**Landry's 1st Trip Home

**Post will be updated with pictures

We received clearance from both her doctor and my doctor Saturday morning and began packing up all of our belongings. Of course we had to change her into her going home outfit, which was much too big. She wasn't a big fan, but here are a few of the pictures that we took.



We left the hospital around 1:30 on Saturday, December 8th.



Grandpa Lennie was there that morning with us helping us pack and get her ready, and met us at home. He walked in shortly after we arrived with several large sacks of groceries and began putting a roast, carrots and potatoes into the oven for dinner. After a mild fiasco of the breast pump I had not working out, he insisted that Dan and I go shower and take a nap. We slept for a heavenly 2 or 3 hours and woke up when Grandpa came in to get us. He had the tree and stair garland lit, the table set with a candle in the middle, a plate of peeled oranges with cheese in the middle, and Landry in her bouncer seat fast asleep. Thinking back to that very moment when I walked out brings me to tears right away every time. It was perfect. We sat down to the table that he had prepared, and he took this picture.



We bowed our heads and my dad said one of the most beautiful prayers out loud that I have ever heard. He thanked God for us, and for our new little girl. A week later and I cry every time. It was perfect, and it meant so much. My heart was happy, and sad at the same time. My mom would have loved to be there for these very moments. I couldn't help but to be so very thankful that my Dad was able to be here for this.

We finished eating one of the most delicious meals I have ever had prepared for me, and Grandpa insisted that Dan and I go sit and cuddle with our new baby. He did the dishes and joined us on the couch. And there we sat for the rest of the night, just taking it all in.

Aunt Roo had been texting asking how we were doing, and wanted me to
send her a picture after I told her that Landry was cuddling with Grandpa.
Here is her facebook post from that evening that I will never forget:
"I have had tears in my eyes ever since my sister sent me this
picture of grandpa and little Landry Ann. Kait texted me earlier and said
grandpa had baby in her bouncer, a candle lit, and supper in the oven when
 her and Dan woke up from a much needed nap. Grandpa is doing
everything I know grandma Ann would be doing if she could.
I dont think he's hardly put her down. Pretty special grandpa this little girl has."

Sunday was the day that I had been dreading - when my Dad had to leave. I couldn't stop crying as he walked out the door, and pretty sure I cried his whole trip home. I'm fairly confident that Grandpa also had tears in his eyes his whole trip home, too. We needed such a special weekend together, and I could not be more thankful for everything that he did for us. My heart has been aching since for when he comes back. It cannot be soon enough. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Grandpa for everything you did for us. We love you!

**Special Hospital Moments

**This post is the beginning of posts that I will have to update as soon as I can figure out why blogger isn't letting me upload photos.

We are so blessed to have so many special family and friends to share such special moments in life with. We are loved abundantly by many and appreciate all of the thoughts, prayers and visits through the whole process. Not a lot of words for this post, but more to be said in pictures. I'm sure we weren't able to capture pictures of Landry with each of her visitors, but here are quite a few. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to each of you who made time out of their days to come see us. It means so much!

Welcome, Baby Girl!

Welcome, Baby Girl!

Our lives have forever changed. Landry Ann Matthes arrived at 4:56 on 12/6/12 weighing 6 pounds and 19" long with a beautiful head of hair. We are so in love!

