September baby, or October baby??

Well, it turns out all we had to do was threaten Carli with c-section or inducement. We showed up at the hospital at 4:30 to get some medicine to help get Resa dilated, but when the doctor got here, she was already at a 2-3, so the doctor said not to do the medicine and see what happens in the morning. However, things have gotten worse (better) since he left, so she's now at a 4! The nurse left a few minutes ago and said she should have her tonight!! Yikes! So, we might have a September baby, or we might have an October baby...stay tuned...

Here Comes Baby!

We had our final Dr.'s visit this morning, and for once we got some good news! She has dilated to a 1! Woohoo! So, we're supposed to be at the hospital at 4:30 this afternoon. They are going to give her some medicine to help her dilate through the night, then we'll start induction in the morning. There is a chance however, that the medicine today could throw her into active labor, so it could really be anytime this evening or tomorrow! We will try to update the blog as things progress, depending on our internet availabilities at the hospital. Thanks to everyone for your prayers, keep them coming!! KH

41 Weeks

Who would have thought I'd be posting my 41 week pregnancy picture on the blog today and not one of a one week old precious baby girl?! :) This weekend has been good. Keith and I enjoyed sleeping in one last time and doing our "list" of to-dos. We know for sure our lives are about to dramatically change come Wednesday - there is no doubt - Carli will be here by then.

Until then - here we are at 41 Weeks.

And as Keith has mentioned before - our precious dogs have each prepared for Carli's arrival in their own ways. Most recently, Shea has come up with a bum foot. At first we thought she was putting us on, limping when she wanted attention and what not. But after taking her with us on our nightly walk Friday, we discovered the pad of her foot was quite raw and swollen to twice it's size. So we have been trying to keep her from licking it, while keeping meds on it during the day. At night, we take the bandage off so it can air out but we do tape a cute little pink baby sock on it to keep her from licking it. Really - this picture makes her look pitiful, but she walks better in her bandage than she does when there is nothing on it. Strange little dog.

And Whitey Tighty simply cracks me up. He's like a cat that needs a window box or something. He spends all day here watching over the backyard or catching a 3 hr nap. I think he is a cat trapped in a dogs body...

Check back on Tuesday - our appt is at 10 and we will know then if we will be going into the hospital to be induced that night or if we will be having a C-section on Wednesday...

Another Doctors Visit...

Well, our second to last doctor's visit is behind us now. We're doing our best to stay positive at this point, but the stress is beginning to set in. My stomach hurts constantly, I feel fat, and I'm completely exhausted. And if you think that's bad...you should ask Resa how she feels!

She is actually doing really well, I'm very proud of who she is and how she continues to handle this. She is undoubtedly my hero and is going to be an amazing mom, should this baby ever decide to come out!

So on to the visit...she measured normal, but is still not dilated or anything, which is incredibly depressing. They did a sonogram to check the fluid around the baby, which was fine, no problems. Then, they hooked her up to a fetal monitor to measure the heartbeat and any contractions. This didn't go like he'd hoped, but that's OK. They wanted the heartbeat to spike about 15 beats after she moves, similar to our hear rate rising during exercise. Carli's only rose about 10, and not real consistently, she mostly stayed fairly flat. So the nurse poked her and shook her and stuck some vibrating contraption on her to try to make her mad, but it didn't work. So we all agreed that she's an easy-going baby.

Then, since that didn't work out as planned, he did another sonogram to check for movement. He wanted to see her flex her arm or open her hand, something that effect. So she kind of waved with her hand, then stuck her tongue out! He also checked her breathing movements, which is practice breathing I guess, and that looked good. So all in all, he determined that everything is fine, he didn't see anything worrisome. Over two hours, and we learned nothing!

So we'll go back on Tuesday morning to check again. If she still hasn't progressed, we're looking at a c-section on Wednesday. But if she has progressed, which we are praying happens, then we will begin inducement Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. Regardless, the baby is coming out next Wednesday!

And on another sad note...there are very few choices for baby girl Dallas Cowboy gear, at least for 0-3 months. Very frustrating. But next year, she will be sporting a Tony Romo jersey on Sundays!

Please pray for dilation!!

Keith

No Baby, No Baby, No Baby

So today was the big day - September 21st - Carli Lynn Hays' expected due date...guess what?! She's not here! I think that I've handled things quite well up until this point. I've answered all the questions of "Are you all ready?" and "You mean she's not here yet?!" and "Still no baby?" rather good naturedly (if that's even a word)- but I think it may be in everyone's best interest for me not to appear in public again until I have a baby on my hip...I just am not sure how many more of those questions I can manage to answer without getting sarcastic on ppl. I think that's fair - I think I've been pretty good natured up to this point - perhaps it is best for ppl to remember me as the good natured pregnant lady - and not the pregnant lady who totally lost it when asked a rather simple, seemingly innocent question. Now - let's just have a baby! :)

On a bright note - I think I got a good picture of Carli's Name on the wall:

This is how I really felt about taking a picture at 40 weeks on my due date, at my house, still pregnant...
This is what the promise of a Dr. Pepper and donut does for a pregnant lady:
Maybe next time we will have pictures of a 6.5 lb baby to post - I can dream...

