Where's Madison???

So the other day I was on FB looking at a friend's picture that she posted about her daughter being in the window at the photo place Madison took her 1 month pictures. As I was looking at all the cute babies they put up I came across one in particular that was very familar...it was our little Madison! I couldn't believe it! I was sooo surprised & honored to see her up there. Our baby girl is already doing big things at one month old! Maybe it's a sign...hahaha! I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Can you find our little cupcake?

If not, maybe this will help. =)

Happy 1 month birthday princess!

Can you believe Madison is already one month old?! My baby girl is growing so fast which is why I'm trying to savor every second I have with her. Since Jaime and I are still off from work we took her to have her pictures taken. I must admit I was a little nervous at first not knowing how she was going to react, surprisingly she did really well. She was is such a good mood and awake the entire time. The photographer couldn't believe she was only one month old. Here are the pictures that she captured. I think they turned out great! I love them all!

 

 

 

Our 4th of July sparkler!!!

Introducing the newest member of our family...

Madison Kalea Antoque

After 26 hours of labor, our little princess made her debut on July 4, 2010 at 3:57am. She was 7lbs 13 oz and 20.25 inches long. Considering she was only 2 days late, she was much bigger than we expected and a lot more "chinky" eyed too! heehee! Isn't she sooo precious?!? We LOVE her to pieces!!! She was definitely worth the wait! =)

Our first family photo

Special Delivery

At about 2am I woke up to a weird sensation...I wasn't sure if what I was feeling was actual contractions so I didn't pay much attention to it and tried to go back to sleep. To my surprise the feeling kept coming back and it seemed to be getting stronger. At that point I realized they had to be contractions and since Jaime was still up I told him what was going on. He thought we should start timing them to see if I was actually in labor or if what I was experiencing was just braxton hicks. Thankfully, Jaime downloaded a contraction app on his phone which made it easier to count & time each contraction. At about 5am they seem to be getting stronger and coming every 4-7 minutes. I was definitely in early labor and I decided to call the labor & delivery nurse to find out if I should come in. Since this was my first baby and labor usually takes longer the nurse suggested I stay home, keep timing my contractions, and call back in an hour. I was a little disappointed but I didn't want to go in and get sent home so I did what she said. During that hour the contractions were really strong (to the point I had to stop moving or talking when they came on). I called back around 6am. Since the contractions were more frequent and intense the nurse told me to come in. FINALLY...it was showtime!

We headed for the hospital around 6:30am. I was sooo excited and nervous at the same time. I couldn't believe it was really happening...I was actually in labor! At that point I was just hoping/praying that I was dilated to atleast 4 cm so they wouldn't send me home. Once we got to the hospital I went to the L&D triage. It seemed to take forever for the nurse to check me. With the pain I was experiencing I felt I had to be well over 4 cm. Unfortunately, I was just under 4 but since I was so close they decided to admit me and have me walk around so I would dilate more. I walked as much as I possibly could & also used the exercise ball I brought to help with my labor.

After several more hours and 5 cm I finally gave in to the epidural. All I can say is WOW! What a difference drugs can make! hahaha! Labor seemed so easy after that. Since I couldn't feel my contractions anymore I was finally able to get some rest which Jaime & I desperately needed. As happy as I was that the pain subsided I knew in the back of my mind that getting the epidural also had it's downfalls like slowing down labor. Unfortunately for me, that's exactly what happened. I stayed at 5 cm for a few hours. Since my water didn't break yet the midwife decided to break it hoping it would help speed up the process. Sure enough it did! About an hour our so later I was at 7 cm. Things seem to be progressing til around 7pm when my labor took a turn for the worse and my epidural stopped working! I could feel the pain & pressure from the baby making her way down. It was horrible! The nurse & anesthesiologist tried everything they could to help ease the pain, but nothing seem to work. I was stuck between 8 & 9 cm for several hours with no pain relief. I can barely remember anything that went on during that time since I was so busy dealing with the pain and concentrating on my breathing. As time went on it seem to get even worse! On top of the pain & pressure I was now having the urge to push. I must say that was ten times worse than the pain since I knew I wasn't allowed to push yet. The anesthesiologist felt so bad for me that she checked with her supervisor to find out if she can give me a new epidural. She wasn't sure if that was possible since I was so far along. Thank goodness she got the go ahead to do it.

At about midnight I FINALLY got some relief! The new epidural worked and on top of that I was 9 cm!!! I was SOOOO happy. Since Jaime and I had been up for almost 24 hours with a short nap in between the nurse recommended we get a little rest before I started pushing. She said if I tried to push at that point it could take hours and she didn't think I had the energy to do it so we took her advise. We were only suppose to nap for an hour or so but when I woke up and looked at the clock it was already 3am! We called in the nurse to check me and thankfully I was 10 cm. My epidural was slowly starting to wear down which was actually a good thing so I had some feeling to help me with labor.  I started pushing around 3:20am and at 3:57am Madison Kalea Antoque was born! =D

40 weeks...our due date!

