4 weeks

Last Friday, our little angel turned 4 weeks old! I had her weighed this morning, and she is up to 8 lbs. 7 oz., which is 2 pounds more than when we brought her home from the hospital. She is growing like a weed, and it's been so fun to watch her change. She has lost her 'newborn' look!

Proofs are posted

All the proofs from Sienna's newborn session are posted online.

You can view the pictures at http://proof.ccphotodesign.com/ccphoto_photocart

When you go to the website, click the Access Gallery link and enter in the access code below.

Access code: aad38ac6

Enjoy!

2 week and 3 week pictures

Miss Sienna is officially in her 4th week of life! Hard to believe... it has been a blur! :) One of my friends gave me the idea to take her picture every week to track her growth. I'll try to post these each week, or as often as I can so you can see how big she is getting already!!

2 weeks

3 weeks

Sienna also hit a milestone on her 3 week birthday - she found her thumb all by herself!! Now granted she really doesn't have control over her arms or hands yet, but it was still really cute! I think we have a future thumb sucker on our hands. I'll be glad when she can do this consistently because the pacifier war will be over!!

Pictures, pictures, pictures!!

Our photographer, Carmen Carver, has posted a sneak peak of Sienna's newborn photo session from last week. There are several great pictures... check out her latest blog posting, "Everything a Girl Needs..." at: www.ccphotodesign.blogspot.com

SO CUTE!!!! I can't wait to see the rest of the pictures! All of the proofs should be ready sometime next week, so I'll be sure to post the link for you all to view.

Bath Time

We gave Sienna her first 'real' bath this morning. She didn't fuss at all -- seems to like this type of bath a lot better than the sponge bath! Enjoy the naked baby pictures. :)










Her belly was full from breakfast!

More pics

Finally got around to putting up Sienna's name in her room. What do you think?

10 days

Nana and her girls

Three Elaine's plus Scott

In her cute polka dot outfit from Becky! (And I thought this was going to be too small on her!)

So in love...

Below are a few more pictures of Sienna's first week. We are so in love with our little one!! She has a head full of dark hair, which she gets from her daddy. Scott and I were both born with brown hair, but Scott had more and it was very dark like Sienna's. Sienna looks most like my baby pictures at this point in time. I think she definitely has my nose and mouth. Her face shape and eyes might be more like Scott's, though. We'll see! She is changing so much every day.

We are having her picture taken tomorrow, and I am so excited! The photographer is coming to our house for a three hour session, so we should get lots of great pictures.

This week has been exhausting yet so rewarding for Scott and I. Sienna started out breast feeding fantastically, but she got derailed about mid-way through last week. We started supplementing with formula and pumping. It has been an exhausting routine, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just trying to take it day by day, which is easier said than done!

I love these socks!! They look like little mary janes!

Sienna loves her swing.

Day two of Sienna's life. The cap is courtesy of the night nurses at St. Luke's East. Love it!

Reflecting on Sienna's birthday

I thought I'd post an account of last Friday, so Sienna (and you all) will know all about the day she was born!

Scott and I left for the hospital around 6 am. I hardly slept a wink the night before because I was so anxious. (I started off in our bed, moved to our chaise lounge, then to our guest bedroom, then back to our bed. Ha!) We were apprehensive and excited for this day.... so many unknowns of how the day would play out. We said a prayer and snapped one last pic of my belly before heading out the door.

We arrived at the hospital and checked into room 2042. St. Luke's East is a single room maternity ward, so I labored, delivered and recovered in the same room. So nice. Our fabulous nurse, Janie, started my IV around 7:00 am, and hooked up the fetal and contraction monitors. I was having regular contractions spaced about 5 minutes apart. They weren't very strong, but my body was definitely ready to go.

Around 7:30 am, the nurse started a pitocin drip of 1 cc per hour - the lowest dose available. The doctor came in at 8:30 am to break my water, and that's when the contractions really started to pick up. The pitocin was turned up to 3 cc's, and I went from a 3 to a 6 by 10:30 am. The contractions were fast (about 2 minutes apart), and started to get pretty painful. I wanted to hold off getting the epidural, so I could 'experience' labor. I had no idea I would progress so quickly, though. At 11:00, the nurse anesthetist came to put in my epidural. By 11:30 am, the epidural was in and I was at a 7. The epidural was great... allowed me to rest and relax. I didn't sleep, but I did rest my eyes and body. My contractions slowed down a bit after the epidural, but they picked back up after the nurse increased the pitocin back to 3 cc's. I progressed from a 7 to a 10 by 2:30 pm. I couldn't necessarily feel the pain, but I could feel a lot of pressure. When I was fully dilated to a 10, I placed a call to my sister, who was in the waiting room, to have her order a Steak & Shake burger and vanilla malt for me to enjoy post-delivery. Ha! I had been craving Steak & Shake the last few weeks, and had never managed to get there.

