New Pictures to Share

In Awe and In Love

So it is midnight on Saturday night and I am just getting a chance to sit down with this computer since we got here on Thursday. Jodie has been doing a great job of keeping you all informed, but he was saving the play-by-play for me to tell. Thanks Babe! So here you go:

Our 36 week doc appointment was Wednesday morning. There, we found out that I had dilated to 5 cms. I just knew that they were going to send us straight to the hospital to have a baby. WRONG! They sent me home, but, fortunately, not back to bed. We made it through the rest of the day, but when I woke up on Thursday morning, I just had that feeling. But Thursday just crepped on, until a little after 4. At 4:20, I felt my first contraction of the day. By 5:07, I had had a total of 5. That's not really a lot in an hour, but for someone who is already half way there, it was enough to warrant a call to the doc. So I did and they said to come on into the hospital. We checked in around 7 and I had dilated to 7cms. So they admitted me and hooked me back up to all the machines.

Surprise, we made it through the night without a lot to tell. There were a few contractions, but not enough to progress labor. So at 5:00 on Friday morning, after finding out that I was still at 7cms, we and the doc decided to induce labor. There was no way that she was letting me leave the hospital at 7cms, and there was even less of a chance that I was going to sit in the hospital for what might have been days, waiting on Georgia to show up on her own. So, by 6, my water was broken, and my IV was dripping pitocin. Shortly there after, the pain started, and I mean real pain. The nurses ask you to rate your pain on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most intense. I had been telling them for 12 hours that the pain wasn't even registering on the scale! But all of a sudden, that scale wasn't big enough and I was begging for drugs! We had already told them that I definitely wanted to have an Epidural, so when we were ready, we were really surprised to learn that they'd have to administer a liter of electrolites before giving the Epidural. And then they told us that it would take about 20 mins for that bag to get though my IV. So, they hooked it up and we started counting the minutes, trying to breathe through the contractions that were coming one right after the other. All of a sudden, dilation was complete and they were telling me to push! WHAT? WHERE'S MY DRUGS? There was no time left. I still had about 100 ccs of that bag of electrolites before they would give me the Epidural. But they told me that there was no time and that we had to do this without. Again, WHAT?

I am telling you that it was the HARDEST thing I have ever had to do, not to mention the absolute most painful! I felt so sorry for any laboring ladies who were close by, because I know they heard my screams and I know that I scared the pants off of them. But, I have to say, that I am really happy that it all happened that way. I can say that now that it is over and I can look over and see my beautiful baby girl. I know that no one gets a trophy that says, "I gave birth without drugs," but who needs one? She's all the trophy I need.

After my pregancy with Sam, I questioned how on earth can anyone experience the miracle of childbirth and still not believe in our great Lord. But having been through this without the help of numbing drugs, it makes that miracle even more awesome. I think that the thought of it will always bring tears to my eyes and I thank God for allowing me to experience it. And I thank Him for giving me the strength that only He could give me to see it all through. It was absolutely amazing! That's really all I can say about it all. What else can you say about such a miraculous thing? I could go on and on about how awesome the process of conception to birth is, and how amazing a woman's body is, but, really what can be said that would really do justice to it all? Nothing, except, "WOW, GOD IS GOOD!". Now, having said all of that, and even though there still is no way that we will be having # 3, I know now that I need to ask for those drugs way in advance next time(just in case there is a next time), because once is enough for me!

Thank you all for visiting this site and praying us through what's been going on for the last few weeks. Now the fun starts, and I promise that I will post pictures as often as they are taken. If you could, please continue to pray with us. We should be heading home tomorrow morning, but we will be heading home with a little girl who has already lost almost 10% of her birth weight and is having a little trouble learning the art of nursing (although she did wonderfully during her 10:00 feeding tonight). Right now, I need to get a litte sleep before the nurse brings her back to us for another feeding. We love and appreciate all of you.

Carrie

SISTERHOOD

Sam came to the hospital this morning to visit her new sister. Right away, Sam wanted to "take care" of her new friend. Carrie and I feel overwhelmingly blessed to have two beautiful and healthy little girls.




















Nana's girls!

GEORGIA BLAIR NIXON

7lbs-6oz of absolute beauty

HERE IN THE HOSPITAL AGAIN!

We checked into the hospital around 7:00 pm. Seems like this is it.....all we lack is finishing. We will continue to keep you posted. Carrie and baby are doing well.

Maternity Portraits

I have come to refer to my mom and Jodie as the Bedrest Nazis because everytime I try to cheat, they don't let me get away with it, at least not for very long. But this morning, they did let me make the trip to Portrait Innovations to sneak in a portrait session before baby shows up. They turned out really good and I am so happy we were able to fit them in before my belly goes away for the last time (at least it will be the last time if I have anything to do with it). By the way, for those who didn't know yet, her name will be Georgia, after my dad George Thomas Trimble, Jr. Her middle name is TBD. We also got Sam's 3 year old portraits done while we were there, so make sure to check out her site too.

