cayden's here!

after a short night of sleep, jeremy and i headed for the hospital around 4:40 a.m. yesterday morning. we were supposed to be there at 5 a.m., and, as usual, we were a few minutes late. no worries though - they were ready for us.

we got settled into our room (the rooms are really nice!) and i got hooked up to my iv. i was examined and was sitting at 3 cm. our nurse (who was incredible all day long) started my pitocin drip and the on-call doctor came in to break my water. after my water was broken, the contractions starting getting progressively more intense and more steady. they were starting to get pretty uncomfortable and the nurse checked me again - i was at 5 cm.

just in time the anesthesiologist showed up and saved the day. while it took all the pain away from the contractions, it also took away the feeling in my legs. talk about a strange feeling! i had to keep asking jeremy to move my legs for me. very strange when i knew my brain was telling them to move and nothing was happening!

either way, after an hour, the nurse decided to check me again, and voila!, i was at 10 cm. the room was prepped and i started pushing around 11:45 a.m. and about eight contractions later, he was born at 12:33 p.m. weighing in at 7 pounds, 15 ounces and 20.5 inches long. he's beautiful and we're both completely in love...

as far as looks? he looks a lot like me when i was born, but he definitely has jeremy's lips and chin. his eyes are still a steel blue/gray; we expect those to turn darker to green or brown most likely. his hair is blonde at the moment, with a tint of red to it - so it could go either way...

we can't wait to bring him home tomorrow and share him with the world...

nursery photos

just as promised, right? ok, sure, it's been a promise in the making, but finally, here are some final shots of the nursery.

we're just not that into themes here in the allen household, so really, our nursery isn't one of those cutesy things that people might ooohhh and aaahhh over. it's simple. clean lines. really, it's just our style. the way we roll. sure, it'll probably never be this clean again, but that's okay, and i realize that's how it is with little ones running the house.

jeremy and my dad made the wall/shelf that all the (empty for now) photo frames are sitting on. i love it. and, if we stay in this house for any amount of time, it's something that can grow with him rather than us having to completely redesign the whole thing one day.

the mobile above the crib is something i saw on another web site and loved. so i did some searching and found the metal piece online somewhere (and honestly, if i could remember, i would share the link). then i chose some manly (okay, boyish) dingbats for one side of the cards, and made a pattern of blues for the backside. since babies don't see color for a while, the contrast on the sides should be interesting for him to look at. and the good thing about this? whenever we get tired of looking at all the little cars in brown and white, we can just create new cards to replace the old ones.

we're excited to bring him home to this. and he'll be sleeping in his crib from day one, so we're sure to get lots of use out of this room and all the time/hard work that we put into it. you'll also see someone else that appreciates our hard work if you scroll down far enough.

five days and counting...

... for real! we had a doctor's appointment this morning and everything is looking good. our doctor asked us how we felt about an induction, and we just said, yes, please. i've been getting really tired by the end of the day these days, and honestly, the swelling in the lower half of my body just isn't pretty any more. and it's starting to get achy.

so with that being said, we're being induced next wednesday morning (cayden's due date!) at 5 a.m. i'm sure i won't sleep a wink the night before. i am taking tuesday off from work though so that i can get some final things taken care of around the house. this way, we'll at least be able to come home to a clean house and i feel that just that little bit will help.

we got the air conditioner issue wrapped up. my car should be out of the shop on monday. we have a pediatrician and day care lined up. i think we're good to go.

so think about us next wednesday and pray for an easy (and not too painful) delivery. look for some final pregnancy photos and the finished nursery photos over the weekend. it'll be our last chance for those!

oh, life ...

funny how life can sometimes just get in the way of, well, life. jeremy and i had decided to put the house back on the market. i mean, really, caring for a newborn just wouldn't be enough of a challenge, so you know, put the house on the market too, and then we're talking.

and then that life thing happened. yeah, our air conditioner went out. and instead of spending a significant amount on getting one part fixed (that could possibly break again), we're going ahead and having the whole thing replaced. the unit outside. all the stuff in the attic. and i'd presume some pipes in between the two. this is not money we had planned to spend - especially during the same month that our little one is supposed to show up. so that's our life getting in the way of life. sure, we could've gone without our beloved air conditioner. but if anyone has spent a summer in the alabama heat and humidity knows that would be a crazy idea.

another life moment getting in the way? we found out yesterday that the one dealership in birmingham that works on saab's has closed. so now, if something goes majorly wrong with my car (which, at this rate seems highly possible), we'll have to take it to atlanta to get worked on. i mean, really? urgh. we may have to figure out something on the car front. not sure what yet, but something.

other than those two things, life is actually really good. promise.

one centimeter ...

and 50% effaced. what's that mean, you ask? well, one word. progress. it's not a lot, but it's something and it kept me from being completely disappointed at the doctor's office on saturday. whew! here's hoping that we'll keep on progressing and cayden will be here before we know it!

we finished up the nursery last weekend - photos to come soon. i just have to get off my lazy bum and get in there and take some photos. jeremy and i are both happy with the way it's turned out. we just can't wait to have a baby to put in there to complete the look...

with the being said, i think it's time to take a poll. a poll about when you guys think cayden might show up. just leave a comment in the comment area and we'll see who gets the closest. pop (my dad) has already called the 16th and our friend jodi thinks the 14th for some reason (rachel and jenny, i hope you don't mind possibly sharing your birthday with one more person!).

i'm trying to wrap things up at work. it's getting harder to concentrate for sure. i've almost got my bag packed for the hospital. unfortunately, i keep changing my mind on what needs to be packed... and we've got the car seat in the car - so we can at least bring him home now. here's hoping it'll be sooner rather than later that cayden joins us...

oh, and a happy mother's day to all the moms out there!