1 week old: Special Visitors

That's right...I love my mommy!

Thanks Aunt Tracey for all my gifts...you're the best!

I love you Grammy Videmscheck...miss you!

-Brooks had his one week checkup on Monday and is doing great! He is now 8 lb and 14 oz and eating like a champ. He has plenty of wet and dirty diapers. We did not realize how much we would be changing him!! We are still learning how to take care of a newborn...but he is making it easy for us. He is really a good baby. He cries when hungry and dirty. I know that will soon change...but we will take what we can get!

-Josh's mom and sister came in town to visit with Brooks. They just thought he was the cutest thing ever! They could not get enough of him. We wish they lived closer so they could watch him grow. We really appreciate them taking the time to visit us. We love and miss them!

Baby's First Christmas

My First X-Mas at Grandparents house

I love my Uncle Tyler, Aunt Tammy and Cousins Cassidy and Cameron!

Mom could not resist these cute pants

My first picture with Santa
(he looks a lot like my Grandpa Doc)



Save me mom and dad!

-Brooks had his first Christmas at home! We originally thought we would be stuck in the hospital for Christmas. Brooks had other plans! We had a nice Christmas morning at our house and then went to my parents for a celebration with the whole family. We were all spoiled with wonderful food and gifts. Brooks was our best present however....what a blessing! It is so exciting to start our own Blackmore holiday traditions. I look forward to many more to come!

Homecoming!

Here are a few pix from my first few days of life! I'm ready to go home and meet my big sis and brother (Sweet Pea and Brutus)!
Blackmore family :)

My mommy put this Clemson hat on me...I look good in orange!

My daddy already loves me!

Crazy Hair Day!

I kind of look like my Grandma Jan when she was a baby

My mom loves my chubby cheeks!

I love my mommy!

Ahh..the life of a newborn!

-Brooks did great in the hospital. He took to breastfeeding very well and it was me who needed to learn! I did learn quickly that there is no such thing as a schedule with a newborn! That is very hard for someone who relies on schedules. But, I have been adapting fairly well. The hardest part after getting home was to depend on Josh and family members for help. I was unable to do much due to the C-section...but each day keeps getting better. It was frustrating initially because I could not take care of Brooks like I wanted. Josh had the honor of changing his first dirty diaper and also got the pleasure of being showered with pee.....ha ha. There is a lot to learn with having a little boy!

Happy Birthday to our Baby BOY!!!

Our Little Miracle...

Brooks Lee Blackmore

DOB: 12/20/09

Time: 10:25 am

Weight: 8 lb 9 oz

Length: 21 3/4 in

His cry sounded so good!
We were blessed with a healthy boy
Where did all that dark hair come from?

We could not wait to get our hands on him
Daddy got to hold him first because of the C-sectionMy first look at Brooks

My first time holding Brooks

Great job Dr. Cline! Thank you!!!

-So, as you can see we were surprised with a baby BOY! It was so emotional to hear those words. Josh and I both started crying and could not wait to get a look at him. Delivery via C-section was not how I imagined giving birth to our baby...but it all worked out just fine. None of that mattered after I got my hands on our little stinker. He stayed true to his nickname until the end.

-I wanted to thank all our family and friends for their support during this emotional time. I could not have done it without my whole family and my best friends (Holly, Emily, Jen), who were there for me during the whole hospital stay. Thanks also to my father in law for making the trip to Indy in time for the delivery of his first grandchild. Everyone is so proud of our son. He has truly blessed our lives and forever changed them for the better!

-I can't finish this post without thanking Carmel St. Vincent's medical staff. My nurses (especially Amy) were wonderful and really got me through this difficult time. The anesthesiologist eased my fears of the epidural and C-section as well as eased my pain! And of course, thanks to Dr. Maret Cline for being not only a wonderful doctor and surgeon, but as well as a mentor and friend.

"Uhh...Josh....I think my water broke"

40 wks and 3 days

So...I've been MIA on this blog because I've been busy attending to our little stinker. Follow our labor and delivery journey below :)