From 2:30 to 3:30 pm, I labored down. A little after 3:30 pm, I started pushing. The experience of pushing was different than I expected. It wasn't painful since I had the epidural, but it sure was exhausting. I was so determined to get this little girl here, that time flew. I had a fabulous coach in Scott. He counted loud and encouraged me through every contraction. Plus he fanned me with a magazine after every push, since the hospital air conditioning decided to go out for an hour while I was pushing. Nice!!! So at 5:05 pm, Sienna arrived! Scott cut the cord, and the nurses made sure she was okay. She was crying and using her lungs! Scott went out to the waiting room to tell our family she had arrived! Then Scott & I spent an hour alone with Sienna. No nurses, no family members - just the three of us. We snuggled her, fed her, and sang to her. It was the most precious hour, and I am so glad the hospital suggested this time to us. It felt so surreal to hold her and know that we had created this perfect little girl. It was during this hour that we decided her name should be Sienna. Afterwards, all our family got to come in to meet our precious baby daughter.

Sienna Elaine Williams

We welcomed Sienna Elaine Williams to this world on Friday, September 4! She was born at 5:05 PM and weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces. She is so absolutely perfect! Her name is inspired from the Italian city, Siena, that Scott and I fell in love with a couple of years ago. Her middle name is after myself, my mom, my mother-in-law, and my grandmother.

Scott and I are settling in to life as a family of three here at home. We had a curveball thrown at us with her feeding schedule, so we've been busy trying to figure everything out. I will post more pictures as soon as I can!

Thanks to everyone for your love, support & prayers. We feel them!!

Ready or not...

She is coming tomorrow! Seems that her stubborn streak is continuing, and she is still nice and comfy in my tummy. :) So the plan is to check into the hospital bright and early tomorrow morning to get this party started. I am SO, SO, SO excited to meet our daughter! She is going to be beautiful! I feel like my body and mind are ready for this process. I'll spare you the details, but I feel like my body is just a little push away from going into labor. So if this is the push it needs, so be it!
Today I enjoyed a sunny day with my sister. I am so glad she has been in town this week!! We went on a 3.5 mile walk to JP Coffee and then enjoyed some breakfast after our walk. Afterwards we ran some errands and bought the cutest little outfit for baby girl. It is a long-sleeve onesie with owls and a matching hat. Precious.
We are taking the computer and camera to the hospital tomorrow, so hopefully we will be able to post pictures soon after she arrives.
Grandpa Dave and Aunt Melissa's birthdays are tomorrow, so we're hoping she arrives before midnight to join them on their birthdays! We'll keep you posted!

Update

Scott and I went to the doctor today. Caution - lots of medical terminology and discussion about my body ahead, so read at your own risk. :)

We had a biophysical done on our baby girl, and she passed with flying colors. She was moving around a lot and "breathing" on her own. (In fact, she started 'breathing' whenever Scott got down close to my belly and talked to her. So cute.) My body has also made significant progress towards labor from last week. I'm dilated to a 3 and 80% effaced, so basically baby girl could come at any time. (Last week I was dilated to a 1 and 30% effaced.)

The original plan was to admit me to the hospital this evening to soften my cervix and then start on pitocin tomorrow morning. Since my cervix is nearly ready, the doctor said there was no reason for me to go to the hospital this evening. She said that if I still wanted to move forward with the induction tomorrow morning, we could do that. Or if I was anxious about being induced, we could wait because Tuesday was an arbitrary date. She was only going to insist on inducing me on Tuesday if my body had made no progress towards labor. But after the exam today, she said my body is likely to go into labor on it's own in the next few days; however, Dr. Pearman will not let me go past Friday. (Friday will be nearly 2 weeks past my due date... who knew?!?!) I was having intense anxiety about being induced. I couldn't sleep last night, and I just didn't feel a peace about the situation. I know women are induced often, but I really want to give my body and our baby girl every opportunity to go into labor when the time is right. And since I still feel good, baby girl is doing well, and my body is progressing, I don't feel the need to rush. Today was an answer to prayer! God is so good.

