The Hysterical Musings of a New Dad-to-be.

After an eight-year hiatus, my wife (Melissa) and I (Joshua) are set to become parents to our beautiful daughter sometime on Friday, March 23rd! God performed the miraculous and enabled Melissa to conceive as of June 2011; something we both thought was previously not possible. Since writing and expressing my emotions or thoughts verbally is a passion of mine; I figured why not create a blog to document this nine-month journey? Grab a cup of java... relax... and celebrate with us as you read my take on the week-to-week blessings from conception until birth! Soon after our daughter arrives, this blog will receive a major overhaul as it prepares to document the life of our daughter and how she blesses us on a day-to-day basis.

[teddybeardad]

Letters to Addie #10?

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Our Daughter Has Arrived!

Addison Faith 9:16 p.m. on Friday, March 23rd 2012 Many hours of labor and then an ER C-Section 8 lbs. 7 oz. 20.25'' long Photos... Birth Story... and the life story of Addison Faith "jellybean" to come shortly.

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We have been at the Chambersburg Hospital since 6:30 p.m. last night. Melissa has been through Cervadil, Staydol, an epideral, and Pitocin. Her water broke around 4:30 a.m. As of 1:00 p.m. , she's 4 cm. dilated and 80% effaced. I should be a daddy by sometime this evening. Thanks for everybody's support, love, and prayers. A quick update. :)

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Good luck tomorrow!! It will be the best day ever for you guys :)

Awe! Thanks! You don't need to be an anon, silly!! Appreciate the thoughts!

[teddybeardaddy-blog]

Just the Facts, Ma'am!

I'm not sure how I exactly feel, personally, about Melissa having to be induced beginning tomorrow evening. I'm sure with her actually the individual affected by being induced instead of labor arriving naturally - she's much more apprehensive! 

I have thought of several positives for her to not have to worry with natural labor...

-- no embarrassing and random 'water breaking' in a public place or at a family's residence

-- no speeding tickets for rushing Melissa to the hospital 30-minutes away because her water has broke or due to close contractions

-- A little more stability in knowing when the labor proceedings will happen instead of the constant worry that it could happen at any time

-- The ability to relax tomorrow evening at the hospital with getting settled in... unpacking... and easing into everything

-- Having the vehicle completely ready... packed... 'gassed up' and ready to go. All bags properly packed and the car seat / infant carrier ready to go

-- preparing immediate family on both sides for labor to begin

On the flip side of things... it's always interesting to experience the unknown. Like, what would it feel like to suddenly have to drop everything and rush your wife off to the hospital 'Hollywood' style. Then again, some things are more enjoyable when watched from a distance and a different point of view.  :)

I won't mention the numerous negatives or precautions of being induced as Melissa and I have been over them countless times and we're well informed (and more importantly prayed up). God's got this and by faith... we shall follow without fear of the unknown. :)

So, it's nice to have that positive outlook and take on the optimist side for a moment. Yeah, the happenings of the next 48 hours are going to be a whirlwind, scary and emotional but a beautiful baby girl will be resting within my arms when it's all said and done. To experience such, I'd go through just about anything. 

So, bring it! I'm ready!!

[teddybeardaddy-blog]

Keystone Women's Care: Prenatal Visit #15

15 visits later at KWC and we've reached a particular climax. Today was our last prenatal visit before jellybean arrives on Friday. Out of those 15, I only missed three appointments as an excited dad-to-be! I don't think that's horribly bad, especially because work was the issue of why I wasn't able to attend. I'll take an 80% on any test, any day! 

Today's appointment was at 2 P.M., as we arrived about 10 minutes early. You ask, what silly television programming was on THIS TIME in the lobby? Some weird, middle-aged cooking bald guy with John Cena as a special guest. I didn't care for it at all and we didn't even get to see what they were making... Looked like some sort of steak entree.... ah well. 

The first hour of Melissa's appointment was spent on two monitors during a second dose of a nonstress test. Since jellybean is overdue, both the bodies of jellybean and Melissa are monitored to ensure the cozy belly bump home within was still a suitable residence. Also, had to check to see how active she was!

