Sleep Training

How is it August already?  This summer is moving by so quickly and football season is only a few weekends away.  Where has the time gone?  My little girl will be all grown before I know it!!!!!

Up until now Ellie has not been on a defined schedule.  That is ALL changing!  Ellie had been crying a lot and wasn't taking good naps.  She would wake easily and her tummy was bothering her a lot.  I made another pediatrician appointment for yesterday and saw a different doctor.  This doctor told me that Ellie needed a schedule with specific sleep times and she also needed to learn how to self soothe.  Whew!  Hearing this was so hard.  I had waited for this little angel for so long and I just wanted to spoil her as much as possible.  I've mentioned previously that we've co-slept with Ellie since birth.  She wouldn't sleep any other way.

After we got home from our appointment yesterday afternoon I began the transition into scheduling sleep.

E.A.S.Y.

Eat

Activity

Sleep

Yourself

The acronym is pretty self explanatory.  Ellie eats.  I then burp her and change her diaper if I haven't already.  I sit her in the bouncy seat and we play with our toys and I read to her sometimes as well.  (I actually read a Charlaine Harris book to her aloud this morning- haha.)  When I see her getting a little sleepy, I get her up and swaddle her and rock her for a few minutes before returning her to the bassinet.  If she wakes I check on her after about 15 minutes or so, hold her hand for a minute or two and then leave again.

Surprisingly enough this is a great system.  Until now Ellie had been eating every 2 hours!  It left little to no time for me to do anything.  I was a little concerned at the frequency of her feedings as was the pediatrician. Since yesterday, I've been able to stretch out her feedings as well as have her sleep in her bassinet by my side of the bed.  Brandon slept in the guest room last night since he had to leave early to drive to Mississippi for the day.  Ellie did so much better than I expected and was able to be calmed down by holding my hand during the night.  I did miss my snuggles with my little princess, but I felt great knowing that she was safely swaddled next to me in her own sleep space.

It will definitely take us some time to completely adjust to this schedule and new sleeping arrangements, but we can do it.

Watching Mommy dry her hair and put on make up.  She's mesmerized by the hairdryer!

"It's a wonderful day to be nude!"
At the pediatrician's office waiting for the doctor to come in.

This may be one of my favorite pictures of her.
I'm so in love with my little girl.

Video of Ellie and Sneakers!

Since I've been syncing my iPhone I have many videos of Miss Ellie!

Please excuse us sounding so silly.  The things you do to make the baby happy! :)

Baby Pool

I thought it would be fun to start a baby pool.  There are many women at church having babies (all girls), but I'm the only one having their first child.  It's even funnier that we're all due in the same week of May!  I have a feeling that they all might go into labor a little ahead of me, but my actual due date is before a few of them.

Dad still is convinced that Elliana will arrive before her due date.  I've heard the same from some others in my family as well.  I know that first time mom's often deliver closer to their due date or even after.  I just thought it would be fun to see what everyone's thinking and I could share it with baby girl when she's older!  I chose to use What's In My Belly? to host the pool because it was easy to use and FREE!

Click the link to take part in the pool!  If it doesn't link directly, you can search by our last name, Boyington, or pool number 896.

Elliana's Baby Pool

Birth Plan

Call me crazy, but I have already written our birth plan.  If Brandon and I had not encountered trouble conceiving, I highly doubt that I would have constructed a birth plan.  I have full intentions of laboring and having an epidural, but there are so many particulars about us that I felt it necessary to write them down on paper.  It's hard enough now for me to collect my thoughts and relay them to others, so I am positive that I will be glad to have my wishes written out on paper on delivery day!

When I sat down to start writing, I pulled a few examples from the internet.  I printed out the fill-in birth plan from The Bump and wrote down my thoughts from there.  I also took some liberties and added more information, such as our phone numbers, emergency contacts other than Brandon and myself, our pediatrician, and my current medications and allergies.

Some important issues for me to list were:  pain medicine, labor augmentation, c-section, and family and friend visitors.

