Alexandria Ridley: The Birth Story

Woah, what a whirlwind. This little girl took a while to decide to come out and meet the world, but once she did she didn't waste any time! She wanted to have her own unique birth story all her own. Her birth was definitely more like Atlas than it was like Jane, but wasn't a carbon copy of Atlas's by a long shot. If you're interested in reading the other two, you can read about Jane's here and Atlas's here.

Last Bump Picture!

My labor with Xan was super short! But waiting for her to come felt like a long time! So let's start with when she started faking me out that labor was beginning. The first time I thought I could be in labor was after my midwife, Sallie, gave me my first massage at 38 weeks 5 days. A few hours after the massage I started feeling very mild contractions, but they almost seemed consistent. So I started timing them. For about an hour or two they came every 15 minutes then I had one stronger one so I let my mom and Sallie know and I would let them know if they started getting stronger. I sat down for dinner and then they dissipated. From then on I had contractions throughout the day that were noticeable, but never super strong. A few days later we had chili dogs for dinner and it messed with my stomach a little and I think that's why I had about 3 stronger contractions pretty close together. I thought that was going to be the beginning of labor too, so I told Sam, but then nothing happened after that. I didn't want to psych anyone else out again. So I decided to keep my contractions to myself from then on until I was sure it was the real deal.

Jane was so excited to meet baby sister!

At 39 weeks 6 days I had another massage with Sallie. We were both so sure that this massage would be the one to put me into labor. We were both wrong. I had a very similar response to the massage as I did with the first one. Mild consistent contractions that dissipated in the evening. A surprise to all of us, Xan made it a whole week more in my belly. At 40 weeks 5 days Sallie gave me another massage. The day before I had a few strong contractions while I was dancing with Jane at my parents house, but they still didn't turn into anything. I couldn't believe I could have so many contractions and not be in labor yet! The massage didn't have an immediate effect on my contractions, but it did it's job of feeling great and relaxing me! On Saturday, April 7th I did a few things to see if I could get labor really going. In the morning I danced with the kids to see if it would give me some stronger contractions. I had a few, but not as many as I expected. Then around 3:30pm I decided to take the dog for a walk on my own so could walk as long as I wanted too. As I was getting ready to go I had a contraction that was stronger than ones I'd noticed lately. I thought, "Perfect! I can see if this walk will make them stronger!"

Trying to walk her out!

Cambria and I started off on our walk on a cool, breezy April afternoon. It was a lovely half hour walk and I kept having mild to moderate contractions throughout, but none that I couldn't walk through. I got back and sat down to watch a show with Atlas and Jane. The contractions still didn't stop and were becoming consistent, about every 10 minutes or less, but still not super strong. I texted Sallie to let her know. She said, "I'll stop by and check you and see where we're at." I sat down for dinner and they seemed to get farther apart again. I felt a tinge of disappointment thinking I was wrong yet again. Sallie arrived as we were finishing dinner. She listened to Xan and mentioned she sounded excited like I had recently had a contraction, which I had. She checked me and I was already 5 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced. I was not in active labor though! I could have already been at a 5 for a few days. It could mean that labor is soon, but it could also be a few days still. Sallie encouraged me and told me it was a good thing! I was already half way there and not even in active labor yet. Sallie left and said she'd be ready for my call if things got real!

This is the last picture I took before Xan was born.

I kept having contractions throughout the evening, but I stopped timing them and focused on enjoying my Saturday evening. I called my mom just let her know all the info and I could be calling her in the night. I texted her around 11:30pm and let her know that I had a couple of stronger contractions right before bed and I'd call her if I woke up with stronger ones. I decided to see if I could sleep through the contractions because they still weren't super painful or anything. I went to bed around midnight. I woke up at 4am to a super strong contraction! I started timing them immediately. I realized I had to concentrate to get through them. I went to the bathroom in between contractions and got back in bed. When I laid back down I had an even stronger one! But then the next one came a little farther apart and a little milder. At 4:30am I wasn't completely convinced. I wanted to be sure before I called anyone at such an early hour. So I labored for 30 more minutes in my bed.

