Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Doctor appointments

We had both a pediatrician and an obstetrician appointment this morning. Aaron is still progressing perfectly. No problems. The doctor wants us to be extremely conservative with him, though. The risk of him contracting a sickness in the first several weeks is high, so he told us to stay away from large groups of people for at least 8 weeks. This includes church, Wal-Mart trips, etc. He told us it was fine to take him for walks outside (i.e. open air environments). He also told us to limit the number of family/friends at any one visit to two or three. So we won't be making any trips for a while. As the doctor told us this morning, there is a season for everything, and this is his season to be at home and for us to be pretty conservative with his health and exposure.

Sara's appointment went well. She still has quite a bit of drainage on one side of her incision, so the doctor left in the staples on that side. The other side looks fine and those staples were removed. We are going back on Wednesday for another check and possible removal of the remaining staples. No signs of infection or anything to be concerned about, just need that area to finish draining and seal up a little better.

Aaron had a great night last night. He fed every three hours, and slept really well in between feedings. That meant that Sara and I slept really well between feedings, too! We feel good today.

Here are some more pictures:

Homecoming

We are home from the hospital as of early this afternoon. Aaron has had his first ride in the car, his first nap at home, his first ride in the bouncy seat, and seems to like everything just fine. Sara is still feeling good. Taking some pain meds to stay on top of pain, but is getting up and around like nothing happened to her. Not having gone through labor is a blessing we continue to thank God for almost by the minute.

Aaron had two separate 30 minute feedings today, one of them followed by a 5 hour nap! Sara and I were able to get a nap in once we got him home and laid down. Much needed rest for all of us. We are looking very forward to a night uninterrupted by nurses coming in every couple of hours to take Aaron's temperature. I think he will appreciate that not happening, too.

Here are some homecoming pics: (We have video, as well. At some point I will figure out how to make short clips of video that I can put on here.)

Pictures in His Birthday Suit!

Here are the first pics of Aaron!

Drum Roll Please...

Sara and I are proud to announce the arrival of our 9 lb 8 oz, 21 1/4 inch long, baby......

BOY!

Aaron Robert Allen was born today at 12:50 pm. Mom and child are doing fine, resting comfortably as we speak. He has nursed three times already, and seems to be adjusting well so far to life outside the womb!

THANK YOU for your prayers! We feel so truly blessed and humbled by this life event. To have this delivery occur without issue is a gift from God.

Will update more soon.

Updated Plan

Well, the Cervidel was in overnight. The nurse and doctor both checked Sara this morning, and we have no dilation. The doctor said we could try the inducement medicine and just see if it would do anything for Sara, but neither she nor another doctor were optimistic. She opted for a c-section versus a likely failed induction. We would have probably wound up in a c-section this evening after Sara spent a painful day having contractions that ultimately didn't do anything for her. I totally agree with her decision, and she feels comfortable with it.

She will not be put under general anesthesia, which has been a major concern all along because of past issues with Sara not handling that well. The medicine used is similar to, though not exactly like, an epidural. She will be numb from the mid-section down, and will remain fully conscious during the whole thing.

The c-section is scheduled for around noon today. There are a couple of scheduled c-sections this morning which is the only reason we have to wait until then. So Sara is currently reading a trashy romance novel and I am obviously updating the blog.

We'll keep you posted on any further developments. And hopefully sometime early this afternoon, I will be able to report to all of your that Sara is healthy and we have a beautiful, healthy baby.

Thanks for keeping Sara and the baby in your thoughts and prayers today.

At the hospital

Well, we're here...we checked in at 4:30 and it was about 5:45 when we were settled in our room. I was given Cervidel at 6pm. It will stay in until 6am tomorrow. At that point, I have 30 minutes to shower and get ready for the day. Then I'll be checked. If my cervix has softened and dilated at least a cm, I'll be induced at 7am. That will give us a baby sometime tomorrow afternoon. If my cervix doesn't respond over night, I'll have a C-Section around 8am and will have a baby before 9.

Everything has gone fine so far. There were no changes in my cervix between Friday's doctor's appointment and today, but my doctor said the Cervadel usually does its job over night.

I'll be allowed to eat anything I want for dinner around 8pm then I am on clear liquids until midnight. At that point it's ice chips until I have the baby.

