LANE IS TWO WEEKS OLD!!

This is her in her new hat made by her aunt Meagan...too cute!

Thanks auntie Meagan...and for the diaper bag too!

Here are two tired girls.

Lane has all sorts of expressions...especially when she is asleep. Brandon is going to try to capture some of it on video. So keep posted.

Hey Doc

Lane had her second doctor's appointment Friday. She had gained 1 lb. in a week, so she weighs 9lbs. and she has grown 1/2 inch. Everything else checked out okay too.

Some people have asked if I was going to blog the birth story. So here is what I remember.

Sunday 12/16/07 - I began having regular contractions during church that were about 6 minutes apart. I tell Brandon after church is over that I think we should go walk around some of the shops near our house to see if they continue to go away. I had been having irregular contractions all week. But this time they did continue and began to come more often, so we go home. I sat on the couch to see if they continue and tell Brandon to get everything ready just in case. At 12:45pm, I tell Brandon that I think we should go to the hospital and say, "The worst they can do is send us home." So he puts the bags in the car and as we stand at the top of the stairs going through our check list...gush...my water breaks. All I can say about that is...yuck. So I change clothes and we go to the hospital.

We go to maternal observation and they tell us that they will be sending us to labor and delivery as soon as there is a room ready. It takes about 1.5 hours. We get to labor and delivery and the contractions begin to come on strong. I breathe through them as best I can. After a few hours of this I decided that I would ask for some IV meds so that I could rest up and prepare for the pushing portion of this ordeal. I was able to sleep on and off with the meds but could still feel the contractions.

The IV meds start to wear off and I decide to go for the epidural...right about the time that the doctor comes in and says, "Thank goodness." Because he was about to order pitocin and was afraid of how I would handle to contractions afterward. The anesthesiologist came and had a realy hard time finding the correct location between my vertebrae...so after FOUR tries...she finally said the magic words,"There we go. I'm in." The epidural works really well and I can't feel anything and begin to progress well and dialate from a 3 to a 9 in a few hours.

12/17/07- At about 5 am the doctor (which was the doctor on call) comes in and says that the nurse and he have been concerned because the baby's heart rate was decelerating during the contractions. Her heart rate was still within normal range, but he felt like this was an indication that there would be serious complications. He recommends a c-section. So we went from thinking that I was about ready to push to we are having a c-section.

Brandon suits up in his scrubs and I get wheeled to the OR to prep. The surgery begins and within several minutes Lane was born. After the surgery was over...the nurse put Lane in my arms and we were wheeled to our room. Overall, the c-section experience itself was not that bad...except for having really bad shakes due to the epidural medicine.

The recovery has been painful at times and somewhat frustrating. But each day gets easier. And I would do it all over again to have Lane.

SANTA? IS THAT YOU?

Well, I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas. We did! Here is Lane in her Santa outfit...just too cute for words. It barely fit her, but at least we got one day's wear-worth out of it.

The cliche family christmas photo. We actually sort of color coordinated...without any planning. I'm am noticing now how skimpy our tree looks in the background, oh well.

And here is santa after delivering presents all over the world...it is hard work.

More Pictures...

Lane and the tree monkey...best of friends...well, they

need to be since they will be sharing the same jungle.

Is this not the cutest thing you ever did see?!? Brandon's quote, "She flew like a beautiful butterfly into our lives."

And another Christmas outfit. We have one more to go...and it is by far the cutest. I'll post a picture of it after Christmas day.

One Week and counting...

Here is the week in pictures.

Brandon waiting to go the operating room...not what we had planned

but you can't predict these type of things.

Lane Ann Fincher...born 12-17-07, 8 lbs. 7 oz. and 21 inches long

Mommy and Lane waiting to be taken from the OR to their room.

Daddy on diaper duty. Brandon has done such a great job being a dad

over the past week.

We've had visitors...both family and friends...this is Lane and her great

Grannie Bush (my dad's mom)

This is Lane and her auntie Meagan (my sister)...it has been so fun seeing

how excited everyone is about Lane. She will be and is loved so much.

Lane gearing up for Christmas.

Brandon and Lane taking a "Bob Ross" nap (if you know Brandon, you know what this means...he watches old episodes of Bob Ross on PBS and sleeps during the program)

Lane taking her first sponge bath at home.

Although she cried during most of it...this was her after she got wrapped up in her towel.

(Just tilt your head to the left to view the photo correctly. I didn't feel like downloading it again).

