Thursday, August 28, 2008

This is a dream of Caleb and mine!

Picture Pefect III

Nurse Cathy (she is the nurse that stayed with us through the entire labor)

Angelic


Abby right after she left her bubble inside of Mommy


So tired!

Chillin in her Pink Beanie

Picture Perfect II

Abby and Mommy

Grandma, Mommy, and Abby
The Mother Theresa Wrap


No more crying


Observing what we just created

Picture Perfect

Abby and Pop-Pop


Daddy and Abby

A full family at last!


Abby after her 1st bath


Not very happy at this moment

Grandma and Abby

We have been so blessed to have Mamma to us and Grandma to Abby here helping out. If we need a break for a few mins, she is there, if Abby needs to get a burp out, she is there, if we need a delicious meal, she is there, if there are odd things to do around the house or laundry, she is there. She is there, and we are so blessed to have her HERE.

Abby Updates

We will try our best to keep this blog updated with pictures and stories of our beautiful little daugther, but as most parents read this they know that time stands still around your newborn from dawn to dust.

So here it goes, the Birth - Joe Version:

This past Saturday morning I woke up about 6am hearing Christina making all this cooing and ahhh happy sounds in the bathroom. I jumped up and wanted to see what the fuss was about. She said that she thinks her Mucus Plug just came out and when she stood up she was leaking fluids pretty rapidly. She didn't think it was her water bc we are expecting it to look like the Hoover Dam once that happens bc the girl was drinking tons and tons of H2O.

Christina wanted to wait and see if she started to feel some contractions and if so then we will call the doctor. Nothing really happened during the day except maybe for a few more liquid outburst here and there.

We decided to go walk some more around lunchtime to the Bayfest that our boardwalk has once a year. We met up with my family, ate some spicy foods, Christina got her nails done, I got some candy cigarettes, and then we went back home.

After a few more hours Christina decided to give her doctor a call just to tell her what happened earlier with the plug. The doctor asked for us to go to the labor and delivery just to check and see if her water had burst. We make it to the hospital and we met the not so nicest nurse. She was very mad at us for not calling earlier if we thought that her water had burst. After a few lectures from her, another sonogram, we were told that her water had not burst and when it did we WILL definitely know. They told us to go home and just wait to see what happens bc even though her Mucus Plug came out, it could still be a day or even a week until she goes into labor.

On the drive back home Christina started having some contractions but nothing that was too painful. We get back home and I went out to go get something for us to eat while Christina just relaxed on our deck in her rocking chair. I was gone for no longer than 30 mins and I come back to her curled up in a little ball with a blanket over top shivering as if she is freezing. I was pretty concerned at the time bc I was caught off guard but I knew I had to stay calm to find out what happened and to help her out.

She wasn't saying much at this point except that she was feeling queasy and had the chills. She was having some mild and hard contractions that were about 5 to 7 mins apart. That went on for about an hour and I tried to make sure she stayed as hydrated as possible. She then said she felt like she was going to vomit and I went to the kitchen to grab a bowl. Well here's the thing, she recently reorganized some of the cabinets in the kitchen and I couldn't find a bowl. All I could find was a cake container and I thought that this is not a good idea. I finally found a bowl and rushed back over only to be about 3 secs too late as I heard the sounds of her vomit hugging the carpet. She was getting in more pain at the time and I was getting a little worried bc she vomited again upstairs this time in the golden bowl, but I stayed calm, bc I that is what I learned in our birthing class as a coach, RELAXATION.

Luckily I called my mom and she was able to come over and help with the clean up. I called the doctor and told her what happened. She said the vomiting was expected but the chills were not so she wanted us to go right back to the hospital. Please remember it had only been about 2 hours since we last left so I was laughing inside about how fast she changed.

We get to the hospital and the doctor grabbed us right at the door and said that if she has to see us twice that is immediate admittance to the hospital, her policy. They checked her and she was about 3 centimeters.
Well from there, labor came through the door at full force. Her contractions were very intense about every 3 mins and each one lasted about 30 secs. They hooked her up to a machine so we could here Abby's heartbeat and I could also see when a contraction was starting, peaking, and ending.

That was the process we went through for about 3 hrs and she was in a lot of pain. She was still vomiting but they had her on a IV bc her temperature was 102. Her temp would eventually go down and was normal during all this but that was a big worry.
At about 1 or 2 in the morning she was checked and she was only about 4+ centimeters dilated. Christina was extremely frustrated at this point but wanted to keep going even though she was sick as a dog.

