Newborn Pictures

Dear little Waverley,
Be still my beating heart. Your newborn pictures are in, and I am so totally in love with them. Jo Snaps did yet another phenomenal job! You are such a beautiful four day old baby, and I will never forget you this tiny and squishy.

 

See what I mean? You're such a beautiful little girl. Daddy and I love you SO much! I can't wait to see you grow.

So much love,

 

Your Birth Story

Dear little Waverley,
You're here, you're here, you're here!!! I was SO convinced that you were going to come late because I wasn't having any labor signs, and surprise! You came nine days early!!

It was the morning of Friday, March 18th. I woke up about 8:15am feeling totally normal, got Pemberley out of her crib, and went downstairs. We were hanging out, watching cats meowing on YouTube, and about 45 minutes later I started feeling just...off. I was texting your Grandma Joanne because she and Grannie were supposed to be heading over to go to brunch at First Watch with me and Pem. All of a sudden I felt one contraction...then another...then another. I downloaded a contraction timing app on my phone and just about dropped dead when I realized they were five minutes apart! I tried to stay calm and get Pem dressed, make the beds, and clean up the toys in the living room to take my mind off the fact that help was 30 minutes away and I was GOING INTO LABOR, but panic set in when they started getting so intense that I needed to sit on the couch and cry. I texted your Daddy and told him that you were on your way!!!

Daddy got home about five minutes before your grandmas and we quickly loaded up the hospital bag and made sure your sister was okay, then it was off to the hospital, where we literally hit every red light that we possibly could. I checked myself in while Daddy parked the car, and they took us up to triage where I found out I was already dilated to a six. A six!!!! At our 38 week appointment a few days before that I was almost to a four, so you made serious progress very quickly. That should have been a sign right there that you were coming whether we were ready or not!

We were in our birthing room by 11:30am, and I waited and waited for the epidural to kick in...except it never did. I ended up getting something called a spinal block, which totally numbed me from the waist down. Waverley, it was the most bizarre feeling in the world!! Not too long after it started working, around 1pm, I was dilated to a 10 and the doctor came in to tell me it was time to start pushing.

I was scared shitless.

I told her that I would try my best, but I wasn't sure it would work because I literally couldn't feel a thing. She reassured me it would be fine and told me when I was having a contraction so I could start. About 15 minutes later, you were born. Words can't even begin to describe the flood of emotions I felt when they told me you were 9 pounds, 21-1/2 inches long, and had a full head of hair and chubby cheeks. You were given your first bath after we did skin-to-skin for awhile, and a few hours later we were moved to our post partum recovery room.

The next day, Saturday, Daddy brought Pemberley up to meet you. I would be lying if I wrote that I didn't cry the first time you two met. Of course, the tears quickly gave way to laughter when Pemberley looked at you and called you a cat, but we kind of expected that to happen ;)

We were discharged on Sunday the 20th, and I ugly cried when I got home and saw this from your Daddy. He's the best! 

I hope you know how excited I am to finally hold you in my arms, sweet little baby girl. I can't wait to watch you grow! 

With all of the love in the entire world,

Mommy & Daddy Maternity Pictures with Henderson Photography

Dear sweet little baby,

As if having my maternity pictures taken all by myself wasn't enough, Daddy wanted in on the action, too! This time we turned to my good friend and colleague, Nicole Henderson, to take our couples maternity photos in downtown Lee's Summit, where I grew up. She owns Henderson Photography, and is also the same person who photographed our wedding. We took these a few weeks ago and I'm so happy that we did. Daddy and I didn't do anything like this with Pemberley, so these are extra special. Didn't she do an amazing job??

All of my love,

Maternity Pics with JoSnaps

Dear sweet little baby,

Since this is my last pregnancy, I decided to step waaaay out of my comfort zone and really try to "document the belly." I asked the talented JoSnaps to take some maternity pictures of just the two of us, and as uncomfortable as I was the entire time (I mean, I wore JEANS), they are sooo worth it! My favorites are the ones in the dress...I've not felt "beautiful" for a lot of this pregnancy, but that dress showed us both off :) I'm so excited to share these with you!

I hope one day you look back on these and know how special this pregnancy is to me. Now we just need to patiently wait until the day when we can meet you!

Love, love, love,

38 week chalkboard

Hi sweet little baby,

The countdown to D-Day is on! Less than two weeks to go and this mama is starting to go a little stir crazy waiting for you!

