5-Months Old ALREADY!!

I don't get to take as many pictures of Cadence as I did with Canon, but I wanted to record a few things about my growing baby.  When I first gave her the rice cereal, Cadence got a pretty bad diaper rash.  I waited a few days to let the rash subside, and then it came back when I tried again.  :(  So I decided to wait a few more weeks before trying it again.

I gave her more rice cereal a couple days ago...and again today.  She really seems to love the stuff, like I can't feed it to her fast enough.  However, she has had a couple times when she was really upset about something and I couldn't figure out what it was.  I'd think to myself that maybe her tummy was hurting, but there's no real way for me to know.  I've decided  to feed her cereal once a day for a few days and then I'll increase it when I can figure out how to fit it into a routine.  Then I'll introduce more foods.  I want to make sure her tummy is ready for solids before I bombard her with it.  I'm looking forward to that step in her development!  :)

Speaking of developmental stages, she's SCOOTING!  Can you believe it?!?!  I say she's starting to scoot, so not terribly great at it, but she can get around.  She's been rolling around for a long while now, it seems, but I was never sure if she did it for transportation.  Now, I can see that she pushes with her hands and her toes to get closer to something out of her reach.  I have eye-witnesses...it's the truth!! :)  Still don't believe me?

Watch this video!

Note where she is at the beginning of the video compared to the end of the video.

Cadence has been such a pleasure in our family.  She is a pretty easy baby now.  She was a challenge in her first couple weeks, but I think it was just an adjustment period for us as parents, Canon as a big brother who needed to share his mommy, and for Cadence to live outside the womb.  She is going through a bit of sleep training, basically learning how to put herself to sleep at night.  She goes right to sleep most of the time if she can nurse long enough, but I'm trying really hard to not allow nursing to become a sleep-crutch.  So far she's been doing alright with it, but she still wakes up to feed a couple times in the night.  I'm hoping that once I get her on more solids she'll sleep better and not need nighttime feedings.  Other than that, Cadence is a pretty happy baby.  She's curious and likes to explore the items on the floor.  She likes to "talk" to herself and discovery how to squeal when she's in a good mood.  So far she hasn't shown any stranger anxiety.  She'll go to anyone who gives her attention.  Overall, she's a real delight.  The only downside is that now her nap times are becoming more regular, so it's harder to have her sleeping just anywhere.  I have to plan my days a little more carefully so that she can get good naps in.  When we're out and about, she can get short little catnaps, but not a good 1 1/2 hour nap like she often does at home.  That, and I miss all the hair she had when she was born.  :(  Most of it has fallen out, and all the hair that has grown back in is a much lighter color.  I fully expected that to happen, but I still miss her adorable full head of dark hair!  :(  Compare that video you just watched to this picture:

4 Months Old

Cadence is growing so well, and I can hardly believe she's already 4 months old. (Taking her to her check-up was the first place I drove our new van...after bringing it home from the dealership, that is! Ah, I love my new Sienna!!)  Cadence weighed 11 lbs. 15 oz (14%), not quite a whole 12 lbs.  She's  now 25 inches long (63%) and has a 39.5 cm head circumference (12%).  She's just a petite little girl, and I think that's part of her charm...it's what makes her so adorable!  :)   I like how the doctor called her petite and not treating her like there's something wrong with her.  If you compare her to her cousin Evelyn who is 6 weeks younger, Cadence looks like a little peanut of a girl, not that Evelyn is too big...Cadence is just that small.  I think she's wonderful...wonderfully petite!

The doctor asked about certain milestones, and she was surprised to find out that Cadence is rolling over both ways.  She said that was a milestone they usually check for at 6 months.  Woo hoo!  When I lay her down on her back in the play gym, quite often she'll roll right over onto her belly.  She usually gets a bit frustrated because then she's on her tummy, but is a regular rolly-poley. I find her in all sorts of positions a while after I've laid her down.  Maybe that little head of hers has made it easier for her to learn to roll over sooner.

