What Mommy needs most

Look what Mom, Megan and the Suzie-Q (the cat) are up to and need lots of these days. Mom is exhausted and Megan isn't helping matters any. Megan likes to sleep all day and stay up late for Letterman (and beyond) which is making the daytime miserable for Marnell. Ryan and I try to do our best to make it work, but it's just not enough for Mommy so she ends up like this.

Home on Father's Day!

What a wonderful way to celebrate Father's Day but to bring home your new daughter! (Oh yeah, my beautiful wife gets to come along too.) :-) Marni and Megan will be home Sunday sometime between 10 and 12 noon. It will be great to start getting back to "normal" around the house and with our routines. I know that most of you with kids are saying that there will never be "normal" again in our lives, so I'll admit that we'll never see those glory days again in this household. Ryan has paid the biggest cost so far getting dropped off at various babysitters, friends and family while Dad either works around the house to get ready for Sunday, runs errands or visits Mom and Megan. He's really been a trooper all along this and I let him sleep in the BIG bed with Daddy last night since he woke up screaming at 10pm. No big deal, at least he doesn't snore but he does like to end up on top of my legs and arms as the night goes on.

I know that at times, it may seem over-the-top about how we go on and on about our kids but we're just so blessed to have them in our lives and making our future richer and more rewarding. Keep in mind that it wasn't looking very positive that Marnell and I might ever have children and we faithfully believe that my Mom has sent them to us after she passed away in January 2005. Ryan was born in December that year.

Now that Marnell will be home, she'll make sure that the photos are ready to post or email to everyone and I'm sure that she'll send some in the mail as soon as they can be printed. We thank each and everyone of our friends, Brothers & Sisters, family and neighbors for all you have done for us during the past week to make things as easy as possible. We are truly blessed to have you in our lives and to help us out.

Ric

A name for the baby & Ryan meets Megan

Our daughter is now officially named Megan Chartley Levett and is measuring between 19+20 inches as of this morning. She has also had no trouble to start nursing and Marnell feels that she'll be a good eater. It's day two for Marni and she is "feeling it", a bit sore and still hasn't had a shower (yet) although she has been on her feet and started to get some real food into her. Ryan got to meet Megan for the first time last night after dinner. It ended up being a short visit because after Ryan met Megan (and got bored with that) he wanted to climb all over Mom, the bed and get into the rest of the room's untouchable things. The 6th floor was rather quiet too so when Ryan expressed his displeasure of not being allowed to be "king", the whole wing heard it and we decided that it was time to go. He also enjoyed pointing out the baby's nose.

Daddy also got to hold Megan for the first time too since after she was delivered, she had a lot of attention and cleanup going on from the surgical staff, then spent the afternoon in the NICU getting her numbers looking good before moving onto the 6th floor with Mom.

I must say that I'm disappointed with how the hospital has stopped validating parking for new Dad's and that it costs between $3 + $6 per/visit. That adds up quickly when you want to visit 2-3 times a day. So, we'll have to plan my visits a little better and try to find some parking on the street too, especially during the night visits.

Marnell's info at Woman & Infants

Hello,

Marni is assigned to room 6117 at Woman & Infants Hospital in Providence. You can either reach her at her cell phone number (those of you that have it), or at 401.274.1122 x2667. She is expected to be there until Sunday but it all depends on her recovery from the operation. (Sorry the picture is blurry)

Ric

It's a girl for the Levett's

The day is finally here and it's time to welcome into the Levett family our newest addition!

Megan Chartley Levett
Born on 06/13/07 at 10:03am
Weight: 9 lbs, 1 oz

Mom is still recovering and doing fine for now while the little girl is as cute as can be and resting after the big move. More details and pictures to come over the next few days and weeks, so stay tuned daily.

Ric & (Big Brother) Ryan

An end in sight? :)

Take a look at this cute little STINKER! It just can't sit still like it should, and now I'm scheduled for a C-Section on Wednesday (9:00 am). (It's just turning its head looking straight at the camera!)

I couldn't believe what I saw when the radiologist had the little wandy thingy at the top of my belly and we saw the baby's face! I turned to Ric and said that this was the beginning of 20 years of trouble with this one! :)

So that's it. We have to be at the hospital at 7:00 am on Wed., and we should have a new baby by 10:00 am. Yippeeee!

They did say that they would do an ultrasound before starting everything just to see if it's moved again. If so, they would probably induce instead. But since this baby is big, it's still a risk. We'll see! Keep your thoughts and prayers coming our way!

Now...we have to figure out who's going to be taking care of Ryan on Wednesday since I just put my mom on a plane today! Timing! :)

BREECH!