First strong contractions

Trying to figure out it was the real deal

At 5am I had been having super strong painful contractions for an hour and they were 5-7 minutes apart. I was finally convinced that this was it! Xan was finally coming!! I woke up Sam and told him I needed to call Sallie, but he could stay in bed for a while. I made my way over to the couch and called Sallie at 5:10am after I had another strong contraction. I told her this was it for sure. She said she'd head on over! I called my mom right after I hung up with Sallie. I think I told her it would be soon, but to have some coffee if they needed to. I should have been more sure about how soon it was going to be!

The top two were while I was moving to the couch

Once I had made the phone calls I needed to the contractions kicked into super high gear! I had to start putting my hands on my head, breathing deeply and groaning to get through each one. They started coming every 3 to 5 minutes!! Then around 5:30am I had the most intense contraction so far and I felt a small urge to push already! :O I was alone! Sam was still in bed and no one had arrived yet. (He told me later he intended to get right up, but somehow drifted back to sleep) I realize I'm really bad at communicating the intensity of the situation while I'm in labor. ;) I called my mom to make sure they were on their way soon and to make sure she had called my grandparents to tell them to come. I had invited my grandmother to be at Xan's birth. My grandfather would drive her and he would help my dad watch Atlas during the birth was the original plan, but they live an hour away and I was afraid they wouldn't make it in time. She said she had called them when I had called her and she and my dad would be on their way to me in just a couple minutes.

Waiting for my help to arrive

I stopped timing at 6am when Sallie arrived

I had another contraction and again felt that urge to push. I thought "No, no, no. Not yet. No one is here yet!" I started praying, "Lord, please let everyone get here in time!!" At 5:45am my parents arrived. I didn't realize Sam was asleep at this point, so I had to call him to ask him to let my parents in the door. They came in and my mom asked me if I needed anything. I asked her to get me some water and then I would be fine. I told her I didn't think it was worth it to try to get the birth pool filled up, but I wasn't sure. My dad went ahead and started trying to get it ready. At 5:50am Katie Perez arrived! Katie assisted Sallie when I gave birth to Atlas. I felt so much better when she got there. I was having a contraction when she walked in the door. She listened to me and looked at my iPod to see what my contractions were like. I told her that they needed to focus on getting the bed ready because I felt like I was about to have this baby! I asked Katie how far away Sallie was. She said she thought she should be arriving soon, but she would call her to make sure. I had another contraction while she was on the phone with Sallie and put her on speaker so she could hear me. Katie told me Sallie would be here before my next contraction. At 6am Sallie walked in the door. Hallelujah! I was having another contraction while she came in. I think she tried to ask me some questions right afterwards, but I don't remember what they were or what my answers were.

This was my first push at 6:19am I believe.

After Sallie got there I didn't pay attention to the time, the contractions were too strong! I asked if the bed was ready and they told me it was. So I said I wanted to try to go to the bathroom and get in the bed. I had contractions on the way to the bathroom and the bed. They were almost coming on top of each other at this point. My mom handed me a hair tie, so I put my hair up and climbed on the bed. As soon as I got on the bed I had a couple of contractions that I resisted the urge to push through. I told my mom to go and wake up Jane. When she got back she told me my dad couldn't get connections off the washer to fill the birth pool and would have to go back home for some tools. I told her there was no way I was going to make it to the pool, let him know it's totally fine and not to worry about it. I was happy to have her in the bed. Sallie noticed that I was resisting the urge to push and told me to let go and let her come. I was trying to let my grandmother get there in time for the birth, but Sallie was right, I needed to let her come! I pushed a little through the next couple of contractions, but not very seriously. Then I looked at my mom and asked where Jane was. She said she was on the couch watching a show. I told her to bring her in.

Getting serious with my pushes!