Then she got a couple vaccine shots.  She had a super delayed reaction to the first shot...about 3 seconds after she started crying, but she took it like a champ.  As soon as I picked her up she stopped crying.  I think she got out about 4 sobs and was done.  Way to go, Cadence!!  When I asked Canon to tell Daddy about the visit, Canon said that Cadence didn't even cry...so I guess it was so quick that Canon didn't even notice.

The other thing to mention is that the doctor said we could start experimenting with solid foods.  She said that if Cadence turns away from the food, spits it all out without really keeping any in the mouth, then I should give her a few more weeks and try again. So, I decided to give it a try.

She looked excited to see a box of food meant for her.

Wait, Mom!  What's on that spoon you're trying to shove into my face?

Whoa!  *kick kick kick* Give me more of that!!

She wasn't sure at first, but then she was grabbing at my hand and the spoon.  The hardest part about feeding her baby cereal was how she kept getting in the way.  I had forgotten how messy little babies are with eating, but it didn't surprise me, really.  It took about 3 times for each spoonful to get fully eaten, but she just couldn't get enough.  I hope she takes to all new foods this easily.  We'll see, but I'm excited for her to be getting solid foods.  The doctor said that it's when they're eating solids that they begin to sleep through the night and not need a middle of the night feeding.  *crossing my fingers*

Oh...by the way, while I was feeding Cadence, Canon was playing quietly in his room.  He seemed to be totally fine, so I didn't bother to check on him until she was done.  BIG MISTAKE, MOM!

Note to self: when you can't tell what they're doing, they're probably doing something they shouldn't!  Ugh!  At least it wiped easily off of the train table, toy food, wiffle balls, and other toys that he also colored on.  It came mostly off the skin, but it stained a bit and didn't come off until he took a bath.  Little boys...*sigh*

Cuteness- Alert! Baby Milestones

Cadence has been smiling for a while...looking totally cute and everything, but I couldn't get her to laugh.  Back on Sept. 15th I was telling my sister-in-law that I never heard her laugh, and then later that afternoon she DID IT.  I was pinning her arms up and tickling her armpits with my nose, and I heard a chuckle, then another, and another.  "Quick, Mark!  Get this on video!  These are her first laughs!"

Here's the video

I've been able to get her to laugh a bit harder more recently, but nothing works 100% of the time I try it.  Hopefully she will be laughing more and more in the months to come. :)

On Sept. 29th Cadence rolled over from tummy to back for the first time.  Ok, so she's been doing it for a while in her sleep, but I figure it was because she's all swaddled and can't get her hands free...and she kicks herself over using her legs.  Last Saturday she was playing in the baby gym and Mark watched as she flipped over.  Then, the next day she rolled from back to front.  This whole week she's been a little wiggle worm.  I lay her in one position in the gym, and when I come back to her a few minutes later she's in a completely different position, facing a different direction.  This morning I saw her roll a couple times and found Canon's toy hammer, grabbed it, and started gnawing on it.  I'm not certain that she was rolling to get to the hammer or if it just happened to be there when she was done rolling... but one thing is for certain.  She's learning to be mobile, and I have to be careful where I lay her down now.  She's not safe in her car seat on the floor unless we strap her in.  She squirmed her way out of it at the dentist office the other day!  I can hardly believe she's growing so fast!  :)

Oh yeah, and she's starting to grab things and put them in her mouth too.
Hopefully the binky will be one of those things soon...
so I don't have to fetch it for her in the middle of the night anymore.

Baby Blessing

On August 4th, we attended a baptism for my nephew Nicholas down in Lehi.  We figured it would be a great day to hold Cadence's blessing since we already had family gathering together.  So we moved the party from there up to Draper.  We held it in the RS Room of Mark's parents' church.

It was such a treat to have so much family gathered for a simple thing as a blessing for our little girl.  We had standing in the circle only Cadence's father, grandfathers, living great-grandfathers, and uncles...and we still had 11 men standing together.  I wonder how difficult it was for all of them to reach her. :)

The prayer itself was pretty short and sweet, and I think I was actually able to write it down word for word...which will be in her scrapbook, but not posted online to this blog.

