Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Meet Sophia Marie Cropper!

It's been 2 weeks & I'm now FINALLY getting around to sharing the birthday our little lady. I've spent the past 2 weeks absolutely swooning over our little girl. It's just incredible how you fall so deeply in love someone in a mere instant & you would do absolutely anything for them. Being a mommy has been the best thing that's ever happened to me.

So here's how the day came about...

We had an appointment to be induced Monday, August 13th, 2012 at 2am in the morning. It was 1:30am and as we were driving to the hospital I was completely on edge and overwhelmed with nervousness. I totally snapped at Grant for no reason and then instantly felt bad. I remember looking at him as I started crying and just saying I was so sorry & that I was freaking out that we were about to have a baby. He looked at me, smiled and asked "So you've been pregnant for 9 months and it's now hitting you 30 minutes before we get to the hospital that you're actually having a baby??" Yes, that's exactly what it was... it had just became VERY real as we had the car packed and were driving to the hospital. I kept thinking about how when we drive home it won't be just the two of us anymore- we'll actually have a BABY!!

When we got to the hospital Grant went into daddy mode & started documenting everything.

{Filling out some last minute paperwork}

Here's a video of us walking into the labor & delivery section. I was completely in my own world and had NO idea he was even filming me...


When we got situated in our room, the nurse told me I was dilated to a 2 and my cervix was at 80%. She started my induction by hooking up a Pitocin drip into my IV. I remember being SO nervous for this because I've heard how painful Pitocin can make your contractions.

{In the Labor & Delivery Room}


A few hours went by and the nurse came back in to check my progress. She told me that my contractions were 2 minutes apart and I was dilated to a 4. I still felt great and had very little pain. Then she broke my water & told me that my contractions would now become a lot more intense and asked if I would like an epidural... I said yes and she called for the anesthesiologist.


As the anesthesiologist was giving me the epidural I remember flinching 3 times- each time she told me "don't move!" but I almost couldn't help it. Then I heard her say "Dang it..." (not quite what you want to hear from a doctor) and then she proceeded with "it's not working. The catheter is kinked and we'll have to try it again". Now if you know me, I am absolutely TERRIFIED of needles so I was completely dreading this. She tried it again... same problem. Six tries later... (yes, SIX!!), same problem! She finally said "This must be a bad batch of epidurals- I need someone to run down to the OR and get me one from a different batch". She told me that she had been an anesthesiologist for 38 years and she had NEVER once seen this happen. Apparently  they were all a bad batch of epidurals where the catheter kept getting kinked and wouldn't secrete any pain medicine. Thankfully the seventh time it worked. By that point it was about an hour later and I was so exhausted I fell asleep.

The nurse came in about 45 minutes later to check my progress and she told me I was dilated to a 7! She told me it would probably be a few more hours. I was still so tired that I fell back asleep and took another nap. Another 45 minutes went by and she came in to check my progress again... to my surprise she said I was dilated to a 10 and she went to go call the doctor!


About 20 minutes later the doctor arrived and before I knew it everyone got suited up and it was baby time! I pushed a few times with the nurse to get her head in place for delivery. The doctor came in and they shut off the epidural so that I could gain more feeling to push through the contractions.


There was Grant right by my side, holding my hand and my head whispering in my ear "Push! You can do this!" It was only a few pushes later and our little lady was born! They put her right on my chest and all I could do was look at her in pure shock! I couldn't believe she was finally here.

Sophia Marie Cropper
Born August 13, 2012 at 2:18pm
6 lbs, 7 oz and 17 inches long











{First family photo}

We had a few visitors...


{My dad's fire station was right down the street from the hospital so he decided to bring the whole crew to the hospital with him for a visit in between calls}


{Grandma Shirley}


{Grandma Shona}


{Jessica & Candice}

Then the next day...


{Grant was exhausted & slept on the expandable bed}

{I got cleaned up... all natur-AL baby}

{And we got to go home!}

It was truly an amazing experience. We are completely in love with our little family! Thank you to everyone for all your love and support! 

