Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The Day my World Changed

It hasn't been long since Fisher arrived (just a little over a month) yet that big day already seems like such a blur. I want to be sure I can recall that amazing day for years to come so I figured recording it is the best idea (especially with my terrible memory.) If it is too much detail for you, feel free to stop reading at any point. I promise there isn't anything too graphic. 

Our adventure began on Tuesday, May 15th around 8pm. We checked into the hospital to start my induction process that evening. After getting my I.V. setup and some blood work done, I was given a vaginal tablet (I believe it's called Cervidil) to help ripen my cervix further. I was only dilated 1 cm when I got to the hospital and about 50% effaced so I needed some extra help to really get going. I was supposed to have two rounds of these tablets, four hours apart, but I ended up only requiring one tablet so we started the Pitocin around 4 am on the 16th. (Needless to say, I didn't really get any sleep Tuesday night. At least I was looking good, right?)





My doctor arrived at the hospital at 7am on Wednesday morning to check to see how I was progressing. At that point I was just around 2-3 cm so she decided to use another technique to move me along. They placed a "cervical catheter" which is basically a balloon that mimics the pressure of the baby's head. Since Fisher wasn't down far enough, this catheter (along with the Pitocin) helped me gradually dilate even further. Once I had dilated more, the catheter just fell out on its own. 


Once the catheter had been placed, my contractions finally increased. Up until that point I hadn't noticed much more pain than a mild menstrual cramp. I was now having some intense contraction pains and decided to start the process of getting my epidural placed. 


Although I definitely appreciated the epidural, the placement process was much less enjoyable than I imagined. The needle to numb the location wasn't too bad, but I had quite a bit of pain/discomfort when the threaded the catheter. I can only describe it as that feeling you have when you hit your funny-bone times ten and down the entire side of your body. It is a very strange feeling (and not a good one). The best part was when the nurse anesthetist  realized she had placed it too far to the right and needed to redo it. Lovely, right? So I got experience that "funny-bone" feeling all over again, this time on the left side of my body rather than the right. 


Once the nurse anesthetist was finished I still only felt numb on my right side. I could still feel my contractions on the left side so they had me lay on my left side and wait for it to spread. Luckily, that method worked and I eventually felt completely numb on both sides and we were good to go. 


The next time I remember being checked I was suddenly dilated to 8 cm which was pretty shocking. I was moving along much faster than any of us expected. (I believe this around 10 or 11 am.) My little sister and Brent's parents arrived around noon and shortly after that the nurse came to check me again and we were at 10 cm! It was officially go-time (also known as freak-out time.)









After a bit of visiting, we kicked everyone out to the waiting room except my mom and got ready for the final "push". We only had to push for about 55 minutes and at 3:04pm on May 16, 2012 baby Fisher came into our world! 




It was all much better than expected. I had been terrified of childbirth from the beginning so I was pleasantly surprised by the entire experience. The epidural was perfect. I had no pain, but was able to feel pressure. Even with the epidural numbness, I still knew exactly when my contractions were coming so I was able to feel when it was time to push. To top it off, I had a wonderful nurse, an amazing doctor and completely supportive mom and hubby by my side. Overall, it was great.



My notes to other future mothers-to-be would include:
  • Get the epidural without question.
  • You might throw-up. It happened to me out of nowhere.
  • Let your hubby watch (if he wants to.) I was completely opposed to this originally, but my mind changed as we went through pregnancy and I'm so glad that I allowed him to witness the amazing miracle. He was so happy to be able to watch our son come into the world and there is no replacing that. Remember, he's seeing your baby for the first time...he's not paying attention to your lady parts. (And honestly, by that point you aren't concerned about who is seeing your lady parts anyway. You just want that baby out!)
I know women say it all the time, but giving birth to my son is the most amazing thing I have ever done. It gives you such a sense of pride and there is no comparison to holding your baby for the very first time. It was without a doubt the happiest day of my life. 


I am so blessed.




Until next time...
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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Fisher is 1 Month!

My little boy is already 1 month old! He now weighs 9 lbs, 11.6 oz, 21.5 inches long, completely adorable and oh, so much fun.



  • He is still in newborn diapers. Although he is about to move on to the next size.
  • He is still wearing most of his newborn clothes and a few 0-3 months outfits. He just outgrew his first outfit...sad!
  • He hasn't lost any of his hair yet.
  • His eye contact and alertness is really increasing. He's started staring at the bear mobile above his swing...very cute.
  • He's been in his crib since he was a week old. 
  • He sleeps well at night and is waking-up once or twice each night. We just moved to one time a night the past couple nights...we'll see if that lasts or not.
  • He doesn't seem to mind the pups at all. Mak doesn't seem too interested in him, but Maeby does drive-by licks all the time.
  • He's eating like a champ. We are breast feeding and using one pumped bottle a day so daddy can feed him too. (We introduced the bottle at 3 weeks.)

  • He doesn't burp or spit-up very often and trying to burp him rarely works. He just does it when he wants to.
  • He is lifting his head up more and more when we practice tummy-time.
  • At his 1 month check-up, he exploded poop onto the nurse and across the room while getting his temperature checked. It was awesome.
  • This is his favorite facial expression:

Check out more pictures of Fisher on his daddy's blog, SnapFisher.


Until next time...
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Thursday, June 7, 2012

I Love Me Some DIY Accessories

If you start cruising Pinterest for DIY jewelry ideas, you'll be overwhelmed by the results. There are some seriously creative people rocking out some super inexpensive, fun and beautiful homemade accessories. Lucky for us, they not only show off their skills, but they also tell us how to do it too! Nice.

Here are some of my favorite do-it-yourself items:

Bird's Nest Necklaces
Paperclip Earrings 
Pinned Image
Wooden Necklace
Multi-Strand Scarf
Renewed Upon a Dream: Color Block Hex Nut & Thread Necklace
Hex Nut & Thread Necklace
Love these DIY bracelets
Macrame Bracelets
Pretty impressive, right? One of these days I'm going to tackle one of these projects. I can always use some extra flare in my style.

Anything on your craft list?

Until next time...
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Tuesday, June 5, 2012

My Little Sis is Growing Up

My little sister is going to be an intern for R.U.F. (Reformed University Fellowship) at Auburn University beginning this fall. I am so proud of her decision to be a part of this ministry and can't wait to see how God uses her.


Kelsey will need everyone's help as she moves forward. She will be raising funds for her internship and can of course use all the prayers you can offer up. Keep up with her progress  and find out how you can help via her new blog, Living the RUF Life.

Love you, seester!

Until next time...
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Friday, June 1, 2012

Thirty-One June Special!

Today starts our new Customer Special for Thirty-One and it is on one of my FAVORITE items so I just had to share. When you spend $35 this month, you can get the Large Utility Tote for just $10. (Normally priced at $35.)

The Large Utility Tote (pictured below) is perfect for hauling in groceries from the car, carrying in all your goodies for a tailgate party, taking to the ball field, etc. You can use this bag for road trips, housing sports equipment or even carrying laundry around the house. The uses are seriously endless and once you have one, you'll be ready to grab another (and another and another). 


Remember you can get your Large Utility Tote personalized for only $7. It could be a perfect gift for any busy woman in your life.

This month we are also offering a brand new item: Top-A-Tote!  (Shown above in brown.) It is a top for $10 that can be used on your Large Utility Tote to keep your items from spilling out or from getting rained on as you head to the car. Check out this video to see the benefits of a Top-A-Tote!

Visit my website www.mythirtyone.com/robinkee to place an order and to view the rest of the Summer Catalog. 

Until next time...

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