She arrived with a bang!

First of all... Thank you all for all of the congrats and well wishes! We are pleased to announce the birth of our beautiful daughter, Madilyn Rae Lens. She was born on October 19th at 1:54pm. She weighed in at 6.13 and was 20 and 1/2 inches long. It was not exactly the birth we had expected, but we couldn't be happier with the outcome.

October 18th Chris and I arrived at the hospital to start the induction process. We were both so anxious to get there and once we arrived our nerves quickly set in! We were up in our room by 2:45 and got started on the first process at 4pm. By 3 the next morning I had quickly progressed and they decided that I didn't need any medicine intervention to keep the induction going. My body had FINALLY decided to get on board and have this baby! We were thrilled and new that it was d-day! She would enter the world soon! The doctor came in around 10 and decided to go ahead and break my water. We slowly progressed as the day went on. Around 12 I was talking to my family when the nurses came running into my room and asked everyone to leave. My heart sank as I could tell something was wrong. They said that the baby's heart was dropping every time I had a contraction, they went to check me and I was at a 10 and ready to have this baby! They started breaking everything down for delivery and called in the doctor. As we were waiting Maddie's heart rate continued to drop and mine continued to raise over150. They were flipping me from side to side to try and get a position that didn't cause her to drop. I was trying so hard to stay focused but all I could think about was how badly I just wanted her to be ok. I felt so helpless!! Once the doctor came in he decided that we needed to get Maddie out right away and the only way to do it safely was a c-section. Not only was her heart rate dropping but she was also in a crazy position that wouldn't allow me to safely push through the contractions. The next hours are somewhat off a blur- people from the OR started coming in asking me questions and prepping me for surgery. Chris was running out to the waiting room to tell the family what was happening. And before I knew it I was being wheeled down to the OR. They had to do a spinal tap which was awful because I was having contractions every 1-2 minutes and they ask you to be complete still... It's almost impossible to do that while contracting. They finally got me all set and strapped me down to the table. Chris was let in and he sat right by my side. He thought they had drugged me because he said I looked so calm.  I wasn't drugged... just in shock! I just wanted my baby to be ok! They started the surgery and I felt the pressure of them tugging around. They told Chris to take a peek and he saw them removing her from my belly. After a few seconds I heard the sweetest cry in the world... All I could do is laugh and cry. I was soooo happy that she was here and ok!! They quickly took her and got her cleaned up and took Chris with them. They brought her over to me to look at and then they were off to the nursery to make sure she was breathing right. The next thing I know I wake up in a recovery room with no baby or family. A nurse came over and said she'd be sending me to my room shortly. I wasn't for sure how long I had been out?! But I did know I wanted to see the baby I just gave birth to.  They sent me back to my room and shortly after that my baby girl was placed in my arms. It was so the most surreal moment of my life. I couldn't believe this little baby had been in my tummy for the past 9 months. She looked so perfect and my love for her was instant. She ended up having some very minor problems with her breathing. She had some fluid on her lungs but they were able to get that under control quickly. The last 4 days have been the best and craziest days of my life. We are running on no sleep and lots of love! She is everything I could have ever hoped for. I was planning on writing more... But it's time for Maddie to eat! And I can't keep her waiting. :) Thanks again for all your love and support. We are so blessed to have shared this time with all of our friends and family!

How far along? 34 weeks and 4 days

Total weight gain:  25
Maternity clothes?  silly question at this point!
Stretch marks? Nope, not yet
Sleep: not the best sleep
Best moment this week: hitting 34 weeks!
Miss Anything? yes, I miss having control over my body!
Movement: Constantly
Food cravings: No cravings
Anything making you queasy or sick: contractions!
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs:  Of course... lol Still dealing with good ol' preterm labor
Symptoms: feeling VERY pregnant!
Belly Button in or out? not all the way out
Wedding rings on or off? Off
Happy or Moody most of the time:  happy
Looking forward to: My work shower and church shower :) We are so blessed to have such great people surrounding us... I have said it more than once... But Maddie is going to be spoiled rotten!


It hasn't been the easiest week, but we are one week closer to meeting our sweet girl. We had yet another visit to the hospital this week and now have signs of Miss Maddie getting ready to join us! Who knows how long she will put us through this anxiety! We are beyond ready for her. I obviously want her to stay in as long as she can, but with all of the these "labor signs"  I'm ready!!