Moby Wrap

Yesterday the mail came and we got a package - we like getting packages! It was direct from a store in Illinois and had a "Moby Wrap" in it. My friend Dayna sent it to us, and we had a lot of fun with it last night! Seeing as to how I still have a basketball for a stomach, I decided it was best to practice using my new toy on Keith and my most cooperative, lazy dog - Whitey Tighty.

What do you think?

Thanks Dayna for the awesome gift! We will have lots of fun putting it to use and I'm sure it will get used a lot!

October baby??

Welp, today was our weekly doctors visit. Resa felt it would be best for me to apprise everyone of the situation. The good news is, we are not giving birth to a toddler, as some might have been led to believe. The bad news is that Resa is still not dilated at all, but it's not terribly uncommon, according to the doctor. So next week we'll go back and they'll hook her up to some monitors and stuff to make sure there's enough fluid around the baby and other things I'm sure. From there, we'll move to Monday the 29th, where we'll go back for a "normal" checkup and discuss inducement, which will be October 1. All of this is assuming, of course, that she does not go into labor between now and then. The doctor doesn't think it will happen before the next appointment, but you never can tell.

In the meantime, our dogs have taken on new habits. Chuy (below) has an unhealthy obsession with a gigantic ladybug, which began as a gift to Carli until Chuy stole it. He loves it though, it's really funny.


Then, Whitey Tighty (yes, our dogs name is Whitey Tighty) has decided the top of the Pack N Play is a good spot for him, so he's been chillin up there. I think they're in for a rude awakening.

Other than that, all is well in the Hays household, we're just waiting for Carli to come! We actually have nothing at all planned for the weekend, which is extremely unusual. But, that means all our hard work paid off because we are actually done before Carli arrives! Woohoo!

I guess that's it from me...glad I could make an appearance on the blog...Keith

39 Weeks & A Nursery

Good News! We survived the hurricane, mostly we just got lots of wind and rain. We didn't even lose power. Since we were confined indoors we did finish Carli's nursery! Woohoo! Mom has almost finished the bumper pads and the curtain is done - but they are in Alto, where there still is no electricity. So we'll pick those up later. In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures...

39 Week Picture in front of the finished hutch!

Letters on the wall!

So if anyone has any idea how to get the camera to cooperate and take a true to color picture of the wall, with the letters and stripes, I would appreciate any pointers. I took a million and this was the best color wise that turned out; yet, still, it isn't right...and definately not in focus. I need a volunteer, professional....for free....

Weekly Doc Visit Update

Wednesday's are our official weekly doctor visits.

Keith's Version of the Doctor Visit:

The doctor said last week that Carli could be anywhere from 7 lbs to 7.5 lbs. Resa was not dialated at all, but this was normal with first babies. This week, he estimated Carli to be around 7.5 lbs to 8 lbs. Still not dialated, but totally normal. He expects Carli to be a normal size, healthy baby and things are going extremely well.

Resa's Version of the Doctor Visit:

So, last week, I measured at 37 cm, right on for 37 weeks. Carli was a whooping 7 lbs and quite content to be "baking" in her momma's tummy. Doc says I wasn't dialated and to not worry...only I have a 7 lb baby in my tummy, whose got to come out some way or another AND she still could be in there "baking" for up to 41 weeks!! That's 4 more weeks!!

This week, I didn't gain a pound on the scale - good news. Belly measured at 39 cm - okay, so my belly grew a bit. He estimated her weight at 8 lbs!!! Oh no, the little stinker gained another pound in one week and he says she could still be in there for up to three more weeks!! This is not a good situation! I didn't gain a pound, but Carli did - and quite happily moved around a bit for the doctor. I think she was taunting me.

Due date is still a week and a half away - not dialated at all - big baby in tummy, this is not looking to be a good situation for Resa...

Conclusion

Keith says Resa grabs on to the worst case scenario and runs with it...

Resa says if Keith is not the the one having to carry around an 8 lb baby with 3 more weeks to go and expected to remain calm, cool and rational. Nope, Resa is pretty sure her reactions are normal, to be expected and totally justified.

Resa would also like for ppl to start praying that Carli does not gain another pound in a week!

Thus is our update on our weekly doctor's visit...

38 Weeks and Shiloh Shower

You all thought I forgot, huh? Nope, I am being good - here is my weekly update picture - beginning of 38 weeks.
This past weekend we had a shower thrown for us by Shiloh Road church of Christ. I honestly was a bit weary for having a shower b/c I didn't feel like I knew many people to justify a whole shower. But our friends insisted and gave us one anyway! And I am glad they did. It is amazing that people come who don't know us, and give our child gifts and well wishes. Our friends did an amazing job with the invitations (they were very cute), organizing and making time for us on their Sunday. Many thanks to you all - we are very, very grateful for everything you have done for us! Now for pictures...

