Harper Olivia Deel

Be forewarned...this is gonna be a long one!


I can't believe how long this has taking me! I've been putting off writing the labor and delivery/ introducing Harper post far too long. Let me backtrack several weeks. I had been in the early stages of labor for forever! I had been having contractions, but never in a consistent pattern. Every time I felt as if they were speeding up, we'd start timing. As soon as I'd think about calling the doctor, they'd slow right back down! It was so frustrating! Needless to say, very exhausting, too!
A day or so before delivery:
Ella still not quite sure what Mommy has inside her belly.

Last belly picture! Makes for a nice seat, huh?!

Wednesday the 18th wasn't much different as far as pain and contracting. I had been to the doctor on Monday and was still dilated to 3cm. My blood pressure was slightly elevated at that visit, but they chalked it up to pain. I was exhausted and felt pretty rotten Wednesday. I'd had an ongoing headache that just wouldn't leave me alone! That evening, I started having some visual disturbances so I drank tons of water and laid down. When that didn't help, I felt I had to call the on-call OB. Just as I expected (and dreaded), they had me go to labor and delivery to monitor my BP. We spent all night there. Fortunately, my BP was fine. My contractions were being monitored as well and were occurring every 5-6 minutes. However, they weren't productive...still stuck at 3cm.

I had an ultrasound the next morning. Harper was estimated to be 9 pounds exactly! I was dilated between 3 and 4cm. However, Dr. Leisy said that Harper was positioned transverse which was probably why I wasn't progressing. There just wasn't enough pressure on the cervix. She instructed me to go straight over to the hospital. She wanted to break my water and see if that would cause Harper to re-position. I was caught completely off guard! I called Stephen (who was home with Ella) and told him that we were having a baby THAT DAY! Of course, I had a mile-long list of last minute things to do, including packing my hospital bag:) Stephen had to be put in charge of that. Needless to say, my mom brought me lots of forgotten things later:) Poor Stephen! I know he was so flustered! Plus, he had to get Ella packed up and bring her with him to the hospital. I wish I could have seen him running around the house when we got off the phone!

Last picture as a family of three...well, technically, Harper IS in it;)

Mom, Stephen, and Ella all met me at the hospital. I got to give Ella hugs and kisses before things got crazy, then Mom took her back home. Dr. Leisy broke my water about 1pm. She instructed me to get the epidural (if I wanted it) whenever I felt I needed too. However, the best way to get baby to move is to move myself. So I waited....and waited...and waited! I walked and paced and bounced and flipped from side to side. FINALLY, she moved!!! At that point I had dilated to 8, and I begged for the epidural. I wasn't the least bit afraid of the contractions, but after having 4th degree tear with Ella, I wanted to at least be somewhat anesthetized for the remainder. Sorry if that's too much information...this is, after all, a post about delivery;)

Having a rough time!

Noting the time I was getting ready to start pushing
The epidural only partially worked, but I was grateful for it. I could feel everything, but to a lesser degree. I dilated to 10 in less than an hour, pushed about 3 times, and she was here! They had to call in a team from Children's Hospital due to the presence of meconium in the amniotic fluid. However, Harper came out screaming like a champ! Best. Sound. EVER!

The very first thing Harper did was to bite the doctor! haha She clamped down so hard on Dr. Leisy's hand while she was trying to suction that the doctor actually yelped:) Then, once she was completely out, Harper peed on her. oops! All I can say is, Harper is most definitely a feisty one!

Harper Olivia made her appearence at 5:09pm (Thursday, August 19th). She weighed in at 8lb, 15 ounces. Dr. Leisy made the comment that we could have rounded it up to 9 pounds if she hadn't emptied her bladder:)

I thank Jesus for my perfect, healthy girl. Looking back, there are always things that could have gone wrong. Logically, I probably should have considered a cessarian, but I'm so glad I didn't! I was told at some point that I might not be able to hold her at first due to the large amount of meconium and the need for rapid suctioning, but that just wasn't the case. I held her immediately and for a very long time:) Proud Daddy got to cut the cord as well.

Check out all that hair!I worried Ella might be a little freaked out that I was in a hospital bed with wires and tubes, etc...Nope, she just wanted to get up in the bed and eat my food:)
On a side note...not sure when it happened, possibly while Harper was coming down the birth canal or maybe while pushing, but my catheter came out...on it's own. Still fully inflated. Those of you who know anything about that at all are cringing with me. The doctor ordered a consult with urology, but I ended up being just fine. Whew!
If I could sum up my delivery experience in one word it would be: protected. My strength was nothing, but I relied on His. I felt His peace throughout the whole experience. I had written several verses on index cards to have with me, and this is the one I repeated most: "You, O Lord, be not far off. O, my strength, come quickly to help me" (Ps.22:19).

