Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!  We got a chance to go to church on Easter Sunday and it was our first outing as a family.  Benjamin did very well!  He slept through the service and ate at the very end of the service which was great. We then went by to see the grandparents and took pictures.  Of course I had to get some pictures of Benjamin with his bunny ears!  I know he won't appreciate them when he gets older.

This past Thursday and Friday my cousin Wendy came over with her little girl, Charlie, to take some Easter pictures of Benjamin.  The pictures turned out perfectly!  Wendy is so talented and giving of her time.  She got the film developed by the next day and even got some of the pictures framed for me!  Thank you SO much Wendy!  All of the pictures above were done by Wendy except for the last one which was taken by my mom.  

Proud Parents of Benjamin Wallace Owenby

Here is Grandpa Schubert, Aunt Nancy, Courtney (my sister), April, and Grandpa Owenby looking at benjamin for the first time!

Benjamin wearing the VMI hat my grandmother made me when I was born.

Chris and I are pleased and proud to announce the birth of Benjamin Wallace Owenby.  He was born on March 25, 2009 (during the 39th week of pregnancy) at 7:37 p.m.  He weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces and measured at 20 inches.  We are so happy and excited that Benjamin is here and that he is healthy.  The birth was hard and very scary, but oh so worth it!

I was admitted into the hospital on Monday night to prepare for the birth and for the doctor to monitor the health of both me and the baby.  I did have high blood pressure and a lot of swelling so they wanted to be on the safe side.  The nurses started the pitocin on Tuesday morning with the contractions progressing throughout the day at about every 5-7 minutes.  By the end of the day I still hadn't dilated!  So the doctor took me off the pitocin so I could get a good night's rest before Wednesday; however, I did continue to have contractions every 10 minutes during the night.  The doctor told us there would be a baby delivered on Wednesday due to my high blood pressure and she ordered an epidural for me to progress the labor faster for the next day.  So on Wednesday morning I got an epidural and the doctor broke my water.  I am so glad I got the epidural!  By noon I was 6 cm dilated and the contractions were every 2 minutes, but I had started throwing up consistently 2-3 times per hour.  By 1 p.m. I was 8 cm dilated and excited that Benjamin would be here soon... or so we thought.  I stayed at 8.5 cm from 1:30 to 6 p.m.  When Dr. O'Connell finally showed up at 6:45 she examined me and gave me the option of c-section or try to push at 9.5 cm.  We decided to start pushing and if I wasn't progressing I was going to have a c-section.  After 25 minutes of pushing Benjamin was almost here and we were making progress; however, I didn't feel "right".  I looked over at Chris and I started to throw up again and that's when things started to go down hill.  I heard alarms start to go off and the flat line sound.  They couldn't find a heart beat on the baby, my blood pressure went crazy, and I spiked a fever.  They put me on oxygen and the doctor announced emergency c-section.  My mom went with me to the operating room while Chris put on scrubs.  Chris and I were both scared, nervous and wondering why this was happening.  Thankfully Benjamin was born at 7:37 p.m., but had to be worked on before we could hear a cry or see him.  After a few minutes we both got to see him... he was so little and perfect!  I can't describe the feeling of knowing he had a heart beat and was crying!  I went to recovery still wondering what exactly just happened and I was exhausted.  Chris got to visit with Benjamin to make sure he was okay and came back to give me an update.  Benjamin had to be put on oxygen and needed to be observed before I could hold him.  When the nurses wheeled us to our new room, they let me stop by the nursery to see Benjamin.  He was so beautiful and looked like he was starting to turn pink which was much better than a blueish- gray!  I couldn't hold him but I got a chance to touch him.  Chris and I then came up with his name after we got a chance to see him together- Benjamin Wallace Owenby.  We both loved the name Benjamin and Wallace is my dad's middle name and it's a family name.  Benjamin is perfect and we love him so much!  We can't thank you enough for all of the text and phone messages, visits and most importantly the prayers during the past week!  We needed them and everything turned out okay.  I will post pictures of Benjamin coming home soon and we are looking forward to introducing all of you to our new son!

Baby Time at 39 Weeks!

We spent our last night together pre-baby at home.  It was great relaxing and taking in the "quiet"!  We are ready for baby Obo and can't believe the time is already here!  I have gotten some very encouraging emails and phone calls this morning and it has helped me to relax.  I have been going into Obo's nursery multiple times making sure it's ready and I have had a great day of relaxing.  It is 2:00 p.m. and we are leaving for the hospital within the hour.  It's definitely hitting us now!  We are packed and ready to go!  Thank you again for all of the support and prayers and the next post will be to announce the birth of baby Obo!  

