Update!

Joel turned 2 months yesterday! I cannot believe how fast its going already and I know its not going to slow down! Joel has started smiling a lot more, every time it is so cute and I love it just like the first time! Joel is also holding up his head very well!

Joel got to meet his cousin Dain last week. Dain is Michelle's (John's little sister) little guy who was born 6 days after Joel. They live in TX but came over to FL for a visit. It was so much fun to spend a few days with them and watch the boys together!

Joel has experienced the start of his first football season! He has enjoyed cheering on his FSU Seminoles (college) and Jacksonville Jaguars (NFL).

Joel and I have enjoyed just hanging out at home and enjoying the time I have off work. I will return to work on Oct 12th.

First Beach Visit and 1 Month Picture

On 8/14/09 we took Joel to the beach for the first time! It was a perfect day as it was stormy in the morning and early afternoon so it was cool and breezy by the time we made it out. Joel liked the water on his toes. No big surprise since he loves his baths so much!! Here are some pictures:

We also bought Joel a big Mickey to take a monthly picture with. It will be fun to see how it grows to be as big as Mickey!! Here is 1 month:


Joel will be 6 weeks on Wed (8/26/09). He is still doing great. He is growing every day. He is starting to get on a rough schedule, some days it changes but I can see it starting. We weighed him at home and he is about 10 lbs. We will get a true weight when we go to doctor for his 2 month check up. I have another 7 weeks off work with him and we are enjoying every minute. I’m not going to think about going back yet, but I know it will be here before I know it.

3.5 Weeks

Wow, it’s amazing how fast the days and weeks fly by! Joel is 3.5 weeks now. He is doing GREAT! He was a little slow in gaining back the weight he lost after birth but we are now back on track. At his 3 week doctor’s appointment (for weight check) they wanted him to be back at his birth weight (8.2) and he was 8 lbs 6.5 ounces!! We don’t have go back till his 2 month check up now!

We had family in town in town for a full two weeks which was wonderful. Joel and I have been doing well now that we are alone too. We have started to make daily outings. With feedings every 2 hours its hard to be out too long but we make it work! Joel even had his first play date last week! My co-worker had a baby 2 weeks before Joel. Although Ryan and Joel barely noticed each other it was nice to visit with Tee’ha (Ryan’s mom).

We did professional pictures before John headed back to work, Joel was 9 days old. Here are some updated pictures including some of the professional ones.

ITS A BOY!!

ITS A BOY!!!

Joel David Payne was born on July 15, 2009 at 8:28am. He was 8 lbs and 2 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. The c-section delivery was perfect. Our hospital visit was uneventful and everything went as perfect as planned. My recovery was quick and the nurses and doctors were surprised how fast I was up and moving!! We came home on Friday. Friday night was a little rough but Sat and Sun night went a lot better. Everything at home is going well. My dad, Stephanie, Bailey and Brandon were in town from delivery through today (Monday). Mom and Bruce arrived on Sunday and will be here throughout the week. John is also home from work this whole week!

Here are some pictures, I will try to continue to post as time goes on :)

Daddy ready for the operating room:

One of the first pictures:
I see you:Happy Family!!!

All ready to go home:

38 Week Doc Appt.

Had another doctor’s appt this morning - Overall the appointment was fine but it took some time because baby was being lazy and stubborn :)

We did the same ultrasound we did last week where the doc looked at a bunch of different things but really wanted to see the baby take a breath. Last time the baby did it right away, baby was awake and moving lots. Well today our appt was an hour later and baby was sleeping and being LAZY!!! Doctor said sometimes it takes up to 30 mins so we sat on the ultrasound for 30 minutes. Nothing, so she had to move me to another test - NST (non stress test) sees watch the heart rate and movement.

She said that if it did not do what she wanted it to do then she would deliver today. So I sat on the NST for about 15 minutes and the heart rate spiked 2x, that’s what they were looking for, spike means movement etc. So she was happy with that, she moved me back to the ultrasound and saw enough movement to not deliver today.

We think it was just b/c of the timing of the appt, too late after breakfast, baby was sleeping. I'm going to go back on Monday at 1 (after lunch) to do another NST just to be sure everything is looking good for Wed.

She said if I have a large decrease of movement over the weekend to give the emergency line a call and I will go to the hospital for monitoring. After lunch the baby was moving just like normal so I’m sure it was just the timing, no food in my system, baby is usually quiet around that time anyways. So no worries and we are still on schedule for 7/15/09!

I will keep you updated if there are any changes over the weekend and after my appointment Monday afternoon.

37 week appt (full term) and Birthday scheduled

On July 2nd we went to our 37 week appointment. Everything is still looking great. The doctor did an ultrasound to check a few items that are not checked during the other ultrasounds. She saw everything she wanted to see. I learned something new today. A growing baby does not consistently take breaths, as mom is breathing for the baby. They will take breaths but not consistently; this is one thing the doctor wanted to see today. Our baby was taking breaths the whole time! She was very pleased with this as it’s a sign of how strong they will be when they are born! The heartbeat looked great too!

As of 37 weeks I’m now considered full term! Baby Payne can arrive any day :)

We have scheduled the C-section. Baby Payne’s Birthday will be July 15, 2009, assuming he/she does not decide to make an early appearance. I will go to the hospital the day before for pre-op paperwork and blood tests. On the 15th John and I need to be at the hospital at 6am for 8am surgery. From 6 to 8 they will finish up any paperwork, pump me with fluids, monitor me and baby, give me anesthesia for the operation, and doctor will come in for any last minute questions. Doctor said surgery will start at 8am and baby will be born by 8:15! As long as everything goes good with me and baby, baby will stay in the OR with us until I’m put back together and we will all go back to the room together. I will be able to do the first nursing as soon as we arrive back to the room. We will be sure to make calls and send out text messages as soon as possible :)

I have one more doctor’s appointment on Thurs July 9th to be sure everything is still on track!

36 Week Doc Appt:

First and most importantly everything is still looking good, baby and mommy are both healthy, although a few new items have come to light.

We started this appointment with an ultrasound to track the progress of my polyhydramnios (too much amniotic fluid). The ultrasound tech asked if I had been having regular contractions. I have not and she was shocked. Although I’m only 36 weeks and 1 day she said the all the measurements are at full term and was shocked that the baby had not arrived yet and overly shocked that I have had no regular contractions. She took a lot of measurements (all over at least 37 weeks); the baby’s current weight is between 7 and 7.5 lbs.

I only gained 1 lb since the last appointment which is great. My blood pressure and urine tests were normal.

We then met with the doctor. Because of 2 issues – baby measuring big and too much amniotic fluid – she foresees and recommends a c-section delivery. The main reason is the risk of umbilical cord prolapse. This would be an emergency situation that could arise if I go into labor or was induced for a vaginal delivery. Cord prolapse happens when the umbilical cord is delivered prior to the baby, when the baby is delivered the cord would be compressed and therefore the baby would not be receiving oxygen. This would be an emergency situation and most likely would result in an emergency c-section where I would have to be knocked out.

So the next step is to do biophysical ultrasound which is a more in depth ultrasound to look at the baby, this is performed by the doctor instead of the ultrasound tech. We have scheduled this ultrasound for Thurs (7/2). If everything is looking good and the same at that point a c-section will probably be scheduled around 39 weeks.