Whoo Hoo! No More Drugs!

We had another doctor's visit this morning and all is still the same. No More dilation! So, in light of that and the fact that they were going to let me quit taking it Moday anyway, they went ahead and took me off of the contraction stopping drug. Yeah! No more 3:00 AM alarm clocks!! And hopefully the reflux that I have had will at least get a little better (a side effect of both pregnancy and the Procardia). So, Mom is on her way back this afternoon just in case. We want to make sure that we are prepared with the low pressure of the hurricane heading our way. Who knows, we may have a baby soon!!! The doc we saw today said that she thinks we have a pretty good sized munchkin in there, though she didn't guess at her weight. Can't wait to meet her!

The Momma Switch

Well, my mom headed home today and Jodie's mom joined the party. Sam was super excited to see and play with her Memom, so I think the next few days will be pretty good for her too. She's really getting the better end of this deal. So are the grandmothers, because she wants them to do everything and is not a bit interested in me. So we have been lucky so far. Of course I miss being her one and only, but I would much rather have it this way than for her to be needing me when I can't give her a whole lot. So, we are still here, still pregnant, and still resting.

This week at the doc's

Hello all. Just got home form my doctor's visit and there has been no change! Yeah! The past couple of days really have not been as bad as I was expecting them to be. My mom has been taking extra good care of us and making sure that I am following the rules. So far so good. There was no change in dilation this morning, so we are staying the course for the next two weeks. The doc I saw today says that I can quit taking the meds AND get off bedrest at 36 weeks, which is 2 weeks from yesterday and just happens to be Sam's birthday. So, there you have it. We're doing well, behaving ourselves and hanging in there.

Still Here!

We made it through the night without a single contraction, so we're still at home. That's a good thing because one of the nurses told us that the 3rd time is the charm and that the docs probably wouldn't let me go home again until we have a baby. So, we're here, resting at home. My mom is still here and handling Sam, which Sam absolutely loves. She will leave Thursday AM and Jodie's mom joins us for the weekend. More party time for Sam! She's really benefitting from all of this. So, anyway, I will post more when I can.

Home Again.....Again

Yeah - they let us go home! And just in the nick of time too, I was starting to go a little crazy! So we're at home in our bed and watching the Panther's Play. Let's hope we make it through the night!

Still Here, Still Pregnant!

We are still at the hospital but hope to try and go home again this afternoon. I had a few contractions last night and a couple more this morning, but nothing to write home about really. The doc put me back on the Procardia and they have stopped. We think that we have figured out what the problem is - dehydration. The contractions always come in the night, after it's been a few hours without drinking (it's a little hard to drink water and sleep at the same time). But they did not hook me back up to the IV since I can't go home with it. So, at 3, it will have been 24 hours without the IV. I want to stay til then and if all is well, head back home.

Thank you to everyone who has sent emails and posted comments. We appreciate everyone's support and prayers through this. And the number of you who have offered to help out with meals and with Sam has been overwhelming to say the least. Thank you all for everything.

A Crazy 24 hours

Ready to read a book? So, 24 hours ago we were talking with the doctor about the fact that our contractions had stopped and that I was tollerating the Procardia (contraction stopping drug) fine, and he let us go home. YEAH!!!! We were really happy that we could go home and sit aroung watching TV there. Jodie took me home and settled me in on the couch and went out to get my prescription filled. We headed for bed around 11. Two and a half hours later, I woke up, about 30 minutes prior to the time for my next dose of meds. I lay there for a while and at 1:45am had the first contraction. But since it was so close to the time for my meds, I really didn't get concerned, as I just figured that the last dose had worn off and that as soon as the next one took effect, all would be fine. At 3:00am, after 5 or 6 more contractions, I woke Jodie up. We monitored them together for another hour. During that hour, Jodie began to wonder if the pharmacist had filled the prescription correctly and compared the bottle to my departure instructions. Not only was the prescription right, but I had taken 2 double doses by accident. At that point, we decided to call the doc. He was not worried that I had over medicated myself by accident, but did say that if the contractions continued for the next hour, to come back in. They continued, got closer together and more intense, so we left the house about 5:30 and headed back to the hospital. When we got here, the doc checked me and I had not dilated anymore since Wednesday, which is good. So he re-admitted me to the hospital and hooked me back up to the IV fluids. He made it sound like he was pretty convinced that we were going to have a baby today since I had been taking double the medicine and still having contractions like I was. However, shortly after being hooked up to the IV fluids (saline only) the contractions started to slow and then the intensity started to settle as well. It wasn't long before they stopped all together. At 3 this afternoon, they unhooked me from all of it and moved me to another room. The plan at this point is to take me off of the saline drip and the contraction meds for the night and see what happens. I think that the doc wants to test my body before sending us home again. So far so good. We are just playing the waiting game and try not to go too stir crazy. Other than that we are fine and Sam is having a ball wearing Nana out. We will post more later.