(Can you hear Marni banging her head on the desk with frustration?)

*sigh* Looks like a C-Section on Wednesday unless this kid moves back into position.

Grrrrrr......

And so we go...

...off to the OB, and then the hospital! At least that's how I've planned my day! EVERYONE cross your fingers that it works!

Updates soon! :)

Thursday, 10PM Update

It was definitely a LONG afternoon!

I saw my OB at 1:00 pm - and she said that I was finally "inducable" Yippeee! (Meaning I've started to dilate and efface, and the baby is facing the right way.

I went to my Ultrasound at 1:30 - got this great picture of our little munchkin. look at that cute nose!

I also found out that according to all the calculations and measurements that this baby's estimated weight is 9 pounds 1 ounce. Hmmmm....

THEN, I saw one of the other doctors that my OB is associated with, the ones that actually deliver. After a LONG NST test (basically monitoring the heartbeat and any contractions) I talked with the other doctor. He decided after looking at everything that we'd wait until Monday to decide! Arrrrrrrrgh! Meaning....that even though I have a big baby, he didn't want to induce me yet because there's a higher risk of C-sections with inductions. But, there's also a higher risk of C-sections with big babies too!

On the other hand, Ryan was 8 pounds 5 ounces, he wasn't induced, and he slid right out without any prodding (or drugs! But that's ANOTHER STORY for another day!)

So, here we are...we wait a few more days to see what happens. Hopefully (please EVERYONE cross your fingers!) it all just happens on its own - SOON! :)

In case you were wondering....

...NO NEW BABY NEWS!

Yes, I am REALLY GRUMPY! So much that I even feel a little bit bad (but not TOO bad) for the telemarketer on the other end of the phone this morning! (I completely BIT her head off! hehe)

Since Gramma has been here - we've been trying to get this show on the road. So...

...we've been to the beach...

Ryan finally wore his water shoes and stepped into the "puddles" for the first time. He really didn't know what to think at first. He just stood there for a little bit.





Daddy's shadow....













We also found this little specimen. Lovely, isn't it? The seagulls had a field day with it!


After walking and walking and walking, I was sure that we'd have this kid that night! (That was Monday)





...we worked in the yard/garden on Tuesday...

nope...that didn't do it either.

Yesterday (Wednesday) I went in to give the Final Exam for my last class this quarter. Not that I thought it would help, but it was funny to mess with the guys in the class who I know were secretly hoping I wouldn't be there! hehe

After class... we went to the Zoo!

Ryan loved the elephants and giraffes. I hadn't noticed before, but the railings are the PERFECT height to block the view of any child sitting in a stroller! What's up with that? We had to take Ryan out to see anything!

After all the lifting and walking you would think that my water would break and we'd have a new baby!

NOPE! This one's going to be stubborn!

(By the way, I was REALLY disappointed in the state of the Zoo! (Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence) The last time I was there - about 6 or 7 years ago - there were so many more animals and things to see! BIG bummer! There was a TON of construction going on though, so maybe next year things will be better!)

...we've tried the spicy food thing...

Gramma stayed home with our version of Dennis the Menace while Ric and I went to a new Chinese restaurant. (Pei Wei in Cranston - we HIGHLY recommend it!) Nope...spices didn't do a thing!

So now it's Thursday...

I have a MARATHON of appointments today. First, my OB at 1:00 pm, and ultrasound at 1:30 to see if we can tell how much this kid weighs, THEN another OB appointment at the group my OB is associated with. (My OB doesn't deliver anymore.)

Maybe, JUST MAYBE, we'll have some news this afternoon! CROSS YOUR FINGERS! :)

You know it's 5:00 AM when....

...LEG CRAMPS strike again! OUCH!

Just one more thing I could do without in this pregnancy! It's now becoming a nightly thing, where it used to be occasionally. And THESE are the ones that wake me up in AGONY!

This too shall pass.... right?

Bring on the Baby!

OK....here's the deal...

-My toes are painted.

-My bag is packed.

-I somehow managed to (sort of) shave my legs in the shower this morning.

-I have to give one more final exam in just a few hours.

-I'm uncomfortable and grouchy.

-Ric was told by the Bishop that he couldn't attend this weekend's Regional Youth Conference because his wife needed him. (Hmmm...someone reading our blog lately?)

-It's my Dad's birthday TODAY and it would be neat to have this baby on the same day (Happy B-day Dad!)

-I don't want to go through the MARATHON of appointments my Dr has me set up for on Thursday - Thursday is TOO FAR away!

