Adleigh's Birth Story

Adleigh's birth story was definitely an adventure.

Tuesday, November 6 I went to the doctor's because I wasn't feeling well. I knew I had a sinus thing going but still wanted 

to get checked out since she was watching me for headaches. I went in, saw the midwife Kim who said the baby's head was engaged and that I was 3 cm and 80% effaced. I did the NST and everything was looking great with the baby. On the way out of the office I passed the doctor who was surprised to see me and she asked if she could check me again. She said the head was low and that things could go at any minute. She called me her "little time bomb" and told me to wait while they called the hospital about inducing me. I had had a Lovenox shot so the hospital wouldn't take me until Thursday morning.

On Wednesday I woke up and the doctor called me at 8:30 a.m. to say she wanted me to be at the hospital by 9 pm. I was so unprepared because I thought I was going to have all of Wednesday to get ready. I went into over drive and even went and got my haircut at 5 pm before going in to the hospital. Adam and I got all packed up and my mom and dad stopped by to wish us well before we headed to hospital. 

Last family picture before heading to the hospital! We even got Penelope in there!

We got to the hospital at 8:30 pm and checked in. When we pulled in the parking lot Adam and I were filled with so many emotions. We saw the nurses getting our room ready as we walked in. After we registered we were shown to our room and they had me put on a gown and wait for the nurses.

Last pregnant picture!!

 The nurse came in and asked us all the fun questions about my medical history and then they started the Pitocin. My doctor had ordered an Ambien so I could get some rest during the early part of my labor. It knocked me out for a little while and I slept through Adleigh's heart rate dropping, getting rolled over, and needing oxygen. Eventually I woke up and I labored all night until the doctor came in and broke my water at 7 a.m. When she broke it, I had meconium as sweet little girl had already went poop! Just like her dad, something had to be silly with poop. Once my water was broken things went very fast. I labored as long as I could and I caved at 9:30 and got the epidural. At 10 they came and checked me and I was 7.5-8 cm and the nurse said uh-oh, let me go get another nurse. The other nurse came in and felt and said "Yep, that's the butt". With that, things began to happen very fast. All of a sudden there were 10 or so people in our room getting me ready for a c-section. I remember Adam gowning up, the anesthesiologist coming back, and the ride down the hallway to the OR. I was amazed that the doctor was already there waiting since everything happened so quickly. 10 minutes later I was in surgery and the doctor proclaimed "There's the butt!" Then I heard Adleigh's first cries and she was here! The craziest thing about it all was that only ONE person thought Adleigh was breach. Remember when I laughed it off! All I remember after seeing Adleigh was that they were listening to Christmas music while I got sewn back up and that I had the shakes like crazy!

Holding my baby for the first time! I am so thankful we still got to do skin to skin :)

First family photo!

She's Here!!!!

Adleigh Grace Vodicka arrived on Thursday, November 8th, at 10:41 a.m. She was 7 lbs. 13 oz and 19 inches long. Adam and I are in awe of just how amazing she is!! We couldn't be more in love!

38 Weeks

Our appointment last week was a lot less uneventful than the previous week. My blood pressure and swelling was WAY down and the doctor said my "clinical presentation was much better". Awesome. So she told me she'd see me back on Thursday but that she had a feeling that I was going to be seeing her sooner rather than later.

I was having a pretty good week until today, when I woke up with a headache. It felt more like a sinus headache because it was just above my left eye, but I decided to call because she told me to call if I had any sign of anything like that. I called from work, and of course they wanted to see me right away. So, I went in and saw the midwife, Kim. Everything checked out well with my blood pressure and swelling and Kim decided I probably just had a headache. I agreed. She did exam me to see what baby girl was doing and that's when it got exciting! Baby girl is engaged, and I am 80% effaced and 3 cm dilated! WAHOO!

I went back for another NST and baby was great. Before I left, Kim went to let my doctor know how I was doing and the doctor came in and got me. She wanted to check and see what the baby was doing too, and once again, we went through the how do you feel about having a baby today talk. Unfortunately, I got my Lovenox injection last night at 9 so today was a no go. She said I am "definitely a time bomb" and that I needed to go home and chill until I am induced on Thursday morning. I AM SO EXCITED!!!! :) :) They are going to break my water Thursday morning and see what I do on my own before doing the other induction things. I am glad I get to try and labor a bit on my own without lots of interventions from the get go!! EEE! I can't wait!