• Unless there is something wrong, I do NOT want to be induced!  I do believe that Brandon and I deserve one "normal" thing in this pregnancy.  The thrill of my contractions becoming closer together (and worsening) or my water breaking in the middle of the night is something that we want.  
• I do NOT want a c-section unless it is absolutely necessary.  My pelvic pain had me terrified of a vaginal birth, but I want the experience of delivering Elliana unless the doctors see reason for a c-section.
• There are many different ways to deliver a baby, and some Moms choose to deliver with or without pain medication.  I WANT an epidural.  Again, with my pelvic pain there is NO way that I can push baby girl out of my hoo-ha without it!
• As far as visitors are concerned, Brandon and I know that we do NOT want any family or friend visitors for the first hour after Elliana is born.  The idea of trying to bond with our daughter and me breastfeed with a room full of people staring at me doesn't sound appealing at all.  Thankfully, Brookwood does NOT allow family in the room after delivery unless it's cleared with the Mom.  Elliana and I will be able to bond over breast feeding, and Brandon wants to engage her in "skin-to-skin" shortly after her birth as well.  I don't think we're asking too much, and I hope that our families will understand.  We did wait 26 months to be blessed with a healthy pregnancy, and it's been one LONG pregnancy!

At the end of the plan, I wrote a simple note thanking the nurses and doctors for reading our wishes.  Brandon and I have dreamed of this day for so long and I will do anything that I can now to plan and prepare myself for delivery day.  We both know that plans do change, and I have no idea what Elliana's birth day will hold for us, but sure like feeling prepared!  I plan on giving the birth plan to our nurse as soon as we enter the hospital (maybe along with some candy or other goodies!)

Once all of the finishing touches are in place I will post our birth plan here for y'all to take a peek (and see truly how OCD I am)!

Countdown:  9 weeks 4 days

I Passed the 3-hour GTT!

After failing the 1-hour sugar test, I passed the 3-hour GTT!  The nurses at the Alabaster office had told me that they believed I would pass the longer test and they were right.  To say that I'm thankful is an understatement!  I indulged yesterday and had a Dr. Pepper to celebrate and had some chocolate cake at church. Even though I passed the test I still plan on watching what I eat.  After grocery shopping today, I came home with NO sweets, but did buy some yummy fruit yogurt with granola.  My craving for sweets has been minimal lately, and I've been focused on making all of my food choices count (especially since we're in the home stretch now).

Here are my results from the GTT
Fasting          78
1-hour          176
2-hour          166 *
3-hour          126
*The nurse said that the 2-hour number was one point higher than they liked, but overall felt very pleased with my results.

My weight gain is still at a stand still.  My appetite has yet to completely return, but I am eating.  Right now I'm relying on staying hydrated mostly.  I don't want to force myself to eat multiple times throughout the day. Breakfast is my most important meal of the day.  No more waffles for this Momma, but I've been eating a bowl of Cheerios each morning.  If I feel like it's a good acid reflux day, I drink 8 oz of Orange Juice.  As long as I'm not going to church, I eat a small spoon full of peanut butter for snack(one of our kids at church has a SEVERE allergy).  At lunchtime I eat whatever is easy.  If I'm at work it's fast food, but if I'm at home I cook something healthy.  At dinner I'm not that hungry.  I'm not even eating an afternoon snack.  My belly looks and feels like it's grown, and I'm sure that my stomach doesn't have as much room for food now.  But I promise that I'm eating when I'm hungry.  Whoever came up with the concept of "eating for two" is crazy.  People tell me that all the time, but I read that a pregnant woman (singleton pregnancy) only needs an additional 300 calories a day.  I had Chick-fil-A yesterday and there's about 300 calories in one packet of their Chick-fil-A sauce!

My appetite was crazy during the first and second trimester, and I guess I needed the extra calories because I was working so much and Ellie was growing so quickly.  For now I'm just going to listen to my body and try to make wise food choices.  I knew that my appetite would begin to taper off and maybe I just started a little early.

