SHE'S HERE!

(click here for more pictures!)


After 3 weeks of light labor (early labor stage), we made it to our induction date, 11/26/2008. Already 3 cm and 70% effaced, Makayla was well on her way.
Dr. Hughes broke my water at 9:05 am, and the patocin was started at about 9:45am and my epidural was ordered. The anesthesiologist came so fast and my epidural was in place before I ever felt any "real" pain. At 11:00am I had already dilated to 4 cm, 80% effaced. Pretty soon my Dad and Jayne showed up with all kinds of labor comforters and of course with the rabbits-Dharla and Phhill.
Around 12:30pm I was feeling a little discomfort, actually a little pain like strong menstrual cramps. My amazing nurse, Martha said that it should not be painful with the epidural and that it was probably Makayla being pushed down into the birth canal, "lets check!" I was 6cm 90%. By now Sandra and Maya showed up and everyone was excited but relaxed figuring this was going to take a while...little did we know!
At about 1:45pm I started to feel that uncomfortable cramping again. Martha was at lunch so nurse Debbie came in to check on me and we talked about it but figured it was the epidural not getting to me easily because I was sitting straight up and to give my self a little extra dose. However I had done that already and it only worked for a few minutes. Right after nurse Debbie left Martha came back and I told her that I was having that feeling again, she asked me if I felt like I need to push, I didnt, I just felt cramping.
Martha quickly shuffled everyone out of the room and checked me...I was complete, it was 2pm!
I stated pushing a little after 2:15pm, Makayla was born at 2:28pm PST 11/26/2008 8 pounds 9 onces!

39 weeks, 4 days and counting!

Well here we are, heading towards the finish line! It seems like my body has been laboring at a slow pace. I started dilating about a cm a week starting at about 36 weeks. Contracts are regular at times, sometime for more then an hour at a time, 3 minutes or less apart, but no real pain or increase in intensity. What ever my body is doing it is working, and nothing I do seems to help it along! So far I have been walking everyday, tried nipple stimulation, spicy food, pineapple, prunes, sex, and even an enema! I guess what they say is true, your body will go into labor when it is ready! I decided long ago I wouldn't try castrol oil, with my sensitive digestive system I really dont think it would be pleasant.

I have my last doctors appointment tomorrow morning (Nov. 24th) and we will see how far along I am now and Makayla's position. Last weeks appointment we found out I was just shy of 3cm, -1 position. (she feels totally lower today) My doctor says my body is totally ready and if we wanted to schedule induction he was fine with that, so we did! We are scheduled for Nov. 26th! Doctor Hughes says since I have dilated and my body is already working/ready an induction should work beautifully and more then likely not lead to a C-section. If we end up with a C-section, we would have had one regardless of an induction or not. (basically she wouldn't have fit or my body wouldn't dilate any more) So we are pretty excited to finally know when she will be here for sure!

However I have been feeling different today...lots of low pressure and the vaginal pain associated with her dropping lower and lower, so maybe we will go natural before the 26th...I guess all we have to do now is wait and see!

Halloween Fun!

Halloween 2008

It's our anniversary, anniversary....

2nd Anniversary

We had so much fun celebrating our 2 year anniversary! We shared the evening with Raina and Tony at the Maxwell concert, and it was great. We had a good meal at Mexicali Rose, then headed over to the Paramount Theater.
Not only did Maxwell deliver an amazing vocal performance but he actual has grown as an overall performer! This is Raina and I 3rd time seeing him in concert and I have never seen him so animated and expressive! Well, I guess it's hard not to have fun when women are throwing their panties and bras at you! Maxwell was loving it!

How fast the time has gone by...if feels like we feel in love just yesterday! And who says marriage isn't great?!

The Baby Shower!

Wow, Makayla is so loved!
Her shower was so much fun and so many people came, the house was packed to say the least! Our wonderful hostess' Tameca, Raina and Kimberlee created such a beautiful party! We had tons of fun with the games we played, I think the guys to the clothes pin game to a new level! Plus they carried the poop(candy) diapers around like they really had poop in them! LOL

Makayla received so many wonderful gifts between personalized diaper bags and accessories, hand made blankets, clothes and all the little necessities needed those first few months!
We have continued to thanked everyone, but there is no such thing as too much! So here's another shot out of warm hugs, love and a super big thank you to everyone!

If anyone has any pictures from the shower please share!

Our Baby Shower

Photos, photos and more photos

Wow did we get tons of photos today...we had our 3D Ultrasound and we took Maternity Portraits with a amazing photographer and family friend, David Belove! Have fun checking them out!
It seems like Makayla looks like both of us put together. And no her nose is not that big, they say the nose just looks bigger on 3D then what they really are because it is being pressed and magnified.
I found an easy way for people to keep up now, you can subscribe now by clicking the follow this Blog...that should work now!

xoxo

Gestational Diabetes Roller Coaster

So if you haven't heard about my whole ordeal with the glucose screen, sit down, buckle up and enjoy the ride!

After a lot of research that ended with no alternatives I ended up taking the glucose test. A sugary orange drink that tasted like a flat orange soda. Not only was a challenge to drink it within 5 minutes but I was burping through the whole , which was probably the funniest part. I knew I was going to get sick since the my body cant process that much sugar. My whole body got super heavy and I had to lay down in the lobby. The nurse was really nice and gave me a pillow to rest on while waiting the hour to draw my blood. By the time the hour was up I was feeling a little better but light headed and woozy, at least I didnt throw up! So I took this test the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, first thing Tuesday morning I got a call that I failed. 140 and below is passing and 200 is an automatic treatment for GD (gestational diabetes). I came in at 157, so they wanted me to take the 3 hour glucose test to make sure, I told the nurse "no!"
My appointment was coming up in two days so the nurse told me to talk it over with the doctor.

