Baby #3 makes a complete Family

Pics!!

2006-10-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

Can you tell we're teething??
This is her first night in her crib...

And here is Maddie and Gracie just goofin' around...

3.5 months...

2006-06-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. Maddie is growing so fast, and so big. It saddens me to know that this is the last baby I will ever have at this stage. I love this stage. I love where they look up at you and their whole face brightens, how when she gets that first morning glimpse of me, and she smiles so big. That is the warmest feeling in the world. I have found myself babying her much more than I did the first two, I guess knowing that this is the final child for me, I just want to hang on to these days as long as I possibly can. She weighs about 13 pounds now, but I am not sure how long she is. We won't have her 4 month checkup until July 17th. And I am not rushing that appointment, since she will be getting more shots. She is sleeping through the night for the most part now, and wakes about 6 each morning. She has the best personality in the world. She is just an amazing baby. I am so blessed to have her.

Things are going well for us at home. Chandler is out of school for the summer, and he is adjusting to the change. Next year he will go to a new school, he will be in first grade....finally! Gracie is doing good. She's still my little spitfire. She has ot have surgery in August, the doctor has decided that she needs tubes in her ears due to all the ear infections. We have really had a big problem with infections in the last few months. She has been on so many antibiotics that her body just is not responding to them any longer. I'm a bit nervous about it, but we'll get through it and hopefully, she will get over these infections, and I am also hoping that her speech will improve with it.

I am doing fine, I wish I could get rid of my mommy pouch, but no matter what I do, it won't go away, and it bothers me. I still look as if I am 5 months pregnant....grrrr. We go on vacation in August, and I dread the thought of getting in to a bathing suit.

I have posted some pics that I took just two days ago, so everyone can see what she looks like in all her chunkiness, lol.

Pictures!!!

2006-05-31T10:51:00.000-07:00

My strong baby girl...

A bit of a smile...

Our family pics...

2006-04-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

Look Ma! No hands!

Sleepin' the day away....

Just layin' around....

2 weeks 3 days...

2006-03-31T08:55:00.000-08:00

Wow, I have been gone awhile. Sorry for the delay, I have been pretty busy. A little more busy than I imagined. A 3 year old and a baby are rough on a girl! So far we are all doing well. At first Maddie had jaundice which we were going to the doctor just about every day to have checked, but she is fine now, and has no more jaundice. She is eating like a little piggy! I decided to breast feed, and formula feed at night since that holds her longer. People had said that she may not do both, but she loves it all, and she shows no preference. I never breastfed the other two, but I decided since this is my last one to give it a try and she latched on like a champ! She still has her days and nights mixed up, so Daniel and I take turns staying up with her at night. Today I am going on 5 hours of sleep, but it's better than none, so I can't complain. Gracie and Chandler are taking the new addition well. The first few days were rough on Gracie, she was a bit jealous, but we worked on it, and she really shows her love for Maddie now. When Maddie starts to fuss, she holds her hand and sings to her, and it just melts my heart. I take her for her two month checkup on May 16th. I can't believe that she is two weeks already. She is sill so tiny!! I'm including some pics that I took just yesterday for everyone to see.

I'm sorry that I have not been respoding to blogs lately, but I am still reading. I will get to responding soon, I hope.

2006-03-17T02:03:00.000-08:00

This is as we were leaving the hospital....
And here she is at home in her bouncy seat.

She's Here!

2006-03-16T07:08:00.000-08:00

Madison Elle McSherry

was born March 14, 2006 at 10:34 am

weighing 6 lbs 5 oz and 18"long.

Both mommy and baby are doing well and we will post pictures soon!

37 weeks 5 days!

2006-03-10T12:13:00.000-08:00

Feeling kind of B...I...G...

37 week appointment

2006-03-08T08:21:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to give a quick update on what all is going on here. I had my appointment on Monday and so far I am still only 2 cm. But the baby and my body are showing all signs of being ready to give birth at any time, so he mentioned the big "induction" word and I pounced on it like a cat in heat. So, the way things look, I will check into the hospital on Monday night at midnight (the 13th) and will have my baby girl on the 14th...nothing like choosing the date of our childs birth, ya know??

I have gained another 3 pounds in the last week, and I am sure i will do it again before I check into the hospital, but I can say this is the last week that will happen!!! The baby sounds real good, her heart rate was down for the very first time, it was only at 140, but that is still good.

The fun part....we decided to take Gracie along to the appointment just so she could hear the babies heart beat and know what all is going on. So she went and did really well. The dotor let her use the doppler and she was so proud of herself. Wen she found the heartbeat, she could only look at me and smile from ear to ear and say "Oh, WOW!" I could have cried. It was so sweet. The doctor was amazed that he delivered her, and how big she had gotten. The day was definitely one for the records. I will forever remember it.

