Celebrating 5 Years of Marriage

Robbie and I celebrated 5 years of marriage today, July 17th! We decided to go out to eat since we are suffering from a little bit of cabin fever, but couldn't leave Kaelyn at home. Mimi and Pawpaw were in town for the weekend, so we made our anniversary a family event with Aunt Lisette and Uncle Bentley too. The past 5 years have been amazing! Robbie couldn't be a better best friend, husband, and now a perfect father! I didn't think I could love him anymore than I did, but watching him with Kaelyn is priceless and makes me love him so much more!

The Story of Miss Kaelyn Elizabeth

Kaelyn Elizabeth Hudson joined our family on Monday, July 6, 2009 at 3:41 p.m. She weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz. and was 19 3/4 long. We had an interesting journey getting her here, but couldn't be more delighted to finally have our precious little girl.

The doctor had scheduled for us to be induced on Thursday, July 2nd, but as we arrived at the hospital, my cell phone rang and the nurses asked us to stay home (little did they know we were sitting out in the parking lot since we were supposed to be there 8 minutes later) because the hospital was full. They gave us every indication that they were going to reschedule us for later in the day, but about an hour later, I received a personal phone call from my doctor (never a good thing since the nurses usually call) letting us know that she put us on the schedule for Monday instead because the hospital was so busy. Needless to say, Robbie and I were disappointed and frustrated. All of our families had planned to be there with us (and were on the way). We knew it was going to be a long weekend since our only plans were to spend time with our new little girl. How could you replace that with anything worth while? We trusted God and knew he had a plan for us and boy did he! When Robbie's parents arrived (they were already in Dallas when we called with the news), they brought an extra surprise passenger, Robbie's Memaw from Little Rock. We spent Friday looking for Memaw a place to live in Frisco and were successful. This would not have been possible without the delay in Kaelyn's birth and we are all anxious to get Memaw closer to us! She will be moving to Frisco in mid to late October! Kaelyn will be so excited to have her GiGi (Memaw) close by!

We spent Saturday resting up and went to have a steak dinner with the Hudson clan at Bentley and Lisette's house to celebrate the fourth of July! I began having contractions very consistently on the way over to their house. Robbie began keeping track of them, and we ended up missing the dinner because they were consistent enough for us to head in to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital around 9 p.m. and they hooked me up to the monitors. I was dilated between 3 and 4 centimeters and they wanted to monitor the contractions and my progress for several hours. Around 11:30 p.m., the nurse came in and we had not made any more progress. We had two options: stay at the hospital for a couple more hours to see if there was any change or head home and come back if anything changed. We decided to head home to the comfort of our own space. Another little set-back, but we knew God had a plan.

Monday morning arrived and I called labor and delivery to make sure we were on the schedule and wouldn't arrive and be turned away again! Good news, they were ready for us! Robbie and I arrived at the hospital at 7:15 a.m. and they set us up! My doctor was going to deliver us (which I'm thankful for) and the nurse was the sister-in-law of my friend from school, Andrea Sciano. Everything looked great! The nurse set my IV up and hooked us up to the Pitocin to induce contractions. I was dilated to a 4 already and was progressing quickly with the Pitocin. My doctor came in around 8:30 a.m. and broke my water. Boy, did that increase the intensity of the contractions. It wasn't long before I'd had enough of an experience being a tough mom trying to go the natural way (I just wanted to experience REAL contractions for a bit) and was ready for the epidural. Around 10:00 a.m. I had my epidural and was pain-free. I was able to relax a bit and Robbie went out to greet the family. The family was 20+ strong in number and everyone was anxious to meet Kaelyn! Shortly after lunch time, the nurse came in to check me again and I was dilated to a 7 (progressing a little more rapidly than planned), but decided to increase the Pitocin. About 10 minutes later, the nurse came back in and was concerned because Kaelyn's heart rate had dropped. She checked me again and I was dilated to a 9.5. I had dilated 2.5 centimeters in 10 minutes! She quickly turned off the Pitocin to increase Kaelyn's heart rate. They monitored us for another 2 hours and then called the doctor because Kaelyn's heart beat was still lower than what they would like it to be. Her heart rate should have been between 120-160 beats per minute, but was getting as low as 40 bpm. Kaelyn's head was so low that the contractions were squeezing her head, suffocating her. Around 3:15 p.m. the nurse called for the doctor because things were getting worse. A c-section looked like the next step. The doctor arrived around 3:30 and wanted to try to get Kaelyn out naturally while the operating room was prepared. She quickly called for a full team and about 11 nurses arrived in the room. The doctor tried to use a vacuum to suck Kaelyn out, but it kept slipping off because Kaelyn had so much hair on her head! The doctor told me to keep pushing (whether I was having a contraction or not) to try to get Kaelyn out as quickly as possible. I think I pushed about 6-8 times before I had her in my arms. All the NICU nurses were there to check her vitals (since we'd had a scare) and everything looked okay. Kaelyn was healthy and I was okay too! Praise the Lord! Robbie was so great throughout the whole process. He definitely kept me calm and focused (though he later told me he was the most scared he had ever been).

