Matthew "Crawford" Opitz is born!

He has finally arrived and what an amazing experience!  It's so nice to be able to say HE and CRAWFORD instead of Baby Opitz.  As of today, Crawford is 12 days old and doing great.  He is such a good baby!!!  Matt and I are so in love with this little person and getting to know his personality has been so fun! I'll get to a few of his favorites after I touch on the birth experience.

Little Crawford was measuring ahead and Dr. Wiley decided that we could go ahead and induce.  We went to Harris Hospital at 7pm on Saturday, July 23, 2011 to be induced.  We checked in with all of our 10 packed bags and got situated in our room, #2 I believe.  Cervadil was applied to my cervix since it was very "stubborn," with hopes that it would soften the cervix for the next day when we would induce with Pitocin.  Cervadil sent me into consistent contractions and the pain was enough for me to withstand an Ambien to get me to sleep, so we pulled the Cervadil and prayed that my cervix would soften on its own.  The nurse gave me a mild pain reliever and some meds for nausea and I fell asleep for the night.

At 8am the next morning, we got things started by starting me on Pitocin.  I will just say that the process here was no laughing matter; the pain was intense.  A new nurse came on shift which saddened me because I liked the previous nurse so much more.  The new one had a poor bedside manner and was very "matter of fact" about everything.  C'mon people, giving birth is a painful process and having good natured people around makes the experience!  Anyway, the nurse sent me into a tailspin of loopy dreams and cloudiness when she pushed too many cc's of pain killer through and IV.  At that point I couldn't tell you which way was up or down.  They kept asking me if I wanted the epidural, which I had always planned on, but the meds made me so confused I kept declining, which, in hindsight, was a silly thing to do.  Finally I accepted the Epidural.  Again, very painful receiving this and I will spare the details that my husband watched me cry through. 

On the other hand, the Epidural did take away all the pain!  It was a miracle and I can't imagine going through that without one.  I was finally comfortable and got some sleep.  Contractions started getting stronger and things were sstarting to progress.  I was in labor for such a long time that the epidural started to wear off, so I got three Bolis's in the epidural (I believe this is a top-off), obviously at different times.  While the Epidural stayed in tact and kept me pain-free from the chest down, I had a bad reaction to each Bolis which made my upper body tense up.  My shoulders and back were in knots, very tight knots that didn't allow me to lift my neck.  Matt and my sister in law, Jana, who is a delivery nurse, helped me keep my neck and head steady as the time to push quickly approached. 

It took me a long time to dialate from a one to a six, like, 24 hours long.  But it only took two hours to get from a 6 to a 10.  Yes, the nurse took two hours to check me for any progress... I had to sk her to check me.  And good thing because I was ready to roll!  I told the nurse about the pressure I was feeling down below and she told me I would need to "Labor Down" for an hour.  HA!  I told her to get the Doctor immediately because I was going to start pushing.  I was actually trying to hold him in while Dr. Wiley came from the other hopsital where another patient was in labor.  Once I started pushing, it was easy breezy.  That might have been the easiest part of the entire birth process.  After forty-five minutes of pushing, the relief of pressure was so great.  On Monday at 12:05 AM, our little boy was born! 

I thought I only wanted two children, in fear that the birth process would be too much to handle more than this.  But after my experience, even with the long and painful labor, I could do it again in a heartbeat.  Now I'm thinking, maybe thre children... :)

Matt was so excited when he said "IT'S A BOY!!  IT'S A BOY!!  What's his name mom?"  To which I answered Matthew Crawford Opitz, he looks just like his daddy!

When they placed him on my chest right after he was born, I fell in love right away.  It was the most amazing feeling in the world, knowing that our baby is finally here.  He is perfect, blonde hair and blue eyes.  Crawford and I looked at eachother for a solid five minutes, eyes locked.  My heart was and is so full.  He brings so much love and happiness to my life everyday!

Update July 19, 2011

We went to the baby doc again on July 19th for our weekly check up.  She checked me for dialation and effacement, which turned out to be a painful probe!  The good news is she touched the baby's head, which means she was able to get through the cervix.  She said I was almost a one.  For being this far along, that's not a great measurement, but it was more progress than last week.  I am about to start taking Evening Primrose Oil capsuls that a friend gave me.  Her Doula gave them to her and they are apparently pretty good at softening the cervix.  After talking about my stubborn cervix, we decided to move on to our options.  A couple weeks ago Dr. Wiley told me that she didn't think my body was capable of having a 9 lb. baby, nor should any woman, due to the possibility of ruining the pelvic floor.  Seeing as the baby weighed 7-1/2 lbs. last week, and in the last month of pregnancy babies grow between 1/2 and 1 lb each week, we are going to need to induce this Saturday night. We are supposed to report to the hospital at 7:00 pm, where our doc is going to give me Cervadil and something to help me sleep through the night.  In the morning around 7 am we should be ready to start making progress.  Hopefully we will have a baby in our arms that afternoon or evening! 

