Allissondra's Professional Pictures

The first time we tried getting Allissondra's newborn photos done she wasn't very cooperative. But this is what we got.

<3 I love my hubby <3

So Nathan went to Kays and bought me this gorgeous diamond and black diamond ring. I love it! <3 It's my early Christmas present from him.

Growing so Fast

Allissondra is growing so fast! She is already a month old! It seems like yesterday I was in the hospital waiting on her arrival.

She has been smiling since she was a day old. She has so many facial expressions since birth too. But she just recently started laughing and goo-gaw-ing. It is so cute! She is also pretty good about keeping her head up by herself. We are so proud of her!

She had a pediatrician appointment on Tuesday November 10th and she weighed 8lbs 13oz and was 21inches long. She is in the 50th percentile of babies her age.

We are seeing her grow and change so much everyday! It is amazing!

The Life of a New Mommy

Having Allissondra is the best thing that has ever happened to me! Closely followed by meeting and marrying Nathan, of course. Being pregnant with her was amazing all in itself, but actually having her to hold and love forever is truely a miracle!

Everyone says your lives change durastically when you have a baby, but ours didn't. We still are able to enjoy the things we did before Alli was born. We can still go out to movies and stuff but we choose not to because we love to just be with our families and with our baby. The only thing that really changed was our sleep schedule, and that hasn't changed too much. We tried very hard to prepare ourselves for the birth of our baby girl and by doing so we were prepared when she came. We had everything we needed and had everything together and ready. We waited so long for her to get here, and we were so happy when she finally arrived!

I can hardly remember life without the loves of my life: Nathan and Allissondra. I don't know where I would be if I didn't have them. True, Allissondra wasn't planned for Nathan and I, but it is something that we will never regret and have never regretted. She is the best thing to us and we love her so much! We can't wait to watch her grow and learn!

I would say the only downfall to being a young parent is that people act like we don't know what we are doing. They talk down to us and don't listen when we tell them specific things about our baby. It is very frustrating and depressing when people look at you like you are doing everything wrong. I am her mother and I know what she wants, needs and likes. I spend every day and moment with my baby and I know what she is like. I hate that people think I don't know. Nathan gets it too. That people just think we don't know what is going on or what to do for our baby. But we are good parents and know what our baby wants, needs and likes. I just wish people would respect us and listen.

We are very excited to have our baby girl and can not wait to have another baby. Well we can wait...but we are excited for when we decide to have our next. We are hoping once Allissondra turns a year old that we can start trying for our next little one. But that is a while from now...so for now we are loving our first born and watching her grow and learn everything :-D

The BIG DAY

Back in the room after the C-Section waiting on them to bring in Allissondra

Nathan in the room waiting on them to wheel me back in

Allissondra minutes after being born...already sucking her thumb =-)

Proud Momma and Pappa

Oh how she looks like Nathan!