And lastly, here is Lane in her stocking (I caught her with a smile in this one). Brandon and I hope that all of you have a safe and very blessed Christmas and New Year's. I know that I speak for us both when I say that we feel so very blessed and that Lane is the best gift ever. I have been thinking a lot about the meaning of the holiday Christmas and the birth of Jesus. It truly is a time to celebrate.

Happy Holidays

From Brandon, Jennie, and Lane

Dante & Zoe too :-)

Routine is BLISS!

Well, last night went sooooo much better. My milk has come in and Lane is loving it. The only thing I am dealing with right now is engorgement (whoa mama!). I get to see what life would be like behind a pair C cups, but frankly they feel more like DDs. Lane has her first doctor's appt. today. One of many to come. I must say that I think she is the most perfect baby ever. What no one mentioned in this whole process of "here is my expert advise on being a new mom" is how much laundry babies go through. Wow. I think we already have a full load after a few days. Here are the pictures I promised...

Lane going on her first car ride...home sweet home

Sweet little Lane in her monogrammed stocking from GePaw & MeMaw

WE ARE HOME!!!

We were discharged last night and have been settling in at home since then. It has been a little bit of a bumpy ride...but I am sure that it will even out over the next few days. We do have more pictures to post, but I will let Brandon take care of that later today. Thanks for all of your lovely comments, it was great reading them in the hospital. It was like having several visitors without all the commotion :-). (Not that visitors aren't welcome.) Please keep us in your prayers, that we all adjust quickly and that I have a speedy recovery (pain is not fun, especially when all you want to do is hold and play with your baby).

Day 3: Lane vs. the World

(dramatic, huh?)

Me and Lane chillin'

So after I told Jennie about my post last night, she corrected me. There was a photo of me from Monday night with Lane, but I was looking a bit rough. I think these are pretty good pictures (of Lane at least.)

This morning Lane thought it would be hilarious to pee (alot) while I was changing her. I think Jennie put her up to it.

Which one of these is not like the other??

A. Brandon changing diaper.

B. Jennie's mom Decah holding Lane.

C. Jennie holding Lane.

D. Brandon's mom Sherry holding Lane.

E. Some random dude from the hallway (j/k Jeff) holding Lane.

I looked through our pictures for the last few days and noticed there haven't been any of Brandon holding Lane. I thought it was worth mentioning that my place is firmly established in our family unit already.

It seems like we are getting into a pretty good routine. Lane is feeding well, Jennie is resting when she can, and I'm waiting for them to tell me what to do. Part of this challenge is figuring out what sweet Lane's language is and what she's wanting me to do.

It's fairly clear to both Jennie and I that Lane, thankfully, looks more like Mom than Dad at this point. We haven't busted out the old photos or asked CSI Ft. Worth for a consultation, but we think she looks like Jennie.

Lane in the evening

Here are some pics from last night. After coming back in from the nursery so Mom could nap and Dad could grab some food, Lane had vistors. Brandon's Pawpaw and Mawmaw visited as well as Jennie's cousin Melissa.

Later last night, Lane opened her eyes for a while and looked around for a bit before falling back asleep.

Happy Birthday!!!

Here's a pic of Lane this morning at 6:02am. She is one day old.

Lane has arrived!!!

(hear her roar)

On December 17th, 2007 at 6:02am countless prayers and hopes were fulfilled when Lane Ann was born. Lane weighed in at 8lbs 7oz (I predicted 8lbs 9oz) and was 21 inches long. Needless to say, she was a healthy baby.

Much to my chagrin, she can already flare her nostrils. A talent her mother has which I have never been able to master.

That red number is the metric representation of 8lbs 7oz. Lane was cold, and wanted some clothes during this photo. So modest already.

Here's a look at the Birth Certificate. It's official.

Jennie, the proud and exhilarated mom with sleepy baby Lane.

After a long night of waiting and watching the monitors, our Doctor let us know that a C-section was imminent. So, they asked me to scrub up just in case I was needed. (I wasn't, but I did get to hold Jennie's hand.

Progress

I thought I was hungry 45 minutes ago, so I went to the cafeteria sponsoring their 'Late Night Grill.' After seeing the succelent offerings, I changed my mind; I was not hungry at all. It didn't help that the gentleman (he looked like a Gerald) who came out of the back appeared as if he had come from the nearest truck stop restaurant. No offense to any truck stop chefs, but it takes alot for me to not feel the need to eat every 12 hours or so.

Me being supportive

3:22am and Jennie is going strong around 8-9 cm dilated.

