Two Weeks Old!

Time really fly's by when you are having fun. I can’t believe Carolina is already 2 weeks old. I don’t even remember life without her around. Nathan and I are both so in love with this little miracle. Nathan has been so much help around the house and is absolutely wonderful with Carolina. 
He loves his little girl and he is the BEST daddy!

This past Monday was Carolina's weight check up after her first appointment the Friday before. The doctor said she is doing wonderfully. She went from weighting 7lbs 3oz the day we left the hospital, to 7lbs 5.5oz at her first appointment Friday. At her appointment Monday she was weighting in at 7lbs 10.5oz and now at her appointment Thursday was exactly 8lbs. That means no more appointments for two weeks, she will be a month old then! Our little girl is already getting so big. There is thankfully no popping or clicking in her hips even though she was breeched for quite a while in there. Her doctor is very happy with her weight gain and her health since we left the hospital. 

EATING PATTERNS:

Breastfeeding is going GREAT… Carolina LOVES it. She has set her on schedule to every 2 hours and will eat for a good 20-30 mins. This past week she has even been taking the bottle from grandma and daddy a few times.

 NEW THINGS WE HAVE DONE:

To be so tiny she is doing BIG things. She is already starting to hold her head up and she is also trying to roll over. Carolina laughs at daddy all the time and loves to smile at everything. She found our dog Honey Bee and my mom's dog Baby, she will sit there and watch them run around after each other. We are going to try our first big girl bath tonight since her cord has finally fallen off and healed up wonderfully. 

I will post a video tonight to show the outcome, keep your fingers crossed and wish us good luck!

SLEEPING PATTERNS:

We LOVE our afternoon naps and most nights she is a pretty good sleeper. Last night she did amazing and slept up to 4 hours, even though she slept on mommy on the couch the whole time. Occasionally she will want to be a tad nocturnal and get mommy to stay up with her. Other than that she has been pretty great... She wakes up to be changed and eat and then she is usually right back to sleep for a couple more hours.

WHAT YOU LIKE TO DO:

Carolina LOVES her flower swing… She could sit in it all day long and be the happiest little girl.

DISLIKES:

So far Tummy time is not something we quite enjoy yet. We are still working at it but it's not turning out too good so far.

DIAPER SIZE:

We are still wearing newborn diapers and thankfully now that her cord has finally fallen off, we can start using our Charlie Banana reusable diapers!!

CLOTHING SIZE:

As of now we are wearing all newborn clothes and even some of them seem to be too big. Occasionally we will wear a 0-3 month gown but other than that, just newborns for now!

WEIGHT AND LENGTH:
Exactly 8lbs and 22 in long!

Carolina's First Doctor Appt.

Friday, January 25th was our little girl's very first doctors appointment. Unfortunately Nathan was made to go to work due to some stupid range he had to attend. My mother went with me to Carolina's appointment due to me not being able to drive. Once we got to the office it only took about 5 minutes and we were seen right away. The nurse was great and the doctor was even more so. They were so wonderful with Carolina. Our little girl is now weighting 7 lbs 5.5 oz, her hips checked out great even though she was breeched, and her length was good as well. Also her heart and lungs sounded wonderful, no murmurs, holes, or etc...

We have to come back Monday for a quick weight check to see if she is gaining normal weight from breast feeding. The doctor is wanting her back up to her birth weight of 7lbs 13oz by her two week appointment.

A Newborn's Conversation with God

A Newborn's Conversation with God

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the small child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?"

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name."

God said, "You will simply call her, "Mom."

Carolina Dawn Penn

Carolina Dawn Penn
Born on January 17th at 8:41pm
7 lbs 13 oz

21 1/2 inches long

Sorry for the image not being very good, we didn't get to take many pictures in the hospital due to my recovering from surgery. 

More details later...

Doctor's Update on Our Little Chunky Monkey!

Well today has been a little nerve racking... Today we got up at about 9am to get ready for our appt. at the Perinatology Center at Mary Washington at 10:30am, even though we had to be there 30 minutes early to fill out paper work. I think we ended up sitting in the waiting room for like an hour until we were called back. They called us back to check my weight and blood pressure and get a little history about my pregnancy so far since it was my first time there. After being asked a MILLION questions, we were back to the waiting room. My mother was on her way there from NC, she had been in NC visiting family for a few days prior. She got there at about 11:40-11:50 and we were finally called back for our sonogram maybe 20-30 minutes later. A nurse did the sonogram first to check on a few things before the dr. had come in to talk to us about our options. We were finally able to get a little profile picture of our little girl so I will post that shortly as well. After spending about 30 minutes or so looking at our beautiful little girl with the nurse, the dr. came in and took a look at all of the images the nurse had taken. Right away the dr. noticed that we had a little chunky monkey that is currently weighting about 8lbs 1oz, give or take a pound or so... Also he had noticed that the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck and arm and that made him a little nervous due to her moving and being able to hurt herself. Unfortunately they were not able to turn her, nor did he even suggest moving her due to all of the issues present. I am not too happy about having to have a c-section but at this point I am only thinking about my little girls safety. The high risk dr. recommended doing an amniocentesis procedure to see if her lungs are fully developed. The only thing standing in our way as of right now is talking to our regular OB about scheduling a c-section. Hopefully she is ok with doing one soon and if so then there is a high chance of scheduling the Amniocentesis for tomorrow and then the c-section for Friday and us having her by this weekend! I promise to keep family and friend's updated on what is going on and I guess my appt. tomorrow will tell us what is going to happen these next few days!

