Introducing...

Cash Michael Holtmeyer

Last Thursday, October 10 was my last scheduled doctor's appointment. I wasn't dilated at all, but my blood pressure kept creeping up. Dr. Su felt more comfortable if I went ahead to be induced. So that evening Mike and I arrived at the hospital to start the process. They inserted a strip of medicine called cervidil to help me dilate and thin my cervix. It had to stay in my body for 12 hours. Didn't sleep at all. I was already having contractions before the process even started and didn't know it. By 1a.m. I could feel the contractions. My contractions during the whole labor process was just extreme pressure, no cramping like I was expecting. By 9 a.m. Friday morning, they removed the cervidil to only find out I was just dilated to barely 1cm. Talk about a huge disappointment. With the contractions very close together, I thought for sure we would be welcoming our child by that afternoon. 

Around 2 p.m. my body made no progress so I had to walk around the hospital for two hours. Contractions were getting more intense and were 2-3 minutes apart every time. So I knew we were getting close. After the two hours, still no progress and still just dilated to a 1. 

By 6:30 p.m., Dr. Su came and broke my water. Went from 1 cm to immediately 4 cm dilated. By Saturday at 7:35 a.m. after pushing for about an hour, we welcomed our sweet little boy, Cash Michael Holtmeyer. Cash weighed 7lb 3oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. 

Cash had meconium (his first bowel movement) during delivery; therefore, Mike was unable to cut the umbilical cord as he needed to be rushed to the pediatrician in the room to be cleaned and checked out. He got the clean bill of health and was put on my chest to keep warm. Cash laid there calm as could be and started to fall asleep until he heard his daddy's voice. 

Due to the meconium, they wanted to keep him as a precaution till Monday. Cash had also ran a temperature of 100.4 on Monday and lost 9% of his birth weight. So we had to stay even later. His temperature was normal later. I think the extra swaddling along with blankets the nurses wrapped around him to help with gas made his body temperature go up. Due to the low birth weight, we had to wait on him being circumcised. 

Breast feeding started off very good. By Saturday evening, our little boy was too impatient. Tried working with him on the feeding as well as having the nurses help. They all agreed I was doing everything right and said I just had one stubborn, impatient little boy. Poor guy just screamed and screamed. By Monday, after learning of his low birth weight and still screaming... I asked the nurse to bring a bottle. Very emotional seeing your little boy suffer and there was nothing more to do. After his bottle, we noticed a huge change. Wish the nurses would have just suggest for me to do that on Sunday instead of insisted the breast feeding because it is better for him. Nothing is better if he won't eat.

Daddy feeding Cash his first bottle.

So 'happy' to be leaving the hospital. :) 

First night home, he still had a lot of gas in his system due to screaming his head off at the hospital. Luckily throughout the night, he was up every three hours and the last feeding I had to wake him up to eat so we could see the doctor. Completely different baby on Tuesday. Only cries when he is hungry or getting his dirty diaper changed. 

Plan to still work with him this week on the feeding, so far he is still too impatient. Probably will resort to formula. All we care about is having a happy, healthy, feed baby. So nice to have my sweet baby back that we first met on Saturday. Getting lots of snuggle time in this week. 

Baby Update

Thought I would give a baby update, plus I am bored now that the house is cleaned! :) 

Had my last appointment in Columbia on Wednesday. Everything went really good and there is plenty of amniotic fluid around the baby. Thank goodness!

I plan to breastfeed at first and was given the go ahead by Dr. Grant since my thyroid levels haven't changed at all during the pregnancy.  Depending on how it goes I may just do it while I'm on maternity leave or stick with it.  May also depend if my levels change too much after birth as well with the decision.

Baby measured on the ultrasound around 7lb. 9oz. - Holy cow!!

I'm still not dilated, which I'm not due until the 13th but after hearing the weight I was sure hoping and crossing my fingers I would be at least a little bit.

You can't see the chubby cheeks in the picture since Baby H has his/her little hand pressing against it. You can see hair on top of the head in this picture, which really surprised me since I was a bald baby and Mike didn't have much hair either.

I'm starting to think the baby may be a girl. In the beginning I had a feeling it was a boy. We shall see very soon!

Hopefully my little chunk butt will make his/her appearance very soon. I'm getting antsy and ready to be done with the swelling. :) I think if it wasn't for swelling so bad, it wouldn't bother me to go past my due date or to even be pregnant another month.

