The Circle of Life!

Well now hasn't this been an interesting weekend!

We came in on Thursday evening to begin the induction. The reason behind the late start was because the Dr had to place a drug on Lindsay's cervix to soften it up for the baby to come out, and it needed 12 hours to work it's magic. So after scrambling to make sure we had everything we needed for the birth we arrive slightly late and then one thing after another it's about 11pm before they are able to get things started. We were given one of the bigger rooms since we could possibly be in labor and delivery for a while, and let me say it was HUGE! (I had a studio apartment that was smaller.) We did our best to get through the night but the cervidil started some decent contractions which kept Lindsay up all night. This is what I have been calling Phase 1.

Phase 2 started about 1pm the on FRIDAY THE 13th! This was after an hour break to let Lindsay eat and shower, because once she was given pitocin she wouldn't be able to eat anything. This really got things started, Lindsay's contractions began getting harder and harder. After a few hours the Dr broke her water to get things really going.
BUT
As time went on we weren't getting as much progress as the Dr would have liked (hardly any to be honest) and Audrey wasn't descending down very much to boot. They kept giving us time markers the first was about 7pm, and not much had happened so they set another for 9pm and if things hadn't progress further we would have to consider the fact that we'd need a C-section.

We knew all the information regarding the c-sect already but the Drs made sure we were kept well informed and if this is what it would come to we knew we would have to accept it, though we both were scared of having to go through that experience. We had to do what was best.

Then 9pm came... Nothing. No progress. We would have to go through with the c-sect. The clock had begun clicking once they broke her water and time was running out. Even if we waited another couple of hours the Dr just didn't think Lindsay's body would start active labor without risking infections.

Phase 3: Labor... um Operation Prison Break.

Shortly after 9 the Dr left the room and we (Desiree and my self) started the scramble again to get all our stuff gathered while the OR was prepped. Then Lindsay went to the OR and I was to wait outside until they were ready for me to come in. I can only speak for myself as to the thoughts racing through my head, and I was freaking out. I sat in the hall waiting, dressed in the paper surgery garb and freaked out. I was scared for Lindsay and I was scared for Audrey because I knew that there was a chance that I may lose one or both of them. To give you a better sense of how I was feeling read that last sentence over again... for 15-20 minutes. I'm sure the Dr could tell how I was feeling even through my stoic expression and he stopped to give me a few kind words before heading into the OR.

So a few minutes later I'm brought in to the OR I see the Lindsay stretched out on the table and the doctors and nurses are busy at what they are doing. I'm lead to a seat next to Lindsay's head and the operation begins. At this point I'm still freaking out and all I can see is Lindsay's drugged up head. The doctors do their thing and a few minutes later I'm told I can stand up. From the first slight of Audrey I new things were going to be good. We took a few pics from the OR and a few from while the nurses cleaned her. After weighing her and cleaning her up the nurses and I went to the recovery room while Lindsay was stitched up.

Audrey Danielle Martinez was born Friday August 13, at 9:52pm. Weighing 8lbs 7oz and measuring 20 1/4in long and 13in around her head. She is the most beautiful creature on Earth!

Labor and Delivery

This is just a quick note from inside the hospital.

Lindsay has been induced and is doing fine. From statements made by some of the Doctors and Co. we've been made to believe that this may take a while (days even).

I've started referring to what's going to happen in "Phases." So far we are about an hour away from the end of the 12 hours that was Phase 1. Then Lindsay will get an hour long break from everything to eat and shower then the Dr will start phase 2.

I'll give more details later after I clear with Lindsay if/when it's OK for me to post.

So bye for now, we'll keep you updated in a while.

COMING SOON!

The Baby... duh!

The Doctor is planning (unless she comes out on her own, beforehand) to induce Lindsay this Thursday.

We'll keep you informed as to what's happening as things develop...

What's UP!!

Ok here's the latest:

Lindsay is on bedrest! A week or so ago she was feeling nauseous so she called her doctor. The doctor had her come in that day to see what was up, and when they checked her blood pressure it was too high for the Doc's liking, so she told Lindsay that it's now time for bedrest.