Melissa had the 'brilliant' idea of drinking a Coke slushie before the appointment because last week's NRT results showed jellybean not so active. Well, the sugary drink definitely helped jellybean's state of activeness this time around. Not only was she moving all over the place kicking and chopping... but it was to a point that the nurse wanted to see her calm down a bit. Gotta love our hyper daughter already.  haha  Anyway, the doppler machine was turned up REALLY LOUD so when she turned it down... jellybean calmed down too. So, we did get much better results this time around, but STILL... no contractions. I recorded a 3-minute audio clip of the heartbeat to treasure as opposed to the 11-minute version last week. Jellybean's heart rate was steady between 135-150 for the duration; perfectly normal. 

Melissa weighed in at FIVE POUNDS LIGHTER for this visit!! I know that it's typically common for weight loss the week of delivery, so the doctors nor I were worried. However, that means... Melissa only gained 8-9 pounds the entire pregnancy!! Way to go, sweetie! Besides the last week or so, she's been a health nut for jellybean. Quite proud of her. 

Her blood pressure was 133 over 77; again, normal. Besides once... she's had a normal reading for BP all of the pregnancy! Good stuff! 

Jellybean, the uterus / baby bump measured at 40 cm. Quite normal and nearly perfectly round! SO, SO adorable!! 

The only thing that does raise a slight concern and is the reasoning behind being induced in the percentage of effacement and the number of centimeters dilated. Melissa has remained 1 cm (a close 2) dilated, and 50% effaced for the past 5 weeks when we started coming weekly. So, I guess the cervix didn't get the note that it's time for delivery to happen! 

We had Ms. Darlanna today... one of our favorite midwives. She gave us a 5-10 minute session of delivery Q&A, as we received some answers to a few concerns. Otherwise, she was just as excited as us for tomorrow's beginning!!

Dr. Orndorf will be our doctor tomorrow for the cervadil administration and overseeing things overnight. Then, Friday... Dr. Hilary Ginter will be our delivery doctor and Ms. Ashley Lawson will be our delivery midwife. Melissa adores BOTH of these ladies, so she's thrilled!! They have great personalities and I'm happy to see them too. I would had loved to have Dr. Brown, but maybe for baby number two?

It was weird leaving the office without scheduling an appointment for next week. As I said in a previous post, ALL SYSTEMS GO!! Feel free to ask any questions! 

[teddybeardaddy-blog]

Week 41 Arrives: The Last of the Weekly Updates.

Unexpectedly, week 41 of Melissa's pregnancy arrives. When jellybean finally is born by means of inducing... Melissa's final count will be 41w2d into her pregnancy - 289 days. 

Babycenter.com doesn't have a fruit/vegetable comparison this week for jellybean's weight or length unfortunately. So, I'll vote for an 8-pound bowling ball.

At this point, jellybean is between 20''-21.5'' in length and will probably weigh in between 7.5-8.0 pounds. I'm actually kind of thankful she's had an added nine days to develop and grow, as health shouldn't be a problem in any form of the word. That's quite comforting to this dad-to-be. Besides her few extra days to 'cook', God's divine attention to her growth and arrival ensures I have all positive vibes about this entire situation. 

Throughout all of my weekly updates, I've kind of 'overdone' everything that's developed within jellybean. As you know... she's a fully grown newborn with everything pretty much is working order and completely formed. Those 'parts' which need a few more months of attention, will do so without complications even on the outside of the womb. For once and for all... I say again... ALL SYSTEMS GO!

I will say this. Melissa and I are QUITE CURIOUS about our daughter's looks!! How much hair she'll have... the color of her eyes... the size of her nose... feet.. and so forth... Which features of each other's heritage will she inherit... We just want to see what beautiful creation God has molded for us!

So, how's mommy you ask? Well, ask any mommy-to-be how she feels after surpassing her due date. Tired... wore out... large... uncomfortable... the works!