Hello blogosphere!!

Greetings from Brandon.



As we left church this morning, (I know...we should've slept in) Jennie was having contractions around 6-7 minutes apart. So, after getting tired of making laps in Target or at the park, we opted for Bed, Bath and Beyond, Ross, and Pier One today. In Bed, Bath and Beyond the contractions were 6 minutes apart. After purchasing a towel rack at a rock-bottom clearance price, we traversed to Ross. At Ross, I searched for crystal drink glasses and almost decided to buy them. We bought a new pair of tongs and a small cake tin. Also, the contractions were about 5 minutes apart. As we walked to Pier One, the regular contractions continued. We purchased some stocking stuffers (I can't give away the surprise). We then drove home and Jennie's contractions were 3 minutes apart.



Jennie decided to head to the hospital, "The worst they can do is send us home."



I heroically collected our bags and as we were preparing to leave, Jennie's water broke. She exclaimed, "My water just broke!" And I answered, "I can see that."

I will say that throughout this process from start to now I have yet to be afraid of what fatherhood entails. I have been excited and ready to start this challenging phase of our lives, but in that moment when Jennie's water broke and I witnessed it, I felt a stab of fear in my stomach.



We waived farewell to the dogs and I drove like a desparate madman to the hospital.



Jennie is doing great (currently at a 4, rockin' out the epidural), baby Lane is ready and I'm sitting on a vinyl pull-out couch I suspect will be my home for the near future.

Forum for Complaining

So I am officially 39 weeks pregnant today, and right now I am sitting in my office at 8:30 am on a Saturday to see clients. My complaint...my 8:00 a.m. appointment did not show at all and my 10 a.m. appt. cancelled this morning. I am sitting here thinking to myself..."If I can get here and be ready to see people while having intermittent contractions, then your excuses really don't cut it." Why make an appointment at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning if you know you won't be able to make it. And for that matter the appointment was made only two days ago, so there wasn't a lot of time to forget about it. Usually I get to bill for times when people do this but this was a new client so I will not get reimbursed for waking up early on a Saturday and sitting around for an hour while I wait for the next appointment to show up (hopefully).

For happier news, my online classes are officially over and I am so glad. Now I should be able to move forward with my career and also be able to bill for more than I am currently. And I should add that I owe a big thanks to my Grannie because without her encouragement and help I would not have been able to take the classes I needed at this point. She is such a good source of support in my life. I hope I provide her with the same.

I know I am just rambling now because I still have about 15 minutes to wait until my next appointment. But the last thing I will add is this...COME ON BABY LANE!!! Brandon and I went out to dinner last night and then walked about five laps in Target, since the weather was so bad we couldn't walk outside. But nothing really happened. Everybody keeps telling us things to do to try to get active labor started, but I know that Lane will come when it is the right time. (I just hope that is today!)

Last Belly Shot

So here is one last picture of me before delivery. This is being posted at my cousin's request.

We are all just waiting around for Lane's arrival. Even the dogs...

Woohoo!

I went to the doctor today and I am 2-3 centimeters dialated and 70% effaced. Come on baby Lane. I am hoping to see his or her sweet face before Monday!!! So say a little prayer for a quick and easy delivery. The doctor estimated that the baby is about 7 1/2 -8 pounds (oh my!). I got my last massage before delivery today and I have been trying to think of reasons to go out and walk around.

So hopefully my next post will be pictures of new little baby.

Progress!

I went to the doctor Thursday and I am dialated to a 1. Nothing much else to report. I am not much more effaced than I was a week ago, but I am hoping for even better news next Thursday. Brandon and I walked a mile yesterday morning and I got a professional foot massage, all to urge labor to begin. No luck so far. Just really uncomfortable punching in my lower abdomen (thanks Lane). I will try to keep the blog updated as much as I can in the next few days and weeks.

The Waiting Game

I don't like this game at all. I consider myself to be a patient person but I find myself now thinking of ways to get labor started to force baby Lane into this world sooner rather than later. I am still working mostly full-time and haven't really slowed down yet...so hopefully that will help. Although beginning this week I have stopped driving to Decatur on Thursdays to do counseling with the juvenile probation kids, mainly because I am 45 min. from my house, 75 min from the hospital when I am there. AND early in my pregnancy I had a dream that I went into labor while driving home and had to deliver the baby by myself on the side of the road with only Zoe (my therapy dog) as a birthing coach. So needless to say I don't really want to chance it. I am only taking off from that position for one month, but I think I am really going to miss it and I know Zoe will miss it. She enjoys going to work and knows the days we are supposed to go.