36 weeks

So here's the belly at 36 weeks....whew! I'm amazed at how unbelievably HEAVY I feel right now! I just keep saying, "there's no way I can make it much longer!" But I think every pregnant woman says that at some point and it really doesn't predict anything:)

I went to the Ob at 34 weeks for a growth ultrasound. Harper was measuring 5lbs, 14 oz at that point. I realize that these estimates aren't always accurate, but they were EXACTLY right with Gabriella, so I'm putting some weight in them this time. At this point in the pregnacy, babies grow (again, estimate) about 1/2 to 3/4 pound per week....so, do the math! Harper should be in the 8-9 pound range when she makes her arrival. No surprise there as Ella was 8lb,11 oz at 39 weeks.

We will plan on induction at 39 weeks should she decide not to come on her own. I'm hoping not to get to that point, but will willingly induce if need be. I had way to much trouble and....well, trauma! with Ella being so large and coming so fast. A more 'controlled' delivery might not be so bad:)

Looks like the countdown is at 3 weeks or less! The nesting instinct has kicked in despite my complete lack of energy:) The nursery furniture is in place, as is the bassinet in our bedroom for the first few weeks or so. Ella's tiny newborn clothes are out, sorted, washed and ready. That's been the hardest part! Stephen and I have found ourselves in the middle of a huge pile of Ella's old things just looking at them and talking about all the memories over the past 19 months! Hard to believe Ella is so big already, and that we are getting ready to do this again! I am so humbled to see how the Lord has truely, truely blessed our little family.

Our cup runneth over...

32 week picture

I'm about a week and a half late posting this, but here's my lovely (read that sarcastically!) 32 week belly shot. I'm getting to the I-just-feel-huge-all-the-time phase which is fun!

Seriously, though, things are going very well with the pregnancy, and for that I am grateful. I go to the Ob Friday for another growth ultrasound. We'll see just how big this baby is getting!

Belly and nursey

It's so funny how different the second pregnancy is. I am just as thrilled to meet Harper, but nowhere near as prepared! So far, we've done NOTHING!!! My sister and one of my best friends are hosting a baby shower July 18th. I finally put together a registry for that. We've narrowed down our furniture choices and picked out the bedding for the nursery. Now I just have to get working! I have so many ideas, but just haven't had time to execute any of them yet.

Here are a few pictures of her bedding. The tulip pattern is the main print, the other two coordinate (sheets, crib skirt, etc.) I really like it! Her furniture will be white. I'll post pictures of the actual nursery, of course, when we get to that point:)

I'm quite a bit behind in my blogging....again. Here's the belly at 28 weeks. So far, everything is going wonderfully. I passed my gestational diabetes test (the first time, this time! Whew!) I've been getting RhoGAM injections (OUCH!) every 12 weeks due to some bleeding/clots they found at an early ultrasound. Since I'm Rh- and Stephen is Rh+, Harper could be either. The shots are basically given to prevent my blood from clashing with Harper's if she has a different blood type. Got my last one today, thankfully!

Harper is growing like a weed in there! She is consistently measuring about 2 weeks ahead of schedule. No surprise there - looks like we'll have another big baby! I did an ultrasound at 30 weeks and she is approximately 4 pounds at this point. Hard to believe! We will do one at the Ob on July 16th (34 weeks), so that will give us a more accurate estimate. I'll try to post my 32 week picture this week sometime:)

(28 weeks)

20 weeks and...... IT'S A GIRL!!!

Catching up (part 3): BABY!!!

Baby announcements are always exciting, but we think ours is especially so;)

Back in October, we decided that I would pay a visit to my OB just to see what she anticipated as far as the process of getting pregnant again. For those who don't know, we (I guess 'I') had to undergo treatment in order to conceive with Ella. After looking back over my records and lab tests, she informed me that things looked about the same as they did before Ella and to expect to take the same path. She actually told me it might be a little more difficult this time around...

So, long story short, I went through the first round of treatment. Afterwards, the nurse called me and informed me that my levels looked pretty rough. Basically, the meds didn't do a thing! I asked her if there was ANY chance I could get pregnant this round. She said 'none'. We were obviously disappointed, but knew it would most likely take several months.

