Sleeping Beauty

...with a touch of dried milk all over her face.

2 Day Visit

Our 2 day visit was at the birthing center last Sunday. Copper is doing wonderful. She had good color, was within the allocated weight loss (6lbs 12oz), and had a good booby latch. Our 1 week visit in this Monday. Then we have to schedule a 2 week visit with a pediatrician.

I think that this is my all-time favorite picture of Copper and Daddy.

Copper's 2nd car ride. Back to where she was born.

On our way home from the birth center we stopped at vitamin cottage to pick up a couple items. I stayed in the car while Aubrey asked about nipple cream inside. Copper eventually got a little fussy and I did my first public breastfeeding. Guess this is my new world.

Pics with Family

Here are some shots with Grandma, Cousin Lucy, and Grandpa. Derek and Lisa have both been over also, but I didn't get shots of them. I'm sure there will be other opportunities.

Even though it had only been a week since I'd seen Lucy, she looked so big. It's crazy to think how much baby's change and grow over such a short time. Soon enough Copper will be swearing, talking back, and pooping on a big potty.

Meet your Brother, Melvin

Grandma brought Melvin back home on Sunday to meet his new baby sister. Everything went well. He sniffed her a bit and then went and laid down. He's been really good this past week and has kept his neediness on the down low. For a couple days if he was on the bed with her and she would fuss he would start licking her feet or licking me. Guess his parental instincts were kicking in and he was utilizing doggie soothing techniques.

Meet Copper Jo

Note: Sorry that it's taken me so long to get these blogged. Sitting on a chair and typing at the computer just haven't sounded very appealing the past couple days. I also really want to tell the whole story of Copper's birth and I haven't felt like spending the time to type it. I still don't. This will be the cliff notes version.

I started having contractions at about 4am on Friday morning (11-12-10). I went to a scheduled appointment at 11:10am and was at 5cm, but my contractions were irregular and about 6-9 minutes apart so the midwife sent me home. I went back to the birth center at 5:30pm and was already dilated to 9cm. (I'll explain how I made it that long in the unabridged version.) 3 hours later at 8:33pm, the most beautiful little girl ever was born, Copper Jo. I pushed for about 40 minutes. I was a superstar to say the least. The birth went great and I was able to have the natural birth that Aubrey and I wanted.

This is Copper and mommy about 5 minutes post birth.

She came out perfect. Nice round head, no crazy wrinkles, good color...perfect.

She even started nursing within very short order.

While I was being tortured with uterus "massage" and getting my "1" stitch put in, Daddy got to spend time with his little girl. He actually mastered the art of calming her pretty damn fast.

We spent about 5 hours at the birth center after Copper was born. We even milked it a bit by bullshitting with the nurse and overall taking our time. I felt great and Copper and I were good to go. It was nice being able to go home and be in our own bed and house. Overall we spent 8 hours at the birth center.

7lbs 5.5oz

I am soooo thankful that she was a nice average sized baby. I'm pretty sure that anything over 8lbs would have messed with my head for a natural birth.

Thanks Copper!

Pictures just don't do her justice. She is so beautiful and cute and perfect.

Aubrey and I made a damn good lookin' baby.

We love you Copper Jo!

Damn you averages!

The average first time mom at Mountain Midwifery birthing center gives birth at 41 weeks and 3 days. A non-birthing center midwife told me yesterday that the average first time mom in Colorado gives birth 8 days late. We're 2 days late and counting. I really hope that it's this week so that we don't have to start thinking about all the natural ways to move things along. I believe that it's Colorado law that at 42 weeks I will not be allowed to have the baby at the birth center, that I'll have to go to a hospital. The hospital's ways of inducing are not at all what I have in mind for delivery. I'll be seeing an acupuncturist and chiropractor, having sex, taking hot baths, and walking up flights and flights of stairs before I take that drive to the hospital. The birthing center will put a balloon in my cervix to expand it as a way to induce. Not too thrilled about that either. I know that I still have plenty of time before we hit that dreaded 42 week mark, but it sure would be nice to not even have to think about it. Come on Copper, let's get a move on.

Due Date

Well, today is our estimated due date and Copper has decided to hang out a bit longer. Aubrey and I decided to do the stereotypical thing to speed things up and go out for mexican food. Unfortunately I can't do too spicy, but we'll see. I did get a chimichanga, so maybe the extra grease with do the trick. After I get done blogging we're going to get our birth bag packed. I'm ready for our little girl to come any day. I no longer need more time. She's acting like a crazy woman in my tummy right now. I think she's trying to claw her way out. I had crazy Braxton Hicks contractions all day also. Maybe my next post will be a baby picture.

Did she just drop?

So far I haven't really felt that Copper has dropped yet. I've heard that sometimes it's kind of obvious and other times not obvious at all. The baby could also drop early or wait until labor. I think that maybe Copper dropped today. Aubrey and I went to Derek and Lisa's to pick up Lucy loaner clothes and gear and on the way home I felt a constant pressure low and centered at the bottom of my belly/pelvis. The pressure has remained since then. Maybe she dropped. Cool.

