10 Weeks Already!

Charlie, Andrew and I are doing great! It's hard to believe he's 10 weeks old already. I haven't updated in a while. I guess you could say I've been pretty busy. :)

As requested, here are some pictures. I love to look at the difference from his 1 month to 2 months. He's gotten so much bigger.

Here are a few newborn pictures from our talented friends. Their photo business is called "Souper Photography". http://www.souperphotography.simplybook.me/index/about

Charlie is starting to really become vocal. He is cooing and really responds to my face and voice. When he smiles it just lights up my entire world!

I feel so incredibly blessed and thankful every day. God knew when we were supposed to have Charlie. All the years of failed procedures and heartache have now disappeared. Of course I will never forget what it felt like, but I am filled with so much joy now.  I often ask myself how I got so lucky. I got to celebrate my first Mother's Day with tears of joy instead of tears of sadness.  Andrew's getting ready to celebrate his first Father's Day.

Would I change the past? No way! I'm the person I am today because of the "hard times". God truly knew when the right time was to bless us with Charlie. I've learned through this to trust in Him more. "There's a reason I am not writing the story and God is. He knows how it all works out, where it all leads, what it all means. I don't."

To my infertility friends: Hang in there.  God has not forgotten about you.

He's HERE!!!!!!

Charles Thomas Gipson

Born March 27, 2013

at

5:15 a.m.

7 lbs    20 inches long

The name:  Charles is Andrew's dad's name. Charles means "manly/strong". Thomas is my dad's middle name. Thomas means "twin". Charlie was originally a twin.

Our little miracle entered the world at 5:15 a.m. via c-section on Wednesday, March 27. He was 7 lbs and 20 inches long. He is such a blessing.

Here's the story before he arrived:

I went in for a routine check-up on Tuesday, March 26th.  I was still dilated at a 2 and the doctor said he needed to check something on the ultrasound machine. He thought he might have turned.

Well, sure enough, he was breech...although I think he had been that way for quite sometime. Doctor scheduled a c-section for April 2nd.

I went home in tears. I really wanted to experience child birth. I felt prepared from the classes, etc... and was terrified of being cut open.

Well, little man had other plans. My water started to break around 1:00 Wednesday morning. I went to the bathroom and realized it felt like I kept peeing after I had finished.  I calmly got dressed and put the last minute items in my hospital bag. I then woke Andrew up. He was half out of it and it took him a second to realize we needed to get to the hospital. (I had been telling Andrew I thought he was going to be born on this date...crazy!)

Just waiting to get my spinal. 

When we got there my water fully broke (weirdest sensation I think I've ever felt). The nurse said I would go in for my spinal at 4:30 and they would start the c-section at 5:00.  Ready or not...he was going to arrive! All my sadness/nervousness from having to have a c-section disappeared and I had this deep sense of peace that this was the right thing to do.

Once I got the spinal everything happened so fast. My legs went completely numb. It was truly strange feeling. They put this blue sheet up so I couldn't see anything. (Thank goodness).  I didn't care much for the sheet because it was so close to my face. Once they started cutting, Andrew got to come in the room. He was so calm and really helped me. The nurse anesthetist was awesome and very comforting too. Before I knew it, they were pulling him out. It wasn't painful but there was a ton of pressure and it almost felt like I was being lifted off the table, even though I know I wasn't. He was really stuck in there.  Andrew got to watch him being pulled out. Andrew could see what was happening the entire time because he could see a reflection off a piece of glass. I couldn't see what was going on, but heard this awesome cry! Wow, he just took his first breath! What an awesome sound and a relief. Andrew's first words were, "He looks just like you and he has your hair". They got Charlie cleaned off and wrapped up and Andrew got to bring him to me. Oh my was he beautiful. I started crying immediately. Although I didn't get to hold him, I got to kiss him on the cheek. He was beyond perfect.
My hormones kicked in and I started shaking uncontrollably and threw up a little bit. The nurse assured me this was normal. Once they finished stitching me up, I went to the recovery room. Daddy got to go go the nursery and watch him get his first bath, etc... Luckily he took video of it so I could watch later.

My two handsome guys!

Overwhelmed with JOY!

Kisses from Mommy!

About an hour later, they brought Charlie to me because he had low blood sugar. (I wasn't supposed to see him for another hour.) I nursed him and it happened so naturally which I was thrilled about.  Then they took him away again.

My mom and dad and Andrew's parents had just arrived and got to see him through the nursery while they did more testing on him.

My legs did not return back to normal for quite some time.  I couldn't move my legs until 6:00 p.m. It was really starting to freak me out. The nurse said it was probably because I was so tiny that it was taking a while for the medicine to wear off.

We stayed in the hospital until Friday. Normally c-section patients stay 3 full days or more but Andrew and I were both ready to get out of there. We had lots of awesome visitors.

I cried the entire way home with him. I just kept looking at this beautiful miracle God had blessed us with.

The first night at home was a bit scary. I hardly slept because I kept checking to make sure he was breathing, etc...

Sleep has been interesting. He's still not quite on a routine yet, but I think we figured out how feedings work best, etc...

I can't even begin to describe the joy that I am feeling. Almost 4 years of heartache, tears, procedures, etc... and our miracle is finally here. He was so worth the wait and I now know to trust God more. He definitely knows what he is doing and HIS plan is way better than my plan.

Charlie before his 1 week Doctor's check-up

Those of you waiting for your miracle:  Miracles do happen. Don't ever give up. Keep fighting for your miracle but trust in God too. He knows our story and how things are supposed to work. I hope my story can be used as a way to give you hope and trust. Charlie was definitely worth the wait!