38 Weeks - Less than 14 DAYS!!

- 38 Week Baby Bump -

How far along? 38 weeks - Daddy has been counting down the days for awhile now and I can't even believe that we are in the teens already. It is going to come so fast, and I am trying to remember that I have very few good nights' sleep left and definitely trying to appreciate every.single.hour. that I get.
Total weight gain: 33 according to my OB - which I was actually surprised about despite all of the swelling I have.
Baby is the size of a: Pumpkin!!
Maternity clothes? Most definitely. And still scrubs and tennis shoes for work.
Stretch marks? Nothing new here
Sleep: I am still not going to complain about this. I am sleeping well, getting up about 5 times a night to go to the bathroom but I can always fall right back asleep.
Best moment this week:  Baking Christmas cookies and getting pedicures and having dinner with a few special friends!
Miss anything? Pretty content right now. But I am getting really excited about the glass of wine that I will get to have in less than 15 days :)
Movement: Absolutely, but they are fewer and more forceful. I can tell she is out of room!
Food cravings: Nothing in particular actually.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Gender: Sweet baby girl :)
Baby Name: Yep! Daddy and I were talking about it this week (she already has 2 nicknames) and I asked him yet again if he was sure that that was what he thought we should name her, and he said "Of course, that's all I think of her as and I can't even imagine it being anything else."
Labor Signs: This week I started having a couple legit contractions on top of some braxton-hicks contractions. One was after a long day of work and I had to sit down for a little bit and then it was over and then just a couple more random ones that caught my attention but weren't anything I was worried about. It seems to be picking up these past couple days, so I am getting more and more anxious everyday! We did get the hospital bag packed this week, but still have lots of last-minute touches in the nursery.
Symptoms: Still having heartburn but it is much, much better. Lots and lots of swelling (despite diligent compression stocking use) in my feet, legs and hands.
Comments Solicited from Others: Nothing particular, but no one believes me when I tell them we only have 2 weeks left. Although I'm starting to feel like I look more like we have 2 weeks left.
Belly Button in or out? Flat as a board...surprisingly has not popped yet!
Wedding rings on or off? Most definitely off and showing no signs of return.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Increasingly more uncomfortable, but still content. Just happy and looking forward to what is about to come.
Looking forward to: Another appointment next week to see if things are still changing!! Our lives could be rocked any day now and I'm just trying to prepare myself for what is about to happen - we are SO excited!

Friday was a fun day for this girl! I was really wanting to get Christmas cookies made before Little Miss arrived so my Grandma came down and spent a day baking with me. We got a lot done and as always, I enjoyed spending the day with her. We also had another doctor's appointment. Her heart rate was a nice, healthy 127 beats per minute and I was measuring right on track size-wise. My blood pressure was a little high at first so because of all of the swelling I have had they had me lay on my left side and rechecked it. It was still a little high but better after a little rest so they weren't too worried about it. No protein in my urine though, so that was good. I was getting a little worried there for awhile. I suspected things had been changing because I have been feeling a lot more pressure down low this week and we are 2 centimeters dilated and 70% effaced (!!!!). He could feel her head and said that it was completely engaged and he wasn't able to move it at all. He said a couple times that he was pretty confident that we wouldn't see our due-date and to have things ready any day now (!!!). He also sent my prenatal records with me since I spend so much time in Omaha (which I won't use anyway because I am coming back to Lincoln no matter what). After the appointment I had a date with the girlfriends to go get pedicures and dinner. I have been pretty bummed that my mom isn't around to go do all of the fun things before having a baby - like getting a pedicure together, so instead of feeling sorry for myself that I don't have that, Tiff, Ascha, and Anika and I all went and got our feet done together. We went and ate at Grisanti's afterwards and made a few other stops quick and were home pretty early. It was just the night out that I needed, and certainly did my heart good to not only have some much-needed girl time but to remember yet again why I am so thankful to have such great friends to share these special moments in life with. I could not imagine doing all of this without them. So, from the very bottom of my heart Tiff, Ascha and Anika - thank you. Thank you for the phone calls, texts, cards in the mail, late night talks, words of encouragement and advice and hugs that you have shown me these past 9 months. You mean more to mean that I can ever tell you.

Prior to the ultrasound, Daddy and I made predictions on birth-day and how much little missy was going to weigh...so here they are:

Daddy's Prediction: 6 pounds 6 ounces on 12/3/12, and birth weight of 7 pounds 4 ounces on 12/14/12.

Mommy's Prediction: 7 pounds on 12/3/12 and 7 pounds 11 ounces on 12/11/12.

Now we wait to see who is closest!

We had a very quick ultrasound on Monday (12/3/12) and baby girl weighs about 6 pounds, 12 ounces. Her heart rate was 134. We weren't able to see a whole lot, other than that she is face down (which is good) and that she may possibly have a decent amount of hair. :) We weren't able to get a good look at the top and sides, but there is quite a bit along the back! Makes me so excited!!!!

