The birth story of Sophia Lee Gowan

What a month! We have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, and our greatest blessing is our little bundle of joy, Sophia Lee Gowan, born Tuesday, 11/12/2013 at 10:31 AM. I was in the hospital for 18 hours and had contractions starting 2 days before she arrived. Here is a glimpse into her journey into the world...

Caleb's parents came in the beginning of November to give me all the help I needed...what a blessing they were! They spoiled me (and Angel!) rotten! =) 

A couple days before she was born. "Sophie, are you in there?! We can't wait to meet you!"

My beautiful family. They came up on Sunday to give me some love and support as well. That night,  I was experiencing contractions every 10-14 minutes. Caleb was on the phone with me and was already coaching me through them. The pain was moderate and I was waking up every time I had one. 

40 weeks pregnant! (to be exact, I was 39 weeks and 6 days).  

I went to the doctor's that morning and he told me I was 4 cm dilated already. He also scraped my membranes to help the labor progress. We headed to the hospital several hours 

later when my contractions were about 6-7 minutes apart. 

We arrived at the hospital at 4:00 PM. They had a nurse check how far along I was and she informed us that I was only 2 cm dilated, not 4. Because I wasn't that far along, they were going to monitor me for an hour and have me walk around the hospital for another hour to see if that would help me dilate more. If not, I would be sent home. 

Walking around the hospital...I really didn't want to get sent home! I wanted this baby out! 

We went to the cafeteria to eat something (even though I couldn't eat anything because I had no appetite!). I was still experiencing contractions every 4-5 minutes as well. I had my phone with me so I could

 tell Caleb what was going on every step of the way and when he should Skype! 

When they rechecked me, I was at 3.5 cm, so they decided to admit me at 6:30 PM. We got one of the nicest suites in the hospital too =) I called Caleb and told him that it was happening and he should get on Skype! 

One of the worst pains ever, (besides a contraction) is getting an IV! This was the only time I cried during the whole labor experience. One of the nurses tried 2 times to get the IV in and failed, and it HURT. A LOT! I was in tears the whole entire time, but thankfully I had my dad's hand to hold and my husband's handsome face to look at. The third time they tried, it finally went in, but I was already a mess at that point! 

The sitting area in the room...That's my sister, my father-in-law, and my brother-in-law! 

At 12 midnight, the nurse checked how far along I was and I was only at 4 cm! The nurse asked if I wanted Pitocin to help speed up the contractions and hopefully it would help me dilate faster. After weighing our options, I decided to go ahead and get the Pitocin.

From midnight until 4:30 AM, I was in pain...contractions are NO JOKE! I had one every 3-4 minutes, and Caleb was coaching me throughout that time, telling me to breathe and encouraging me to get through it. It was the loooooong and tiring night for everyone...

At 4:30 am they checked me and I had only progressed 1 cm. I felt very defeated and tiiiirrrred! It was then that I decided to get an epidural to help me relax and rest so I could have enough energy and strength to push when I needed to...

...and it worked! I slept (as well as everyone else!) from 5-7 AM and progressed another 1 cm, pain free! When they checked me at 8 in the morning, I was at 9.5 cm!!! They had to break my water because it wasn't going to break on its own. When they did, I went back down to 8 cm, but was at 10 cm ready to push 15 minutes later.

I pushed for 40 minutes. 

And then this little miracle came.

No words can describe the immense joy of motherhood. 

Holding my beautiful Sophia Lee for the first time. 

Saying "HI" to dad via Skype. 

Opa holding his first granddaughter for the first time.

Grandma holding sweet Sophie! 

and Pho Pho holding her first granddaughter for the first time! 

and Grandpa holding baby Sophie! 

Two days later, Caleb was able to come back home and meet his daughter for the first time. The Gowan family has grown! 

Sophia Lee, we love you and are so happy you are a part of our family. 

"For this child I prayed; and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of him." - 1 Samuel 1:27

Full Term!!!