At 5:45 am on 12/19 Saturday, I realized my water broke! I had been to the bathroom several times that morning and realized that nope...it's not pee this time...it's my water! I woke up Josh and we both were in a daze. It was so surreal. You always imagine how you will go into labor and I just assumed I'd go in on the 23rd for my scheduled induction. We called the doctor and she said to stay at the house for awhile. If there are no major contractions then we were to come into the hospital at 10am. So, we packed up what we needed and dropped the dogs off at my parents home. We got all set up in our labor and deliver room and my contractions were monitored. I really was not having any progression with the contractions, so I started pitocin at 11am. I labored until 5:30pm without epidural....ouch! I thought for sure I had progressed at least to 5 cm by that time. However, I was checked and was only 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced! I knew I had a long road ahead of me so I decided to get the dreaded epidural. AHH...much better! I then started to progress more over the next several hours. However, to make a long 30 hour labor story short....I did not progress and stalled several times throughout the night. Our baby had a few stressful responses throughout the labor, but for the most part was doing great. I was determined to have a vaginal delivery, but the doctor discussed realistic options of a C-section around 8am on 12/20. We decided to give it at least another hour to see if I had again progressed. But...nope! This baby was happy and cozy inside the womb. I was absolutely exhausted and knew I still had a long road ahead of me to actually deliver this baby. So, after a very emotional decision...we decided to have a C-section.

40 weeks: Happy Birthday to......ME!

33 years old and prego as can be!

Alright little stinker...any day now!

Well....It's my 33rd birthday, I'm 10 months prego, and it's my due date......so where's Baby Blackmore? Oh yeah...things never happen as you plan them! This little stinker already has "his" own agenda and I am already being introduced to the joys of parenthood :) I have been told this is only the beginning. I did have a nice birthday morning so far (thanks to all those who have already called, emailed or texted!). Josh left beautiful roses, card and gifts for me! I plan to get my nails done later today with my mom. I did have a little bit of an emotional wave come over me this morning. I was thinking how this will be my last birthday not being a mom and all will change from here. I am SO excited about the change....but change itself is always a little hard at first. I am completely aware of that and just wanted to take in these last few days that I have to myself. It's time to grow up I guess! :)

We had our "40 week" checkup on Monday. We were excited to see if I had progressed at all and if maybe this baby would come closer to the due date. But...nope! The baby is low and my cervix is soft...but not progressed any! UGH! We went ahead and made a "game plan" because the holidays are around the corner. So, I get checked again on the morning of the 22rd to see if I am progressed any. If I am, then I get admitted on the 23rd for induction. If not, then I get admitted the evening of the 22nd to get some gel in my cervix to get things started. They would then start the rest of the induction on the 23rd. So either way....I might not be home for X-Mas. This bums Josh and I out...but we want to avoid a failed induction or C-section if possible. Just bad timing I guess. Good news is that the baby is doing well, moving often, and heartbeat was around 140. I actually feel better than I had in the first part of my last trimester! We are just so anxious to find out what we are having and when! We are ready Baby Blackmore any time!

38+5 weeks: Ultrasound number 7!!!

Baby's foot (toes to right of screen)

Baby's finger..."I'm number one!"

Baby's finger.....Is that little stinker flicking us off????

These ultrasound pix are a little harder to see as the baby is all squished inside!

Well, the doctor office fit us in today for our ultrasound and a quick "39 wk" checkup. I can hardly believe it was our 7th ultrasound this pregnancy! I guess they wanted to be aggressive and overly cautious considering all we went through to get pregnant. This time going into the ultrasound I was NOT nervous. I just knew all would be OK with our Baby Blackmore. My thoughts were confirmed. The baby looked great and has continued to grow strong! The stinker weighs 7 lb 14 oz (always measures bigger on the ultrasound) and heartbeat was strong at 141bpm. Cindy (the ultrasound tech), said there was plenty of amniotic fluid and the cord was not wrapped around the neck. The lungs, kidneys and heart were all working fine today. She said the baby has dropped into the pubic area and waiting for "his" birthday! I was measuring right on my due date of 12/16. So, despite the fact that my belly was measuring small...the baby was measuring above average and thriving still! Yea!!!! The stinker was SO cute still with those chubby cheeks. I can hardly wait to pinch on them! She said the baby had big feet as well. Seeing our baby was just the motivation I needed to get through these next few weeks! We go back next Monday for our "40" week checkup. They will check then to see if I am dilated. They will let me go at least a week over my due date and then decide about induction. So, if I don' t have the baby by the 21st...then we will look into a delivery date. Ugh....right up to the X-Mas time! As long as this stinker comes before Christmas...I'm OK with waiting.

38 Weeks: Sick as a dog!

Well...I ended up getting it...the flu that is. I was so lucky and careful this whole pregnancy and then BAM! I woke up Thursday morning not feeling well. That slowly worsened each hour and I rarely made it out of the bathroom. I could not keep anything down. I called the doctor office twice, but they said my baby should be fine. I felt the baby move all day and night..."he" was not happy with me. It was so awful. I felt like I got run over by a dump truck! I felt better today, just weak.

