Two weeks old...

 Tomorrow Cailyn Scout will be two weeks old!! It has gone by so fast!!! It seems like yesterday I was laying on the couch, miserably uncomfortable and now she is two weeks old! I want the days to go by slower sometimes...she is already growing and everyday with her is absolutely precious! She has been so good so far and breastfeeding is going really well. I am planning on introducing the bottle to her soon. We are going to TN in a couple of weeks and I want her to hopefully be comfortable taking a bottle at times too. I am so excited to see my TN people!! I have not been to TN in 4 months and I am more than ready to get there and see everybody. I can't wait for Scout to meet my sisters, nephews, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends! I may not get to hold her at all while I am there :)
   On Monday afternoon I got a phone call from her Pediatricians office saying that her PKU test that was done in the hospital came back with slightly elevated thyroid levels and that we needed to come in asap for more blood tests. Abnormal thyroid levels can be an indication of congenital hypothyroidism which if left untreated would effect her mental and physical development. So on Tuesday we went in to the Pediatrician office and the nurse at the Mansfield location decided it was best to take blood from her hand. Well...you can only imagine how easy that was on a newborn. Scout was not happy at all. She screamed and looked at me the whole time as if to say "how can you just stand there...help me!" So naturally I started crying too. The blood was not coming out very fast so we had to hold her down for what seemed like forever. I know I should be somewhat numb to this sort of thing since I have worked in surgery for six years....but it is different when it is a defenseless infant who doesn't understand and even more so when it's YOUR defenseless infant. I felt so sorry for her. When the nurse started to remove the needle from her hand I asked her if she was sure she got enough blood for the sample and she said yes. I picked up Scout and tried to comfort her. She stopped crying but was doing that pitiful breathing thing that happens when you cry really hard and you can't catch your breath..poor thing...then about 5 minutes later the nurse comes back to say she did not get enough blood and that we needed to try to get  more from her heel. REALLY???? So she then pricks her heel and tries for about 5 minutes to squeeze enough blood from her heel. So Scout starts screaming hysterically again only this time she is in my arms and looking at me with those pitiful lips...I start to cry....again!  Finally she gets enough blood and tells me we will have the results back by the end of the day. After that we had to go next door to the Methodist hospital and get the PKU test re-done. I was already feeling horrible for Scout and dreaded going for another heel stick. The nurse at the hospital was AWESOME though. She left the heating pad on Scout's foot for while to draw all the blood to the surface so when she pricked her heel the blood came out really easy and Scout didn't even cry at all. She just laid there and looked around. I was so thankful!  Those results will be back within two weeks. After that we went home and I held her for most the afternoon to make up for her rough day. Not that she even remembers...but I do :) So we waited all day...no results...next day...no results. Kris and I were both very annoyed at this point because they should not have told us we would get the results from the thyroid tests in a day if that was not the case. So today we go to see her pediatrician for her regular newborn appointment at the Arlington location and we find out the blood clotted and they were not able to use it. So she had to go through all that for nothing! Today was the first time we actually got to meet her pediatrician and we both really liked her a lot! (thank goodness!)  Scout is back to her birth weight of 6 pounds and 13 ounces and she is 20.5 inches long. The Dr. said she looked perfect and commented on how active she is for a newborn. She actually rolled from her belly to her side to her back by herself during the exam so they kept calling her a "show off". After the exam the nurse came in to draw blood (different nurse from Tuesday) and she took it from her arm this time. She was very gentle and made sure she was in the right place before even trying. Scout did great this time...she didn't even cry. Kris rubbed her face and talked to her while she was having her blood drawn and she just looked at him and sucked on her pacifier and didn't make a sound. ( I joked that she just wanted to be tough for Daddy : ) . We should hear back in a couple days hopefully. Please say your prayers that everything comes back normal! If not we will be referred to an Endocrinologist and she will be started on thyroid supplements immediately. We feel like she is ok, but will be very relieved to get the results back and know either way. Keep her in your prayers!
    Otherwise all is well here. She is so precious and I love her more every day!  We got to hang out with Amelia and Vince this week and got some really cute pictures of the two of them. I will update more  when we get her blood test results back. In the meantime...more pictures of course! :) Night All!
      