I am so excited that I am now considered "full term." My doctor doesn't believe that 37 weeks is full term though, he says that a pregnancy is full term once I reach 40 weeks, but at 37 weeks, if baby G were to be born, her lungs would be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. So, I am now in the "safe zone." Woo hoo!

Here's my 37 week update:

How far along:  37 weeks and 1 day 

Symptoms: Feeling pretty good! My legs are sore when I stand up for too long and I have some mild lower back pain and hip pain, but nothing too bad. Finally started feeling Braxton Hicks contractions where I feel my stomach tightening up, but it's not bad at all. 

Weight gain: 34 pounds! 

Sleep: It's harder for me to sleep at night now. I think a part of it is because Caleb isn't here, but I also have some insomnia so I don't feel sleepy til about 12-1am. 

Wedding Rings: Still OFF. I can't wait to wear it again. Hopefully all my swelling goes away right after birth and I can start wearing my ring!

Cravings: Nothing really. It's actually been hard for me to eat anything these days just because nothing really sounds good to me. My staples are yogurt, apples, chicken, and cereal =) 

Movement: Definitely can feel every inch of her now. It is actually kind of painful when she stretches and digs her heels into my ribs! But, I love feeling her moving inside of me and I know that it's going to be something that I will miss. 

Belly Button: I am an OUTIE! It looks really weird to me...I think it looks like a flower right now and you can definitely see it poking out when I wear my tank tops! 

Excited for: Baby girl to come! I am counting down the days til my "due date" and hopefully she doesn't make me wait too long after! 20 more days! I am also super excited that my In-Laws are coming to visit me for several weeks to help me and be there for the labor and birth of baby G. She will definitely feel loved by so many people! =)

Missing: Being able to tie my shoes, getting out of bed easily, my pre-pregnancy clothes and shoes (I can't even wear my fall boots!), and ice cream & sushi & coffee! She still doesn't like ice cream (makes me want to throw up), and I can't wait to eat sushi and drink some coffee in the morning! 

Exercise: Still doing Zumba 2 times a week and walking about 1.5 miles a day. 

Stretch Marks: None! Cocoa butter is still doing its job! 

How big is baby girl: I went to get an ultrasound at the hospital last week because one of the doctors thought my stomach looked kind of "small." They took some measurements of baby G and today at my appointment, they said that they predict her to be 6 lbs right now! Which means that they are predicting that she will be a 7.5 lbs baby! Let's see if they are right =)

Feeling: Excited and anxious. So many of my friends just had babies this past week and I can't wait to meet mine and hold her in my arms. Anxious about the labor and birth, but talking to my doula and meeting with her often has been helping me prepare for the big event. Missing Caleb and wishing that he could be here, but happy to know that he will be coming back once our baby is born! 

Here's a picture of a stomach comparison of me at 7, 27, and 37 weeks! Holy moly! 

Still have to finish packing my hospital bag. I have the diaper bag pretty much packed and ready to go. I have my first small group/bible study tomorrow morning at 10am so I'm excited about that and hopefully, I'll be able to meet some more people and connect with them from the church. Tomorrow evening, Angel will have her first playdate with a couple that I met at the dog park last Sunday, so I know that she will be happy to play with a friend and not just 'mom.' 

I pretty much talk to Caleb every day, but the time difference sucks. I will call him to wake him up at 5am his time (1pm my time), and he will call me when he gets off work which is about 4-5am my time (8-9pm his time). One of us is always sleepy, but I'm happy to always hear his voice. 

Hope everyone is having a good week and happy hump day today!

XOXO,
Nancy

Deployment #3

I can't believe how fast this deployment has come. This will be our 3rd deployment and I'm starting to feel like quite the veteran, but no matter how many times he leaves, it is always so hard to say good-bye. We went on base last night to say our good-byes, and here are some pictures I'd like to share:

All the stuff that needed to be packed! Took us a several hours to do it but we finally managed to fit it all in his two sea bags! 

Finished! 

