Big Brother Lincoln

Lincoln was already in bed the night we got home so he got to meet his little sister the next morning. He was interested at first and wanted to hold her, but only for about 2 seconds. Most of the time he wants to know where she is, but doesn't want anything to do with her. Especially when she is in my arms and he wants to be. A little jealous at times, but I think they will have a lot of fun playing together as she gets older!

 He is a good helper when he wants to be!

 These pictures took forever to take and required candy bribery.

Some turned out cute, but most looked like this:

 Baby toes!

Maya Jane

It has been a crazy couple of weeks! On Tuesday September 23rd, we got the call that mom was in labor!  Her due date wasn't for a week and we weren't expecting her to go early since she had just had an appointment on Monday the 22nd with no progress. Glenn hadn't even packed yet!

Glenn had just gotten to work so he wrapped up a few things, I called my girlfriend and she picked up Lincoln and we were off!

We got to Delaware around 2 pm and baby girl had been born while we were on the road at 11:07 am. We had gotten a phone call and were told she had a lot of hair, but we didn't know much else!

When we got to the hospital, we were told to wait for the social worker and then she had us wait even longer. It was a little agonizing knowing our baby girl was in the hospital and we just had to wait! The social worker met with the birth mom and then we had to sign a bunch of paperwork and finally we got to go meet her!

We walked in to the room and they placed her in my arms almost immediately! Hi, stranger, nice to meet you! She was 6 lb 11 oz and 18.5 inches. A little peanut.

The next 2 days were not what we had anticipated, but we didn't have a lot of expectations going in. We had a hotel room, but as it turns out, only Glenn stayed there. I stayed in the hospital room with our baby girl and the birthmother. Taking care of a little one comes back to you pretty quick, but it would have been nice to have Glenn there, too.

Everyone was discharged on Thursday afternoon and we took our baby girl back to our hotel. We couldn't go back to Virginia until all of the interstate paperwork had been approved. Somehow, we got a phone call on Friday afternoon that it was done. We were expecting a much longer wait, but they pushed it through quickly. We packed up the car and we were off!

Back home to my mom and a new big brother! Per Delaware law, birthmom has a 14 day revocation window. Meaning, yesterday, that period has ended and baby girl is ours. We still have a long legal process of making everything official, but Miss Maya Jane Smith is here to stay.

Two More Weeks

We found out on August 11th that a birthmother had chosen us and we are going to be placed with a baby girl! Our adoption wait was only 5 weeks. We were baffled and kind of in shock when our social worker told us.

A 3D Ultrasound of baby girl at 36 weeks.

The last month has been busy busy. We've been transitioning Lincoln to a twin "big boy" bed so that we could move the crib to the other room for baby girl. We took down all of Glenn's Navy pictures from the office/guest room and adding lots of pink so that it is now a nursery/guest room! We left the guest bed in the room for now while we are in this house since that is probably only another year. That's another post though.

I've been getting the more gender-neutral newborn and small baby clothes out of the basement and thanks to several friends, she's got lots of newborn clothes to wear. Good thing lots of friends had baby girls in the last couple years!

We still have some things we will need- like a double stroller and another camera for the monitor- but those major purchases will wait until baby girl is home and then probably several weeks after that. Although a birthmother has picked us, it is not final or binding in any way. In fact, she has 14 days after the birth and signing of the paperwork to change her mind. We'll celebrate after 14 days. :)

We get a lot of questions since adoption isn't super common so I'll try to answer a few.

Where is the baby from?
Wilmington, Delaware. We will travel up to Delaware when mom goes in to labor and will stay there until all of the paperwork is approved to bring her back to Virginia. Probably at least a week. If you have any hotel connections, please let us know. We'll be staying in a hotel near the hospital until she is discharged and then probably to a more affordable hotel.

What do you know about mom? 
We met her a few weeks ago and got to know her a little bit. She is very young and not ready to be a mom.

What about dad?
We don't know much about dad, including his medical history. He isn't in the picture and is no longer in Delaware.

Will the baby know her mom?
Yes, we are working with an open adoption agency and will continue to send pictures and letters of baby girl to her birthmother until she is 18. We will try to meet at least once a year so that baby girl knows her birthmother and where she came from.

Do you have a name picked out? Do you get to name the baby?
We have been discussing different options. Our family names, perhaps part of the birthmother's name? We haven't decided yet. The birthmother has the right to name the baby and that is what will appear on her original birth certificate, but when we finalize the adoption (which takes about 6 months) we can put our chosen name on her birth certificate which will appear along side our names.

The next couple weeks will be a waiting game. We are packing bags and enjoying time as a family of 3! Baby girl will be here before we know it!

Grayson Sanford Valone

Lincoln has a new cousin! He was born on Saturday morning 9/13 at 5:58 am CST!