                 Dear Scout,
                                You are two weeks old tomorrow! You are such a blessing to our family and I could just stare at you for hours. You are pretty laid back most of the day. You only get mad when we wake you up to change you or give you a bath. You make hilarious faces in your sleep! Something tells me you will be very opinionated. I love it when you smile in your sleep and the way you really study our faces when you are awake. You have already stolen our hearts and we are so thankful for you! God has truly blessed our family and we so look forward to watching you grow! I love you so so much!
                                                                                                      Love,
                                                                                                                 Mom

                                                                  

                                                                    

                                                      

                                                               

What a week...

Cailyn Scout Akens

July 16, 2010

6 pounds 13 ounces

20 inches 

Well she is finally here and is absolutely perfect!!! I know every Mom says that...but still. Last Friday morning at around 1 a.m. I started having contractions. They were about 5 minutes apart and were fairly strong but I wasn't sure if I was actually in labor or not. We called the Dr. at around 3:30 and she told us we could either wait at home and see if the contractions got stronger or we could go ahead and head to the hospital. We decided to wait another hour to see if things changed. So Kris and I laid on the couch and watched TV while timing my contractions. At 4:30 I decided we should head to the hospital. I wasn't sure if they would admit me or not but I was sure that I would never sleep in that condition and I had been hurting quite a bit since the day before so we gathered our things and headed to the hospital.
So we got to Baylor and they hooked me up to the monitors and I was having regular contractions and I was 4cm dilated. By 9 a.m. I still had not asked for the epidural and I wasn't really sure when the best time would be for me to get it. I was not comfortable at all...but I wasn't in severe pain yet either so I asked the nurse when I should get it. She said it was totally up to me..she said some Mothers wait as long as they can but other Mothers walk up to the nurses desk as soon as they get to the hospital and say "Hi, I am here for my epidural!"....Well...next time...I will be that woman too! I waited too long to get it so by the time the CRNA came in to give it to me I was hurting really bad!!! Always stay a head of the pain...lesson learned!!! Well then there was some issues getting the epidural in...apparently I have really tight vertebral spaces so the epidural took twice as long to get in. I was having really strong contractions while they were trying to get it in and then the blood pressure cuff was about to squeeze my arm off...so lets just say I was ready to scream!!! I have a pretty high pain tolerance but I definitely came very close to hitting my max! Again...lesson learned. I will definitely get my epidural sooner next time!!! I progressed really fast after the epidural. I went from a 4 to an 8 to a 10 in a very short amount of time. We started pushing around 2:30 p.m. My parents were on there way to Dallas from TN and were very worried that they were not going to make it in time. I ended up pushing for 3 hours. Even though I progressed completely on my own, Scout just wasn't going to come out without a fight. Dr. Reyes decided to try the suction to help her out and if that didn't work they were going to do an emergency C-section. Luckily the suction worked. Her heart rate dropped really low (which I didn't even know about till later) but they got her out and she was fine. I swear there is nothing more precious than to hear your baby cry for the first time. I wanted to see her so bad but they took her to the corner of the room to get her stabilized as soon as she came out so all I could do was listen to her cry. She weighed 6 pounds and 13 ounces and she was 20 inches long. She has brown hair and dark eyes. So far I think she has my eyes and Kris's mouth and chin. I think she is just beautiful!!!!
The next few days after her birth were not the easiest for me. I got a spinal headache from the epidural and I strained my neck really bad from pushing so long...so I was in really bad pain that I had not expected after she was born. They did a blood patch procedure on me before we left the hospital on Sunday which is basically where they draw blood from my arm and inject it into the epidural space in my back. It helped the headache some...but today is the first day that I have actually felt some what normal. Thank goodness for our family!!! Everyone was great to us while we were in the hospital! My parents stayed with us for a week and I don't know what we would have done without them. I have been so out of it on pain medicine that I have pretty much been worthless other than feeding her and changing her when I can lift my head for long enough. I am so thankful that I am starting to feel a little better today! My parents left yesterday morning and that was really hard. As soon as I watched them drive away I just started bawling. I just wish they were closer. Luckily we are going to TN soon and I can't wait!!
Scout is doing really well with breastfeeding so far. We had a couple hard days but she has it down now. Last night I fed her at midnight, then she woke up at 4 a.m. and then again at 7:30 a.m. I think that is pretty good for a newborn. She is just precious and I am totally in love with her!!!! I look at her and I can't believe she is actually mine. I feel really blessed and I would totally do it all over again for her! She is amazing and I could just stare at her all day! Thanks to our family and friends for being so awesome while we were in the hospital...we are truly blessed. I will update more later. :)

