LCBride2007

here are a few quick pictures! her room is nowhere near done, just the basics so far. so I have some work to do! my dad w/his newest grand daughter my sister with her only niece!

I'm so behind ... but I got the text and am SOOO excited so I came looking for this thread! Are there any pictures yet!?

WE ARE HOME! Sorry I haven't dropped by, we're still getting settled, and I think we will be for months to come. This house just wasn't ready to bring home a baby - there's stuff everywhere! Boxes, gifts, stuff, etc. But we made it safely, and it wasn't terrible. The train wasn't bad, it was a little cramped, but we made due. We got into Denver around 8pm on the 21st (Sat night), and found a hotel. Then got a rental car and drove all day on Sunday ... what a trip! We made it all the way to Des Moines and stayed the night, then the next day (Monday) got home around 2pm. WOOHOO! SO much I want to get done, but we'll see how it goes. Sorry I haven't been around much!

UGH! New plan ... So we were supposed to leave this morning, but Atrak called yesterday to say that trains weren't running past Denver due to floods. So we could take a bus from Denver to Omaha, but then there wasn't anything past that. No thanks! So we re-booked for tomorrow morning, same route, to Chicago. Well, trains still aren't running past Denver. And we checked another route, from here up to Seattle with an overnight stay in Seattle, then a train to Minneapolis. There were no other options for at least the next few days. So we're staying on our train tomorrow, and getting off in Denver and staying the night. Then we're driving the rest of the way. We'll probably stay one more night somewhere, and then hopefully arrive in Minneapolis Monday afternoon. I JUST WANT TO BE HOME!!

Quote: Originally Posted by NYJen Ann, I just have to say - Gwen is sooo FREAKING cute. Do you ever stop looking at her I don't think I would be able to stop looking at her long enough to get anything done. I do stare at her a lot! And I fight my urge to pick her up out of bed and just hold her, which I admit, I sometimes do!

I know I am late, but I was thinking of incorporating a rattle or some other baby item in your bouquet, or laid by the other pictures. Then maybe a little poem, verse, or just that quote on the item, or sitting close by on display.

Quote: Originally Posted by Rachelle E. You absolutely need to make a big scrapbook about her journey to grow fast and get home! :-) It's been amazing and she's just done so well. I KNOW! I have thought about this - this whole thing totally needs to be documented. Problem is, not only am I not really a scrapbooker, but I just wouldn't know where to start! I will probably end up paying someone to do this for me, because I would LOVE to have this done. We don't even have a baby book! The nurses are like "she's going to have the best baby book around!" Sadly, I bed I will never get to it. Anybody out there love scrapbooking/baby-book making want to take this on for me? lol

Quote: Originally Posted by Christine Karma, Mine came in super early too, I have been wearing pads since February. Lately I can see it leaking so I think I will be good on the milk production end. My supply has been great so far - but this is when it peaks, so I am pumping my little heart out! In fact, I have been producing so much, the hospital staff actually told me to stop bringing it in - I was taking up too much of their freezer space! And we just paid about $400 to ship my supply back to MN. Ouch. Quote: Originally Posted by Christine I wake up starving too Martha. Colustrom is the initial stuff that comes out of your boobs before you have milk, most people don't get it until the baby is born, but some of us lucky girls leak before baby is born. SO glad I didn't have to deal with this before she was born - I'd have gone insane! I can't go anywhere now w/o pads these days, it's a mess! Bless your heart, Christine, for putting up with it for so long.

Quote: Originally Posted by Lizzy Hi Ann, this is Lizzy. I am just reading all about your journey to this point. Lord girl, you and Paul have been truly blessed with your little angel! I know it hasn't been an ideal end to your pregnancy, but wow, look how it all turned out. You have been given the most prescious of all gifts. Gwedolyn Ann is such a beautiful child. I am so happy for you and Paul. Please let me know when you three are settled at home in Edina. I will PM my phone number to you. I would love to bring dinner over for you guys...and of course, a little sumthin-sumthin for Miss Thing. Take care, and God speed! Hi Lizzy! Thanks for your kind words. We still need to do that MN get together!

Quote: Originally Posted by Christine I actually don't want to be induced, I am fearful of pitocin, but I also really don't want to be pregnant anymore. i had pitocin, but they also started the epidural at the same time - so i didn't feel anything afterwards. maybe the same can be done for you! Quote: Originally Posted by Just Martha I'm sad.....I hit 20 weeks gestation yesterday and I still haven't felt the baby! My doc says it's still early and everyone is different and feels it at different stages. it is different for everyone! and when i had an u/s at 18 weeks, i hadn't felt anything yet. the doc. said that becuase of the way my placenta was positioned, that i might not for a few more weeks. i guess where it was was muffling the movement.

Quote: Originally Posted by Tlseege What is the issue with the train? the floods in the midwest are preventing the trains from going through some areas. we rescheduled for Friday. really, it's not too big a deal - now we get one day (tomorrow) to just chill since we've been running around like crazy the last couple days.

oh poo - there are train issues now/again. back to the drawing board ... i think this might delay our trip a little. ugh.

