How ironic, Emery arrived the day after my last post! May 30th, 2010 (her Daddy's birthday!), 5 pounds 15 ounces, 18 1/2 inches, blue eyes with a head of dark brown hair.
She is now 15 days old and growing fast--she gained one pound within ten days! We are breastfeeding exclusively so it must be working. Her umbilical cord fell off last week, and tonight I gave her her first actual bath. She didn't like it so much, but fell asleep peacefully afterwards.
Last night Emery either had really bad gas or was going through a growth spurt (I'm thinking both). She started crying inconsolably around 9pm and didn't stop until about 2am. Nothing seemed to help, but she ate almost every half hour during that time. I feel like she ate a bit more today than normal, too, although I wasn't counting. Hopefully she'll be okay tonight and the three of us will be able to sleep.
Every day we get a little fresh air when we go up to get the mail--and Mommy gets her exercise (trust me, it's exercise; you haven't seen my driveway).
This past weekend we visited family so they could meet our little girl, and needless to say everyone fell in love with her instantly. She got to show off her cutest onesies and didn't lack any company the whole weekend.
This coming weekend will be her first beach trip. We are going to Long Beach Island Friday through Sunday with the Remix worship team--we're all very excited!
More random updates to follow!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
...are we there yet?
Emery is due in exactly one week.
Two weeks ago she was an estimated 5 lbs, 12 oz.
Needless to say Mommy and Daddy are getting a bit edgy as the due date approaches! Every twinge I get in my stomach makes my heart jump--"Maybe this is it!"--but so far no go. I did some last minute shopping (first aid supplies, waterproof bedding liners, etc.), and tomorrow I'll be washing a load of Emery clothes and essentials. I've been trying to walk every day, even if it means going to the mall and window shopping when it's rainy out, all in hopes that she'll come on or before her due date so we can forego the induction process.
Every day I go through the same emotions: after 9pm I start wondering why I'm having a child and what the heck was I thinking?! The very next morning I'm always so thrilled that my husband and I will soon be welcoming this tiny helpless being that will rely on us for everything. A tiny being that I know I will love unconditionally and will be the brightest spot in my universe (besides Andrew, of course ;-) ).
I can't wait to meet her!
Two weeks ago she was an estimated 5 lbs, 12 oz.
Needless to say Mommy and Daddy are getting a bit edgy as the due date approaches! Every twinge I get in my stomach makes my heart jump--"Maybe this is it!"--but so far no go. I did some last minute shopping (first aid supplies, waterproof bedding liners, etc.), and tomorrow I'll be washing a load of Emery clothes and essentials. I've been trying to walk every day, even if it means going to the mall and window shopping when it's rainy out, all in hopes that she'll come on or before her due date so we can forego the induction process.
Every day I go through the same emotions: after 9pm I start wondering why I'm having a child and what the heck was I thinking?! The very next morning I'm always so thrilled that my husband and I will soon be welcoming this tiny helpless being that will rely on us for everything. A tiny being that I know I will love unconditionally and will be the brightest spot in my universe (besides Andrew, of course ;-) ).
I can't wait to meet her!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
It's been awhile, hasn't it?
Some news: about a month after my last post God provided Medicaid!!! My largest bill from the other company was resubmitted to Aetna for review (so I might not have to pay it all), and I am also eligible for WIC for as long as I breastfeed (which I was planning to do anyway). Praise God for financial relief! The clinic is very nice, and the maternity ward at Morristown Memorial (where I'll be delivering Emery) is gorgeous. The rooms are all private and feel like upscale hotel rooms.
Andrew and I got to take a tour of the maternity ward during the Childbirth Preparation class we took a few weeks ago, which was also very helpful. I definitely feel as prepared as I ever will be to have this baby, and I think the class was great for Andrew as well. There were a lot of things he didn't understand at all ("What IS a C-section?") and I feel like he's a bit more understanding of what I've been going through now that he heard it from a certified nurse. ;-)
On Thursday my co-workers threw me a baby shower--and what a surprise it was! They lead me to believe they were planning it for Friday, and suddenly one of my friends calls me up and says, "The phones aren't working--are you still in the area? Can you come help please?!" As it happened I was still in the area--Andrew (who was in on the surprise) worked late that day. So we drive back to my job--me all pissed at having to go back so late in the day--and SURPRISE! Everyone's there with a long table of snacks and a pile of gifts. My first surprise party ever! It was the best.
