We Survived the First Week!!!

Izzy's first bath...she loved it!

She's my lobster...
Our first walk...
Snug time...

Mom, Kim, cousins Cindy & Cheri

This first week at home has been one of JOY! I was very nervous about the rumored sleepless nights and stress-filled days...only to be pleasantly surprised by the smooth transition! I keep waiting for the ball to drop, which tonight could very well be tonight...but so far, so good! Our first two nights I was woken every 1-2 hours for feedings. But the last 3 nights have brought us a lot more sleep...Izzy only waking twice each night for feedings (stretches as long as 5 hours, where we have to wake her to feed her)! And, she sleeps in her crib like a CHAMP!

Her first week we accomplished the following:
-Day 4 we ventured out to Babies R Us...it took us longer to pack the diaper bag and the car than it did to shop for all we needed
-Day 5 we had our first Pediatrician appt...where we learned Izzy is just 1 oz away from her birth weight!! Guess you can say she is feeding VERY well!
-Day 6 we had our first walk around the block...she slept the entire 2.5 miles!
-Day 7 her cousins came for a long visit and again, she slept the visit away
-Had her first bath & loved it (water baby for sure!)
-Lost her umbilical cord

Grand Roo (my mom) and Aunt Kimmy (my sister) have been here and are leaving tomorrow...so we'll see how the week goes with us on our own!

Mike and I are loving the snuggling with Izzy...her presence is just so sweet & joyful!!!

Isabelle Marian McCulloch has Arrived!!!

The new McCulloch Family...
The newborn Izzy...
Sister, Dad & myself...
Mom, Izzy & myself headed home...

We are proud to announce the arrival of Isabelle Marian McCulloch!

I labored at home on Friday for 6 hours, then again Saturday for 12 hours, starting at 4pm. By 4:30am, we headed to the hospital to learn that I had only dilated to 2.5cm! The contractions were so strong, they kept me there and gave me pain meds. After 1 hour of pain meds, Dr. Teter decided to break my water since I was due on Monday the 8th and was already there (thank heaven he didn’t send us home!). He broke my water at 7am and that only got me dilated to 3cm. With my water broken, it increased my already painful contractions to not-normal levels. I received my epidural at 9am. They started Pitocin at 10am (as my cervix was not changing). At Noon, I was dilated to 8cm and by 2pm I was pushing!!! After 2 practice pushes, we were ready to deliver! 2 more pushes brought Izzy into the world at 2:26pm!!!

Isabelle has a head full of dark blonde hair and blue eyes…she weighed in at 6lbs. 8 oz. and 20 ½ inches long (with BIG feet like her dad)!!!

All is well with both mom and dad…we made it home yesterday evening and are happy to say we have survived the first 24 hours! The dogs are a little freaked out…Baxter could care less and Katie is the overprotective older sister. Super cute.

We have added a link on the left of ALL the pics from the hospital and from going home. Feel free to check it out. There were just way too many pics to post on here...

Thanks for all the phone calls and the visitors…we are so fortunate to have such great friends!

Proud parents,
Kelly & Mike

3:00a.m. Reflecting...

I am sitting at my computer at 3:00am unable to sleep. I was woken around midnight by a text message my husband received from our friends, Matt & Debbie Musgrave. They are at the hospital and the delivery of their baby is quickly approaching (they were due Oct. 1st). When I heard this news, there was no way I could fall back asleep. Not only is it hard to sleep in my 39th week of pregnancy (contractions and baby kicking), I was too excited for our friends and then couldn't stop thinking about when our labor would start...where would we be? how will it all unfold? will I have to be induced? My mind raced. Which led me to my computer (by way of the toilet first).

At this hour there is not much to read on the internet, as most news sites are not updated until the morning. I found myself browsing through friends' blogs (and their friends' blogs, etc.) until I got to reading one specific blog that tugged at my heartsrings: http://conorbootheandgirls.blogspot.com/ I read this from start to finish...and cannot stop the tears from flowing. The story of this family got me to thinking about my own.

Mike has been the best husband a girl could ask for. I met him amidst a very difficult time in my life and he was a blessing I had no idea was headed my way. He was and is everything I wanted in a man: funny, kind, generous, loving, patient and devoted. Given how easy he was for me to love, I never imagined we'd be thrown such a curveball so early on in our marriage.