After Jane was there I pushed a little harder and Katie told me it put my chin down instead of up to be able to put more into my pushes. It's interesting that in the craziness of the moment I seem to forget the best way to push even though I've done this twice already. Sallie told me when the next contraction came on to take three deep breaths pull my chin in, bear down and push. I did that and they said good! That's what you need to do! That's when I realized I needed to pull my knees up to myself to get enough leverage to get a really good push. I did that on my next contraction and then my water broke! I pushed a couple more times and I felt her head coming out. I was yelling pretty loudly through all of this. Somehow Atlas slept through it! It pretty much felt like a constant contraction at that point and I just kept pushing. A couple more pushes and her head was out and one more push and she was born!! Katie caught her and put her right on my chest! I was sobbing with joy! She was quiet and I didn't hear her cry. Sallie listened to her heartbeat and it was great! Sallie was rubbing her with a towel for a minute, Katie suctioned her mouth a little and she finally let out one little cry and that was it. She was already asleep lying on my chest. I felt her steady breathing and knew she was fine. From the way I was lying down I couldn't look at her very well, but it was amazing to feel her on my chest. She's finally here! Born on 4/8/18 at 6:28am.

SHE'S HERE!!

After a minute I realized there was a world outside of me and Xan again and started looking around the room to see who was there. Sam was standing close by with a calm and relieved look on his face. :) Then I looked over at my mom next to the bed. She was tearing up and holding Jane. I asked Jane if she saw baby sister and if she wanted come see her closer? She was kind of hiding in my mom and wouldn't say anything. I think it scared her a little with the way I was yelling and she was still a little sleepy. I also saw my dad standing outside the bedroom door and smiling. Sallie informed me that Alexandria came out with her hand next to her head! I thought I had felt a little something extra when I was pushing her head out! She also told me I didn't tear because my pushing was very well controlled. YAY! After those first few minutes it was time to cut the cord since it had stopped pulsing. Sam and my mom had told me before her birth that they weren't interested in cutting the cord. I asked how far away my grandparents were and my mom said they were still a ways out. I had thought about asking my grandmother to cut the cord, but they were still too far away. My dad actually didn't have a chance to go home after the birth pool was no longer an option because he had just stopped trying to get the pool ready when I started pushing. So he was in the living room when Xan was born. I asked if he wanted to cut the cord and he said, "Sure!". It was pretty special for him to get to do it. :)

My dad cutting the cord

Once the cord was cut it was time to birth the placenta. I tried to push a couple of times still holding Alexandria, but it wasn't working. So I handed her off to her Marmee to be able to get in a better position to push. I got on my hands and knees and Katie told me to cough a couple of times and then push. That worked! The placenta was out. I was done! Sallie remarked at how perfect the placenta came out and that she had never seen such a clean birth. Seriously, not one drop of blood when the placenta came out. (sorry if that's TMI)

So much love and joy

Just minutes old

My sweet, sweet little girl. <3

I moved over to the side of the bed they had prepared for me and asked for my baby back. :) Now I finally got to really look at her. She was beautiful! Just perfect and looked very much like her siblings. Kinda a combination of both of them. By this time Jane had woken up enough and was ready to come see sister closer! She was in love immediately! She said "she's so cute!!! And little! Awww, she's so adorable." Sallie told Jane that Xan looked like her. Jane gave her the funniest look! She was like I'm big I don't look like a baby. Haha!

Getting a good look at baby sister

Meeting Great Papa

And Great Mama

I noticed Alexandria was starting to root. So I started breastfeeding her and she latched on so easy and was such a pro from the very beginning! She nursed for a long time! My grandparents arrived about 20 minutes after Xan was born. I said sorry for not giving them enough time to get there. My grandma said she was a little disappointed, but of course she understood there was nothing I could do about it and she was excited to be here now. Sallie and Katie sat down in the living room to have some coffee. My mom, Sam, my grandparents and Jane all went to relax after the busy activity of birth and my dad went to get everyone breakfast from McDonald's. Alexandria and I were left to ourselves for a while to nurse and bond. I love those first quiet moments with my babies. So much sweetness.