About another hour went by and they checked her again and she was about 6 centimeters and Christina got extremely upset. She then looked at me and said if we want her to have energy to push Abby out later, she would need an Epidural. I went over a few things with her to make sure she wanted some. I looked at the nurse that had been with us all night and gave her a head nod for yes.
The great thing about the hospital we were at is that they never once brought up a sales pitch for the meds, it was all us.

Christina was a champ getting the Epidural put in and she started to feel as better as one in labor can feel. She didn't feel the pain at this point, but she still felt the pressure of each contraction.

Nurse Cathy wanted us to rest for a few hours to get the energy for pushing later. Christina was able to get a little bit, but I could not. I was sick to my stomach with nerves at that point and had an empty tummy bc I didn't get to eat dinner bc once i got home from picking it up, it was Christina time, not food time.

While she was sleeping I heard a women next door screaming at the top of her lungs and I thought in my head, oh man, I hope Christina isn't going to be like that when we have to push.

About an hour passed by and they check her again. They were really happy bc she was 10 centimeters and they said it's time to push. Right then her bed was like a transformer, it went from a normal bed to a full on delivery station.

I was holding one leg and coaching, and the nurse was holding the other leg. Christina was able to get some energy from her rest and push 4 times each lasting 10 seconds for 1 contraction. This processes went on for about 45 mins and then the nurse said ok, stop pushing bc she is coming and we need to get the doctor.

Well, they couldn't' find the doctor and our nurse was getting pissed. Another contraction was coming and she told Christina not to push but to breath through it. She did and the doctor finally came in. She got on her labor outfit and welding helmet it looked like and was ready to deliver Abby.

After a few good pushes out popped Abby's head. Her cord was wrapped around her neck and they immediately removed it and gave her a good slap on the back and Abby started saying very loudly "THANK YOU VERY MUCH''.

She then slid right out with about 10 gallons of dark fluid it looked like. Here is the best part though, I SAW EVERY BIT OF IT. So for all those people that thought I couldn't do it, should be very proud bc I witnessed my daughter being born in all her glory.

They put her on Christina's chest for the skin to skin contact and we cleaned her and her cone head up. After a few mins they brought Abby over to the warming table and worked on Christina. I went over with Abby and I really do think she recognized my voice bc she stopped crying and moved her head in my direction.

Christina ended up having a 2nd degree tear but was so happy when she saw our daughter. Abby got her 1st bath later and her Apgar Score at 1 min was a 9, and then at 5 mins later she was a 9 still.

I just have to say the nursing staff was great the second time and were so helpful with us.

It was truly a miracle watching all this happen and just looking at little Abby makes me smile so much inside knowing that I had a hand in creating this beautiful gift from God.

Abby ONDEMAND!

Abby after a delicious milky meal!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Day 2 with Abby =)

Abby had a very busy day today at the hospital. They had to do a lot of tests. She had her Hep B shot, a heal test, a hearing test, and jaundis test. She passed all of them with flying colors, which means we got to go home today =) We get to sleep in our own bed without a lot of interruptions. And we promised Abby no more pricking or poking at the house ;)

She slept the whole ride home from the hospital because she had a full belly. She has been feeding pretty well. We are all getting adjusted to the new changes. The kittens are still getting used to the new noises, smells and of course Abby.

Enjoy some new pictures!
Changing for her first "professional" pic. She does NOT like clothes yet!!!
Sleeping beauty in the car ride home =)
Uncle Dave and Uncle Brian hooked Abigail and I up with a beautiful welcome home sign. Thank you guys!

Mommy and Abby are talking things over at the hospital =)


Daddy is making her laugh with his oohs and aahs!

Mommy, Grandma and Abby enjoying being at home.


Grandma and Abigail enjoying eachothers company!

Introducing Abigail Elizabeth Garner

The day finally arrived and Abigail Elizabeth Garner came into our lives on Sunday, August 24th at 6:01am, weighing 8lbs 10 oz, and measuring 20.6in. She came out alert with her eyes wide open. She didn't want to miss a thing! So far she has had a pretty exciting day getting to meet all of her grandparents, friends from church and Aunt GG and Uncle Dave. She has been really great about getting sleep during the day but now that it is midnight she is having a hard time realizing the concept of sleep =) It is all part of parenthood right?!

Our precious little baby girl!