Since then Lindsay has been having appointments four times a week... ug. At one of the visits her Doc stated that if she were at 37 weeks she would have induced her. This is all because she has developed Preeclampsia and her blood pressure is too high. So since we are in week 35 we are getting mentally preparing for an induction in a couple of weeks.

The reason she said 37 weeks is because the baby is fully developed at that time- it would mark the official nine months. We are a little worried, but the Doc does know best and she hasn't led us astray and we want what's best for both mother and child.

So Lindsay has been trying not to get bored sitting at home all day. I think this has kicked in an urge to nest. She's washed a ton of baby clothes, we've got our overnight bag packed (just in case) and we've rearranged the bedroom to fit the pack and play. When she actually is resting, she's been watching a ton of movies from Netflix streamed off the Wii, as well as ones from blockbuster and occasionally cracking open a book (mostly the "What to Expect..." book).

So we'll see what the coming weeks have to offer... well keep you posted.

Hey Everyone,
Lindsay had another appointment today where she got another ultrasound. This time we got the super cool 3D pictures... and here they are.

This picture is awesome, My little bratty princess, Ha!




So those are the very first images where we get to see my beautiful daughter. Pretty soon we'll get to see the real thing... just a few weeks away...

Latest Updates... and Week 33

So here we are in week 33! Sorry it's been a while since I've updated but things have been a little busy.

The last few weeks, Lindsay has been having to go to the hospital for the Non-Stress Test (NST) and ultrasounds to measure the amount of amniotic fluid. These have been a lot more boring than the first, but at least they are only 20 mins long. We go in they strap two monitors to her belly and listen to the baby's heartbeat for a while. Audrey seems pretty impressed by this, she likes to kick at the monitors. The nurses at the hospital say the monitors work like an ultrasound or radar... and Audrey doesn't like the noise very much.

I don't remember if I've mentioned this before but Lindsay has been feeling Audrey's hiccups. From what we've been told this is good, it means that she is starting to try to use her lungs!

Here are a few pictures from the baby shower (In no specific order). We have only got pictures from Tobi (Lindsay's stepmom), and we would really appreciate it if anyone else who took pictures that day could pass them our way,

During the gift opening


A cute little lamb


The cake


The Diaper-cake and keepsake frame of Audrey


Lindsay opening presents


The Gift table


Jessica (the Hostess)


The proud parents


The Manastee Ranch

The Busy Week (Week 31)

Hi Everyone,
This last week has been chaotic. Plenty of excitement with a little concern mixed in too.

Much of this week has been devoted to getting this weekends baby shower in order. Lindsay, her sister Jessica and best friend Desiree have been coordinating this for sometime. They've been working very hard planning the decor, getting the local and ironing out the details.

To add to the goings on Lindsay's Mom has come to town both for a visit and for the baby shower. So Jessica and her kids have been staying over to spend time with her, and also finish getting the baby shower details set. Then at the end of the week family members switched out and Lindsay's Aunt stayed with us. So we've had a pretty full house all week long.

Friday, we had a appointment with the OB for a check up and another ultrasound. The ultrasound was to take more measurements to check her development. Audrey is developing well. On that day, Audrey was 31 weeks 1 day old, but the measurements from the ultrasound say she's developed to a 32 week 4 day, so she's a tad bigger than average! She's also guessed to weigh about 4 pounds. Her heartbeat clocked in at 144 beats per minute. So she's still cooking nice and healthy.

Then came the OB appointment. This is usually just a little chat with just to see how the pregnancy is going along. Lately, Lindsay's been retaining a lot of water and her ankles have been swelling. So we had to let the Dr. know about this. Then the Dr. brought up the results of Lin's blood pressure check, it was high, and her urine test resulted with a little protein in it. Because of this we were told we had to go to OB Triage to be monitored. This freaked us all out.
(completely forgetting what we'd just seen on the ultrasound.) We rushed to Triage to get stuck in a nook for about three hours. They did a blood test and monitored her heart rate (NST or Non Stress Test) and we just sat... and waited.... four three hours... Finally we were able to leave. They had the results of the NST and sent the blood test results back to the OB (the hospital would have the results sooner than if the OB office had done it themselves.) The bad part about all this is now Lindsay will have to go and be monitored twice a week until Audrey is delivered. We went home exhausted and tired. If things don't improve the Dr has threatened bed rest and we'd rather not let that happen.