How far along? 33 weeks and counting

Total weight gain: 24
Maternity clothes?  duhhhh
Stretch marks? Not that I can see
Sleep:bathroom breaks throughout the night make it difficult to sleep.
Best moment this week: Having so much time with the hubby
Miss Anything? SUSHI
Movement:  Constantly, its starting to hurt
Food cravings: No cravings
Anything making you queasy or sick: contractions!
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs:  Yes, still considered in Preterm labor...But once we hit 34 doctor said he will be much happier!
Symptoms: very tired and achy
Belly Button in or out? it's now half and half... looks pretty weird!
Wedding rings on or off? Off
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy but very anxious!
Looking forward to: Making it to 34 weeks! The doctor said at that point things will be much easier if I go into labor. I'm sure Madilyn will continue to keep us going crazy!


Well the nursery is finally put together! We are still waiting on a couple of things but, if she decided to make an early appearance we would be ready for her! Chris did a GREAT job at putting everything together. And thank goodness for moms! She came over and helped decorate, clean and wash her tiny little clothes. It starting to feel very real! I can't wait to hold our sweet little girl :)

How far along? 31 weeks and counting

Total weight gain: 21
Maternity clothes? Yes, just bought some new clothes :) I love them as much as you can love maternity clothes :)
Stretch marks? Not that I can see
Sleep: It comes and goes.. Some nights are better than others.
Best moment this week: hearing that Maddie is still healthy despite the scares we've had
Miss Anything? Being comfortable...Everything has now become uncomfy
Movement: So much movement! She has the hiccups at least 2 times a day.
Food cravings: No cravings
Anything making you queasy or sick: contractions!
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Yep!! We are doing our best to make her comfy and stay in a little longer
Symptoms: Nesting!! It's hard when you're not allowed on your feet when you get home! But it's worth it to keep Maddie safe
Belly Button in or out? In... and I'm shocked I just knew it'd be popping out by now
Wedding rings on or off? wedding bands 
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy and stressed. Hoping our baby girl will take her time.
Looking forward to: Madilyn's baby shower!! I can't wait to be surrounded by our family and friends. We also will have our last 3d ultrasound this weekend. Can't wait to see my sweet baby girl

So this has been a trying week to say the least. But we are doing better and doing all we can to keep Maddie cooking! If we can just make it to 38 weeks I'd be thrilled! Only 6 1/2 weeks! I'm sure by the time we hit 38 weeks she will decided to stay and go past her due date! She is such a little drama queen! She must get it from her dad... Not me surely?!?

Week 30!

How far along? 30 weeks... it seems so close, yet so far away!

Total weight gain: 20...Yikes!! I have 15 pounds left to gain to be on track! Hope I can make it!!
Maternity clothes? Yes!
Stretch marks? Still not seeing any...But I can't see under this big belly of mine! :P
Sleep: Sleep is a thing of the past I'm afraid! I have been up before 5 am this entire week.
Best moment this week: Stocking up on my cheap Huggies wipes!
Miss Anything? Sleep and being able to walk around with out getting winded!
Movement: She is a busy little girl. She has had the hiccups a lot this week! It kind of makes me feel bad! I know how bad the annoy me.. Hope she isn't annoyed!
Food cravings: Appetite has kind of died down. I feel like there is no room for food!
Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Contractions come and go... but nothing steady
Symptoms: Sleepy and nesting has started to set in!
Belly Button in or out? Still in and I just knew it'd be out by now, but it's hanging in there!
Wedding rings on or off? I'm only wearing my wedding band right now.
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy and oh so eager!!
Looking forward to: Hopeful getting her crib set this week!! It's taking forever!!!! And also I'm getting very excited for our baby shower next weekend! Can't wait to see all of our family and friends!

Coupon Saving Momma!

So my love for getting a good deal has now gone a little overboard! I have always watched in amazement and wanted to try and find those good deals on my own, but I've never put in the time to find coupons and match prices etc.

Well with Madilyn joining us in two months I realised that there are going to be a lot of items that we aren't use to buying. Which will increase our budget. I got the bug when I was able to find the great Kmart Huggies diaper deal! I was a little crazy and went to 4 different stores to stock up like I wanted to. I ended up getting a total of 14 boxes for 5.99 and I had 3-4 .50 coupons as well. It was a great score! Spent a little over 80.00 and it would have retailed for over 300.00!!

