Cue Music: "You're havin' my baby...what a wonderful way of sayin' how much you love me"

WE DID IT! We successfully created, carried, and delivered a living human being! And you may call me biased, but I think she's pretty amazing, and probably the cutest baby that has ever been born...

One day you look like this:


The next day you have this:

It all started one Wednesday morning. We had our regularly scheduled OB appointment where we went in and heard the baby's heartbeat, measured my stomach, and heard the regular weekly phrases:

"You're urine is clear, blood pressure good, any questions?"

At this point I asked if my doctor would check my cervix, since she had the week before and we were 1 centimeter dialated and 50% effaced. After a quick check she said I was 2 cent. dialated and still around 50% effaced. She showed no indication that little Audrey was on her way, and claimed that although she thought she weighed around 5.5 pounds by the time her due date rolled around she would weigh a good 6-7 pounds.

Scott and I left the doctor's appointment and I went right to school. My principal was covering my class while I was at the doctor and got everyone on staff excited, thinking she was on her way. Their faces fell as I walked in the building, and they realized I was at a routine doctor's appointment.

That day I was really uncomfortable, and had some minor cramps, but nothing serious. I called Anne because I was worried something was wrong, but she assured me everything was normal, and a sign that my cervix had been bothered by the doctor. There were no warning signs that we were headed into labor, in fact, I sent an email asking Scott to go to the grocery store on his way home so I could put my feet up. I was just so exhausted!

That night we watched our regular run of Wednesday night television. We laughed at Modern Family and sat on the couch resting up for the rest of the week. Around 10:30 I went into the basement to fold some laundry in the dryer, I just wasn't quite ready to go to bed. Because of my huge belly I had to sit in a chair to get the laundry finished. As I was reaching in the dryer for some blue pajama pants I felt a rush of water. I yelled up the stairs to Scott that I thought my water had broken and he came rushing down. There wasn't a lot of water yet, so we just looked at each other wondering what to do. Either way, water breaking or not, something wasn't right so we decided to call the doctor. As I stood up it was a little more clear that my water had in fact broken, and we leaped into action!





* A side note: Many people have said that when your water breaks it is not like in the movies. For us...it was!
*Another side note: Once your water breaks you leak LOTS of water consistently for a longer period of time than I would like to remember. Doctors and books do not prepare you for what to do while water continuously flows from your body. It's pretty fabulous. I felt like I needed a kiddy pool underneath me as I packed and got to the hospital.

The doctor on call said that yes, we indeed need to head into the hospital. After some last minute packing we left our anxiety ridden dog in his kennel and headed to Loveland.

Checking the list more than twice...

When we got to the hospital they checked us into triage and told us to put our bag down, we would be there a while. They did the customary checks "Urine is clear, blood pressure good, any questions?" As I got onto the table to have the nurse check to make sure I was leaking water and not some other fluid we got another rush and they decided that it was not necessary to walk around the floor, that yes, I was indeed in labor.

They got us checked into our room around 2:30 a.m. Scott and I were amazed how much time had passed. By this time we had contacted all of our parents and were thinking our little girl would arrive in 8 - 9 hours. Around 4:30 a.m. the nurse came in and started the Pitocin because even though my water had broken my contractions were not regular, strong, or anything to speak of.

Scott and I were able to sleep a little bit until the next morning when I asked if I could get up and walk around. The hospital had these gadgets that check my heart rate and the babie's heart rate, and they were able to set me up with a portable set. It was pretty fabulous to go from being wired to 3 different machines to being wired to only 1. Scott and I walked the hallways for almost 45 min. until my contractions were really strong and regular. We headed back to the room where I had my EPIDURAL!

*Side note: Epidurals are wonderful. It is difficult to be still during contractions and it's painful to remove the back-sized band aid they put on your back the next day, but the 15 min. of pain is well worth it.