7 lbs 20 3/4 inches of baby goodness!

He's at home with mom and dad now! I hope his first night went well! Can't wait to meet you Grayson!

I think they look like cousins. L on top. G on the bottom. 

Baby Valone!

He's not here yet, but we celebrated his upcoming arrival when Lincoln and I were in Minnesota in July. I kept things simple and had it at a British pub in downtown Minneapolis. They prepared the food and they cleaned up! Easy!

We made an alphabet book and played a little gift bingo. I think the mama to be enjoyed herself!

We had a great turnout and Blair's grandma made it from Virginia too!

I don't predict that she will make it to her September 14th due date. My guess is September 8th (full moon).

Good luck, Blair! Get ready to have your world rocked! (In mostly an amazingly awesome way, but also in a lack of sleep lose your hair lots of poop incredibly crazy kind of way.)

Lincoln's Birth Story

I've had quite a few people ask how Lincoln's birth went, so I thought I would share. I feel like I will forget the details, too, if I don't write them down. Sorry if this is too much detail about my nether regions, but please stop here if that is the case. :)

I woke up around 4 am on Sunday morning to use the bathroom. Lincoln was usually pretty active around that time of the morning. For the last week of my pregnancy, I was usually wide awake well before my 5:15 alarm clock. For whatever reason though, I felt like something different woke me up. Was it my water breaking? I went to the bathroom, everything seemed pretty normal. Regardless, I slept on a towel after I went back to bed. When Glenn woke up a few hours later, everything seemed the same so we went on with our day.

We stopped by the NEX where our alarm company called us since we had turned on the Roomba before we left. Oops. We figured if Stella didn't set it off, the vacuum wouldn't either. Wrong. We rushed home to check on Stella and make sure she wasn't all freaked out. She was fine so we continued on to the commissary and furniture store at the Little Creek base. I could tell I was moving slower and didn't quite feel like myself, but I brushed it off to being 5 days overdue. We grabbed some lunch, looked for a lamp and bought some groceries. By about aisle 9 of the grocery store, I had my first contraction. I still didn't think I was in labor since people have contractions for weeks before their due date. And my induction was scheduled for following evening. Since the contraction stopped me in my tracks as the nurse had said during my non-stress test 4 days earlier, I considered it slightly, but still didn't think I was in labor. Even though, for the last month, I had been telling Glenn that I thought he would be born on the 28th. Call it mother's intuition I guess. The number 28 was just stuck in my head for some reason.

We got home from the store and I changed my pants because they were wet. Hmmm... Glenn finally had to convince me to call the doctor. I called expecting them to tell me to wait it out until my contractions were closer together, but instead she told me to come in and they would check me out. We packed the car and I told Glenn that I wanted to pick up my parents at the airport at 4 and then go to the hospital.

We arrived at the airport and found out that their flight was delayed by 15 minutes so we got a few cheeseburgers at the food court. If we were having a baby that night, there wouldn't be any food once we got to the hospital.

Mom and dad arrived without a problem and we told them that there was "a change in plans." We dropped them off at the house and hopped in the prepacked Prius and drove the mile down the road to the hospital. We headed to the 3rd floor of the hospital around 5 pm and I told them that I thought I had a leak and the doctor suggested we get checked out.

The nurse did a paper swab type test and it turned faintly blue so she still wasn't convinced my water had broken. I felt like she was judging me slightly, like I was faking things. I didn't really like this nurse. I really didn't like her when she blew up the vein in my hand and then put the IV in my elbow. I couldn't bend my right arm without it hurting and without setting off the machine's alarm because I pinched the tubing. So annoying (my mom had to put my hair in a ponytail later that evening). They were monitoring Lincoln's heart rate and it was low, in the 110s so they were concerned about him, but after the IV, he seemed to do better.

Dr. Matthews came in around 7:30 pm after she finished dinner with her husband. She took a sample on a slide to the lab to see if it was amniotic fluid. Around 8 pm, she confirmed it was and we weren't going anywhere. She also told me that since it had been more than 12 hours since my water broke and I was only at 2 cm, they would start the Pitocin to speed things up. I was having contractions about every 5 minutes at this point and they were getting stronger and stronger, but I still wasn't making progress fast enough.

We moved to another room since the first room was about 85 degrees and they started the Pitocin. Mom and dad came back to the hospital around 9 pm and stayed until their grandson was born. I was so happy that they made it and could share the experience with us.

Around 11:00 they checked my progress and I was at 4 cm. Progress, but still slow. At this point, Jessica was our nurse and she was so much better than the first nurse. Loved her. The nurse anesthetists had already come by when we got to our new room, I had signed papers and told her that if I wanted her, we would let her know later. I was terrified of getting an epidural more so that giving birth. The contractions were no joke though. I had thought the pushing part would be the the worst, but I think the contractions were much worse.