38 Weeks!

How far along? 38 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Same as last week
Maternity clothes? All maternity clothes these days
Stretch marks? Same as last week
Sleep: I wish I could get some sleep, I haven't slept in a long time!
Best moment this week: Getting Carolina's nursery together… I LOVE IT!!! 10 times better than what I thought it would be, I could stay in there 24/7 and be one happy camper.
Movement: Some days she is a little wild child in there and some days she is slow moving… But I still get kicks and jabbed daily and honestly I am going to miss that 
Food cravings: Apple juice, water and yogurt!
Gender: We had an ultrasound this past Thursday and she is still a little GIRL!!!
Labor Signs: I feel like EVERY DAY / ALL DAY!!! Last night was another bad one. I was having some really strong ones but that are not close enough to go to the hospital plus I am being a little stubborn butt and waiting because I don’t want to just be sent back home.
Belly button in or out? IN but some days it's flat.
What I miss: Being able to just jump up and go… It takes me a second these days
What I am looking forward to: Meeting this little girl very soon!
Milestones: Having everything baby related done before miss Carolina is here!

I have a doctors appointment again this Thursday and I am praying this little girl will flip very soon. I have been having good strong contractions for awhile now but they come and go and to far apart to do anything about. I am seriously starting to consider the c section so this little girl will hurry up and get here. I guess we will see what the doctor says Thursday, hopefully something good soon!!

37 Weeks!

How far along? 37 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I'm up about 40 lbs since pre-pregnancy. I am ready for this little girl to get out so I can get my butt back into shape!!
Maternity clothes? Still the usual... Maternity jeans and tops, and leggings occasionally.
Stretch marks? Same as last week, thankfully none are getting worse.
Sleep: haha… What is sleep?
Best moment this week: Nursery done before baby... Woot Woot!!
Movement: She has slowed down dramatically! I still feel her 5-6 times a day but it is a change from last week.
Food cravings: Apple Juice and water!
Gender: GIRL!!!
Labor Signs: I feel like I am having contractions all day, every day. I swear they are not just Braxton Hicks, they are PAINFUL. And this pressure is going to drive me up the wall if she doesn't decide to bring her little butt on soon!!!
Belly button in or out? In but it is usually flat by the end of the day.
What I miss: Sleep!!
What I am looking forward to: Doctor’s appointment Thursday and hopefully meeting this little girl very soon. I am really hoping that she will decide to come sometime this week or possibly next week!!
Milestones: FULL TERM!! Now they can’t stop me... Bring it on little girl!!

Doctor's update, well not really...

I HATE going to the doctor’s office. I have been going to the same doctor for the past 5 years and now I am having to see a new doctor. 

I had my 36 weeks appointment yesterday and other than getting the Strep B test done, I honestly should have just stayed home. I saw the same doctor as last time and she is not even a doctor, she is just a PA. I LOVE my old doctor and sometimes I wish I was still in NC so I could still see him instead. This is my first time giving birth and I do have question, this isn’t something I do everyday. 

Finally after waiting for a little while and having to strip down from my waist down, the doctor came in and we were able to hear Carolina's heart beat and then she measured my belly. The PA checked me and I'm currently not dilating and my cervix is still closed as of yesterday, which I am hoping will change soon. 

After having a pretty much pointless appointment. The PA recommended an ultrasound to find out Carolina's exact position and weight. The other night at the hospital, the doctor said she was currently breeched and according to the PA yesterday, she still is. I am really hoping that she decides to turn her butt around soon because we are getting close to the wire now. 

My next appointment is Thursday, the 10th and I'm praying that things will have progressed a little by then so we can get this show on the road. I am getting to the point of being anxious and tired of waiting. I am just ready for this little girl to come already so I can meet her!!

Hey there. Its been quite awhile since Ive gotten on here and actually posted anything. Life has been quite busy but Im sure Brandie has been keeping you all updated on it.
We have, since my last post, moved to Virginia and I have started a new job working PMO. I love the job and Im doing well learning a new side of my job. Its what I originally signed on for and Im glad Im actually getting the chance to do it now. I should be stationed here for the next two years or so.
The new area were in is quite comfortable, I like how we are so close to everything around. There is a lot of stuff to do and we dont have to travel 30 min (unless traffic gets too heavy) to get to anywhere. And since I am working shift hours at base I am headed north when everyone else is headed south going home. So honestly everything is pretty good right now.
Our lil girl Carolina is on the way still...due date is Jan 28th but I have a feeling we are going to have her a little early. Hopefully we will because Brandie seems to be in a lot of pain and just wants her to pop her lil head out. :) Im looking forward to seeing her but Im also a little bit nervous. Everyone says to wait to have kids until you're prepared but honestly it seems like no one is ever prepared so why wait ;) Im glad were having a little girl and this will be our only kid. At least for now. You never know what the future will bring. Besides who would want to risk having twins on the next time ;)
Life is good right now. So relaxing. I am finally getting our debts paid off. Its interesting to look back on the past and see how much we have come close to going bankrupt or farther in debt, but we have by the grace of God been able to pull it off with people helping us and us being blessed with extra money here and there. Everything has worked together for good and I am so relieved I am able to provide for my wife and family. I cant wait to be debt free (minus the car payment) lol and I hope it is something I can continue for the rest of our lives. I mean, I have a wedding to pay for 18 years from now wont I? ;) That is if any boys pass the application process for our little Carolina...
Take care everyone and Ill try to get on here a little more often.
Nathan