We had a very nice day with my dad and Sheri. They just left to go get dinner and will check back with us after dinner then will head to their hotel until morning. John and Kim are on their way and should be here in about 20 minutes. They'll visit with us before heading to dinner and then will also be back in the morning. Robert and Wendy should be here tomorrow afternoon unless we call them to tell them that something's happening sooner.

So, basically, there's nothing new to report. We did find out - clearly - that we have internet in our room which is very nice. I'm doing just fine and the baby seems just fine. My husband's doing fine, as well. He is, however, ready to have this baby and know that I'm fine and Little One is fine.

Again, we know that you are praying for us and we are so grateful.

This is it!

Here I am exactly one week past my due date:



We are waiting to hear from my dad. They got in late last night and when they're ready to go, we'll meet up with them and spend the day showing them around Tyler. At 4:30, we'll check into the hospital and tomorrow we'll have a baby! So, this is the last pregnancy picture and my last full day as a pregnant woman!

Jory's Mom and John get in tonight around 7 and will visit us at the hospital then will be back tomorrow for the big event. His dad and Wendy will drive in tomorrow for the big moment. So, everyone's ready to go and we are SO excited to finally meet Little One!

Thank you all SO much for your prayers. We will get an update here as soon as we can!

Love,
Sara, Jory and Little One

A Very Good Weekend

Despite my efforts, I was somewhat depressed after our doctor's appointment Friday. My husband, however, was bound and determined that we were going to enjoy our last childless weekend - and we did! It has been a wonderful weekend. Jory took off work early Friday and we took a walk. The weather has been beautiful here - 81 with a breeze. Then he grilled us dinner - my husband is a master of the grill - and dinner was SO good! We relaxed Friday night and then Saturday morning I got to laze around while Jory made an incredible breakfast. Then I got to go get a massage - how spoiled am I??? After that, we spent the afternoon in the Rose Garden in Tyler reading and then we rented a movie and relaxed again Saturday night. Today was church and since then he's been getting the yard ready for the guests that we are absolutely having this week. At least we know that we are having a baby this week!


The Baby Pool is down to the Final Four - though Erica Fisher's chances are fading fast (she has today) and that leaves Me, My Mom and a guy I work with. We'll see. I am still believing that Little One arrives before Wednesday. I still feel very good and really have been enjoying all of this time with my husband. Especially since I know that this week is going to be crazy! A beautiful, miraculous crazy, but crazy none the less.


I have been overwhelmed with encouragement and support since our appointment on Friday. All of our friends and relatives are so good to us and we are more grateful than we can express. And we covet each and every prayer that we know is going up for the safe and healthy delivery of Baby Allen. We know that all three of us are so loved and cared for and we thank you all!

This is a quilt that my boss's wife MADE us. It is folded in half, so you don't see how big it is and you can't touch it and feel the incredible fabrics she used, but believe me when I tell you that this is AMAZING. I can NOT believe she MADE this. It is thick and plush and definitely going to be a Tummy Time Favorite.

This is our Pack and Play complete with changing table, diaper stacker and sound soother. How awesome is this? My Dad and Sheri got this for us and we are in love with it. My Dad and Sheri, by the way, are coming into town tomorrow night, so best chances are they will be here when Little One arrives. That is a perk of Baby Allen's delayed arrival.




You will hear from us here as soon as anything changes. In the meantime, thank you all for your prayers. We love you!

Still Pregnant...

We had our 41-Week (YIKES!) Doctor Appointment today. It was our last appointment. We are scheduled to check into the hospital Tuesday (March 10) at 4:30pm. I'll be given medicine to prepare my cervix and then (assuming I dilate 1-2 cm) I'll be induced Wednesday morning. If I don't dilate overnight Tuesday, I'll have a C-Section Wednesday. One way or the other, the doctor is bringing this baby Wednesday.

A sonogram showed that there is plenty of fluid and the baby is head down and healthy. The heartbeat was in the 130s. My blood pressure was 120/80 and my weight is good. Physically, I feel great and don't mind being pregnant at all. Emotionally, however, I am ready to have this baby. This waiting and not knowing when and how Little One will arrive is getting to me now. My husband, on the other hand, is now perfectly relaxed. The doctor said there's no chance this baby comes on its own. So, he's comfortable that the day is Wednesday and he's looking forward to spending the weekend together.