Fussy Baby Today

:(

Grace's First Day

Some shots from Grace's first day in the hospital:

Reasons for praise!

I woke up around 5:30 this morning to take care of Grace after Mommy finished feeding her because she was fussy and had a wet diaper. After Laura got out of the bathroom, she noticed some red welts on the inside of her wrists and arms, which were quickly spreading. We called the 24-hour healthline, and the nurse suggested taking Benadryl and a cool shower or oatmeal bath, which helped with the itching, but the rash continued to spread, eventually affecting her neck, lips, and throat. Mom and Dad Cherry came over to help us and go with us to the hospital, but by the time that we were able to speak with the OB's office, the rash was going down and the redness had subsided. Thank you, Jesus!

In other good news, Grace has been sleeping pretty soundly and has started opening her eyes more and making happy squeals now and then. Feeding has been going really well, and she only lost 4 oz (not quite 6%) in the first 24 hours. Mom and Dad Bell are getting into town this evening, and Mom and Dad Cherry will be able to stay and help for another few days. It's been such a blessing to have had so much health and so much help and prayer from friends and family. From both of us, thank you to everyone!

Photos!

Not much longer!

This will probably be our last post -- things are moving quickly now, and we'll (hopefully) head to the hospital soon!

TMI

It's been a busy twelve sixteen hours! We went for a long walk last night (2.8 miles!), and Laura started having some intense contractions around 11:00 PM, so we stayed up for a while to see if they were going anywhere before we went to bed. Up again and walking for a bit at around 2:00 AM, trying to sleep until they were too painful, and then up for a while more. We "got up" around 7:30 and timed things, took a walk, timed some more, called the nurse, timed some more, ate some breakfast, gave up on timing the contractions, took a nap, and then headed to the hospital, where we were supposed to have a foley catheter insertion to begin preparation for labor. When we got there, Dr. Wells told us that we're fully effaced and a few centimeters, so we didn't need it, and she thought that there was a good chance that we might deliver tonight or tomorrow without needing any induction measures! Praise the Lord! Keep on praying for Laura and Grace, and pray that we'd be able to nap a bit this afternoon to rest up for whatever's ahead!

Some quotes:

• "I can't believe that we're going for a walk at four in the morning."
• "Man, my mom got off easy!" (both of her labors were verging on precipitate and relatively painless)
• "Just think -- I waited so long to have painful contractions!"
  

Flowers! (and a microwave!)

Last week, my mom got these beautiful, sunshiny daisies and roses from my in-laws wishing her a happy almost grandmother day, and the next day I received a gorgeous vase of lilies with a balloon and little teddy bear from Baby Grace, though I suspect she had a little help from the same source. :) Anyways, I've been meaning to post pictures of these all week, and just now getting to it! And even after a week, they look just as colorful and cheery as ever! Thank you, Mom & Dad Bell!




And thanks to Lindsey, we've also got a working microwave once more! :-)