Yesterday was actually pretty cool outside, so we took advantage of it and cuddled by our fireplace. It also rained (surprisingly hard), and we enjoyed a quick date at Starbucks drinking some pumpkin spiced lattes! 

He surprised me with a bouquet of flowers...

...and made me another worship CD that I will be listening to in the car.

Saying good-bye to daddy... =( 

Saying our final good-byes. 

I'm praying and hoping that nothing will prevent him from coming back for a couple weeks after baby G is born. So far, it doesn't look like there should be anything in the way, so I'm hoping for the best! It would mean so much to me for us to have a little family time together once baby G makes her debut! 

As far as baby G goes, I am 35 weeks and will have another doctor's appointment on Monday for my 36 week check-up. The doctor that I saw last Monday was a little concerned that my bump looked kind of "small," so she has referred me to get an ultrasound at the hospital so they can do some measurements of the baby and see how big she is. Baby G is still head down, and her heart beat is strong, and she told me that there are lots of fluids around her, which means it's good! She is moving a lot, and stretching, and I just can't wait to meet her. My to-do list this week is to finish packing my hospital and diaper bag and getting ready for our little princess =) 

I'll definitely try to blog more often now that I have some time on my hands! Other than that, I will be working on stretches that my doula has recommended me to do to help with my labor, my pre-natal Yoga, Zumba, and lots of walking (even though I can't walk more than 5 minutes without having to use the bathroom!).

Love you all,

Nancy

Good news!

I've been meaning to update since last week, but didn't have time, but I wanted to share a couple of things: 

1. Caleb won an award! I am so proud of him. It's called the Navy Comm award and he earned it from all his hard work from his deployments to Afghanistan. Go Captain Gowan!  

2. I got the results of my gestational diabetes test last week and it was negative! Super happy and thankful and super thankful that I got through the test without throwing up the drink. Like everyone warned me, it was indeed, pretty awful. 

3. I am now in my third trimester! 13 more weeks to go.  Feeling pretty good these past couple of weeks. Still have my bouts of nausea here and there, but overall it's been better and the best thing is the end is in sight!  Here is my 27 week pregnancy shot: 

And lastly, I wanted to share pics from our trip up north. We had a great time at Brandon and Melody's wedding in Sacramento and had a wonderful time hanging out with family. Even though the trip was short, we had such a fun and memorable time with everyone.  

HOWEVER, we did have a little hiccup driving up to Sacramento. We left early Friday morning, planning on stopping at Aunt Joan's house to change and get ready for the wedding, then we would make our way to the venue. About 2 hours before we were supposed to arrive, we made a quick bathroom stop, and I just happened to ask Caleb, "Did you grab our wedding clothes from the closet?" and he said, "No. I thought you did." 

*GASP* 

The night before, he laid out our clothes (his suit and my dress) on the floor so it wouldn't get wrinkled in the luggage. I told him to put the clothes in the closet instead so it wouldn't get dirty on the floor. Well, out of sight, out of mind because we both forgot about our clothes the next morning! We had our wedding shoes in the car, but had nothing to wear for the wedding! So after my "minor" meltdown (do you know how hard it is to find a dress for a pregnant woman?!), we rushed to a mall in Sacramento about 15 minutes away from the venue and had about 1 1/2 hours to shop and get ready. I ran into a maternity store and he ran into Express. We both took pictures of our selection for approval. Here's our dressing room photo shoot: 

He text me this picture and I said "Looks good babe!"

I text him this picture and he said "That dress looks great!" 

We both got ready in the Nordstrom's bathroom and got to the wedding right on time! It was hectic and crazy, but hey, the silver lining is that I got a new dress! Woo hoo! =) 

At the wedding with my love. 

Love him. 

The beautiful bride and groom (although you can't see the groom's face because of the waiter!)

Caleb with Ezra! 

The next day, Caleb and I went to Starbucks (of course!) with Grandma and Grandpa Hillis. Here's Grandma and I reading the paper together while waiting for our drinks =) 

Caleb and Grandpa Hillis

Group picture! 

