The cutest little girl ever. :-)

Our cute little one in person. Yeah. 

Kayler's arrival

Kayler Noel is here. I can't believe Justin and I made such a perfect and beautiful little girl. Here's the stats on her...She was born Sunday Oct 26 at 3:55pm. She weighed 7lbs and is 20 inches long. She has quite a bit of dark brown hair, much like her daddy. :)

We have enjoyed getting to know her and showing her off to our friends and family who have visited this week. I was so glad that my dad actually got to be at the hospital when she was born. Justin's mom and the Butler's were there too.  So far she seems to be her daddy's girl. She has his hair color, eye shape and temperament. She does have my nose and chin and her Uncle Michael's ears. We're fighting a very mild case of jaundice and will find out tomorrow how that is going. I'm not worried as she is eating well and looking great. 

I praise and thank God for this perfect little one who He has trusted us with. I pray for His guidance in all that we do as new parents. I also thank Him for our incredible friend Dallion who was our doula. I hope I never have do give birth without her. She was amazing before, during and after Kayler's birth. 

It's almost time to eat again. Three hours goes by so quickly. :) Pictures will be coming soon.

Coming soon...Baby Kayler

Progress is being made toward Kayler's arrival. I saw my Dr. yesterday and I was dilated 1cm at that time. I've been having contractions since Thursday evening. They're not yet regular so we still have some work to do. I know 1cm isn't much but it's a start and my contractions have been more uncomfortable since he checked me so I'm hoping I've made a little more progress since then. It's very exciting and I'm greatly anticipating her arrival. 

Please continue to pray for me, Justin and Kayler as we go through this new and exciting time in our lives. Thanks so much. I'll keep you posted!!!

Well I guess anticipation would be the word I would use to describe what's going on in our house. I saw the Dr. yesterday and no changes but I have started having some practice contractions once in a while. I was a little disappointed that I wasn't dilated a little but I guess that will come. I'm just praying that I can do this myself and not have to be induced. I have a hard time believing that the modern world of technology knows better than nature when baby Kayler should be born. 

This coming week is my last at work and I'm looking forward to having that time off. As much as I'm ready to have this baby, it would be nice to have several days off before her arrival to get somethings done around the house. If only I had the energy to get it all done. I don't think my nesting energy has kicked in yet. 

To change the subject completely, when is this crazy election going to be over. Is it just me or is almost every major race really close this time around? I've never found myself to have much interest in politics, more so this year than ever. I guess that's b/c of the state of the economy. It's so crazy and scary right now. It makes me nervous with all the loans Justin and I have with our investment in the building. He assures me that all is well and that we're doing fine so I am trying hard to have faith in my husband and the decisions we've made and not to worry about it. The economy has certainly had an impact in how I'm spending money these days. Shopping at different stores like Aldi instead of Wal-Mart for my groceries is one way I've learned to save money. Justin and I went a few weeks ago and bought a cart full of groceries for $150. I couldn't have done that at Wal-Mart. 

I'll close with a few prayer requests and praises...Continue to pray for Granton. He has gained weight this week but the Dr say it is unlikely that they will be home by Thanksgiving. He proved them wrong before. Also pray for his mom, Jenni, who is expecting their second child. Pray for a strong healthy baby and an easy pregnancy. I have a friend who I don't want to share her name but she is going through a really tough time. She has a lot of health issues, both physical and psychological. She is struggling financially as well. Her family is also in a tough position as they try to help her and she refuses to accept the help they've offered. Pray for my friend Elizabeth who is expecting her first baby. Finally please pray that I will go into labor on my own without having to be induced. That the labor and delivery will go smoothly without complication and that Kayler will be born strong and healthy. Pray that Justin and I will make the best choices for her as we learn to be parents. Finally a big praise. One of my co-workers offered last night to come to my house next week and help make sure I have everything I need for the baby. Also she's picked out three days to come to our house after Kayler is born to help us with the baby and the house. This is something I've been praying for for quite a while. I'm so thankful for her willingness to help us. I know Justin and I will need help and with the lack of family close by I'm thankful for friends like Stephenie.

36 week visit

Well I learned some exciting news at the Dr. today. I am 50% effaced which means I'm getting closer to having this baby. That sort of freaks me out a little for several reasons but it makes me very excited too. Hopefully, as her father says, we still have a couple of weeks to go. Plus with my doula being out of town I really don't want to do this birth without her!!!
Other news I learned is that my group B strep culture was negative. That simply means that I won't need antibiotics during labor. One less thing to do done to me! :)
I do have a prayer request...Early on in my pregnancy I took care of a pt who turned up positive for TB. Today I had to get my skin test done. Pray that it will come back negative so I don't have to worry about x-rays and TB meds that make you feel horrible. Not something I want to have to deal with with a new baby.
It's been an interesting week at work. Our floor moved to another area of the hospital. The actual move went pretty smooth but the week as been a little harry as we have been full to the capacity of our new unit all the while trying to learn where everything is stored. Not a real fun process. Plus just for grins I also changed shifts during this mess so it's been a little stressful. I've just tried to keep the focus on my patients that I was caring for that night and not worry about the rest of it. We'll eventually find everything we need but we're not there yet.

T-shirts for tummies

I have a new idea to help save all pregnant women out there trying to keep their sanity. If anyone else is like me by the end of the pregnancy you think you're going to scream if anyone asks you any number of the same old questions that you've been answering for nine months. They may include any of the following
1) You still haven't had that baby?
2) What are you having?
3) When are you due?
4) What are you naming the baby?
5) How are you feeling?
6) Is the nursery done yet?
My list could go on but I think you get the point. Anyway so my idea is to make a t-shirt with the answers to these questions on it. Of course who has time to do that! :)
Seriously, I know people are well meaning and if no one asked me I would think that no one cared but I'm so tired of answering the same old questions. I think the next time someone asks me one of these questions I might go off the deep end and give them some smartallic answer like her name is going to be Jezabelle! (That one's for you Billy).
Thankfully I'm back to feeling like myself again, or as much as one can being nine months pregnant, after my bought with stomach flu. I'm now back to evening shift at work which is for the most part easier and I'm part time which is definately easier.
Do say a prayer that I don't have Kayler before the 12th b/c my doula is out of town til then and I don't want to do this without her support. It would be my luck though! Pray for her safe travel and return home. Also say a prayer that my poor, hardworking husband doesn't kill himself trying to finish our building. He's up at the crack of dawn and works til midnight. One of these days he's going to wear out and I worry that he's going to work himself til he's sick. He could use some encouragement for anyone who sees him or talks to him.
Thanks for humering me and my pregnancy insanity!!!