Countdown to Elliana's Due Date:  10 Weeks and 2 Days!

Prepared Childbirth Classes

On Saturday we attended childbirth class.  Instead of stretching the class out, we decided to take it all at once. It was a LONG day!  The class was mostly full with a few moms about to deliver this month, but most of us were due in May.

There were many videos including live birth, active labor, and what happens with baby during delivery.  The class focused much on having a vaginal delivery and what to expect.  Each couple was given a book and folder that contained all of the material.  The instructor talked about guided imagery and Lamaze during child birth and even had us practice.  I expected more time on the floor practicing, but we only spent 15 minutes doing that.  (I almost fell asleep because I was so relaxed.)  She also passed around a baby doll and let us practice swaddling.  Brandon was quick and successful at swaddling the baby doll, but I'm sure it's different with a live, moving newborn!

The funniest part of the day was when they asked if any of the men wanted to wear "the belly."  It weighs 35 lbs and simulates for a man what it's like to carry a child.  Of course my husband volunteered and I got pictures!

Once the class itself was over, we traveled to Brookwood for a tour.  The rooms at Brookwood are fabulous.  Everyone labors and delivers on the 3rd Floor.  After baby is born, within a few hours you are moved to another floor where you stay until you are discharged home.  The size of rooms shocked me.  I had no idea that they would be so spacious.  I'll have to admit, the size of the rooms is a little intimidating to me, because I don't want people hanging around all day long once Elliana is here.  We have so much family and faith family that will be visiting, so it's great to have a large room.  BUT my hope is that people will visit for a short time and then leave.  I may feel entirely different when the day arrives though, but I'm not one that likes many people in one small space.  Anywho, we'll fight that battle when it's here.

I think it's safe to say that I'm super happy that we chose to deliver at Brookwood.  In retrospect, I should have taken pictures of the rooms, but it was crowded with everyone on the tour.  I'm excited that in a little under 10 weeks we'll be welcoming our Elliana to the world!

Chiropractor & Panties Story

After yesterday's post, I waited for the OB office to open to speak with a nurse.  They were more than supportive of me visiting a chiropractor.  I immediately called and was able to schedule an appointment for late afternoon.

I was at the chiropractor office almost 2 hours yesterday afternoon!  Apparently they were busy and decided to leave the pregnant woman for last.  I seriously have issues with waiting lately and it didn't help that none of the chairs were comfortable and I needed a snack.  Once Dr. S was in the room he did a bunch of different things and then asked me to come back on Friday afternoon.

After church last night I was exhausted from the previous nights' lack of sleep.  I STILL woke up at 4:30 this morning out of breath and in pain. =(  I was able to get up and make it to the recliner.  After about ten minutes of positioning myself I was able to go back to sleep even though my back was aching.  Once Brandon got up he heated up my herbie pack (microwaveable heating pad) and put it on my upper back.  It was so hot that I still have a huge red spot.  Oops!  Right now my back still hurts.  I'm hoping that it will go away as the day progresses.  I'm still exhausted because I didn't get a full night's sleep.  Something's gotta give!  I love my sweet Ellie, but she's doing a number on Mommy's body!

Here are two pictures of me while waiting on the chiropractor yesterday.  I can definitely tell that I'm growing!

Just so this post isn't super boring and about the joys of my back pain, I will leave you with a funny story.  When I started this blog I always wanted to keep it real, and this is about as real as it gets!

I went to the bathroom yesterday and my bikini line was hurting like crazy.  I looked down and my skin was super red.  Once I walked back out into the showroom at work, I realized it was because my panties were too tight!  These are big granny panty underwear so I was shocked.  Did this just happen overnight?  I looked at Jen and had no idea what to do.  I seriously didn't want to have to leave work to buy underwear.  When my boss wasn't looking I grabbed a pair of scissors and raced back to the bathroom.  I had to cut the leg seem on each side of my panties.  Talk about crazy.  I swear these things only happen to me- or I'm the only one not embarrassed to share it with the world!  They still felt tight for the rest of the day, but it beat the alternative of going commando.  I had church right after my chiropractor appointment so I had to endure the tight drawers for a little while longer.  Once I was home it felt amazing to get them off.  I was asleep when Brandon got home from LIFE, so he laughed when he saw me wearing his boxer briefs this morning.  I know why men wear them now- they are super comfortable!  If only I could wear those today!!  Looks like I will be purchasing me some new and LARGER panties on my lunch break today.  