I will try between now and Tuesday to teach Daniel how to post on here and put up some pictures so that everyone will know right away, but if you don't hear....don't worry, I will post eventually. Have a great day, everyone!!

36 weeks

2006-02-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

I am so ready to POP!!

35 week appointment

2006-02-23T10:23:00.000-08:00

My appointment was on Monday, and it went very well. I had only gained 2 1/2 pounds which was a huge relief for me. I had my GBS test done, which is no big deal either. The baby sounded real good, her heart rate was 150 again, she is pretty predictable at this point. We talked about all my questions, which at this point I have very few other than can she come out now? I am dilated 1-2 cm, so at this point the doctor says if I do go into all out labor, he probably won't do a great deal to stop it. Yay!! But knowing my luck she wants to stay in there for another few weeks. I just want her to come out when she is ready, and healthy. I feel good, I am still a bit nauseas, which seems to have gotten worse in these last few weeks, but I read that is normal. I am having a lot of lower pressure, which is also normal at this point in the pregnancy. My back is really starting to hurt a lot, especially by evening time, I am ready to sit down and cry, and unfortunately, that is when I am demanded from the whole family. Sleeping is just about impossible, trying to get comfortable is a joke... And I am having increasing braxton hicks contractions that get stronger and lower every day, so hopefully they are preparing me for the big day....hopefully soon!! I am feeling the urge to get things done around the house, so this may be my sign. I just feel like if I were to go into labor, I want this house clean for people to be here. Other than that, things are pretty much normal for a pregnant lady. One who feels like she has been pregnant for 18 months, at that!

P.S.....IS IT MARCH YET??????

My 33 week appointment

2006-02-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

I went to the doctor thinking I had only gained a couple of pounds, becasue after all it had only been two weeks.... then my heart leapt up through my throat and out onto the hall floor of the hospital. I gained 5 pounds in two weeks... the doctor was okay with it, as long as I don't do it again. I never seem to make doctors happy. My blood pressure was real good. Sad that I have to be 8 months pregnant to have "normal" blood pressure. Usually they think I am dead it is so low. Daniel went with me and so he got to work the doppler to listen to the heartbeat. She is still right at 150, so that seems to be her norm. And the best news yet is that she seems to have turned head down. Which for the birth is great news, but for now that means that I now have two feet lodged in my rib cage...only 43 more days to go!!! Oh and she is measuring right on target for size. I asked for a weight and he declined to guess at it...kudos to him! Doctors can never guess that stuff.

Me at 33 weeks

2006-02-06T18:27:00.000-08:00

My checkup

2006-01-23T13:37:00.000-08:00

I went to the OB today, I know my appointment was scheduled for last Thursday but I had to reschedule...due to being in the hospital all Wednesday night!! I started having some cramping around 9 pm, then at 9:30, I started having really strong braxton hicks contractions. I called the labor and delivery ward at almost 10 pm, and was told that anything over 6 in one hour was too many. Well, within an hour and half, I hjad 10 so Daniel took me to the hosiptal. They hooked me up to all those lovely monitors and layed me in the bed from 11 pm to 8 am the next morning...It was a miserable experience, but the baby was very healthy and enjoying her time no matter whose bed we were in. She got the hiccups 3 times that night so it was loud enough on the machine for the whole floor to hear. A wonderful sound to many, but to me that has to feel them all the time, it was just a reason to be kept awake.

I was snt home the next morning since they were able to get them to stop, and we have not had too many contractions since.

I came down with a nasty stomach bug on Friday morning that luckily only lasted 12 hours or so, but long enough to make it feel like an eternity. I am still working on getting my appetite back.

So at my appointment today, I met my doctor!! Actually it was the same doctor I had with Gracie but you really don't see your doctor until the last few weeks of the pregnancy. I weighed in at 132lbs.... I had lost a pound since my last visit, but I figured that was to be expected from being so sick. My blood pressure was good, for once they didn't ask me if I was alive. My blood pressure is usually so low...The baby sounded real good with a VERY strong heart beat in the 150's. There was protein in my urine which is uaully a cause for concern, but since I have been sick, they are willing to overlook it this time. It is like that in two weeks, then I have to do some more testing to see why I am spilling protein. Then he went to measure the baby and he seemed a little concerned, she was barely above my belly button. He asked if I knew how she was lying. They said she was head down when they checked my cervix.
But as of today, she appears to be lying breech, in the "transverse lie" which in my terms means she is sprawled across my tummy sideways. So at my next visit, if she is still in this weird position that he cannot get an accurate meaurement, they will want to do an ultra sound!! I know that is a lame excuse to get an ultra sound, but I am really excited to see the baby and maybe see how big she is, and if she is still a she...or grown extra parts...