Saturday came the most exciting part of the week... The baby shower! Our family and extended family converged on the Manistee Ranch for a few hours of celebration devoted to the subject of this blog. Things went off without a hitch. Jessica took the reigns of hostess and I tip my hat to her both for her coordinating things and for showing no signs of stage fright when talking to the large group of strangers before her! There were fun games, good food and plenty of good spirits. I was happy to see everyone who was able to make it. When gift opening time came... the only thing I can say is: We know the greatest people EVER! Audrey will never need clothes until she is about 5! She received so many cute outfits we are buried under about a ton of baby clothes! We got quite a bit of what was on the registry and a few surprises that weren't. I think I have a tendency to like homemade gifts a little more than store bought just for the personal heart that went into them (no offense meant to those who did buy things) but there were a couple of gifts that stand out as needing an Honorable Mention:
- Audrey received a homemade bonnet with a little story to go with it talking about how the bonnet can be used for going home from the hospital or Christening, then used later in life as a something old item when she marries, and then reused again as a bonnet for her child. I thought this was incredibly sweet gift and idea.
-The Mom of one of Lindsay's BFF's made Audrey a VERY cute black and pink stripe afghan. I'm told that it's up for being added onto as Audrey grows up!
-The Basket of Everything Useful! We also got a gift from a friend of Lin's full of such useful things. Some of which were items we'd forgot to include in the registry (like safety locks for the cabinets) as well as blankets, toys, and about a million other things!
Those were just the Honorable Mentions for the time and thought put into them, but everything we got is very much appreciated and we are very, VERY thankful for. We love all of it very much.

Sunday, has been the day to catch up on relaxing! I spent the morning putting the crib, the dresser and the changing table together. A bunch of our family got together and went in on buying it. It was another gift from our baby registry and was quite expensive so it was a good idea that they did that. I had a great time assembling it, kind of took me back to my child hood and playing with Legos! The rest of the day we've lounged around and made sure not to let Lindsay stress.

That's what's been going on in the world of the baby. I'm sure I've forgotten to mention some details but as you can see there's been a lot to say. So I wanted to let everyone know how much we appreciated everyone and everything in regards to this weekend and we love and thank you all!

Also, if you have pictures from this weekend we would really like it if you could email them to either of us. We only ended up with two pictures of the baby shower on our camera.

REQUEST:

I have a request, if there are any crafty people with the skill and time. Could someone make this for Audrey... If there are any volunteers I can hunt down the pattern. I just thought this was cute and since I (we) don't have the ability to make it I thought I should just throw it out there to see.

Week 30

Hi Everybody,

It kind of feels like it's been a while since I've posted anything new. So I'm here to change that.

Audrey is growing more and more every day and today we enter WEEK 30!!! Where does the time go? Lindsay spent some time today reading up on BabyCenter, she does this to see what's going on with the baby and how some of the other mothers are doing in the forums. While on there she read that Audrey is now about 15 inches long and she asks me about how big 15 inches is. Having seen my tape measure about fifteen minutes earlier I pull it out to and show her and myself how big 15 inches really is... WOW! If you're not sure how long 15 inches is it's roughly the size of an average computer monitor or two DVDs stacked end to end.

Another sign of her growing is when she kicks and punches. Where before we'd feel a little tap or flutter, today we are beginning to see signs of real movement. Last night I got to feel my first punch from Audrey and Lindsay has been trying to play with her by pushing back or setting her cell phone on vibrate and seeing if she'll respond to that.

Just two more months to go.




Lindsay and I have been kicking around the idea of me painting something for our Audrey's room. So this is it: Grape-Chimp. I think it's pretty apparent that I need an easel, since it's very off center. Also I'm thinking I should probably invest in some new brushes and paint while I'm at it... But although flawed I'm happy with the way it turned out. My little personal gift to my child. Hope you like it.

