"LABOR" day .... (our labor story)

Our "labor" day started off like this .... Saturday morning my girlfriend Jamie and I went o breakfast together. I was feeling sore still from the membrane strip, plus having BH contrations on top of that. After breakfast I decided to spend the day at the pool with some friends, thinking the water would help my contractions and maybe trigger labor. I know most people sit around the house after having their membranes stripped, but I was bored and just sitting and waiting didn't sound too fun! So, I hung out at the pool for a bit, got some sun and headed home. When I got home, John was back from work. I had told him how I was still feeling "crampy" but no serious signs of labor. We waited around for a bit and finally I gave in and called the doctor (around 4:30pm). I told her I was contracting but my water hadn't broken yet. She said I could take a chance and come in or I can sit it out and wait. We waited for a couple hours and finally, I walked into the bedroom and said "it's time". I just had feeling in my gut we needed to go. We gathered our things, thinking we would possibly be coming back and headed to the hospital. When we got there, it was us and another girl having a baby on the entire floor. It was scary how quiet the place was. We checked in, and they sent me to a delivery room where I changed into my gown, and began answering a million questions with the nurse. At this point I was basically freaking out, I figured we would be back home sleeping with our dog in a few hours. It was so surreal and I couldn't believe we were there. We didn't want to call anyone until we knew if we were staying for sure. The nurses did some test, and watched how far I dilated within the hour. I came in at 2.5 centimeters and within the hour had progressed to 3.5. My contractions were getting stronger and closer together. So .... the nurse came back and said "are you all ready to have a baby?" My heart dropped, and the sick feeling in my belly began. We called our family and friends to tell them the news (around 8:30pm) John's family was at their lake house, about 1.5 hrs away. They packed up and headed home while my parents were on their way! My best friend Jamie arrived first, I was so happy to see she came prepared with an overnight bag, food, magazines, and redbulls! I knew she was planning on staying for the whole thing! Our parents arrived and everyone started to get excited. Meanwhile, the nurses had broken my water and the PAINFUL contractions began! I CANNOT even explain how these things felt, it was the worse pain I have ever experienced. I think I almost broke the bed railing a couple of times. There was nothing anyone could do for me but watch me go through the intense, painful contractions. I went through these probably for a good hour and maybe 10 total. Then it was epidural time!! Dr. "feel good" was in the house! Once that kicked in, my life was all good! I felt NOTHING. It was strange not being in control thighs down. Our nurse was in and out checking my dilation phases. I went from 4 to 6 to 8 to 9 and then 10 at least by 1:30am. It was crazy how much I was dilating in such a short time. The nurses had planned on delivering Parker around 6 or 7am. We had no clue I would progress that much so we called John's parents and my dad to tell them to hurry back! It was going to be soon!!! I remember around 1:50am the doctor came in, checked me out and said ok, lets start pushing! I was nervous and shocked. I thought for sure I was going to have a c-section. I never imagined pushing. I didn't know how! We could only have 3 people in during the delivery. My mom, John and Jamie stayed by my side the whole way. Jamie wanted to see EVERYTHING, so she took "foot patrol" and hung out down there. Before we knew it, I started to push. The doctor said to push like I was doing crunches. I definitely knew how to do those, so I curled up and held it for 10 seconds. I pushed a total of 4 times and he was out! It was amazing to see how with each push, little by little, his body came out. I was in shock and still am that a baby was inside me. Only 4 pushes and my baby boy that I carried for 9.5 months, that poked and kicked me was finally here. He came out crying and looked absolutely perfect! Everyone was crying and so happy to see the little guy. It was honestly so quick and easy that I still feel like it was a dream. The nurses kept saying how It was such a perfect delivery and they wish everyone's could be like that. John did AMAZING, no passing out .... he even cut the cord with no problem! Parker was born at 2:03 am so we figured that I was in labor for abour 6 hours all together. Piece of cake!!!! After the delievery, we got to hang out with Parker for a bit while the fixed me up. We were in our recovery room by 4am. As you can imagine, I didn't sleep for a good 16 hours after, just still in shock. I still haven't slept a full 8 hour night since Parker was born. One thing is for sure .... I am in love with this little guy, a love that I cannot explain or put into words. What I went through was something amazing, and so surreal. I couldn't have done it without the support of my mom. Jamie, and John. Our baby boy is PERFECT and we cannot take our eyes off of him. We are blessed and thrilled to be his mommy and daddy.