Heidi SilverHeat - watch out!

You guys have no idea how awesome it is to just hold her without all of the wires getting in the way. That's probably the best part right now. She makes a lot of noises when she sleeps, so that kept me up some - I am sure I will get used to it though. And she was a tad cold throughout the night, so we have to do a better job of bundling her up, and we may move her bed tonight. And I just gave her her first manicure - I filed her nails. She totally was into it. She just started at me the whole time and didn't fuss! It was right after I fed her, so she was a little milk drunk too - I think that helped! Quote: Originally Posted by Tlseege YIPPEE! Oh Ann I am so happy for you and Paul! Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything! Oh, also... things are REALLY tore up around here so if your route from IL to MN includes Wisconsin you might want to contact me and I can help you find out which roads are all closed (there are A LOT OF THEM... TERRIBLE flooding!). Travel safe and give her a kissy for me! We pretty much take 90 the whole way, through WI - hopefully by the time we get to the flooded parts, both in IA and WI things will have improved. So scary! Quote: Originally Posted by leigh miller congrats ann and paul! i will have to admit, im selfish. i was hoping youd be there another week so i could see you all. but soon i hope safe travels. I was just going to email you to tell you we won't be in N Cal much longer. I am pretty bummed we won't get to meet up with you and have you meet Gwen. And I was so so so SO excited to have you take pics of her. So, when are you planning on being in MN? Or how about Chicago this weekend? HA! I know a train headed in that direction ...

Quote: Originally Posted by LisaG There are some pretty cool stickers that we might end up doing... I love the glow in the dark stars for the ceiling. I saw some circle sticker like things at a baby store recently, and thought it would be really cute up on a wall. I think they were actually like those plastic like things so they'd be easy to remove too. Like what Anny did with teh airplanes, I think.

Quote: Originally Posted by Sarah Wow Ann... what an amazing journey this has been! I can't believe everything you guys have gone through. isn't it crazy that you should still be pregnant? I know! I was making a peditrician appointment for the week we get home, and she asked how old she was or something, and I am so used to saying "born at 32 weeks, now 4 weeks old, or 36 weeks gestational" or something. I was like wow - I should be pregnant for another month! Quote: Originally Posted by StephanieMN AAAHHH! That is so wonderful! Congrats on being a mom 24/7-not that you were not before, all that worrying makes you a full time mom! Let me know if there is anything I can do for you guys on the MN end of things! seriously! Thanks, Stephanie! We totally haven't been 24/7 parents. Not only did we not have to master the nighttime feedings, but we could just decide not to go in to the hospital if we needed to get something done, or just rest. Can't do that anymore! It's different already, for sure!

Just a quick note to let you all know SHE'S "HOME!!!" Well, she's at the hotel with us. We're officially 24/7 parents! YIKES! Now, off to eat the pizza we just got delivered, and to stare at our baby girl as she snoozes in her little travel bed on the hotel couch. What a jet setter!

We're taking her home today!! Now we just need to find a way to get all of our crap home with us, and ship my frozen breastmilk to MN - that's harder than one would think, apparently! So we'll have a couple nights at the hotel, a couple on the train, a couple in Chicago, and then we'll be home!

Quote: Originally Posted by Maura ann - i offered to christine if you end up needing to quit hosting biggest loser for a little bit while you take care of gwen and recover, that when christine delivers and if you are not up to it, i would be happy to take over for you gals. just let me know Maura - are you still up for this? With Gwen coming home this week, and us being on a train, car, etc. to get back to MN, I will definitely be out this week. I dont know what it will be like once we get home, but I do think I need help this week! I'll send you a PM too.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Any special plans?

Quote: Originally Posted by Dez921714 YAY!!!! Have you heard from anyone? I sent it to a few places Thursday, I haven't heard anything yet, but I'll follow up today and keep you posted. She is such a little cutie!!!!! I haven't heard from anyone yet - but I won't give up hope! Right now, the train isnt booked until Thurs, and we might not even get her today. We want to stay at least 2 nights here in the hotel before jumping on a train with her. Quote: Originally Posted by TammyB Ann that is so awesome that Gwen might be able to come home. DO you think you'll be able to meet up with Leigh for some pics before you leave? I don't think so, unfortunately. Leigh got pretty sick so she got behind in her work, so she's playing catch up! But she will be up in this area around the 28th, but I don't think we'll still be here. I'm not opposed to flying her out to MN though! I would LOVE for her to take pictures of Gwen.

love that color! and good idea to get things done in advance - you never know! lol

YAY! She passed her test! We'll see what the doctor says in the morning ... we just might be full-time parents tomorrow. But I have a feeling they will keep her one more night because of her temps, and it's a new doctor tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Here is my timeline (sorry, I can only post the link, I don't have the document on my computer anymore!) http://bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/t19745

She's taking her car seat test again, as we speak! We're going to call in about 5-10 minutes to see how she does ... here she is, and with Paul watching on! Paul's first Father's Day! Oh, and Gwen has a new habit, she likes to suck on her fingers (I didn't get the best shot of it)!