We were watching the contraction gadget spike and rise and were sure little girl was on her way! Around noon the nurse came in to check my cervix and ... SURPRISE! I was still only 2 cent. dialated. At this point my water had been broken over 12 hours and we were told that if things didn't get movin' then we were on the fast track to a c-section. They decided to come in and do a final check around dinner, and we waited anxiously as I willed my cervix to dialate.

Around 4:30 the nurse came in and commented that things were under way and we were most definitely going to get to have the baby without a c-section, but that we were still 4-5 hours away. The doctor came in around 6:00, did a quick check, and then said "Well! I'm going to head to the bathroom then let's have this baby!"

Nothing can prepare you for this moment. Here we had been sitting in the hospital for hours on end waiting for these words to be spoken and once they were it was like a shock: No turning back now: She's coming.

We were in love with our OB delivery doctor. She was wonderful. As maddening as it may be for you to read this, we had a great time having our baby. That's not to say it's wasn't painful and extremely exhausting and difficult but our little girl was brought into this world surrounded by laughter, jokes, and smiling faces. We had our doctor in stitches.

My mom was on my left and Scott was on my right. In between pushes we were cracking jokes, adding commentary, and teaching our OB how to give awesome high-fives. Anyone who knows me knows that when times get stressful or difficult I turn to humor, and this was no different. Instead of yelling out and scaring the entire floor we were cracking jokes and looking for the bright side of this hellacious process called labor.
*Dr. Loken (OB) and Shelly (nurse)


Little girl arrived in this world at 6:53 on Janurary 13th. It was amazing. They put her right on my chest but because she was 3 weeks early they quickly rushed her to the nursery where they did a more thorough check. Scott was hesitant to leave my side but with some provoking from my mom and the nurses he grabbed the camera and followed the crew to the nursery. 100 pictures later Audrey was brought back and I got to officially introduce myself to her as her mother.

Before I went into labor I had all of these worries: Will it be awkward to have my mom in my room? What if I make a terrible patient? What if something goes wrong during the delivery? What if Scott passes out?

*Final Side Note: Scott did not pass out during delivery. He watched the whole thing like a champ and had this look of amazement on his fact that made labor so much easier. Seeing his face and hearing his encouragement was something I hope I never forget. But two days later, when we had to get one TINY drop of blood drawn from Audrey's foot, Scott was light-headed and needed some juice and a snack before he could regain the color in his face and walk without shaking down the hallway...

None of these things mattered in the heat of the moment. It was awesome. Scott did great, it was wonderful having my mom there, the doctors and nurses make you feel like you can do no wrong, and in the end you are holding a human being that started out as two cells joining on a random Tuesday morning.

Unbelievable.

And now, all I can say is, I'm in love.







Audrey Lynn Ward
Born January 13th, 2011 at 6:53 p.m. (just in time to avoid mooching on her mother's birthday)
Weight: 5 pounds 11 ounces
Length: 18 inches

Happy late holidays! We have LOVED getting everyone's Christmas card in the mail. Do not feel slighted...we are saving our Christmas card mailing for a special February occasion...

A lot has been happening in the Ward-Ward household, and most of it has to do with the impending birth of our daughter. As of today, Wed., Dec. 29th, Audrey is 35 internal weeks old. Scott and I have always used Christmas as an impending date signaling the coming of our daughter's birth, and now....Christmas has come and gone, which means it was time to get busy! My mom came up today and helped get some things on the walls and get a mattress ready for her crib. We had a lot of fun getting everything organized, clean, and ready. Here is a photo tour of our last couple of weeks...

Here I am, 2 weeks ago, when I still had a belly button. Kind of puts my summertime bump to shame!

Scott and I took a pic in my mom's backyard on Christmas Eve.
We put Luke in charge of photography, and he was very patient with his pregnant sister :)

On Christmas Eve the family went to church. We couldn't help but marvel at the thought that this was our last year without a daughter to spoil over the holidays. Scott kept reminding me that next year I won't be the one receiving the most packages, but little does he know I will always be the princess...It's my birthright!