Her first appearance into the world

Nathan looking nervous while we were waiting to be taken back for the C-Section

Me after being told I'd have a C-Section - scared but relieved

Nathan and I were scheduled to be induced at Ruby Memorial Hospital on October 8th 2009 at 8:00am. They started me on the cervix pill to soften and efface my cervix. That pill immediately started contractions for me. I had fairly strong contractions in the 100s within the first hour. Her heartrate was pretty strong at first, in the 1402 and 150s. It kept going down every once in a while but they would come in and turn me on my side and it would go back up right away. We weren't too worried about it. The first time her heartrate dropped really low was around 4pm or so. It dropped down into 60s and 70s. They immediately came in and gave me oxygen and turned me on my side. They had to break my water and do an internal monitor for the baby's heartrate. They also gave me a shot to stop my contractions so Allissondra could get a break from the constant contractions. Then around 7pm I got my epidural to calm down and relax so her heartrate would stay normal. Soon after that they came in to give me pitocin to get my labor moving a little faster. As soon as the pitocin went into the IV her heartrate dropped down below the 60s again. Once again a ton of nurses rush into the room and give me oxygen, turn me on all fours. Her heartrate would not go back up. The nurses checked me and saw I was still only a 4 1/2 cm dialated. They got really quiet and we knew that we would end up getting a C-Section. Then the doctor came in and told us that we would definitely have to get a C-Section for the health of the baby. Her heartrate just would not go back up and we were willing to do anything to get her out healthy. We were relieved to hear that we were getting the C-Section because then we didn't have to worry about something going wrong. So within minutes of her heartrate falling they came in and gave Nate his scrubs and had us sign the papers for consent. Then they wheeled me into the operating room to get started on my spinal tap. Nathan had to wait in the other room until they got things started. The scariest part of the whole thing was in the operating room while I was getting the spinal. They had me on my side holding a monitor on my belly to monitor her heartrate while they found a spot to insert the needle for the spinal. Her heartrate dropped all the way down into the 16s! I was so scared but had to remain calm as much as possible. I had oxygen and was just concentrating on breathing to keep calm to try to raise her heartrate. It was extremely scary because the doctors kept yelling to hurry with the spinal, that they had to get this baby out! It was so hard to hear all the things that were happening and remain calm at the same time. In what seemed like forever they had me turned back over and did their test cut to make sure I was numb. I just kept asking if Nathan was in the room yet. I wouldn't open my eyes because I didn't want to get scared or overwhelmed by what was going on around me. They had Nathan come into the room and he immediately grabbed my hand and asked if I was okay. I just said talk to me. Just talk to me. I'll be okay just talk to me. In what seemed seconds she was out. The first cry was the most amazing thing in the world. Tears immediately filled my eyes and I cried. Then the nurse came to see if Nathan wanted to come with Allissondra while they cleaned her and weighed her. He was so worried about me but I told him to go that I would be okay. Before I knew it he was back with tears in his eyes and our beautiful baby girl in his arms. She was sucking her thumb and just being adorable. It was amazing! They had Nate leave the room while they transfered me to the other bed to be wheeled back into our hospital room. Holding Allissondra was amazing the first time and every time since. Even though we were exhausted we were thrilled and wide awake.

The next couple days that we spent in the hospital are kind of a blur. I remember most of everything but what day things happened are mixed up. I remember falling asleep in the middle of conversations. The worst thing after the surgery was trying to get out of bed the first and second times to go to the bathroom. I could hardly stand to sit up in bed let alone try to stand and walk to the bathroom. I had to have nurses and Nate help me just to walk the couple feet to the bathroom.

It was a stressful time and crazy time but things are settling down now. Her sleep schedule and eating schedule are still getting worked on but they are starting to work out.

The worst thing out of this whole experience is breastfeeding! I hate it! I am still working with her and things are kind of getting better but far from right yet.

STILL Playing the Waiting Game!

Nathan and I are still waiting on the arrival of our baby girl Allissondra. We have been hoping she would be here by now but she is being very stubborn!

We went in to the hospital today because we thought we were leaking amniotic fluid. I got checked and the test was negative. I also have not dialated any further (still around a 1). We were hoping to have her today or tomorrow but it doesn't look like it's going to happen any time soon. We go in for a doctor's apt tomorrow and will find out when we are to be induced. We are hoping sooner better than later.

We will try our best to keep everyone updated as best we can. Hopefully we will have good news soon.

Playing the Waiting Game

Nate and I are so impatient to have our baby girl. Ami had Mia and Rachel had Macy. We're next =-D

I am 38 weeks. I'll be 39 weeks on Wednesday. I am dialated to about a one still and my cervix has softened. But besides that nothing has changed. My doctor is going to strip my membranes on the 24th to help things progress. Hopefully I go into labor that weekend.

Keep your fingers crossed that she comes soon. We are ready for her to be here!

I will try to keep you updated as much as possible! <3

Rest In Peace Dad

Five Minutes
© Annmarie Campbell
I only had five minutes the day you passed away,I would have had time to tell you all the things I needed to say.I never got to tell you how much you mean to me,Or that you were the best dad, better than any man could be.The last time that I talked to youI wish I would have known.I would have said I love you,and kept you on the phone.If I only had five minutes, the morning you passed away,I'd give you one last hug so tight and see your great big smile.I'd tell you that I don't think I could live without you,not even for awhile.I'd kiss your cheek and take your hand and tell you it's okay to goAnd tell you that I'll miss you,more than you'll ever know.But you were gone so quickly,One last car ride you'd take.Before you even knew it, you were standing at heavens gate.Now God has called upon you,It's time to get your wings.To leave this life behind you,And enjoy all of heavens beautiful things.So wait for me in heaven Dad,Don't let me come alone.The day the angels come for me,Please be there to bring me home.

