Levi: Week 13 Summary

13 weeks!

Levi turned 3 months old on March 1st and hit 13 weeks just the day after. We had been in Florida the entire week before, where he was held often, loved on all the time and fed anytime he wanted, so week 13 was rough to say the least! It took all week long to get him back in his normal routine and rhythm. Here's a bit about Levi from last week:

NURSING
Nursing was difficult this week because he got used to so many bottles while we were in Florida. Obviously, bottles are easier for him, so he grew to prefer them. I also had to get him back on his 3-hour feeding schedule, which was hard. He seemed to always want to sleep through his feedings, but when I put him down for his naps, he would wake in hunger. It was a vicious cycle! Luckily, by the end of the week, we were back on track.

WAKE TIME
Sadly, Levi's time awake this week wasn't too enjoyable for any of us :) He was cranky through much of it! He did always enjoy laying on the rug in his room, though--whether I was in there with him or not. I think that's just a good, familiar place to him. This week, he did actually start interacting with his Sophie the Giraffe toy. I would move her around his face and give her a good squeak and he would follow her with his eyes. It was short-lived, but good!

NAPS
His naps this week were sporadic and short. I figured it was either due to our trip or to a possible growth spurt.

NIGHTTIME
Well, the week before FL, Levi was sleeping 7-8 hours per night. Week 13, when we returned, he was back to his old ways. This might be due to the fact that in FL, I ran to get him at his first cry so that he didn't wake anyone else in the house (normally I see if he will cry himself back to sleep). I think he got used to that, unfortunately. Now he has developed a pattern of waking at 2:30 AM  and 5:30 AM every night. I started doing "half-feedings" with him this week to start weaning him from those night feedings and show him that he is able to sleep longer than he thinks!

OUR SCHEDULE
Non-existent this week!

OUTINGS/EVENTS
I really made it a priority to stay in with Levi as much as possible this week to help him recuperate! We didn't really go anywhere--which was making me crazy, but good for him.

Levi in FL. We had a really great time!

The Birth of Levi.

Our son, Levi Hudson, was born 3.5 weeks early on December 1, 2012 at 1:38 pm. I had been having painful contractions the entire week leading up to his birth and had called my doctor numerous times, wondering if I should go to the hospital. She told me if they were not regularly 5 minutes apart or less and if my water had not broken, that there was no need to go to the hospital just yet--that it was just my body preparing for labor.

I had a doctor's appointment the day I was 36 weeks along. My doctor checked my cervix and found that I was already 3 cm dilated, 90% effaced, and Levi was already extremely low. This was crazy, but exciting news! Especially to know that I hadn't been in pain the past week for nothing :) She sent me home to wait out the labor process.

Brian and I (at 36 weeks) "waiting out the labor process" on Thanksgiving Day!

Three days later, I was at work and I had to walk across the street to our other building to drop something off. On the way back to my building, I suddenly felt as if I was leaking. I wondered if my water had broken, but it wasn't a large "gush" or anything like I had been expecting, so I had my doubts. I went inside and immediately found one of my older co-workers who I knew would give me some sound advice. She was eating lunch at the time--great lunchtime discussion right? "So when your water broke, what did it feel like? A gush or a trickle?" Hah! She told me she was pretty sure my water broke and that I should head for the hospital; it was about 1 PM at the time. The only problem: Brian wasn't supposed to get off work until 3:30 PM. He had just started working at Starbucks the month before, so I wasn't sure if he was even able to leave early like that (Starbucks is very strict about their scheduling).

I texted Brian and told him to call me as soon as he possibly could. About 5 minutes later, I spoke with him and he told me I needed to head to the hospital and that he wouldn't be too far behind me--maybe an hour. An hour?! Levi could be here in an hour! Haha, little did I know...

I stalled at work a bit longer. My phone was nearly dead, so I was charging it there a bit before I left. I was also making my rounds and saying goodbye to all of my co-workers. It was a surreal feeling as I suddenly realized that it was my last day--November 31st, 2012. I made sure the two girls in the office (one of which would be taking over my job) didn't have any last minute questions..all the while they reassured me that they were fine and they urged me to go. So finally I did (my contractions were not bad at all at that point, so I was easily able to drive).