Inducing raises the chances of having a C-section by 50%, which honestly doesn't bother me all that much.  I understand that there can be complications and a longer recovery process from this, but I trust our doctor.  Medicine has really come a long way since the 80's, which is around the time period that everyone has a horror story about C-Sections, and the process is much easier/common place than it used to be.  Our doctor said she stopped counting how many C-sections she performed after she reached 600, which was while she was still in her residency some odd years ago.  If I do need a C-section, then in my next pregnancy I can try to go into labor on my own, or schedule a repeat cesarean, but inducing is not an option.  Apparently the uterus becomes really thin at the incision area and inducing can cause all sorts of complications. 

Either way, we are excited and ready for our little one to be born!  10 months is such a long time to wait for a baby.  And the last few weeks seem like months.  Perhaps the hot weather is affecting my perception a bit- It is over 100 degrees every day of the week!  And at night it doesn't get below the 80's, which leaves our A/C running around the clock.  Our next electricity bill should be humorous... last month was similar to what I imagine our baby's tuition will be.  Luckily the baby's room does stay around 75 degrees during the day, a happy average for our 100 year old house. 

Speaking of house, we have made great progress on the Belle Place House!  The plubing is laid and the foundation is going in next week.  Look at them go!!  We are still on schedule to be in at the beginning of November.

The Sonogram from March 14th

This video isn't all that clear, but you can definitely see the baby!  This was the appointment on March 14th, where we were able to see the baby's organs, the four chambers of the heart, placenta, arms and legs, etc.  While it was an important sono, It was a fun experience and everything looked good!  We can't wait to meet our little one!  I am more curious to know what it will actually look like than what the gender is.  We know it's either a boy or girl, but since Matt and I have such different features, it's difficult to predict what "the Monkey" will look like! Brown or Blonde hair?  Brown or blue eyes?  Fair or tan skin? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4Tdj3oHoFE



Here is a short, silly video from Memorial Day Weekend at the lake, showing the baby bump silhouette.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx2LX_14CvI

Update - July 13th

We are now making weekly visits to Dr. Wiley, our OBGYN to check the progress of effacement and dialation.  So far I have been checked twice and there is no progress, though I am feeling PLENTY of pressure and some decent contractions every now and then.  According to Dr. Wiley, my cervix is being stubborn.... I hope that tomorrow, at our next appointment there is some progress.  I have been told to walk, get pedicures, eat italian and/or spicy food, among other (not to be named) suggestions to get things going.  Not Working For Me.  I am doing all of these things with no progress or luck in that department.  We are having a sonogram to measure the fetal weight of the baby tomorrow, which should give us a better idea of when we can induce and if it's favorable for me to do so.  We will keep everyone updated.

We have also been talking about how we will go about announcing the birth, who and how we alert people about labor and delivery.  This is still in the works....  I imagine that the type and manner of birth we have will dictate whether or not we will be eager to have guests at the hospital.  Of course, we will want all of our family present, but as far as friends, we just don't know at this point what will be comfortable for us.  I imagine if this is something we would like, we can form a text or email to mention where we are located so that visitors will know where to go.  We are delivering at Harris downtown, but will more specifically give our location at the hospital.

A friend of mine just had a baby boy (and he's so cute) on July 3rd.  She said that it really does take a week atleast to get your feet back underneath you.  As she explained, labor is exhausting and even with the full time care of her mother for the first week together at home, it's simply hard work to feed, change, burp, etc around the clock.  We are hoping to get as much sleep at home during this time with as few interruptions as possible.  That said, we are also really excited about intriducing the little girl or guy to everyone.  We have a care calendar set up for dinners, which will be super helpful and also a great time for visitors.

Big Brother Russ

So here we are, thinking that Matt and I would be bringing home the newest member of our family....

But much to our surprise and happiness.....

 Two six week old Golden Retriever puppies! 

Brother & Sister pair.  John, we have been replaced!!!