Week 39 Appointment: The Vag Exam

We went in for our 39 week appointment today (which is closer to 39 weeks and 4 days). I had the option to have my cervix checked and for the first time in my life, gladly accepted the exam. When I talked to Kellie yesterday, she said that she was already dilated at 37 weeks. That made me very interested to see where I was at. I had no idea that I could already be dilated. As of about 11:00 this morning I am dilated to 2cm and am 50% effaced. We also decided to have the midwife sweep my membranes. That's where she uses her finger to help detach the amniotic sac from the cervix. This can help speed up the process. Since we're hoping to have a baby by the end of next week, we were on board. I was a bit nervous about the pain of being poked, prodded, and swept, but it wasn't bad at all. Maybe this is a precursor to a pain free natural birth. (Don't worry, I won't get my hopes up.)

Please State Your Full Name

When Aubrey and I went on our last camping trip, he came up with a middle name for Copper; Jo. It's a little bit hick, but we both love the sound of it with Copper. We gave it a few weeks to sink in and we liked it more and more every day. (Although lately it's been making me think of the Adam Sandler song, Sloppy Jo.) Another middle name we were toying with was Jane. My Grandpa Walt always calls me Sarah Jane (which is not my middle name) and I kind of liked it with Copper also. But Jo seemed to win out. So, our little girls name will be "Copper Jo Godwin." If the last name is throwing you off and you're now wondering if Aubrey is the father, don't be alarmed, he is. Godwin is Aubrey's Grand-dad's last name. Aubrey currently has his step-father's name. Aubrey has been talking about changing his last name to Godwin for quite a few years, but he's never gotten around to it. We were hoping to have it changed by the time we got married, but that didn't happen either. Since we can put whatever name we want on Copper's birth certificate, we put Godwin. Aubrey will eventually have that last name and it will save us from changing Copper's last name down the road. For the time being, we will be the Cundall-Strong-Godwin family.

We have a doula!

Aubrey and I interviewed our first doula tonight and hired her. She seems pretty awesome and we both feel really comfortable with her. She's been to 6 births since July and started her doula training in March of this year. She will also be starting her midwife training soon. The first birth that she attended was at the birthing center. On a side note, she just found out that she's pregnant today. She has a little girl who is 22 months. If you'd like to check her out, here's her website: www.birthnurturer. com.

Week 39 - Cankles

There is so much going on in the final week of pregnancy. Hopefully Copper will give us a few extra days to get stuff done. As my post title states, I now have cankles. I have avoided them up until 2 days ago. My feet and hands have been swelling for quite a while now, but my ankles have stayed normal. It started with just my right ankle the past two nights, but all hell broke loose today and they've both ballooned beyond being cute. They are not pretty. I do not like them. Last night I was able to lie on my left side and the swelling went down pretty quickly. I sat more today which explains why both ankles are swollen. Generally if I am up and moving around all day, the swelling is minimal. However, today I sat at work for quite a while. Sitting is my enemy. I may be a rare breed of pregnant lady that prefers to stand and move all the time. Sitting is when I'm uncomfortable. With the basement remodel taking up most of our time, I haven't had much of a choice than to be super active. I may have to stand and do squats while I'm working on the computer tomorrow at work. Go away cankles.

Here's the pics you've all been waiting for! Week 39! Only 1 week to go!

It's getting kind of big. Don't ya think?

The midwife estimated that Copper was at about 7lbs last Friday and predicts a baby in the upper 7lb range. I prefer that Copper stop growing and I have a 7 pound baby about a week late. We'll see.

We were told that at 37 weeks you should have your car seat installed and baby bag packed. We still haven't gotten around to packing the baby bag, but Daddy installed the car seat the beginning of last week. Now Melvin has to share his back seat with an empty car seat. He probably shouldn't complain though, because soon enough there will be a crying baby next to him. Since the middle of the seat is the safest, Melvin has to "think thin" and smash his big body into the side seat. It's not all about you anymore, Melvin, soon you'll be the step child.

Tonight we've started our search for a doula. I remember when Lisa first told me that she was getting a doula and I thought she was nuts. Why would you need a middle man at a birth? That was a couple years ago and I have since done a 180 and completely understand the role a doula will play. Even the midwives at the birthing center have all had doulas attend their births. Aubrey and I are meeting one tomorrow and another on Wednesday night to see if we can find a good fit. It's a bit late in the game to be looking, but not too late. We're getting a doula in training to keep the cost down, but feel confident that it'll be a positive experience. I think that Aubrey likes the idea that coaching will not be entirely on his shoulders. We also really want a doula just in case we get transferred to the hospital. If that happens, then things are not going as planned and we would definitely like to have a middle man around to help with decision making and understanding the medical model for delivery. Something that we found interesting about the birthing center is that if we are the only couple there for a birth, the midwife will be with us about 90% of the time! If there are 2 births going on then the time will be split and if there are 3 births then a second midwife is called in. The birthing center has rooms for 3 births and books only around 20-25 births for a month to avoid overcrowding. While the doula doesn't seem as necessary in the best case scenario (I'm the only birth and everything goes as planned), she will be very nice to have in any other scenario.