So we reached our due date and baby Madison STILL isn't here! We thought forsure she'd be here by now but I guess she wanted to prove us wrong and show us who's boss. =) Since I was 40 weeks along I had a Dr.'s appt to see how she was doing and if I dilated yet. Thankfully Madison  was doing great and to our surprise I was almost 2 cm and 60% effaced. Since I was FINALLY dilated the Dr. was able to strip my membranes which can help to induce labor. Although it's a very uncomfortable procedure and only works 50% of the time I was willing to try anything at this point. I just wanted to meet our baby already!

I pulled out all the stops that day...on top of stripping my membranes (sounds so gross doesn't it?!) we took my in-laws to the Concord Mall so they could shop and I could get a little walking in. After working up an appetite we decided to try out the famous "Preggo Pizza" at Skipolini's. I was a little hesitant about it since I've only known it to work on a couple people but I figured why not give it a shot. I love to eat pizza anyway! Here is a picture of the yummy concoction...

It had salami, pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, olives, bell peppers, extra onions, sausage, ground beef, linguisa, extra garlic, parmesan, and oregano. I'm not a big fan of that many toppings on my pizza, but I have to admit...it was delish!  I'd eat it even if I wasn't pregnant! hahaha! Jaime, his mom,  & sister agreed. It was very filling too, I was stuffed after just 2 pieces!

After a loooong day of trying every remedy possible to induce labor we finally went home to relax. I had felt a little bit of cramping throughout the day but didn't think much of it since I was told that was an effect of having my membranes stripped. Before going to bed I had a glass of red raspberry leaf tea...my last attempt to help little Madison along (can you tell I wanted her out?! hahaha!). I was planning on going to bed early but got caught up reading the latest Stephanie Meyer's book. Before I knew it, it was midnight. I decided to finally put the book down to get some rest.

39 weeks...when do we get to meet her?

That is the question EVERYONE wants to know...especially Jaime and I! We're dying over here! It seemed like my pregnancy was flying by, but now that we're soooo close to FINALLY meeting her time seems to have slowed down drastically. Each week seems to take longer and longer. I really thought she would come out this week especially since I was so early but I guess she's working on her on schedule and telling us who boss already! Uh-oh! We're in trouble...she's already running the show and she's not even here yet! =D

I have an appt with my Dr. this afternoon so we'll find out what position she is in, how far dilated I am, and about how big she is. I'm very excited since that can give us a better idea of how much longer we'll have to wait. I must admit I have been trying to speed up the process a bit by drinking raspberry leaf tea (a recommendation from a few friends) although it worked for them unfortunately it hasn't done anything for me. Not one contraction...nothing! I think Madison might have inherited the Escay stubborn gene...just my luck! hahaha! So I just received a call from my Dr.'s office to come in early for my appt. I have to leave now so I'll let you know how it goes...

Ok, so we just got back and I found out that Madison is in the head down position BUT I'm not even dilated meaning she probably won't be here anytime soon. =( We'll be lucky if she comes out by my due date, but I have a feeling that she is going to be over due. That wasn't the news I was expecting or hoping to hear but what can you do. Apparently, she's just not ready to come out yet. She's nice in comfy in her oven. =) I guess the one good thing about her taking her time is that I'll be off from work longer. I would rather have her here though if it was my choice, but again we're on her schedule for now. Let's hope this isn't a sign of what our future holds. hahaha! Well I have another appt scheduled next Fri (my due date) to see what's going on. I'm praying we don't make it to that appt but I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I'll keep you posted!

39 weeks...

38 weeks...she's still baking! =)

Here we are at 38 weeks...I'm starting to get very anxious as to when our little cupcake will make her debut. Apparently, she's not following in my foot steps by coming out 3 weeks early which is a good thing...gives me more time to rest & relax before she gets here. As much as I want to meet her I know I should be enjoying every second of down time that I have. Everyone keeps telling me enjoy it will I can because once she gets here it's a whole different ball game.

Not much has changed with me since last week...still having some back pain & fatigue of course. I take a nap almost everyday...it's crazy! There's always so much I want to do, but I just can't get myself to do it all since I get exhausted so easily. I try to walk as often as possible but it doesn't always work out. I know if I walked more that would probably help Madison get here sooner. Hopefully she doesn't wait too much longer. I appreciate her giving me some time but I think I'm ready to meet her now! =)

Here we are at 38 weeks...