Sweet Baby Girl ~ I can't believe that we could be meeting you any day now. It seems like just yesterday your delicate little heart was forming or I was just feeling your very first kicks. I am praying hard for you these last few weeks (or days) of this miracle of pregnancy and that you are healthy and have a smooth arrival into this world. While I am probably going to miss this intimate bond that you and I have shared these past 9 months, I am looking forward to meeting you and sharing you with your Daddy. I cannot wait to see your every feature that makes you you and get to know your sweet little personality. You might not get put down for the entire 8 weeks that I'm off and I'm ok with that. The Christmas tree is up, cookies have been baked, presents have been wrapped, the lights have been hung and we are ready to celebrate your birthday this Christmas season! We love you so much, Sweet Girl, and we are ready to meet you!

Love and Prayers in Week 39!

37 Weeks!!

- 37 Week Belly Bump -

How far along? 37 weeks - it is NOT possible that we only have 3 weeks left at the most?!
Total weight gain: Too much to count
Baby is the size of a: Winter melon??
Maternity clothes? Most definitely. And still scrubs and tennis shoes for work.
Stretch marks? Nothing new here
Sleep: Still can't complain!
Best moment this week:  Going home for Thanksgiving and spending time with my family...our last trip home without Little Miss in the backseat. Unfortunately I did not take a single picture the entire time. I really need to be better about that, but energy was limited apparently.
Miss anything? Pretty content right now.
Movement: You bet.
Food cravings: Pumpkin pie - I only had one piece over Thanksgiving and am now needing more.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Gender: Sweet baby girl :)
Baby Name: Yep!
Labor Signs: Just more braxton-hicks. Have had a little bit of cramping in my back and lower abdomen this week a couple times that I had to sit until they went away.
Symptoms: Still have quite a bit of heartburn (but a little better than before), lots of swelling, more and more tired.
Comments Solicited from Others: My medical assistant at work told me she thought I had dropped this week?
Belly Button in or out? Flat as a board
Wedding rings on or off? Still off
Happy or Moody most of the time: Increasingly more uncomfortable, but still content
Looking forward to: Holding that sweet little thing in our arms in just 3 short weeks (maybe less!!) :)

Our next appointment is this Friday and I am anxious to see if anything more is happening. I didn't think much about being dilated because I know that a lot of women walk around dilated for awhile, but being 30% effaced is kind of exciting. As my dad said "It's that much less you have to do at the end." I hadn't thought of it that way, but it's true.

Love and Prayers in Week 38, Sweet Baby Girl!

36 Weeks

-- 36 Week Belly Bump --

How far along? 36 weeks
Total weight gain: I'm past the point of trying to care about this...let's just chalk it up to being a heck of a lot more than I planned on.
Baby is the size of a: Honeydew melon
Maternity clothes? Most definitely. And this week I stopped wearing my dress pants to work because my feet have swollen so much that I don't fit into my work shoes...so it is scrubs and tennis shoes from here on out!
Stretch marks? More popping up on my lateral backside...unfortunately these won't be coverable with a swimsuit (not that I was thinking that was going to be an option ever again anyway)
Sleep: Really cannot complain here!
Best moment this week:  What I'm calling our last hoorah - we celebrated Tiff's birthday Saturday night just going to Keller's and then Sheri's bar in Milford for the evening. Ended up not getting home until after 1 but it was so worth it. I'm pretty sure Daddy realized it was his last hoorah for awhile too - he felt it the next morning :) Also got the Christmas decorations put up this weekend. I had been looking forward to it for SO long, but then when it came down to my last chance to do it I was too tired and didn't feel like doing it. BUT, I decided that Baby Girl cannot come home on her first Christmas and not have a tree or any decorations so I powered through it and got it all done. I will be thankful when I am cuddling a sweet little girl by my Christmas tree here in a few weeks :)
Miss anything? Still pretty content right now!
Movement: Nothing new here...she must be getting pretty squished in there!
Food cravings: Nothing particularly, but if I had to say I would still say chocolate chip cookies taste pretty awesome.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Gender: Sweet baby girl :)
Baby Name: Yep!
Labor Signs: Still braxton-hicks, and possibly some rare legit contractions that start in my back and feel more like PMS cramps and not just my belly getting hard.
Symptoms: Heartburn, and even more swelling in my legs and feet, and hands especially in the mornings. Also having worsening back pain these past few weeks...worst between my shoulder blades especially when I'm sitting.
Comments Solicited from Others: Nothing this week.
Belly Button in or out? Flat as a board
Wedding rings on or off? Definitely off. My bracelets and watches don't fit now either.
Happy or Moody most of the time: More and more uncomfortable, but still content for the most part.
Looking forward to: Going home for Thanksgiving!