I pulled into the valet parking area at Norton Suburban Hospital around 2:30 PM. The valet asked how I was doing that day and I said, "Well, my water just broke." The look on his face was priceless. I'm sure he doesn't see women in labor driving themselves to the hospital very often. He was so nice and helped me carry my bag up to the labor and delivery triage, where they did a few preliminary tests to make sure I was actually in labor. It turns out that only one of my "bags" of fluid had actually ruptured...and even that "rupture" was the size of a needlepoint. It took the nurse three tests to even confirmed I was leaking amniotic fluid--I'm sure she thought I was crazy. But I knew. I certainly hadn't peed! Once she was actually able to confirm that, I could be admitted. Luckily, Brian showed up within the hour as well! It was time to have our Levi...or so we thought... :)

Around 6 PM I was upstairs and settled in a room. A nurse came in to check my cervix and I was about 4 cm dilated at that point. I was told that I could only have popsicles from that point until the baby was born. Popsicles?! Had I known that bit of information, I certainly would've stopped at Wendy's on my way to the hospital! I was already starving for dinner! Our friends, Anna and Ethan, came to visit after they both got off work. Anna had been telling the baby he had to come a couple of weeks early (because they were travelling home for Christmas) and on a weekend (because she worked full-time, like me), so that they could be there for his birth. Looks like he was listening!

The doctor started me on Pitocin a few hours later once they had checked my cervix several times and was still only 4 cm. It wasn't ideal--I would've liked to progress naturally--but it was necessary. Because my water broke earlier that afternoon, it was getting more and more risky the longer I wasn't progressing. The baby was at risk for infection. The Pitocin was definitely kicking in and I was definitely starting to feel the contractions. I gave the word that I was ready for my epidural. Around midnight, my anesthesiologist was ready to administer that and Ethan and Anna headed home for the night.

From that point, I slept a solid 9 hours comfortably. 9 hours! It was fantastic. I woke that morning and I was refreshed and excited and ready to meet my Levi! Another nurse came in around that time and checked my cervix again. "4-5 cm." Seriously?! The doctor advised breaking my water "fully" to hopefully speed things along (at that point, I was still only "leaking"). I agreed. She came in around 10:30 AM to break it and told Brian, Ethan and Anna (who had returned early that morning), that they needed to leave the room for a bit. They decided that they were hungry anyway, so they were going to get some breakfast from Panera (yea, and I'm stuck with popsicles). It was totally fine with me--I was resting and watching the cable TV I didn't have at home :)

My nurse came to check my cervix again around noon, just as Brian and the Crowders were returning from breakfast. "Alright, are you ready to have this baby?" she said. Well, yes, of course, I've been ready for 21 hours now. Wait, what does she mean by that?! "How many centimeters am I now?" I asked her. "You're 10! It's time!" Looks like breaking my water did help to speed things along, because in a matter of 1.5 hours, I went from 4-10 cm. Holy cow.

Brian, Ethan and Anna came back in the room and I told them they were getting things ready for me to push. I'm pretty sure neither of them could believe it either! Ethan said, "wait, so you were 4 cm for the past day and now all of the sudden you're 10?!" Hah! Brian and I were alone in the room shortly after that and all I could do was cry. All of the sudden, this was really happening and we were about to have a baby! Plus, I didn't realize until that moment how sad I was that our families weren't there to celebrate in person. I was an emotional wreck! But, I made all the last minute phone calls and sent all the "it's time" texts and pulled myself together. Time to get this Levi out of my belly!

So my delivery room was hot. And Brian had only drank Dr. Pepper for the past two days. And we're pretty sure he has some blood sugar disorder or something, because he nearly past out once I started pushing. He swears it wasn't the fact that he was about to have a son--he just got really dizzy. To the point where my doctor actually made him sit down with a cold wash cloth on his head, while she fanned him. I have to admit, it was a pretty funny sight. Once "my team" got all of the supplies set up and situated, I started pushing around 12:40 PM. It was hard work! But I was expecting that. At 1:38 PM, Levi Hudson Mathews (5 lb, 15 oz and 20 inches) was here.

I have to admit, I was just so anxious for Levi to get here (and for the painful contractions to cease), that I wasn't extremely nervous about the fact that he was only 36.5 weeks gestation. I hadn't even prepared myself for the idea that he might have breathing difficulties or have to stay in the NICU for several days. But after 21 hours of labor and anticipation, when Levi finally arrived, he was having trouble. His breathing was extremely shallow--so much so that he could only make small whimpering noises instead of fully crying. Once they cleaned him up, weighed, and assessed him, they laid him on my chest for 5 minutes to see if that would help him. When they saw that it didn't, they quickly took him to the NICU to be put on oxygen. To say that that was an emotional experience would be an understatement!