So hopefully labor will start on its own in the next few days. If not, we've got an spot reserved at St. Luke's East for 6:30 am on Friday morning to bring this little one into the world. Thank you so much for your prayers and well wishes. I know I've been a little distant this past week as my emotions have been all over the place, so thanks for hanging in there with me. We will keep you all posted! All our love - Scott and Krista

A personality hint, perhaps?

No baby yet! She is still holding out on us. I think this confirms she has my independent, strong-willed nature.

I have run the gamut of emotions this week while waiting for her to decide to arrive -- excited to have some time to myself, anxious for her to arrive, mad that she hasn't arrived, apprehensive about when/how she will arrive, etc. Scott has been so supportive during this week. He seriously should win award or something. Thanks, honey.

Just wanted to keep you all updated. I know you are anxiously awaiting news, as are we!

Nursery Pictures

I finally took some pictures of her nursery! We have a few final touches to make, but it's nearly complete.

Walking into her nursery...

Changing table with contemporary animal prints I found on-line. I also added a few antique glass knobs to the furniture.

Dresser, complete with a chalk drawing of Maddie as a baby. We've had the drawing for years, and this is the perfect place for it!

Rocker/glider plus a tote full of books. We're going to put some flower decals around the wall in this corner when we get a chance.

Crib and curtains. We'll put her name on this wall once she arrives!

Close-up of the crib

Closet full of clothes, shoes, socks, bows, headbands and toys!

Did I mention she has a lot of clothes?! I love it! We have a full range of sizes from newborn to about 1 year.

No baby yet!

Baby girl has yet to make her debut! I think she is showing early signs of a stubborn personality... :) Ha! I have to keep reminding myself that all my sonograms showed that she would be later than August 22, so I shouldn't be anxious. But it's just so tough when you get that date stuck in your brain, and we're just so darn excited to meet her!!! This weekend was tough emotionally... just seeing the due date come and go. Today I feel much better. Relaxed and energized.

We had another sonogram and check-up this morning. Everything looks healthy with baby and with me! That was a great feeling, just knowing she is healthy and comfy in my belly. Fluid levels are still good, placenta looks healthy, her heartbeat sounds good (125 bpm), my blood pressure is still normal, etc. The sonographer estimates her weight at 7 lbs. 9 oz. (The margin of error is 10%, or 12 oz.) I am dilated slightly more than I was last week, but no major change really.
If you calculate my due date with consideration to my cycle length, her due date is technically Wednesday, August 26. So we shall see if she decides to come on her own later this week. If not, the plan is for me to check into the hospital next Monday night, and I'll be induced. Baby girl should be here by next Tuesday, September 1, at the latest.

Scott and I have been going on long walks to encourage her to arrive sooner rather than later, and during those walks I give her pep talks on coming out. No luck, so far. :) This morning I was wondering what it would feel like to run with my stomach this big (I miss running!), so I tried it out for about 1/4 of a mile. It was exhausting and hard to keep my balance! Scott said that if any of the neighbors saw me running they'd probably think, "Poor girl is willing to do anything to get that baby out!" LOL. Think I'll stick to walking.

Day before due date!

Today was my last day of work, and I was a mix of emotions. It was so great to have time to wind down on projects and have some 'closure'. When I walked out of the building, I felt like I could walk back in there on Monday and continue with a normal work week. But as my husband reminded me, I need to enjoy these few days before she arrives!

Kyle and Hannah cooked an amazing dinner for Scott and I tonight! It was so, so, so good. We had shrimp with banana peppers, scallops, heirloom tomato salad, asparagus & mushrooms, bread with lemon olive oil dipping sauce, and a yummy grain dish (can't remember the name). It was delicious! Kyle added some spice to the dishes to encourage baby girl's arrival. :) I love that my brother-in-law is a chef! Thanks so much for a great night you guys!

Scott and I snapped some pics of my belly tonight. Wow! She's gotten big and has dropped!

Random Updates

Last weekend, Scott and his dad fixed the squeaky floors in the second floor of our house. We had some really big squeaks that would have definitely woken baby girl from her slumber, so we had to fix that! Want to do all we can to ensure she's a good sleeper. You guys are the best - thanks so much!!

We also got to spend some time with our good friends, the Branstetter's. Their daughter, Cosette, loved playing with Maddie.