A few weeks went by and I just randomly decided to take a pregnanct test. I'd like to say I had some gut instinct, but I'm not sure. Well, needless to say, I was floored when it read positive! Oh, did I mention I was at work?!? haha I went to Stephen's work after I got off and picked up Ella. I can't even relate how much fun it was to tell him! He was even more shocked than me, if that's possible!

Anyhow, we were certainly cautious at first. I knew my levels weren't good, but we just had peace about it all. We went for an ultrasound at 7 weeks and baby's heart was just strong as can be. What a beautiful sound! Don't you just love when our God proves doctors and medicine wrong?

The Home Stretch.

Here we go...listening to how Sara is feeling, we are now in the home stretch. Just to let y'all know, you should be on standby to hear that Gabriella is coming this way. On Monday, December 1st we had a very anticipated and somewhat surprising doctor's visit. Sara had an ultrasound and we got to see just how cramped little Gabriella is and also that she weighs a whopping 7lbs 8oz! Praise Jesus, Gabriella is very healthy and Sara is very healthy as well. Although both Sara and baby are healthy, doesn't mean that all is peaches and cream in Sara's field. As you all know, she is built small and the task of carrying around a seven a half pound baby in her belly is really taking a toll on her. I know she can't wait to feel like her sprightly old self again and not like a marsupial with a sore back that can't find a comfortable position to sleep in.

I don't mean to make it seem as if Sara is miserable all of the time, I just feel bad that I cannot help comfort her and take away some of the anxiety that is naturally coming her way. Anyway, we are very excited and look forward very much to being able to alert everyone that Gabriella is coming. We were also excited this past Wednesday when we were able to visit the Biltmore Estate. The Christmas decorations were beautiful and we had a great time but it was nice to come back home and rest next our own Christmas decor.

This should catch everyone up on everything...except one last thing.

On Friday, December 12th, Sara will be graduating from the University of Tennessee with her Master's Degree in Nursing. I just wanted to make sure everyone knew;)

Stephen

WWhhoooaaaa there. There's a baby in that belly!

Sara's pregnancy is moving along beautifully and after too much time passing, we are here to provide an updated status.

First I would like to thank so many people for all of the tremendous love and generosity exhibited over the last few months. I would like to single out a few people; our parents; Steve and Karen, Jerry and Susan; Sara's aunts Lisa and Gail, Sara's grandparents Jerry and Charlotte, and Margaret. Your gifts have meant so much but your enthusiasm and love for our daughter mean so much more I cannot properly describe it. I just wanted to start this update recognizing you.

Sara's belly is beautifully growing every day and it looks like Gabriella is dropping a bit. I believe it is now time to start the pool to predict the day that our little girl comes into this world. Even with Sara's belly noticably growing I still can't wait for the smack of reality that's coming when she shows up. It shouldn't be surprising that I often get overwhelmed with the desire to hold her and kiss her sweet baby head and her sweet baby feet.

We've been learning a lot recently as well. For the last month or so we've been attending baby classes at the hospital where Sara will be giving birth. It has really been an eye opening time and also a great anxiety reducer. We've been learning all about what's going on with Sara's body now, what to expect later, how to keep Sara as comfortable as possible, feeding, caring for Gabriella and this week we will be learning how to change a diaper! It's our last week and they saved the best lesson for the last one. I've never changed a diaper but if it's anything like throwing a ball or baking a pie I'm sure I'll be one of the top 5 diaper changers in Knox county. I can't wait for it and I know you can't wait for the update on that one...

I hope everybody has a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Stephen

Baby Shower Pictures

Nesting...

It's official, we have begun what I can only assume is the nesting process! It all started with a visit to the OB. We went to the doctor on the 22nd for our 31 week appointment and another 3D ultrasound. Once again, we got good reports! Gabriella is growing like a weed and now weighs in at 4 lb, 8oz! Based on her measurements alone, the due date would actually be pushed up two more weeks! However, our official due date is still the same, we "expect" her to be here just before Christmas.

Everything else is looking great as well. Mommy is growing too with an added 17 pounds so far. (I can't believe I just admitted that so freely!) I am still anemic despite the two supplements I currently take. The OB added a third, so my poor stomach might not feel so great for a while! It's definitely worth it though, I'm really in the home stretch!

After our appointment, it dawned on both Stephen and I that Gabriella could realistically come anytime in December, especially with the way she's growing! We went straight to the furniture store (after the bank!) and paid off the balance on her crib and changing table. Thanks to some help from dad, we got it home that day and set it all up before the night was through! It actually feels like a nursery now. We still have several more items on our to-do list, but we are getting close. It's amazing how much a tiny baby needs! We were so overwhelmed at first, but thanks to so many wonderful people, we are getting the things we need.