My parents got them from a breeder in Boerne about a month ago and they are C-U-T-E!  I don't know if they are still working on names, but favorites of the ones they mentioned are Trixie and Griffin.  Scout would be really cute as well for the boy.  Macy is also in the running for the little girl.  She definitely has a Trixie personality!  One of them broke in the white rug in the nursery, but thanks to Spot Shot, it still looks like new. 

This picture is so funny to me b/c it doesn't look like him at all.  He is definitely making a face of disapproval.  Probably from the lack of grass in our backyard.  Russ was looking and smelling like an old stinky dog, so Matt and I purchased a baby pool for him and had a fun mud day in the backyard, followed by a much needed bath, haircut, furminator session and towel dry.

Still wearing his $th of July flare!

For those who don't know Russ, he enjoys a tennis ball, but LOVES footballs and basketballs.  His favorite toys are the soft animals, which he quickly opens and removes the stuffing.  Right now our house is full of ducks! 

Russ is such a sweet and good dog, having a great day with his dad!

We also managed to capture a few pictures of his bath, which he enjoys as much as any Spa-goer!  We made sure to get all the burrs out and that every inch of his body was lathered.  He smells so good now!  It actually took some years off of him.  Matt and I laugh at how a bath and grooming actually makes him "prance" more!

The ear massage, $5.00 extra!

It was a fun day spent spoiling our FIRST child! 

Russ was a gift to me from Matt for our 1 year anniversary. 

Hard to believe he is going to be 9 years old in October!

Work in Progress

I just wanted to add a few pictures of the work we did to get the nursery ready for Baby Opitz!



As the Study/Storage area





Matt and John Painting the crib & changing table




Opening the crib




And it's the right color white, Success!



Step one, read directions :)



Step two, hold all pieces of the crib in the air while assembling



And done!

The Glider and ottoman, so comfy! 
I made the pillow in the chair to match the tummy time blanket in the next pic.

Getting a game plan for what-goes-where

Realizing that the bows need to come off and be sewn in different locations...

new bows!

Family Baby Shower

We had our second and final baby shower on June 17th, the day before Father's Day.  It was so nice having our families in town to share our excitment for Baby Opitz!  There are so many things that you need for a baby, I'm amazed how people have been having babies for so many years without all of these new must-have items!  I keep reminding myself of this right before I go overboard on baby stuff!  Not knowing the gender has made it easier to keep my spending habits at bay.  We are really appreciative and thankful for not only the gifts from the shower, but also the love and support from our family. 

This is us at 36 weeks!

 



The cake from the shower was ADORABLE and made me tear up when I saw it because it was soooo cute!  The picture says it all!  Yes, those are baby toes poking out from under a baby blanket!  The cake was delicious as well.

That's Just Swell!

I'm not just refering to my fingers, toes, and ankles!  While the hot weather has brought on some serious swelling of my extremeties, it makes a visit to the pool all the more enjoyable!  We have been frequenting the pool (and the frozen pink lemonades) and LOVING it!  My doc says that fruits such as papaya and other melons help reduce swelling naturally, so we are headed to the grocery tonight to stock up.

The other wonderful news is that the nursery is FINALLY FINISHED!  With a few final touches, we are ready to bring this baby home.  I am loving the simplicity of the room and the flexibility that we will have once we move.  The seersucker pillows and crib skirt play such a large part in the gender neutral pallete even though it is blue and white.  It's subtle and sweet - just what we were hoping for. 

 Minus the bag of trash hanging from the cabinet. 

We keep the stroller to the right of the changing table.

The crib! 

I made the blanket draped across the back out of linen, tummy time! 

The crib skirt is seersucker with matching blue bows. 

The bumber has piping detail in the same color. 

And the wall space above still needs something....

The ties for the bumper were in places that didn't quite work with the crib slats, so I used my trusty sewing machine to move them which also made the bumper more secure when tied on.  What do you think? 
We put together our swing and bouncer (oh so cute!) and are learning about the carseat and stroller. Our next feat is to assemble our jogging stroller and set up the pack-n-play in our bedroom.

The swing and bounce seat

Since this picture, we added a white table skirt and moved the bolts of fabric. 

It feels like a room more than a storage area now :)

Russ is excited about Baby Opitz!  Don't you love his festive July 4th Flare?

