Eleanor Bailey Jenkins

Elle has arrived!!
7.17.09
3:40 a.m.
8 lbs. 5 oz.
21 1/4 inches long

Waiting. . .

When you're scheduled for an induction, standard procedure is to call labor and delivery an hour before going in. If they're backed up, you obviously can't get checked it and will be placed on the "waiting list". Well, that's exactly what happened to me today. I am currently on the waiting list and super annoyed about it. I hate waiting. I hate not knowing. I have things I'd like to do, but thinking that I might be getting "the call" has stopped me from doing any of it. Living only a mile from the hospital, I'm afraid to go anywhere for fear of  not being ready when they call, or heaven forbid- being put back on the waiting list!

So, NO I am not in labor yet (thanks for all your thoughts, emails, and calls though). And now I'm just hoping this baby will be here by tomorrow! 

I took my last belly shots this morning though- just to be prepared! :) Sorry to those of you who aren't fans of the naked belly shots. It's just so crazy to think that a 7+ pound kid is hanging out in there!

The Last Day!

40 weeks pregnant, still 3 cm dilated, still 80% effaced, and tired of waiting. I'm huge and uncomfortable. I'm ready to have this baby!

So. . . . I'm on the schedule! Tomorrow morning- 9am I check into the hospital to be induced! I really wanted to experience labor, but how much longer would I have to wait?? The thought of it coming as a surprise scares me. I like be prepared. I want to be showered and ready for the day. I want my bags to be packed. I want to feel ready. Last night I was having what I thought were contractions- and lots of them. I couldn't sleep most of the night thinking that I was in labor. Every time I'd wake up (and believe me- it was a LOT) I'd think, "This is it. I better shower and get ready to go to the hospital!" No such luck. Morning came and no "real" labor pains. I got up at 6am and decided to get started with my day. And what a productive day it was!

Here's just a few things I was able to accomplish on my last day of having only one kid:

* 55 minutes on the elliptical, followed by weights and squats (I tell ya, I've been doing everything possible to get this baby out!)

* Hanging out with friends, complete with a train ride around the Rio, interactive music with the kids, and the train table/ story time at Barnes and Noble

* A good solid hour nap

* Grocery shopping- stocked the fridge

* Cleaned the kitchen

* Mopped all the floors in the house (of course on hands and knees- with mom insisting that I stop :)

* Laundry

* Payed bills

* Packed my bag

* Charged all cameras

* And ended the day hanging out with Mom and Spencer, watching movies and getting a heavenly foot rub (thanks mom :)!

I think I'm ready. I'm excited, a little nervous, but definitely feel prepared. Bring on the LABOR!

Help has Arrived!

I'm currently 39 1/2 weeks pregnant, 3 cm dilated, and 80% effaced (well, that was as of Wednesday), but now my mom's here- so life is GREAT! Madi and I picked her up from the airport Wednesday morning and these past 4 days have been an absolute dream! My mom's an incredible help! Since she arrived I've not only had assistance with cooking and cleaning, but she's also been Madi's new buddy. 

With someone at home to help with Madi, I've been able to run errands during nap time, go to the doctor ALONE, attend my YW presidency meeting (again ALONE),work-out every morning, pick up Spencer from the Metro after bedtime hour, get some swim/ lay out time at the pool, and just yesterday- go out on a date with Spencer! And the best thing about it is that she's gonna be here for over two more weeks!! We love you mom! Thanks for coming to help! 

Happy Birthday America!

With Spencer off early from work on Thursday, having the day off on Friday, and Saturday packed full of patriotic activities, I can definitely say we had a very happy (and busy) 4th of July weekend! All during the week I'd been prepping Madi for the 4th- being her daddy's favorite holiday I felt she should have a good, solid understanding of what we'd be celebrating. So our library trip last week included checking out lots of books all about the 4th of July- her favorite being, "Happy Birthday America". On Saturday, when the holiday rolled around, Madi was well prepared! With birthday balloons and a patriotic cake, I think we threw a pretty good birthday party! 

We kept up with the Jenkins' tradition of homemade ice cream (not pictured) and root beer (brewing away in the pic below). Both were quite delicious I might add- by themselves, and together! Way to go Spencer!