After the blessing Mark's dad, who was conducting the meeting asked me then Mark to bare our testimonies.  I can't really give the details of what I said, but I can paraphrase it like this: "I have been so blessed to have the Priesthood in my life. My father was a great example, and I am truly grateful for his influence in my life.  Now I am wonderfully blessed to have a husband who is worthy to hold the priesthood and bless our baby girl.  I'm grateful for the Gospel of Christ and how I've been blessed to have a knowledge of my Savior."  Then Mark said that as he was trying to think of what blessings he'd like to bestow on Cadence, the only thing he could think of was that she would have faith in God.  Honestly, what can be more important than that?  I just have to say I am so in love with my little girl and her awesome daddy! :)

I'm sure there are better pictures out there somewhere from the event, but these are what I got.

Mama with the beautiful baby...check out Cadence's dress.
Nana Brown (my mom) bought it for her when she was born. I LOVE IT!

Being held by Great Grandma Dahl before the ceremony begins. I adore that bonnet!!

The men who were in the circle, minus Uncle Cory and Great Grandpa Smith who left before the picture was taken...and adding cousin Adam who wanted to stand by his daddy.
Left to Right: Daddy (Mark Dahl) holding Cadence, Uncle Alex Dahl, Uncle Jeff Brown, Uncle Dan Brown, Great Grandpa Dahl, Uncle Brian Dahl, Grandpa Dahl, Uncle Rob Brown, and Grandpa Brown

3 Generation Picture: Nana Brown, Mommy, and Cadence

4 Generation Picture: With my parents and my Grandma Brown

The first family shot we got with all four of us.

with Mark's parents: Grandma and Grandpa Dahl

This is Great Grandma Smith holding Cadence on the quilt she made for her.

My two cuties!!

All the Dahl cousins, minus Evelyn

2-Month Check-Up

On August 16th Cadence had her 2-month wellness visit with the doctor.  I don't have all the detailed measurements on me, but I know she was 9 lbs 10 oz and is right on track according to her growth charts.  She's about 50%tile for (I think) height, about 20%tile for (I think) weight, and about 16%tile for head circumference.  These are all right about where she was before, so she's growing beautifully.  YAY!  Cadence is also hitting all the milestones the doctor said she should, like smiling, cooing, and watching people as they walk around.  I actually saw her smile at me from across the room!  I guess her eye-sight is getting much keener too.  She's growing to be so cute, with bright eyes so alert.

Over the past few weeks, I've been spending more time with her upright, either holding her, carrying her in the Baby Bjorn, or in the swing, and I think it has really helped with her spit-up situation.  She still spits up some, but not nearly as much.  I just have to remember to keep her upright a little longer after she eats.  

She also is doing a great job sleeping through the nights.  Most nights she wakes up twice to eat, but she pretty much always goes right back to sleep.  The times I change her diaper in the middle of the night it takes longer for her to go back to sleep.  I find it adorable that at those 3:00am or 6:00am diaper changes, she gets SOOOO smiley!  It's too bad I can't take the time to engage her and take her picture and play with her then...I'm trying to teach her that those are the times to be asleep, not awake and playing.  Plus, she shares a room with Canon, which is the main reason I don't always change her at every night feeding.  I don't want to wake him up in the middle of the night/early morning.  Usually he sleeps just fine when she wakes up, but there have been nights when it was hard on him.  Poor guy!  

Overall, I just want to say that Cadence is doing great, even though I don't get to take as many pictures of her as I did of Canon, nor as many videos.  My life is just too hectic for that...but I do love my little girl.  She's so sweet and is growing perfectly!

pictures don't seem to do her cute smile justice  :(

But I'm happy to get a few of smiles caught on camera to prove she's a happy little girl.

Baby's Starting to Smile

I think it was July 25th that I got her first social smile!!  She doesn't do it very often, of course, because she sleeps most of the time, but it's super exciting to see that smiles are coming.  I think I even caught one on camera yesterday!!

