Day 5

Caroline has been here 5 days already. . .man, how time flies! She's an absolute angel except for night before last when her evil twin reared its ugly head. She screamed ALL NIGHT LONG! We think it was just gas, but Ryan and I were both at wit's end. Thankfully, his parents are here so they made me go to bed yesterday and I slept until 5:30 pm. Caroline slept like a champ last night. . .what a blessing! We hope that the other night was a fluke and that she'll be a better sleeper. Everyone say a prayer and keep your fingers crossed! Now for some pics. . .

More from the hospital. . .






Daddy working his "burp magic" in the middle of the night. . .

She's here!

Our princess is finally here! Caroline Elizabeth arrived on Saturday morning (September 13) at 10:05 after nearly 24 hours of labor. She weighed a whopping 6 lbs 11 1/2 oz and was 21 inches long. She has a head full of brown hair, her Mommy's hands, Daddy's feet, and the shape of Uncle Eric's face. You can definitely see the Cryer in her! We think she has my eyes, but she hasn't left them open long enough for us to really tell. I guess birth was hard on both of us! =) They call it labor for a reason and it was the hardest work I've ever done, but worth every bit. She's perfect and we can't wait for everyone to meet her! Now, for what you've all been waiting for. . .pics! These are just a few from the hospital, but we'll post more as we settle in here at home. Enjoy!










What a yawn! Coming into the world is HARD work!

38 Weeks

I had my 38 week appt this morning and I'm 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced! =) Caroline is at -2 station, so the midwife said we're ready. She stripped my membranes (which hurt, but not as badly as last week), so now we just have to wait and see what happens. I'm contracting pretty consistently, but I don't know if they're just from the procedure or if they're the real thing. Let's hope for the real thing! =) The midwife also said that the change in pressure brought on by hurricanes can make babies come, so maybe Ike will bring us some rain AND a baby! More to come. . .

37 weeks

I woke up this morning and thought I'd lost my mucous plug, so I asked my midwife to check me at my appt this afternoon. She informed us that I'm 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. She couldn't give us an accurate guess of when I'd go into labor, but she stripped my membranes (ouch!) and said she hoped not to see me at my appt next week. I'll keep you all posted, but let's hope Caroline decides to come out soon! Oh, and thanks to all of you for your sweet comments on our maternity photos. . .they made me feel so good! =) Stay tuned. . .

Maternity photos

Ryan and I had maternity photos taken on Saturday and had a great time doing the shoot. I found a fabulous photographer online and if you're in need of one and live in the Waco area, she's the best! Her name is Jennifer Thebault of A Captured Life Photography (www.acapturedlife.com or www.acapturedblog.com). We met at the Baylor University campus and spent a few hours walking around in the Texas heat taking some great pictures. I'm anxiously awaiting our proofs to be complete, but she was sweet enough to post a few of our photos on HER blog (and gave me permission to put them on mine). Check them out (and no ugly comments on how whale-like I look)! =)

Childbirth class

Ryan and I attended our very first childbirth class on Thursday evening. There were about 100 people in the class! I guess we know what people at Fort Hood do for fun. ;-) The teacher informed us that there are 210 moms due in September, so delivery day may get interesting. The hospital only has 7 Labor and Delivery suites, so we may get sent off post. Basically our class was a lot of powerpoint slideshows and videos, but all of it was very informational. The best part was when the instructor brought out the empathy belly! Of course, Ryan HAD to try it on. . .and the first thing he did was grope the boobs. Actually, that's the first thing all the guys that put it on did. What is the fascination with boobs? =) He did say the belly was very uncomfortable, so maybe it gave him some idea of what I feel like most days. He didn't get on the floor and try to simulate getting out of bed, but there's always next class. Other dudes wanted to try it on so he didn't wear it long. One thing we did learn at the class. . .all these weeks that I thought Caroline was pushing out really hard turned out to be Braxton Hicks contractions! They're coming more frequently now, so I guess my body is getting ready for the big game...which is coming very soon. Six weeks and counting!

33 Weeks

I had my 33 week checkup(should have been at 32 weeks, but Fort Hood is weird) and it was quite the experience. I saw a Family Practice resident (read: BRAND NEW doc) and it had to be the longest appt I've had thus far. My new midwife (she's GREAT) wound up disagreeing with most of his advice and even had to reschedule my next appt since this guy didn't want me to come back in until 37 weeks! The funniest part was when he measured my belly and tried to get Caroline's heartbeat. He felt all around and pressed and squeezed the baby, so she's getting all squirmy and then he puts the doppler where her butt is. He's obviously not getting a heartbeat, so I told him that they normally get it on the bottom left side. He didn't listen to me and the baby kept moving away from him. I just had to laugh. . .even though her movements were getting a bit painful! He wound up finding the heartbeat (where I said he would) and finally the appt was over. It was just another funny episode of our new life in Texas. Oh, and he estimated that Caroline currently weighs between 4 1/2 and 5 lbs. I've gained 8 total lbs, so I think its safe to say that I'm all baby! =) We can't wait to meet her!