It all seems like a whirlwind now, but we thank God each day for how everything turned out on Monday. After delivery, Kaelyn fed well for the first time! All the family was excited to meet her, and Robbie and I just couldn't believe how lucky we were to be parents to this beautiful little angel.

Kaelyn's Room

We've finally finished the nursery and it's ready for Kaelyn's arrival! Thank you Mom for all your hard work and to both families for helping us outfit the room with all the cute bedding, curtains, etc. Robbie and I are very proud of it and feel it fits our little girl perfectly. Now let's just get her here! I go back to the doctor on Friday for another check-up and hope we have some news. If not, July 2nd isn't far away and we'll meet her then!

Back to the doctor today...

I went back to the doctor today for a sonogram to determine how big Kaelyn is and for a routine check-up. She is weighing in at 5 lbs. 14 oz. at the end of 36 weeks. The doctor is anticipating her weight to be about 7 1/2 lbs. if we make it to July 2nd. I was also pleased to see that she is still a girl since I've washed a lot of her clothes. Since I'm not sleeping much, I think I've had the recurring nightmare that she might be a boy and I'll have to return everything at the last minute. Thank you Jill Corbitt! I still remember being at Grace's shower with pink M & M's and then hearing a week later that Grace would now be Grayson! It was definitely very clear in the sonogram that we are still having a girl and I breathed a sigh of relief. The doctor gave a great update on everything else. Kaelyn is breathing on her own through her diaphragm (which is rare since she doesn't have to yet) and she is head down and ready. I think that things are progressing like they should and I am keeping my fingers crossed that she could come early. I go back next Friday and hope to know more.

One More Day of School!

Today is our last day with the kids and I'm so excited! At officially 1:00 p.m. tomorrow after turning everything in, I begin preparing for my new job as a stay-at-home mom and wife, and I couldn't be more ready. The kids have been restless this week and I think we are all needing a break. After our doctor's visit last week, I am anxious to get some rest and finalize everything for Kaelyn's arrival since she could come earlier than expected. I'm looking forward to next week and spending some time with Robbie and catching up on some house work and scrapbooking. Less than 24 hours and counting!

Attending Birthing Classes!

This past weekend Robbie and I attended a marathon session of labor, infant care, and breastfeeding classes in two days! Needless to say, it was information overload and I felt like I was in college again with as many notes as I took! After it was all said and done, I'm not sure if I feel better or worse about it all. It was definitely great information, but kind of scary too. Afterwards, Robbie informed me that I needed to go home and organize my notes. Should I tell him that he has more experience with outlines than I do given his law school classes and make him do it? We also got to take a tour of the hospital where we will deliver. Medical Center of Plano is really nice. The delivery room looks like a fancy hotel suite with the nice wood furniture, etc. On another note though, Robbie is a little concerned about his sleeping arrangements after we are moved into our normal room. The couches look a little tough! I think after the weekend was over and we felt more than overwhelmed with information, we finally felt like time was going to fly until Kaelyn arrives! We couldn't be more excited.

No Lake on July 4th This Year...

I went back to the doctor today and it looks like the Perry family will miss out spending July 4th on the lake this year. Dr. Umholtz has scheduled Kaelyn to arrive on Thursday, July 2nd before the holiday! I'm definitely still hoping she might surprise us all and come even earlier if she is ready to make her debut, but July 2nd will be great too! It will be interesting to look at the baby pool that Karlene is keeping to see who might win now that we have a tentative date. Everything checked out okay today: blood pressure, strong heart beat; weight gain, etc. I go back again next Friday for a follow-up and the doctor will schedule our next sonogram.