More is soon to come...

Sara

A glimpse of our little girl...

It has been way too long since the last update! Here's one more post before we quickly move into October...

Last week, we had the opportunity to have our first 3D/4D ultrasound. At our OB office, they refer to it as the "bonding ultrasound"! What an amazing experience! Once again, we were able to see our daughter's growth and even get an glimpse of what she will look like! The pictures aren't crystal clear, but that hasn't stopped the ongoing debate of whose lips, chin, nose, etc. that she has! Let us know what you think:)


Here are a few more of our favorite pictures...

Her precious little feet! About two inches long!

Here she is sucking her thumb, or at least trying to!

Such a sweet little face

The ultrasound tech told us she doesn't usually see a baby with so many expressions!

Happy baby! Does this count as her first smile???

We are so thankful for our good report from the doctor. She assured us that Gabriella is growing and developing wonderfully. She now weighs 2 pounds, 7 ounces! In fact, the doctor has now 'officially' moved our due date back to December 23rd. Based on the ultrasound measurements, she might be even further ahead. They'll be keeping track and comparing her growth over the next month to see.

Keep us and our sweet baby in your prayers as we get closer and closer to her arrival.

Keep checking back, we love to hear your comments! We'll try to update often!

Sara

24 weeks...

I was taking pictures of Sara in our garden and I came away with this beauty...nice huh? Or I could've snapped one while she rested during a recent trip to the Biltmore Estate.

So we have reached our mark of 24 weeks and according to Sara, this is a big milestone for both her and the baby. Gabriella is weighing in at roughly two pounds! She's growing like a weed and kicking the whiz out of her mommy. We've actually enjoyed being able to sit and watch Sara's belly dance as Gabi gives her a sharp jab with a knee, elbow, heel or even the occasional head butt.

At our last ultrasound, a couple of weeks ago, we learned that she is looking to be a week ahead of schedule. So instead of sitting on pins and needles around New Year's, Sara might be sending me out on Christmas Eve to pick up "Baby's 1st Christmas" ornaments and stocking. We'll just have to wait and see! She's gonna be a sweet baby, but you don't have to take our word for it...

Here is a profile shot of Gabriella. Her face on the right is looking up so it gives you an idea

I know this is a hard one to tell, but if you look real close and hard you can see her foot. By my count, she has 5 perfect little toes...I can't wait to gobble 'em up.

I don't if you can see it, but she's waving at us in this one. And I think she was telling us it's only 5 more months until she gets to see us (this was an ultrasound from July). The biggest part is her belly, face is looking up on the right with her hand directly above it.

Stay tuned...we are going for a 3D/4D ultrasound on September 24th and are sure to get some great detailed shots.

Stephen

21 Weeks!!!

Gabriella is growing! Ergo Sara's belly is growing!

This has been exciting for me as I use my girls' growth as measuring tool for the timeline of Sara's pregnancy. It has not been as exciting for Sara as this continuing growth has been accompanied by pain and discomfort. Don't get me wrong, she's excited knowing that her baby is growing and kicking in there, but that doesn't dull the sharp kicks to the spleen and the feeling that your skin is being stretched over a watermelon.

That's right you read correctly, we can feel Gabriella moving and kicking! This started about a week ago and every night the movements get stronger and more numerous. This has been in direct correlation with the American hero Michael Phelps winning a record eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games held in Beijing, China. Gabriella is going to be a swimmer just like her mommy.

<-----She is going to be soooo mad when she sees that I put this picture on our blog.

Anyway, we mentioned in a previous entry that we had some car trouble. We have solved that problem, we bought yet another Honda Accord. Gabriella will have a safe, dependable, four door, climate controlled vehicle to ride around in with her Mom. Also, we have begun the creation of Gabriella's wardrobe. It is more pink than any heterosexual male should ever have to endure, but what can I say. I just don't care. Because our daughter is going to be the most precious thing on this earth and she's going to wear pink, so I have to like it.

This summer is quickly coming to an end which bittersweet on a couple of levels. Sara and I have had a wonderful summer: Spending time at Mimi and Papa's new pool, visiting Nana and Granddad in Virginia and having them visit as well, seeing Kevin and Jamie (who gave Gabriella her first gift, I'll remind her to thank you), and we just hate to see all of that end. But fall is right around the corner and that means: School is starting back up, the leaves will be changing soon, the sun will shine a little different, football season is here, the WNBA is over, and the weather will provide a perfect crispness to each day, and Sara's third trimester begins soon.

I hope everyone had a great summer too! Here's to a great fall!