Fatigue is still a big part (no pun intended) of Melissa's pregnancy. Even with her 'nesting spurts', she tires easily and rightfully so! Soreness has become a norm for her too. Between her back... legs and ankles... inside and outside abdomen pains... it all hurts basically. Heartburn still takes residence here and there along with indigestion. Within the last week, cramping has been an ugly symptom Melissa doesn't appreciate tagged along with random Braxton Hicks' contractions. 

As much as Melissa has thoroughly enjoyed being pregnant... and even though through the first 39 weeks or pregnancy... symptoms and such were quite kind to her... she's done with this pregnancy thing!  :)  It's time for jellybean to be evicted and for mama's body to start returning back to it's previous (August 2011) state. 

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I hope everybody has enjoyed my weekly Wednesday updates!! I have weekly photos to update from the past two weeks, but the camera is in her car ready to go... so they'll have to wait. 

Thanks for supporting this blog from day one.

[teddybeardaddy-blog]

The Countdown Concludes.

Two days remain until we get to meet our daughter face-to-face!! However, only one day remains until we're scheduled in at the hospital for the cervadil administration and supervision. So, the count down has been completed! So, when is it appropriate to freak out as a new dad-to-be in less than 48 hours? 

Sure... when we first saw the two positive pregnancy tests... during all the prenatal visits... the sonogram... putting together the nursery... shopping... baby showers... feeling her kick... putting a car seat base in the Mazdas... hearing her heart beat...  All this, kind of set in that I was eventually going to be a daddy after so many years of awaiting God's promises to play out. However, I'm not sure I 'feel' like a dad, yet. Maybe as things sort of 'kick off' tomorrow evening and the entire laboring process beings as I sit dressed in scrubs awaiting Melissa's body to do its final delivery prep as as the contractions hit.... everything will finally feel like I'm about to be a dad. Right now, I just have a huge smile on my face and know that the next few days are going to be life changing in every sense of the term. 

I may get to post one more time tomorrow before 7:00 P.M. when Melissa and I are scheduled to be at the Chambersburg Hospital beginning the process of dilation and labor. If not, the count down will sort of conclude here.  There may be two days until jellybean will be born, but we'll be at the hospital overnight starting tomorrow. Hence the inclusion of the '2' and the '1'. 

I counted down the days from 45, then the due date came and left. Next, I counted down from 10 since those amount of days were added before Melissa was scheduled to be induced. The count down allowed me to express my thoughts... my followers a glimpse of what was going on during the pregnancy and a little self-sanity with myself. 

Tomorrow is it, the climax. Am I ready? More than likely, no. However, God has been building me as a dad for many years now. So, with Him by my side every step... we'll figure this thing out called fatherhood one way or another.

The time has arrived!!

[teddybeardaddy-blog]

Three days remain. Tomorrow will tell us a great deal during our LAST prenatal visit - #15. The appointment will let us know if Thursday's administration of cervadil will be necessary. The outcome of tomorrow's visit will put everything into motion and sort of set labor arrangements in concrete. So, please check back tomorrow evening for a detailed review of the appointment. I may even try to get it posted before church. We'll see.

Melissa started her maternity leave today, as she'll be away from CAS as their office manager for the next 6.5 weeks. Please be in prayer with us that her office runs smoothly in her absence and that she can return, when the timing is right, like she never left. That would be amazing! 

Melissa feels 'weird' today, but in a good way. She thinks her body is progressing finally like it should had been weeks ago!! We'll find out tomorrow!! The best part? Our appointment will be over in midst of Sonic's happy hour!! I see a cherry, blue Hawaiian limeade or a lime-accented ocean water in my future!

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We welcome the season of spring today on this warm, yet dark and cloudy late March afternoon. 

I have to admit spring and fall are my two favorite seasons of the year. I believe spring took over as numero uno since jellybean will be a spring baby!!

We already have the cutest Easter dress/outfits laid out for a few Sundays from now. 