Now for my latest coupon run! This time I found a great savings at Walgreen's. They had 216 ct wipes on sale for 3.99 after the sale and an in store coupon. I had a couple of .50 coupons that I paired up. I also found out about there "register rewards". I'm a HUGE fan! There are certain items in the weekly ad that will earn you money back. So today I tried it out... Take a look at my goods!

5 Huggies wipes

2 Bottles of Scope

2 Boxes of Kotex

1 Venus Razor

1 Toilet paper

1 Sponge thingy

1 Omega Super Krill Fish Oils (Chris)  --- Regularly 26.99!!!

I ended up paying 38.00 and change for all of these items. Before sales, coupons, and in store savings it would have been 119.00! I was very happy with my first real couponing trip. I hope to stock up on some items so we wont have to worry about them as we are trying to get settled in with our sweet Madilyn.

Ok, I'm done :) Just wanted to show my stash for the day! I'll be updating week 30 tomorrow!! :)



Hello 3rd trimester!!!

How far along? 28 Weeks!!! Yay 3rd Trimester here we come!!

Total weight gain: 18
Maternity clothes? Yes!
Stretch marks? Not yet :)
Sleep: sleep?? what is that? I can't fall asleep at night even though I'm soooo tired!
Best moment this week: Snagging a FABULOUS Diaper deal =) Gotta love saving money!
Miss Anything? Missing some of my old clothes... I'm determined to see them again one of these days:)
Movement: She has been playing with my ribs here lately... Doesn't feel so great!
Food cravings: Nothing crazy this week
Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing really
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Having some Braxton Hicks here and there
Symptoms: Sleepy!!!!!
Belly Button in or out? Still in...But not much longer
Wedding rings on or off? I'm only wearing my wedding band right now.
Happy or Moody most of the time:  Emotions seem to be high here lately!! Poor Chris!
Looking forward to: Still waiting on Madilyn's nursery furniture! I'm so anxious! And we get to see her this weekend in our 3d/4d ultrasound! I'm so excited to see her again!

I had another session with our Photographer (Beth Harrison Photography) this past weekend and we got some really good shots! I first went around 20 weeks but the bump looked more like I had a heavy lunch! Mom went with me this time and we had such a great time snapping photo's of Maddie AKA "the bump"! She sent us a few shots early and we already love having them. I can't wait to show Madilyn when she gets here.


Also, I scored a great deal on Huggies Diapers! After going to 3 different stores I finally scored 14 boxes of diapers! It's funny how excited this made me! I took my mother along with me to help. We had so much fun trying to get the good deal. I'm sure people around us thought we were crazy!! It was fun and we saved some major dough!!


I can't believe we are already here at the 3rd trimester... Where has the time gone?! I feel like I was just sitting on the couch contemplating on how I was going to tell Chris that I was pregnant... It was the scariest/happiest day of my life. I'm so ready to have her here with us, but I'm also a little sad that we are coming to the end of this great time in our lives! I'm going to try and enjoy the rest of my time with Maddie and soak it all in. She will be here in 10-12 weeks!! Aghhhhhh!!!


OK enough rambling for this week... Time to go grab a bowl of ice cream:)

How far along? 27 Weeks

Total weight gain: 18
Maternity clothes? Yep. I don't see them going away anytime soon!
Stretch marks? Not yet :) I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
Sleep: I can't get enough sleep. I feel like I'm in the 1st trimester again!!
Best moment this week: Seeing our family this past weekend.
Miss Anything? Being able to feel comfortable. Now EVERYTHING is uncomfortable
Movement: Oh yes, and I love it!
Food cravings: FRUIT! I can't get enough of it!
Anything making you queasy or sick: the thought of chinese food makes me want to... ya you know!
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Contractions have started :/ I'm getting a small taste of whats to come!
Symptoms: Sleepy
Belly Button in or out? It is getting so close to popping out...
Wedding rings on or off? I'm only wearing my wedding band right now.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy
Looking forward to: Madilyn's crib should be in any day now... I'm so ready to get her room finished!