I'm READY! BRING IT ON! :)

(I think I'll go run around the block...or call one of my friends, she mentioned a hill in Providence that's famous for bringing on labor when you "hike" it!)

NOW...I can have this baby!

I decided to save the $30-40 it would cost to have a pedicure (though it would have been nice!) and splurge on some nice $5 nail polish instead. (OPI Bogota Blackberry to be exact.)

Picture this...

Me, with a HUGE belly sitting on the couch with my foot on a stool. My left hand trying to hold my toes at an angle that could be reached with my right hand! Good thing no one else was around who could take pictures! It was a hilarious sight! :) I think I did a decent job, considering the obstacles I had to overcome for cute toes!

Why cute toes? It's ESSENTIAL that SOMETHING be cute when I'm delivering this baby! Based on my previous experience...there's NOTHING cute about childbirth UNTIL the baby finally arrives!

Oh...and taking this picture was quite a feat in itself! I was surprised at how far I had to bend over to even SEE my toes under my belly! Too funny! (Yep - that blurry part is ALL BELLY with MOST of it cropped out! hehe)

Hmmm...I think I need a tan! :)

Baby #2 Update...

So nothing much has changed, except that this baby is even MORE HUGE than before! At the Dr's yesterday she said that, based on her estimation, it probably weighs at least 9 pounds right now. (GREAT!) BUT, there's nothing happening "down there" to indicate that it's ready to come out any time soon.

The only thing that keeps me going is that Ryan was the same way. Two days before he was born, there was nothing happening either. Then all of a sudden, he was here! So we'll just wait and see! Luckily, this week is my last lecture week at New England Tech, so it looks like I'll get that all out of the way. (Now if they'd just do their homework so I don't have to grade it from a laptop at the hospital! I've been threatening that if they wait until the last minute, I won't be as "nice" with their grades! hehe)

In the meantime, on Monday I rearranged 2 rooms of furniture and did 5 loads of laundry. Tuesday, I packed my hospital bag (FINALLY!) and reorganized Ryan's toys, putting away the really soft/baby ones. Can you say NESTING? Yep! Today and Friday I have my classes, tonight I have a meeting with my stamping ladies. Hmmm...Thursday I have requested a nice foot rub from Ric, being careful not to rub the parts of my feet that put me into labor! (We'll do that next week...) Though I'd love a nice pedicure too - maybe I'll have to squeeze that in! Wish me luck! :)

Ultrasound Pictures

It was a family affair! We all went to the Imaging Institute this afternoon for baby #2 pictures! My OB thinks I'm measuring a little big, and the measurements proved that I am! (eeeek!)

But here are the pictures you've all been waiting for! Yipppeeee!

First, these are the hands. You can actually see the fingernails in the picture on the right!








Second...this is the FOOT that's been kicking me in the ribs! You wouldn't believe how high up into my ribs that the Ultrasound Tech had the little wand thingy! This foot measured at OVER 3 INCHES LONG!



And here's the BEST part! Baby #2's face in 3D! This is the most amazing technology! (Kinda creepy too!)

While the lady said that the stuff at the top and bottom of the picture is distorted, the middle, where the face is turned out pretty good!

It wouldn't take its hand away from its face though. Ric thinks it has my chin. But the nose and mouth look just like Ryan!



Compare Ryan when he was born to the ultrasound picture! :)




Soooo....what do you think? Girl or Boy? We'll be takin' wagers soon enough! :) Only 4 more weeks to go - according to the calendar, we'll see what this baby has to say!

It's a GIRL!

Hehe - did I fake you all out? :)

Actually, Ric and I had our annual Eye Dr. appointments yesterday. We know Dr. Hill pretty well, in fact I used to work with him. He's a great guy, and an equally great doctor! Well...according to Dr. Hill, he can usually tell what the sex of the baby is going to be based on how thick the tears in someone's eyes are. Apparently, if the tears are thicker, it's a boy, and just the opposite is a girl.

His official quote, "I'm definitely seeing 'girly' tears"

So there you have it - the official prediction from Dr. Hill! He said that he's actually 7 for 8 correct - pretty good odds!

So I asked Ryan if he wanted a baby sister - I'm sure you can guess his answer..."No" :)

This is my feeble attempt at a self-portrait. I still have 6 weeks to go - and this kid is HUGE! I try to compare it to when Ric and I had pictures taken 2 weeks before Ryan was born - and I could swear that my belly is just as big now!

I'm definitely moving A LOT slower - I'm sure I waddle a little from the back too!

BTW - two of the girls from Church have had their babies - I'm next! :) (There's something in the water....hehe)