I enjoy everything about springtime! It's a time of renewal... resurrection... new life... promises... and life in general. I love the flowers... the animals and insects returning... the trees being re-filled with leaves... BBQs and picnics... walks in the park... camping... scenic drives... yard sales... cold and frozen treats... cold and frozen coffee... and all the other things spring brings forth. 

Jellybean will be born only three days after spring arrives! It's only fitting she arrives during the time of the year her mommy and I love and appreciate the most!! Happy spring family and friends!! 

[teddybeardaddy-blog]

Four days remain... 

It's hard not to think about it when 1) I do keep this blog active nightly by choice 2) so many friends around us (whom were due within a week before/after us) have delivered their babies 3) Melissa and I know of some friends whom had to deal with tragedy this week. 

This is seriously one week that just needs to be on fast forward. Then again, my anxious attitude is that just of a soon-to-be dad totally in love with the fact of being a dad. Children have been a part of my life since the age of 15, as I've worked in one after another profession influencing our younger generations. So, I'm built for this! 

Melissa had to repack her hospital bag and jellybean's diaper bag tonight due to Spring arriving a week or so early. Now, she (and jellybean) will be better dressed for the weather forecasted for this weekend sitting at 70+ degrees. At least it's updated and replaced in her vehicle with the car seat/base. :) So anxious for Wednesday's appointment and then Thursdays' evening visit/stay at Chambersburg Hospital. Won't be long now... Only 10% of ALL pregnant individuals go 42 weeks into their pregnancy. Since the stats sit at like one baby born every five seconds... That's not a huge number. Guess Melissa is special even in pregnancy.  :) 

[teddybeardaddy-blog]

One business week remains; five days. Unless 'the Man upstairs' has other plans, jellybean will be born on Friday, March 23rd. 

Today revealed essentially no change from her last appointment on the 14th. Melissa's inner sides are quite sore from our daughter's movements and kicks. She's uncomfortable and feels much bigger than she actually is in the baby bump department. Her ankles and legs have not been friends of hers in the swelling department. We are both ever-so overflowing with anxious thoughts and behaviors as we would like to meet our daughter um, like NOW! :)

We received a few more gifts (outfits) from friends, so a little more washing to do this week. Also, we received a play pen (i.e., basic playard) from a family member. Again, blessed. So, now... if someone would offer us a rocking chair / glider - we'd be SET! haha

So, we're trying to keep busy this week and not think about adding more days onto Melissa's pregnancy journey. Right now, she's at 40w4d.  I don't think I've ever wished away a week of time in life as much as I hope this week FLIES BY!!

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Less than a week remains before Melissa and I are deemed parents!! Surreal thought. There will never be a Friday nor a Saturday again in our lives that will not have a third member of our family included. :)

Melissa did have a few more contractions today... but nothing significant. She put her humanitarian skills into play and helped a dear friend of ours set up... clean up... a birthday party. Melissa is compassionate like that; even at 40w3d pregnant. :)

I'm glad jellybean didn't arrive on Saint Patrick's Day today, as I wanted her to have her OWN special day put forth by God! I guess His plans agreed too. :)

Besides Thursday, our daughter can arrive any other day from now until Friday! Thursday is Melissa's birthday... we all know how uncool it would be to have the same birthday as one of your parents.  Counting the final days down...  really wish the counter read zero though. grrr. 

[teddybeardaddy-blog]

Letters to Jellybean - #10

Dear Daughter of Mine.

With the help of our loving God and His gift of spring-like weather a week early... all preparations have been made for your arrival to the point where mommy and I are sort of 'stir-crazy' awaiting for your arrival! 

This past week... you have stretched mommy's belly to an adorable, yet firm and round shape. She forgives you for making her inner sides of the belly bump sore from all your kicks, punches, movements and overall fun within. We really do not believe you could possibly have much room at all in there. Therefore, it's time to make a 'push' to the outside world where you can stretch and move freely while receiving an abundance of love and attention from your anxious parents. 

My nights are filled with thoughts of what life will be like with you cozy in my strong arms, darlin'. Snuggled with me on the couch... trips to the local parks... admiration time with family and friends... BBQ's... fishing... pool and beach trips... one-on-one time to bond... along with 1,001 other adventures you and I will engage within from the day you arrive sometime this week.