I took Cadence in to have her picture taken a week ago, and it was really the worst experience I've had at a photo shoot.  My appointment was supposed to start at 11:00am...I was late, but I told her I would be, so she scheduled me for both 11:00 and 11:30 just to cover my bases.  Well, when I arrived, there was another family trying to finish up...and they were carried over from the previous day, so it was taking them a long time.  I left my phone at home that day, so I couldn't really keep track of time very easily...but while I was there, another customer came in looking for his pictures that he ordered about a month before.  The lady had to get on the phone to call the regional manager...and was on hold for about 2 hours...literally.  She had the phone up to her shoulder while trying to take pictures of Cadence.  Meanwhile, Cadence was hungry, and tired...and it was really difficult to lay her down and take her picture because she was not in a good mood.

If I had been able start the shoot when I was ready to, we probably would've gotten some really good pictures.  As it was, I didn't get the leave the photo shoot until 2:25PM...I was starving.  No wonder I had to feed Cadence a couple times while we were there.  The lady gave me a free mounted 10x10 because of all my hassle and the patience it took.  You can view the proofs if you'd like at www.MyOnlinePortraits.com and by using Session #: 104124 and Passcode: MR2PP if you're interested.  I did order some of these to give to family, but knowing that one customer still didn't have his pictures, I don't know how long it will take until I get mine.  ;(

Spit-up or Reflux

Cadence spits up so much more than Canon did, and I'm not totally convinced that she doesn't have GERD. I called the doctor about it the other day, and the person I talked to suggested that I hold her upright for 20 minutes after each feeding.  She also said that at 6 weeks the baby shouldn't be feeding every 2 hours anymore but should be more like every 3-4 hours.  Well, if that's the case, why does it seem that every 2 hours she's crying to be fed?  She gets fussy, and I figure she can't be hungry because she's supposed to go longer than that...but nursing her seems to be the only thing that will calm her down.  Mark thinks that Cadence just likes to nurse because it's her comfort food, not because she's hungry.  All I know is that I feel like I'm holding her an awful lot, and I never get around to giving her much tummy time because I'm either trying to help her fall asleep, or I've just barely fed her and she needs to be help up, or she's in her crib taking a nap.

She is getting better at holding up her head when you hold her away from your body a bit...so maybe she's still ok even though I don't get her the recommended 15 minutes of tummy-time per day.

1 Month Old Already

Cadence is a very sweet little baby,  and I can hardly believe she's already 5 weeks old.  But she is very different from Canon! I can say that she's more "sensitive" than Canon was...in stomach- she spits up a lot when Canon barely ever did... in sleep- she takes a lot of coaxing to get to fall asleep when Canon just closed his eyes and dozed off... in her bowels- I don't remember Canon fussing every time he was getting ready to poop, although she's doing it less often now... possibly even her skin too.  Overall, she seems like a much more fussy baby than Canon was.  Maybe that's because she's more normal and Canon was just such a good baby who hardly ever fussed.  I remember that Canon would scream/cry when we changed him, and Cadence doesn't mind so much...she just doesn't like the cold wipes, but she usually doesn't cry like he did.  


Cadence is a very sweet baby, and now that I'm getting used to cues, I don't find her to be quite as difficult as before.  Here are some things that I don't want to forget about her first month or so:


1- She was slightly jaundiced.  The pediatrician from the hospital said we should get a biliblanket (which we had never heard of before) over the weekend and bring her in for a check-up on Monday.  She really wasn't that far into the danger zone, but it was enough to take action.  So for the first couple days at home we had to have her attached to a machine which had a (not long enough) hose with a light pad that we had to place on her bare belly or bare back all day and night.  I tried to get a picture of the bluish glow, but the camera would always flash, and I didn't bother with the settings of my camera... so this is all I have to show for these days.

My little "glow worm" not glowing so much

Her first Fathers' Day, doing what she does best... see the hose sticking out at the bottom?