As many of you know, Mike and I struggled to get pregnant for quite some time. Although we did conceive quickly after we married, that pregnancy ended in a very unfortunate miscarriage. It's still a topic I can't quite get through without crying. And then the two years following that led us to many, many tests and doctor visits and heartache in dealing with our infertility. Mike and I attemped artificial insemination four times, to no avail. We sat out several months, as this was a very emotionally trying and very confusing time in our lives. Then we attempted in vitro...with the first attempt unsuccessful and reluctantly tried for a second, and final, attempt. We were not going to go back for a 3rd try...it was too painful and simply just too much to handle. Thank God we kept trying, as it has led us to a beautiful, healthy pregnancy.

The above mentioned blog got me to thinking...will our baby be healthy when we meet her in the upcoming week? Will she have all 10 fingers and 10 toes and be able to breath and thrive on her own? We will have to wait and see, as Mike and I opted NOT to endure any of the prenatal diagnostic testing offered to us. Being sad and let down for two years took its toll on us and we decided we wanted to celebrate the miracle we created instead of dwell on an illness we could not have any control over for those 40 weeks. We chose together that we wanted to spend my 40 weeks pregnant as happy, positive weeks that only the two of us could share and rejoice in. And that, we have. I find myself in Izzy's nursery just daydreaming about the family we are about to start and the journey that has led us here. Although I often times find myself complaining about my sore back, or lack of sleep, or overall discomfort...I truly am tickled and overjoyed every morning when I wake up and look down to discover, all over again, that I'm pregnant! It's a dream come true for me every morning.

Even as I sit here, Isabelle is kicking and squirming in my belly and my body is contracting to prepare for her impending labor. My body has done a remarkable feat: I made a human being. We had visions of her for many years, and now that vision is about to become a dream come true. I honestly didn't know if I would ever be pregnant...and here I am, still.

I know I am emotional right now, after reading that blog...but these last few weeks of waiting gets me to thinking about our journey and how long we waited for this moment to arrive. So when I find myself saying, "I'm ready," or "I can't make it a whole week past my due date!" - I have to keep reminding myself that we waited years for this miracle...and I can wait a few more days to meet her.

"Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise."

Kelly

Butler University's Annual Bulldog Beauty Contest

The McCulloch family...
Pat & Deanna Murphy..and Owen, too!
Mike walking Katie down the "dog walk"

Owen was such a good sport...

This morning our friends Deanna & Pat Murphy were brave enough to join Mike and our dogs at the annual Butler University Bulldog Beauty Contest. Baxter the Bully was dressed as a SPIDER, Katie Monster was dressed as a LADYBUG, and the great sport Owen dressed as a PUMPKIN.

This is a part of their Homecoming activities each year...and it keeps getting bigger every year! This year there were close to 60 dogs involved (both Bulldogs and "wannabe" Bulldogs). Categories included: Cutest, Meanest, Best Spirit, Best Wannabe, Best Dressed, and best of the rest. Unfortunately, we all walked away empty-handed...but we had lots of laughs!

Maternity Pics...

This morning our good friend Molly came over to take a few maternity pictures before I deliver. I just wanted a few pics to document my final weeks pregnant...and I think these turned out beautifully. These are just a few samples of the many she took! Thanks, Molly!

Nursery is Completed...

A view from the door...
Changing table with old window from our Broadripple house...this will eventually be filled with pictures of Izzy...
Nursing chair and frames that will soon be filled with more pics of Isabelle. The pic in the middle is of Kelly at 3 months...
Old dresser we painted to match the furniture and more frames that will be filled soon...
The crib and rug...

It's official...Isabelle's nursery is complete and ready for her to arrive! We absolutely love how it turned out and find ourselves spending time in there almost every day! The dogs know something is going on...as we find them sniffing around and sometimes sleeping in the room as well. The only thing that is missing from these pictures is our new daughter...

9 Months Prego...

32 weeks (8 months)
36 weeks (9 months)

Monday marks my 36th week of pregnancy...and I cannot believe how quickly time has flown by! It seems like just yesterday I was staring at my flat belly WISHING I would show. Now...it's a different story! My belly continues to grow and I'm feeling that there is just no more room for Izzy to go. Sleeping has become very rare and even more uncomfortable than last month. I guess it's life's way of preparing me for the lack of sleep that is coming my way. 4 more weeks to go!