Caroline Olivia Groves

At 1:48am on September 3 our precious baby arrived. She weighed 5lbs. 14oz and was 19.5 inches long. She had strong lungs and it was music to our ears!!

The surgery went very well and seemed quick. Nick was by my side the entire time and before we knew it, baby Caroline was in our arms.

Proud Daddy!!!

Caroline was sent to the nursery to get a quick bath and initial shots and screening. Nick and headed to recovery where we spent time soaking in the moment and beaming!! I couldn't wait to get back to our room so love on our girl.

Our first family photo (approx 5am...after 2 days of no sleep).

My two favorite people in the world!!

The Waiting Game--September 2

It's Sunday morning and my hospital room is filled with family. Nick and I have only gotten a few hours of sleep. His was uncomfortable as he was trying to stretch out on a very small couch, bench type thingy. I was at least in a bed....but nurses and doctors were in every 30 minutes to check my blood pressure, contractions, baby heart beat, or progress. Needless to say...we were running on adrenaline and Schulers donuts.

Unfortunately, the pitocin wasn't working as much as we had all hoped. Contractions were starting to get stronger but still not painful. I was getting very anxious and tired....but still so excited and convinced we were going to meet our daughter sooner than later!!

My nurses were amazing!! Megan and Charissa were the sweetest, most attentive women I could have wanted there to care for me. I was so lucky!!

Finally around midnight, the doctors suggested we really think about a c-section. It has been 24 hours since my water broke and I was only 4cm dilated. Baby girl was not descending and all the "tricks" the doctors and nurses knew to try weren't working.

The surgery prep started and we were in the operating room by 1am....

First OSU game....

Let me set the stage....
It is September 1st and Ohio State is playing Miami University. I am feeling VERY pregnant but excited that football season is here and so is our daughters birth month!!
Buckeyes win!!! Fast forward to 9pm....I decide I have had enough football for the day and head upstairs to watch TV. I can't get comfortable in bed so I decided to take a shower to relax (So glad I did this...since I didn't get a shower for another 3 days). At 11pm, I climb back in bed and start dozing off to nonsense TV on E! Then I feel it....water.....as I jump up and quickly walk to the restroom, I yell for Nick. By the time he gets upstairs I am convinced my water has broken.

Since I wasn't having contractions (not strong ones, anyway) we paged the doctor and she told us to head to the hospital. I finished packing my bag....this was on the to-do list for the weekend but since I was only 36 weeks 5 days, I assumed I had time. I even loaded the dishwasher before heading out the door.

We laughed because the way that we pictured this moment in our heads wasn't anything like it played out in reality. It was very calm and exciting....not at all frantic or scary.

We got to OSU Medical Center around midnight. I was admitted, hooked up to an IV, and we were both told to try to get some sleep because I was only about 1.5 cm dilated. Sleep...yeah right??



9 Months Pregnant....

I can't even believe I am 36 weeks and in my 9th month of pregnancy!!

Kind of a crazy week...on Wednesday evening my doctor called and said some of my blood work had come back "concerning" and she wanted to admit me to the hospital for at least 24 hours of monitoring....so off to OSU we went. We were very nervous, anxious, unsure, of what to expect but it almost felt like a test run for the real thing. We got a surprise ultrasound because the doctor wanted to make sure that she was in the right position in the event I needed to deliver. She is estimated to be just shy of 6lbs and is head down!!

After a day and half in the hospital, lots of blood draws, and very little sleep they were able to rule out preeclampsia (great news). Every time they put the monitor on my belly (for 20 minutes at a time) to follow Carli's heartbeat the nurse or doctor came back and said it was "perfect". One nurse even said she looked "textbook perfect". We were such proud parents!! They released me Friday afternoon and had determined that my platelet count was low. Normal range is 150-400....mine were ranging from 111-133....and down to 100 right before I was discharged. This poses no risk to me or baby but could eliminate pain management options during labor and delivery (mainly no epidural if platelets keep falling).

Today I went for my 36 week appt and of course, they drew blood again (results will be in tomorrow) but she also checked and I am 1 1/2 cm dilated. This doesn't tell us much except I am in pre-labor. I wasn't dilated at all a week ago....next week we will really see if we are progressing. Exciting!!!! It won't be long....



How far along? 36  weeks

Total weight gain: 29 lbs!!

Maternity clothes? Noticing my belly hanging out of some tanks I wear around the house....very sexy!!  

Stretch marks? a few :(

Sleep:  Not great...on top of frequent bathroom trips and  difficulty rolling over, I now have pregnancy carpel tunnel in my right hand. Apparently caused by swelling and extra blood. So basically pins and needles type feeling CONSTANTLY. So annoying and wakes me up A LOT! 

Best moment this week: Knowing she is healthy and perfect!!

Miss Anything?  I miss a lot of things but realizing that I may even miss (certain) parts of pregnancy when it is over.

Movement:  She is moving and rolling....I love it!

Food cravings:  Ice cream....and of course, FRUIT!  

Anything making you queasy or sick:  No

Gender:  All girl!!

Labor Signs:  Some contractions but no pattern....1.5 cm dilated.....lots of pressure.

Symptoms: swollen feet and ankles, carpel tunnel, frequent trips to the ladies room.

Belly Button in or out? In...but I feel like it could pop any day!

Wedding rings on or off?  Off.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Emotional week but still very HAPPY!

Looking forward to: Buckeye football this Saturday and time with my hubby before we are a family of three!!!

Nursery is done!!!

The nursery is officially finished and ready for baby!!! I love the way it turned out. It even smells like baby...thanks to lots of clean clothes and blankets. The baby powder on her changing table could be the reason too:)

View from the doorway....

Full of adorable baby clothes, soft blankets, and diaper supplies.

Table beside the rocker that her daddy painted and assembled.

Filling up shelves with books, hair bows, rattles, a piggy bank and a CD player on top for soft lullaby's.

Love the mural and crib :)

View from the corner near the window.

Can't wait for the finishing touch.....Caroline Olivia!!!

Maternity Pics

I had a old friend of mine offer to take a few maternity photos for me as well as photograph my baby shower. She did a fantastic idea and I can't wait to have them all printed and create a scrapbook for Caroline.

Here are a few of my favorites....

Couples Shower

Saturday was our couples shower hosted by Susan. It was such a great time!! All of Grandpa Sam and Grandma Susan's friends were there. Otherwise known as "surrogate grandparents". Everyone is so excited about this little one.
The decorations were adorable....
Loved the theme!!

 We received some beautiful handmade gifts including a few blankets, embroidered handkerchiefs from Great-Grandma Groves, and lots of precious baby girl clothes! We also got several packages of diapers...which we really needed. We now have over 500 diapers.....that should get us through a month or so. HA!

Loved having Nick there to help open gifts.

Cute clothes pin bag of goodies....it just kept going and was so adorable!!!

The gang....Loretta is covering her face with the super soft baby blanket from Cindy.

I LOVE  tradition and can't wait to start our own with Caroline. I can't stop looking at these gorgeous embroidered handkerchiefs from her Great-Grandma Groves. They are precious and we will definitely keep them forever and give them to her. I picture baptisms and her wedding day....

We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family surrounding us. This is one loved  little girl!!!