Flossing

I went to the dentist yesterday for the first time in over a year.  When you get so caught up with your fertility doctor, you gradually forget about all other important appointments.

My gums had been starting to look puffy and bled often so I made a call.  From reading different books I was terrified that problems with your teeth could lead to preterm labor.  In general, I have been pretty stress-free about our pregnancy, but this issue worried me since I had noticed some changes with my gums.

The cleaning wasn't too bad, but there was so much blood.  Nothing was uncomfortable, but my gums were very irritated.  The general consensus was that I need to floss more.  Pregnancy hormones along with my complete lack of flossing has made my gums super sensitive!  My new routine: brush teeth, floss, and brush teeth again.

Since cutting caffeine out of my routine again, my teeth look great.  I've even started using baking soda and they appear whiter.  I guess they'll look even better if I keep flossing.  =/

Sorry this was a random and boring post about my teeth.  But to all of my pregnant readers:  Remember to Floss!  And this goes to all of the IF Ladies too; taking all of the added hormones.

It's Finally Here!

Anatomy Scan at 10:30am!

Surprisingly enough, I was able to get through yesterday at work.  I made sure to keep busy all day long so the day would pass quickly.  The store is still in chaos mode from Christmas, so we were able to get some organization started.  Plus, we're gearing up for Valentine's Day now!

I'm so excited, because I purchased some more maternity shirts at Ross.  On my lunch break yesterday, I was able to find 13 different tops for $126 total (with tax).  Shopping hasn't been as much fun recently because it's hard to find things that fit.  When I realized that Ross had a small maternity rack I was thrilled.  Now I have enough items to get me through the next couple of months at work.  I'll still need to find some sun dresses as Summer approaches, but I've got more than enough items to work with for now.

Vivid dreams are common with pregnancy, but mine have been extra crazy for the past two weeks.  During the heat of Christmas, I was dreaming about PANDORA jewelry and wrapping gifts every night.  No lie- I would wake up in the middle of the night looking for gifts I had wrapped in my dreams.
I kept dreaming about the appointment today last night.  I woke up at 4:30 am for my early morning trip to the potty, and then couldn't go back to sleep.  (If I get up, my mind starts to wake up and then I'm either thirsty or hungry.)  But this morning was different...I think my back woke me up.  I'm having a lot of trouble getting comfortable during the night.  Again, I've always slept on my stomach, so I'm still adjusting to lying on my side.  I'm trying to work with my body pillow and batman pillow, but I get so hot.  I do have to admit here that my husband is amazing.  It was 4:30 am, and me and the baby were hungry.  Sneakers got up and brought me a glass of chocolate milk and I was able to go back to sleep after about 30 minutes of watching Family Guy in bed.

I'm still feeling the baby move around during the day.  I know Brandon's ready to feel The Sneak kick.

I will post about the gender as soon as we have told our friends and family.  We've got so many people to tell, and I would be devastated if anyone close to us found out from any other source than us.  My plan is to announce here by tomorrow or Sunday.  We're headed to Tuscaloosa tonight to eat dinner with my Mom and Stepdad (and little brother and sister) to share the news with them in person.  I just can't wait.  Today is our Christmas, getting to know if there's a little boy or girl growing in my tummy!

Today's the Day

This is it!

I didn't think I would be able to go to sleep last night.  Brandon has slept on the couch the past two nights because his sinuses have been bothering him.  It was his decision, not mine-promise!  He's been terrified of me getting sick these past few days.  I did wake up an hour early this morning because I was so excited.  I'm sure I'll pay for that later today.