Food - Yeah!

Well, it's 11:20 and we don't have too much to tell. I did finally get to eat this morning, and though it was nothing to write home about, I was so hungry that luke warm eggs actually tasted good. I did pass on the grits though - no salt or pepper to be found!

Other than that, they have moved us from a labor room to a post-partum room. They have removed all the baby and contraction monitors and the IV feed. I will still be taking the drug that is supposed to stop labor and the antibiotics by pill. Right now, we think we may be heading home in the morning, but of course, no promises have been made. They still have not checked for more dilation - I think they don't want to trigger anything. I assume that I will be checked before discharge at the very least. We will keep you posted as we know more. Thanks for praying for our little one.

Morning Update

Last night the doc came in to take a look at the charts and wasn't completely satisfied, saying that he'd really like her to stay put another week. He was actually getting ready to feed me but changed his mind and decided to increase the dose of the medicine that is supposed to be slowing the contractions instead. So I sill haven't eaten since about 9:20 yesterday am. But, with the help of a little Ambien, I was able to get some pretty good rest. Despite the IV tubes and baby monitors that I am hooked up to and the comings and goings of nurses and meds and various alarms going off throughout the night (nothing to worry about - I ran out of IV fluids once, and the blood pressure cuff wasn't working right), I actually slept better last night than I have for the past week or so in my own bed! But,I am pretty sure that Jodie wouldn't agree - men get shafted in terms of sleep arrangements in labor rooms.

This morning the docs change shifts and we will get to see our main doctor. He should be in shortly and at that point I would assume that he will check for dilation and get his own base line for the nexy 24 hours. I am hoping that he will let me eat too! I will update later. Thanks for everything.

Baby Girl Update

Well, it looks like this little one is excited to be joining the outside world. We had our routine visit with the docs this morning and found that we are dilated 3+ cms. So, we were sent striaght to the hospital from the office. We checked in here around 11am or so. The doc started us on a drug that will slow/stop the contractions, anitbiotics to help fight off any infections that I may have/be exposed to, a steroid to help Girlie's lung development, and some IV fluids. I will be taking the drug that slows the contractions by pill every 4 hours and the antibiotic is through the IV and every 6 hours. I will have another shot of steroids tomorrow afternoon. They haven't checked me since about 12:30 or so, so we don't know if dilation has continued or slowed down yet. At this point, the ultimate goal is to get the steroids in me and contractions stopped and then get me back home on strict bedrest (I can only get up to potty and shower), hopefully staying pregnant for another few weeks. At the earliest, that will be Friday morning. At the very least, they want to stall labor until the full round of steroids has been administered. So, basically, we know nothing. We may have a baby by the weekend, maybe not. We have been told, however, that if we do have a baby, she will most likely be okay. She may have to spend some time in the NICU, but most likely not too long and for nothing major. Sam seems to be doing well. She was a little taken back when Mommy lost it this morning at the doc's office, but recovered from it quickly. She gave me a hug and told me that everything will be fine. We sent her to some friends' house to play for the afternoon until my mom could get here. Mom is here and she and Jodie are picking her up and bringing her to tell me good night before she and Mom head to the house for the night. Jodie will stay here with me. Please continue to pray for our girls and us. I will keep you all posted as we learn more. Thanks for your support.

32 Weeks and Counting...Possibly Quickly

Monday marked 32 weeks along. So far this pregnancy has been pretty easy, though very different from Sam's. I have been experiencing the famous Braxton Hicks contractions since about 16 weeks along - something I never felt with Sam. There are other things too, but I won't go into all of it. Today, we had our check up to see how this little girl is coming along. We measured about 33 weeks along, which didn't hurt my feelings at all. Sam was 2 weeks early and the thought of going all the way to October is a little daunting to me. But, when the doctor did the exam to check on dilation - something we weren't yet expecting, he found that I am already dialated 1 cm. He talked with a couple other docs in the practice and they decided not to give me the steriod for her lung development, but to go ahead and move me to a weekly patient instead. So, from here on out, we will be going weekly and the docs will check for dilation progress every week. If thing continue to progress prematurely, they may decide to give me the steriods at a later time. Today, I was told to start taking it easy (something that I do not come by easily) but did not go as far as to put me on bed rest. So, that's where we are today. I will give another update next week. In the mean time, please join us is praying for our little one - that God continue to help her grow and develop, that I can stay pregnant until she is good and ready to join us, and that I don't go absolutely insane trying to "Take it easy" and entertain big sister everyday too.

To All You People Who Voted "Boy"...