Counting Down - Getting Ready

So the time for Allissondra to be welcomed into the world is drawing ever so close! We are down to 6 weeks! Nathan and I have been doing a lot in preparation for our first baby girl to arrive but we have oh so much more to do.

We have received gifts from family and friends, and we appreciate it all so much! But unfortunately there is much more we need. Thankfully we have the most important stuff... the carseat, crib, bedding, dresser, changing table, diapers, blankets, clothes, bath stuff, diaper bag, binkies, bottles, cremes, lotions, receiving blankets, etc but there is much more to get. Including: hair bows and bands, piggy bank(not necessary but something we'd like if we get the money) , medicine kit, first aid kit, breast pump, breast milk storage containers, bottle warmer, drying rack, baby bath tub, wash cloths, thermometer, healthcare kit, oral health care kit, diaper genie and refills, backseat car mirror, backseat carseat protector, baby music, orajel, teethers, toys, window shades, highchair, and baby bottoms (jeans). We checked the stores and prices for all the stuff we have yet to get and it totals well over $500! We are hoping we can get the stuff before she gets here but we don't know if we can for sure ...

Besides the stress of getting everything we need, things have been good! I was tested for pre-eclampsia but it's not been diagnosed yet. My doctor is keeping an eye on everything. He says he thinks I am in a mild case of it but not severe enough to worry just yet. So they are just watching it for now. I have had less back pain thankfully! but more headaches! I now have a pain killer prescription to help with the pain and headaches. That has helped a lot! I have some moderate swelling in my lower legs and feet and mild swelling in my hands and face. Nothing serious or that noticable yet. Let's just hope it stays that way =-D ... my doctor is having me go in to the cardiac unit to be put under observation and tests. He wants to make sure I don't have a heart problem, bc I get dizzy and almost pass out and my heart races beyond belief! so they are checking on that too. I don't go in for that apt until the 25th of August.

Nathan and I are very excited and impatient for Allissondra to be born! We talk about it all the time and try to be as prepared as we can. We started taking Birthing classes last Thursday and have one every Thursday until Sept 10th. They are helpful but most of it is stuff that I already know from my baby books, but its nice to be able to ask questions and talk with someone who isn't in a rush like the doctor's.

We will be getting our bedding this week hopefully and we can't wait to set it up in the crib to get the final look =-D. Everything is coming together and we just can't wait for her to be here! I started packing my bags and diaper bag for the hospital. I almost have them competely done but still have a couple items left to get and pack. I will hopefully be done with the bags soon and have them put in the car and ready to go by the first week of September. Just in case we deliver early for some reason. It's nice to know that I have it together and won't forget anything important.

33 1/2 weeks down .... 6 1/2 weeks to go =-D

We are due October 2nd but keep your fingers crossed for the week of September 21st! Nathan has that week off work and we really want to deliver during that week.

Baby Kicks

I started feeling Allissondra kick when I was about 4 months pregnant. She has been quite active and I love it! Nathan has felt her move and give light kicks but Friday night he got to feel a whooper of a kick.

We were at the movies watching the Terminator Salvation. As always when I eat, Alli was kicking up a storm after every bite. I nudged Nate and he put his hand against my belly. Soon after she kicked his hand so hard that he was startled. He looked from the screen to my face with a look of pure surprise and excitement. I have been waiting to get that look. Everyone would say how their husband or significant other's face looked the first time he really felt the baby kick, and I wanted to see that look on Nathan's face so bad. I was so tickled when I finally got that look!

It makes me so much more excited now that I know he can really feel her move. I think it makes it more real for the both of us. We just can't wait to see her!

I have my second, and probably last, ultrasound scheduled for June 26th. I will be 26 weeks pregnant. I am really excited to see how much Alli has grown and changed. So next comes the ultrasound and then she'll be here before we know it.