 After her check-up on Monday (June 18th), they told us to have her on the biliblanket for one more night and then leave it off during the day, and bring her back in on Tuesday night for another follow-up.  After that we didn't have to test her anymore, and we could return the device.  Phew!  That machine was pretty annoying.  I was so grateful to be able to hold my little girl just the way she was again!!

2-  I was again surprised at how little I can accomplish in a day due to a newborn.  I had forgotten that they really do eat that often, and in between feedings is not really enough time to do much of anything.  I was so glad my mom was here for 3 weeks.  She was so helpful in doing dishes and laundry.  Canon had a hard time adjusting to having a sister... mainly because he doesn't really get any mommy time now.  I've  tried so hard to help him not resent Cadence and the attention she gets from me.  I had my mom take him to the pool a few times...recruiting help from neighbors to take him to the pool too.  Having to wait those first 5-6 weeks after delivering a baby before I can go swimming was really hard on me.  I wanted to go in there with him, to play with him so he knows I still love him too...but I just had to resist.  I took him out to the playground a couple times in the past month, but we don't get out there everyday like before.  I had to have my mom stay in with Cadence sleeping in order for me to take him out.  Once we did a picnic lunch out there, but we really only had enough time to eat our lunch before the heat was just too much for Cadence and I needed to bring her back inside.

3- I am using an old used crib mattress I got for free, and I'm thinking I will need to switch it out for Canon's mattress.  It slumps in to the middle, and it's almost like a little springboard.  Cadence has already rolled from her front to her back about 4 times...which of course wakes her up.  Oh yeah, and I almost exclusively sleep her on her tummy, even though all the pediatricians preach the "Back-to-Sleep" campaign.  Don't judge me!  I've just found that since she spits up so much, she breathes easier on her tummy, and she doesn't wake herself up with flailing limbs when on her belly (she doesn't seem to enjoy being swaddled up really tight like most babies), she just sleeps so much better on her belly.  Besides, the packet the doctor gave me mentioned that the SIDS risk was linked to "unaccustomed tummy sleeping" which means that the baby that's not used to sleeping on her belly could be at risk if someone then placed her on her belly.  SO...I've decided to make her become accustomed...then I don't have to worry about it as much.

My Sleeping Beauty

I just love the way her hand is under her face! :)

Mark loves that she will just cuddle up and go to sleep!

I love that she's getting better with the binky...and she's just so adorable!

When she's awake, she's usually very alert, always bright-eyed and looking around.

Cadence Hospital Candids

no sleep, in labor, and waiting for the doctor

looking at my new baby girl with tears running down my cheeks

the whole ordeal is over, and she is calm and in my arms

baby's first bath

all clean and cozy in her plastic "bed"

first visitors...so glad to see them

Nana flew in from Illinois to be here.  She stayed for 3 weeks to help out!!  Thanks so much, Nana!

Isn't she cute?!?!

I love how her hair was sticking up in the hospital!  After I bathed her at home, it lays down flat.  So I guess I won't have many more pictures with hair like that.

The Birth Story

The LONG, unabridged version of Cadence's Birth Story
(This is more for my own journal, so if you're not interested in reading this whole thing, just scan for the bold to get the main points!)

June 12th,

I had another doctor's appointment and was really hoping to show some progress from the previous week.  I recalled to my doctor that I had some strange pains on Thursday night that kept me awake until 4:30am.  I finally just took some Tylenol and I was able to sleep.  However, I was still dilated to a 1.  "It's a stretchy 1, if that makes any difference!" she told me.

Wed. June 13th,
I was trying really hard to have a productive day, but it was just getting to be pretty difficult to move comfortably and keep Canon happy.  I decided to take him swimming that morning...hoping that it would tire him out enough to take a good nap.  It worked!!  :)  I remember texting Mark as I was going down for a nap that I started the dishwasher but I'd get to the hand-washed dishes later.  Then I mentioned I was really feeling it that day.

He replied, "It would be nice if Cadence came early, but it would be a whole lot easier on me if she waited until your mom gets here!"  My mother wasn't scheduled to arrive until June 21st.  I responded that I could wait longer, but some days are worse than others, and I'd probably need to complain about it a few more times.  Then I went down for a short nap.