When we got back from town it was time to build a crib! Scott and David worked really hard to get everything assembled. Although there were only 7 steps it took many arms to keep everything steady.

Tober supervised the construction by managing the tools. He was always right in the middle of the action, although he was never what you might call alert....


In all of our years of projects this one was by FAR our greatest success! There were very few cross words exchanged and very few pieces had to be taken apart and reassembled. You can tell by our smiling faces we were happy to be almost finished, but it's a HUGE step that we are genuinely smiling!

The finished product! Notice the blanket hanging over the edge. Anne is making me a quilt for her crib, but I couldn't help and show off my handy work. A week ago my mom came up for a few nights (to help with my holiday party at school) and she taught me how to make this baby blanket. I still have mine from when I was born, and hope that Audrey likes the one I've made for her. Of course, she will probably choose some soft blanket from a complete stranger to love forever, but a mother can dream!

My mom came up another day over the Christmas break to help me put some finishing touches on the nursery. We still have molding to attach and an alphabet to hang, but for the most part what you see is what she gets!





I'm so lucky to have so many family members that have contributed to our daughter's room. Even though we aren't close enough for everyone to physically help just having people call and check on how things are going, having people make and send things from afar, and having everyone so excited to meet our daughter feels like a total blessing. I can't put it into words how lucky I feel to have a family that is so excited to meet our daughter. We've received so many cards, gifts, phone calls, emails, and facebook posts it's amazing. I only hope I can return generosity to everyone, because it has been truly the most amazing experience. It's hard to believe in 5 short weeks all of this planning and excitement will open a door to a new chapter of the rest of our lives! (How cheese ball can I be?? Trust me... this only scratches the surface for how I feel!)

Well, it's time for a snack, and then some t.v. time. I'm pretty worthless around 5:00 these days, but I'm enjoying my couch time while I can. My days of watching evening t.v. are limited!

Even the Refs are Nervous

On Saturday the UNC Bears had a double header. That means 6 hours in a gym. NOT my favorite Saturday activity, but with Scott traveling so much, and being the devoted wife that I am, I dragged my pregnant self into the gym for some ballin'.

Little Audrey must have just popped out over night. The comments I receive have taken a 180 degree turn. No longer do I hear "You don't even LOOK like you're pregnant" or "Your SO tiny!" or "Are you sure you're due in February?"

Now I heard "Wow! You popped over night!" or "When IS your baby due?" or "FINALLY! You're looking large like I was when I was pregnant"

Even the referees are getting nervous. As I was sitting on press row shaking the hands of the officials, the head official leaned over the table and commented "You're not due tonight are you?"

In two days Audrey will be 32 weeks old. That means she could be born and her skin would not be transparent, and she most likely wouldn't need any machines to help her survive. What an amazing feat this little girl has accomplished already!

Now that we're getting to the end I find myself constantly checking to make sure she's okay by poking her little butt and feet. I feel like she likes to play when she kicks back but in reality she's probably already thinking "Darnit mom...STOP it!"

The other night I woke up to Scott poking my stomach, and when I asked what he was doing he said "I'm playing with her. You usually don't wake up... :)

I'm so excited to meet my daughter it's not even funny. I'm starting to have some hesitation about the whole "giving birth" process, but I remind myself often that if the girls on 16 and Pregnant can do it, then so can I!

Tomorrow, we intend to register. I find that I want EVERYTHING to be pink, which could prove problematic if SHE is actually a HE. I've started saving receipts...just in case :)

Library Books... (not a pregnancy related post!)

Today, one of my students brought up a book from our library that he had checked out. The following is our conversation.