Enter the Trimester: Part III

Hi Everybody!

In case you didn't read the title, we've reached the the Third Trimester today. Here comes the FUN!

The last few days Lindsay has been having issues with restless leg syndrome and it's driving her nuts. Last night she didn't sleep very well because of it and it continued bothering her through the rest of the day. If anyone has suggestions we are open to thoughts on getting stopping it.

Outside of the baby-maker, the plans for the baby shower are well underway. I saw the mock up of the invitations the other night. So those should be getting sent out soon. So if ANYONE has ANY MORE people we need to add, let us know soon.

Alright, take care!

THREE MONTHS left!

So there was another ultrasound yesterday. Lindsay's blood pressure was high a few weeks back so to have a basis for comparison if she develops Preeclapsia they tooks some pictures and measurements just in case.

Assuming I understood what was said. When they did all the measurements Audrey is roughly the size of a 27 week old fetus so she's slightly larger than average (by one week) This is after they measured the size of her head, femur, and stomach. They also took a .WAV recording of her strong heartbeat. She's guess-timated to weigh about 2lbs.

Yesterday's checkup showed that Lindsay's blood pressure was better than last time, so we are happy about that. All around the visit was good. We've got another ultrasound in a few weeks just as a precaution.

As of today we have 3 months left... I can't wait.

Baby Name!!!!!!!!!

Matt is making me post a blog, so here it goes. We decided on the baby's name......... Audrey Danielle Martinez!!!!! Talk to you next time from the delivery room.

Week 25 part II

Lindsay got the call today about the glucose test and she doesn't have gestational diabetes!

Week 25

So one of these days I will get Lindsay to give you an update on what's going on... until then you'll just have to deal with getting it second hand from me.

Today Lindsay had another appointment. On her last appointment Lindsay's blood pressure was a little high, so the doctor had her come in again to run a few tests.

The first was another blood pressure test, this was to have a basis for comparison just in case she develops preeclampsia. If her blood pressure gets too high, she'll have to be at the doctors office every other week.

The second was a glucose test, to make sure she isn't developing Gestational diabetes. We'll get the results in a few days, if it comes back bad she'll have to go back in and drink the glucose drink then have her blood checked every few hours.

We are also getting another ultrasound, the baby's heart is good but the doctor wants to check her out to see her development. With Lindsay's blood pressure in question they just want to see how the baby is doing. I can't complain, we get more pictures to put up.

All in all, I know this kind of puts a worry in everyone, but these are just precautionary steps to ensure we have a healthy baby. I not going to worry until there is something to worry about. Once Lindsay get's out of school and we move into the new place her stress level should go down a bit.

I'll keep you all posted to what's going on as we learn about them.

Here's what Babycenter has to say about what's going on.

A Small Announcement - as told through Science Fiction

WHY! Why oh, why didn't I think of doing something like this when Lindsay got pregnant?

Guess WHAT!

Who's got two thumbs and felt the baby fluttering in the womb tonight... this guy that's who!

Lindsay has been trying for weeks to allow me to feel the little flutter that she gets when the baby moves, and finally tonight it happened. Most times, by the time I get to feeling around the belly she quits moving. But tonight she kept it up long enough for me to feel. Awesome!

Ah-ha Week 24

OK, I finally figured it out, we're in week 24 (got lost there for a minute).

Haven't had much to talk about ... Until today. Lindsay decided that maybe I should get a little insight as to what's ahead or more specifically what the final hours of pregnancy are like. So she pressured me into watching some of the videos that Babycenter offers. My thoughts were "NOOOOOOooooooooo!" But in the end she got her way.

I can't post the videos here, Babycenter won't let me, so I'll link to the ones I saw. Needless to say these are all UNCENSORED! You will see everything child birth has to offer.

