I'm Here!

Madelyn Olivia Knipe was born on December 29, 2009 at 1:33 am. She weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces and was 20 inches long. She is totally healthy and as the Doc said, has the most perfectly round head she has ever seen.

After a long stay in the hospital, we got to come home on New Year's Day. Mommy is still sore from the c-section and 20+ hours of labor, but is doing better and and better every day. Maddy is doing just great! She is VERY alert when she is awake. She loves to just look all around, especially at the scrolly ironwork that is hanging behind the couch. So far she has been a great sleeper. She tends to sleep 3-4 hours at a time, with a few longer stretches. (We had to wake her up to eat this morning after almost 5 hours.)

I'll probably post her birth story on here soon. Its still pretty fresh on my mind, but if i don't get it written down somewhere, I will start to forget all the details.

2 Days!!

Wow!! I can't believe that I am only 2 days away from my due date. We have been working like crazy trying to get the house clean and Maddy's room ready for her arrival. I think as of today, I can finally say that part of our preparation is ready. Micheal's mom and dad came over today to help put the finishing touches on everything. I'll post pictures of Maddy's room at some point in time. Its not quite decorated yet, but looks cute as it is. A friend from school made her bedding and I think it is precious.

I am going into the hospital on Sunday night to begin the induction process if Maddy doesn't arrive before then. I am very excited to know that she will be here Monday no matter what. But I'd much rather her come all on her own.

I'm also updating this blog, so that it can be Maddy's blog when she arrives. Hopefully, I'll get myself in a better routine of keeping it up to date. I'm sure I'll have much more incentives to keep up with Maddy here. I know grandma's and aunts will be calling frequently for updates.

We've made it to the 2nd Trimester!

Warning....rambling in progress.

Today I had my 14 1/2 week doctors appointment. I still dread these appointments, and getting there and having to wait 2 hours to be seen didn't help matters any. But...it was well worth the wait in the end. My nurse, Sandy, is probably one of the nicest people on the planet. She was there with me during both miscarriages and was finally there today at a "good" appointment. She's been out or busy for all of my previous visits. I do not like the other nurse! Anyway, after our two hour wait, she took Mike and I back. HUGE RELIEF! I have been having blood pressure issues when I'm at the doctor's office. The other nurse just looks at me, says "its high" and walks out telling the doc I have a problem and getting me even more worried. Sandy....."honey, close your eyes, take a deep breath, count to twenty......" Then asks if I'm nervous and talks...yeah, a nurse that actually talks...to me about my past and gives me the pep talk about how everything is going to be great this time. Blood pressure = OK (not perfect, but ok). Doc comes in (I love the doc just as much.) everything is great. Baby's heartbeat is loud and clear and at 150ish beats a minute. As we are leaving, Sandy stops us and tells us not to leave yet. She's set up a FREE sonogram just to reassure me AGAIN that everything is great with the baby! It was awesome. She even did half of it in 3D! That's an extra $150 bucks if we had scheduled it. The baby is still "standing" up with its feet down. It was jumping around like crazy and being pretty cooperative with the sono tech. It never would turn to face us, but seeing bones today was quite amazing. We got a pretty good view of whether its a boy or girl today as well. 14wks is still early, but it looks like we might be having a little girl. (Sandy has said that from day 1)

Anyway, it was a very exciting visit and I pray that Sandy is around at most of my future appointments. My next visit will be the big official 20 week sonogram. I am already excited. Yay, I'm excited and not nervous!!

Long Overdue Updates

So, I haven't been very good about blogging after all. That is going to change. It is summer and I have all the time in the world. Right? All of you band directors and band director wives know that not usually true. Summer gives us a break from all the formalities of school, but in the band world, it just never ends. Michael is already back at school from 7:30 - 4:30ish doing fish camp and leadership camp. I have signed up for over 20 hours of staff development. (I know that I'm crazy.) I will be making a point of getting in the habit of updating more regularly. I would like to make this a place where friends and family can come to see and hear about our little one as he/she gets closer to making his/her debut. I've got to get in the habit before the craziness begins, or it will never happen.

Little One Update - On Saturday I will officially be 12 weeks preggo. It has been a terrifying road for me, but that is the milestone that we have all been praying for. I went to the doctor again last week and everything still appears to be normal. The baby's heartbeat was loud and clear and beating 173 beats a minute. Doc was impressed. She didn't think she'd be able to hear it just yet. We've been able to see it since 6 weeks, but to hear it was pretty awesome. I can't wait to get the baby doppler we are borrowing. It will be so nice to instantly put my mind at ease and hear that little heartbeat whenever I want. Our next appointment is July 2nd. I doubt I'll get another ultrasound at that one. I've already had 3 and insurance olny pays for 3. Grrr....Oh well, they are worth every penny.

More Fun

More Fun in Tech Integration

Playing during my Tech Integration Class