Time to weigh her!

Measuring her height

Atlas was very interested!

All three kiddos!!

Katie came in after a while and said she wished she could stay but she had to go home and get ready for work. I thanked her and told her I was so glad she could come and assist again. I finished my breakfast around 8:30am or so, Atlas had finally woken up. He came in to meet baby sister. He was so excited to see her! He was pretty gentle too. He said "Baby!!" He clapped his hands with joy when he was meeting her. So sweet!! Sallie came back in and said she was trying to let us rest but she wanted to see if it was a good time to weigh her. I said, "Sure, there's no telling how long she'll sleep, so let's go ahead and do it now." As soon as Sallie picked Xan up she said, "Oh! she might be close to 9lbs!" She was right, Xan weighed 9lbs 2oz. Sallie was about to measure her and guessed she was either 22 or 22 1/2 inches long. She was 22 1/4 inches! I think Sallie has delivered a baby or two before. ;) (more like 1000!) Her head measured at 13" and her shoulders at 14". Perfectly healthy little girl.

Jane showing Papa her stuffed dog from Mama

Atlas needed to show him his doggy too!

My grandmother had a gift for Jane, Atlas and Alexandria. Jane and Atlas both got a stuffed dog and Xan got a cute butterfly outfit that I love! She's so sweet. Atlas and Jane have been pretty attached to their dogs since. :) As I'm looking back through these photos I realize that there isn't a picture of Sam. He was there I promise! He held her soon after she was born, but somehow we missed a picture. I remember a moment with just Sam, me and Xan. Sam said, "Remember to say thank you. We easily forget in the craziness, but it's important." I completely agree. I had so much to be thankful for surrounding her birth and yet before he said that I'm not sure if I had thanked God for Alexandria and a wonderful birth. He's a catch that one. ;) After Sallie got Xan's measurements and footprints, she helped me to the bathroom to make sure I was good before she headed home. She gave me a hug and said great job. I thanked her for everything! My grandparents headed home shortly after Sallie left as well.

First time Pappaw got to hold Xan.

Opening her eyes for Marmee!

My dad got to hold Xan while I tended to myself for a bit, changed clothes, brushed my hair and such. Once I was ready for her back my mom said she was going to drive my dad home since they had come in the same car and then come back to help. My mom stayed with us overnight for two nights to help me while I recovered and then took Jane and Atlas to spend the night at her house for the next three nights! Sam was off for half of those days too. So I had lots of help! Such a blessing.

A couple of hours old!

After I had a chance to clean up a little. :)

Alexandria Ridley Daniels, a beautiful, healthy baby girl, was born a week past her due date at home at 6:28am on April 8th, 2018, weighing 9lbs 2oz and measuring 22 1/4 inches long. I would like to send out a big thank you to my birth team who helped me bring her into the world! Sallie Witte, Katie Perez, Sam, my mom and my dad. Y'all are the best! Thank you to everyone who prayed for us. All our prayers regarding her birth were answered with a wonderful yes! We give thanks to God everyday for giving us the wonderful blessing of Alexandria.

It doesn't get much sweeter than this!

Psalm 107:1

Oh, give thanks to the Lord for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

John 16:21-22

A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.

Alexandria Ridley: Weeks 32-41

Here we are at the end! I'll probably be in the middle of writing this when Alexandria makes her entrance. I might be able to finish before she arrives if she decides to come late, but otherwise I'll probably be posting this after she's born. Pregnancy seems to go faster with each child. Probably because I am more distracted and busy the more children I have. It's hard to believe I could be days from meeting her(I'm writing this between 37-38 weeks). On the other hand it still could be weeks. It's weird when you have to keep living your life like normal when at the same time you know any day it could be wildly different and never be the same again. I'm excited for the change, but I think every mom can tell you the waiting and anticipation of labor makes the end of pregnancy kind of a strange limbo time of life.