I went to the doctor this past week and I am not dialated yet. I am hoping that when I go this Thursday I will get different news. Not that I haven't enjoyed being pregnant, I have been blessed with a pretty easy pregnancy. BUT Lane is mover and a shaker and it is getting to be very uncomfortable. So I keep asking Lane, "Are you trying to kick your way out? If that's the case you may continue otherwise you are grounded for the first week of your life." Other news I can tell from the doctor's appt. is that everything looks good. Lane's heartbeat is in the 130 range like usual. My blood pressure is as steady as ever. Lane is still in the head down position like he/she has been for several weeks now. And the doctor estimated that Lane is probably about 5 1/2 to 6 lbs. right now. And my constant prayer is that Lane does not weigh over 7 lbs. since I am going to try really hard to have a natural birth. But don't hold me to it, b/c I have no clue what all of this is going to be like for me. So I will let all of you know as soon as I know more.

Sesame Street

For all of you who grew up singing "Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away..." and learning from Sesame Street should read this article from the New York Times. The link is below. I got a pretty good chuckle out of it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/magazine/18wwln-medium-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

More pictures...


Here is Lane's bedding, it is so cute! The green blanket has Lane's name embroidered on it (gift from Me-maw and Ge-paw).

Hopefully, only four more weeks to go. Can't wait to see what Lane looks like and I know some of you are really anxious to know what pronoun to call Lane by...he, she, him, her...it won't be long now.

Happenings...

So life has been pretty busy for me lately with family weekends, two online college courses, work, doctor's appointments, and a baby shower. So I am going to cram all of it into one post. Here goes...

On the weekend of October 19th I hosted the 6th annual Bush (maiden name) girl cousin weekend at my house. I had 10 guests that stayed for the weekend and a whole weekend of planned activities like jewelry making, a Halloween costume contest, pumpkin carving, and antique shopping. And I must send out a huge thanks to my sister, Meagan, and my cousin, Melissa, for helping to host the whole weekend. Here are some pictures from the festivities.

All the cousins in their Halloween costumes

Some of the carved pumpkins

And this past Saturday the girls from my life group hosted a baby shower for me. Lane got a lot of stuff and what was not received I went and purchased with money and gift cards. Here are some pictures from the shower.

Picture of Mom-to-be (Me) and furture grandmothers and great-grandmothers

This was the cutest cake ever. My friend Emily made it and it was perfect!

Here is a picture of me with the shower hostesses (Sarah, me, Jessica, and Emily).

In other news, I have been going to the doctor every two weeks and she estimates that Lane is about four pounds and is still in the head down position. My stomach keeps growing, just when I think it can't get any bigger, but I have been assured that it can. Anyway, I go back in two weeks and then after Thanksgiving I will go to the doctor every week. Brandon and I are gearing up for the all weekend "crash-course" in lamaze Friday and Saturday...should be loads of fun (LOL).

Home Improvement (a.k.a. Brandon's version of nesting)

Brandon rejoicing over our beautiful new tile. Ashley, his sister, in the background laughing at him.

Chris (Ashley's boyfriend), and the hero of this home improvement saga, with Brandon laying tile in the kitchen. Ashley keeping a watchful eye.

Ta-Da! Our beautiful new half-bath with new tile and pedestal sink.

Our newly tiled kitchen...yipee!

So, Ashley, Chris, Brandon, and I spent all day (and I mean ALL day) Saturday, Sunday, and most of Monday tiling our kitchen/1/2 bath/pantry area (about 420 sq. ft.), and both bathrooms upstairs. Chris also installed a new pedestal sink and crown moulding in our dining room. I didn't post pictures of the bathrooms b/c the tiolets are not in yet and they are still a bit of a mess...well the whole house and garage are still quite a mess...but the tile looks GREAT! We had linoleum before in the kitchen and bathrooms, so this is a BIG improvement. We are all really tired and a little soar. Brandon and Chris layed the tile and Ashley and I grouted the bathrooms and kitchen. I think it will take a week or so before my joints stop aching. We aren't completely done, we still need to install the thresholds, seal the grout, move the appliances back, caulk, and paint the crown moulding, but we'll get it all done some time this week. And, no I will not be helping to move the appliances, for all of those gasping in horror right now. I have to say that Lane and the dogs (Dante and Zoe) have been real troopers through our little (LOL) home improvement project.