She's Here

Jill will be on soon to tell the story, but Cailyn Scout Akens was born yesterday evening at 5:10 PM.  She is 6 lbs. 13 oz. and was 20 inches long.  Everyone is doing well, and we'll have some pictures on here as soon as possible.

  Kris and I got to see Scout one more time today before she makes her grand entrance into the world. Today we had a sonogram to see how big she is going to be. That is her profile above and she is making a fist at us. She still moves a lot and likes to change positions. She is still head down though so thats good. According to the sonogram she weighs 7 pounds and 3 ounces right now. I am 3cm dilated and 75% effaced. We are really hoping that I go into labor on my own, otherwise I will be induced on Tuesday the 20th. I know that is less then a week away but Kris and I are so anxious and ready for her to be here that a week seems so far away to us. Our families are ready for her to be here too! I think since my body had made so much progress on it's own we had let ourselves think that she would be here already. Silly us. My Dad said "Jill, you have never been on time for a thing in your life, why in the world would you think she would be early?"  Thanks Dad :)  I am just ready to see her and to not be pregnant anymore. I have been really sore the last few days. In the mornings I feel like I have already had a baby because my pelvic muscles are so sore and laying for long periods of time makes me feel worse.  I have been in the Dr.'s office everyday this week for exams or blood pressure checks. My blood pressure has been normal this week but they are keeping an eye on it since I still had trace amounts of protein in my urine. I go back on Friday to check my blood pressure one last time before Tuesday.  So...unless i go into labor by Monday...Tuesday it is!  I hope it gets here fast! My parents will be here Monday night and I am excited to see them. I haven't seen my family in 4 months...so I am looking forward to my parents  spending a little time here after she is born.
   Everyone keeps asking me if we have figured out a first name yet. We have some options but we are still planning on waiting until we see her. Since Kris and I will get to spend a few moments with her alone right after she is born...we will use that time to count fingers and toes and try to settle on a first name. I have put a lot of pressure on the first name because since her middle name is so different, I want her first name to be unique, but feminine too. We both like Cailyn, Adeline, Riley, and Abby Scout. Kris really likes Canady. Originally I have always liked the name Canon for a girl, but it sounds so much like Kamden, Cameron , and Canaan. Since we already have Kamden, Cameron, and Canaan, and also Randy and Andy...I figured another sound alike name might be too much :) So anyway...we will hopefully see her and something will just fit! One cool thing that I just found out last week was that this year marks the 50th anniversary year for "To Kill a Mockingbird". I didn't know that until my Dr. told us last week. Thats a pretty neat coincidence I think.
 So...we are still just waiting. Even though we want her to be here today...she will for sure be here by Tuesday! We will just have to be patient I guess!  I will keep everyone posted on any changes. Thanks!! :)

Tick Tock Tick Tock...