Levi spent 5 days in the NICU while he continued to gain strength, learn to breathe on his own, and combat jaundice. It was an extremely difficult few days as I was discharged from the hospital and Brian went straight back to work. My mom and I would visit him in the mornings and afternoons, and Brian and I were able to spend good time with him in the evenings. On December 6, Levi was discharged from the NICU and joined us at home--and our lives have been forever changed!!

A Baby Changes Everything.

Hard to believe it has been close to 7 months since I last wrote here. The last thing I posted was that we had just found out that Levi was a boy! Crazy that now he is 3.5 months old! That just goes to show how much of a whirlwind these last few months have been.

I think its safe to say that parenthood is one of the most challenging, rewarding and scary things I've ever experienced. Sometimes I just look at Levi and think to myself how much I can't believe that he has been entrusted in my care. I think its also safe to say that each day that goes by, I grow to love him more and more. It is a joy to be his mom!

Each week and month that passes, Levi is learning new things and his little personality continues to develop and shine through in his actions. He is a cheerful boy and super inquisitive. Levi always just looks around, stares at things, and takes in the world. He also has quite the temper and when he wants something, he makes it known! I have never heard a baby go from completely content and peaceful to completely screaming and upset in a matter of seconds. Levi is by no means quiet. Even during his first few days of life in the NICU, the nurses were surprised by how assertive this little preemie was!

I have realized that in the craziness of caring for Levi, loving my husband, working 20 hours per week, and managing my workload for my SBTS class, I haven't documented as much about Levi's life as I would have liked to thus far. These 3.5 months have just flown by and have left us wondering how they are gone so quickly! But I figure, better to start now than never. In lieu of that, I would like to start giving a brief overview of Levi and our life week by week. Since becoming a mom, I've realized how much my little man can change in just one week! It's amazing and also saddening. He is literally growing up in front of our eyes...and I don't want to miss it.

Stay tuned!

This New Chapter.

This past month sure has been packed with excitement. On August 7th, we found out that we were expecting a boy!

It was such a memorable evening, that I know we'll be proud to share with him. Brian came with me to the doctor for my 20-week ultrasound and he was amazed at what he saw! The ultrasound tech had to press down pretty hard with the scope to change the focus of the picture. Let me just tell you, that was uncomfortable enough for me, and babyMat sure did NOT like it. After the ultrasound was over, he was kicking me harder than he ever had! I'm pretty sure he was a bit frustrated. It was so awesome to see him moving around during the ultrasound and check out all his little limbs and organs. We fell even more in love with our little guy! 

    

We had the ultrasound tech put the "reveal" photo in a little box that I had made so that we could open it at dinner that night. When we left the doctor, for some reason, we were both thinking it was a girl! Just the night before we had decided on two girl names to choose from, so maybe that is why we were in "girl mode". [If baby M was a girl, she would have been either Peyton Noel or Isabelle Grace--looks like those names will be put on hold for a few more years!] So, when we opened the box about 20 minutes into our dinner, we were literally shocked to find out we were having a boy! It was a pleasant surprise, to say the least.

Since that time, my belly has continued to grow, our boy has continued to be his rambunctious self, we might have decided on a name for him, and he has gained about 20 outfits in his stylish little wardrobe. My grandma just started following our blog, so here are some belly photos for you, Grams!

15 Weeks!

18.5 Weeks!

20 Weeks!

22.5 Weeks!

On a non-baby related topic, we both started class two weeks ago! With just one class to have to worry about, I have gained a much deeper appreciation for my husband. I have absolutely no idea how he handles 3-4 classes a semester, plus working part-time to help provide for us! It's a ridiculous amount of work and I'm so very proud of him for how well he has done this past year. He has a 3.75 GPA, ya'll! Okay, I'm done bragging on him. 

Lord willing, we'll be moving to a new apartment sometime near the first of November! It's a little bit later than we were hoping for, but we can't break our current lease without a penalty until then. We are excited to move into a 2-bedroom apartment (moving up in the world!) and to get the baby's room all set up. His pile of clothes, blankets, books and teethers in our living room is slowly getting out of control...we need a place for his stuff! We have decided to go with a fish theme in his room because we want to use some of the Guy Harvey wall photos we have -- and because his daddy is the best fisherman I know. 