38 Weeks Spent on Bed Rest!

What a week!  I got to spend this past week on our couch!  The only time I got a chance to get out was when I had a doctor's appointment.  I had a non stress test on Monday, an appointment and non stress test on Thursday and an ultrasound on Friday!  I have never been as happy as I was about going to the doctor than this week.  I had many visitors this week while I was at home- the Murphy's from next door, my parents, Katie Byers (loved the lasagna Katie), Shelby and Will Scott (thanks for the chicken and fruit salad), my aunt Nancy, Summer Oostra, and mother in law Gale.  Thank you for the visits!  They really meant a lot! The phone calls were also very nice!

My aunt Nancy took me to the doctor on Thursday.  When the nurse was getting me ready for the non stress test, the nurse asked me to hold the clicker and to press it every time the baby moved.  Nancy started to laugh as I grabbed it.  After looking at her for a few seconds, she said, "I'll take baby names that start with 'O' for $300 please!"  She was mocking Jeopardy since I was holding the clicker.  It was a pretty funny moment, which I needed since I was nervous about the appointment.  I got to see Dr. Yonker and after the check up she mentioned that I hadn't dilated yet!  I was bummed out but I was 80% effaced.  Her next question was when did I want to be induced next week!  I was in shock, of course, but she decided it would be best for me and the baby to be induced as soon as possible at 39 weeks due to the hypertension.  Therefore, I will be admitted at Mary Immaculate on Monday, March 23rd at 4 p.m., but I won't be induced until Tuesday morning.  We could possibly see and meet Baby Obo on Tuesday or Wednesday!  We are so excited... and a little scared, but we know God will be with us as well as family members.  The ultrasound on Friday told us that Baby Obo is currently 6 lbs. and 8 oz.  He is a very good size and he could gain up to 5 more ounces before he is born.  However, the size of his head is in the 86th percentile!  Yikes!  The tech said it was a good thing and nothing to worry about!  Easy for her to say!

I can't believe this is really happening... it seems like yesterday we were telling people we were expecting.  I feels like the longest yet shortest 9 months!  We really want to thank all of our family and friends who have supported and prayed for us.  We are truly blessed to have you in our lives.  I will post some pictures and write before we head off to the hospital.  Thank you again and God bless!

37 Weeks and what a week it is!

What an eventful week!  I went to my routine visit at the doctor's office and found out that my blood pressure was a little too high.  The doctor checked everything and decided that I will be on bed rest until the baby is delivered.  I was hooked up to the fetal monitor and Obo kept kicking the monitor!  The nurse had to strap it on and it was fun to see him moving around.  I had contractions every 4 minutes, but they didn't hurt.  I'm sure it won't stay that way for long!  Shelby drove me home from the doctor's office and my mom stayed with me over night.  Chris was at a business meeting in Georgia!  What great timing!

I stayed with my aunt Nancy during the day on Thursday and I was starting to get headaches. I was also feeling very hot in my face so I called the doctor.  She suggested I go to Mary Immaculate to be on the safe side.  My blood pressure was up and I stayed there about two hours and the blood pressure went down.  Baby Obo is healthy and his heart rate was great.  

Today (Friday) I went back to the doctor to get some lab work done and to check my blood pressure.  It has gone down some and I lost 2 lbs.  This was great news since it shows that the bed rest is helping with the blood pressure.  They took some blood to check my liver and kidney function and we will get the results Monday.  I will remain on bed rest until Obo arrives since it is working.  Also, Dr. Yonker looked over my chart and said that she would like for me to make it to 39 weeks and then I can be induced next Monday March 23rd!  I am so excited to know that we may have a baby within the next 10 days!  Thank you for your prayers and we will keep you posted!

36 Weeks!

We have reached 36 weeks!  I went to the 36th week appointment and everything looks well.  I haven't gained any weight and I measured well for this point in the pregnancy.  Obo is in "position" but I haven't effaced or dilated yet.  Everything looks good and the next appointment is this Wednesday for my 37th week appointment... so, right now Obo is full term!

This past Saturday my mom, aunt Nancy and April threw a shower for the baby.  It was a golf theme shower and it was awesome.  Nancy made a golf cart cake with tee and golf ball cupcakes.  I will post pictures soon!  The cake was amazing with the license plate saying, "JJ&TNFN"!  It was great seeing all of my family members and friends and I appreciate all of you taking the time to come to the shower!  

I will post pictures later this week of the shower and give an update on the 37 week appointment! God bless!

The crib is READY!!

Here it is!  Chris put the crib together last Sunday.  It looks so good!  Our neighbors Liza and Rick from across the street has a three year old son who just got a brand new toddler bed.  They came over and asked us if we needed a crib.  We told them we were interested and went over to check it out.  It is a beautiful, white iron bed.  I love it and it matches the other furniture in the room.  We are so excited and we can't wait until we use it!  Now I am trying to find curtains... any suggestions?