Austin has arrived!

Our sweet Austin has arrived!

Austin was born on October 21, 2008 at 11:40am. He weighed 8lbs. 4.5oz. & was 19 3/4in. long. He is absolutely precious!

I was in labor for 26 hours, but the actual delivery only lasted an hour. Because I was in labor for so long, I developed a high fever and was immediately placed on antibiotics following my delivery and Austin was placed in the NICU to be monitored closely due to my fever. Sweet little guy was on antibiotics and had all sorts of monitors attached to him. He was a trooper. As for the delivery, my doctor was incredible and made the experience much more enjoyable, if you can imagine that! Not saying it didn't hurt, it sure did, but she certainly lightened the mood. We had music playing in the background- 80's music, & we were able to laugh and joke quite a bit. That hour seriously flew by... it was nothing compared to the previous 25 hours. I was anxious and worn out by the time my doctor asked me if I was ready to PUSH! But every excruciating contraction and ache was quickly forgotten the moment Austin arrived. The feelings felt the moment I saw him are indescribable. Matthew did such a great job at encouraging me and coaching me through the processes as well. He was the lucky one who got to cut Austin's umbilical cord!

I am going to take a minute to brag about my husband. He has played such a key role in every aspect of this pregnancy... you're probably thinking "well of course!" He has been absolutely supportive, tender, caring, understanding, focused, every positive quality I could imagine wanting during my pregnancy he gave it! He's been terrific! My sweet husband kicked it into high gear the last few days before our due date. He cleaned up the entire house. He washed clothes, dishes, organized paperwork, set up last minute items for Austin, you name it he did it! I love my husband. He is my best friend. In addition to the pre-baby preparations, Matthew has done such a great job at taking care of his baby boy! It is so sweet to see him swaddle him, change his diaper, whisper things into his ear, feed him, EVERYTHING... he is not afraid to do it. I must admit... I didn't change Austin's diapers for the first few days. I was being lazy... Matthew would do it before I could even realize Austin needed to be changed. Let me tell you, Matthew is GREAT. I thank God for granting me the privilege of spending the rest of my life by his side. Austin is blessed to have a daddy like him!

Alright... well I hope you enjoy the cute pictures I posted of our little guy!

Countdown!

ONLY 3 more days!!!

can't wait... My parents and in-laws will be coming in on Sunday.
I'm looking forward to posting pictures of little guy as soon as I can.

Please continue praying for us as we prepare for his arrival.
We serve and awesome God and is sure is sweet to know that He is above all things and in control of every aspect of our lives.

I'll try to posts pictures of Austin's room before he comes!

OH YA!!! Today's my last day of work... only a few more hours to tie everything up!

UPDATE on DUE DATE!!!

Big news!

Well... as I mentioned in the previous blog, we had a scheduled visit to see our doctor today and received some exciting news! Our doctor has decided to induce labor on Monday, October 20, 2008!!! Matthew was actually hoping for tomorrow, but the doctor said NO!!!

The ultrasound showed Austin weighing approximately 8lbs 3oz, so he gained about 1lb. I must admit, I am a little nervous and incredibly anxious... I am sure Monday won't get here soon enough.

As we prepare for this big day we do have few prayer requests...
Even though we are scheduled for Monday, Oct. 20th, we are on standby, meaning that we will be admitted as soon as a room is available. Our doctor feels quite certain that they will get us in, but we are still hoping and praying that they can get us in early morning or afternoon. Both my parents and Matthew's parents will be traveling to Houston on Sunday in order to be here for the big day. So, Prayer request #1) that a room will be available for us early Monday morning. Another prayer is that my cervix will begin to dilate. I have yet to experience one contraction. Without contractions there will be no dilation. We were told that I am still not dilated which is somewhat frustrating since the doctor is planning on inducing soon. There are medications that she plans on using in order to soften my cervix prior to administering the pitocin which will increase contractions, but ideally I’d be somewhat dilated when I enter the hospital to make things a little easier. She encourage us to walk regularly, which is something we have been doing and of course some other suggestions that will remain unmentioned... might be inappropriate! =) Prayer request #2) is that my cervix will dilate at least 1cm to 2cm by Monday! And our last Prayer request #3) is that my labor and delivery process will be a smooth and quick experience. Inductions can take longer than usually and on top of that, many first time moms are in labor longer than those on their second or third child.

I am feeling a little nervous and of course anxious, so I am praying that I will enjoy these last few days and soak up the excitement! Praise the Lord for His blessings!

Matthew is so excited! I've really enjoyed listening to him share stories of how he daydreams of all the fun things he and Austin will do together. He's going to be such a wonderful father. It's also been sweet to watch him assemble all of the baby furniture and equipment as soon as it is purchased and/or arrives.

Anyway... I think this is all for my Oct. 14th update! My last day of work is on Friday so I am hoping and praying that I will get everything wrapped up and taken care of by the end of the work day.

COUNTDOWN: 6 more days!!!

too long...

So I must admit... I'm the worst blogger ever! I apologize for not posting any sooner...

Things are coming along well and Austin is growing, growing, growing. We have about 14 more days to go- give or take. We have our final ultrasound this Tuesday, Oct. 14th! At this point they will determine whether or not they'd like to induce. About 3 weeks ago we had another ultrasound and we were told that we've got a big kid coming along. His estimated weight was between 7lbs. and 7lbs. 4oz. YUP... He's a biggin! Because of this the doctor has mentioned possibly inducing labor so that he won't come out weighing over 9lbs. =) Unfortunately we were told that I am still not dilated at our last appointment, but the doctor kept reminding me that there is no need to worry... it will happen! OF COURSE! Matthew and I have been walking about 2 miles every other day with hopes that it will help speed up the process! Needless to say, these past few weeks have brought on quite a bit of anxiety! We just can't wait for him to make his appearance!

Things at work are coming together, but have also been quite hectic. Being away for 3 months requires a lot of preparation, especially with the end of the year coming quickly! Among my list of things to do, few of the major tasks I must complete before Austin arrives includes: putting together my board report (June-Oct.), Monthly report (Oct.), preparing packets with all the community resources available for my clients to tap into if the need arises, arranging and preparing Thanksgiving meals for 9 of the families I work with and lastly organizing Christmas gifts and meals that I will be providing my families with mid-Dec. Am I stressing??? just a little bit! HAHA. Although I began this preparation back at the beginning of September things just don't seem to be getting done as quickly as I'd like... Social work requires a lot of flexibility and sometimes too much! I just have to keep reminding myself that it will get done... I KNOW IT WILL!!! God is good and He always provides the time!

Anyhow... Enough about work!!!

I wanted to pass along a link of the maternity pictures that were taken at at 37 weeks (about a week ago)!
We love our photographer!
TAKE LOOK:
Maternity Pictures!!!

I will post more info later this week when we find out more about our actual due date!!! Austin David Allison will be here before we know it!!!

God bless!