Yes, we are first time parents, hints the primarily white room.  But before you judge, we are moving in the beginning of November so think of it as temporary until we can get a gender-specific color on the nursery wall. Also, white is easy to clean!  BTW, I just tried Baby Oxy Clean last night on my husbands dress shirt (avacado) and it works GREAT!
I haven't really had any serious cravings for anything in particular through the pregnancy.  I prefer different foods than I used to, like sweets and dairy.  One thing I think about and wish I had is the Green Sauce from Mamacita's in Kerrville.  There really isn't anything like it and I grew up on this fatty goodness.  My parents just brought my four quarts (one is already gone) with Mamacita's homemade tortillas, what a treat!

The Crib Diaries.... 
Unless you are interested in refinishing a piece of furniture, or paint, I might bore you here...   feel free to skip this section.  After a painfully long debacle about the crib we tried to paint ourselves, which our family had given us, we ended up purchasing a new one.  The bottom line is, if you want to refinish a piece of furniture that has any detail to it, it should probably done professionally.  I'm all for a DIY project, which is what Matt really wanted to do for our little one, but sometimes it makes more sense to spend your efforts on other things.  If your goal is to save money then consider this: When you figure the cost of paint and tools plus the time it takes to do this yourself plus ruining your favorite old T-shirt, it's less expensive to have a professional do it.  "What Did Ya Learn?"  Don't use Behr paint.  Ever.  Especially the primer and paint in one....  I'm officially anti-Behr and Home Depot recommendations.  The paint guy at Home Depot sold Matt on this product, saying that it was low VOC and great to paint furniture with.  As much as I wanted to use the darling crib that our niece and nephew used, the paint completely ruined the crib.  It continues to peel off in thick layers of what feels like plastic.  I could just imagine walking into the nursery to find flecks of plastic paint in our teething child's mouth from teething on the crib rail.  Instead of Behr, use the Benjamin Moore Natura paint, which is VOC free, dries more efficiently and doesn't chip or peel.  It was a big improvement to the crib, however, the damage by Behr had been done to two sides that now need to be completely stripped.  The good news is, Matt found a darling crib that will grow with the baby by turning into a toddler bed.  SOOO glad to be finished with the crib! 

Here's a pic of the one we attempted to paint... it was really cute.

30 Weeks appointment

We had another doctors appointment on May 2nd, just one day after the baby shower.  At this appointment I had my diabetes screening where I had to drink a glucose beverage (that ended up being really tasty) and have some blood drawn.  Everything came back normal, except my iron level is a little low.  It's really common in pregnant women and I'm taking an over-the-counter supplement for this.

Because my blood type is negative I also had to have a Rho-Gam shot.  This prevents my body from making antibodies towards the baby, should he/she turn out to have a positive blood type.  It really hurt!  I will have to get another one once the baby is born and in future pregnancies as well.  Lucky me!

We were able to see the baby in a sonogram, but he/she is now so big that we can't see the whole body in the screen.  The face is much more visible and the characteristics are starting to resemble an actual baby and not a sea monkey.  I have to say, I haven't ever been as torn to which gender I think the baby is!  After seeing our last sonogram, the profile looked just like Matt and somehow looked like a boy (without seeing the gender areas).  This time, the baby's face was much more clear and it looks a lot like me.... which completely stumps me.  I'll post the sonogram picture tomorrow so you can see for yourself. 

One more important piece of information is the expected date of arrival....  Originally we were told that the due date was July 23, then in the 26 week range we were told it was looking more like July 18th.  Once again, we have pushed up the schedule for little Baby Opitz's arrival to as early as July 9th! The circumference of the baby's head is what this prediction is based off of. 

Dear Baby Opitz,
The sooner the better!  We are ready and excited for you to get here!  Your crib is almost ready and the nursery is coming along nicely.  Your Dad put a lot of work into it.  I made you a linen pillow and blanket last night and I can't wait for you to use them.  We are so excited about our July baby!

Mother's Day continued

Since I went into great length about my special mother's day gift from my parents, I need to brag on my husband as well.  He is so sneaky - I had no idea he had planned anything.  He surprised me with a John Hart bag full of goodies and THREE cards (one from Matt, one from Russ and the other from Baby Opitz).  What a sweetheart!  He got the bag to use as our large/overnight baby bag.  In it were a pair of red Tom's to match the ones baby Opitz got at our baby shower and a sock rhino that we had on our registry.  All things I love and adore!  Thank you honey, for always being so sweet and thoughtful!

