A Couple of New Pictures

Baby Bird

8 lb. 11 oz.

21 1/2 inches long

We are over the moon!!!!

I plan to write her birth story soon. I haven't been online very much since her birth, but I really hope to sit down soon & tell you all about it!

Thank you for all your sweet comments on my last post announcing her birth. I am still in awe every single day because I truly know what a miracle she is. I thank God daily.

Our Baby Bird Is Here!!

Thank You, Lord! My heart is so full of love for our baby girl. She's finally here!!!

I hope to post more details & pictures soon. :)

Pineapple & Spices

Can I just say again how much it means to me that those of you still in the midst of RPL & infertility continue to follow my journey and send me well wishes? You ladies are NOT forgotten!!!!! My heart aches for you, I pray for you, and I have HOPE for you!!! I will never forget you or stop supporting and encouraging you!!

I hope you can read my story and be reminded that miracles still happen. My sister is the mom of 3 through the miracle of adoption after experiencing infertility. How I LOVE my nieces & nephew!! And now I am going to experience the miracle of having a biological child after experiencing RPL. Our family is so thankful for these miracles! I hope that you are encouraged wherever you are in your journey!

Tomorrow is my due date! To try to coax labor on, I bought a fresh pineapple tonight. A blog friend recommended it (Thanks!), and I also read online that it can naturally induce labor. Jay & I are also planning on going out for some spicy Indian food this weekend. I REALLY want to go into labor naturally. However, I will be induced next week if I don't go into labor on my own. At that point I will already be several days past my due date.

So, I'm fixin to (that's KY talk!) go cut that pineapple. I hope it works!! :)

I'm also including a couple more of our maternity pics from a couple of weeks ago. :) Have a GREAT weekend, everyone!

2 Days From Due Date

I'm still here waiting on the arrival of our little one. Thanks for your comments and suggestions! :) I'm still feeling good. The only time I struggle a little is at night when it's hard to breathe and get comfortable. But I'm not complaining! I can easily endure that. I'm just thankful to be doing so well!

I continue to have stray contractions here and there but nothing that sticks. Bags are packed, house is clean...Just waiting for the real contractions to begin so we can make our way to the hospital! I hope it's soon. I just want her to be here and healthy and know that she's okay!!!

I hope y'all are doing well. Thank you for your continued support!!

Dr. Update

I'm almost 4 cm dilated and 80% effaced!! Dr. says I could have her at any time! He's been saying that for a couple of weeks now, though. :)

My bags are packed. I'm ready. Every time I have a contraction I wonder if this could be the "real thing". But then they stop and nothing progresses.

Last night Jay and I took a little walk to try to get things going. No luck!! I've been praying that she'll come when the time is just right! Although I do hope it's soon! I'm so excited to see her!! :)

39 Weeks

Still here & still waiting on Baby's arrival! Still in awe that I'm actually 39 weeks pregnant. I talk to Jay about it a lot and often ask him, "Can you believe I'm this far along?!" Still thankful every single day.

I'm really feeling ready for her arrival now and hoping she comes soon. I'm so excited to finally meet her.

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement. I'll let you know how this week's appointment goes... Or maybe she'll come before then!! :)

Full Moon

It's a full moon tonight. I keep wondering if I'll go into labor. But nothing so far except a few stray contractions. I think I'll go over my checklist just in case and make sure I have everything packed... :)

Gown Link + Dr. Update

As usual, thanks for your sweet comments! :) A few of you also asked about where I got my hospital gown. You can find the information HERE.

This week at my Dr. appointment I was 3 cm and still 75% effaced! Baby's head is engaged at -2 station. He was happy with my progress. We also got to see her on ultrasound! To tell you the truth, I was so nervous about going. I hadn't had an u/s in many weeks, and I started to have some of those old fears and feelings..."What if something's wrong?... What if I see a dark look on the tech's face and she tells me to wait while she goes and gets the doctor?" But I just tried to push ALL of that OUT of my mind and trust that everything would be okay. And.... It was!!! I was so relieved and thanking God on my way back home.

We got to see her little lips & nose, hair on her head, her ear, heart, spine, even her little bladder & gallbladder!! She wouldn't let us see her little eyes, though. :) The Dr. estimates that right now she weighs about 7 pounds 12 oz.

I also want to say how much I appreciate it when I hear from some of you who may be in the midst of RPL. I know what you're going through, and if anyone would like to contact me via email, please feel free to do so: creekjc{at}nctc{dot}com.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!!!