Here's my update for this week:

How far along? 38 weeks 4 days

Total weight gain: Up 36 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes!!!

Stretch marks? Nope! I made it!

Sleep: Sleep isn't happening anymore. The last two weeks have been a little difficult in terms of getting comfy. I have been sleeping on the couch or in Adam's recliner. I can only sleep sitting up :) I feel like a grandma!

Best Moment This Week: Walking through the mall this week thinking about how this was one of the last times that I'd be able to do something on my own without thinking about my little one. I was so overwhelmed with excitement thinking about how my life is going to change in such an amazing way.

Miss Anything? Being able to breath and sleep in my bed. Not too much longer of things to miss...

Movement: Yes! She is rolling all over the place

Food cravings: Nothing really! 

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!
Gender: Girl!!

Labor Signs: Braxton Hicks and all the fun things that are physically going on with me to let me know labor is near!

Symptoms: Headache and fatigue

Belly Button in or out? FLAT and icky looking!!!

 Wedding rings on or off? Off...I hope they'll be able to fit again some day!

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy! Excited! A little scared :)

Looking forward to: Holding my baby, seeing what she looks like, and kissing her cheeks in 2 days!!! :) AHHHHH! hehehe

Waiting Waiting!

The past few days have been quite a whirlwind in the Vodicka household. I mentioned in my update last week that things were really busy at work, and the evening are usually full for Adam and I too. I noticed last weekend that I was starting to look a little "puffy". By Thursday of last week, I couldn't even get my feet in my shoes and I resorted to wearing flip flops. I thought it was the normal end of pregnancy swelling that I was dealing with and I decided that I was going to go through the next 2.5 weeks looking and feeling like this:

We went to the doctor's on Friday and she came into the room, took one look at me, and started flipping out about my appearance. I knew I was swollen, but she just kept telling me to relax so she could check my reflexes, hands, feet, etc. It was hard to relax seeing her running around the table in circles. She mentioned she thought I might have preeclampsia even thought I had no risk factors and my blood pressure has been relatively normal. She told me I was going to go for labs and to go home and get ready to have the baby "sometime early next week." While waiting to do blood work, I snapped this picture of my leg:

Yup, I was a little swollen. My face and hands were this bad too. Following blood work I called work, my parents, and Adam and I headed out for what we thought would be our last pre-baby dinner out. The doctor told me to sit put and we'd hear by Saturday what the plan was. 

I went to work Saturday morning because I knew that if I did have the baby this week, nothing was really set in stone and I needed to finalize a few details. Then I went to Target to get some last minute items for my hospital bag. While I was waddling around in Target the doctor called. BUSTED...haha. Anyway, she said I didn't have preeclampsia but that I did need to go on bed rest for the rest of the weekend and take Monday off work. I went home, hunkered down on the couch with Penny and just hoped and prayed that the swelling would go down by today. 

Bed Rest Buddy!!

This morning when I woke up, I felt much better and was excited to see what she would say today. I was curious about why I would swell so bad if there was no reason for it, but at the same time I was relieved that I was looking better. We went in for a Non-Stress Test and then we saw the doctor. 

Having fun listening to baby girl during my Non-Stress Test. Looking A LOT better.

We saw the doctor and she said the baby looked beautiful on the monitor and that I looked well enough to go back to work. I am going back for three days a week until I deliver. She said we'll definitely have a baby in the next two weeks though. Right now I am just "a little bit" dilated and my cervix is starting to soften. According to the doctor, baby girl hasn't dropped enough to be a candidate for a successful induction, so we're just going to have to wait :) 

Waiting has been a major theme with this little one. We waited patiently to get pregnant with her and we are waiting patiently for her to be ready to be born. It's hard but she'll be totally worth it!

My verse for the next few weeks: But if we hope for what is still unseen by us, we wait for it with patience and composure. -Romans 8:25

35 and 36 Weeks

35 Week Update

Well, despite my best efforts, I have been quite the slacker when it has come to my blog. But that doesn't mean NOTHING has been happening. The last three weekends we have gotten spend some wonderful time with family! Adam's mom was with us for two weekends and Karen was here last weekend.

Adam and I are super excited that our niece, Emma Christine, was born on October 16th. She has been quite the fighter and we can't wait for her baby cousin to join her!

