We're Home!!

Yesterday Katelyn and I got discharged from Hoag. They said that I was recovering better than most from my c-section and told me that if I was feeling up to it I could go home, and then we got the ok from our pediatrician to take Katelyn home. Kyle and I were so excited! It's nice being in the hospital with all the nurses there to help you, but other than them bringing me food and my percacet, I didn't really need any other help. Katelyn latched on and was a beautiful breast feeder from the moment she was born. She fed for 45 minutes right after I delivered her. I can't even begin to describe to you how amazing it was to look down and watch her feed and know that not only had I fed and nurtured her while she was in my womb, but here I was now that she was born able to feed and nurture her. It was one of the most natural, amazing feelings I think I've ever had. I think that I was meant to be a mother and can't imagine doing anything else. What an amazing gift from God Katelyn is, and Kyle and I feel so blessed and excited that she's finally arrived. Kyle said he feels like he was just meant to be a dad, how amazing is that!!??

BIRTH STORY
Katelyn Renee Circle was born at 11:44p.m on June 15, Father's Day. I had started having close contractions on Saturday, but we decided to wait until Sunday around 11:00 to head to the hospital. After showering and getting ready we packed the car and were on our way. When we got to Hoag they hooked me up to a bunch of different machines to monitor my contractions and the baby's heart beat. They said they would watch me for 2 hours and then let me know if they were going to admit me. At first my contractions slowed when I got there, but they they started speeding up. So around 2:00p.m, they admitted me. I know they say you're not supposed to be able to talk, but despite the fact that my contractions were 3-4 minutes apart, Kyle and I were laughing and joking around while I sat on the medicine ball to relax through the contractions. Finally at 6p.m the nurse came in and said that I wasn't having a "hard" enough time so they gave me Petocine to speed up the contractions. Just as they were starting to get really difficult to handle the lady comes in to give me the Epidural. The Epidural was not as scary as I thought it would be, and didn't really hurt, although, I'm not sure how much I like not being able to feel the lower half of my body.

By about 9:15p.m. I was still not dilated enough and so they told me I should start considering a c-section, then an hour and a half later, as they were having me turn over Katelyn's heart beat dropped rapidly. All I remember is them having me turn back over, the nurse shouting all these codes, 4 nurses rushing in and then rushing me down to the operating room. Needless to say I was completely panicked and was shaking and crying. This was not how I pictured Katelyn arriving and I really didn't want a c-section. The recovery is pretty intense as far as I had heard. By the time we reached the operating room her heart rate had increased but I was still not dilated enough and they said that it would be another 8-10 hours of labor and her heart rate ran the risk of dropping again. Not wanting to face the possibility of loosing her again, we opted for the c-section. Not my first choice, but I didn't want to risk the life of my baby girl.

The c-section went well and Katelyn arrived in the world healthy and ready to eat. I nursed her right away for an hour.... it had to be the most amazing thing I've ever done! I feel as though I'm recovering quickly from this major surgery. I think I've even surprised myself. While I am doing all I can to take it easy, and it helps that my mom arrived yesterday to help out, I find myself enjoying piddling around my house.

Here are some pictures of Katelyn Renee at the hospital.

Katelyn has arrived

Katelyn Renee Circle arrived at 11:44PM on Father's Day. She was 8lbs 1 oz 20 inches. She was born healthy but had to do a emergency c-setion due to Katelyn's heart rate dropping. We are both recovering in the hospital & hoping to be discharged on Thursday. More to come.

Updated Nursery Photo

Kyle did such an amazing job hanging Katelyn's name on the wall. It took a lot of time and patience to make sure it was all straight. But in the end it was worth it, it looks great!

Nursery Pictures

Now we haven't hung the letters of Katelyn's name on the wall, here's pictures of how the nursery looks so far.

I love weddings

On Sunday, despite the fact that I was having labor contractions every 15 minutes, Kyle and I headed to Newport Beach to watch a dear friend of ours get married. Ashlee was a BEAUTIFUL bride and we had such a wonderful time at her wedding. Her father gave the most touching toast about how when Ashlee was born, he cut the umbilical cord and once they had cleaned her off they handed her to him and he said he forgot he even had a wife for a moment. He fell in love with her the moment she arrived. Ashlee wasn't the only one in tears, I'm pretty sure there wasn't a dry eye in the house. The food was delicious and Kyle and I even hit the dance floor to boggie down for a few songs. It actually felt good to get up there and dance. By the end of the wedding we were both exhausted and my contractions had slowed down. While I'm positive she's going to arrive early, even in the next couple of days, we were glad Katelyn waited on her arrival so we could attend Ashlee and Chris' wedding. We really didn't want to miss it!

And so it begins....

Last night the combination of labor cramps and braxton hicks started to kick in on a pretty regular basis. While I don't think she's coming tonight or tomorrow, I'm beginning to wonder if Katelyn is going to make an early appearance. I have to say, women aren't kidding when they say that labor cramps are extremely uncomfortable. Please be praying that I can try to relax. All the labor pains are creating an intense urge to "nest" and finish getting everything in the nursery together.

The Big 2-5!!

Last week we celebrated Kyle's 25th birthday. It's hard to believe how fast time goes by and now Kyle's 25 and readily preparing himself for Katelyn's arrival. He's working hard to get organized and he's been so wonderful and supportive as I've gotten the nesting bug quite a bit lately. For Kyle's birthday we decided to go out for Japanese Teppan grill, a tradition we have every year. Since Bennihana's was closed for remodeling, we ended up going to a restaurant called Yamoto nearby our house. The food was delicious and we were completely stuffed by the time we left. We love to watch the chef cook our food in front of us, and I promise, I will never tire watching them do the onion volcano. Overall, it was so nice to go out, just the two of us, and spend time together. I truly believe I'm married to the most wonderful man in the world.


Then on Saturday we called up some friends of ours, John and Christine Welches, who we haven't seen in a while to see if they wanted to grab dinner with us. We met up at BJ's Restaurant as my pregnancy cravings for their pizza and pizookie won out. We love spending time with John and Christine and it was just so wonderful to catch up with friends. We know that we're both going to be so exhausted after Katelyn comes, making it harder to be gone from the house for long periods of time, so we're trying to see everyone we possibly can before she's born. Keeping up with the birthday week celebratory tradition in our home, we celebrated Kyle's birthday at BJ's with pizookie. Thanks John and Christine for the fabulous baby gifts!