Two of our friends, Amanda and Tori, helped me with gifts!

My good friend from ACU Freshman year, Erika, came!

(Brave posting this picture of me!)

Family! Aunt Sarah, Emily and my Mom all came - really cool.

Aunt Trudie, and Cristin came too! But Aunt Trudie didn't take a picture of herself for me to post!

Bed full of gifts - amazing, huh?

The hostesses gave us our swing. I was very excited. Monday night, we put it together and practiced using it with our red bear - isn't he cute?!
Keith and his cousin Isabella - doesn't Keith look good holding a little girl?

Can't Stop a Trane...

The ladies that work with Keith take good care of him. Last Thursday they threw him a "surprise" baby shower. It was really funny, they really did surprise him and were very proud. I thought they did an amazing job. We are very thankful for the ppl Keith works with and all of their support both with Keith's job and his future in "Daddihood." God truly blessed us when we moved here to Tyler! Here are some pictures from our Trane shower. Keith was the center of attention - he got to open the presents and be stared at! It was nice! ha!

Yummy! Cake!

Chatting it up!
Keith talking with his ladies...

Julie took most of the pictures for me - so go figure, she isn't in any of them. Good plan Julie! Julie has helped me out a lot by answering a ton of my pregnancy questions and putting my mind to ease about lots of things too. Good ppl there at Trane!

Oh - the Trane group gave us our high chair and our jumperoo! Very cool.

Doc Report & Voting

Well, today was a day of doctor's visits. After today - I much prefer my chiropractor to my OB...but that's not really the OB's fault. So, he estimated her weight at appx 7 lbs...and quickly told me that was not accurate, but his best guess. I was not dilated at all - and he quickly followed that up with, new moms can be at a 0 and the next day give birth...so really, he didn't know. But still, as Keith put it, I am quickly latching on to the worst case scenario of: This child could potentially stay in my tummy for up to 4 more weeks! This child could possible weigh over 9 lbs! And this child's mother is not liking the sound of any of those possibilities!

Oh well, if it takes 4 more weeks I will survive. I'm not sure about Keith though - I may drive him crazy in 4 weeks.

Oh, and my chiropractor - he is my favorite b/c he popped my back today and it was like he released all this pent up tension. Best feeling ever - especially after having just come from the OB's.

On to more "concrete" matters...things I have control over. Keith has built a hutch to go on top of a dresser we already had. We are using the dresser as a changing table and simply repainted it. The question now: Hardware. So, I need some input. Look at the following pictures and tell me what you all think in the poll to the right. I need to know which hardware color would look the best:

This is the knob that I like and plan to use; however, these are only on the middle drawers - for the top and bottom drawers I need an actual 4 inch pull. I can't find one - so I plan on painting the ones that were on there...so keep this knob in mind when picking your color choice for the other.

Visualize: these are the two colors you are choosing from: Lilac/Purple and Sagey Green. The dresser itself is white.

Close up of the pulls. I forgot to "prime" the one on the left - but basically, your choices are to either paint these pulls lilac or sagey green - the knobs I like will be in that drawer above these pulls.

Cast your vote! Don't be shy! Leave a comment and tell me why! Woohoo that rhymed! But really, if you think there is a better solution let me know. I tried doing some magic on Photoshop to see what the colors would look like and posting them on here - but apparently I'm not patient enough...I'm running out of what little creativity I have left...

37 Weeks & Letters

Alright, here is our weekly update:

We start going to the doctor every week starting on Wednesday. Kind of scary to think Carli could be here in 20 days! This wkd we worked on the hutch - it is all built and we just need to paint and sand it. I also got all of Carli's clothes washed and organized. I can't find pulls, drawer knobs I like - so I'll post a picture of a couple of options and see if you all can help us out on that later tonite or this week!

In the meantime, so many of you wanted to see how the letters turned out that Ashley decorated for us, that I posted some pics on here. I wanted to wait until we had the whole nursery finished, but decided that wasn't very fair. We are getting our "Storytime Rocker" next week and once we have it, we can figure out where to position the furniture and all that fun stuff!

I actually mowed the yard yesterday! Ha! It was fun - it took me probably twice as long as it would have Keith, but I was so tired of being in the house I sweet talked him into letting me mow while he weedeated. I miss taking care of the yard! At least I have given up weedeating, since that tends to make me really sore now a days. But I got up this morning and was not sore at all and I slept really good last night!

Week 37

Ashley's letter cracked Keith up!

This picture does not do the letters justice, but so many wanted to see a picture and I can't hang them on the wall yet...so really - a better picture is coming in about a week!

We haven't gotten this yet, it is on its way - it turned out really cute!