We had our checkup today and things went ok. The baby's heartbeat was 143 bpm and my blood pressure was fine. I did however lose 4 pounds from last week. The doc was a little concerned because I have been down the last few weeks with weight. I was measuring 2 weeks behind (still considered normal). But, the doc wants to do another ultrasound to check the baby's growth from our 35 week checkup. We aren't sure that is necessary...but are willing to do what the doc says to ensure things are fine. I'll keep you posted!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree....

We found it!

Josh sizing up the job at hand

Sweet Pea and Brutus don't seem to care much...

Here we go.....


Still don' t care much....

He did it!!!

Finished!

Josh and I have already started our own tradition by cutting down our X-Mas tree each year. We travel about 30 minutes to the Millbrook Tree Farm. It is a very small and friendly tree farm that is worth our drive each year. Every year we seem to take over 30 minutes looking for that "perfect" tree. We always disagree a little and I think Josh gets a little frustrated with me. I can never decide! However, we found this year's tree within 10 minutes and it is PERFECT! I finally got him to break down and spend a little more money on a Cannan Tree. The branches and needles are so much better for hanging the ornaments. I am SO excited to wake up X-Mas morning with our little one in our arms. I have the baby's first ornament already...now just to add the name. Growing up my family had a tradition that until we were married, we had to get our picture taken with Santa. So, I plan to do the same since this will be the baby's first Christmas. Let's just hope I am not swinging by the mall on the way HOME from giving birth. What a blessed season this will be for us.

Gobble Gobble!!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner and holiday with the family. There were a total of 24 people at my parents house (16 adults and 8 children). It was so much fun to visit with family and be surrounded by love. There is so much to be thankful for in my life....but my family is the number one. I can't wait to share in my own holiday traditions with our little one next year! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and ate as much as I did!!

37 weeks: "My lovely lady hump" :)

Well...we had our 37 week checkup today with Dr. Cline. All looked great and nothing exciting to report. The heartbeat was in the 140's and I continue to measure normal. My weight dropped a few pounds (fluid weight). That just means I can eat a little more on Turkey Day :) I am really looking forward to dinner at my parent's home. My father-in-law is in town as well as all of my brother-in-law's family. It will be day filled with family, fun, food and chaos! Can't wait!!

36 Weeks: Still "growing" strong

9 months prego...home "stretch"!

-We had our 36 week appointment today. It was a much calmer appointment than last week. The baby is doing well and the heartbeat was 143 bpm. My blood pressure was still "normal", but up slightly again for me. No protein in my urine...so that is a positive! I was swelling again this week, but again all is within normal range. We go back next week before the holidays for another routine checkup. I have been feeling better this week and only a few cramping moments. Nothing like last week! Josh is going to a wedding this weekend....so pray this baby stays nice and cozy inside the womb in the meantime!!!

Dinner out with friends

Me, Jane and Farrah

-Tonight I met up with a few friends from work. Jane and I have become close over the past few years doing evaluations together on Tuesdays. We actually don't get to see each other as often anymore...it was SO great to catch up tonight. I miss our weekly talks! Farrah and I have gotten much closer over the past year with our pregnancy journeys together. Farrah is 3.5 weeks behind me and is having a little boy! It is so fun to be pregnant together and share our exciting experiences with each other. I can't wait for future play dates!!!

Showered With Love

Here are just a few pix of the decorations and guests for my shower....thanks to all!!

Cute Owl Invites

Yummy and adorable cake

Thanks again to my sisters for a wonderful shower!
(Tammy, me, Tara)


I can't thank my mom enough for all her love and support!


Thanks to all my cousins, their girls, and my Aunt for making the trip to Indy

I can always count on my best friends for their support

Jen and Emily's adorable little girls

(Cailyn and Reese)

My best friends and their family

Thanks again to my brother's girlfriend for making the trip

(Jenny and me)

It was so nice of Josh's family to come in town from St. Louis

(Josh, mom-Jeanne, niece-Miranda, me, and sister-Tracey)

Thanks Josh for showing up after the shower to help load the gifts :)

--Today my sisters threw me a very special baby shower. It meant so much to me as I was surrounded by all my family and friends. I was overwhelmed with all their love and support...not to mention very thoughtful gifts! I feel very blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life. My Aunt Sharon and cousins Heidi and Gretchen made the trip from Ohio and Tennessee with their girls just for the shower. That meant to much! Josh's mom, sister, and niece also made the trip in from St. Louis. It was so great to see them and have them there for Josh and I. Thanks again to all my friends and family friends that took the time out of their day as well to celebrate Baby Blackmore! My sisters did such a wonderful job and were so creative to keep with my nursery theme of vintage owls. Too cute!