Mother's Day

When Matt and I found out we were expecting an addition to our family, I asked him, "When you think you will start feeling like a Dad?"  He said that he already did.  It took me a while longer to have that feeling, but now that I can feel the baby moving around all the time, it is defintely real. 

I wasn't expecting anything for Mother's day since Baby Opitz hasn't arrived yet, but I have really thoughtful parents.  Today I received such an amazing and unexpected gift from them.  Two of my favorite things (can you guess?), but the packaging made this feel like a personal invitation to a Royal Wedding.  The process of opening the gift was amazing, so I documented each step!

It smelled like heaven!  Immaculate packaging and presentation.

Gorgeous box with a tufted lid!

At first, I thought it was an immaculate display of flowers... and it is, but there's more.

Gorgeous, if you don't already know this about me, I LOVE flowers!  Freshly cut or potted, edible or for looks.  They always make me happy and I love gardening.  It's my therapy after a long day. 

"Oh wow, how amazing that it comes with the soil in tact so you can plant them to grow... wait... that's not..."

CAKE!!!!!  YES, CAKE!

Yes, a chocolate cake topped with gorgeous flowers!  Honestly one of the most special gifts ever!

I would like to say Happy Mother's day to my mom, Brenda.  (You can be Trixie all day on Mother's day!)  Matt and I love you, your personality and your unconventional ways.  You were a wonderful mother to John and I growing up and still managing to own and run a business and commute 2 hours a day to get your accounting degree.  I can't imagine how much you had on your plate with 11 and 13 year old kids.  I am really proud of you and all of your accomplishments.  I love you!

To Lochie, we are very blessed to have you in our lives and in the same town.  It's wonderful having family nearby to call and get dinner with so frequently.  You have raised an amazing family with great morals and values.  There's a special place in Heaven for mother's of three boys!  We look forward to all the great times ahead.  Happy Mother's day, we love you!

May Flowers and Baby Showers

Our amazing hosts had originally planned an outdoor, late afternoon brunch for us, but the weather did not cooperate.  The shower moved locations due to the rain, but I have to say, being indoors with all of our friends and family felt really special!  The hosts did such an amazing job putting everything together and making it special for us.  I got emotional just walking inside!  Everything was so beautiful!  I'll let the pictures do the talking...

A hand painted  "O" was hanging on the door, which will soon be part of our nursery! 

Welcome!

All of my favorite things! Pigs-in-blankets, quiches, fruit salad, cinnamon rolls, and Petit Fores!

Lemonade, Bloody Mary's and Mimosas (with Tott's champagne - how clever!) were served.

I loved the yellow touches.  The petit fores have a yellow "O" on them as well

Brandon & Sarah, Ed & Haddy

A jogging stroller!  Thanks Mom & Dad!

 Bringing gifts unwrapped was a brilliant idea!  No clean up from wrapping paper AND everyone can see the gifts.  Baby gifts are so much fun - notice the darling Roo and red Tom's shoes!

These are my wonderful hosts (minus two - Denise left earlier and Michele couldn't make it from Wimberly).  They each received a different color monogrammed John Hart pouch.  

Mich, we missed you and I can't wait to see you soon! 

The hosts: Lisa (expecting a boy in October), Claire (getting married in November), Stacey (getting married in June) and Darby (my best friend since childhood).  Such great friends!!

It's a little one sided!  We shall see! 

I love the small caption below that reads "A horned frog"

Darby & I

Onsies from the Moores, inspired lake attire! 

Stacey & I

Darby, my mom and I

Showered with love!

Tommy, Katie, Rob and Matt

Denise & I, playing with the host gift

We are a tad bit obsessed with baby items at the moment!

As you can see, Denise (one of the hosts) is having a baby in July too!   

She is due a couple weeks before me - how fun!

Everything coordinated in yellow and grey, how thoughtful!!

We are really looking forward to evening walks to the ice cream shop down the street! Yay!

A huge Thank You to the hosts for a wonderful shower and amazing gift!

Sean & Jana

Dennis & Lochie

Stacey, Lindsey, Caroline and Claire

Kara, Sarah & Brandon, Hunter & Denise

Logan, Matt and Rob

Logan was sweet to drive in from San Antonio for the occasion - so sweet!!

Bumbo, Boppy and Brica, Oh My!

Christy & Jana

Tyler, Darby & John

Do they make this for adults?  It looks so comfortable!

Madison & John

My Dad and Darby

We are so fortunate and blessed to have such wonderful family and friends!  Thank you for sharing our excitement in anticipation of our little Baby Opitz!