Home with Julia

My mom got to stay for a few more days.  It was so nice to have her here and she got to really bond with her newest grandchild.  I'm so glad she was here for Julia's birth!

It has also been such a blessing to have Ethan home.  After coming home from the hospital, he has been able to stay for 2 more weeks.  I get to have him home for one more week.  I love having him home.  He helps me so much with Julia and also loves bonding with her.  She brings us so much joy!

Mom took this picture of us on Sunday morning.  We listened to Grace Community's service on LiveStream.  In this picture, Ethan and I were singing a hymn along with the church.  If you're ever home on a Sunday, check out the LiveStream.  It is such a blessing to be able to participate in worship even though you can't be present...  Here's the link:  http://www.gracechurch.org/live/default.aspx

Enjoying my precious daughter.

My good friend, Joanna, brought us a meal.  She got to hold Julia for the first time.  Several of our friends have visited and brought meals.  Thank you so much, everyone!

Grandma and Julia's hand.  So precious!!!

Have I mentioned that I love my daugher?!

Ethan and I gave Julia a bath.  It was absolute torture for her!  We have decided that we can't give her a bath late at night because she will wake up our poor neighbors.  Since then, I have given her 2 more baths and she was better...  But, she still isn't crazy about her bath time.

Ethan drying off Julia after her torturous bath.  Poor thing!

Going Home

On Saturday, November 13, we went home.  I really enjoyed our hospital stay, so I wasn't anxious to go home.  However, once I got home, I was so relaxed and realized how nice it was to be back in my own home, bed, etc. 

I dressed Julia in her "going home" outfit which was actually a little too big for her.  :)  But, she looked adorable anyway.

Our nurse gave us a lesson on how to put Julia in her new car seat.

Look how tiny Julia is in her car seat!  We were laughing pretty hard about this.  :)

The Trepepi family, on their way home!

Before we left, we went next door to visit our friends Jeff & Elizabeth.  The 4 of us had taken a 6 week "Bradley" class together to learn how to have a natural child birth.  The ironic thing is that both of us ended up having our water break within days of each other and then ended up having emergency c-sections!  Nevertheless, the information we learned in our classes were so valuable.  It was fun to be able to meet each other's babies in the hospital.  Her baby was born just 2 days after Julia.

Mom had straightened up our home (we had left in such a hurry and had left it in such a mess!) and prepared everything for the baby.  It was great to come home to a clean home and get to relax.  Thanks mom!!!

Grandma holding grandchild #10.

 











Hospital Stay

We stayed in the hospital for 4 nights.  We had such a wonderful experience.  There were some wonderful nurses.  I also appreciated the lactation consultants who helped me with nursing.  Julia was a very sleepy baby, especially since she was a preemie.  So, nursing was difficult at first but I got some wonderful help.  Because of all the advice and help from the consultants and kind nurses, Julia has become a wonderful nurser and is really thriving.  I'm sooooooooooo thankful to the Lord for this.

When Julia was born, she was 5 lbs. 14 oz.  While in the hospital, she went all the way down to 5 lbs. 7 oz.  Although this is normal, I was concerned and was praying she would pick up weight so that I didn't have to give her formula.  God answered our prayers and Julia started picking up weight even before we left the hospital!  Now, she is steadily gaining weight.  We are so thankful for her good health.

Many of our friends and family got to come visit us in the hospital.  It was always such a joy to have people meet little Julia.

Both Grandmas enjoyed holding Julia.

"Teta" (Grandmother) - Ethan's mom

Happy Daddy

Ethan was the expert diaper changer...

My dear friend, Angie came to visit Julia.  In this picture she's trying to imitate Julia's expression.  Julia is always making funny faces.

My friends, Josh & Janella came and visited.  Janella and I were due within days of each other.  So, we'll see when Janella's baby comes.  Can't wait for them to meet each other!

