A quick update...

I have been working on a detailed blog for awhile now, but I'm enjoying having my family home (well, Jarrin and Kayla are gone now for a couple days, but we were all home until after Christmas) and having Shawn home has been great too! So with everything going on, I haven't made the time to blog much...but I wanted to at least share some pictures...promise to write a little soon!!

My kids at Christmas Eve: Jarrin (9 1/2), Cailin (2 weeks) & Kayla (16)

Christmas Baby Cailin

Cailin and big brother Jarrin

Cailin and big brother Jarrin sleeping

Cailin's First Bath

Cailin's First Shopping Trip with Mommy

Cailin McKenna Briley has arrived!!

Cailin McKenna Briley

December 10th, 2009 at 3:04 am

6 pounds 13 ounces

20 and 1/2 inches

Here comes baby!

Well, we're in the hospital. I'm in labor. :-) Don't know yet if she will arrive before midnight to share my sister's birthday, or if she'll wait til after midnight and have her own birthday on the tenth. We went to my doctor's appointment with strong contractions about 7 minutes apart. Went straight from there to the hospital. Arrived a little after 3:00, doctor came to break my water around 4:20, tried laboring in the water--it made contractions stronger--so I broke down and got an epidural around 9:15 or so and then they started petocin because she wasn't progressing fast enough. So, while I can still feel the contractions, it's more just pressure than anything else. Well, I'm going to try and rest a little now. Will be updating as soon as I can after our baby girl makes her arrival! :-)

Time is ticking away....

Well, still no baby yet, but that's ok. We technically still have 5 more days until my due date, so I'm just waiting it out at this point. I am amazed at the number of women who induce these days though. I currently know a number of pregnant women due close to me, one is due like a week after me and is being induced tomorrow. Another is due 6 weeks after me and is already ready to be induced but has to wait to hit 37 weeks. My doctor even asked me today if I wanted to be induced or just ride it out. I'm like, um, I've still got 5 days til my due date, I'll wait thank you. I mean, I'm as impatient as the next person, but come on people! Is it really so bad to wait until your baby is ready to come out to have them? Even with Jarrin (which was a miserable pregnancy) I waited until he was ready. This pregnancy (up until the last 2 or 3 days) has been a breeze so why rush things now? I'm just amazed. So, even though I'm ready for our little bambina to make her appearance any day now, I will sit back and try and relax and wait for her timing because I know that she'll come when it's her time to come. Maybe she's just waiting for her perfect birthday...and who knows when that will be:-)

the waiting game

Well, we're in the home stretch now...only approximately 11 days left until baby girl is due to arrive. It's been a long a stressful last two weeks, but I am now officially a stay-at-home-mommy. I may be going back to work part time at some time in some capacity, but it's still so up in the air right now that I can't even think about it yet. I'm just going to enjoy the fact that I'm going to be home with my family a whole lot more. I'm looking forward to getting Jarrin on the bus every morning, and being here when he gets home every evening, and greeting Shawn when he comes in the door from work every day and being on standby for homework at any time instead of trying to cram everything in after 6:30/7:00 in the evening. I'm looking forward to cooking for my family, and not having to do all of the week's laundry over the weekend. I'm looking forward to rocking my baby girl to sleep and singing lullabies. I'm looking forward to not having to lie awake at night worrying about work the next day or realizing I forgot to do something at work before I left for the weekend and stressing about during my days off. I'm looking forward to the 6 weeks that my now expanding family will have all together because we're lucky enough that Shawn gets paternity leave. I'm looking forward to having our Christmas on Christmas this year for the first time. I'm looking forward to seeing my sister, who has missed this entire pregnancy but MAY get to be here just in time for her niece's big arrival.
I'm looking forward to starting this new chapter in our lives.
I'm nervous, scared, excited, hopeful...and thankful that I have the opportunity to be have all of these emotions.

Baby Girl Update

Well, went to my doctor's appointment yesterday and got my first official "check" to see where we're at on the road to labor. Doc says I'm 50% effaced, 1 cm dialated and at station -3 (which means she hasn't dropped at all yet). So, we're started, but still have quite a ways to go...which could take the next 23 days, or could happen sooner, I suppose. We'll just wait and see. We're hoping to at least make it past Thanksgiving. I'd like to make it to at least December 1st so that all of us girls are in December, but we'll see what happens. The only thing that makes me willing to have her earlier is the size she is getting to be. LoL Three weeks ago, my doc asked me how big Jarrin was and I told him 7 lbs, 12 and 1/2 oz. He said, oh I think this one's gonna be smaller than that, around 6 pounds or so. I laughed, because that's what they said about Jarrin...then this week I go in and he asked me again how big Jarrin was. I told him and he told me, well...this one's getting there...He's guessing she's already about 7 1/2 lbs!!! What's funny though is that with only 15 lbs gained, and her at 7 1/2 lbs, and the placenta, uterus and fluids weighing in at about 6 lbs, I should be under my starting weight after this birthing is over just like last time! LOL CANNOT beat that!

We're almost there!

Well, we're down to only 3 + weeks left and I'm in shock that we're that close! This pregnancy has flown by, and while I'm pefectly content to let her "bake" as long as she needs to, I'm ready for her whenever she decides to show up! I now have an official "last day of work" set and will not be going back into the office after Thanksgiving. So I have only *gasp* SEVEN days of work left before I begin my journey as a stay-at-home momma and wife. I do plan on working again, part-time, at least in theory, but we're all kinda just waiting to see how things go. I am nervous to think of not working full-time and wonder whether or not I will adjust to being home all the time...but I'm excited to be embarqing on a new and wonderful job that I hope will be rewarding for my entire family. Can't wait to meet you baby!