32 Weeks

One of my pics from my maternity session with my talented best friend!

32 Weeks today! Where has the time gone? This pregnancy has flown by so quickly. I still feel very unprepared for our little guy. By unprepared I mean with “baby item stuff”. We do have the crib and diaper changer put up and Andrew installed the closet organizer.  Andrew and our awesome next-door neighbor Tom are going to install wood laminate in the hallway and living room since our little 4 pound dog decided to chew large holes in the carpet.

Knock on wood…but so far this pregnancy has been pretty uneventful. No problems and baby is growing like he should be. I’m starting to get a little nervous about the big day. I’m not so much worried about the pain because I know it will be worth it, but I’m just worried about any type of complications, etc… But, I realize that worrying DOES NOT change the outcome of anything. 

I still can’t believe that in 8 weeks or so, we will be meeting our little miracle.  My emotions…(I’ll blame my hormones) have been on full force lately.  Just thinking about holding him makes me tear up. This little guy is something we have been waiting for and soon it’s going to happen.  Andrew and I are so blessed and excited for his arrival. 

Part of me will miss being pregnant. It’s going to be a little strange once he’s out and I won’t get to feel him moving around in my belly anymore. I keep wondering what color hair he will have/eyes, etc…

I thank God every day for our miracle and I continue to pray for those that are struggling with infertility. It’s not an easy journey…that is for sure…  I pray for my friends that have had pregnancy loss and for those that have yet to become pregnant. I wish I could take the hurt and pain away from them.

This is what I do know…as crazy as it may sound…I would not change a thing about my journey.  Infertility has taught me so much about hope, waiting, envy, strength, fear, and ultimately God's timing and plan. I know that because of my struggles, I will be a great mom. I think I would have been a good mom if it would have happened earlier...but now I know I'll be a great mom. 

I have been blessed with infertility. The struggles I have been through have shaped me to become a better wife, daughter, friend, mother, etc...  I won't ever forget the lessons I learned and am forever grateful for God's timing! 

Another 4D Ultrasound

He really likes to keep either his feet or hands by his face. In the last picture he has his hands clasped together like he's praying. 

Can't wait to meet him! 

29 Weeks!

29 Weeks

Today we went in for a 4D ultrasound. Little man was not cooperating. He was sleeping with his feet up by his face. We tried everything to get him to move. When he finally did move his feet, he put his hand up and was rubbing his eye. Luckily, they are letting us come back and try again. This wasn't a doctor's visit. It was at a place called "The Ultrasound Zone" where you pay for a package,etc... I'm really happy they're letting us come back because it wasn't cheap. 

I can't get over how much fatter his face has gotten in just 9 weeks from our last ultrasound. The ultrasound tech today said he had hair. I wonder what color it will be? I wonder what color his eyes will be? I am so incredibly in love with him and can't wait to hold him.

Things have been going great! He has been moving so much and I'm enjoying every minute of it...even when he decides to have a party in my belly at night when I'm trying to sleep. He moves a lot at night when I lay down and about 5:00 in the morning. 

Andrew has done a great job getting the room ready. He painted and put the crib together. The next project is to put in the closet organizer.  Very thankful to my mom and sister for getting us the crib and mattress.  

Crib

 (The paint looks very yellow and dark in this picture, but it's not.)

I am so thankful and excited about our little miracle! 

Christmas Eve

25 Weeks (I'll be 26 on Thursday.)

I can't believe I'm getting closer to the third trimester. My belly is really starting to pop out more! Andrew always jokes and says, "Somebody ate a big dinner." He is so excited...as we both are. 

I go in on Wednesday for my glucose tolerance test. I hope I pass. I've been eating a lot of sweet treats that our students made us for Christmas. 

Baby boy is really moving a lot lately. It's so fun to feel him move. He seems to move throughout the night when I'm resting and early morning. Then, I think he sleeps from about 8:00 - 2:00 and then he's back to punching, kicking, doing flips, who knows what he's doing in there? Andrew still can't feel him kick from the outside, but hopefully in a few weeks he'll be able to.

What a difference a year makes. Last year I was so down about not getting pregnant that I didn't decorate for Christmas and we waited until the last minute to shop for gifts. I just wasn't in the Christmas mood. Being around children made me so sad. I remember putting on a smile and going through the motions, but I just wanted to hide in the bathroom and cry. I just felt like something was missing and I couldn't fill that part of my life. My heart aches for my friends that are struggling to get pregnant right now. The Holidays are really difficult. I wish I had some good advice but I don't. I guess I just kept telling myself that God had a plan for us and I just kept thinking that maybe next Christmas would be different. I feel so blessed and thank God everyday for our little miracle.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and I hope that for those of you waiting for your miracle, that you get through the Holidays. Infertility has definitely made us stronger people and when that miracle does happen through pregnancy, adoption, etc... you're heart will be filled with so much joy...and I can't wait for it to happen for those of you! 

3D Image...SO COOL!

 A 3D image of our little guy. (I'll be 21 weeks tomorrow.)

Check out those longs legs and foot kicking up!

20 Week Belly Pic

What an awesome doctor's visit today. Baby boy was being very cooperative for pictures! He now weighs 14 ounces.  The ultrasound technician said he has very long legs and every organ, etc... is perfect!
It is still so surreal to be considered a normal patient. I am very thankful for this pregnancy and thank God everyday! Andrew and I are truly blessed.
My mom went with us for this ultrasound. I think she really enjoyed going. Everybody cried just a little bit.
I'm looking forward to my next appointment on Tuesday. More to update on Tuesday...