First one: http://www.babycenter.com/2_live-birth-epidural_10314055.bc

In this video we learn what an Epidural birth is like. My first thoughts are "OK, I can do this..." We see the Mom to be receive the epidural, the itchy effect that it causes. ("ok, I'm ok"). Then we see her spreading her legs and the camera changes angles to the Father and Dr. holding the legs up from the outside.... then shortly we see the dilated vagina. ("Um, hmmm? ok. Uh, Wow!")
Then this gross and bloody gray head starts making an appearance ("HOLY WTF IS THAT! THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE EW!") As this occurs you see how the baby is stretching the region out trying to make it's escape and now I see that the mother is going to need an episiotomy ("OH GROSS"). The the baby makes it out ("WTF, why does it's head look all wierd?) Finally, it was over and I was thankful because I could not look any longer. I'm sorry America, I'm a squeamish wimp.

Second one: http://www.babycenter.com/2_inside-pregnancy-labor-and-birth_3658872.bc

My initial thoughts were "Oh ok, computer images I can deal with this ..." This one I did good with there wasn't any blood, guts, secretions or tearing so I handled it well. I even learned why the previous baby's head looked like the Crystal Skull from the last Indiana Jones movie.

The last one: http://www.babycenter.com/2_live-birth-c-section-surgery_3656510.bc

This one was to get me prepared in the case that we should need a C-section. I didn't think this one was that a bad either. It lacked the creepy close-ups that the first had. (I mean lets face it I won't be up close and personal rooting the baby as it makes it's way out!) This I learned the ways of the C-sect and the differences with the cuts. I did OK as they cut the woman open (maybe it's because of the sheet they have up to isolate the working area removes some of the humanity out of it... kind of makes it seem like "movie" blood.) Strangely I made it through this one unscathed. (though I was still shaken by the first video)

So there you have it folks, the videos that almost made my toss my cookies. Don't get me wrong, I will still be in the room to welcome my daughter into the world. I will just keep my eyes distant from the heart of the action.

Also, I won't be cutting the cord. I've known that I did not want to do this from pretty much day one. Don't bother calling me a wimp about it, I think we've already proven that point, and I'm OK with it. So don't bother giving me a hard time about it.

Still Cooking

Well it's been a while since I've posted anything but there isn't much to report. The Baby still is nameless (though we're getting closer), Lindsay is still feeling the baby kick/punch (particularly on her bladder), and the baby still grows. So we'll keep you posted once something new starts to happen or there is something to report.

Phaser's set for stun

Last Saturday we took a few hours to register for baby stuff at Target. I was finding it a bit uncomfortable since it seems like pink is the only color that designers choose to make baby girl clothing in. Found some stuff in violet that I liked, I'm just afraid to have a room in my home that looks like someone threw up a bottle of Pepto... is that so wrong? Just when I thought I was destined to spend the next few years of my life looking at pink we stopped by the baby section at Sears today and I saw a wider selection of colors. I'll have to remember to head back there to get some clothes.

In other news, today we enter WEEK 21! Past the half way point! Lindsay has been noticing the baby's movements more. After checking on Babycenter I've learned that the Tots is about 10 inches now and yes she is turning into quite the martial artist... maybe I can start her ninja training early?

Deciphering what's there

So some of you may know what was in the ultrasound pics but let's be honest most of us have to have it shown to us... so this is what everything is.

[EDIT: Err, Profile, sorry Photoshop doesn't have spellcheck.]

IT'S A GIRL!

MY Daughter!

OK, here's what the Dr. said... Everything looks healthy. Nice brain and spine development, no signs of spina bifida or down's syndrome. Heart, kidneys, and bladder all look to be developing well. No signs of cleft lip or missing digits (except the one). If there's anything I've forgotten, well it just doesn't matter, because we have a healthy baby girl growing in there.

Here are some of the highlights. Sadly we didn't get a 3D pic of her face because she was rolling around a bit.


Her face.

Hopefully the only time her parts show up on the internet!

Her feet.

Her spine.

her beautiful profile and her digits count 'em five.

12 hours and Counting...

In a few short hours we'll be finding out the sex of the baby! It's like the moment we've all been waiting for, the one thing keeping us from choosing a name, buying clothing furniture and the lot. The wait finally ends. Lindsay and I feel like kids at Christmas we're so excited, and if it weren't for complete exhaustion we'd be staying up all night. I've had about three hours sleep in the last 24 and she's been up since before dawn, so we should sleep. Lindsay wanted to go to bed early tonight just so tomorrow comes faster and I'll be joining her in just a little while.