     We are still waiting anxiously for the arrival of our baby girl! Yesterday at my Doctors appointment my blood pressure was really high...then when I laid down it went back down to normal...but as soon as I set back up it shot up again. I also had some protein in my urine so Dr. Stevenson thinks I have preeclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is a medical condition in which hypertension arises in pregnancy  in association with significant amounts of protein in the urine. I have to go back to the Doctor tomorrow to re-check and hopefully figure out if it is mild or severe. If it is mild then it will just be treated with bed rest but if it is severe then we will schedule an induction. I have to admit...I am not good at the bed rest thing. When I happen to have the day off I am usually cleaning the house, doing laundry, and running errands. I am not one to lay around watching TV so this will be a challenge. I do have some work to do on the computer and a book I need to finish reading so that should take up some time at least. We are both just so ready for her to get here! The bags are packed..her room is ready (other than a few minor details)..and the car seat has been installed. We just need her to get here!  I know all the waiting, the aching back, the cramping, and always being uncomfortable will be totally worth it once I finally get to see her sweet face! Until then...I may go a little crazy waiting... :)
     I have been a little sad lately because it has hit me that other than my parents...none of my family and friends from Tennessee will be here to see her after she is born. I am very excited for my parents to be here, I just wish everyone could come. If the date of her birth were not so "unknown" then it would be easier for my sisters to come, but since we really don't know that makes it hard for anyone to make plans. I just never thought I would have a baby for the first time and not get to see my sisters, family, friends,  or Grandparents shortly after. It makes me sad...but I know I will see them soon enough. There are just certain things about being so far away that are really hard sometimes...this special occasion happens to be one of them. The good news is we are going to take her to Tennessee a few weeks after she is born and then my sisters are planning a trip to Texas in September. So I am excited about that! I haven't been to TN in almost 4 months so I am getting really anxious to get back there!
     We had a good 4th of July. We went to Uncle Lewis and Aunt Kelly's house and grilled out on Sunday. Stuart, Melissa, and baby Amelia came over too and we had a really nice time. Knox has been acting different lately...he does not let me leave his line of vision when I am at home. It's almost like he knows something is about to happen or change or something. If I get up, he gets up. If I go to the bedroom...he gets where he can see me at all times. It's really sweet and creepy all at the same time! I think he will be very interested in her when she gets here. I think they will be great friends though when he gets used to her. He will like having someone who is willing to chase him around all day once she gets older :) . I also want to say thank you to my husband. Kris has been wonderful to help keep me mellow when I get a little overwhelmed. I know I probably drive him crazy sometimes but he at least tries to make me think I am not insane and I really appreciate that. So thank you Kris...I love you and I can't wait to meet our daughter! I will update more on my progress later. Have a great day!

My last belly pic...

I finally found a shelf for the crosses that Aunt Mandi and Aunt Kelly found

Uncle Lewis and Aunt Kelly went to the World Cup in South Africa and brought back this cute little onesie for Scout.

Aunt Mandi made Scout her "First Year" scrap book. I also included pictures of some of my favorite pages. Can't wait to fill it up!

       Kris and Kamdens trip to Abilene to visit family.

The Rodeo in Mesquite a couple of weeks ago..

Amelia talking to Scout...

July 4th..

Almost there...

So I went to the Doctor on Tuesday and I am making progress! I am 2cm dilated and 50% effaced. When Dr. Stevenson was examining me she could actually feel the top of the Scout's head because she has moved down so much! I go back to the Doctor Tuesday and I am hoping I will have made even more progress. I am so ready! I have not had a good nights sleep in almost a week because I can not get comfortable and I go to the bathroom about every 1-2 hours throughout the night. I know that I will not get much sleep when the baby comes either but at least then it will be because of a sweet baby and not because my back hurts, or I can't get comfortable.The last three nights I have literally been up ALL night! I re-arrange pillows..I try different positions....I just can't get comfortable. Usually by 5 am or so I am so exhausted I finally fall asleep until about 9 and then I have to get up because I am sore. It has not been this hard until the last week or so and I think it is just because she has lowered so much and my body is getting ready to go into to labor. Of course it could still be another 2 weeks or so...but it will not hurt my feelings if it's sooner! :) Kris is ready too...we are both excited to meet our baby girl! (He is just getting much better sleep in the process than I am :)   )  It won't be too long regardless! We are still not set on a first name so for now it is just Scout. We are going to wait to see her face. Hopefully it will come to us! :)  I hope everyone has a good and safe  4th of July!!!


Our Little Girl


Before you were even thought of
God already had a plan
He would send us a little girl
To raise by his command

Even though we didn't know it
your name was picked out too
So God could have his angels
To guard and protect you

Then he sent you down to us
Much to our surprise
Then we knew we had been blessed
And a feeling grew inside

We weren't sure what to call you
So then we prayed to God
We hoped he would reveal to us
The name he had thought of

He sent word by his angels
From heaven up above
The name that he had given you
was...something Scout

to be continued....