Introducing...

JOEY FRANCES JORDAN
April 14, 2010
1:29 pm
7 lbs 11 oz
20 inches




The story:
Tuesday night (4/13), we dropped Shelby off at our friends' house because we were supposed to be at the hospital really early the next morning. It was very sad for me for two reasons: 1) It was the first time ever that I would spend the night away from Shelby, and 2) I knew that the next time I saw her she would no longer be an only child. Not that I was sad that we were having Joey, I just didn't want this all to effect Shelby in a negative way.

That night I couldn't sleep. I had actually started to go into labor. I wasn't having contractions, but I was super crampy all night long. The next morning, we got a call from the hospital saying they needed me to wait to come in because they didn't have any beds. Ugh! I was so ready to get there! Anyway, we finally did get there and it was about 9:30 am when they got me hooked up to the Pitocin. I decided to try to wait on the epidural, but after about an hour of contractions, I'd had enough. So, I got the epidural and life was good again...for a bit. The nurse kept coming in telling me to switch sides. After switching 5 or 6 times, they put me on Oxygen because Joey's heart rate kept dropping. I was a little nervous because on top of that, when they broke my water, there was blood in the fluid. My doctor said not to worry, but of course, you do.

They checked me at about 1 pm and I was at 5 cm. Jeremy went out to make a phone call and get something to drink. I started feeling super strong contractions even though I'd had the epidural, so the anesthesiologist re-dosed me. At about 1:15 they checked me again and I was at 9 cm. They quickly called me doctor and started getting everything ready for me to push. I was freaking out a little because Jeremy still wasn't back. He walked in the door right before they had me do a practice push. Once I pushed my doctor, who didn't have gloves on or anything yet, said, "Um...Wait! Don't push anymore! Get me some gloves now!". I started pushing at about 1:26 and she was out at 1:29. My mom was watching via the Knocking Video app on our phones, and was so confused about what was going on because it happened so fast. It turns out that the cord was wrapped pretty well around Joey, but she is perfectly fine. She actually looked A LOT like Shelby at first- tons of dark hair, same nose, etc., but now I think she is already changing into her own little person.

These pics might be out of order:










Mom and Dad were here for a week, and I am so thankful for that! Mom kept saying she felt like she wasn't doing anything to help, but she did more than she knows. Just having them here for support meant a lot to us. And boy was it handy to have Grandpa here as a constant playmate for Shelby all week!

She is such a beautiful little girl. We love having her here. Today at church Jeremy and I were arguing over who got to hold her. And Shelby loves her so much. She gets a little jealous of how much attention I have to pay to Joey, but we are trying to do as much as we can to spend time with Shelby- take her on walks, do projects with her, etc.

Tomorrow will be my first day on my own. No mom and dad, no Jeremy. Wish me luck!

39 Weeks!

I can't believe I am 39 weeks already, though at times it has seemed as though I've been pregnant forever! In so many ways, this pregnancy has been so much more challenging than when I was pregnant with Shelby. This pregnancy I have had a 24 hour bug, 4 colds, pink eye, inexplicable spotting, and of course, the daily shots. And even though I have gained the same amount of weight that I did with Shelby, I definitely got bigger, faster. I guess the muscles were just already stretched and I carried differently. On top of all that I think this pregnancy was just more challenging in general because I was already tired from taking care of a two year old.

However, there are things about this pregnancy that were a lot of fun that I didn't get to experience before. For one, since I was seeing the high risk doctor this time because of the Factor V, I got to have monthly ultrasounds. It is so fun to see the baby grow, and especially at the end, try to see what the baby looks like. Although, she has been quite a stinker and has put her hand in front of her face EVERY TIME, so it will still be a surprise to see whose nose, chin, lips, etc. she has.

We told Shelby from the beginning that she was going to be a big sister and she has been so excited ever since. She loves to "hug" and "tickle" Joey, talks about how she is going to help change her diapers and give her bottles, and how Joey is her best friend. She has gotten to feel Joey kick, and she likes to mimic the kicking in her stomach and tell us "the blue baby" is kicking in her tummy. (We aren't sure who this blue baby is. She has been telling us I am having Joey and she is having a blue baby.) I cannot wait til Shelby gets to come to the hospital and see Joey for the first time. I know she is going to be a great big sister.

I will go in on Wednesday morning to be induced. I am so excited and can't believe it's only a day and a half away. I feel so ready for her to be here, yet I can still think of a million little things I want to do around the house to get ready. I am really just hoping that everything goes as smoothly as it did with Shelby. Can't wait to share pictures of Joey on my next post!

Happy Easter!

This Easter was the first one since we have been married that was not spent in Hattiesburg. There was just no way I could make the 16 hour round trip being this pregnant. Just the thought of being in the car for that long makes me cringe. (Let's be honest, the thought of being in the car for more than an hour, even when I'm NOT 9 months pregnant makes me cringe.) But, we tried to make the most of things and we had a really great Easter.

We started with the Oak Point Easter egg hunt last weekend. It wasn't as great as the Farmers Branch egg hunt we went to last year, as there were no ponies, no petting zoo, etc., but it was fun nonetheless. Last year we had to help Shelby with the eggs, as she wasn't quite sure what to do. Not this year. As soon as they were given the signal, she went right in, picked up her eggs, and put them in her basket. I have to say that she was also VERY polite. If she saw a younger child next to her, she would skip over some eggs so they could get them. (Unlike certain parents who were actually almost stepping on kids to get the most eggs in their children's basket. Really people?)




Yesterday, in between sessions of Conference, some friends of ours came over for lunch. We made Easter hats and dyed eggs, and then the kids played outside on Shelby's new swing set (love Craigslist!).






This morning Shelby actually let us sleep til 9. That was an Easter miracle. As she was going potty and washing her hands, the doorbell rang. It was the Easter Bunny! She loved her Easter basket full of princess crayons, a coloring book, jelly beans, and a few pieces of chocolate candy. We then ate fresh strawberries, pancakes, and sausage and got ready for Conference to begin.



In between sessions of Conference we went out and took some pictures. Unfortunately it was pretty overcast, but I am glad we were able to get some last pictures of the three of us before it becomes the four of us.







When we got back, I prepared my first ever Easter meal. We are always in Hattiesburg, so I have never cooked. I really wanted to make something especially Easter-y and fancy, like rack of lamb, but neither Jeremy nor I eat it, so what'd be the point? Instead I opted just to make a roast with carrots, roasted asparagus, homemade cheesy scalloped potatoes, and crescent rolls. I also made my first ever deviled eggs- only because I truly love Jeremy and Shelby. For dessert we had Key Lime pie and homemade strawberry ice cream. I didn't think my belly button could poke out anymore than it already was, but after that meal, I definitely had an outie!




All-in-all it was a great Easter weekend. I really wanted one last holiday to spend with just Shelby, so we could spoil her and give her lots of attention, and that's what we (and she) got.

So now we are just playing the waiting game with Joey. I was 3 cm dilated as of Friday, so we'll see...