Full panel pants

I bought my first pair of full panel maternity jeans at 36 1/2 weeks. Up until then, I had mostly been wearing regular yoga capris and pants. I did buy a pair of no panel maternity pants a little while back, but they're not as comfy as the yoga gear. The full panel pants are not the sexiest things around when the panel is exposed, but they are by far the most comfortable things in the world when you're in that last month of pregnancy. I can't believe I made it this long without them. They don't dig into Copper's head when I sit and my belly isn't exposed when my I try to wear non maternity shirts that inevitably ride up. They do show that tell tale sign of the line across the belly that lets everyone know you're wearing maternity pants, but who gives a shit when you're that comfortable.

Baby Shower

Note: I'm a little behind with my blogging. The damn basement is all consuming.

Anyways, my friend Kellie (with help from Connie, Sheri, and my mom) hosted a wonderful baby shower for Aubrey and I 2 Saturday's ago. It was short and sweet with yummy food, friends, and most importantly, great gifts. Registering for the baby shower was actually way more fun than registering for our wedding. (Again, thanks for the registry help, Kellie!) The wedding felt so selfish, but the baby shower isn't really about us, it's about Copper. And holy crap do baby's need a lot of stuff. Thanks to everyone for coming and all the super needed baby gear. Okay, so we didn't really need a baby hoodie with a skull on it, but it sure is damn cute.

Laundry

I did a load of Copper's laundry today and the lint trap was full of pink lint. It was pretty cute.

3 Weeks To Go

Ahhhhhh! 3 weeks?! Have I mentioned how much stuff we have to get done before baby? I realize that if she does come before everything is in place and her room is set up that we will be fine, but for my mental health I really need things to be a little more organized. I need the piece of mind that our home is in order. It's a possibility that we may be able to get started on her room by this weekend. That would make me feel better. Then there's only 2 weeks left.

Last Friday was, I believe, the first time that I really felt excited for Copper to be on the outside instead of still in my belly. So much of pregnancy is about what is going on while being pregnant and what to expect during labor that it becomes all that you think about, being pregnant. The past few classes that we've taken have been about what to do once she's born and I think that that has us excited to finally meet our little lady. I'm ready to have my mobility back. I'm ready to sleep on my stomach or back. I'm ready to be able to bend over to tie my shoes. I'm ready for my feet to shrink back down to their normal size. I'm ready for my wedding ring to fit again. I'm ready to dress my little girl in all the cute clothes that we've gotten. I'm ready to hold my little girl. I'm ready to be a mommy. Aubrey is ready to be a daddy.

Less than 4 weeks

I started writing this last week...

It really doesn't seem possible that I could be having a baby in less than 4 weeks. We're getting super excited to finally meet our little girl and be with her, but really, less than 4 weeks? There are soooo many things to take care of before she comes. We are devoting this weekend to getting all of the baby necessites taken care of. The baby shower is on Saturday and we'll be shopping on Sunday to get any other "first 2 weeks" items. It was reiterated to us today at our 36 week class/appointment that we need to get our car seat installed and have our labor bag packed. It's no holds barred come 37 weeks. She could be anytime. We're hoping for a 41 weekish baby, but please at least give us 40 weeks. The nursery is still our office. We have a lot to get done in a very short amount of time. I'm just thankful that I feel so well and have quite a bit of energy to get things done. It's been amazing that Aubrey has had this time off to work on the basement and we're really excited that he will not be back at work when Copper comes. At our newborn care class last week, our midwife was really pressing that those first two weeks are spent in bed with mom, baby, and dad. Aubrey is really looking forward to being able to spend so much time with his little girl and not just a few days as once was planned. I'm really looking forward to having him with me for the extra support. I have no idea what to expect in the first couple days, weeks...months...years...

Quote of the Day

"I don't need any parenting books. I just need to get a new belt."

-Aubrey

Kick to the head

A few years ago Derek provided us with a great phrase, "I just want to kick you in the head." Aubrey has adopted that phrase and uses it frequently. Copper must be listening because the other night Aubrey had laid his head on my tummy and was feeling around for her and talking to her. Then suddenly, WHAM, she kicked him right in the head. That's my little girl.

Week 35 Pics

I used to see pregnant women who were all crazy big and ask, "Am I going to get that big?" I would ask that in disbelief that I ever could get "that big." I have now learned that, yes, I will get "that big" and that I am now "that big."

This shot just totally cracks me up.

Are those feet down there?