The Mother Theresa look that one of the nurses wrapped her up like.

She is even cute when she is angry!

Daddys first hold!

First Family Shot!




Saturday, August 23, 2008

Another Step Closer!

Well we are still waiting to meet are most likely chubby faced daugther, and hopefully the time will be soon. We had a little bit of excitement this morning as Christina believes her Mucus Plug came out. We don't know for definite, but she is confident that she did, and usually 99% of the time she is right about this stuff.
So now we are just going to let her body work and see what happens.
You can definitely tell Christina is carrying much lower and it looks like little Abby could just slide on down at any minute.
This past week I decided to stop asking my wife if she wants to try this out or that to get this baby out, bc I think it was stressing us both out. So lately, Christina will suggest stuff like eating some spicy food, or walking on our great boardwalk at night. The last few nights I have to say have been truly awesome, we would go walking on our boardwalk usually around 9pm and it wouldn't be crowded at all. We would usually walk for about an hour and it was so nice with the cool weather we have been getting, and with the stars shining so bright, we are truly blessed to live where we do.

We will try and keep you all updated on how Christina and Abby are doing and hopefully with some good news soon as we know so many people are wanting to meet this little lady.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

It's a Waiting Game!!

So we are waiting, waiting, and waiting. Is it ever going to happen, will it!! Every night we pray and hope that Christina will start feeling some pain in real contractions. We know a bunch of people keep telling us to enjoy the time we spend together alone right now and to not hope for pain soon. But we so desperately want to meet our daugther and hug her, show her how much love we have for her, and to just hear that 1st scream, that is all we want.

We are hoping soon that the day will come and we get to meet our little pretty lady.

Come on Abby, let's get this party started!!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Drs. Appt.

We had another drs. appt. this morning. Not much has changed since last Thursday despite all of the walking, swimming, spicy foods, and other attempts... =) I am still 2+ cm dialated and 90% effaced. Which to me seems like there isn't a whole lot holding her in, but for some reason gravity and her whopping 8+ lbs (this is a total estimation on my part) is not really working to our advantage right now. Time will tell how long she will hang in there. I was able to go into work today after the appointment which helps me to focus on something other than trying to get Abigail out. Since I was out of the office yesterday everyone thought that I had finally delivered...sike! To many peoples surprise she stayed in my belly over the weekend. My coworkers finally had to put up a sign in my cube saying, "Christina is out of the office, but has NOT had the baby." For this reason, I try not to miss too much work. If she still hasn't made her appearance by Thursday I will be back in the office. I feel that I might be making some people a little nervous to see me waddling around but I would rather work now and take the time off when she gets here. And because honestly I am running out of projects to do around the house!

Monday, August 18, 2008

She Finally Gave In!!




I will see you soon my friend, oh yes, I will see you soon.
She is a 97 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 V-Twin.



No pressure Caleb!

New Analogy

So now I feel like a ticking time bomb. I don't know when I will go nor do I know how short or long the fuse will be. This makes the decision to go into work difficult. We tried everything again this weekend with not so much luck. The end I am sure is somewhere in sight. I mean she has to eventually come out, right?! I am probably just wishing her to be out too early, but I had a good feeling about this weekend.

The "signs" of labor were fairly positive when I went into my appointment on Thursday. The dr. said I was 2 1/2 cm dialated, 60-70% effaced, and my cervix was soft. So I figured a lot of walking, swimming, and spicy food should do the trick and get me the rest of the way. Since it is Monday I guess I was wrong. Oh well, it is not her time yet, but it will be soon and we just have to wait for her to get ready. This is probably a little weird but I am going to be excited when I start feeling some real pain. I will probably immediately not be excited but I think I am ready ;)

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Still hanging in there

My belly must be the most comfortable place in the world. No matter what we try Abigail does not succomb. She is happy right where she is at, so for now I am going to have to be good with that decision too. Or else I will drive myself crazy trying to get her to come or anticipating it. It is like that saying people would use when they are trying to surprise you with something, "When you least expect it, expect it". See Abby thinks she is funny, her first little game with mommy and daddy =)



This weekend we tried the pool, spicy food, cleaning, doing laundry, squatting, walking, and a few other things... So like I said she is too comfortable and not ready for the world yet. Who knows we might not be ready for her yet either ;)


The rash has gotten a little better. I finished my steriod pack and it wasn't the cure all I was hoping for, but it could have helped speed the healing process. That is the thing with drugs you aren't sure if things would have been the same or different if you had or had not taken them. I have been able to get some more sleep, which is a good thing since once she is here I probably won't be getting much of any. I just can't get too hot or overheated because then it is like I am on fire! So I get to take cold showers and let me tell you at 4:30am during the week that is just what I need to get me going ;) (a hint of sarcasm...)