We also found out at our last doctor's appointment that Allissondra has a 1 in 19990 chance of having down syndrome... which seem like good odds to me. It is such a relief to know that we don't have to worry about our baby's health. With those tests negative, we can breath easy for now =D

Over the next couple months we have a lot going on. We have BBQ's, parties, weddings, showers, reunions and so much more. We just hope we can make it all work.

Our Baby Girl

Nathan and I have finally chosen a name for our beautiful baby girl.

We chose Allissondra Elizabeth! =D

We chose this name because it was something we finally agreed on lol. Also it meets our expectations of what we wanted a name to be. I have always loved long names for girls. I think Allissondra is very elegant and beautiful for her name. We chose Elizabeth after my mother. I always knew since I was young that I would give my first girl the middle name of my mother. =D We also liked Allissondra because we could give her the nickname Alli. A nickname was really important because we knew we wanted a long first name, so we had to consider the possibilities. With Allissondra we get the best of all worlds! We have the long, elegant name with the short gorgeous nickname =D

We love our name choice and she seems to love it too! Right after we decided on the name I said it to her and she started kicking around and moving a ton! So I took that as a good sign. =D

We can not wait for her to get here in late September or early October! We have been working on our baby registry at Target and are really excited for the shower and her arrival! We have everything picked out, it just depends on what people decide to buy us and what we have to get ourselves.

We are going to do the nursery in lime green with pink accents. That way we can hopefully reuse the bedding for our next baby, no matter the gender. We can reuse the pink and green for a girl or just the green for a boy =D See we like to think ahead lol



We'll keep you updated!

XoXo

Ready for Baby?

I have come a long way since February 4th when I found out that I was 6 weeks pregnant. Now here I am at 17 weeks and ready to find out the sex of the baby. =D

Nathan and I have thought long and hard about names, our registry, parenting methods, baby showers, and what we thought the gender would be. But we know nothing can prepare us for the future, whether that future is 6 days away when we find out the gender or 5 months away when I give birth. What we do know is that we love this baby no matter what and that we are ready.

I have noticed throughout this pregnancy that some things aren't great, some things suck and other things are better than I thought. I love being pregnant but hate it at the same time. I hate being sick in the mornings. I hate being exhausted all the time. I hate not being to eat what I want or when I want. I hate not being able to sleep. I hate feeling out of control of my body and emotions. I hate not being able to work. I hate not being able to get out of bed. I hate the migraines! I hate the back pain. I hate that none of my clothes fit anymore. I hate the cravings. I hate the nausea. and I hate my extreme sense of smell! But I do love feeling the baby. I love picking out baby names. I love looking at baby clothes. I love my maturnity clothes. I love the thought of being a mom. I love feeling the baby kick. I love thinking about the boy or girl to come. I love the fact that Nathan is my husband and that he is the father of my child. I love the idea of having a baby.

It does seem that the hates out-do the loves, but sometimes thats how it is. Don't get me wrong... I do love being pregnant. I just hate the side effects! I want many kids, well as many as Nate will let me =D. I only had my mom and sister growing up and I never really had that sibling experience. I want a lot of kids bc I want them to have what I didn't have.

I am really excited to find out on April 30th what I am having. I feel so bad calling my baby IT lol but I can't call it anything else except baby. But soon that will change =D

I am also really excited for my baby shower! My mom and I are in the process of planning it. We have found a place to hold it (if we can book it) and we are working on the details now. I am hoping people will chip in with the food. I am inviting a lot of people and would like to have an actual meal. Like sloppy joes, potato salad, chips, cookies, veggies and fruit, and maybe some other stuff. But I really dont want just sandwiches but I'll do what I can. It just depends on money =D

Also Nathan and I have two boy names and two girl names picked out. Of course the names depend on the gender. We are thinking we will keep our top two names secret until the baby is born, and make our decision once we see the baby's face..but that is just an idea. We will probably decide which name we want before that. =D

We will keep everyone as informed as we can with the information we get.

XoXo

I'm pregnant! <3

Nathan and I took a pregnancy test yesterday afternoon. We were unsure if it was going to be positive or negative and were trying to be as calm as possible while the test set. Nathan was so cute sitting on the couch watching the clock, waiting for three minutes to pass..and he jumped up so quick when the time was up. I got to read the test first and turned around with it in my hand and looked at Nate and started to cry. It was a mixed feeling of surprise, happiness and utter shock. We were both expecting it to be negative even though we had a feeling it would be positive.