Maternity Session with MRS Photography

Ok...so I'm a little late on posting this one, but just about 2 months ago we had a maternity photo session with MRS photography. Michelle, the photographer, is a friend of ours who has her own photography business. We've seen the work she has done for others and knew when our time came we wanted her to do our maternity shoot. We had such a great time during our session (sometimes I think a little too much! hahaha!) and all the pictures turned out great! We had the hardest time choosing which ones we liked best since there were so many. Here are a few of our favorites that I thought I would share!

MRS Photography

*Feel free to contact me if you would like info for MRS Photography.

37 weeks...and the countdown begins!

So today we are 37 weeks along and considered full term. Meaning our little princess can come ANY DAY now! Ahhh...I'm sooo excited and nervous at the same time! They say she should weigh around 6 1/3 pounds and measure a little over 19 inches. From now on she should also be gaining about half an ounce a day which is probably why I'm starting to feel more aches and pains. Luckily I'm not having too many issues sleeping through the night, but when I wake up in the morning my entire back is killing me. I assume it's from all the weight in my belly but who knows. I've kind of given up on watching what I eat since we're so close to the end and my weight gain isn't too bad. I figure I might as well enjoy eating now since it'll be a whole different story once Madison arrives.

It still feels so surreal that we're so close to meeting her...the suspense is killing me! I just want to know when she'll be here. Every little ache and pain that I feel in my stomach makes me stop and think "Is it time?" but then nothing. I'm not even sure if I know what a contraction feels like. The doctor explained it to me but since this is my first pregnancy I'm still unsure. I thought I would a least feel some Braxton Hicks contractions but I haven't notice anything. I get a pain/cramp every once in awhile but it doesn't last very long. They say when a real one comes I'll know so we'll just have to wait and see I guess. I'm hoping Jaime will be home when they start. It's really not a big deal if he isn't since they want me to labor at home during the early stages, but it still would be nice to have him here when they do. He's now driving separately to work instead of carpooling since we don't know when I'll go into labor. It's all just a waiting game at this point...

So..I've only been on maternity leave for a week and I hate to admit that I'm actually a little bored. Can you believe it?! I didn't think that would ever happen! I guess it's because I've spent most of my time at home which I'm still trying to get use to. I rest as much as possible as well as make sure I have everything prepared for when baby girl decides to come. I FINALLY packed my hospital bag the other day which made Jaime happy. He's been bugging me about it for a while now. I assume it's because I was 3 weeks early and he is afraid Madison might be as well. I guess I should really enjoy all the down time now since my world can change any day now. I know it'll all be worth it so I'm ready! =)
 

I think that's about it for now...we'll have to see if I make it til next week. I'll keep you all posted! Here's our 37 week bump pic.

37 weeks

36 weeks!

I'm 9 months today and officially on maternity leave after 5pm! Woohooo!!! I can't believe how fast time has flown in the last few weeks. I'm starting to get a little nervous about the delivery but I'm trying to stay positive about everything...I know it'll all be worth it in the long run. I can only hope my delivery is as quick and easy as my sister's was. All of hers were only 2-4 hrs and she didn't use an epidural on any of them. I doubt I'll be that lucky but I can wish right! =)

So things have been going ok so far. My belly is still growing everyday but my family & I have noticed that it's dropped a little which I guess is a good thing. As much as I want her to come out when she is suppose to a part of me wants her to come out sooner for a few reasons. One...we are sooo excited and can't wait to meet her and two...I'm a little tired of all the extra weight I'm carrying around not to mention a HUGE belly getting in my way. hahaha! Sometimes I forget about it and realize after I try to do something that my body just isn't the same right now. I can't move as fast as I use to especially when it comes to getting out of bed or off the couch. Jaime finds it pretty funny but is very quick to help me out when I need it. I'm so lucky to have him! He has been soooo good to me throughout this journey! I couldn't ask for anything more! He's always trying to do as much as possible just so I can rest. Thank goodness he likes to clean! I think he's the one going through the nesting stage! j/k! =)

Speaking of nesting...I think it's finally starting to set in. Well, atleast when it comes to preping for Madison's arrival. The nursery is just about ready...we're just waiting for the rocking chair we ordered. Her closet is all organized by color & size and the necessary items (like the pack & play, swing, & co-sleeper) are up and ready to go. I already did a load of laundry and everything is hung in the closet or folded neatly in her dresser. BTW, I have to share that I LOVE the scent of her detergent! It smells soooo good! What more when it combines with her baby smell. Ahhhh...I can't wait!!! I have one last item on my to do list which is pack my hospital bag. I know I've been slackin on that one so I better get to it. Jaime and my mom remind me all the time about it.  I figure since my maternity leave starts next week I can finally get it done then. Now that we're getting so much closer I'll try to update you all more often. For now here is our latest bump pic.

 

36 weeks...