Adam and I were both sick :( That was a bit of a bummer. Adam was on retreat with the group this past weekend and I have been in the thick of the busiest fall semester our office has ever seen.

Needless to say, we were richly blessed during the last week and well, I just didn't get to work on my chalkboard. Since my preggy world has been pretty uneventful, I'll leave you with my update for this week:

36 Weeks

How far along? 36 weeks 5 days

Total weight gain: Up 35 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes, and I am afraid to admit that I have had to officially retire a few of my maternity items.

Stretch marks? My bellybutton is just one giant stretch mark at this point. Other than than that, I think I may make it without any stretch marks on my belly.

Sleep: Still sleeping great except for the fun getting up to go to the bathroom every few hours. I really do think God has a sense of humor though in preparing me for my new mommy role. Penelope woke me up on Friday night throwing up from  2-3 a.m. THEN she fell out of bed Tuesday night at 2:30 a.m. The funniest thing about this was 1) She is not allowed up on our bed, so she got busted for sleeping up there to begin with 2) she took out Adam's phone, iPad, and books on the way down and I literally thought Adam was a goner. Turns out, it was just Penny. She walked around stunned for a few minutes until I got her to go back in her own bed. But she was SUPER pitiful for a half an hour while I tried to go back to sleep.

Best Moment This Week: Celebrating baby girl at our SHUMY shower, getting our maternity pictures back, seeing baby girl practicing her breathing in my belly. It was all wonderful!

Miss Anything? I miss not feeling on my "A" game. At work, I am distractible, tired, and not nearly as effective as I normally am :(

Movement: Yes! She is still rolling, punching, and kicking. I have recently been able to identify quite a bit of her anatomy now that she is bigger.

Food cravings: Root Beer! Hahaha

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!
Gender: Girl!!

Labor Signs: I have been having Braxton Hicks, but it goes away with putting my feet up and drinking water. AND you can see that my little one is starting to "drop" Big difference between the 34 and 36 picture!

Symptoms: Swelling!!!!! I can't wear any of my shoes :(

Belly Button in or out? FLAT and icky looking!!!

 Wedding rings on or off? Off :( I couldn't even get Karen's wedding band over my knuckle. I am officially sausage fingers to the max.

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy! I can't wait to see my little girl!

Looking forward to: Holding my baby!!!!! :)

Church Baby Shower Round Two

This past Tuesday night I was so blessed to receive a second shower from the youth group at Southern Hills. It was so fun and they even invited the ladies from my work to come be a part of all the fun! I only got a few pictures on my camera but I'll post some fun ones.

Little miss baby V is going to be the most well dressed, spoiled rotten little thing. I seriously don't know if Adam and I can fit anymore stuff in our house for her. We have been completely overwhelmed by the love and kindness as we have been TREMENDOUSLY blessed by our family, friends, and church family.

Now I can't wait till she is here to put all this fun stuff to use :)

Awesome shower hosts Linda and Susan :) So thankful for both of these ladies!

Cute selfie girls! Bahahahaha Love these two!

Opening presents!! :) She got SO much cute stuff!

Listening to the wishes for my baby girl. I love how many people wished that she wouldn't think her daddy was weird, awkward, or strange :)

(SOME) of the very awesome high school girls that Adam and I get to spend time with! If my baby girl turns out like any one of these girls, we will be SO blessed. Love them :)

Madison and I! 

Love these girls and the super cool diaper motorcycle they made me!! :)

34 Weeks

We are getting closer and closer. This last week has been filled with so much baby fun! I had my 34 week appointment yesterday. Baby girl is growing right on track. My belly is measuring at 36 weeks and her heart rate was 145. I told the doctor that I was pretty sure at my last visit we listened to my own heart beat. She said that next time I come back in, I will get checked and we will for sure set my induction date. Given how healthy my pregnancy has been they don't need to see me back for two weeks. I am excited and scared about that all at the same time. I can't believe that no matter what happens at my next visit, baby V will be here for sure in less than a month. I'll either be induced the 8 or 12 depending on my dilation. Ahhh!

Here is my 34 week update:

How far along? 34  weeks

Total weight gain: Up 30 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yep! Mom V. was in town this week and she bought me a sweater and pants to get me through these last couple weeks. I can't even say how grateful I am for warmer maternity items!! 

Stretch marks? Just little white ones on my hips.