I had a chance to look up the origin of her name for those of you who are curious. It just reiterates why her names were chosen.


  • Abigail - Fathers joy. (Joe is definitely excited and will be filled with a lot of joy and pride when she comes out!) Gives joy. Good in discretion and beautiful in form.
  • Elizabeth - God's promise. My God is bountiful, God of plenty.


Week 38 - Still cooking!

Friday, August 8, 2008

Record

So last night I actually got almost 5 hours of sleep, but this morning I woke up and now the rash seems to burn instead of itch. It is either a sign that it is getting better or I am becomming allergic to the calamine lotion. It is a good thing that I have a drs. appt. this afternoon because otherwise I would just start working my way down the list of wives tales to try and get this baby out =)

Also I can not count how many people have said that I am carrying a boy. I know I have mentioned it before but it may be giving me a complex now. We have a boys name picked out just in case, but the poor thing will be in pink for at least the first 6 months. At least the room is done neutrally just in case something turns out differently than we had expected. All we can do is wait for the baby to come out!!!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Sleep

I did get a couple of hours last night which is more than I can say for the half an hour the night before. So we are making progress... =)

I had to stay home from work yesterday because I couldn't stand being in the car for more than 15 minutes. So Abby and I were productive at the house. We reorganized the kitchen cabinets and cleaned. Sounds like fun doesn't it?! ;) We also ran some errands to get out of the house and for a change of scenery. So we walked around Walmart for about an hour. All I kept thinking about was that movie about the girl having the baby in the Walmart (wishful thinking). Where the Heart Is I think is what it is called.

Joe was able to take me to the pool when he got home from work. It makes such a big difference. I am so thankful that Charlie and Diane live so close, it has been a sanity saver!

Joe and I made dinner, which was this orange shrimp with fried rice. It turned out pretty good. And then since I couldn't sit down I kept on cooking. I made a squash casserole, a cake for all of the August B-days at work, and strawberry jelly. Joe's mom came over to help with the strawberry jelly because it takes a lot of stirring and clean up. But everything came out good.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

A little Insomnia

So we went to the drs again in order to get another opinion on what the rash is and it turns out I was actually correct in my diagnosis. The dr. said I have PUPPS. They went ahead and took a blood sample just to rule out any liver disease but I have all of the symptoms of PUPPS, which is what I tried to tell the other dr. that said I had sensitive skin and definitely not PUPPS. (watch me have that winner in the delivery room =) ) So in order to give me some relief they put me on a dose pack of steriods. Well the steriods have caused some insomnia because it is almost 1 in the morning and I am up blogging because I can't fall asleep. My mind and my body are going about a mile a minute. I have already vaccumed and folded clothes this evening so I have pretty much exhausted my things to do pile. Next up is reading, I am hoping that is going to help some.

I am hoping that all of this wandering around will cause Abby to come a little earlier. I am banking that gravity will have an effect on pushing her out earlier. The only real cure for PUPPS is to have the baby. So the sooner the better in my opinion ;) The dr. guesstimated that she was about 7.5 lbs. And when I say guesstimate he literally grabbed my belly and shook where she was and said it feels like about 7.5 lbs. The miracle of science I tell you! This is why I didn't really want them trying to figure out the weight...

In my mindless wanderings I did go downstairs and discovered not just one kitten in the old crib but two of them. And now they just follow me around wherever I go. I have Hobbes sitting in what is left of my lap. My belly pretty much leaves just my knees available for them to sit on =) It is like they are waiting for a show, they don't want to miss anything just in case something happens.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Week 37 Photo


I am getting bigger =) The joke now for work is my last day is either when Abigail gets here or I run out of clothes to wear to work ;)

I went to the doctors yesterday and I am measuring at 37 weeks. They did the Beta Strep test and I guess I will hear the results next week. I have a rash where my stretch marks are at and the doctor told me it was because my skin is so sensitive. I think it is because I have PUPPS because it has spread since yesterday. It feels like poison ivy but there is nothing you can really do about it except put topical cream on. The only way it really goes away is to have the baby. And since it is now officially August, she is more than welcome to come any time now =)