I am getting SO ready for Fall to arrive! It's been about 60 degrees on any given morning and the evenings are just splendid. I'm ready for the leaves to start changing colors again, for Pumpkin Spice lattes, and for apple and pumpkin picking at Huber's farm! Fall is by far my favorite season and its even more enjoyable now that we live in Louisville. 

Well, it's Saturday morning. Brian is at work and I can tell babyMat is starting to get hungry. Time for some eggs and toast :) That's all for now.

-AM

How We'll Be Finding Out...

On August 7th, we'll be finding out if our firstborn is a boy or a girl. We are super excited and anxious for the day to come, but also a little nervous about the reality of it all! We prefer to have a boy first (Brian especially), but we are very aware of the fact that there is a 50/50 chance here! Regardless of the baby's gender, we wanted to make that day extra special--something that we can look back on with happiness and also be proud to tell our future son or daughter about. Here is what that day will look like for us:

Both of us will have to work all morning and into the afternoon. I'm sure that will be oh, so fun!

My ultrasound appointment is at 2 PM, so we'll be meeting each other at the doctor's office then.

We chose to not actually find out the sex in the ultrasound room itself. We'll enjoy the ultrasound (it'll be Brian's first live look at our baby!) and the doctor will make sure the pipsqueak looks to be in tip-top shape anatomically. Then, we'll have the doctor write the sex of the baby on a piece of paper or on an ultrasound photo and place it in the special box I made for the day. It looks like this:

From that point, we'll leave the box unopened until we are at dinner that night (yes, this will be very difficult). We chose a nice Italian restaurant to eat dinner at for two reasons: one, its a locally owned place and our baby will be born in Louisville--so that's just special--and two, we have to raise this baby knowing all about his or her Italian heritage--okay, that's more of my reasoning than Brian's. We'll probably open the box toward the end of our meal! Anticipation, anticipation!

Then, we'll head to the mall! I've been wanting a charm for my Pandora bracelet that is "baby-related", but all the fun ones they have at Pandora are gender specific. So what better night to actually get it then the night we actually find out the gender?! We'll buy the baby bootie charm with either a pink stone or blue stone (courtesy of my Aunt Lala!). After that, we may buy the baby an honorary "this was bought for you on the day that we found out what sex you were" outfit. It just seems fitting (and we've been dying to do that for weeks)!

After our evening of celebration, we'll contact some loved ones and then announce it to the world via Facebook of course.

So that's the plan! Boy v. Girl? We'll see what the outcome is!

Life.

I'm not really sure where to begin this one. We've had a lot of exciting things happen lately...yet I'm still at a loss for words...

Of course, Brian finished his second semester at SBTS in May--literally the day we left for France. It was a tough semester for him, but he grew a lot in his disciplines and also in his faith. We recently found out that he got A's in all of his classes, which is quite a difficult task. So we were very excited about that! He has been enjoying some time off this summer and really likes the prospect of reading some "fun books" while he doesn't have to worry about reading for classes. He took a J-term class this week--basically a 16 week class condensed into 5 days of intense study from 8 AM to 5 PM. He really enjoyed that and the practical things he learned about family ministry and raising Godly kids. I have enjoyed seeing him think through issues of discipline, authority, and gospel-centered teaching in the home--especially as we begin to plan for the arrival of baby Mathews. I think this has been one initial step in a lifelong process of equipping us to be Godly parents and that is exciting to me!

While my life is pretty routine right now, I will actually begin a Master's program at SBTS in the Fall. The company that we would like to head overseas with has a new requirement for spouses to take 4 specific classes before they are appointed. I've toyed with the idea of pursuing my Master's since moving to Louisville, so this requirement gave me that extra motivation necessary. I'll be taking one class a semester--not nearly enough to finish the degree any time soon, but a good head start at least. I figure even if I finish the degree when I'm 40 years old (or even if I never finish it), it will still be worth my time and energy. Oddly, I have missed being a student this past year, so I'm looking forward to hittin' the books again. (Remind me that I said that when I'm 9 months pregnant, please.)

My parents visited earlier in the month and we had a really great time with them! We really didn't do anything too exciting...we really just relaxed. But it was nice and needed! My mom took me shopping for maternity clothes--something I appreciated SO much. I have been anxious to wear some of my new shirts because they are just really cute, but they still just swallow me whole, so I have refrained from that. Pretty soon (and I'm sure when they do fit, I won't be as excited)! 