Sleep: I am sleeping well still! I did find if I take a nap, it ruins my whole sleep schedule. I need to just go to bed at night and try not to nap during the late afternoon.

Best Moment This Week: The shower that the church had in our honor. Adam and I were completely overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity that was shown to us. I will never begin to thank everyone enough for what they did for me. The baby received so many special items and I can't wait to share her with our church family.

Miss Anything? Being able to get off the couch by myself :) I got stuck twice this week. 

Movement: Yes! She is still rolling, punching, and kicking. I love it!

Food cravings: Malley's chocolate pretzel bars and milk

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!
Gender: Girl (we hope)! Adam heard a story at work this week about a family that thought for sure they were having a girl and it turned out to be a boy. He was super freaked out!

Labor Signs: nothing that labor is imminent. I have been a little crampy, but nothing that is a true braxton hicks contraction.

Symptoms: Swelling

Belly Button in or out? I could say what I said last week. It is flat, icky looking, and stretched in ways I never thought it would stretch. The least favorite part of my doctor's visits is that my bellybutton seems to be where they can best locate the heartbeat, and she will jam the doppler in my poor stretched out belly button as a starting point.

 Wedding rings on or off? Off :( I have been wearing them as a necklace.

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy! I have been a little emotional too! Our lives our going to change in incredible ways here in less than a month!

Looking forward to: Getting our maternity pictures back!! Adam and I had so much fun taking those this week! :)

Pictures from my church shower:

The Vodicka family was richly blessed!

Talking with the ladies at church. My belly is getting bigger!

White Cake!

Chocolate cake!

We finally got little squirts loot home! We have A LOT of thank you's to write :)

33 Weeks

I can't believe that we are getting so close!!! Considering I am not going to be allowed to go past 39 weeks I am really starting to get excited. The women that I work with think that I won't even make it to 39 seeing as I am starting to get HUGE. I officially can't see my feet anymore and I am slowing down a little bit. I can't wait to meet my baby girl!!

How far along? 33 weeks

Total weight gain: Up 28 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yes, though I don't know how much longer they are going to last!! I hope I can make it with my work wardrobe at least! I have two go to dresses and a pair of dress pants. Everything else is getting a little snug!

Stretch marks? nope, not on my belly!

Sleep: I feel like I can't complain because I am still sleeping fairly well. I have been thankful for the rest I have been getting. Unfortunately I get wiped out half way through the work day.

Best Moment This Week: I shared a story on my Facebook page about a little boy who "LOVED" my baby. He was so cute running up to me and giving my belly a kiss. I loved that it was a small child who shared (almost) my same level of excitement about our baby. It was so sweet.

Miss Anything? Being able to get my feet in my shoes

Movement: Yes! I feel her moving around in a new way. It's almost like she is rolling back and forth. I love it! I know I will miss that feeling when she is here.

Food cravings: Aurora Spaghetti Sauce and Cherry Strawberry Soda. Not the best with my heartburn situation.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!
Gender: Girl

Labor Signs: nothing that labor is imminent. I am starting to feel a little pressure in my pelvis and she is now definitely out of my ribs. I think I am experiencing lightening :)

Symptoms: Just fatigue and some swelling in my feet.

Belly Button in or out? Flat!! I sure hope my poor belly button makes it. It looks horrible and is stretched to the max. It has at least six weeks to go.

 Wedding rings on or off? Off :( I have been wearing them as a necklace.

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy! The closer we get, the more I am just overwhelmed with the fact that I am going to be a mother and that this little thing inside me is my little girl. I just can't believe it. What has seemed like a dream for so long, is pretty close to becoming a reality. I am incredibly thankful.

Looking forward to: Going to the doctor's this week and hearing sweet girl's heartbeat and holding her in my arms!

Cleveland Baby Shower!

This past Saturday we had my baby shower in Cleveland. My Aunt Patti planned a wonderful day for me with my family and closest friends. We had the shower at Becky's Bistro. It was the cutest little restaurant and the food was amazing. More amazing was how much our little girl was blessed. For me, the best part of my shower was to see so many ladies I don't normally get to see. When we have been home recently, the trips have been a whirlwind and it has been hard to catch up with people. But this was nice to be able to have lunch and visit with everyone. Plus little squirt got some pretty nice things :) I am so thankful for all the hard work my Aunt put into making such a special day for Adam, baby, and I. I certainly will cherish the fun we had!