Our friend, Alan, brought Ethan some Chic-fil-A.  Ethan was very appreciative.  :)

Ethan got my mom some Chick-fil-A and he was craving a cheeseburger from The Habit.  :)  Believe it or not, I preferred eating the hospital food although I love both fast food places...  The food really wasn't too bad.

Another sweet picture of daddy with his little girl.

This is probably my favorite picture of Julia and me.  I just love holding her!









  

Julia's Birth Story

If you read my previous blog, you know that I was put on bed-rest to see if I could make it to 36 weeks.  By God's grace, I made it to 36 weeks.  Then, the doctor told me he wanted me to try to make it to 37 weeks.  Hearing this, my mom graciously offered to stay another week to make sure I could really stay on bed rest.  Ethan and I were so happy to have her stay.  I loved having her company during the day.  Of course we got our share of chick flicks - like we watched "Emma" and "Pride and Prejudice."  :)  What a sweet mother-daughter time we had together.  Also, since I was on bed-rest, I couldn't "nest" like I wanted to.  So, mom helped with cleaning amd sorting baby clothes and other such things to get ready for our baby's arrival.

On November 8, all three of ended up getting a bad stomach sickness.  I got so dehydrated from it that we decided I needed to go the ER that night because my braxton hicks contractions were getting too frequent.  When I got to the hospital, they pumped 3 different IVs into me until I got hydrated again and my contractions settled down.  Ethan and I left the hospital around 1:00 a.m (November 9).

Later that morning (November 9) I was so happy to wake up at 5:00 a.m. hungry!  I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours, so I was so thankful to finally be able to keep some food down.  I ate some crackers and jello and then climbed back into bed.

An hour later (at 6:00 a.m.) I had just been feeling a contraction (I had been feeling them all night and hadn't slept too well because of them), and suddenly my water broke!  I woke up Ethan and told him my water had just broken!  So, Ethan called the hospital to ask if we needed to come in right away or if I could take a shower and pack my bag.  The doctor told us we had to come in right away but could take a shower if we wanted to.  So, I took a quick shower and Ethan started packing our hospital bag.  In the meantime, my contractions were starting to get more intense and much more frequent!  My mom told me later that she was quite concerned when she saw how quickly my contractions were coming since she tended to have fast labors and was worried that I would too...

We live minutes away from the hospital.  When we got there, we had to check in first and the lady could tell that my contractions were getting intense and assured me she would try to get through the check-in process as quickly as possible.

When we got up to the delivery room, they hooked me up on monitors and told me I was dehydrated again.  They needed to get me hooked up to an IV but couldn't do so until the doctor came to see me.  In the meantime, my contractions were getting stronger and stronger.  They did an exam on me.  However, the nurse said, "Huh, that's wierd.  I can't quite find your cervix.  It seems like it's far back.  I have short fingers, so I'll get another nurse with longer fingers to get a good reading."  So, another nurse came in and said, "That's strange.  I've never felt this before.  It appears that your cervix is off to the right a little.  And, I can't quite tell how dilated you are.  I'm going to say it's probably about 1 cm."

I was a bit confused at this point because the night before I had been 1.5 cm. dilated...  I also remember thinking, "Oh boy!  I'm only 1 cm. dilated and I'm in so much pain.  How am I going to get through labor and make it to 10 cm. if I am already in this much pain?!"

Well, the doctor arrived and did an exam on me.  Right away he said that I was 10 cm dilated!  He also told me that the baby was breech.  I was taken by surprise.  He verified her breech position by doing an ultrasound.  He explained that her bottom was down so we had to do an emergency c-section.  (So, the reason the nurses couldn't get an accurate reading of my dilation was because I was already fully dilated and they were feeling the baby's bottom!  In fact, when she was born, she had a bruise on her bottom!) 