Hospital Gown

Recently I posted HERE about going on a hospital tour and feeling disappointed that it dredged up old memories and yucky feelings from previous experiences in the hospital.

So I decided to do something about it!

I've packed several things in my hospital bag to make it more cozy and comfortable: CD player & CDs, pillows from home, a soft afghan someone knitted for me, & also this HOSPITAL GOWN that I'm wearing in the picture!! :)

I decided that I didn't want to wear the hospital gown offered by the hospital b/c I don't want to feel like I'm sick. I want to feel that it's a special occasion and something to be celebrated. So I ordered this adorable gown. My doctor said that it's fine to wear, and it was actually designed by 2 labor & delivery nurses. What do y'all think?? :)

I hope y'all are doing well! It's going to be a beautiful day in Kentucky today! It's forecast to hit 70!!

38 Weeks

Jay took some maternity photos tonight. Here I am at 38 weeks!! Yes, I've actually made it this far... something that seemed like a dream only a short time ago. I'm SO thankful for this time in my life. Just the other night I was looking at my What to Expect When You're Expecting Book, and I told Jay, "I remember all those times when I would read this book and could never get past the first couple of sections." (For those of you who don't know, this book covers each week of your pregnancy and tells you what you can expect.)

After my 4th miscarriage I actually told Jay that I was going to throw it in the garbage. I was serious. But he talked me out of it.

Sometimes it still seems so surreal that here I am, 9 months pregnant and doing so well. I thank God DAILY. I know that she is our miracle baby.

Thank you so much for all of your encouragement and prayers. And now we're so close to delivery!! I'm very nervous and very excited all at the same time. And to think that she could be here anytime!

Well, I just wanted to share my favorite shot from the night with you all. Got my boots on and a big smile on my face! :) And you can definitely see the belly in this one! ha!

I hope y'all have a great weekend!!

Oh, on a side note, if you haven't seen the movie Courageous yet, I highly recommend it!! We saw it this this weekend. Powerful message! (And you might want to bring some tissues!! :)

Put a Call in to My Doctor

Okay, so I know that my Dr. told me yesterday that it would be normal to have some bleeding after being checked. And I know that some of you so graciously commented and tried to set my mind at ease. But, if you know me, you'll know that any little odd pregnancy symptom tends to set the wheels in motion for anxiety.

So I put in a call a few minutes ago, and I'm happy to report that he said it is totally normal and actually a GOOD sign. It means that my cervix is getting ready!

Thank you for your comments yesterday. You did actually make me feel better, and I REALLY appreciated hearing your experiences. Oh, on a side note.... Can you believe that my Dr. actually gives his cell phone number to all of his OB patients once they reach 35 weeks? That way they can call with any questions, problems, or if they're on their way to the hospital. He's a GREAT doctor!!

I'm also posting a picture from Monday. Here I am at just a little over 37 weeks!

I hope y'all are all doing well and having a good week! I know that so many of you are in the midst of procedures, Dr. appointments, RPL, infertility.... My heart goes out to you, and you are in my prayers. I know what it feels like, and you are NOT forgotten!!

Dr. Appt. Update

Thanks for all the sweet comments on our nursery! I'm so happy with it! After waiting so long for a baby, we went all out! Our family helped us, so it was a joint effort. We also tried to choose things that were reasonably priced. For example, I'll let you in on a little secret....The chandelier was a yard sale purchase from about 1 - 2 years ago. It was brand new, still in the box and only $10!!! What a steal!! :) I didn't even know where I was going to put it at the time, but now I've found the perfect place. :)

So today I went to my Dr. appointment, and guess what...

I'm dilated 2 cm and 75% effaced!! He was very pleased with how I'm progressing. He can't predict when I'll go in to labor (as some women can walk around for week dilated at 2 - 3 cm). But he at least thinks that I won't go overdue.

The scary thing was that I had some bleeding when I got home. For anyone who's been through recurrent pregnancy loss, you know how frightening that is! I literally gasped when I saw it and felt panicked for a moment. But then I calmed myself down and remembered that he told me not to be surprised if that happens. He said that sometimes there will be bleeding during pregnancy after an exam. It's not a large amount by any means, and I think it has already almost stopped. But I'm still going to lie down and rest for a little bit and take it easy tonight. Has this happened to any of you??

I hope you're all doing well. I can't believe it's November 1st! Have a great week!