Needless to say Emery has enough clothing to last her a good three months! And we still have to showers to go! Haha. I feel very loved and am very blessed to have so many friends.
Some news: about a month after my last post God provided Medicaid!!! My largest bill from the other company was resubmitted to Aetna for review (so I might not have to pay it all), and I am also eligible for WIC for as long as I breastfeed (which I was planning to do anyway). Praise God for financial relief! The clinic is very nice, and the maternity ward at Morristown Memorial (where I'll be delivering Emery) is gorgeous. The rooms are all private and feel like upscale hotel rooms.
Andrew and I got to take a tour of the maternity ward during the Childbirth Preparation class we took a few weeks ago, which was also very helpful. I definitely feel as prepared as I ever will be to have this baby, and I think the class was great for Andrew as well. There were a lot of things he didn't understand at all ("What IS a C-section?") and I feel like he's a bit more understanding of what I've been going through now that he heard it from a certified nurse. ;-)
On Thursday my co-workers threw me a baby shower--and what a surprise it was! They lead me to believe they were planning it for Friday, and suddenly one of my friends calls me up and says, "The phones aren't working--are you still in the area? Can you come help please?!" As it happened I was still in the area--Andrew (who was in on the surprise) worked late that day. So we drive back to my job--me all pissed at having to go back so late in the day--and SURPRISE! Everyone's there with a long table of snacks and a pile of gifts. My first surprise party ever! It was the best.
Needless to say Emery has enough clothing to last her a good three months! And we still have to showers to go! Haha. I feel very loved and am very blessed to have so many friends.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The dilemma:
My current obstetrician group is very expensive--I've alreay racked up a huge bill so far--and so I mentioned that I would hopefully be getting medicaid as well as my primary insurance soon. They told me they don't take medicaid, and so I'll have to go to the hospital clinic from then on.
Not a problem.
So I call the clinic. "Oh, we don't take patients who have insurance. You have to find a clinic or office that takes your insurance."
Seriously? So where am I supposed to have this baby, the street?! These people are killing me. Hopefully I can find a way to get off of Aetna and keep medicaid so I can at least go to the clinic and possibly deliver the baby for free. I mean seriously, how sad is this: my friend, who makes more money than me (although she's single) and has no insurance hasn't paid ONE CENT during her pregnancy so far (and won't have to, thanks to medicaid). I make squat and have minimal insurance, and as far as I can see will owe over $8000 in medical bills by the time it's all said and done.
And what about all those illegal aliens who aren't even supposed to be here, and they're getting free medical care?! Not fair!
(Yes, I'm super emotional right now so take it all with a grain of salt)
I feel like I'm stuck in this tiny box--there's nowhere to go. And there doesn't seem to be a solution.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding..."
On a lighter note, Emery is healthy and getting quite strong! Every day she kicks and rolls and moves around--and even though it can become pretty annoying and downright uncomfortable at times, I never tire of feeling her presence. I think it's special that her Daddy can be included now and get to feel her move as well. It makes me smile to see his reaction whenever she kicks!
My current obstetrician group is very expensive--I've alreay racked up a huge bill so far--and so I mentioned that I would hopefully be getting medicaid as well as my primary insurance soon. They told me they don't take medicaid, and so I'll have to go to the hospital clinic from then on.
Not a problem.
So I call the clinic. "Oh, we don't take patients who have insurance. You have to find a clinic or office that takes your insurance."
Seriously? So where am I supposed to have this baby, the street?! These people are killing me. Hopefully I can find a way to get off of Aetna and keep medicaid so I can at least go to the clinic and possibly deliver the baby for free. I mean seriously, how sad is this: my friend, who makes more money than me (although she's single) and has no insurance hasn't paid ONE CENT during her pregnancy so far (and won't have to, thanks to medicaid). I make squat and have minimal insurance, and as far as I can see will owe over $8000 in medical bills by the time it's all said and done.
And what about all those illegal aliens who aren't even supposed to be here, and they're getting free medical care?! Not fair!
(Yes, I'm super emotional right now so take it all with a grain of salt)
I feel like I'm stuck in this tiny box--there's nowhere to go. And there doesn't seem to be a solution.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding..."