Of course I was surprised and disappointed that I would be needing a c-section.  I so wanted to have the baby naturally.  Ethan asked if there was any physical way to turn the baby.  The doctor explained that because my water had already broken and the fact that I was already 10 cm. dilated, it was too dangerous to try to change the baby's position.  If they didn't act fast, the baby would be born and it was too risky to have her be born in her breech position.  God gave me a peace at that point which I'm so thankful for.  Although I wanted to have the baby naturally, I knew God was in control.  From that point on, everything happened so fast so it is kind of a blur.

They whisked me to the operating room.  After the anesthesiologist gave me an epidural and they had me all prepped for surgery, Ethan was allowed in the room in scrubs.  He sat right behind me and talked to me during the surgery.  It was such a comfort to have him there.

Julia Beth was born at 8:38 a.m.  She weighed 5 lbs. 14 oz.  She was 20 1/4 inches. 

When I saw her for the first time, I remember seeing her thick head of black hair.  She was also so alert.  I heard her little cry but she didn't cry long.  She seemed quite content in her new environment.  Ethan went over to the warming table where they were cleaning her.  He cut the umbilical cord.  Ethan got to hold her and brought her over to me so that I could see her.  I remember seeing her just looking around with her cute eyes.  I loved how alert she was! 

After that, they wheeled me out to a recovery room.  I had to stay there for 1 hour.  I kept asking the nurse what the "plan" was because I was so anxious to be reunited with my sweet daughter.  After 1 hour, they wheeled me to my room.  In the hallway, my mom met me and said that Julia was in the nursery with Ethan.  I looked in the window and there was Ethan, holding our sweet daughter!  It was such a sweet scene to see daddy and Julia together. 

Then, they wheeled me to my hospital room and transfered me to my bed.  Shortly after, Ethan came in with baby Julia.  I got to hold her for the first time!  It was such a sweet moment!

Here are some pictures of Julia's birth day.  :)

Not the most flattering picture, but it is when I was in labor... before we knew that I would be having an emergency c-section.

This was me, getting ready for my c-section.  Another not-so-flattering pictures of myself.  :)  The chair that is directly behind my head is where Ethan got to sit during the surgery.  It was such a comfort to have him there with me.

See how alert Julia was?  Ethan took this picture of Julia while he was waiting with her in the nursery (while I was in recovery for 1 hour).

Another sweet picture of Julia in the nursery.  Ethan said he had so much fun getting to know his daughter.

My mom took this picture of Ethan while he was waiting in the nursery.

My mom had to wait outside the nursery.  She said it was so sweet watching Ethan hold Julia and talk to her.  She also said that the other ladies were admiring Julia.

This was taken when Ethan brought Julia to my room.  I got teary-eyed when I saw her, knowing I would finally get to hold her for the first time!

Holding my precious daughter for the first time.  What a special moment!

Ethan's mom was able to come to the hospital and meet Julia shortly after she was born.

This was Ethan, changing Julia's diaper for the first time.  He became quite the expert since I couldn't get out of bed for the first 24 hours.  In fact, Ethan changed her diaper for the first 3 days.  It wasn't until day 4 that I actually changed a diaper and I had to ask him for help.  :)  What a great dad!

Bed Rest

It was Wednesday, November 3 - a typical school day.  I was walking out to pick up my class at 8:15 a.m.  However, as I was walking, I tripped on my own foot.  Being pregnant, I awkwardly sprawled with full force and landed on my hands and knees.  I am so thankful to the Lord that although I was walking on cement, I fell sideways into the grass!  I was a bit shaken but got up and brushed myself off.  Of course, all those who saw it happen rushed to me to make sure I was okay.  I assured them that I was, but they made me promise I would call my doctor to see if I needed to go in to make sure the baby was okay.

I called the doctor's office and they gave me permission to finish my school day but said I must come in as soon as possible to make sure everything was okay.

So, right when school was over, I left my classroom a mess thinking that I would be able to come back either that afternoon or the next morning to set up for the next school day.