38 Weeks

How far along? 38 weeks 
Maternity clothes? Yes!
Stretch marks? I am very sad to report I have a ton of stretch marks that literally just showed up over night. Very depressing, but at least they are well worth it. Crossing my fingers at least half go away after birth. 
Sleep: A lot better and baby is starting to do good and not kick me throughout the night waking me up. Of course the little one has to decide to do this with two weeks left or less or more! :) 
Best moment this week: Seeing the baby lay in my belly. Baby H is literally running out of room and it's so crazy to see exactly how a little human being is laying inside you. Butt has been snuggled up against my rib cage this week.   
Miss Anything? Ankles! I will be so glad to loose all this water weight. I was shocked to gain so much water weight in the last two months, I am up to roughly 50lbs since pre-pregnancy! Crazy!! Hope it comes off fast, but I'm not counting on a miracle. 
Movement: Lots. I wish I would have took a video of little Jake. We watch him some evenings after school before Mike's brother gets home from work. One day this past week I told him to come feel the baby as the baby was starting to kick. He thought that was the neatest thing, baby went on for about 4 minutes. Every time Jake would put his hand on my belly the baby would kick him back so he thought that was really awesome. Jake has already made a little buddy! 
Food cravings: None.
Anything making you queasy or sick:  None. 
Have you started to show yet: Indeed! 
Gender: Unknown. 
Labor Signs: Lots of pressure followed by a ton of Braxton Hicks. So far the baby doesn't appear to be making an entrance anytime soon. 
Belly Button in or out? Even with my belly.  
Wedding rings on or off? Off.  Will be so nice to wear my wedding ring again. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: Wednesday! Have my last doctor's appointment in Columbia. I think I may miss going there, the staff is always super nice and look at my baby on the ultrasound like it's their own. I have to say I am a little nervous to go as Dr. Su wants him to double check my amniotic fluid. Which they do monitor it every time with my thyroid and it always looks good. The past few weeks I have measured the same, but she can tell the baby has grown a lot in that time frame. Just a precaution there is enough fluid around the baby. I'm sure it will all be okay, just always in the back of my mind to come this far and for something to go wrong. I will just have to say lots of prayers and hope for the best! 

36 Weeks

How far along? 36 weeks 
Maternity clothes? Yes!
Stretch marks? Still the few purple marks on my sides.
Sleep: Much better. Of course it gets better right at the end when my sleep will be a thing in the past! :) 
Best moment this week: Feeling the baby. Had a little scare Sunday night when I realized I hadn't felt the baby move in quite some time. I could even pick my belly up and feel the baby, yet no movement. Was just about to make a made dash to the hospital then thankfully I felt a little nudge. Little stinker!  
Miss Anything? Coffee! Bought some the other day so it's all ready to go after the baby arrives.
Movement: Kicks are moving it's way up towards my ribs and it feels like the baby is doing handstands on my pelvic bone. 
Food cravings: Nothing that I can recall. 
Anything making you queasy or sick:  None. 
Have you started to show yet: Of course, some people constantly ask if there is twins since my belly is so big. Luckily if there was a twin hiding we would have seen it by now by doing monthly ultrasounds in Columbia. Glad there is just one baby, it was hard enough to find a sitter with one opening. 
Gender: Unknown. Still funny to hear everyone's guesses and theories. Every weekend the gender changes with the people I am around. 
Labor Signs: Nope, hoping this baby will hold out until October. Always so much going on in September with gatherings, etc. But we will take what we can get as long as the baby is healthy. 
Belly Button in or out? Level with my belly. I think it will stay that way and not be sticking out. It has turned brown and I have a light brown faint line above my belly button leading towards my ribs. 
Wedding rings on or off? Off. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: Thursday.  It's my birthday and I have a doctor's appointment.  Just another birthday to me and it stinks getting older especially when you are just now starting your life.  But like my grandma always says... "If you don't get old, you die young".

First Anniversary

Mike and I celebrate our first anniversary on Sunday. Hard to believe a year has already flown by, yet it also seems like it's been longer than a year at the same time.

We kicked off the weekend celebrating two friends getting married, Josh & Lindsey Evers. They had a gorgeous wedding day. It was hot, but not too bad.  Had lots of people predict we were having a girl.

Sunday Mike and I ate at Red Lobster then bought groceries. Real exciting, huh? Guess we're already that old married couple. :) I was pretty miserable with my swelling since it never went down from Saturday and it kept getting worse, so it was a quick trip to Jeff followed by a shake from Sonic on the way home.

Tomorrow kicks off my weekly appointments. Just five more weeks and we will be meeting our little girl/boy.