The whole reason we took the test was because I was a week late for my period. I have never been more than two or three days late so it was a pretty big deal when I was late. That was when I went out and got the test just in case. As more days went by I got more and more nervous and finally told Nate that I wanted to take the test.

The poor baby looked like he was going to throw up when he saw the results. I didn't know whether to cry or smile or hug me or what. He was so cute! Of course we were both in a kind of shock but we knew it would be okay.

We know that we are blessed. We were not trying to have children for another couple of years and we look at this as our own little miracle. If it wasn't meant to happen then it wouldn't have happened. That is the way we are looking at it!

We are so excited and can not wait to get on with the pregnancy. We can't wait to do ultrasounds and hear the heartbeat. We can't wait until we find out the sex of the baby!

After taking the test and calling our parents we went to walmart to get the proper vitamins and some other stuff. We couldn't help but go in the baby section and look at the clothes and toys and strollers and cribs...already deciding which ones we want if its a boy and which ones we want if its a girl.

I think I am only a month or so along. But hopefully I can find out for sure when I meet with the doctor. I go tomorrow to get the proof of pregnancy and get the medical card and food stamps. Then I should be able to choose an actual doctor and start really getting into the whole preggo thing :-D

Nathan and I would love to recieve blessing and good wishes from everyone. We are nervous about miscarriage and have people praying for our first time pregnancy to go to term. We already love this baby and want it to live a long healthy life.

Nathan has already started rubbing my belly and kissing my belly. He is just so cute about the whole thing. You can tell he is excited and loving this. I am not even showing and he is already in love with my belly!! How funny is that!

Our Honeymoon

I was looking back at my previous blogs and realized that I never posted anything about our honeymoon! So I decided better late than never.

Nathan and I had planned to get on a plan at 7:10am from Pittsburgh to Ft. Myers Florida. We waited for two hours and at 6:50 they told us our flight was cancelled. We were able to reschedule a flight for 6:20pm. We were stuck in PA for 14 hours! We called a cab and went to the mall. We walked around, shopped a little, went to a movie, and finally went back to the airport to wait. Thankgfully that flight was not cancelled.

We flew to Cincinnatti that night and stayed at a very nice hotel. We were able to eat, shower and rest before leaving that morning for Ft. Myers Florida.

Once in Ft. Myers we found that we were not able to rent a car because we did not have a credit card in Nathan's name and I was not 21. So we had to take a taxi down to Naples Florida.

We stayed at the LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort in Naples, Florida. We had to take a taxi everywhere we went, which was very expensive.

Our honeymoon was not the picture perfect experience one might have thought it to be. Once there, Nathan and I both ended up sick, I started my period (on my honeymoon!!! AH) and it rained everyday but one, which was the one day we had scheduled our massages, therefore we could not enjoy the sun as much as we would have liked.

Nathan and I loved being in Florida despite all the bad things that had happened. We hope to go back to that Resort every couple years to celebrate our anniversary.

Here is a slide of some of our favorite pictures from our honeymoon.

Meet Zoe - our Doberman Pinscher

This is Zoe our 13 week old Doberman Pinscher. Nathan and I got her on January 15th in Preston County when she was 11 weeks old. She has grown so much and we love her so very much. Everyone that has met her has fallen in love with her. She is the sweetest and most playful puppy you'd ever meet.

Zoe loves to play, bite and chew on everything ... especially feet (lol)... She loves sleeping on Nate's or my lap while we watch TV in the livingroom ... She has her very own 'couch' and blanket to chew and sleep on (although right now she is pinned in the kitchen at night because we are in the process of house-breaking her)... Zoe loves her ball and her rope. She also loves to play with empty water bottles.

When Zoe was born she was the smalled little doberman. She was the runt of 13 puppies. She also had a healed broken leg that makes her limp a little. We are taking her to the vet in two weeks to get her second check up and also get her leg looked at to make sure everything is okay with it. Wish us luck! :-D