We had friends over for a feast in the afternoon while Madi napped. Then a little after 4pm we headed into the city to claim our spot for the evening show. We decided on watching the fireworks from the Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima), which neither Spencer or I had ever been to. It was a perfect spot with a fabulous view of the Capitol, Washington Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial all lined up! I was very pleased about our spot. Plus, not only did we NOT have to deal with the Metro, but the drive in only took us 25 minutes and getting home (complete with walking back to the car) was only an hour.

Ya, we still had a 4 hour wait between arriving and showtime, but luckily it couldn't have been a more pleasant day. The weather was perfect- warm, a little overcast, and a slight breeze! We sat right in front of the bell tower, giving us additional shade as well. Madi was a champ the entire afternoon/evening. She found lots of things to keep her entertained. 

Spencer and I were well prepared and brought along an entire backpack of books! 

Madi insisted on going "HIGHER!" Is this high enough Madi!?

Madi's reaction after whipping out her blanket.

She especially loved having Stacie and Scott to hang out with! I think it was the delicious treats they had stashed away in their cooler that lured her in (the peanut M&M's were her favorite)! Sorry Madi, no soda for you!

Once Madi knew she had some buddies who would take her to see interesting things, she was hooked. 

Madi was full of hugs. . . .

And kisses for Scott!

Thank goodness for beautiful weather, good friends, great conversation, and a mellow daughter that made the 4 hours fly by. Here's the gang- waiting for the show to begin (Julie, Todd, Stacie, Scott, Madi, and Spencer).

And of course, one with me! :)

Oh, and here's that promised belly picture (I'm including 2 just to give a feel for the ginormous size I am right now). . .

38 1/2 weeks pregnant! Now THAT'S a belly!

Once it started getting dark, I changed Madi into her pj's, whipped out the binky, and let her snuggle on in for the show. Of course we had to snap a family photo for documentation! 

My favorite thing about the night was not just the fireworks, but Madi's reaction to them. She sat on Stacie's lap for the show and sitting just two seats over I could hear her yelling out, "Whoa, it's SO pretty! I LOVE it!" She kept yelling out all the colors she was seeing in the sky as well as instructing anyone that would stand up to take a picture to, "Please sit down!" I'm sure I missed a lot of the commentary, so you'll have to help me out here Stacie. :) After the show Madi summed it up for all of us by saying over and over, "That was FUN!"

Day out with Daddy!

Most weekends Spencer takes Madi on a special outing. Madi calls it "day out with daddy." Just this past week, while Spencer was at work, Madi says to me, "Mommy, I want a day out with daddy!" She really looks forward to her special daddy time, and as any other mother, so do I! Some days, oh how I wish I could grant her request!! So today was a great day! While Daddy and Madi were off playing, I was lounging poolside! However, a little bit after I get home, I hear the front door open and the first thing Madi says is, "Mommy, I got a fish tank!" And of course Spencer just walks in so proud, with a look like, "isn't this the most wonderful thing ever!!? 

Yup, we've got fish now. 4 of them in fact. 3 guppies and a beta so I'm told. He also told me he almost got a frog too, but that he decided to hold off on that till the fish get "settled in." In a very reassuring tone, Spencer also tells me, "don't worry, I got all males so that our three guppies don't become 300. He then explains to me that guppies are known to make baby guppies at the rate of bunny rabbits. Thanks Spencer, I'm so glad you thought of that-that was my one concern!!! 

To be honest, although I had my hesitations, the fish tank is really cool. I'm kind of diggin it now! There is something soothing to turning out the lights and watching fish swim around. I think I've actually already become attached to our new family members. Let's just hope we can keep em alive!  

Almost there!