At church last night several people stayed around after bible study to pray over us.  Terry (our pastor) anointed our heads with oil as everyone gathered around, laying hands on us.  Surprisingly enough, I didn't cry, but felt peace.  That is something that I know many women are lacking on the eve of their transfers.  At this moment, I truly believe that this endeavor will provide us with a healthy pregnancy.  There's no room for any other negative thought.

If for some reason this transfer doesn't end with a pregnancy and take-home baby, I know that I will be upset.  Anyone would.  But I feel like God has given me a glimpse of the big picture.  I know that I am lucky to have found my purpose-my calling.  I wouldn't wish infertility on anyone, but it has brought me so much closer to God and my husband.  Also, I wouldn't be connecting with women throughout the world if I didn't have these struggles.  The Infertility, Pregnancy & Infant Loss, and Adoption community is an amazing network of women.  These ladies build each other up with support and love.  This day would be so much harder to face without them-knowing that they are cheering for me.

My emotions are all over the place.  For those of you who know me IRL, I saw that same Jiff commercial this morning and left the room (I was moved to tears last week)!  No tears earlier, but now I'm all weepy.  I have the good cries.  I have no idea why I even wore eye makeup because I'll have cried it all off by the end of the day.

Thank you for all of the support.  My phone has been going off like crazy all morning.  =)  Y'all are amazing and we couldn't do this without YOU!

Happy Birthday, Sneakers

Today is my sweet husband's 36th birthday!

We went out to dinner at Joe's Italian last night to celebrate Brandon's birthday (as well as the good news about our FET cycle).  Today he's watching lots of college football in preparation for the Bama game this evening.  I'm cleaning house so I won't be super stressed with the transfer next week.

I started taking my antibiotic this morning, and we will add the PIO injections at night.  Wouldn't you know that I forgot to eat with my antibiotic and have had yucky nausea all morning.  Oops!  I've started having some tenderness in my chest, but other than that...no side effects.  I still have blue CF, but that's going to stick around until we have a confirmed pregnancy.

Have a great weekend and Happy Labor Day, y'all!

~~~~~*~~~~~

Brandon, 

I hope that this is your best birthday yet.  

I just hope that I get to give you a late birthday present in about two weeks.  

You're already my best friend, 

but you're going to be an amazing Daddy!  

I love you!

Happy Birthday, Sneakers!  

Great Appointment

Our appointment went well this morning.  My lining measured .08cm- exactly what the doctor ordered ! They took a culture of my lining (which was blue), and I expect everything to be fine there.  It was so funny....the NP casually said, "Oh, I see you're on Estrace."

They usually leave word on my patient voicemail by 2pm.  Then they will provide me with my updated calendar- which is the same as before only a week behind.  I will start antibiotics tomorrow, along with Progesterone-in-Oil injections!  Our Embryo Transfer should happen on Thursday!  I am hopeful that we will get beta results the following Friday (September 14).

This is the closest we've ever been! We are beyond excited!!!  Thank you for all of the text messages!!

Grateful

God is Good.  =)  I think that sums it all up.

Holding a Miracle

Nesia & Addie

Quality Time with Uncle B

Prayer in the Park

Teaching her to pray

IVF Miracle 

Silly Faces

Luke- He saves me a seat each Sunday morning

Near Sunset

Uncle B & Bryson

Random pictures

"A picture is worth a thousand words."

today

today
I know, I'm crazy

today
These are on Jenna's phone.  I hijacked it. 

today
Jenna and myself

today
My boss 

Date night watching Hunter Lawley
7-20

We hijacked Joy's phone
7-20

7-26
My boss is pretty awesome

7-25
Sarah Hope

7-25
Hannah Grace

7-25
The kiddos wrapping their gift for their Mom's birthday

B's welcome home note
7-25

today
My Journal of Daily Blessings 2.0
Writing on loose leaf notebook paper wasn't working anymore