I wanted to change positions often to help relieve some of the pain. I was on my knees, head on the bed at one point. I was on the toilet several times. I used the yoga ball at the end. Every time I moved, Glenn had to unhook me from the monitors and wheel my IV/Pitocin bags around with me and readjust once I was hooked back up. The nurse seemed to get annoyed a little but she stressed that on Pitocin, it was important to be hooked up to the monitors al the time. Glenn got good at hooking and unhooking the monitors.

Around 1 am, I asked that they check me again. The contractions were so painful, but I didn't want to get the epidural too early. I thought it would slow things down. I was at 8-9 cm! I think we were all very surprised.

I asked that they called the anesthetists back and give me my epidural (with some encouraging from Glenn). My parents had to leave during this part, but Glenn was able to stay and thank goodness. I couldn't have asked for a better partner through the experience. I don't think I could have done it without him. He literally held me steady and told me to breathe during the procedure. He was my rock and coach.

The epidural was perfect. I could move my legs, I could lift my legs and I could still feel the contractions. They were just a pressure now and not painful, but I knew when they were coming. For about an hour, I relaxed, texted and joked with family. I was regaining a little bit of energy that I knew I would need. Around 2:00 am, I was at 10 cm and was ready to push!

Pushing was slow at first. Jessica said that first time moms often take an hour or two. I didn't know any different so it seemed normal to me that an hour passed and then a second hour. The pressure towards the end was all the encouragement I needed to push with all my might. Glenn had to remind me to stop and breathe between pushes. My mom also took it as cues to breathe. :) After about an hour, Glenn could see how much hair he had and I was able to feel it. I had a feeling he would have a full head of hair just like I did.

At 3:51 am, our hard work paid off and our little man came in to this world. His little cry was amazing. Everything about him seemed perfect. One of the first things I noticed was the dark hair down his shoulders, back and legs. He really was a little man.

He weighed 7 lb 14 oz. Mom guessed 7/12, the rest of us guessed over 8 lbs. He stayed in our room for the next hour and we got to Ooo and ahh over every inch of him. They continued to administer another bag of Pitocin and I attempted to breastfeed, but with my unable-to-bend right arm and Lincoln's tummy full of fluids, he wasn't feeling it until later that morning.

Mom and Dad left our little family to bond and came back after everyone got some rest and Stella got some breakfast. I am so happy that Lincoln decided to come on his own and I didn't have to be induced. It was a painful experience but it is amazing how quickly our brains let us forget that fact. I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

On Our Own

My mom left today so we are officially on our own. It's only slightly terrifying and brings me to tears when I think about it. I can't believe it has been 8 days since our little bug came in to our lives. It has gone by so fast!

We are getting the hang of things and Lincoln is figuring things out too. It took us a few days to figure out breast feeding, but he is getting better every day. He's like me in that he forgets to eat (I'm waking him up after a 4 hr stretch at night) so when he does finally eat, he is a bit cranky.

He fits perfect in newborn size clothes which is great except I only have a few things in that size. He's been wearing a lot of his funny onesies from the baby showers this week. Which is great since I seem to change him 3 times a day at least!

He seems to have a fussy time at night before bedtime and seems to eat every 90 minutes after dinner, but it has been giving us a little longer stretches at night. It's not quite a schedule, but we are working it out for now.

We go back on Monday for his two week check up and I'm hoping he has surpassed his 7# 14 oz birth weight!

Lincoln G. Smith

Our little man came in to this world on Monday January 28th, 2013 at 3:51 am. He was 7 lb 14 oz an 20.5 inches long. He has long black hair and his daddy's nose, lips and complexion. He couldn't be more perfect in our eyes.

We had an induction scheduled for Monday night but he decided he couldn't wait. He even let us pick up mom and dad from the airport, drop them off at our house before we headed to the hospital. Besides being born in the middle of the night, he was rather accommodating. :)

We're headed home from the hospital this evening after his little procedure (sorry buddy!). We can't wait for Stella to meet him and have our little family together!

Lincoln

Waiting Game

Glenn and I are still awaiting our little guy. We've been doing all the things people recommend:
- spicy food. Check.
- sex. Check.
- red raspberry leaf tea. Check.
- primrose oil. Check.
- walking. Check.

Still no baby. 40 weeks and 4 days.

We went to a movie this afternoon. Caught up on out tv shows. We're going out to dinner tonight (spicy Indian food), but we both find ourselves staring a each other wondering, when is this going to happen??? I feel like we should be doing a doing a million projects, but I don't want to start anything either.

So we wait and try to relax! Mom and dad arrive tomorrow!

My friend Marcy pointed out that there is a full moon tonight- maybe that's the ticket!

Thanks for all the 'Baby?' texts! No baby. We wait!

Eviction Notice

We went to the doctor yesterday for our 40 week appointment. I've gone from nothing to 1 cm. More than I had assumed actually!