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Sunday, August 12, 2012

38 Weeks.


How far along: 38 weeks, 6 days
Maternity clothes: Yes but not for long! Well... maybe just the maternity jeans- those are seriously comfy!
Stretch marks: None
Sleep: It's been so-so lately... I've had a hard time sleeping- it might be a combination of being uncomfortable sleeping on my side, having to go to the bathroom just about every hour and just being SO excited to meet our little girl!
Best moment this week: This week has been absolutely incredible. I officially went on maternity leave and Grant took 1/2 the week off work to be with me. We've gotten to deep clean the house (I literally dusted EVERY inch of our house), finished the nursery, and had a sweet "stay-cation" at the Mandalay Bay Hotel on the strip! It was an amazing way to spend our last week of just being the TWO of us. 
Miss anything: Sushi! I feel a sushi date in the very near future...
Movement: Oh no question about it- she's really active! She loves to stretch and kick all the time. I'm going to miss feeling those sweet little movements!
Symptoms: Achy hips & a few braxton hicks contractions here and there.
Food cravings: Popsickles & Cinnamon Life cereal.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Still frozen dinners & anything microwavable. Just the thought of them still makes my whole body shutter.
Have you started to show yet: Yes, no mistake. I love how random people just smile at you more often & go out of their way to open doors for you when you're pregnant. It's the little things sometimes that make a big difference.
Gender prediction: Girl
Labor signs: This week my cervix was now at 75% effaced but still dilated to a 1.
Belly button in or out: Just completely flat still- guess it won't reach an outie after all.
Wedding rings on or off: I haven't even attempted to wear them this week- its just been super hot & my fingers have been a little swollen.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: Well it looks like we're going to get to officially meet our little girl TOMORROW!  That's right- I am being induced Monday (tomorrow) morning at 2am. 


Long story short version:
So for the past few weeks that I've gone into my doctor appointments my stomach has been measuring pretty small.  For example at 36 weeks pregnant I was still measuring at 31 weeks pregnant. It caused some concern since it was such a BIG difference that they ordered an ultrasound for the next time I went in. At this point baby Sophie was already head down & dropped into my pelvis. So at that ultrasound they measured her stomach & head. Her stomach was right on track but her head was measuring a little small. My doctor believed it was because she was already head down. He explained that a baby's head has 6 bones & that during birth those bones overlap to fit through the birth canal... and it was a possibility that this is what was happening already. To be on the safe side though, he scheduled me to meet with a Perinatal Specialist for a more in depth ultrasound & testing. The specialist confirmed that her head was indeed measuring a little small but that her vitals looks great. The specialist also expressed how he didn't want me to go past 39 weeks given the situation. My doctor later explained that they wanted to induce me since she's already full term, her head has been in the birth canal for a while now and the bigger she gets could cause some complications. 

{hooked up to the fetal heart monitor this week}
{those squiggly lines are showing a healthy heartbeat}
I went in for my doctors appointment this week and was still measuring at 31 weeks pregnant even though I'm now 38 weeks. Thankfully I know she's as healthy as can be and I feel really good about everything. I also trust the opinion of my doctor and the specialist who deals with this type of situation often. 

So therefore, we are SO excited to meet our little lady! Words can't begin to describe my excitement- it feels so surreal that it's all happening! Wish us luck!

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Baby Shower: Mustache Bash Theme

Last weekend we had Jessica's baby shower.
She decided to go with a "Mustache Bash" theme & it turned out so fun!
Perfect way to celebrate her little man on the way!
Here's a few pictures from the party...

{Invitation- compliments of LullabyLoo.etsy.com}
{the momma-to-be}

{Candy Table}

{mustache & bow tie cookies}
{Mustache & Ties banner}
{Taco Bar}
{Mini 7 Layer Dips}
{Homemade Enchiladas}


{Drink Table}


{Custom Mustache Water Bottle Labels}

{Guess the candies in the jar game- winner gets to keep the candy & the gift}
{Present table}
{Up close of the diaper cake made by Jessica's mother-in-law}

{Being showered with lots of love}

{Party Favor Table}

{a mini high school reunion of the graduating class of '04}
{one last picture of the 3 pregos}

I love you Jessica!! 
I'm SO excited for you and can't wait to meet your little man!
Thanks for being such a fantastic friend. I know you'll be an amazing mommy too!

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Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Maternity Pictures.


We had a maternity photo shoot session with our amazing friend Chelsea Robbins. We have lots of history with this lovely lady- she took our engagement photos {see here} and also photographed our wedding... and so we couldn't have been more excited to have her capture another special moment in our lives! She had this fabulous idea to take maternity photos at the same place we took our engagement pictures. We met at the lake for an early morning sunrise shoot!
Here's a few of our favorites!
























{#1 pregnancy craving}

















{never a dull moment with my silly husband}


{Little baby Sophie started kicking}


Thank you again Chelsea for capturing more 
amazing memories that we'll be able to cherish forever! 
You are truly fantastic to work with! 
Check out her photography blog for more fabulous photos 
as well as her contact info: Chelsea Robbins Photography


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