Happy little family

Maddox Austin Packer

I am so excited to introduce to you our sweet baby boy, Maddox. He was born at 7:59 pm, weighed in at 8 lbs 8 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. Collin and I are so excited to finally have him here and are absolutely in love with him!!! Right now, Collin is with him in the nursery while they give him his first bath, give him his immunizations, and finish checking him out. As you can guess I am absolutely exhausted. It was almost 24 hours of labor for me and I am running on about 3 hours of sleep. But let me tell you...it was all worth it!! I will of course post more pictures later but for now the one of him will have to do. Thanks for going on this wonderful journey with us, which is really just beginning and thanks to all of you for the many prayers lifted up on our behalf throughout this pregnancy. God has truly blessed us with an amazing gift.

sooooo close!!!

I was 9 cm when I was last checked and should be getting checked again any minute. I'm am feeling quite uncomfortable but the end is in sight!! We will let you know details after he comes and post a pic!!

Update...

Just a quick update...my dr. came in around 1 and said I was between 5 and 6 cm. I am stating to get a little uncomfortable and now have a fever so they have started me on some antibiotics. Hopefully that brings it down. The anastesioloy nurse is coming to adjust my epidural dosage so hopefully that will help with the uncomfortableness. That's about it for now.

Break water...check

Well Dr. G just came in to check things out. He broke my water and checked my cervix. I am now 2 1/2- 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. He said it's typically a cm an hour from this point so we still have some time to go. He did up my Pitocin dosage which will hopefully increase my contractions to help move things along and since I can't feel a thing down there it's ok with me :) I guess that's about it for now :)

Feelin Goooood...

I have now gotten my epidural and it is fabulous!! I should have gotten it hours ago :). TMI...I'm now on a Pitocin drip and the nurse just stripped my membranes and stretched my cervix to 2 cm (sounds painful....but it wasn't thanks to the wonder drugs). I'm going to try and take a quick nap before our families get here. I'll update you next time there is any news :)

Good Morning...

I'll have to say it wasn't what I would call a pleasant night. Like I said before, I was given Ambien around 10:30 last night. I slept for like an hour and a half after taking that but then it was all down hill from there. My contractions have gotten really consistent but aren't strong enough yet (even though they are VERY uncomfortable) to make the progress we need. Because of this, they have just started me on Pitocin through my IV. This will make the contractions much more intense.

I have held out on the epidural thus far but I think the next time my nurse comes back (which will be at 6:10 am) I am going to get that started. I'll keep you updated as the day goes on!!

Last Update of the night...

Well things are going good. I'm all hooked up to the monitors, have gotten my IV (ouch), have had my cervix checked ( I'm at 1 cm and 70% effaced right now...yay for progress), and am about to get some Ambien which will hopefully help me get some rest!! Other than that we are just hanging out and waiting. Unless it is a rough night this will probably be my last post until morning!! Thanks for the prayers and for keeping up with what's going on with us!! Good night!!

All checked in!!

Well were here and all checked on. I'm hooked up to the monitors and they are about to start my IV. Here are a couple of pictures of us :)

Confirm with hospital...check

Everything is good at the hospital!!! Yay!! We are now off to dinner at Chili's then will head to check in to the hospital in about an hour!!

The picture is of Collin driving us...he is a little (k maybe a lot) nervous now...very cute ;) (Sorry its sideways...oops I'm new at this phone blogging thing)

Cell Phone Blogging...test

I wanted to try this out and see if I could figure out how to post from my phone so I can do quick updates while we are at the hospital :) I am also going to try and post a picture from my phone...so we will see how this works :)

Induction Day

Well today is the day people. As most of you know we are scheduled to go in tonight at 8:30 pm to be induced. At this point, everything is still set to go...we just have to call the hospital an hour before we go in to make sure they haven't gotten too busy. Right now this is the only thing I am worried about. I'm really not too anxious about the induction or delivery but I would be super disappointed if we weren't able to go in tonight and get things started.

I will try to keep you updated on here as much as possible as things get going. And Collin and I will also try to keep an update on facebook as much as possible as well.

We are both so excited about this journey we are about to begin on. Please be praying that things are a go at the hospital when I call around 7:30 pm, for a safe and healthy delivery, that Maddox will be healthy, for as little "collateral damage" for me (LOL...sorry if that's TMI), and just that everything goes smoothly and we get to meet our little Maddox sooner rather than later. Thanks so much for the prayers and for going on this exciting and special journey with us.

What I will and will not miss about being pregnant...

I thought I would make a list of all the things I will and won't miss about being pregnant since we are in the last few days now...I'm coming up with it right now as I type this post so I'm not sure how many things I will actually have but we shall see...

I will miss...