That night, we drove down to Merced and had a great time hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa Gowan. Here's a picture of us the next morning at breakfast before we headed back down to Oceanside. 

It was a great trip and Caleb and I have decided to make it point to try and visit more often! 

Hope everyone is having a great week so far. Tonight, Caleb and I have to go to a pre-deployment brief at his unit. Can't believe that he'll be deploying so soon! Please keep him in your prayers and also keep praying as we are still looking to find a home church here in Oceanside. 

Love to you all, 

Nancy

25 week update

Well, so much for updating more frequently. I completely skipped the month of July! I have some time right now, so I'm going to update on how my pregnancy has been progressing thus far:

How far along:  Currently 25 weeks (and 2 days) pregnant 

Symptoms: I'm still feeling nauseous some days. Last Sunday at church, I felt horrible. I had to leave the sanctuary and stand in the back so I could have a clear path to the bathroom. But, these last couple of days, I've been feeling pretty good, so I'm cherishing these moments of normalcy! 

Weight gain: So far, I've gained 20 lbs! I had a doctor's appointment on July 22nd and the doctor was really surprised that I gained 8 lbs in 4 weeks! He thinks that it's water retention since my feet are swollen (I am no longer a size 5, but a size 6), so he has advised me to drink lots more water. Drinking more water will flush out the salt water that's being retained in my body. These past 2 weeks I haven't gained a single pound, so I guess drinking more water does the trick! My next appointment with him is August 19th.

Sleep: I haven't had any problems sleeping. I heard that you are "supposed" to sleep on your left side once you reach your 2nd trimester, but I talked to the doctor and he said that it doesn't matter what position I sleep, as long as I'm comfortable. I've been sleeping in til 10 in the morning! I'm soaking up all the sleep I can get before baby girl gets here! (I still wake up and make Caleb breakfast though! After he leaves, I wobble back to bed!) 

Wedding Rings: OFF. Maybe it's the water retention, or maybe my fingers just got fat, but my wedding ring is so snug on my finger that I have to take it off now. =( I'll wear it around my neck on a chain as a necklace though, but I'd like to buy a cheap ring that I can wear on my ring finger. 

Cravings: Salads! Especially for lunch. Nothing else sounds good to me but a nice hearty salad =) 

Movement: She is a mover! I feel her pretty much throughout the day, but she definitely likes to move in the morning and at night. A couple nights ago, Caleb had his hand on my stomach and she kicked it so hard his hand moved! I always feel her moving on my right side and down near my right pelvic area. 

Belly Button: Still an Inny! It's a funny looking one though because it's almost completely flat! 

Excited for: Registering for gifts for my baby shower! We are planning on making a trip to Target to start our registry. The nursery is still empty, so I'm still on the lookout for good deals on cribs, dressers, and a nice rocking chair! 

Missing: Being able to wear my old clothes! Especially my shorts! Getting dressed is so depressing, but last Sunday, my awesome husband took me to the outlet to go shopping and I was able to find several maternity outfits that fit me great. AND it boosted my self-esteem as I was an extra small in the store! Woo-hoo! I still can't find a good pair of maternity shorts though. 

Exercise: Zumba, Zumba, and Zumba! I go to Zumba 2-3 times a week and absolutely love it! I'm so happy that the teacher is great and the class is so much fun. The doctor said there's no reason that I can't continue to Zumba, I just have to watch how tired I am during the class and if my heartbeat is over 120 beats per minute. I'm also walking Angel almost every day for about 30 minutes and fitting in some prenatal yoga when I can. 

Stretch Marks: None so far! Still using my cocoa butter all over my body to try to keep those marks away! 

How big is baby girl: She is the size of a rutabaga! At our last ultrasound (this past Monday), the specialist estimated baby girl to be around 1 lb and 9 oz. She is right where she is supposed to be! 

Feeling: Blessed. The new house is coming along, I have a wonderful husband, a great dog, and I can't wait to meet our baby girl. Almost in my 3rd trimester and feeling anxious and eager all at the same time. I get sad when I think about Caleb leaving before the baby comes, but my hope is that he'll be able to fly back to see her when she's born. 