By the time I got out of bed at 3:45PM, I was having contractions.  They generally weren't hard and really painful, but there was major discomfort.  I didn't know if it was Braxton Hicks or the start of labor.  All I knew was that I never had contractions like that with Canon, and that I had to consider the fact that she's either coming now, or I'd be suffering through those contractions for days until she did come (yuck!).

That evening I took Canon out to the playground, where I continued to have contractions.  Trying to walk across the courtyard to get the mail as a family was a slow and difficult journey.  I called my mother at 9:00PM to ask how her labors were...did she have contractions for days?  Well, by 10:45PM my contractions were consistently hard and 10 minutes apart.

June 14th
At about 12:15AM I called Mark's cousin Michelle to let her know that it was the night we' be going to the hospital.  She had agreed to come tend Canon if the baby came before I mom flew in from Chicago.  I wanted to give her the chance to come then to maybe get a little more sleep at our place, or I could just call her when we were leaving.  She chose the latter.  As I paid close attention, my contractions jumped from 10 to 5 minutes apart.  I would have a hard one, 5 minutes later it was a shorter less intense contraction; then 5 minutes later have a hard one; then 5 minutes later a mini-contraction; and 5 minutes later a hard one; then another hard one.  So I called Michelle at 1:43AM to say we were getting ready to leave.

As we drove to the hospital I called my parents to let them know since my mom was planning on flying to Utah to help me out, and her plane tickets were scheduled for the 21st.  We checked in and were waiting in the labor/delivery triage area for quite a while.  At 2:45AM I was 80% effaced and dilated to 3 centimeters.  They were waiting to see if my 2 centimeter progress from Tuesday was from those contractions or just over the course of the 2 days.  So, they made me stick around that triage area for a couple hours.  My contractions kept coming, and at 3:45 they were about 3 minutes apart.  At 4:00 I was at 4 centimeters.  I felt like they were keeping me there forever...still never notifying the doctor that I was even there.

At 4:50AM I was moved to the delivery room.   Finally, they started to act like they believed I was really in labor.  Most of the time I was there they wanted to just wait and observe.  They wanted to make sure that I was really progressing and not going to need to be sent home.  By 5:55am I was dilated to 4.5 and had requested an epidural. I hadn't gotten any sleep, and I was tired of dealing with pain every other minute or so.  At 6:20 the epidural was administered, and it was a huge relief.  I still felt the back labor, and I wished I could just put a pillow under my lower back and make it stop...but it wouldn't have done anything.  The pain was from the pressure the baby put on my spine.

At 6:53AM Dr. Jericho asked if I wanted get the process moving a little faster by breaking my water.  Of course!! By all means, go ahead and break it!  At that time they inserted a monitor to measure my contractions.  Because it was a VBAC, we had to make sure that my contractions weren't too hard, or else it might put too much stress on my scar.  Everything was fine there though.  I was also dilated to a 5.


Just about an hour later, at 8:00AM, the nurse checked me again. "Whoa!" she said.  "I was expecting to find you at a 5.5 or a 6!" My thought was, "Oh, please don't say that I went back down to a 4 or 3."  She said I was at a 9.5 or 9 3/4.  "You're just an anterior lip, really!"  It wasn't long from there.  At 8:25 I was fully dilated.   She asked me to do a practice push to see how much control and sensation I had with the epidural in place.  Apparently I did a really good job because she said I was "going to be a rock star with this!"   I could still feel each contraction on the upper part of my belly, which I thought was really strange.  I guess the epidural only functions up to a certain point. I thought that meant that I was going to get to start pushing now.  Nope!  The nurse said that in her experience, you can either push and push and push, getting exhausted; or you can wait and push later, taking the same amount of time.  So, she had me wait to push until 9:20AM.  With each contraction she counted to 8 as I pushed.  Each contraction had 2-3 pushes worth of time.  Each push was productive, and the nurse had me get the baby most of the way down the birth canal before having the doctor come in.  I think it was a total of 8 contractions' worth of pushing when the baby was out.  