Week 19 Appointment

Lindsay just had another appointment... end result: ALL GOOD!

This is the text I got after she got out:

"Heart rate this time is 162 and last time 154...."

So me, being an idiot had to ask if this was good.

Her reply:

"Yes all is good. High rate could mean girl. She's [the Doctor] happy with my weight and blood pressure."

We've read online how an old wives tale says if the baby's heart rate is above 140bpm it's a girl... So we'll see. Next appointment is Wednesday, we'll keep you posted whether it's an inney or outey.

Aggrevations

So Lindsay just got a call from the OBGYN letting us know that the ultrasound that has been scheduled for the last five weeks needs to be cancelled. Ridiculous! They've suggested they try to recommend us to another place or to reschedule and make another appointment. How professional is that? You would think that since we'll be paying them thousands of dollars for their services that they would be bending over backwards to ensure our happiness and Lindsay's comfort, but instead, no this will be the second BIG appointment that we've had to reschedule (the first being the "hey, you're pregnant" appointment). If you buy a car the dealership does anything in their power to make sure they get your money so they schmooze you. When you buy a house same thing, the Realtor tends to buy you your first house warming gift and they treat you well. why? They know that not only do they loose out on money if they cancel a house showing but you won't pass along the word of mouth that they need to continue to do business.

UPDATE:
Lindsay just called with the latest news, we've got a new appointment for Wednesday. She's still upset, having been looking forward to tomorrow for weeks, just to have it prolonged six more days. Seriously this is supposed to be a joyous time for us only to be marred by this? WTF!

Rad Lullaby's

I came across this website that does these rad covers of baby lullaby's. I've already added the Green Day, The Pixies and Journey CD's to my Rhapsody library. These guys are geniuses! This has to be the best way to pre-school your kid in RAWK!!

The Hard Spot.

This evening as I was laying in bed with Lindsay, both of us reading, she turns and tells me to give my hand to her. She's been feeling this hard lump that sometimes is there and other times not. This was one of the not times. As I was reading Babycenter tonight it said that she'll start noticing movements a lot more from here on out. She's been feeling a flutter ever once and a while the last few months, but lately she can definitely tell something is going on now.

Also last week was weird hormone week, just little things would set her off on a crying fit. This seems to have passed and she's been in a good mood lately. Hopefully soon I can get her to do a post so you can have a more in depth account of what's going on, as apposed to my relaying messages.

One thing I'm noticing (that I can actually account for) is the baby bump. It's official (I can tell). Lindsay denies it, but I notice the difference.

We have one more week until we find out the sex! We'll keep you posted, until then...

Blue v. Pink

We've got two weeks and counting until we find out the sex of the baby. Once we learn what we are going to have I'm going to change the look of the blog to symbolize what it will be. So keep your eyes peeled for that.

Also today begins week 17, getting closer and closer to 41! According to Babycenter.com Tots' cartilage is developing into bone and is about five inches long. Way to grow kid!

Baby Names are going to Kill me

We've been going round and round in circles trying to decide on a baby name. All the names I think are cool she thinks are incredibly dumb, and the names she thinks are cute I think are incredibly lame... Will this dispute be resolved in time for the baby's birth? Will Patches ever find true love? Find the all the answers and more on the next thrilling episode of As the Baby Gestates.

Welcome to Week 16

Hi Everyone, this is Tots, or to some Baby Martinez and this is our blog cataloging the journey to birth. This picture of Tots was taken back in January at our first appointment with the OBGYN, where it was confirmed that Lindsay was pregnant. We also learned that the due date will be Aug 19, 2010.

Since that day we've had one more appointment, where we got to hear the heartbeat some more and made the appointment to find out what the sex is. We are very excited for this one. Calenders are marked for March 25th then comes the hard part... deciding on a name.

As of today we enter week 16, where the babycenter says Tots is about the size of an avocado. Babycenter.com has been very helpful for Lindsay and myself in learning more about what's going on, since it really isn't cool to the Dr's for us to bug them everyday with up to date info.