On a lighter note, Emery is healthy and getting quite strong! Every day she kicks and rolls and moves around--and even though it can become pretty annoying and downright uncomfortable at times, I never tire of feeling her presence. I think it's special that her Daddy can be included now and get to feel her move as well. It makes me smile to see his reaction whenever she kicks!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
It's amazing how, even when you are told to expect something, it can still totally take you off guard. Before I was pregnant (and at the very beginning of my pregnancy) I remember reading everywhere that at some point in my pregnancy I would become this hysterical, emotional, hormonal maniac. I would go from ecstatic to annoyed to depressed within an hour. This usually occurs to women during their first trimester.
Well, I'm not your average textbook pregnant woman I guess.
I'm in my second trimester, the one where you are supposed to be experiencing all these feelings of elation and energy--and I am only now beginning to understand what they all meant by "mood swings". These are not your ordinary monthly PMS mood swings, either. They are full blown "I could never be happier--wait, why are you being such an idiot?!--What if my daughter doesn't like me!!!" (insert hysterical sobbing here) emotions. Emotions I never thought my heart was even capable of. Thank God I have a husband who listened to me when I warned him that this would happen. Now that it is happening, he is handling it fairly well--although I'm sure at some point he's really going to think I've snapped.
I think it doesn't really help that I hear of all these women whose husbands are the financial ones, so once they're pregnant they don't really have to worry about all that. Unfortunately in our relationship, I am the money one, Andrew is everything else. I handle insurance, taxes, budgets, etc.--and now it's starting to really get to me. That, and the fact that we're hoping to find a house before next winter, and my desire to be a stay-at-home mom (which is seeming more and more impossible as the days go by).
"Now wait just a minute!!!!" (you may be thinking) "What happened to faith that God will provide? That He will grant the desires of your heart?"
I've been asking myself the same thing--and in short I think my emotional state is fogging my vision and keeping me from seeing what He truly wants for me. I do believe in my heart that I am meant to be a homemaker and a mother, and I need to know that--if that is indeed true for my future--then it will be so, no matter what winter energy bills and evil thoughts of insurance come my way.
To top it all off, I only have three more months until I go on maternity leave, which I really think will help the situation a bit, since I know I'm never going back to work for that boss. I've stuck it out for over a year and a half, and my reward is some much-needed "rest" before Emery comes. I've changed since I started working there--and I'm not proud of what I've become. I know there is no excuse for bad behavior, that it is a choice, but at least the influence will be gone and perhaps I can begin to allow God to heal me in those areas. I only hope I have the strength and desire to allow Him to do so.
Well, I'm not your average textbook pregnant woman I guess.
I'm in my second trimester, the one where you are supposed to be experiencing all these feelings of elation and energy--and I am only now beginning to understand what they all meant by "mood swings". These are not your ordinary monthly PMS mood swings, either. They are full blown "I could never be happier--wait, why are you being such an idiot?!--What if my daughter doesn't like me!!!" (insert hysterical sobbing here) emotions. Emotions I never thought my heart was even capable of. Thank God I have a husband who listened to me when I warned him that this would happen. Now that it is happening, he is handling it fairly well--although I'm sure at some point he's really going to think I've snapped.
I think it doesn't really help that I hear of all these women whose husbands are the financial ones, so once they're pregnant they don't really have to worry about all that. Unfortunately in our relationship, I am the money one, Andrew is everything else. I handle insurance, taxes, budgets, etc.--and now it's starting to really get to me. That, and the fact that we're hoping to find a house before next winter, and my desire to be a stay-at-home mom (which is seeming more and more impossible as the days go by).
"Now wait just a minute!!!!" (you may be thinking) "What happened to faith that God will provide? That He will grant the desires of your heart?"
I've been asking myself the same thing--and in short I think my emotional state is fogging my vision and keeping me from seeing what He truly wants for me. I do believe in my heart that I am meant to be a homemaker and a mother, and I need to know that--if that is indeed true for my future--then it will be so, no matter what winter energy bills and evil thoughts of insurance come my way.
To top it all off, I only have three more months until I go on maternity leave, which I really think will help the situation a bit, since I know I'm never going back to work for that boss. I've stuck it out for over a year and a half, and my reward is some much-needed "rest" before Emery comes. I've changed since I started working there--and I'm not proud of what I've become. I know there is no excuse for bad behavior, that it is a choice, but at least the influence will be gone and perhaps I can begin to allow God to heal me in those areas. I only hope I have the strength and desire to allow Him to do so.
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