Presenting ... our new baby boy!!

John Parker Otter is HERE!!!

John Parker Otter
June 28, 2009
6 lbs. 9 oz. 20 inch.
Born at 2:03 am

Maybe BABY?!? big update .....

Ok, so this morning I decided to call the doctor to let her know I was ready to get my membranes scraped. OOOOUCHHH!!! They had offered me this last Monday, but I couldn't handle the thought of the pain. I have been having a hard time breathing the past couple night, no sleep, and basically feeling miserable. Sooooo, I decided to suffer the pain this morning. I was 2.5 centimeters dilated. She went through the whole process while tears ran down my face. It was not at all fun. When you get your membranes scraped, it basically increases your chance of breaking your water within hours, sometimes minutes, days or it may not even work. It's a chance you can take. When the doctor was done she said things looked good. There was some bleeding but that is normal. She said she thinks we will be seeing her tonight or this weekend. But who really knows?!? The GOOD NEWS is that we did schedule a induction for MONDAY morning. Which means, we should have our baby boy Monday night ... HOPEFULLY!!!!
Right now I am just resting and waiting to see if anything happens .... we will keep you posted on any changes! Please pray for a quick and easy labor for us!

The season of BOYS!!!

Today I went to visit my friend Amanda's baby boy at the hospital. Nixon Fow was born this morning at 2:30am after a VERY LONG ride! Amanda and Nick have been in the hospital since Sunday night. Let's just say she went through hell and back! I am so glad I got the chance to go visit ... she gave been some great advice and told me everything she went through. She ended up having to have a C-section after all that trouble! Seeing baby Nixon made so so extremely excited for Parker to come! I cannot wait! Holding him was so real and amazing! Congratulations Nick and Amanda :)

It's a NO GO!!!

Yep, just my luck .... we were sent home today. We started off with our ultrasound, good news is Parker weighs 6lbs 8oz. Everything looked good, fluid was a bit low but the nurse said it was no problem. During the 30 minute ultrasound they look for a practice breath from the baby. Not all babies do it, but they like to see it. Of course, Parker was lazy this morning and slept the whole time, so they took me in for a stress test. During the stress test, the nuse strapped these things around my belly to watch for movement and contractions. The whole 20 minutes, my contractions were jumping. I was really scared because I had no clue I was even contracting. After seeing those results, John and I thought for sure we would be heading for labor and delivery. Next, we saw the doctor. She said it was just too soon to induce for no reason. She said he made great progress, gained weight and still needs to cook a little longer. She said he is ready though so it could be any day now. Truthfully, I was pretty upset because we were ready to go, but I'm glad he's doing ok so whenever he's ready .... we will be too! Hopefully soon - maybe tonight :)
We'll keep ya posted ... might try drinking caster oil tonight!

READY OR NOT .... waiting on you baby P!

So knowing that tomorrow after our doctors appointment and ultrasound we could be getting induced and sent straight to the labor and delivery room is so exciting but soooo scary at the same time. Ever since last doctors appointment when the doctor told us to come Monday morning prepared for delivery it's been so surreal. I can't believe that tomorrow morning we could finally be meeting our son, the little guy that has been kicking me in the belly for 9 1/2 months! I have to admit, I feel like I am ready but not sure if I am?!? I'm scared to death actually. Scared of delivering, scared of surgery, and scared something may go wrong. I know every woman probably goes through the same thing, but it's a very scary situation. The house is ready and prepared for Parker's arrival, the family is all on call, and a babysitter for Bella is waiting next door! Daddy is anxious while mommy is running around like a mad woman cleaning, organizing, and packing. I just want to be fully prepared just in case! I've tried not to get my hopes up in case they do send us back home, but it's hard not too. Tomorrow could be the day!
I can say this for sure .... I have had an absolute WONDERFUL and EASY pregnancy. I have LOVED every single bit of it. It is something you can't explain or put into words unless you have experienced it yourself. I have my own special bond with my son that noone else can have. It's so special and I am so lucky as a woman to have the opportunity to experience this. I never thought pregnancy could be such a fun, amazing, and joyful thing. I love my belly, I love everything about it. Some women think it's the worse thing that can happen to your body, but to me it's amazing. I had fun with dressing my growing belly and all the attention that came with it! I cry thinking about not having my belly anymore, but I know seeing his face will change everything. But who am I kidding .... I cry about everything now. So I will leave it at that, I feel lucky and oh so blessed. John and I can't explain how excited we are. Tomorrow may be the day .... we will keep everyone posted. I'm sure my "hard-working" husband will have his laptop in the delivery room! Keep us in your prayers and if we aren't induced tomorrow morning ... I'll jump back on here soon! Keep your fingers crossed :)

