My Life as a Novel

"I have a daughter." I am still getting over the amazement that makes the previous statements true. "I'm going to be someone's parent, and that someone is inside Rita's tummy." All things that I simply can't begin to understand. My brain can hardly remember how to put a sentence together. Life is pretty rad.

- Kyle Polk

This was Kyle's "status" on facebook. And I thought it was too special to let it get lost in the clutter of facebook forever. So I put it here where I can remember it.

Labels: baby, pregnancy

I am surprised at what a big difference yesterday made. We're having a little girl. We know her name. And, with our very patient ultrasound tech "in control", we could see and hear her heart beat, and we got to watch her wiggle around, move her mouth like she's already trying to talk (I'll save the Peanut Gallery some effort -- yes, she's like her mom already), fiddle with her hands, kick her little feet around. And we marveled at her little personality already beginning to show itself. For a few minutes, we watched her and were really fascinated the whole time. She's a baby - our baby!! Crazy!!

I've been feeling her kicking around for a couple of weeks now. Kyle hasn't been able to feel her yet, (though my mom did very briefly over the weekend) but he definitely likes to try. It seems like if she's moving around and we put a hand over her, she settles down. So, while it's sweet that she already finds comfort from our touch, it's disappointing because I really want Kyle to be able to feel her kicking around in there. All in due time, I suppose.

I've heard stories from expecting mothers whose husband's are musicians and whenever the baby hears their daddy start playing, they dance all around. I've always kinda hoped for that - some kind of recognition of "That's my dad!" from the baby (silly, perhaps). But just watching her being so laid-back yesterday made me know that she's reacting completely naturally - being herself. Besides, her dad plays the drums so often, it's probably just as natural for her as hearing her mom snore at night!

Labels: baby, pregnancy

Labels: Aunt Rita, baby, photo

We had our ultrasound this morning at 9 AM. Sitting in the waiting room, we had this conversation:

Kyle "What do you think it's going to be."
Rita: "I honestly have no idea. What do you think?"
Kyle: "It's probably a girl. (10-second pause) ... or a boy."
Rita: "Way to cover all your bases!"

Really, going into this, I think we both just "knew" it was going to be a boy. Kyle's family doesn't have girls, it seems. In the Polk line, I believe the "Family Historian" (John - Kyle's brother) told us that there hasn't been a girl born in 90 years. And she was the 10th child in her family! So it just seemed like we'd definitely have a boy.

And we'd be happy either way ... but really, I wanted a girl. :)

So when the ultrasound tech finished doing some of her measurements, she said, "You guys want to find out what it is, right?" Two emphatic affirmations from us and she said, "Good. I've got it right here. You're having a girl!"

Kyle and I were so surprised -- and kept saying how surprised we were -- til the point she said, "You guys have got me second-guessing myself. I'm going to go back and check." She tried, but little Iva was being modest and stubborn (she is her mother's child). She was covered up and refused to move.

The tech couldn't finish all of her measurements, because the baby refused to move so she could get the other side. I guess she was comfortable! So that means we'll have another ultrasound in a few weeks, most likely. And we'll get another look at her!

In summation: IT'S A GIRL!!!! I'm still in shock! And welcome, Ivalee Grace!!

Labels: baby, pregnancy

This is maybe the only point in his life where it's ok for me to brag about how "pretty" he is, so I shall! Y'all seriously. Mendy and Derek made a PRETTY baby!

And he's soooooo sweet!

My parents and sister were very obliging and I think I held him most of the day on Saturday, except for during feedings and some nap times! :) I think he likes me. He hasn't actually said the words yet, but I can tell he's working on it.

All these pictures are straight out of the camera and need some photoshop work, but I just couldn't wait to share them with you! So here they are!! More to come! (Oh yes, many more!!)

Labels: Aunt Rita, baby, family, photo

Mendy and Wesley are home from the hospital. Derek is still there, and they spent their first night at home together. Everything, from all reports, went very well. I think they'll do just fine.

Also, her friend Allie put together a video and added it to Mendy's blog. If you want to see it, it's right here. It's got some other pictures and some video from his Birth Day! It's very sweet.

And we've decided that my parents will be called Gram and Granddaddy. Have I mentioned yet that they're on Cloud 9??