Not too long, and because of the epidural, it didn't hurt too much.    Her head came out, and Dr. Lister suctioned out her nose and mouth.  They thought I was going to get away without tearing, but then Cadence stuck her arm out.  I gave one last push and she was out.  At 9:59AM Cadence was born.  I only had 2 minor tears to stitch up.  I remember when they placed her on my tummy (over the gown) I started crying.  It wasn't because she was a girl, or because it was my new child...it was because I was so relieved and happy to know that our prayers had been answered.  We had been praying for months for me to have a good delivery, and that the baby would be healthy, and that it would be a successful VBAC.  AND IT WAS!!  


Our little miracle was 6 lbs. 13 oz. and 20 inches long. 

She's Here!!

Announcing the arrival of

Cadence Loretta Dahl

Born June 14, 2012 at 9:59AM
6 lbs 13 oz and 20 inches long

Our little angel

She's so tiny!

Such a happy big brother!

Welcome to the family, Cadence!

If you want to see the really cute pictures they took at the hospital, check out www.bellababyphotography.com and click "View Photos" and use password "0614cadencedahl" before they get deleted off the site this Friday.  I wish I could have the rights to these pictures without paying a fortune.  I also wish I had the capability to take cute pictures like this with my own camera...the ones I get don't seem to be quite as cute!

37+ Weeks

I had an appointment yesterday, and now I'm dilated to a 1 with no noticeable difference in effacement, but she said that the baby's head is right there...down low where it's supposed to be.  So that's a good sign.  I never dilated at all with Canon until after hours of pitocin, so this makes me feel pretty good about my chances of being able to have a successful VBAC.  My due date is the 23rd, less than 3 weeks now, but we set up a c-section date for the 29th.  If she's not arrived by that time, and I'm not progressing enough to be induced safely, then we'll just go ahead with a c-section.  My doctor told me that the risk of a still born baby goes up quite a bit after 41 weeks of gestation, especially after 42 weeks.  So I figured that 6 days late is giving the baby enough time to mature.  So, at least now I have an official latest date that the baby can be born.  She will arrive in at MOST 24 days from now!

Also, there have been many people asking what we're planning on naming the baby girl.  Of course there is always a chance that we will find a name that we like more, or that we will feel that her name ought to be something different when she's born, but for now we're planning on naming her:

Cadence Loretta Dahl. 

We're still intending on going on with the music theme for the names, and Cadence is my favorite.  (Canon was Mark's favorite boy name, so now it's my turn to have the favorite name! ;-P )  Loretta was the name of my aunt, my father's youngest sister.  She had Downs Syndrome and passed away at the age of 50.  Most of my memories of her were of her singing songs, mostly made-up on the spot.  I could see how much she loved music, and how she loved her family.  We felt it would be a nice tribute to my dear late aunt.

Some belly shots as of late:

35 1/2 Weeks
I'd been delaying taking this shot because I never felt pretty enough to want my picture taken,
but I just gave in and had Mark take a picture. 

37 Weeks
This was the night after my baby shower.

36 Weeks...the Count Down Is ON!

Our little family moved about a month ago, and I have just been so busy with getting the apartment in order, taking care of Canon, and working on a baby quilt for a friend due before me, there was no way I was able to get to blogging.  However, there are a few things I'd like to catch-up on here.

I did find a doctor out here who was able to see me the same day I had an appointment with my other doctor.  So I decided to go for it and hope for the best.  It turns out that it really couldn't get much better.  Dr. Sara Wood is part of a group of 6 female doctors who all work together at 3 different IHC facilities.  The fact that they're IHC is very helpful because they could just access my medical records from my previous doctor's office, and IHC hospital in Sandy, UT.  YAY!  Also, this group of women are all pro-VBAC, and they seem to really gear their treatment to the women they see.  If for some reason I can't have my OB deliver my baby, at least all these other doctors will have a similar philosophy, and I'm pretty sure, no matter what, they will help me try for a VBAC.  (That was not necessarily the case with my last doctor.)  I really like Dr. Wood because she's very personable and listens to me.  She addresses my concerns and understands how I'm feeling.  Yay for a great new doctor!