32 1/2 weeks

Around 32 weeks I start feeling like I really need to have everything as ready as possible for her arrival! I know there's still almost 2 months left at that point, but I remember how fast those last 2 months went last time with Atlas and I don't want to be caught off guard! In the last few weeks I ordered and received my birth kit, packed a bag of items I would like easy to find during and right after birth for both Xan and myself, got some old towels from my mom, bought some gatorade for labor and showed my mom around the house to make sure she knew where all of the items we might need for birth were in my house. My mother-in-law gave us my favorite style of baby book and my mom gave us a new video monitor to replace our broken one and a Wubbanub lamb for Jane to wrap and give to Xan when she's born. Those were the last items on my to do list to have done before she comes! So I'm as ready as I can be now! Which is a good thing, at this moment I have just 5 days left before I'm within the 4 week time period that 85% of babies are born.

One of my favorite outfits, pregnant or not!

I always seem to snap to the fact about how close the due date is when I think to myself "This is probably the last time I have to schedule the bills to be paid before birth!" I said this with Atlas as well, but I know it's because every time I pay the bills it feels like I had just paid them. ;) So they always creep up on me and that's how I know it will feel like I'll blink and this baby will here! When I'm working I realize, oh this is probably the last time I'll do this task before Xan is here, for example reconciling bank statements and I did that almost two weeks ago! OH my goodness, it's soooo soon!

My belly button is sticking out a little now.

Seriously, everything I do I start thinking, "This could be the last time before I have 3 kids!" or I'll start counting down, like I have only like 2-4 grocery store trips left before I have to figure out shopping with 3 littles! Also, If I want to do any cute before and after baby shots, like I have done with the other two, I better get the before shots done now before she's not in my belly anymore! ;)

Jane, Atlas and Alexandria. All 34 weeks.

From 34 weeks on my belly feels extra big and gets in my way of doing certain things. I have to wash dishes standing sideways because I'm not tall enough for my belly to be over the counter. I can't fit through some spots in my house like I normally can(like behind Sam's recliner). I have to sleep on my side. My belly is too big to sleep on my stomach obviously and it's not healthy to sleep on your back because of bad circulation. The couch seems to swallow me nowadays and not let go. Every night I have to motivate myself to try to get up from the couch and go to bed. So much so that I have been falling asleep blogging on the couch almost nightly now. Of course part of that is also third trimester tiredness. I can have some super nesting energy during the day, but once I sit down at the end of the day my body is done!

Baby sister makes a good pillow right now.

While Jane will only have momentary lapses and accidentally elbow me in the stomach every so often then say sorry. Atlas doesn't seem to understand at all that it's not ok to crawl around on my belly or sit on or kick my belly. Silly boy! He knows where baby sister is when we ask him, but he must think my belly is a super force field and he could never hurt the baby from the outside or it's just he just doesn't think of her at all. My bet is on the latter. When I ask him about the baby he'll pat my belly and say, "Hi baby sister!" then the next moment it seems he's totally forgotten about her. He won't just spontaneously come up to my belly give baby sister a hug or a kiss like Jane did with Atlas and does with Xan too. It might actually be nice if he's not obsessed with her like Jane was with Atlas. Haha! Less protecting that I will have to do potentially. ;)

My yummy protein shake fits perfectly on my baby bump.

This time around I have gained more weight than I did with Atlas and even a little more than Jane. When I look at pictures of myself I feel like I look pretty similar though. I've had a harder time controlling my diet this time because I normally have good amount of snacks and treats around for the kids and it's so much harder to resist when they're in the house! Also I cook meals that Jane and Atlas like to eat that aren't the healthiest ever and I don't have the energy to fix myself a different meal. When I was pregnant with Jane I just didn't buy any sugar and with Atlas, Jane wasn't really old enough that I had started buying her treats yet and she would barely eat a meal anyway. But now Atlas and Jane both eat pretty normal sized meals. So I'm going to blame it on that and our terrible Winter of cold weather and sickness. It's like the world was against me going for a walk this Winter!! I know walking everyday makes a big difference. Hopefully it won't have any negative impact on labor or delivery!

Sweet puppy resting her head on my belly.

Everybody say it with me... Awwww!! There's just something about a puppy and a baby belly that's just so adorable! Cambria was bringing me her ball to play, but then she just decided my belly was the perfect spot to rest her head. Sweet puppy! She doesn't seem to have any instinct about a baby being in there though. She'll still jump up on me and she'll put her paws up on my belly when I'm on the couch. So she doesn't treat me any differently from what I can tell. She's definitely more gentle with Atlas than she is with Jane though. So it will be interesting to see how she'll react to a newborn! My guess is she'll just smell her a lot and might try to lick her. Especially if Xan spits up or something. ;) I have no idea how she'll act when I'm in labor. I'm just hoping she doesn't get in the way or whine a bunch if we have to put her away.

36 weeks!

36 weeks is the "we've got less than a month to the due date" marker! It's an interesting time because from that point she could come in approximately two to six weeks. Two weeks feels super soon but then again 6 weeks feels like a really long time to keep being this pregnant. I haven't had a baby come late yet. My midwives had really prepared me for Jane to come at least a week late. So even though she was born on her due date she felt early to me! Atlas totally caught me off guard with being 12 days early(it's a good thing I had everything prepared for him early!). For Alexandria, I'm not expecting her to go past her due date because of the first two and because everyone tells you babies come earlier each time, but of course, she would be the one to go ahead and be late since I'm not expecting it. ;)

Picnic with the kiddos!

In these last few weeks I'm trying to spend as much quality time with my two kids as possible. We're doing a lot of things that I know will be harder once we add a little baby to the mix. We had a backyard picnic together the other day in the beautiful Spring weather. I know that's something we will be able to do with Xan, but it's definitely easier right now! Parks will be a challenge for a while, so we are taking a few extra trips lately. We're taking advantage of free breakfast at Chick-fil-a every Wednesday in March. Also we're trying to get in some playdates with our friends before I don't want to go anywhere or let anyone breathe on Xan for like a month. ;) Sam keeps telling me I'm supposed to be slowing down these days, but I keep saying I won't have a chance to do these things once Xan is here. At least for a while. I'll slow down when she arrives. I won't have a choice!!

37 weeks!

Twisting my ankle later that same day.

My mom and dad took Jane and Atlas to spend the night one last time before baby sister is here. So Sam and I took advantage of the opportunity and had our last date day without kids for a while. (Most likely Xan won't be away from me for any extended amount of time for months.) We went to see Black Panther and had lunch at Cracker Barrel. I also got some things done around the house. It was great! Thanks Marmee and Pappaw! Remember when I said I felt like the world was against me taking walks.... Well.... about an hour after my mom dropped the kids back off at the house I twisted my ankle pretty badly just walking in my backyard. :( Somehow I found some uneven ground between the grass and the concrete porch and it took me out! I've twisted my ankle many times, but never with kids and of course never at 37 weeks pregnant. Sometimes I'm able to react quickly to the feeling of my ankle starting to roll and I'll take all the weight off of it and fall to the ground. I don't care if I get a couple of small scrapes as long as I don't sprain my ankle. I couldn't do that this time because I didn't want to fall on the baby or jeopardize my pregnancy in any way. So my ankle took the full force of my weight, not to mention the extra baby weight I'm carrying and I heard three pops. I went to the ground as safely as possible, told the kids and the dog to get inside and crawled inside myself. Unfortunately, Sam was running a quick errand at the time. So I hopped on one foot over to the freezer and grabbed the ice pack I always keep in there for situations like this and made my way to the couch. I got my foot elevated and iced within minutes. I told you I've done this before! Jane was so sweet. She was like, "Mom, lay down, you need a bandaid! Here's a blanket. I gotta call Dad!" About a minute after I got my ice pack Sam got home and Jane ran over to him trying to explain. I quickly called from the couch that it was just my ankle, so he didn't freak out and think I was in labor. I was laid up on the couch for about 2 days not being able to put any pressure on it. Thankfully by the third day I was able to walk on it. I'm still moving slow, but I'm doing good! I have officially been forced to slow down! I guess I needed it. ;) Now I'm just praying it's fully recovered before I go into labor. Xan can put off her arrival for another week or two. I'm ok with that!