This weekend we are heading up north to Caleb's cousin's wedding. We'll be on the road early tomorrow morning (leaving at 7am!). We're excited to see family and to spend some quality time with them. My parents will be watching Angel for us while we're gone, so we are so thankful for that! She no longer has to go to doggy day-care! 

That's all for now. Going to make some dinner for my husband before he gets home! 

XOXO,

Nancy

June Update!

Sorry I haven't blogged in such a long time. It's been a very VERY busy month and things are finally starting to settle down and I'm starting to get into a routine once again (I love routines!).

A LOT has happened this month, including my sister's Bachelorette party in Beverly Hills, her bridal shower, and her WEDDING! Some pics to recap:

The ladies on Night #2

We saw a celebrity! Lisa Vanderpump from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills! =)

AND got a pic with her husband Ken and their dog Giggy!

Denise and mom at her bridal shower. Mom just got done giving her some great marital advice! 

Me and my beautiful sister on her beautiful wedding day! 

Our two very handsome men! 

We also hired professional painters to paint our house (it looks brand new now, definitely worth it), movers came a couple days later and moved our furniture in the house, and a week later we settled in! We've been very busy unpacking the 100+ boxes we had, but the house is coming along great and although there still needs to be some improvements, it's becoming home to us. Caleb also bought me a brand new car (he says it's my 2 year anniversary present!), and I absolutely LOVE it! It's a 2013 Hyundai Sonata, and it has everything I could ever want in a car, including remote start, heated seats, blue-tooth, 34 mpg, and we drove it away at a great price with only 28 miles on the odometer! They also offered us free window tinting and free car washes at the dealership for the rest of our lives. =)

As for Baby Gowan, we went to the doctor last week and found out the gender! We are having a gender reveal party at our new home on July 4th to share the exciting news with our family and friends (finally!). I will definitely post pictures up as soon as the party is over! But, we want to share that Baby Gowan is doing great. Heartbeat was 150 at the last appointment, it's about 10 oz, and all the tests came out negative, including spina bifida occulta, which Caleb has. They still want to do a level 2 ultrasound to make sure the baby doesn't have it, but when the ultrasound specialist looked at the baby's brain and spine at our last appointment, it showed no signs of it. So we are happy parents! This is one of the many pics from our last ultrasound: (see that thing over the baby's head? That's the baby's legs! Caleb said that he/she is going to be a gymnast!)

ALSO, the baby kicked me for the first time yesterday! I've been feeling nauseous this week (sigh), threw up 4 times yesterday and lost 2 pounds at my last doctor's appointment this past Monday, but, while I was laying down in the afternoon, I felt the kicks on the right side of my stomach! And I knew it was the baby! It made me smile and happy and is making the nausea worth it!

I am officially halfway through the pregnancy! I am so excited and can't wait to meet Baby G! Here's my 20 week progression:

As for Caleb's work, it's definitely different now that I can't see him in the middle of the day and have lunch with him. North Carolina and living on base sure did spoil me. It takes him about 40-45 minutes to get to work, and we were not expecting that. We knew it took 10 minutes to get onto the base, but from the base to his unit's location takes him another 30 minutes. Camp Pendleton sure is HUGE! He leaves to work about 6:15 am and doesn't get home til around 7 pm (and YES, I am making him breakfast in the mornings again!) It's definitely a huge change for me, as he usually got home around 4:30-5 pm in North Carolina AND also came home for lunch for an hour and a half! We definitely treasure each minute we have together and being in the military always keeps us aware of that.

It's been great being back in California, but we are still on the hunt for our home church. The church we tried out last week didn't quite sit well with either of us, so we are going to try another one this Sunday. We are praying that God will provide us a great church family, to keep us accountable, and for us to grow and be involved in. Please keep our church hunt in your prayers!

Love and treasure you all.

XOXO,
Nancy, and baby G.