34 Weeks

How far along? 34 weeks, 3 days. Ignore the swelling... it's actually gone down since what it has been, hence the reason I waited for a picture. Yesterday, I could not even smile. lol 
Maternity clothes? Yes!
Stretch marks? Still just the annoying purple marks on my side. 
Sleep: Getting better, now if I can just get the neighbors dogs to quit barking at armadillos early in the morning! 
Best moment this week: Feeling the baby, can definitely tell he/she is getting stronger as the kicks become more intense. 
Miss Anything? Regular jeans and being cold. I so miss the goosebumps and chills. :) 
Movement: Lots of movement. Felt like a jungle gym this week. Baby has been feeling the need to kick my pelvic bone constantly.
Food cravings: Still have my chocolate milk in the evenings, but still don't think I would call it a craving as my body doesn't seem think I have to have it. 
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nothing out of the ordinary. 
Have you started to show yet: People are now starting to ask me if I am about due... nope still 6 more weeks... unfortunately I just look like I should pop now! 
Gender: Unknown. 
Labor Signs: No, thank goodness. 
Belly Button in or out? Still an inny... just about level with my belly depending on how the baby is laying! 
Wedding rings on or off? Still off. Stinks since Mike and I's first anniversary is coming up and it looks like I don't claim him. :) 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy.

Looking forward to: The weekend. It's our one year anniversary Sunday and friends of ours is getting married on Saturday. Had my monthly appointment with Dr. Grant in Columbia. Baby is right on track and weighs 5lbs already!!! I was shocked. Little guy/gal already has tons of hair and chubby cheeks. From the ultrasound, the baby resembles Mike a lot. Grandma Holtmeyer and Grandma Elrod came along today, luckily baby showed off a little bit and let us see one side of it's face. These ultrasounds sure spoil a person! 

Randoms

...Since the baby will more than likely be here a few weeks before Halloween, I went ahead and ordered a costume. It works for either boy or girl. Simple and easy. Thanks to thrifting and showers, we are covered with first halloween, thanksgiving and Christmas wear. Most of the Christmas wear came from mom's 'someday' stash that she's had forever. I should gather up all the clothes and shoes she has bought over the years on clearance, there's a lot!! 

...The baby has LOTS of quilts and sleepers for the first 0-6 months, girl or boy. I haven't counted, but I'm pretty sure I have received 7-8 quilts. Which isn't including the quilts/blankets I already had from when I was a baby. The quilt picture above on the bed is a rag quilt my mom made. I love it and it's so soft. 

...Mom and I have been pretty thrifty lately. Don't know the gender and yet it's hard to pass up a little western shirt or pair of jeans for a $1 or less. Last week I got a bag full of almost new clothes for $4.60. 

...Also found a stroller really cheap. Didn't want anything too expensive since I didn't think I would use it that much and when I do, it will just get dirty... like the Pig Roast next year. I may still get a good lightweight stroller for shopping trips, etc. Haven't decided yet. 

...Our TV finally called it quits last week. Nothing like a big purchase before the baby is here. Which we can't complain, I bought this TV when I was in high school so it's about 12 years old. 

...Hard to believe my 10 year class reunion is this year. Time sure flies by! 

...Very hard to accept all my swelling. It never goes down even with propping my feet up. At least I just have another month or so to deal with it. They did test me for preeclampsia a few weeks ago, thank goodness it came back negative. I couldn't imagine being put on bed rest for two months before the baby is here. All I kept thinking was not being able to get full paychecks before baby arrives and how it would affect my maternity leave after the baby is here.

...I'm still undecided on my maternity leave. I would love to take 12 weeks off, but I highly doubt that will happen especially being around Christmas time. I think we are going to try to make it work to squeeze in 8 weeks. It's time you never get back, yet money always gets in the way. Luckily my boss supports whatever decision I make and advises me to take the full 12, if I can. He was overseas and missed the first six months of his son's life, so he completely understands. 

...Finally the baby wasn't laying wrong in church on Sunday and I didn't feel the need to pass out. Hallelujah! 

...I would like to go ahead and put the car seat and car accessories in my car just so they are out of the baby's room, but I will try to wait. I'm sure people will think I am crazy if they see it in my car already at work! lol 

32 Weeks

How far along? 32 weeks   
Maternity clothes? Yes!
Stretch marks? I noticed I have a few purple stretch marks on my sides. :( Hopefully they will go away after delivery. 
Sleep: Much better and able to squeeze in a lot of naps when I have time. 
Best moment this week: Seeing an arm or foot shoot across my belly. 
Miss Anything? Being able to put my shoes on with no effort/struggle. 
Movement: Lots of movement. 
Food cravings: Nothing in particular... although I do love my chocolate milk in the evenings. 
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nothing out of the ordinary. 
Have you started to show yet: Indeed!
Gender: Unknown.  After my last doctor's appointment I am now thinking boy, but want a girl. Never fails... as soon as I'm convinced its one gender, I hope for the other. lol  In reality, of course I will take either just as long as he/she is healthy! 
Labor Signs: No. Do have lots of Braxton Hick contractions. 
Belly Button in or out? Still an inny... just about level with my belly! 
Wedding rings on or off? Still off. Tried again last week and I couldn't even make it half way up my finger. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy/Anxious
Looking forward to: The weekend! Getting a few last minute big baby items at Buy Buy Baby... love that store!! 