Now, as for the pregnancy, before we moved to Ogden I had only gained 10 lbs, and I just wasn't gaining any for a long time.  By the time I was 34 weeks along, I was still only 10 lbs heavier than when I started.  At 36 weeks, I had gained another 5 lbs.  It was a bit shocking, but I don't consider it a bad thing.  My doctor said that sometimes it just catches up at the end like that.  So, for me to have just over 3 weeks left, and I've only gained 15 lbs...I think I will probably not have a whole lot of baby-weight to lose later.  :-D

As of now, the baby is moving all the time, and most of the time you can see it!!  Her head is down like it should be, and I've begun to soften, but I'm not dilated any.  (Which is totally fine because I still have about 3 weeks left.)  I am at the fairly miserable stage of pregnancy though.  I have a hard time sleeping through the night without waking up with back or hip pains.  I have the same carpal tunnel in my right wrist like I had with Canon, so I just use the same brace I did last time.  I get pains in my back, but that's to be expected.  It's just that I'm at the end, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel.  She's almost here, and everything is going great!

I'll post some belly pictures soon, hopefully!  :-)

Moving Time = New OB....AGAIN?

So Mark was just offered a job in Ogden, and he's supposed to be starting within 2 weeks.  Ogden is about an hour away, and I don't know that I am willing to drive a hour each way for just a doctor's visit...and I have about  6 or so more visits left within the next two months.  Then there's the idea about driving an hour to the hospital while in labor.  Maybe it will be worth it to find a new doctor, but I already went through that with this pregnancy.  I'm considering coming down for each doctor's appointment and then asking if I can stay at Mark's parents house for the couple weeks around when I'm due...They just might still be out of town anyway, so I wouldn't be disturbing anyone.

What do you think?  Should I find a new doctor, or would you recommend staying with the doctor I already know I really like?

Only 10 Weeks Left

This pregnancy has gone by so fast for me.  I think it's been a little harder on me than Canon's was, but that might be because I'm not walking as much (like to and from work) like is required while living in Boston.  The other thing is having a toddler who wants you to play with him most of the day...getting into uncomfortable positions, or having him tugging on me or wanting me to carry him...all these just make me feel pain in strange places, and I just don't feel like I can move as fast or as well.  That, and the consistent heartburn through the whole pregnancy...

Overall though, this has been a really easy pregnancy, not the slightest nausea even in the first trimester.  And now it's hard to believe that I really only have 10 weeks left.  I'm so happy that the baby is growing well.  She moves around a lot now, more like how I remember Canon moving.  There were only a couple times that I thought she might have had the hiccups though, and I remember Canon had them every day about an hour after I ate lunch when I was working at HIG Capital.  (Canon had the hiccups about 3 times a day for the first couple weeks of his life.  Then it died down to once a day, then to every week...to only occasionally like everyone else.  We'll see if this one gets them too!)

I went to the doctor today for a routine check-up.  (I was supposed to go last week, but we took a day trip to Pocatello that day, so I had to move it.)  A couple days last week I was having a pretty sharp pain in the lower right region of my belly...a little lower and center from where I would expect the appendix to be.  It felt like it was at the edge of my c-section scar, so I was worried it might be a problem.  However, it only lasted a couple days, and there were no contractions or bleeding or anything with it.  So, the doctor told me it was quite normal to feel those kinds of pains...it's just the stretching of the muscles.  Which makes total sense because I'm not feeling the pain anymore.  Now it's time to start going every 2 weeks.  :)

Here's a shot of my belly from Easter Sunday, at 29 weeks.  Check out my new dress, bought with my birthday money to wear for Easter...and it's not even a maternity dress!!!  I'm so excited that this will probably look pretty cute on my once the big belly is gone too!  :)

I think my belly is pretty comparable to my previous pregnancy.

29 weeks with Canon

30 weeks with Canon