***Side note*** I DEFINITELY have a pregnant brain, I forgot to post this...so it's coming a day late...heheheee...

30 weeks

2006-01-15T18:31:00.000-08:00

Her profile at 19 weeks

2006-01-15T11:20:00.000-08:00

My attempt at a baby website

2006-01-15T10:28:00.000-08:00

I wanted to start a new website so that we could share with you the joys of pregnancy, the not so many joys of pregnancy and then of course the birth of our third and final child. Our little girl is due March 25th and we are counting down the days to see her and hold her in our arms.

This pregnancy has been a rocky one, probably my hardest yet. I thought my first pregnancy was bad, since I was in Germany completely across the ocean from everyone I knew, but we managed and it was fun. But this pregnancy and already having two children and being 30 makes things more difficult. Everyone always said that the older you are, the harder pregnancy is on you, and I guess I always took their words as a joke. Now I know that it is so true. Chasing or should I say waddling after a 3 year old is no easy task.

I'm trying to make this as short as possible trying to sum up these last 7 months. We found out we were pregnant after trying to conceiev for 15 long excruciating months. We knew how easy it was to get pregnant with Chandler and Grace and figured it would be the same but God threw us a loop in the road. But we overcame it, and we found out we were pregnant on July 14, 2005.
When we found out, we were 5 weeks along. I was so excited not to be sick, I thought it was a dream come true. I even remember commenting to people that I was scared for this pregnancy because I was not sick. I guess I counted my chicken too early. I became sick on July 26th. I had my first ER visitfor IV's the first of August. The doctor prescribed me what I call my miracle drug, Zofran. It is so much better than I have ever had, and it doesn't knock me out. To this day, I am still taking Zofran, but I will not get ahead ahead of myself.

At my first OB appointment on August 26th, (10 weeks)I weighed in at 113#, this is the most I weighed starting out a pregnancy. By August 30th, I was back at the doctor for IV's and I weighed only 109#. I was so depressed that I was losing the battle, but I will say, there is morning sickness that a lot of women get, and then there is hyperemesis gravidarum. It is a sickness much like morning sickness but can last all day, all night and sometimes throughout the whole pregnancy. That is what I have. It is something that you cannot win against, or so I think. No matter how small of meals you try to eat or how little sips of water you take, it will not stay down. It can lead to depression, among other things, to say the least.

My next OB appoitnement was September 26th, (15 weeks)and by the grace of God I was up to 114#. And I was in my second trimester! So many people had me wishing for the second trimester that I was tarting to believe it, but I should not have gotten my hopes up. On October 4th, I started getting braxton Hicks contractions. It is very normal, especially with the more pregnancies you have. And to top it off, I was still sick.

My next OB appointment was not until November 1st, so that I would be 19 weeks for the ultrasound. We had waited for this day fopr so long. We were so excited to see what the sex was, we could not contain ourselves. My weght at this appointment was 121 1/2#. And the baby was breech. It moved around a lot, and kicked and wiggled, but with the breech presentation, it was very hard to see the sex. So we got as close of a look as possible, and as of this date, we are expecting a girl. Lets hope it was right...

December brought on another OB appointment on the 8th, I was 25 weeks and I weighed in at 127 1/4#. The baby as of this day was still breech according to the nurse midwife, and she gave me some hints on some excercises that I could do to try and turn the baby to get her turned head down. I also took my one hour glucose test this day, and was totally not prepared for it, I had eaten poptarts and a dr. pepper for breakfast, but I passed it anyway! December also brought on my thrid trimester, I thought I was in the homestretch, but I was wrong, I am still sick occasionally, but am able to eat and drink regularly, I just have to take my medicine still to kepe sickness at bay. I have no idea why I am still sick, but I am.

Now we are in January, and my 29 week appointment was on the 5th, I weighed in at a whopping 133#. There were a few conceerns that I had, and I had lots of questions for her. I wanted to know when they would start checking my cervix and that is not until the 34th week. I wanted to know how long they would let me go without doing another ultrasound to check the position of the baby, and that she said would not be until 36 weeks...I was devastated. I was also having many many braxton hicks contractions and they were pretty severe, to the point where I would have to stop what I am doing and focus on breathing through them. Also at some point right before Christmas, I was at Wal Mart shopping and I started having lots of pressure down low, and braxton hicks and they were making my back hurt...so with the mention of this, she wanted to check my cervix to see what was going on with me to make sure the baby was not trying to come early. As soon as she checked me, I knew it was not good. I am as of two weeks ago, 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Not good for only being 29 weeks, and only on the verge of the 29th week. So I was put on restriction, and told to take it very easy. I am no longer allowed to lift the kids, I cannot walk for too long, no shopping, and take it very easy with the housecleaning, etc. That is not easy to do with two children. But so far it is working out, I guess. I am still having Braxton Hicks but no more of the back pain that came with them.

My next appointment is scheduled for January 19th, which is this Thursday. I am going to the OB every two weeks now, and after next month I am down to visiting every week. The time has started to fly by! And we still can't wait to hold our little one in our arms.