I'm 38 weeks today and boy do I feel ready! I am currently 1 cm dilated and 65-70% effaced. I was the same at last weeks check-up, so not really a big deal. I've been trying to remember what I did during those final weeks of being pregnant with Madi. I remember it being relaxing. With the last day of school at my 37 week mark, I had 3 full weeks to myself. I remember sitting outside writing thank yous (I was thrown 5 baby showers, so you can imagine the amount of thank you's that had to be written), eating popsicles, taking naps, washing baby clothes, sleeping in, going to the gym everyday (and being able to stay for as long as I wanted), and watching lots and lots of Baby Story. I definitely was NOT climbing up and down the stairs 30 times a day, lugging around a 2 year old, going down twisty slides at the park, having my belly climbed on by an excited big sister, or doing a LOT of waiting (on my feet) for an extremely slow daughter who insists on walking everywhere, doing it herself, and looking at everything! While I still work-out, I've recently cut back to 3 days a week. I don't care about watching Baby Story (not having cable probably adds to that). And the baby clothes have already been worn and washed! I'll call my first pregnancy the dream and my second- well, maybe a glimpse, cause I know it's not yet reality. Not until I'm pregnant with maybe the 4th and getting NO nap during the day while also having to lug around a couple of kids everywhere I go! 

While I still get a relatively good nights rest, and am able to take naps during the day, I think I can say I'm ready to give it up so that I can have a smaller stomach again. This belly is really getting uncomfortable. I'm tired of sleeping on my side with my legs propped up on gazillions of pillows. I'm tired of being swollen in weird places. I'm tired of achy legs and a weak bladder. I don't know if I'm ready for the sleepless nights yet, so I'll just keep pretending that they're not going to be that bad. I'm excited for my mom to get here next week. It'll definitely be a nice break, having help with Madi.   

A belly picture will be coming as soon as Spencer gets home to take one! :)

Happy Birthday Madilyn!

Yesterday, June 28th, 2009 we officially celebrated Madi's 2nd birthday!

What a fun year it's been! It's crazy what a difference just one year makes. Last year Madi wasn't walking yet, she had just started saying her first words, and had barely any hair! 

Since then Madilyn's become quite the big girl. She's learned to walk, run, jump, climb, dance, read (by memorization), count (to 20), whine, talk in full sentences, sing, use utensils, drink from a sippy, and then a cup (definitely prefers the sippy still), put on her shoes, and climb up and walk down the stairs by herself.

She's also mastered her shapes (including a recent favorite- octagon), colors, animals, and most letters of the alphabet. 

She has about 10-15 songs (mostly primary ones) that she knows ALL the words to and loves singing them for us!

Her favorite activities are still: reading, drawing, coloring, and building.

While she loves her necklaces, baby, and pink "sparkly" shoes, she's also big into cars, trucks, and balls.  

Madilyn is quite a serious little girl. Here's a few pictures from her 2 year photo shoot (BIG thanks to Melissa)! Notice how Madi only cracked a smile in ONE of the pictures!  

Along with her serious side, Madilyn also has her cautious/ sensitive side. She always seems to anticipate things before they happen and begins crying before she needs to.  For example, when the sky is dark and cloudy, Madi immediately begins asking about the rain and thunder. She has this weird love/ hate relationship with thunder. While she seems to be fascinated by it, she hates to be left alone if she thinks it's going to thunder. I can't even walk up the stairs without her or she'll come running, hysterically crying (to the point of shaking), screaming that she hears thunder! But then she's fine when I'm right there with her.

Madilyn has finally grown quite fond of nursery, she is now doing better with strangers, and can happily say goodbye to mommy when I have to leave; but she still does NOT like the doctor. Well, I guess I should say she doesn't like the doctor when the visit is for HER! I took her in for her 2 year check-up today, and WOW- what a nightmare! She walked back all happy and then saw the scale. I spent the next 45 minutes with a clingy, crying child!  ARGH! Luckily she recovers quickly. We got in the car, I gave her a snack and drink, and then she began talking about her trip to the doctor- like it was a great experience or something . . . "I went to the doctor mama. I got an owie on my finger."  Ya, she had her finger pricked and two shots in her left arm, but that was at the very end of the visit. So who knows why she felt like she had to cry through the entire check-up! 

We sure do love our little girl. I look forward to this next year and all the things Madi will continue to learn and do. 

This picture is significant for only one reason: Madi is actually eating!

Happy Birthday dinner!

Blowing out her candles.

Enjoying her second cupcake! Yummmm. . . . 

Thanks Madilyn for another fabulous year!