Okay, so my printer is broken - I can't even get the thing to turn on! So I can't scan the ultrasound pictures. But they are very cute, and our little one in looking just perfect! The technician was able to tell us that the baby's heart looked great. We are on track for an early October delivery and we can't even wait to meet the newest Nixon. Baby is kicking me more and more and Jodie felt it for the first time the other night. Everytime I put Sam's hand there, Baby runs the other way and will not kick at her. I am sure that will change soon enough. So, I guess you want to know if it is a boy or a girl! Well, all you people who voted "Boy" were WRONG!!!!!!! The newest Nixon will be a little girl! We haven't decided on a name yet, so we are still calling her Baby at the moment. But, she is perfect, we are excited, and we are so in love! We'll keep you posted on her and post her pictures as soon as I get the printer thing figured out.

Ultrasound Re-do

Whoohoo - we get to try again! The docs said that they did want to go ahead and try to get a better view of the heart, so we are heading back in for another ultrasound on May 29. And beleive me, between now and then me and this little one will have a few heart-to-heart chats about cooperating with the camara this time. When I talked to the docs this morning, they also told me that our AFP Test (the one that tests for Spina Bifida) came back negative. Yeah! We chose not to do any of the other tests, but we just knoe that our little one is just perfect, so no worries. Stay tuned to see the results on May 29. It's not too late to cast your vote for boy or girl over on the right side of you screen.

No News!

Well, Jodie says "It's clearly a girl!" Whatever this baby is will remain a secret at least for another 3 or 4 weeks. He or she just would not cooperate! How about that? This child would not show us ANYTHING, not even enough to make an educated guess as to whether it is a boy or a girl. It's legs were crossed, and the "area" was behind a bone, so the ultrasound technician could not see a thing. She did say, though, that everything else looked great (Thank you God!) and that all the measurements were right on for an early October delivery. She is recommending another ultrasound because there was one view of the heart that she was not able to get, although I really think she is doing it for me. So, we will see what the doctors say and will keep you posted. Cross your fingers that we get to sneak back in there. But even if we don't, at least we know that our surprise is so far a healthy surprise!

Dr. Appt.

This morning we had our first of many 15 second doctor's appointments. While I look forward to all of them, they really seam a little pointless when you spend all that time waiting just to see the doc for 15 seconds. But, there is always that little reward that makes it all worth it. It is always nice to hear that all is well with our Baby-To-Be. She didn't tell me the bpm, but we did hear the little heartbeat and, again, it was beating away. And, again, it brought tears to my eyes. I am constantly amazed at the miracle of childbirth, and everyday I wonder how someone can go through all of this, or just simply be a witness to it, and still believe that there is no God! I just do not understand it. Jodie couldn't go with us this morning (bummer) but Sam was there and was also excited to hear her Baby Brother or Sister (although Sam usually says Baby Brother and Sister - we keep telling her that there is ONLY 1!). As we were leaving, we were able to schedule the most exciting appointment of all - the ultrasound!!!!! In just 4 weeks, we will be able to tell you if this little one is a girl or a boy (assuming that we decide to find out and can)! I can't wait! There are so many things that I want to do, but can't until we know if we will have another daughter or a precious little son. So, make your vote to the right of this, you only have 4 more weeks! Pics of the growing belly to follow soon.

Ultrasound Time!

We had our first ultrasound today. I was a little anxious leading up to this. Every night at bedtime, we read Sam's Bible to her. We have already read through it once, so now I usually just open it up and read whatever story I open to. The night that we found out we were pregnant I opened her Bible to the story of Isaac and Rebbecca asking God for a child and He gave them TWIN BOYS!!! Twins don't really run in our families, so I had no reason to believe that we are having twins other than reading that particular story on that particular night. But, all is well - there is only 1!!!

It was so neat getting to see this little one. We are almost 10 weeks along and it was amazing to see how human-like the baby looks already. We had an early ultrasound with Sam when I was about 6 weeks along. Wow, what a difference a few weeks makes in the life of a baby! We also got to hear, and see, its little heart beat. It was beating at a whopping 171 beats per minute! Some say that means it's going to be another girl! What do you think it is? Cast your vote in the poll to the right of your screen! Regardless, we are looking forward to meeting this little sometime in early October. Sam went with me to the appointment and was absolutely wonderful. I don't know why I was so surprised. So, take a look at our baby's first pictures:

The "Before" Picture

I can't believe that I am sharing this picture with you. I am so embarrassed that this is actually a pre-pregnancy (actually, I am about 7 weeks along) picture. Oh well, it is what it is. Stay tuned for more to watch baby (and me) grow.

Welcome Little One!

Happy, happy news! We just found out today that we are expecting our second child. We are so excited and absolutely can't wait to meet this new little person that God has created just for us. We love this child already. Here is a picute of the Big Sister - To - Be: