The Birth Story...Finally

Ok, so 2 months later, I am just now sitting down to type this out! Here is the story of the day we witnessed a miracle!

I went to the doctor on August 19th, one day after my due date. The doctor hooked me up to a monitor to discover that I was ha

ving some contractions, I just didn't know. I hadn't dilated at all yet but Tatum was measuring 9 lbs 2 oz on the ultrasound! Dr. King told us that we could come in that evening to start the induction process. She also said we could wait to see if I go into labor on my own in the next week. She told us that if we induce, my chances of c-section would increase. She also said if we waited to see if I would go into labor on my own, Tatum would just get bigger...which would also increase my chances of a c-section. She left Michael and I alone so we could make the decision. We decided to go ahead and go in that afternoon to start the induction process.

After the appointment, I went back up

to school to finish preparing my room for Meet the Teacher that my sub would have to take care of that afternoon! Michael came home to clean up a little and finish packing our bags. We checked in to the hospital at 4:30 PM on August 19th. Dr. King gave me something to soften my cer.vix, they started my IV and we just chilled in our hospital room for the evening and night! The next morning, they started the pitocin about 6 AM. Dr. King came in to break my water around 9 that morning. Once she broke my water the contractions started coming on really strong. At one point they had to slow down the pitocin because I wasn't getting any time in between contractions. Each time Dr. King came in to check me I had dilated another centimeter. I did end up getting my epidural when I was 4 cm. By 5 PM I had dilated to 9 centimeters! Dr. King told us it would be a few more hours and I'd be ready to push. A few hours later, I was still 9 cm. They ended up puttingme on oxygen because Tatum's heart rate was dropping. They monitored Tatum and me closely for about 45 more minutes and then Dr. King made the call to do the c-section. Michael got all dress

ed for the OR and I was wheeled into the OR. At 8:05 PM I heard the amazing cry of our precious miracle baby. As soon as he came out all I heard in the OR were the doctors and nurses going crazy over how big he was. Dr. King was sure he was 9 lbs. He ended up weighing 8 lbs 12 oz. He was 21 5/8 inches long. I was in recovery for a little over an hour.

I finally got to hold our sweet boy at about 11:45 PM that night. It was all so surreal. My parents were at the hospital, Michael's parents, and our friends Jon Paul& Crystal. In these moments I had NO IDEA of how radically my life would be changed in the coming weeks!

Next blog will be about the first week of little man's life and the first week of being a mom!

Our Miracle, Baby Tatum

Meals Schmeals....

I'm having trouble planning meals for this upcoming week....

If you have a recipe you would be willing to share I'm all ears! (or eyes I guess since I'll be reading it!)

Thanks! :)

All My Bags are Packed....

I'm ready to go....kind of!

I would love to know your hospital "must-haves" that you took or didn't take and wish you had when you were at the hospital to have your baby!

My bag is packed for the most part, but I would love to know what you took that you couldn't have done without!

My due date is 2 weeks from tomorrow! I am getting so incredibly excited to meet our baby boy! The doctor did tell me at my last appointment that she predicts I am going to go over my due date which made me a little sad. I know that God is in control and He already knows Tatum's birthday. So, if we wait, we wait. If you have time, let me know what I need in that hospital bag!

It's Been A While...

Somewhere between finding out we were having a boy and now, at 8 months pregnant, I have dropped blogging. I can't really even think of a good reason why. As I sit here now typing this, Michael is in Haiti. He has been gone since Thursday and will get home on Saturday. I miss him like crazy, but am so excited about what God is going in and through him over there. There is a team of 8 from our church building shelters for the Haitian people. I can't wait to hear all of his stories!

I think it is still surreal to me, even though I am clearly 36 weeks pregnant in so many ways, that we are having a baby! I am just still in awe of this miracle baby!

Here are some things that I want to remember about this pregnancy and things that I am so thankful for (some in a weird way!)...

1. I have had an intense sweet tooth during pregnancy, which is soooo not me! I would always pass up dessert before and now....well....I can't resist the sweets!

2. I have put on an excessive amount of weight...including an 8 pound weight gain between 2 week doctor appointments!

3. Maternity clothes that looked like they would never fit in the beginning are put away because I have now outgrown them!

4. Tatum is super active! We love to just watch my belly move. Sometimes I wonder if there really is only 1 baby in there because I can't figure out his acrobatics!

5. I haven't been able to wear my wedding rings in a really long time and can't wait to wear them again!

6. We have had so much fun getting Tatum's room ready and putting together his swing, bouncy, pack and play, and stroller!

7. Baby items require a lot of batteries!

8. Baby items take up a lot of space. I feel like we are outgrowing our house quickly!

9. I am measuring a cm big. The doctor says this could be a big baby!

10. I am a little scared and anxious about the "unknown" that is labor and delivery.

11. Walking 30 minutes a day is hard...really hard!

12. My hands and feet/ankles like to swell a lot!

13. I love the smell of Dreft and have had a lot of fun washing all of Tatum's clothes.

14. Tatum has a ton of clothes! Maybe more than his mommy and daddy! :)

15. God is preparing me for less sleep as sleep is hard these days because of discomfort.

We are so thankful, overwhelmed, humbled, blessed....I could go on and on. I can't wait to post pictures of our sweet little man! That will be a surreal day for me because I honestly wasn't sure when or if I would get to blog posting pictures of my own baby! God is so good!

We're having a.....

baby BOY!!!!!!

We could not be more excited. After our appointment we went straight to Babies R Us to purchase the first baby outfit! :) It was so much fun! His name is going to be Tatum James McCracken! I want to call him Tate!

I can't wait to tell this sweet baby boy how many people prayed for his little life. I cannot wait to tell him about God's faithfulness and grace upon us to bless us with him. What a precious gift.

Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for all of your encouragement these past few years. We feel so blessed and can't wait to meet our miracle baby boy! :)

Baby Poll!

Ok, a week from today we find out if our sweet baby is a boy or a girl! And to answer the questions of many...no, I have no feeling one way or the other! I have no idea! :) I want to see what you all think! Leave me a comment to say if you think baby McCracken is a boy or a girl! I'll make sure to let you know as soon as we find out next Tuesday! We can hardly wait!

Also, if you have "must haves" that we need to register for, let me know that too! Thanks!

Hello Again Blog World

Wow, it has been so long since I've posted! I tend to do that and then my posts end up being waaayyyy to0 long...so I'll try to just include some highlights about pregnancy and baby! I still can't believe that I get to blog about having a baby! It's so amazing!

• Pregnancy is so much fun, even when I'm puking!
• Oatmeal is not my friend anymore!
• My gag reflex is really bad!
• I gained 5 pounds between Dr. appointments. (too much chick-fil-a)
• I loved chick-fil-a before, but now, I LOVE chick-fil-a! This is not good considering I should be eating healthy. At least the fries still have the skin on them! :)
• We find out if we are having a boy or girl on March 23rd...if baby is cooperating!
• I have a baby bump. (I'll put pics up soon)
• Michael's mom is going to keep the baby next year....such a blessing!
• I still find myself tearing up when I look at baby stuff or put on maternity jeans...just in awe of this miracle!
• I am up for suggestions on baby items that you have used and found helpful! (it's overwhelming with all of the stuff that's out there now)
• Michael is already a great dad! He loves to rub the belly and talk to his little one. He even got a birthday card for me from our little peanut! (He's just a little excited!)

Thank you Jesus for this baby inside of me!