As soon as I got off the phone I called the John Muir Gastric Bypass center and talked to the nurse there. Surprisingly, she hadn't been asked about the glucose screening fir GB (gastric bypass) patients either! It has been hard for me to believe that no one has faced this problem! However, after discussing it for a few minutes she totally agreed and told me that I couldn't and shouldn't take the 3 hour test, that I would get super sick, and I was like "duh!" (totally valley girl there). Anyway she told me to ell my OBGYN that I had talked to her and for her to give me a fasting blood test.

The day of my appointment I figured I would end this that day! I woke up and fasted till my appointment at 2pm thinking I would "tell" my doctor what I was going to do and get my blood drawn that day! Well that didn't happen at all...Sarah, my NP, said I should never fast like that again! Going all night and all day like that with no food for Makayla is not good. When I told her that I had had 1/2 of a frappacino before the test she said that may have bumps me over to the 157. Sarah said if I didn't want to take the three hour test the only other thing she could do is just treat me as if I had GD and refer me to the Diabetes Center. They could give me a machine and I would have to test my blood every hour after I ate...for a few days! A fasting blood test was not an option at all.
So I weighed my options...an hour of throwing up and pooping or a few days of pricks and test, I elected the hour of misery.

The 3 hour test consists of the lab taking one sample of my blood before I drink the glucose and one drawing every hour after I drink it, for 3 hours. So I went in to the lab that following Monday prepared for the worst. Drank the orange crap, which was double the amount of glucose but the same fluid amount, dam near puked and passed out for an hour in the chair. I woke up for my second blood draw feeling like crap...again, my head was spinning and my body felt like it weighed a ton! The lab staff was super helpful though. They let me rest in the lab on one of the little chair/couch things they had and after about 2 hours I was feeling much better.
Now, since I heard back from my OBGYN office so fast the first time, I figured I would know the results in about the same time...no. I took that test Monday September 8th, I had to call today to find out my results...passed.

So I guess the question is, was it worth it? I would say yes. Now I know I don't have to worry about Makayla, and I don't have to worry about possibly getting diabetes in the future. Knowing is defiantly better!

Fondant, ya right!

Ok so I got inspired!
I was watching a special on wedding cakes and really wanted to try to make one of those beautiful cakes you see in the magazines and on TV...lol well you see what happened! And it's true, fondant doesnt taste good...no real flavor just super sweet! I remmeber our cake vendor telling us to stay away from fondant. Well, it was fun to make and the cake it's self taste really good!

Sleep! What's that?

Well here we are ending out week 26 and boy let me tell you how crazy it's been! I have had the hardest time sleeping. Let me explain that a little better. At the end of the day I am ready to go to bed, and that is exactly what I do! However I only sleep for about 3 to 5 hours then I am up, I mean wide awake as if it were 10am! Now Makalya is a very active girl but her movements don't bother me and it's not the reason for this "lack of sleep". I try to lay back down but I get to thinking about all the things that need to be done...and it's over, I'm up! Could I be nesting already? My girlfriend Tameca jokes that I better make myself get that sleep now, because it will be the last of it! (ha ha Meca!)
Check out the week 26 photo, I am really starting to look pregnant now! My belly is really rounding out but I havent gained any weight this week. I am still at 16 lbs total weight gain.
My OBGYN was on vacation last week, so I am hoping to hear what she has to say about the glucose screening test options! I really doubt I have gestational diabetes, my weight gain has been really good!
Have a great week everyone!

Baby Shower!

The date has been set!
Mark your calenders...Saturday September 27th!

Invitations are coming soon!

Raina and Tony's Wedding

Wow what a trip!




Raina and Tony's wedding was beautiful! I only wish I had more pictures! The darn camera died and I lost all of the pre-ceremony and ceremony pictures!!!
The wedding took place on the lovely island of Kauai right on the beach. Raina looked beautiful and the reception was a blast! Everything ran smoothly and as planned, no major drama here!





While in Hawaii Akida and I enjoyed a lovely sunset/snorkeling cruise with Raina and Tony. Raina and I were sick for most of the 6 hour cruise, but it was still a beautiful and fun trip!

Meeting and hanging out with both sides of the family was fun too!

About this blog...

So hopefully everyone has enjoyed the little website we put together about Makayla! But it is time to move on to bigger and better things! This blog will allow all of us to interact and share our thoughts, feelings, ideas, updates or anything else.
We will continue to update this blog with the Weekly Belly Shots, that everyone seems to enjoy, and continue to use it to keep everyone in touch with what is going on with the Thomas'!

My pregnancy has been really nice so far. No morning sickness, or any of the typically or abnormal symptoms. The first trimester I experienced the normal tiredness, but got that super shot of energy in the second trimester. My weight gain has been pretty smooth so far too...since I am 3 and 1/2 year post op of my gastric bypass surgery (GB), food hasn't been an issue at all! I only seem to need a little extra small meal/snack then I did before. I am totally in love with fruit, so that myth about craving fruit means your having a girl, must be true! At 25 weeks I have only gained 16 pounds, so that is pretty cool. However I am facing a small challenge about the glucose screening test for gestational diabetes (GD). It seems that gastric bypass mom's get super sick from that test, so my OBGYN and I are researching alternatives. But we are both confident that I do not have GD.

So we hope you can enjoy this blog! Feel free to subscirbe so you know when new things are happening here. And please leave comments, say hello, anything you feel!

Ciao for now!