All baby's loot!

Adam came at the end when we opened gifts!

Adam loved the changing giraffe from Aunt Holly. I think he may steal it for himself. 

Mom, Karen, and I! I think my days of the pink dress are numbered... :)

Dan and Amanda's Wedding

This past weekend my cousin Dan got married! He and Amanda looked so happy and their wedding was absolutely beautiful! This was our last trip to Cleveland before our baby girl comes. It was great to get to see family for the second time in a month. What a blessing that we have had so much to celebrate together this summer/fall. I can't believe we're the next big milestone event! :) Here are some pictures from the wedding!

Dan and Amand saying their vows! 

The happy couple!! :)

 Adam, Me, Karen, and Bobby at the reception! I was so excited because during dinner at the reception Karen got to feel baby girl move like crazy! :) 

32 Weeks

I don't want to give up on my chalkboard, but it has been so hard to find time to do it. Work has been especially hectic this past week and we were gone this past weekend to Cleveland for my cousin's wedding and my baby shower. I hope life starts to slow down for a few weeks before it revs back up with our little one's arrival. We just seem to be in a season of craziness. Hopefully things will start to settle down at work for me and our evening schedule won't be so jammed packed. So without further a do here is my bathroom mirror selfie! Haha :) 

How far along? 32 weeks

Total weight gain: Up 26 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yep!

Stretch marks? nope, not on my belly!

Sleep: This is the first week that I have started to feel big. I found that I am moving slower and slower and that is making me sleepy!

Best Moment This Week: There were so many great moments this week! I had a wonderful baby shower and Adam and I had our first baby class. The class made me excited and nervous. Going through the exercises and learning about what labor is going to be like has made everything seem so much more real. Plus Adam and I were in the class with one other couple. We got individualized attention, which was good and bad. My mom told me to sneak to the bathroom during the birth video so that I could just have my own experience and not have to watch anyone else's...but I couldn't being that there were only four of us plus the nurse. 

Miss Anything? nope!

Movement: Yes! I love feeling her move!

Food cravings: Milk and Chocolate

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing really!
Gender: Girl

Labor Signs: nothing! 

Symptoms: Feeling a little crampy and tired. But I really can't complain!

Belly Button in or out? Flat!!

 Wedding rings on or off? Off :( I have been wearing them as a necklace this past week.

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy, though I can cry at the drop of a hat. I hate that right now. I am normal a very composed person.

Looking forward to: Seeing my baby girl and kissing her sweet little cheeks!

Weeks 30 and 31

Last week got a way from me so fast! Since I wasn't able to do a 30 week blog I'll hit the highlights.

We had our 30 week appointment last Monday. The doctor said the baby was doing great and that she is measuring 33 weeks. She's been big the whole time! This seems crazy because Adam and I were both 7 lb babies. I keep dreaming that I am going to give birth to a 25 lb. turkey. (Gotta love the crazy preggo dreams!) A student was with the doctor at my appointment and they disagreed if the baby was head down or not. The student said breech, the doctor said head down. I am going to trust the doctor. The doctor also said that she was planning on delivering me November 10, unless something changes as we get closer. That's a week before my due date! Crazy! We go back September 27th. I can't believe how fast it's all starting to go.

Here are the updates for this week:

How far along? 31 weeks

Total weight gain: Up 25 pounds

Maternity clothes? Yep!

Stretch marks? nope, not on my belly!

Sleep: Work and life have been so busy lately that I have been SO tired at the end of the day. When I get home, I make dinner and head straight to bed. When I get to stay up on the weekends, I have trouble sleeping. Who knows...

Best Moment This Week: Painting the monogram for baby girls room and scheduling our maternity photos. I am so excited for both!

Miss Anything? Having energy! I feel like I can't focus on anything anymore :/

Movement: Yes! She is moving all the time. She especially likes to stretch where I can see her bum up in the air. It's hilarious!

Food cravings: Milk :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: Chicken
Gender: Girl

Labor Signs: Just Braxton Hicks every once in a while. 

Symptoms: Leg cramps, heart burn, and sleepiness 

Belly Button in or out? Flat!!

 Wedding rings on or off? Off :( I really miss wearing my rings

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Moody due to exhaustion. I still LOVE being pregnant and preparing for this little one. 

Looking forward to: My showers and seeing family this weekend. Adam and I also have our first baby class this week! Yay!