Can't wait to add the after photo to this!!

I did a bump picture like this one with Atlas and I loved the way it turned out so I had to do it again with Xan. I can't wait to be able to do the after picture!! :) So far I'm still sleeping really well. I have to get up and go to the bathroom once a night, but normally one of the kids needs me once a night too so I just go then and I'm good. ;) I'm starting to have dreams about birth. One interesting thing about those dreams is that I never really get to see my baby's face and I can never remember what my labor was like. It's interesting to me that my mind is fixated on it, but it doesn't know how to formulate those details in a dream.

37 1/2 weeks

I've talked about the differences in the movements I feel between all 3 pregnancies before, but Alexandria has changed how she moves some since then. There are movements that are similar to all three, but each one is also unique. So Jane was lots of sharp, fast jabs and I noticed her stretching a lot. Atlas would do huge, smooth movements and move my entire belly around. He also liked to kick me back when I pushed on him. Xan will kick a bunch like Jane, but it's not super sharp. She always seems to have her foot pressed up against the inside of my belly. I can almost always find one foot if not both of them! When I press on her foot most of the time she just moves it to another spot and presses softly again. I love to play chase with her feet! Both girls seem to have a lot more hiccups than Atlas. It's always so interesting to me to see how their movements in the womb translate to their personalities and tendencies once they're born.

Jane, Atlas and Xan, Same outfit, All 38 weeks!

Yippee! I made it to 38 weeks! I'm always super excited to make it to this point. It eases my mind a lot. Around 34 weeks my braxton hicks contractions become pretty strong so I have to pay attention to them and make sure they're not consistent and go away when I change positions. I start to worry if I've been feeling them for a while even if they're super inconsistent. Once I reach 38 weeks, of course, I still have to pay attention, but I don't have to worry anymore. If they are real contractions we're ready to go! She should be healthy and ready to meet the world after this point!

Feeling baby sister

A few days before 38 weeks I had a bunch of strong braxton-hicks contractions. They almost seemed consistent for about an hour. I started praying that I wasn't in labor yet! Even though I was sure Alexandria would have been fine if she ended up being born then, I realized how much I wanted another week or more before she came! For one I wanted some more time for my ankle to heal completely. The other thing was that I had a feeling of not being done with being pregnant yet. That way I would have her as close to me as possible a little longer and I wanted at least a few more days with just Jane and Atlas.

Top row 14, 18, 22, 26 weeks, Bottom row, 30, 34, 36, 38 weeks

We have finally decided on a middle name!! :o Alexandria Ridley Daniels. I've asked Jane a few times what Xan's middle name should be and she normally says her own name or baby or sister or something else like that. Just the other day I asked her again and she said Daisy! It was the first time I got a real name out of her! It's a cute name, but not for us. I told Sam her suggestion and it made him think of the actress Daisy Ridley and Ridley just felt right to him!(part of the reason I liked Rei is because of Rey from Star Wars played by Daisy Ridley) Sam is usually a very logical person, but with names it's more of a gut feeling with him. As I've explained before, I'm really into name meanings. I've already talked about how Alexandria means Defender of Mankind which is awesome. Ridley means Woodland Clearing. Which isn't bad or anything, but wasn't special to me at first. I told him if he was pretty set on it then I would try to come around to it. I started imagining a woodland clearing and what came to me is a peaceful place of rest. It also kinda reminded me of taking a walk through a Jane Austen novel. I had prayed that night that if it was the right name for her that God would do something to make it my favorite middle name choice for Xan. Then the next day I happened to see a park mom that I knew at Chick-fil-a and some how I didn't know her son's name until that day and wouldn't you know, it's Ridley. I took that as a sign and decided to go with it! As I write it and say it more the more I like it and it just sounds right. I also love that Jane had a part in the name. :)