Night out with the Ordways!

I had a doctor's appointment this past Tuesday at 14 weeks. It was fairly uneventful--bloodwork, labs, pee in a cup--but it went well. The highlight was definitely getting to hear the baby's heartbeat again. 160 beats per minute. My doctor said he or she is strong. And I'm guessing stubborn like his or her father! My next appointment will be in 4 weeks (just more routine stuff) and then another 2 weeks after when we will find out the sex of the baby. We are very excited for this appointment, but we feel as if its so far away! I know it will go by quicker than we think. 

Brian and I with my Mom and Dad.

I'm starting to show a lot more now. I couldn't button my pants for the first time this morning, so I know that baby's definitely growing in there! Still, if I wear loose fitting clothes, my little bump is still pretty concealable. I haven't felt as sick lately as in the first trimester. Usually, just in the mornings now. For some reason, taking a shower and brushing my teeth (still!) are the triggers of my nausea. It's the oddest thing. I'm convinced that this baby doesn't want a clean mama! My new favorite snack is homemade guacamole and chips--and it has good vitamins for the baby, so that's a plus. I haven't experienced any noticeable cravings yet. I did really want some macaroni and cheese the other night, but I think that's just because of a show we watched on Food Network. 

Cookout with Ethan, Anna, Mom and Dad to celebrate Father's Day!

We've decided to find out and reveal the gender (obviously), but no one will know the baby's name until his or her birthday! We feel like this is a good compromise as we are admittedly not hardcore enough to not find out the gender. I'm too much of a planner for that! This way, there is still some surprise that accompanies his or her birth! And it's fun for us to be the privileged two who can decide, know, and use the name before anyone else has any clue about it. By the way, we still have no clue either :)

Well, my break at work is coming to a close. Time to wrap up this post. Thanks for taking the time to read this and stay updated on our life in Kentucky! It sure has been the adventure and we look forward to many more.

-AM

So...We're Having A Baby.

So as is public knowledge now, we are having a baby. And sometime on or around Christmas day, which is still crazy to us. Neither of us have ever particularly wanted a "Christmas baby." We felt as if the holiday celebration would overshadow the birthday celebration, but obviously we don't have a choice in that matter now so we are set on making it work! Who knows, maybe he or she will come a few weeks early?

So this was not planned--it was actually very unexpected--but we are excited! A little over a year ago we came to the conclusion that we, in our finite wisdom, had no clue when we should begin our family. As many of you know, we long to move overseas, so there never really seems to be a "good" time to have a kid when you plan on doing that. Before we leave? After we leave? So many questions. But we know that God knows when the best time is and that He gave us this baby NOW for a reason. We are confident that He will provide and He will direct us as we begin this new chapter in our marriage and in our life.

So, funny story. The day we found out, Brian was the one who actually made me take the test. I actually did not think I was pregnant at all. Maybe it was denial, maybe ignorance--I'm not sure. When I saw that it was positive, I literally went straight to our room, laid on our bed and looked at the ceiling for what seemed like 30 minutes. When Brian actually realized that I had been missing for who knows how long, he came looking to see where I was (we have a 1-bedroom apartment, there aren't too many options). I told him that it was positive. He didn't believe me (classic "boy who cried wolf" syndrome--I had joked with him multiple times in the past about this when tests were actually negative). And then I showed him the proof! So...then we went to the family room, sat on our couch and stared blankly at the wall for what seemed like 30 minutes. It wasn't that we weren't excited, it was just that feeling of, "holy crap, this is for real."

So it's been about 5 weeks since then. I'll be 12 weeks along on Tuesday and I am so ready to reach that milestone! We had a close call around week 6 (which is why we already have a picture of the little squirt), but after a doctor's appointment, they confirmed that everything looked normal and healthy. Praise God! Then our baby went out of the country for his or her first time and got to experience France with us. Or should I say, I got to experience France with him or her! Thank you, constant nausea. I'm starting to show a bit, which is pretty strange, I must admit. I've learned that pesto is not my friend and neither is Chinese food. Brushing my teeth also makes me want to puke (ironic, I know).

So, that's where we are at. Brian, myself and this little person who we are anxious to meet. We know its going to be interesting, but we are ready for the journey! We'll be in touch.