How far along: 38 weeks + 1 day

Gender: Little baby girl <3
Name: Waverley Violet
Maternity clothes: I have to laugh about this....some of my tank tops don't fit over my belly!
Best moment this week: Spending time with Pemberley before she's not an only child anymore. I constantly wonder what will go through her head when she sees Waverley for the first time. (My money is on something like, "Oh! A big new aaaaattttt!").

Worst moment this week: Everyone getting sick in our house. First it hit Raleigh, then it hit Pemberley, and I've been trying to ward it off with Mucinex and Emergen-C. The LAST thing I want to do is think about being sick and going into labor.

Miss anything: This week it's a toss up between sleeping on my tummy, and having a stronger immune system.

Movements: Yes, and they're getting more uncomfortable the bigger she gets. Baby girl is running out of wiggle room!

Cravings: Still crushed ice. And pancakes. And pears.

Queasy or sick: Unrelated to pregnancy, but yes. Sick. Blah.

Looking forward to: The usual...water breaking...labor...delivery....

Wedding rings on or off: Seriously, I'm doing something right this go around. Normal ankles, normal fingers. I have this pregnancy thing on point!

Belly button in or out: Tickled pink that I have an outtie for a few more weeks!!!
Stretch marks: Not so much. Whatever I saw last week is gone.
Labor signs: I seriously thought I was going into labor on Thursday. I had super strong contractions, but not at regular enough intervals to go to the hospital. They finally died down a little after midnight, so I think I'm just (finally) gearing up for pre-labor!! Strangely enough, my sleep has also gotten better this week, although I'm wondering if it's because my body is getting ready for the big day, or if it's because I'm wearing myself out waaay more quickly than I used to...

That's all for now, sweet little baby girl. I really can't believe we'll be welcoming you in less than two weeks! I'll finally be able to stop wondering what you look like, and what your little personality will be! I'm so excited!!!

With so much love (and a lot of anticipation!),

  

37 week chalkboard

Dear sweet little baby,

Soooo close! And it's so bittersweet. I'm going to miss being pregnant, but I'm too dang excited to meet you! This chalkboard is no.lie. I keep thinking you have to come early because you're seriously running out of room in there!!

How far along: 37 weeks + 2 days

Gender: Little baby girl <3
Name: Waverley Violet
Maternity clothes: Yes. It's going to be so hard to box them up and give them away after Wavie is born :(
Best moment this week: Hearing that we're already 1.5cm dilated! Hoping to hear we've progressed at our next appointment.

Worst moment this week: Hands down, it's been getting ready for my long term substitutes. It's finally starting to hit me that I won't be at work until August. I'm really going to miss those kiddos!

Miss anything: Our bathroom toilet. Yes, you read that right. We're getting the bathroom floors tiled (as well as the long-overdue kitchen ceiling fixed), and right now we don't have a toilet in there. That means I've been using the girls' toilet allllllllllllllllllllll the way down the hall. Four times a night, and that adds up to a lot of walking. Grrrrrr....

Movements: Slow movement. It's the hardest part of pregnancy, but it's the best because I can feel her getting stronger and bigger every week.

Cravings: Crushed ice, pretty much all day. I'm sure my students will enjoy having a teacher who doesn't crunch on it literally every hour.

Queasy or sick: Raleigh has a sore throat, but I'm feeling pretty good! Hoping I don't catch it right before delivery.

Looking forward to: Our next OB appointment in a week :)

Wedding rings on or off: Not only are they still on, they're actually kind of LOOSE!!!!! This is HUGE for me, considering last time I hadn't worn them for weeks by this point and my ankles were roughly the circumference of my neck.

Belly button in or out: I'm calling it. Mostly an outtie!
Stretch marks: Okay, I *think* I have the start of one? Maybe? I asked Raleigh if that's what it was and he wasn't sure either. But I'm going to start using lotion, just in case.
Labor signs: Yes! The dilation, as well as losing bits of my plug. I know that's a lot of info, but that's what this section is for, right? ;) Baby seems to be giving me more contractions late at night, so I'm starting to get anxious about if/when my water breaks!

Wavie, the people I work with...just truly amazing. Jill and Rachelle threw us the best diaper shower last week! They even got some of my students to help, which made it even more special for me. It's also a good thing that I don't drive a smaller car, because I might have had to make two trips home :: that's how many diapers and wipes we got for you! I'm so excited to throw your Sip and See once you get here, so you can meet some of the people I work with. They're almost as excited for you to come as we are!

I think that's all for now, baby girl. Daddy and Pemberley and I are ready for you, whenever you decide you're ready for us! I'll be posting some of my favorite maternity pictures when they come in, but I must tell you, they're absolutely perfect! I can't wait to show them to you one day when you're older :)

Love, love, love (and counting down the days),