More diaper shower pictures

Lindsay decorated the cupcakes. 

Ignore the large arms and legs AND face. I've officially started to swell. :( Was hoping to be one of the lucky ones and not swell up. Oh well... at least I know it's short term and will be well worth it in the end. 

First Communion

I've been so wrapped up with the baby coming that I completely forgot about having pictures of my first communion. Never even looked at them until a couple days ago when I came across the CD from the church. Oops!

I had started the beginning of my second trimester as a Catholic. I always thought growing up and even up until I met Mike that Catholics believed differently than what I was used to, like more into the saints and not God himself. I was completely wrong! So glad I was wrong and my little family can be the same religion. St. Elizabeth is such a wonderful community and I'm glad I got the opportunity to know Fr. Ben more. I actually miss our weekly classes just to hear him talk and tell his jokes or stories about Nigeria. I had also grown up thinking I would never leave Vienna nor the area. I'm happy to know there is other communities just as welcoming like I've always been here my whole life. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Now if little Holtmeyer would cooperate so mommy can actually enjoy church, listen to the message and not feel like I'm going to pass out every time. Apparently the little stinker ALWAYS lays wrong as soon as I get to church for the past 2 months to where I am super clammy, fanning myself to cool down when I know it's cold in there, and feeling the need to pass out even while sitting. Mike had told me to just stay home and not go to church. I can't just not go to church until after the baby gets here. lol I had told Dr. Su what Mike said, she laughed and laughed. She said I had one funny husband.

Going to church was one definite promise I made to God. That I would go to church more frequently than I ever had before if he blessed me with a child. Wasn't too long after those prayers that we found out we were expecting. God works in mysterious ways and answered my prayers. Now I need to do my part and attend more... so this little one needs to get the hint!!  :)

Mike looks so thrilled. lol 

Receiving my first communion.

Drinking the wine, although I didn't even get a taste.  I kept tipping it up and thought I may as well quit... didn't want to appear like a lush especially while being preggo. :) 

Flood Damage

It makes you sick to your stomach seeing all the flood damage here in Miller County. Especially when news stations talk about how pretty and such a rare occasion to see when the Bagnell Dam released all that water. Mike's family lost a lot of corn. Some area farmers lost several hay bales and cows. Should have taken a picture to the left of the field in the first few pictures of the hill/bluff. You could see how high the water had got, probably 10-12 feet high and this was just from a creek.

Here's a few pictures of their farm and surrounding areas on the county roads that connects to theirs.

Lower bottom of the field behind Mike's mom and dads house. 

Another field of theirs on down the road at their old homestead.

The was a little creek and it's 'was' on the left side of the road. As you can see we couldn't cross it and only could if we had a four wheeler. 

Same area.. you can't tell but there was a huge drop off, maybe 5 feet. 

Looking back at the same area. 

Huge hole in a field along Hwy 52 at the Blue Hole bridge. 

Diaper & Wipes Party

Friday, our close friends and immediate families joined us for a Diaper & Wipes Party. Had a great evening visiting and baby got lots of goodies.

30 Weeks

How far along? 30 weeks, 10 weeks left!!   
Maternity clothes? Yes!
Stretch marks? No
Sleep: Getting somewhat better. 
Best moment this week: Baby has been constantly pushing its little butt up. 
Miss Anything? Being able to paint my toenails without a struggle/battle with my body! :) 
Movement: Lots. Lately it feels like the baby has been kicking a nerve and my pelvic bone. 
Food cravings: Nothing in particular...
Anything making you queasy or sick:  I've noticed the smell of fresh cut grass has made me a little queasy feeling. 
Have you started to show yet: Yep, feel like I swallowed a watermelon. 
Gender: Unknown.  Been thinking girl lately.  Any guesses?
Labor Signs: No. 
Belly Button in or out? Still an inny! 
Wedding rings on or off? Still off. Probably will stay that way... doctor's orders. Well not really, but Dr. Su advised not to since she's seen so many have to get their ring cut off. I would hate for that to happen. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy
Looking forward to: My doctor's appointment tomorrow. Hopefully baby Holtmeyer will corporate and we can get a good profile shot this time. Last two visits the baby was too comfy and wouldn't roll over for nothing; therefore, we saw a scary baby. The skeleton view and one shot I swear looks like a clown face. lol I may have to find that picture and post it sometime.