Happy Father's Day!

To my DADDY and "new' DADDY: Thank you for everything you have done for me. Thank you for your love and support for both John and I. We cannot wait for you to meet Parker and for Parker to meet his grandpas :) We love you both more than anything in the world! We are so lucky to have the greatest DADS!!!

To my Hubby and "father-to-be": I cannot describe how excited I am to see you hold Parker for the first time. I know you will be an amazing father to our son. Pretty soon our family will be whole! Happy Father's Day to you from Mommy and Parker :)

"blast from the past" ..... guess who?!?

1984 ... this was a picture taken the day I was born. I was born at St. Anthony's Hospital April 30th, 1984. They decided to take a picture of our family for the cover of their brochure. Funny huh? Mom brought this over last week so I could show John. Wow .... things have changed!!! Baby Jenna born with black hair, who would have thought?!? ENJOY :)

You can NEVER be too STYLISH in a hospital bed!

YES ... knowing me, I would do this! I bought my own cute and stylish hospital gown. Not only are the hospital gowns ugly, but look so uncomfortable. Sooooo, I found a very cute blue polka dot gown. I'm sure Parker will appreciate it one day :)

A SURPRISE at the front door!!!

Yesterday was a such a nasty day. We woke up to a huge storm and guess what?!? NO POWER! AGAIN! I feel like we do this "no power" thing at least once a month. Not a good situation for a 9 month pregnant woman! While John was at work all day, Bella and I tried to stick around and stay cool. We hung out at my parents for a bit and when we came back home, we had a box on the doorstep. John's aunt Carole made us the CUTEST toy bag, changing pad, and blanket!! She matched the colors to our mobile and they look GREAT in Parker's room! I was so excited when we got them. Parker will love all his new things!! THANK YOU SO MUCH aunt Carole! We love you :)

"Good girl Bella"

So we have "slowly" been working with Bella on her "best baby behavior". I'm starting to panic thinking about me at home with baby AND bella. She's a good dog, but since we live in a neighborhood full of dog-walkers, runners, and rabbits .... the barking doesn't stop! We have a rabbit that constantly sits at our front door and tortures the heck out of her. We know Parker knows Bella and her barking already because as soon as she starts, he moves around like crazy!! Once Parker is here though, the barking has to STOP so baby can sleep! I cannot handle a screaming baby and a barking dog all day. John bought a "shock/nick" collar that should do the job. I hate having to do it and that's why I made him do it. I don't wanna be the bad guy! We tried it for the first time yesterday and she did pretty good with it. Normally, as soon as you open the door - Bella is OUT! And I mean OUT.. GONE, LONG GONE! Our neighbors laugh when they see John and I chasing her down the street. Let's not forget the time she ran away when I was 8 months pregnant, with only a robe on and curlers in my hair -- YA, the neighbors probably think I'm crazy!! Let's just say little Bella will be PERFECT in NO TIME!!

38 week check-up and some good news!!!

This morning was our 38 week check-up. We started off with an ultrasound to check on the baby to make sure everything was still going ok. They couldn't weigh him today because it hasn't been long enough since our last appointment. The ultrasound tech. checked for his "practice breath" which looked good. Next, we had our usual weekly check-up. The nurse was still concerned with Parker's size. Not knowing his weight, she informed us that we might be inducing me NEXT MONDAY. We are set to come in for our weekly check-up Monday at 10:30am. We will first go to ultrasound to check his weight. If it looks like we have't made much progress, they will send me straight downstairs to induce me and prep me for labor! After that news, we were shocked and excited at the same time! It's so surreal now. I'm scared thinking about the delivery but I cannot wait to hold Parker. If anything changes or I go into labor before then .... we will keep you posted! Until then, Monday may be the BIG day!!!!!!

