the rest of the story...

Oh, where to begin? Olivia Grace took her sweet time arriving to the world and I was in labor for approximately 26 hours. The contractions began for real (I had been having unorganized ones the night prior) upon waking Saturday morning the 13th. We labored at home all day and arrived at the hospital around 6:00pm since the contractions were about 3-5 minutes apart and had been for several hours.

Things progressed through the night and at around 1:30am we thought we may be meeting our princess very soon. Andy was so sure that he sent word to the grandparents (that were waiting at our house) to go ahead and come to the hospital. Well, that was wishful thinking because we hit a wall around 3:00am Sunday morning. I had advanced to 9cm, but that was as far as things would go. My contractions were slowing in frequency and intensity and I was still at 9cm 3.5 hours later (6:30am). By this time we were completely exhausted and I was tired of feeling so much pain and we had a heart to heart with the doctor. She recommended an epidural so that we could get some rest and see about getting me the final centimeter. Even though it was not part of our original birth plan, I quickly agreed to the epidural....enough is enough! (especially when you have been stuck at the same point for 3 and a half hours!). So at 7:00am I got the epidural, Andy and I got an hour or so to rest, and I began pushing at 9:15am. Olivia Grace arrived at 10:46am on Sunday the 14th and was worth every single pain and frustration! What a moment!

Olivia aspirated meconium during the delivery and was hurried off to the Level II nursery where they began oxygen and antibiotics because her respiration and oxygen levels were not where they should be. The neonatologist picked up her case and provided us with many updates regarding her progress. Andy was by Olivia's side in the nursery while they worked on her, but I was confined to the bed for a few hours since I had needed the epidural. That was a hard few hours because I had no idea what was happening with our little girl.

Throughout the next few days Olivia passed every milestone that the doctor set for her either right on time, or just a little early. The antibiotics seemed to clear her lungs and she was weaned off the oxygen hood by 5:ooam Monday morning. That meant we could finally hold her! What a great wake-up call!! We held her and I was able to begin nursing. Prior to that I was pumping and they were attempting to soothe her with a passy dipped in the cholostrum I was producing. Apparently that wasn't good enough for little Miss Olivia because she nursed for 45 minutes that first time. She wanted the real thing =)

Late Monday night the nursery notified us that Olivia was off the monitors and could come to our room for feedings! Another glorious milestone! The next morning the neonatologist ran her labs and gave the approval to take out her IV! That also meant we could take her home that day! What great news!! We raced through the discharge process because we were both very eager to get Olivia Grace home where she couldn't be poked, prodded, or tested anymore. We are thankful for all of the hard work from the doctors and nurses, but there comes a point where you know your baby is okay and you just want to get home! So, we arrived home yesterday (the 16th) and it has been amazing!

She is a happy baby and has only been crying when she is wet, dirty, or wants to nurse. We had our first meeting with the pediatrician this morning and she passed with flying colors. It seems that her rough start was short lived and she is a healthy newborn now.

The moment our lives changed forever.

Admiring the miracle that God has blessed us with.

Olivia Grace off the oxygen for the first time!

Holding Olivia at 5:00am when we got word that she could be off the oxygen hood!

Snuggled in with Daddy....all IS right with the world, isn't it?!

Snuggling up with Mommy; something we both really needed!

Andy changes his first (of many) diapers!

Three generations....Mom, Stephanie, & Olivia

Our sweet baby girl....

Home at last!!!

Is she cute, or what?!?!

Andy and Olivia get in a nap not long after we arrived home.

Snug as a bug in a rug... Home from the pediatrician and looking bright eyed!

Dr. Dino thinks Olivia is perfect too!!

Olivia Grace Allen

Baby Girl arrived safely June 14th at 10:46am weighing 9lb 8oz and measuring 21 3/4 in long. She has had a rough start with her respiratory system and has been in the Level II nursery on oxygen and antibiotics, but is making improvements as of this morning.

Here are a few pictures to keep you satisfied! I will share more and stories as soon as I can.

date night....

When all else fails (and you are still pregnant long after you should be) put on a dress and have your husband take you out for date night.

Downtown Charleston is a great location for that. Basil was our venue of choice tonight. Delicious, indeed!

Even if you do feel like a balloon walking down the street....put on a smile and pretend that you don't hurt with every step you take.

It will do wonders for your spirit =)

the pregnancy waddle continues...for now, anyways.

Today is our due date and I am still preggers...Baby Girl must be nice and cozy inside my belly! We were hoping for great news at the doctor this morning (such as, "WOW....you are ready to push and need to go to the hospital ASAP. I can't believe you didn't know you were contracting and didn't feel any pain through the entire first stage of labor!!";) However, the conversation went more like, "there is still time for your body to go into labor spontaneously, but we can't wait forever".

So, Andy & I went to Poe's to think things through/commiserate with one another. There isn't anything a tasty lunch by the beach won't help. Besides, I got to look at this face through my entire meal....(well, he didn't hold that pose the entire time, but I still enjoyed looking up and seeing him)

Also, the continued pregnancy has allowed us to get another belly shot. The outfit is the same as the 38 week pics....sorry for my limited wardrobe. Besides, maybe it will make comparisons a little easier?! Feel free to insert comments such as "you really have dropped, Stephanie! I am sure the delivery will be any day/minute/second from now!", even if they aren't heartfelt. I don't think the little white lie will haunt you for toooo long....

Happy June 9th! I hope you are all having a great day=) I think I will enjoy some more of my pre-baby vacation and take a nap and possibly go to the pool. Keep checking back for baby news....or for "I am still preggers" news....your guess is as good as mine!

38 weeks

I will let the pictures speak for themselves......

Is this really my body?!?!?!

Sugarland comes to Charleston

We had a great night out with friends this past week to see Sugarland in concert. The rain was intermittent early in the night, but we stayed dry through the concert and enjoyed ourselves very much! I thought maybe all of the dancing and standing would put me into labor, but no such luck! However, that was probably a good thing considering I was the DD and would have had to drive myself to the hospital ;)

Trying to stay dry during one of the rain showers.

Great friends......Emily, me, and Christina!

Putting ear plugs on Baby Girl so she doesn't arrive with damaged hearing!

Waiting for the crowd to clear before we exit....a FUN night, but my feet were hurting by the end of it all =)

Fun in the sun and the ninth month...

Late in the day last Saturday we enjoyed some time at the beach. It was beautiful. We love living in Charleston and will definitely miss the ocean whenever we move.

Race keeps a close eye on Andy as he flies the kite.

Molly Paige loves on here daddy for awhile.

Molly Paige decides IOP should be a nude beach and tries to take off her cover-up.

We have arrived at the end...well, the beginning of the end, if you will. We are 36 weeks preggers, thus beginning our ninth month. The strain of pregnancy has begun to show itself at times through such things as swelling in my feet when I over-do things, an increased need for naps, and interrupted sleep habits for trips to the bathroom. However, it is still a miraculous adventure and I am thankful for every minute of it. Baby Girl is head down and ready for the big show, which makes us very happy. We have toured the hospital and gotten back into our Bradley classes. Everything seems to be coming together....now we just wait.