*feeling Maddox kick and move around
*having great fingernails
*being able to eat all the time (even though I will still be able to do that for a while since I'm planning to breast feed)
*the lifestyle Collin and I have had over the last 5 years with it just being the 2 of us
*having an excuse to get up and go to the bathroom at any given time

I will not miss...

*the swollen feet and hands
*the pain in my ribs that is always present
*going to the bathroom every 1-2 hours
*the heartburn
*not being able to wear any of my normal clothes
*seeing the number on the scale go up EVERY time I get on it (this is a big one!!)
*not being able to sleep on my stomach
*people always asking if I'm ready for Maddox to come or saying things like you're still pregnant?!?...obviously I'm ready and obviously I'm still pregnant (I do know they mean well though :D)
*my big belly being in the way all the time
*my outie belly button
*having to struggle to get dressed everyday because it's just so hard to bend over to put on pants

I'm sure there is a lot more stuff but that is all I can think of right now. There are a few more things I will not miss than I will so I guess that means I'm ready to be finished with pregnancy...at least for a while ;D.

Only 2 more days until we go to the hospital to start the induction process. Be praying that everything goes smoothly and as planned and that our little guy is born healthy sometime on Monday!! (preferably earlier rather than later :D)

Just FYI...we do have wireless internet at our hospital so we will try to keep you all updated while we are there :D.

Doctor's Appointment Update

Well, once again we had no progress at our doctor's appointment this morning...bummer. My cervix is still very posterior but is softening a little. The good news though is that we have an end in sight. We have set up an induction date!! YAY!!! As long as things go as planned Maddox is be born no later than Monday, June 29 :D.

We are set to go to the hospital on Sunday night at 8:30 pm. Once we get there they will start monitoring me and the baby and start me on a drug called Prostin that will help soften and dilate my cervix. My progress will be checked every 4 hours and as long as things are progressing they will continue to give me the drug at the same intervals. My doctor will then come in around 7 or 8 on Monday morning and as long as I am dilated at least 1-2 centimeters he will break my water to get things started. At my appointment today the PA did say that there is a chance that contractions could start from this drug alone and my water could break on its own too. However, she also said that there is a small chance that the drug won't work at all and if that does happen then we will just have to wait. But let's just pray that everything works as it is supposed to and we get to meet our little guy sometime on Monday. There is still a chance that Maddox could come on his own before we start the induction process but of course there is no way to know if that will happen unless it does :D.

It is so exciting to finally have an end in sight. I know I can make it a few more days knowing that Monday will be the latest we will finally get to meet Maddox :D.

How big is Maddox? - 39 weeks

7 days to go until our due date!!! Collin and I are both getting a little antsy and are really ready for our little guy to get here. I honestly think the hardest part of this whole pregnancy thing is these last couple of weeks...all the waiting and not knowing is just so hard. it is good to know that it won't be much longer though!!

At this point Maddox is about the size (weight-wise) of a mini watermelon.


He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are shedding off as new skin forms underneath.

We are now at the point where things could get going at any time. I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow morning at 10 am...hopefully we will have some kind of progress this time. Either way I will be asking about setting an induction date at this appointment. Both of our families will be coming to town at the end of this week and staying until around the 4th so Maddox definitely needs to come before they all have to leave. I'll be sure to let you all know how things go after my appointment :D.

Happy Father's Day and Single Digits

I just wanted to wish all the dads out there a Happy Father's Day. Especially, my step-dad, dad, grandpas and Collin, who any day now will become a daddy :D.

Also, today we are officially single digits away from our due date!! :D I have several people who have guessed that tomorrow will be the day. And actually tomorrow is the day I had guessed too. So, we shall see...maybe tomorrow will be the day that Maddox decides to make his grand appearance :D.

Happy Father's Day and Single Digits`

Infant Care Class

This morning Collin and I had our last class we signed up for called infant care class. It was really good. It was 3 hours long and we covered things like what we could expect the baby to look like when they are born (ie. bruised, swollen, rashy even), things you do and don't need (such as ear thermometers are a no go but swaddle me blankets are a must have), safety tips (like always lay them on their backs to sleep, don't swaddle them in regular blankets to sleep because it is a suffocation hazard, shaken baby syndrome, and not to use baby powder because it drastically increases their chances of asthma related problems), diapering, bathing, and feeding as well as a several other things. I learned a few things and I'm pretty sure Collin did as well. So now we are all ready to be parents...lol...yeah right!! At least we have a little more information under our belt. But hey maybe this is what Maddox has been waiting for...who knows.

Only 10 more days to go until the due date!! We are getting SO close!!!

Owww...

I just had the most painful contraction I have had thus far...I could hardly stand up straight. It doesn't make me excited about labor but maybe we are making some progress!! I also had these really weird cramp-like pains in my groins this morning that I haven't had before. Here's to hoping for making some progress. But who really know it could be nothing.