On Saturday we went to the one and only class that I signed us up for during this pregnancy. We attended a 4 hour class at Milkworks to learn as much as we could about breastfeeding in advance. I haven't talked about this much on the blog, but I am very uneasy about the whole breastfeeding concept. I am repulsed by it when I even see someone doing it in public and am scared that I am not going to be able to do it because the thought of it kinda wierds me out (apparently my mom was the exact same way). BUT, I want what is best for our baby so I want to give it my best shot. I knew that I needed to know as much as I could about it before we even go to deliver so that I can give it my best. So I have done some research and then Dan agreed to go to the class with me (without any begging, he was so sweet about wanting to be there to support me). It was just a basics class and we did learn some things that I think will come in useful. At the very least we won't be completely lost when it comes down to trying it out. I am going into this whole thing with a very open mind, and I am going to give breastfeeding my best shot...but if it doesn't work out I am not going to beat myself up about it either. I am so very thankful that I have such a supportive husband that would go to a class like that with me where he had to have been very uncomfortable. But he handled it like a champ and it ended up being some nice time together.

In other news, we had another doctor's appointment on Monday, and everything still looks great. Her heart rate was 136 and I am measuring right at 36 weeks (happy to hear I wasn't too small like every thinks I am). I was dilated 2 cm and 30% effaced. We go back again in a week and a half and are anxious to see if things are still progressing!

Love and Prayers in Week 37, Little Miss! We cannot wait to meet you!!

35 Weeks - Only 5 Weeks Left?!

-- 35 Week Belly Bump --

How far along? 35 weeks...only 5 weeks left. Holy buckets!
Total weight gain: ????
Baby is the size of a: Coconut - probably anywhere from 4-6 pounds
Maternity clothes? Most definitely. Still wearing pre-maternity pants!
Stretch marks? More in previously disclosed location...none on my belly so far (knock on wood!)
Sleep: Still haven't turned on the heater so I am doing alright. Getting up to go to the bathroom anywhere from 5-10 times a night now but thankfully able to go right back to sleep.
Best moment this week:  Seeing girlfriends at our last shower this week!
Miss anything? Pretty content right now.
Movement: Always have had a hard time getting the 5 kicks in an hour twice a day that the doctor requests, and it's been even harder this week. She is not particularly active, ever, so I usually have to lay down and really concentrate to even get 5.
Food cravings: Chocolate chip cookies. And I'm (still) overdue for Cake Batter with a brownie from Coldstone...
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Gender: Sweet baby girl :)
Baby Name: Yep!
Labor Signs: Just more braxton-hicks. Have had a little bit of cramping in my back and lower abdomen this week a couple times that I had to sit until they went away.
Symptoms: Still have quite a bit of heartburn (but a little better than before), lots of swelling, more and more tired.
Comments Solicited from Others: My medical assistant at work told me she thought I had dropped this week?
Belly Button in or out? Flat as a board
Wedding rings on or off? Still off
Happy or Moody most of the time: Increasingly more uncomfortable, but still content
Looking forward to: Our next appointment next Monday (we will see if I have dilated at all!) and then going home for Thanksgiving. Also looking forward to getting the nursery situated now that we are done with showers and finding homes for everything we will need here in a few short weeks. Probably should also start getting the hospital bag packed. Oh yes, and excited to decorate for Christmas next weekend!!