S: Mrs. Ward, I think there is a picture in this book that is inappropriate for school.
Me: Well, let me have a look. Which picture?
S: This picture, right here. See how it has a poster? I don't think the girl on that poster is dressed appropriately.
Book: A picture of Times Square in New York. On one of the ads is what looks like a Rockette in a furry two piece bikini, definitely not appropriate for a second grade book, but only about 1 cent. tall. This kid had to be lookin'.
Me: Yes, I can see what you're talking about, but I don't think this picture is what you think it is. She's going to be in a show. This is her costume.
S: Oh. Okay. But don't you think it's inappropriate for a bird book?

Me: Turn the book over. The title of the book....Great American Birds.

Apparently, birds live in the Northeast, and the best way to describe New York is with a picture of a half dressed woman in Times Square :)

29.5 weeks

It's an interesting thing, growing a human. It is so gradual it's hard to feel like there are any changes at all and at the same time things change over night and it's undeniable that something new is a-brewin'! It seemed over night that I went from looking *perhaps* a little pregnant to having complete strangers congratulate us as we are out around town. When did the switch occur? At what point are people so confident that I'm brewin' a human that they feel they can, without hesitation, congratulate us and ask us questions? Seriously, it was over night. And it's all around us! Last Friday, at a basketball game we were congratulated by a fan that sits behind press row. People at Target stop and smile a knowing smile. The comments at work have switched from "Are you SURE you're pregnant?" to "Wow! She's growing like a weed! There's no hiding it now!"... and so on and so forth. It's actually quite amazing.

Looking over pictures from last June, when we started taking pictures of the growing belly, I remember being so impressed with my little baby bump, and now, that bump is a distant memory! Gone are the days where the bump was only visible to Scotty and I. Gone are the days where I could wear my regular pants with just the top button undone. Gone are the days where my regular shirts still reached my waste, just with a little tightness in the middle. Gone are the days where I could roll over in bed without a massive all out plan of attack. Gone are the days where putting on socks didn't make me lose my breath. Gone are the days where I only had to go to the bathroom when I woke up, after school, and when I went to bed.

This afternoon, at a women's basketball game, I could sit on press row, and visually see my little girl rolling around in my belly. Anyone sitting right beside me could have seen the bumps and wiggles the little girl was doing. It's truly amazing. As excited as I will be to have this little girl in my arms and in my life forever, there is something amazing about having this time alone with her. Only I can tell when she's awake or asleep. I have to let other people know when she's moving around. She and I dance in the car on the way to work, and she and I enjoy the nighttime snack right before bed that make her dance as I'm drifting off to sleep.

I can see why people get addicted to pregnancy. It's amazing, and awkward, and terrifying, and interesting, and lovely all at the same time. With 11 weeks to go, I'm sure things will only continue to become more interesting...AND uncomfortable at the same time :)

My husband is sleep deprived but we have a painted baby room!

I think the title of this entry says it all. Who else, but the Ward-Wards decide to paint their baby's nursery on the busiest week of the fall so far! Scott stayed up WAY too late to get the room painted, but painted it is! As I sit typing this entry I can look down our hallway and see the yellows and pinks that will welcome our little girl in February. It's unbelievable!

Here is the "Before" picture. The first step was to tape the walls of course! I was able to help with this part. You can see my contribution to the baby room along all of the baseboards (the only part I could tape sitting down...)

Lowes was more than happy to provide us with all of the necessary supplies. And Tober was more than willing to investigate these supplies consistently. He was a BIG fan of the blue tape...

Here is the happy dad painting away!

Not only did Scott GET to paint some yellow walls he also got to paint some pale pink!

Wait for it....the FINISHED PRODUCT!

The yellow is paler than it appears in pictures, but I haven't figured out the setting on our camera. Where there is a beige stripe will be a white wooden chair rail, but you get the idea.

And the green wall is now a lovely shade of pink. I can tell our little girl loves it already, and Scott did such a BEAUTIFUL job. It's really starting to come together!

swing

This may not be exciting to anyone else, but Scott and I are thrilled at the baby swing we found today. It is so cute and swingy, and we can't believe it is actually ours, for someone we will meet in February!