The plan is to hope he comes in the next 4 days on his own, but if not, we will go to the hospital on Monday night to start the induction process. It's not ideal, but at our doctors advice, there is actually more risk after 41 weeks than gain. Plus, I'm an impatient person.

Mom and dad are flying in on Sunday or Monday and will get to meet our son on his birthday which I'm assuming will be Tuesday January 29th, 2013.

I guess we just have a few more days to see if he changes his mind! Friday will be my last day of work and then a few days to relax. Maybe!

Still Pregnant

Thank you for all the phone calls and texts over the last few days! No news to report yet though.

We've been keeping busy waiting for our kiddo to arrive:

- I made and froze about 2 weeks worth of dinners.
- We went out on a date on Saturday night.
- I cleaned a bunch of the house
- The plumbers come this morning to get the roots out of our pipes ( every 40 week pregnant lady loves finding water in the basement!) Really hope I don't go in to labor today since I haven't been able to take a shower since Saturday.
- Taking long walks. On the agenda every day this week.
- Got a security system installed.
- Had the city run a gas line to the house so we can put a gas insert in the fireplace. Can't wait for that to be done (it will prob be spring/warm)!

We're keeping busy but I'm getting more anxious and uncomfortable by the day! I'm still thinking next Monday. He would share a bday with my dear friend Kristy!

Baby sewing project

I was given a hand-me-down bobby pillow from my brother and sister in law, among many more things, but I needed a cover for it. I looked online, but in the color I wanted, they were made on etsy (aka expensive) or somewhere so I made made my own. I bought 1/2 yard of minky fabric for about $6 (coupon!) and a 22" zipper for less than $2. I used another cover as a pattern, sewed the zipper in first, put it on the pillow and then fixed my pattern a bit. Now it fits perfect! It's not the best zipper I've done, but the soft fabric was a little tough to sew. I should have started with a larger hem. Oh well, it will do the job!

You can see how wonky my zipper is in the last picture, but like I said, it works! I think this was the last of my to-do baby items. I even put the sewing machine back in its box. It hasn't been in the box since I started my curtain making extravaganza almost a year ago. Not sure I'll have too much time for sewing after next week.

The Upstairs Nursery

Since the master bedroom is upstairs and the nursery is downstairs, the baby will be in our room for awhile. We've got the pack n play and swing set up in our bedroom for when we get home from the hospital. Thanks for the swing Dave and Jen!

I'm hoping this set up works, otherwise, we might just sleep in the guest room for awhile.

Our bags are packed, the car seat is installed and now we wait! We can't wait to meet our little guy!

The Nursery

Many of you have asked for pictures of the completed nursery- well here it is! We finished hanging pictures and putting together the bookcase last weekend. I love how it turned out!

The bookcase is our old billy bookcase from IKEA. It was light brown and I painted it white. We had intentions of putting wood along the back, but with all the stuff that is on there, it seemed like a lot of work for little gain. We also attached a bracket along the top to attach it to the wall which keeps it pretty sturdy so a back wasn't too neccessary.

The little yellow rocking chair was mine when I was little. It was from my grandparents. I scrubbed it down and gave it a few coats of spray paint and it looks as good as new. I'm glad my parents held on to it for all these years.

The white chair is from IKEA as well. We found it in the As-Is section for 30% off! Glenn took the legs off and he installed a swivel rocker (just like this). Unfortunately, I was at work, so I don't have any pictures of that process.

We bought the dresser off of Craigslist for $50. I scrubbed it as well and then modge-podged the inside of the drawers with some wrapping paper (a few drawers had oil stains) and we attached the changing pad to the back of the dresser with the straps and a screw.

The drawers are all full of tiny socks and clothes! I can't wait!

And diapers! We have both disposable and several cloth diapers, but from what I've heard, the cloth don't fit well until he gets a bit chunkier so we'll be using disposables for awhile (and when we travel).

The crib is in the corner opposite the door and between the two windows. I finally finished sewing the crib skirt last week. It was my first attempt at sewing box pleats but I think it turned out pretty cute. The pleats have a blue and white polka dot material. I just safety pinned the skirt to the bed frame since it will have to be adjusted when we lower the mattress.

I chose Whale Grey for the wall color. And Caribbean Blue for the ceiling. They are both Benjamin Moore colors, but I used HD Behr paint. Oh and we have something hanging on the wall above the crib, but it has to do with the baby's name so you'll just have to wait til he gets here to see that corner.

Glenn get's home from the boat on Sunday (fingers crossed) so this baby can come any day after that! 11 more days til my due date! Although, I don't have high hopes that he will come when scheduled (if that could even be a thing). I've been thinking the 28th for the last couple months and I have no idea why. We'll see if my baby brain is just making things up or not. :)