news is there is light at the end of the tunnel. As I mentioned before, our doctor plans to induce next Monday - that's 1 week from today! - if she doesn't decide to come on her own before then. So, worse case I am uncomfortable and in this anxious state for 7 more days, which is exciting! Plus, our families will roll in Friday night or sometime Saturday so that's something to look forward to also!

So back to our false alarm story.....Friday morning I woke up to mild but consistent contractions. Jimmy helped me time them for about an hour or so before deciding that he should stay home from work in case today was the day. Since they weren't uncomfortable or very strong we continued about our day - we went for a walk, did some work, I did some baking, we ran a few errands and decided to do a little yard work. I continued to have contractions throughout the day but wasn't great about making sure to record each one. So about 4 or 5pm we decided I really needed to keep track of each one as I was still having them regularly and we wanted to know exactly how far apart and frequent they were so we'd know if we needed to go in. Sure enough they were coming about 4-5 min apart and lasting 1min or longer each. So I called the nurse line, asking if we should come in, and she gave me the canned answer, 5-1-1, meaning if they are 5 min apart, lasting for 1 min or longer each, and have been that way for at least an hour than we should go in. So, about 7pm or so we decided we should probably head in. We calmly got the last few things we needed put together, we each took a shower, took a few pictures, and loaded up the car. We called our parents on the way to let them know we were heading to the hospital. Of course they were so excited but we told them not to get too anxious and we'd call them back to let them know if we were staying or not. So we got to the hospital, as we continued to say to ourself "this can't be it, it can't be this calm and easy, can it?" We checked into labor and delivery and they brought us into a room, got me hooked up to a few monitors, and the waiting began. The nurse asked me a million questions, in which I kep thinking, if I were in a lot of pain I would really hate to being having to answer all these questions.....the nurse came in and out of our room several times watching the monitors and asking us questions. After being there a few hours she informed us that they would, more than likely, be sending us home because my contractions weren't strong enough and when she checked me I was no more dialted or effaced than my last doctor's appointment, which was on Tuesday. Her and the on call doctor felt it would be best to send us home to continue with contractions in hopes I would progress more on my own, in terms of dilating.  She also told us that there was a very good chance we'd be back in as early as the next morning, and in her opinion I would have the baby sometime this weekend, by my due date. Needless to say I was disappointed and embarrased we had come in but excited that we may be just a few days away. However we were also confused about how we are suppose to know when to come in next time if we listened to what they said this time and it wasn't "it".  Our nurse was super nice and talked us through some more signs or ways to know, and assured us that it is really hard to know with your first if your water doesn't break or your contractions aren't painful. She also assured us that many couples come in sevearl times before it's the right time and it's always safer to come in and be sent home than to not come in at all. So, 4 hours later, about 12pm we were heading back out the parking garage and heading home. False alarm #1.

I just keep praying that my water will break so it's very clear when "its time" because I would hate to go in and be sent back home again!

So that's our little mishap for this week, hopefully it won't happen again.

We will continue to keep you posted as we have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. I'm not expecting any progress and hope to not be disappointed if that's the case - easier said than done, right?! But honestly it is comforting knowing we have an end date in sight and it's really not that far away in the scheme of things and the reality that once our little girl is here she will be here for the rest of our lives! I am also now working from home which makes things a little more comfortable for me, ok - a lot more comfortable!