How far along? 25 Weeks

Total weight gain: 13

Maternity clothes? Only comfy things to wear now that Maddie is out and about!
Stretch marks? Not yet, I'm sure they will come shortly :(
Sleep: Mmmm it's not bad, but it's not like it was before. Trips to the bathroom make it hard to have a solid nights sleep.

Best moment this week: Getting our diaper bag :) Can't wait to carry it!

Miss Anything? I miss being able to do things that use to be very easy!
Movement: She is moving all the time now. She has moved her kicks up high to my ribs now :)

Food cravings: I love apples and peanut butter, frosted mini wheats, and pizza!

Anything making you queasy or sick: nope

Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No, thank goodness!
Symptoms: Oklahoma heat + pregnancy= swollen fingers!!
Belly Button in or out? In, but it wont be too long before it's gone :(
Wedding rings on or off? still on as of now.. but I'm getting leary on wearing them much longer.
Happy or Moody most of the time: overwhelmed with happiness.
Looking forward to: Florida next weekend! And another 3D ultrasound the following weekend!

Week 18 has arrived! It has been a crazy week! I'm trying to remember to slow down and enjoy all these amazing moments. Madilyn is moving more and more everyday. She loves it when I have ice cream at night...She kicks for more! I can actually feel her kicking right now! Motherhood is so amazing, even though there are some not so glamorous times, I can truly say I LOVE carrying this sweet baby girl. I feel like people today don't realise what an absolute miracle it is to have a child. I can't even explain how blessed I feel to be able to bring the sweet little girl into this world. God is more than amazing!! OK, I better stop before my pregnancy hormones kick in... My tears are on high alert these days! Here is my week 18 picture. She is the size of a sweet potato!

How far along? 18 Weeks

Total weight gain: 2.5
Maternity clothes? Yes, just went and bought a few items for the summer time
Stretch marks? Not yet. I need to go grab some cream!
Sleep: My sleep has been good this week!

Best moment this week: Madilyn kicking for the first time
Miss Anything? I have been craving some feta cheese! I'll be ready for that again!
Movement: I'm not just feeling the swoosh movements, but also kicks and punches!

Food cravings: I'm super gross and LOVE fish sandwhiches right now!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope :)
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No, thank goodness!
Symptoms: Hello heartburn and by the end of the day my feet are a little swollen.
Belly Button in or out? In!
Wedding rings on or off? still on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy but everything sweet makes me cry!
Looking forward to: seeing our sweet baby again, and planning a babymoon!

Week 17

Here we are at week 17! I can't believe I'm almost halfway there?! My belly seems to be getting bigger and bigger. Although if you didn't know me you would probably just think I'm packing on the pounds. I'm so ready for a round baby bump! I had a bad time with headaches this past weekend. It was the worst pain and by far the worst encounter with the pregnancy so far. After two ER visits later I'm finally feeling better! THANK GOODNESS! Other than that things are good! Can't wait to see our little pumpkin in a few more weeks!

How far along? 17 Weeks

Total weight gain: 1.8 pounds 
Maternity clothes? yes, I only have one pair of "real" jeans!
Stretch marks? none yet!
Sleep:Ok, I wake up at least one a night and every morning around 5am
Best moment this week: Having my horrible headaches stop! YAY!!!!
Miss Anything? COFFEE
Movement: I have been feeling very light movements. It's such a great feeling! I can't wait for them to become more noticeable!
Food cravings: Pizza and Ice Cream!
Anything making you queasy or sick: nothing really
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No, thank goodness! 
Symptoms: Hello heartburn!!!
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: May 31st. We get to see little Madilyn and make sure she really is a girl! :)

After reading through other blogs of soon to be mommy's, I thought this would be a great way for me to keep track of all the exciting things happening in our lives right now. I also think it will be fun to look at later on when Madilyn is here.

I'm going to try and update this weekly so I can remember every bit of this experience.I'm going to post the older "bump" pictures and then start for the current week :)

 

 Week 7! Baby Lens is the size of a blueberry

Week 8! Baby is the size of a raspberry

Week 9! The size of an olive

                                        Week 10! Baby is the size of a strawberry

                                                Week 11! Baby is the size of lime!

                                              Week 12! Baby is the size of a plum!

                                            Week 14! Baby is the size of a lemon!

                                              Week 15! Baby is the size of an orange

Week 16! Baby is the size of an Avacado!