38 1/2 weeks

At 38 weeks 5 days, I finally felt ready for Xan's arrival. I felt like I got my week back after my ankle injury. We got to go to park day, free breakfast at Chick-fil-A and Gymnastics. We also had a great play date with some friends that we hadn't gotten to see in a while. My ankle had even recovered enough to start going on walks again. I got most of my house cleaned that week too! Everything seemed to be falling into place to have a baby! So I accepted Sallie's offer of a massage that day. Atlas came before I had a chance to get a massage from Sallie. A couple of hours after my massage I started feeling some mild contractions. I noticed they weren't stopping so I started timing them. They were coming almost every 15 minutes for about an hour or two and then I had a strong one that almost felt real! So I texted my mom and Sallie just to let them know and I would update them if they got stronger. Then as soon as I sat down for dinner they dissipated. They still came every 30 minutes but if I wasn't paying attention they were mild enough for me to miss. I was overly aware of the contractions because I had just had a massage that could induce labor and I didn't want to be in denial like I was when I was in labor with Atlas. I realized this was just the way it was going to be from now on until she makes her arrival.

Sweet sister hugs!

Last comparison picture! Jane 39 1/2 weeks and Xan 39 weeks.

Making it to 39 weeks confirms that the due date the doctor gave me for Atlas was off! I really don't believe he was 12 days early. What I had calculated when I first found out I was pregnant with Atlas would make him only 3 days early. So I really expect her close to her due date. Right at 39 weeks Xan fooled me again! I had two strong contractions while I was washing dishes that made me stop what I was doing. I went and sat down and still had another one! So I told Sam it might be happening. Then.... nothing. Sam was the only one I told that time. Poor guy. He keeps getting hyped up about it and then nothing happens. She keeps fooling me! Sam said it's pretty appropriate since she's due on April Fool's Day. ;) Now I'm not telling anyone until I'm sure!!

40 weeks! Happy Easter!

OH my goodness! I made it to 40 weeks. I'm very surprised! Now I've had a baby be exactly on time, early and late! People keep saying to me, "You must be so ready!" or "I hope she comes soon for your sake!", but I'm really fine! In fact I keep thinking, I really don't mind if she doesn't come today. ;) I feel like everyone is more impatient about her coming than I am. I understand they're just excited to meet her like I am, but only being a day late at this point I already feel like there is a little negativity that surrounds babies being late. Honestly, I have woken up a couple times disappointed that I wasn't in labor yet. Especially on Easter, April 1st, since I had a great massage by my midwife and a bunch of contractions the day before. I thought for sure I would wake up and be having a baby. But each time by the end of the day I realize that I'm glad she didn't come that day! There's always something special about that day that I know wouldn't have happened if she had come already. For example, we had a wonderful Easter and it definitely wouldn't have been the same if I was recovering from just giving birth. April 2nd was an interesting day. My first day officially past my due date. Both kids and myself were just off! They were disobedient, tired and kinda crazy all day. I didn't respond well at first. I lashed out in anger a couple of times reacting to their misbehavior. Then in the middle of the day I prayed, asked for strength and selflessness and got refocused on not letting my kids bad behavior effect my mood and reactions. I realized I really needed that lesson before I had a newborn around again. I'm thanking God helping me see that and I'm praying he will continue to give me the right perspective as I wait for Xan's arrival! We're ready for you baby girl. So excited to meet you and kiss your sweet face!

40 1/2 weeks. Last bump picture!

James 1:2-6

My Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like the wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.