We've been trying to take more belly pics over the past week. Enjoy!

Final (scheduled) doctor's appointment

This morning was our last scheduled doctor's appointment. Everything checked out great with baby girl. I am dilated to a 1 and am 30% effaced, which is progress from last week's appointment. Unfortunately, these measurements don't really give us a great idea of when she will come, but we do know my body is making progress towards delivery day! My doctor said she won't let me go any longer than 10 days past my due date, which is September 1. Hopefully baby girl will not wait until then. I'd rather go into labor on my own versus being induced!

On Sunday, Scott and I had a great day together just doing whatever we wanted. (I'm told days like these are luxuries once the baby arrives.) We went shopping, grabbed a burger at Fuddruckers (haven't been there in years!), got ice cream at Sonic, and saw a movie. It was a great day to just hang out together and not have an agenda.

So needless to say, we are anxiously awaiting her arrival. Next week will be tough if she decides to hang out in my belly a little longer! I guess we'll just have to have a couple more days like last Sunday if she plans on making us wait!

Counting down...

Today I am 38 weeks and 5 days pregnant! I can hardly believe it... but then I look down at my belly! LOL! Thought I'd provide a few updates on recent events in the past week.

This weekend Scott and I got a lot of our baby prep done. We installed the car seat bases in each of our cars, rearranged some furniture to make room for the pack-n-play and swing, packed our hospital bag, bought diapers and put some finishing touches on her nursery. Our home is ready for our baby girl!

We also went to a Royals game. It was a beautiful night, so we decided to squeeze in one last game before she arrives.

Sporting our blue to support the home team.

Nothing like a ballpark hot dog... especially when you're pregnant & it's guilt-free!

I love this man!

I had another doctor's appointment on Tuesday. We had a sonogram to check on her growth, and everything looked healthy and great. We saw her breathing and swallowing -- she was eating breakfast! So cute. The sonographer estimated her weight at 6 lbs. 11 oz. Getting big! The doctor said she won't let me go much past a week from my due date, if she doesn't come by then.

My college roommate, Tara, came to visit me the past couple days. It was so great to see her! We had a good time just catching up on life.

I am starting to wind down at work this week. I have a few deadlines late this week, so next week I should be able to wrap up most things in preparation for leaving. I am glad to be slowing down and giving myself more time to prepare mentally & emotionally for our daughter's arrival.

It is still hard to wrap my head around the fact that I'm going to be gone from work for many months. I haven't had a break from work that is longer than 2 weeks since starting to work after college! I am sure that once she arrives, I won't think twice about all the projects at work.

Doctor's Appointment Today

Scott and I went for our weekly doctor's appointment today. My blood pressure was great, baby's heart rate sounded good, and my belly keeps growing. When Dr. Pearman walked in the exam room this morning, she said, "Well, you finally look pregnant!" Ha! I think I'll take that as a compliment. :) My stomach measurement today was 37 weeks, which is right where it should be. I was lucky enough to measure small for a quite a while, but it looks like my belly has caught up in the past week. Honestly, I was a bit relieved to know my belly is measuring normally now. Even though the doctor had very little concern about my previously small measurements, it was always nagging in the back of my mind that she might not be growing enough. I worry too much sometimes. I really had been praying through the situation, and in the past week I had been less worried about her growth. So today was an answer to prayers!

We have an ultrasound scheduled for next week, so we'll get to see baby girl again! I'm excited! The doctor will also be checking to ensure there's still a good amount of amniotic fluid and my placenta is still healthy. (Guess those things start to break down once you get close to your due date.) So we should know more about when baby girl might arrive next week.

Baby month

August is here, and we've got about three weeks to go! Our house is nearly 'ready' for baby girl Williams to come home! Scott and I are getting very excited about our little girl's arrival. It still feels kind of surreal that we are about to become parents. I mean, we know that we are about to become parents to this precious baby in my belly, but knowing and doing and two TOTALLY different things. As much as we've tried to prepare our minds, hearts & home, we still know that we can never be fully prepared for this experience. I'm hoping the next few weeks will pass quickly, and we won't become anxious.
Scott and I had dinner at Lidia's on Friday night, which is one of our favorite restuarants. Scott mentioned this might be the last time we come here before she arrives - how strange, yet wonderful! On Saturday, we headed to Babies R Us to buy some of the last few things we needed for her nursery. It felt great to get a few things checked off the 'to do' list. :)