 In my optimistic eyes, jellybean, there will not be another daughter I know of whom will be as protected... cherished... admired... loved... appreciated... spoiled... comfortable and cozy... well-dressed... and well, known to the world as MY daughter... my princess... daddy's little girl.  <3

 I understand if you want today to come and go without coming as nobody wants to share their birthday with a national holiday. So, from 12:01 forth... think about coming to meet us, okay? :) Love,

Daddy

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Seven days left until jellybean's arrival one way or another. One week to go! For only seven more days, we'll be a family of two. Wow, such a thought just hit. As each day passes... just like today. No Fridays remain which we'll not have a daughter to love and support. Wow. I mean, I'm going to be a dad! Finally!! If you could only see the smile I possess at this time... Another day lacking of contractions for Melissa... not even of the Braxton Hicks' variety. Why do I have a feeling jellybean is just a 'tad' TOO comfortable in that ever growing belly bump!

As I know I'll spend a lifetime trying to always make jellybean feel comfortable with her parents. To talk... to open up to... to gain that sense of security. Right now is not that time when I want her all cozy in there!! She's been evicted... she's been asked to leave and is overdue! GET OUT, GET OUT!  haha

She was able to spend the day with her beloved mother and two of our nephews; Grant and Keaton. Lucky girl! I got to work with a unique class of students with autism today. We both had interesting Fridays and beginnings to our weekend.

[teddybeardaddy-blog]

Kid Quotes (Parents Magazine)...

I was flipping through the current issue, March, of Parents' magazine and ran into an interesting page.

The back page featured kid quotes' from toddlers across the United States. Usually, they are kind of corny and blah. However, this month really cracked me up! To a point that... I want to share my favorites! ~~~~~ " My son and I were looking at some photos from when he was a newborn and came across an ultrasound photo. I explained that it was a photo of him when he was in my belly. He looked at me very seriously and slightly disturbed and asked, 'Why did you eat me?' " --- Noah, 3 " My daughter had been working on wiggling her first tooth loose when se told me she was in 'tooth labor'. I asked what she meant. She said her tooth was 'almost out!' "  --- Cate, 5 " We signed our daughter up for drama lessons. As we entered the class, she turned to us and asked, 'Is this where I'm going to learn to be a really good drama queen?' " --- Sora, 6 MY FAVORITE... " We were out shopping when my son decided to show off his reading skills and read the words 'Reverse Osmosis' off of the fill-your-own-jug machine. I asked if he knew what that meant and he said, 'Yes. Moses walked backwards through the Red Sea.' " --- James, 5 

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Only 8 days left until Melissa will be induced since she does not seem to be progressively dilating and effacing on her own. 

Melissa had an onslaught of Braxton Hicks' contractions today as close as every 10 minutes apart. However, the fake labor mumbo jumbo stopped without any results. 

Melissa was quite active today too. Did some interior cleaning... wrote out thank you cards... laid down some mulch in her flower bed (which was waist level, so no need to worry)... grocery shopped (with me)... and lots of walking happened with all those activities. Still, only false contractions were a result. 

I, myself, had quite a productive day too. It was a tad over 70 degrees in PA 5 days before Spring officially arrives. Crazy, but not complaining! I reorganized our wood pile... did some yard work... interior cleaning... vacuumed the Mazda completely... put in a car charger for my iPhone... grocery shopped... visited a closed driving range (just ask)... and had an amazing day with my wife!!

Work-wise, been a rough week. I have gotten a few nights at Target, but substituting has been slow since both counties where I work are having their end-of-the-year standardized testing all week (and even some next week). I won't get into how AGAINST such testing and the priority that is placed on such. Just watch the documentary, 'Waiting for Superman' for a good bird's eye view on public education. ANY WAY!! 

Lots of false contractions... a rock hard belly bump most of the day... and lots of exercise. However, no visits to the hospital yet!! Keep praying!