Just thought I would share :D

Doctor's Appointment Update

No progress...bummer. Dr. G said my cervix is still high and pretty posterior. I guess Maddox is really comfortable in there and doesn't want to come out. Dr. G did say that even though there is no progress it could still happen any time. My body is just waiting for the sign that Maddox is ready to come out. He also said that if we make it to 40 weeks then we will start talking about induction because he doesn't like to go past 41 weeks. That at least puts a light at the end of the tunnel. The good news from the appointment is my bp and Maddox's heartbeat are still good. Above all, I just want our little guy to be healthy and to do the best thing for him even if that means me being uncomfortable for a little longer than I'd like. At the end of our appointment he also told me not to bother with any of the wives tales about inducing labor like walking and eating spicy foods because they are just that, wives tales. It will all happen when it's supposed to happen and we just have to wait it out. Our next appointment is next Wednesday at 10:00 am. Of course, I'll keep ya updated.

Before our doctor's appointment this morning we had an appointment at the fire department to have our car seat installation inspected. It is not something that is required but stats say that 7 our of 10 car seats are installed incorrectly so I wanted to make sure we had things right. I'm really glad we did it. We hadn't even attempted to install it ourselves so we were just shown how to install it in both the middle and the window seats. We will keep it in the middle seat because I've heard that is the safest but it's good to know how to do both. This was really the final thing we had to do in preparation for Maddox's arrival so maybe that is what he has been waiting for :D.

We are signed up for an infant care class on Saturday morning so we will be looking forward to that. It is a class that will cover the basics of the first month of a babies life; ie feeding and sleeping schedules, bathing and diapering, swaddling, etc. It should be educational and informational. Other than that we don't have much on the schedule for the next few days. Just continuing to wait for our little buddy to arrive :D.

How big is Maddox and Mommy? - 38 weeks

2 weeks people!! That's 14 days!! We are getting so close!! This could potentially be our last post like this but who really knows. Maddox will come when he wants I suppose (unless we are able to induce early :D).

This week Maddox is about the size of a leek. He weighs around 7 lbs is is about 19 1/2 inches long.
He has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If he's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time he's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after he's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.) I am secretly hoping for blue eyes because Collin and I both have blue eyes:D.

And here is a pic of me at 38 weeks. I feel like I'm getting huge but people keep telling me they think I look small...lol...so I don't know. As you can see though my shirt won't lay down flat at the bottom anymore. On the left is 34 weeks and on the right is 38 weeks :D.

On a side note...I said yesterday that my only ring that still fit was my wedding ring but I think I spoke too soon. Today, my wedding ring officially no longer fits, at least on my ring finger...it now fits on my pinkie lol. I'm not sure what I want to do about that. I might try to wear my thumb ring on my ring finger until the swelling goes down but we'll see.

Tomorrow at 9:30 am we have an appointment to get our car seat installation inspected (they say 7 out of 10 are installed wrong) and then we have our doctor's appointment at 10:30. I'll let you know how it goes :D.

Swollen...bummer!

We are getting SO close...15 days until our due date!! Unfortunately, the closer we get the more uncomfortable I get. My feet and ankles are pretty swollen now and are starting to hurt when I walk. My hands aren't too bad at this point but 2 out of my 3 rings don't fit anymore...thankfully my wedding ring is the one that still fits :D. I know in the end it's all going to be worth it but I'm super ready to not be pregnant anymore and can't wait to meet our little guy!!!

As usual, I'll post his growth progress tomorrow and then give you the update from my doctor's appointment on Wednesday (hopefully we will have some progress!!) :D.

You know you're getting close when...

The milk expires AFTER your due date :D...

Doctor's Appointment Update (warning...TMI for some)

Sorry I'm posting this so late...it's been a busy day and I didn't come home after our appointment so this is the first time I have been on my computer all day. Anyways, here is the update.

I saw the PA today because Dr. G is out of town at a conference. (Side note: This means I want Maddox to stay in and wait until at least Monday when my dr. gets back to make his grand appearance). As usual, the nurse checked my blood pressure and Maddox's heartbeat both of which were good. Then Colleen (the PA) came in and did my exam to see if there was any progress. She said my cervix was a little softer but was still pretty posterior, meaning not much has changed since last week. She did say though that a lot of time there will be no progress at all and then all of the sudden there will be a big change and things will start moving along so that is encouraging! She also said if I went to 40 weeks then we would start talking about an induction date but last week Dr. G said we could potentially do it as early as 38 1/2 weeks so we will have to see about that I guess. Other than that it was another typical, uneventful appointment, which I am thankful for. I couldn't have asked for a smoother pregnancy and can only hope these last few weeks and the delivery go the same way.

We have our next appointment next Wednesday at 10:30 am. I'll update you then with any progress.