Happy WIFE happy LIFE!

Once again, my husband came through by bringing home an adjustable bed base for our bed. I haven't been sleeping well AT ALL. The baby has completely taken up all the room in my belly which means I feel each and every move he makes. I even have bruises on my right side from where his little feet kick me so much. I came home the other day to a crew of guys switching out our bed. John had them deliver the most amazing bed ever! I slept like a baby! Thanks daddy :)

Bags are packed and car seats are ready to go!

We are more than ready for this baby to come! I feel like I have been preparing for baby Parker since we knew of him. Now, it's time and I am feeling much more confident for his arrival! We have our bags packed and most importantly we have Parker's first outfits picked out!!!! Hopefully, I have eveything I need, and hopefully we are home when it is "time". The doctor told us whenever my water breaks I need to "hit the road". No waiting around ... Parker is already so low so we don't want to waste any time. THANK GOD we live close to the hospital! My ideal labor goes like this ....
9am - (showered and ready to go) "ummmm .... babe, my water broke"!!!!
9:30am - on the way to the hospital.
10:00am - settle into labor room
10:01am - epidural time!
10:30am - "ahhhh.... much better"!!
10:35am - "babe, can you get me some crushed ice?"
10:45am - push, breathe, push, breathe ....
11:00am - It's a BOY!!!!

OK, ok .... so I know it's not going to go like that but in my little sweet, perfect little world ... it could happen!!!

37 week update

YES, we are still going ... 37 weeks strong! I still feel like he is coming ANY day now. John and I went to the doctors for our weekly check-up. Looks like I am still at 1 centimeter (maybe a little more) dilated, which I was hoping for more, but oh well! The doctor measured my belly and was concerned because I was only measuring at 34 weeks. Which means Parker is just smaller than most babies. She sent us to ultrasound for some testing. I was pretty scared when we were back there, didn't know exactly what was going on and whenever there is a concern with the baby, it's pretty scary! The lady did an ultrasound and looked at the blood flow in the cord, the size of his body, his weight, and the size of his head. Everything looked good ... she said he is just a small baby because he has a small mommy. Basically my body can't carry a large baby. He weighs about 5.5 lbs now, which is smaller than most, but hopefully he will go at least another week and put on some weight. Nothing to worry about!
The doctor wants to do another ultrasound just to check progress Monday at our appointment. Parker's head is still very LOW, even lower than last time. The nurse laughed and said "I don't know how you are even walking"! I'm hoping this means that labor will go quick and easy!
Right now, I am feeling good, just tired from not sleeping well. John and I walk every night to help get things going! I still don't see me going until July 4th, but we will see!
We will keep you posted if anything happens and until then, our next appointment is set for Monday!

The Otter family :)

Pretty soon there will be 4!

Waiting and waiting ... is he here yet?!?

Bella is so ready for Parker to come!

"READY OR NOT" .... Parker's nursery!

So the room is DONE! I finished his curtain decor yesterday. I made them out of placemats and then sewed on some fun giant, bright buttons! I have to say, they looked pretty good once I put them up! Now all we need is baby!!

4 weeks left and a quick sneak preview!!!

OK, so here is mommy and Parker at 36 weeks, and just 30 days until our due date! I have been slaving away in Parker's room trying to get it absolutely perfect for the big day! I was stitching and sewing his new "handmade by Jenna" curtain decor all day yesterday and have been busy painting small pictures for his "fun wall"! I have major OCD when it comes to decorating and can't seem to ever be happy with the way I do things. So i'm sure the room will be changed 10,3454 times!
Things are going good with me, i'm trying to relax, but the thought of him coming any day scares me, I just want the house to be perfect for when it happens. I am lucky to have my cleaning lady for the "cleaning" part but with the organizing part, it's all on me! I feel ok, just still not sleeping well. John and I are trying to do more things to keep my mind off the pain I feel. We started our garden which I am super excited about and watch every minute of the day to see if anything has grown ... haha I know, get a life huh?!?! But other than that, things are still looking good, hoping for an early arrival .... I'm thinking Fathers Day :) I will be posting the final (hopefully) pics of Parker's fabulous room asap!