After arriving at the hospital, they set up a monitor on me to check up on the baby.  Right away the nurse asked me, "Did you know that you are having contractions?"  I had no idea...  I had felt my stomach tighten for quite some time but thought it was just the baby moving...  Also, the nurse told me  that I was dehydrated so they would need to hook me up on an IV.  The nurse also did an exam and discovered that I was l.5 cm dilated!  After spending a few hours in the hospital, they were able to hydrate me and get the contractions to settle down so that I could go home. 

However, what I hadn't expected going in to the doctor that day was that I wouldn't be allowed to return to work!  The doctor ordered me to stay on bed rest because I was only 34 weeks and I needed to atleast get to 36 weeks or more for the baby's safety.  I felt such a mixture of emotions!  I was so thankful that the baby was healthy but very sad that I hadn't been able to really have "closure" at work.  If I had known it was my last day of work, I would have said "bye" to my students.  In fact, I had just told the students that very day who would be my long-term substitute and that she would be their teacher for the rest of the year.  I assured my students that I would still have about 1 1/2 more weeks with them (my last day of school was supposed to be November 10) and that I would bring the baby back to meet them... 

I know that God was in control, though.  If I had known in was my last day, I would have been stressed out trying to get ready to turn my class over.  As it was, I was already working long hours trying to get ready to turn my classroom over to my long-term sub.  So, I know that God knew what was best.

So, the first few days were a little tough for me emotionally.  But, I had to learn to just "let go."  I knew God was in control and knew what was best. 

My parents, upon hearing of my bed rest, asked if they could drive down from Northern California to take me to my doctor appointment on Friday and to be here while I was on bed rest.  They were so sweet - they left their house at around 2:00 a.m. so that they could be here before 10:00 a.m. to take me to my doctor appointment!  

It was so great to have them here.  It was a crazy time for Ethan at work (Budget time and month-end-close) so he was working long hours.  It was a blessing to have their company and help during the day.  After a few days, my dad needed to head back home but my mom decided to stay longer so that she could help me really stay on bed rest to make it to 36 weeks.  It was so fun to have my mom here!  I will always look back on my "bed-rest" time as a special time that my mom and I got to share together.

Well, the story doesn't end here, but I will save the rest of the story for another blog.  Here are a few pictures of my bed rest and pregnancy.

 This is the last pregnancy photo I took of myself.  I'm not sure how many weeks I was...  Maybe 33 or 34 weeks?

While I was on bed rest, so many of my friends would stop by to visit, bring meals, call me, or run errands for us.  Our good friends, Michael and Caroline, came over one evening.  Caroline had organized a group of ladies from our church to buy our car seat!  She brought that over along with other baby items.  Thank you Caroline for your thoughtfulness (and all our other friends who brought meals, baby items, called me, and encouraged me.  I love the body of Christ!)

Ethan opening our present - a car seat!  :)  Thank you to my friends who pitched in money to purchase it for us.  We love it!

Baby Shower

On Saturday, October 23, my good friends (Angie, Joanna, and Johanna) threw me a baby shower.  My mom and sister were able to fly out for the shower!  It was so fun to have both of them here over the weekend.  Here are some pictures of the shower.

Johanna, Angie, me and Joanna (they were my good friends who planned the shower)

Laura, me, and my mom

The 3 Lisas! (My sister-in-law Lisa, my mother-in-law Lisa, and me)



The 3 pregnant ladies at the shower - Angie, me, and Janella

Pregnancy Buddy

This is a picture of my friend, Christy.  We call each other our "pregnancy buddies."  She is due this week.  She and her family attend our Bible Study.  They already have 2 boys and this is their first daughter.  :)  It's fun to be having little girls together only a few months apart.  In fact, there are two other ladies at our Bible Study who just had girls.  So, there will be four little baby girls at our Bible Study all at the same time in just a few short months.  :)  It will be so wonderful to be able to ask them mommy questions as I embark on this new exciting stage in my life. 

Christy at the end of her pregnancy & Lisa at 31 weeks