How big is Maddox? - 37 weeks

FULL TERM!!! Woo Hoo!!! I am so ready!! I know everyone keeps saying "Enjoy these last few days because everything is about to change" and I am trying to but I am ready!! I'm ready to not be pregnant any more, I'm ready to have my relatively skinny body back, I'm ready to be able to sleep in any position I want, but mostly I'm ready to see and meet our little guy!!


This week Maddox is about 19 inches long from head to toe and weighs about 6 1/3 lbs. He is about the length of a stalk of Swiss chard. If he arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though my due date is still three weeks away.

Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if his hair isn't the same color as ours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz. I can't wait to see what Maddox will have!!

We only have 3 more of these posts to go but hopefully we won't make it to the last couple but we shall see!! Like I said, we have our 37 week appointment tomorrow morning, so I will let you know how it goes!!

Uncomfortable

I have officially turned the corner from loving pregnancy and feeling good to being ready to be done and pretty uncomfortable. Things are getting pretty cramped inside and I my body is starting to just hurt all over. The worst part is that I have one rib on the right side that is so sore. I don't know what happened to it but it feels like it is bruised or something...it just hurts all the time. I've hear that rib pain is common but I'm not sure why it's just one rib and not all of them.

We are getting super close (22 days from out due date :D) and I know I can make it even if I have to go all the way...but as far as I'm concerned the sooner the better.

Tomorrow we will officially be full term so that is an exciting milestone. Of course I'll post Maddox's growth for the week tomorrow and then on Wednesday I'll give you the update from my weekly doctor's appointment.

On a side note...Collin said we are doing something on Thursday night but told me it's a surprise. I'll be honest and say that Collin is not the best surprise keeper (sorry babe ;D) so I am shocked that I have NO idea what we are going to do. I'm excited to find out what it is though. I'll let ya know when I find out :D.

Other than that there's not much going on at the Packer house...just a waiting game at this point :D.

Guess Maddox's Birth Date...

I thought it would be fun, since we are getting so close now, to have everyone who reads my blog to try and guess when they think our "little buddy" as Collin is now calling him (SOO cute, I know) will be born. Just post a comment with your guess and then I will put them all on my iCal and we will see who is the closest. Remember, our actual due date is June 30th. My guess is June 22nd but of course that is purely a guess...I promise I have no insider knowledge :D.

Picture Link

So this is mostly for family members...but here is a link to all of our maternity pictures that has a place to buy prints if you are interested!! Just wanted to post it incase you are interested!! http://pictage.com/638595.

36 Week Doctor's Appointment

Just a quick update from my doctor's appointment this morning...I am still measuring right on track at 36 weeks but Dr. G said this is the last week that measuring is reliable. After this it really fluctuates with each woman. He also did my Strep-B test but said he won't call me with the results because it doesn't really matter until I go into labor anyways. He then attempted to check my cervix but said that it was still so posterior, facing backwards, that he couldn't even reach it. So I guess that means that little Maddox is still locked up tight in there and not ready to come out. :D The good new though is that we asked him about his induction policy and he said he will induce as early as 38 1/2 weeks as long as my cervix is "favorable." lol. Pretty much that just means it needs to be anterior, facing more forward, and effaced. So, theoretically, we could have this little guy as early as 2 1/2 weeks from now. YAY!!

I got back again next Wednesday at 10:00 am. I will keep ya updated on how things are going. By the way, sorry if this post is TMI for some of you. Just know that from here on out the doctor's appointment posts will be like this ;D.

Maternity Pics

I am so excited to be able to post these pictures. Like I said before, we had our friend from ACU and his, Jonathan and Katie Beth, come out to Denver from Amarillo to take our pics for us and I think they turned out GREAT!!! I will post a few on here and then if you want to see more you can click on this link that will take you to my facebook album with about 60 of my favs... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2080586&id=54602204&l=32a5f75cb7.













Thanks Jonathan and KB for coming out!! I love how they turned out!! I can't wait to get some printed and into frames!!

How big is Maddox? - 36 weeks

4 weeks to go until our due date!! We are getting so close!! We have an appointment tomorrow and will have the first internal exam to see how we are progressing. I'll let ya know how that goes.

At this point Maddox is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long.


He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. He swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, which will form the contents of his first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, Maddox will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he's in a head-down position. But if he isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying he'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating his from the outside of your belly. Thankfully, I'm pretty sure Maddox is head down. I guess we will find out for sure tomorrow.

I'll let you know how my appointment goes tomorrow afternoon sometime. Now, I'm going to make a new post with our maternity pictures...YAY!!

Haircut...

Well, I got my haircut today. I got about 2 1/2 inches cut off. I'm still trying to decide if I love it or just like it. They always style it a little differently than I do on a regular basis so I'll have to wash it and style it myself before I can fully decide. Anyways, here is a REALLY terrible picture I snapped with my computer camera to give ya the gist, don't look at anything but my hair...lol. :D


p.s. Maternity pics coming soon...I promise ;)