The Family. (by Allie, again)

Labels: Aunt Rita, baby, photo

• I heard the heartbeat again this morning. At 154 beats per minute, my midwife said everything sounds perfect. And the best part is -- we scheduled the appointment for the ultrasound!! On Tuesday, April 7 we find out if we're having a "he" or a "she" -- a Darby or an Iva! Can't!! Wait!!
  
  
• I was really nervous about this appointment for some reason. I had myself worked up, I guess. I don't know why. Do the uncertainty and the nagging "What ifs" ever really go away?! I hope so.
  
  
• Part of the anxiety about this morning is that I was involved in a very minor accident on Saturday. While sitting at a red light, a driver wasn't paying attention and didn't even make a move to slow down until his tires squealed about 10 feet behind me and he plowed right into me. (Kudos to the ol' Saturn for toughing it out. She did lose two reflectors off the sides of the fender, but not a dent or a crack to be seen. Who needs a Hummer!?) Well because of the fact that it was SO MINOR that my seatbelt didn't even catch/pull ... and because of the fact that I was running LATE and didn't have time to wait on a police report for a couple of missing reflectors ... I thought, "Everything's fine." And only when people started asking me incredulously why I didn't go to the hospital to get checked out did the idea occur to me that "maybe that's what pregnant people do". So I started questioning myself and the "wisdom" I exhibited in not getting checked out immediately. Therefore, the moments before the heartbeat came through this morning were a little tense for me, but once it did and I got the 'everything sounds great' from my midwife, I breathed a sigh of relief. Saved from my own stupidity! (Isn't God good for that?!)
  
  
• An Update on my sister. There was a lot of talk from last Thursday until yesterday afternoon about inducing her yesterday. So if you saw my "I'm going to be an aunt today" status on facebook yesterday ... I wasn't lying! That was the plan. But, as plans often do, hers has changed and she's at home just waiting. The doctors are keeping a close watch on her blood pressure and platelet count. They're not high/low enough to be of REAL concern yet, but just in the range that inspired her doctors to keep a close watch.
  
  As of Sunday night, her contractions were at 7 minutes apart and intensifying. (Sunday night, she was still able to talk through them, so they were nothing major. But Monday morning, she was hurting a good bit more.) She was dilated 2 cm on her own yesterday. And now she just waits on progress -- fast or slow as that might be -- at home. No induction -- which is ultimately good but was disappointing for her to find out late yesterday afternoon after waiting hopefully all day.
  
  
• This weekend is The Amazing Race. And, while I have no idea what to expect at all (the Cinnamons are really good secret-keepers, it seems), I'm really excited about the weekend!!
  

Labels: baby, pregnancy

Today is February 25. I said in this post that this day would probably come sooner than I realized, and I was right. But now my next appointment is March 24, and yet again ... THERE'S AN ETERNITY BETWEEN NOW AND THEN!!!!

We heard the heartbeat. Kyle's mom came to town for the "occasion" and we all filled up the exam room with "oohs" and "ahhs" and "Did you hear that!?"s. (Ok, that part was mostly me!)

We recorded the audio, and I'd love to find a way to post it (I have an mp3), but I just don't have time today to figure out how to do that. So if someone has a recommendation of a way I can upload the audio to put on here, I'm open for suggestions.

So it took a few minutes for my midwife to find the heartbeat. She warned me that it might, but I was still just a little anxious. And then suddenly, there it was. And I reacted by moving around so that we lost the audio briefly. But no worries. She found it pretty easily and then for a few short seconds, the sound of the heartbeat -- our baby's heartbeat -- filled the room. And we all giggled.

So now we wait. Next appointment, to check the heartbeat and measure some other stuff, Tuesday, March 24. AND THEN we get to schedule the "Find out the sex of the baby" appointment for two weeks after that.

Labels: baby, pregnancy

"You know the baby has ears now! So I wonder if he* can hear us talking."
"Yeh, sometimes when I come to bed at night, I lean over and talk to him*."
"Really? What do you tell him*?"
"I say, 'Hey, baby! You hear that loud snoring? That's not me. Just thought you should know.'"





*No, we do not know the sex of the baby yet and have no inclinations one way or the other, but "him" just sounds better than "it"!

Labels: baby, pregnancy, The Hubby