Emerson was born on April 20, 2011 at 10:02 p.m. She weighed 5lbs 7oz and was 19 inches long. She is absolutley perfect and doing great!
We had a rocky road Tuesday night through her arrival Wednesday night and even once she got here due to her being so small, but it definitely was all worth it to have her home with us now. I'll have to post the story of her arrival soon b/c it was definitely a dramatic one, but for now here are some pictures of the night I went into labor and finally ms. Emerson.
in labor, but still smiling at this point :)

sweet Emerson

I'll be sure to continue posting pictures of Emerson and updating the blog as we continue this journey....

Let's get ready for a birthday party...

Last night my water broke-lovely experience. Dont worry, I will spare you the details. :) Once I talked to my doctor she told me to head to the hospital since my water broke. You are more susecptible to infections at that point, so they want you in the hospital.

They checked me and I had NOT dilated (why is this girl so stubborn?). So, I was given Cervadil overnight in hopes of softening the cervix. They plan on starting Pitocin this morning, which should really get this party started.

stay tuned....

well, the eggplant parmesean clearly did not do the trick considering I am STILL PREGNANT. I just left the doctor and there are not even any signs of Emerson arriving. Last week at my appointment I was 60% effaced, but not dilated. This week- exactly the same..not a bit of progress. So, the waiting game continues. I'm feeling fine for the most part these days. Things are starting to ache that seemingly have no reason to ache, which can make sleeping an annoying task, but I am not completely miserable. A couple of nights ago Emerson was practicing for the Olympics again and I could not believe how my belly was contorting. It was almost creepy to see my belly move like that. Now that she is bigger it doesnt feel so great, but it is still amazing to see. Of course everyone was asleep so I had no one to show. I tried to catch it on video so I would have proof. THese 2 videos are from above my belly while I"m sitting in bed. No, I am not naked. My belly is just so large you cant see my shorts. It didnt come out super clear, but hopefully you get the idea of how this girl abuses my body:

Eggplant baby

If you've been pregnant in Atlanta, you've heard of Scalini's Eggplant Parmesean and its infamous ability to send you into labor. This restaurant's Eggplant Parmesean supposedly helps you go into labor within 48 hours. If it works you get a $25 gift card to the restaurant, a baby T that says "Scalinis", and they put your baby's picture on the "Eggplant Baby" wall of fame. While I (and most likely every pregnant woman) love free food/treats, the true goal here is to have a birthday party in the next 48 hours. So, lets see if we can get Emerson on that Eggplant baby wall....I ate the Eggplant Parmesean Tuesday night. So, if it is truly magical, I will go into labor by Thursday night-4/14. . We also have another reason to get this little girl to come by Thursday. Larry's youngest brother's birthday is 4/14 (Thursday). It is always cool to have family members with the same birthday. The funny thing is little Larry was born on Larry's other brother's birthday. So, if Emerson is born on 4/14, Larry will have 2 kids born on his 2 brother's birthdays...It's a fun fact to tell at least. Lets see if Emerson cooperates..

Hurry up and wait..

Waiting is the name of the game these days..... According to the ultrasounds Emerson is growing just fine. Since that is not a concern, we just have to wait until she decides to arrive. The beginning of this pregnancy was so intense and high maitenance, its so odd that the pregnancy is ending so calmly- just waiting and waiting. There's not much to report at this point. Here are a few pix of the evergrowing belly that Emerson has claimed as home (38 weeks):

whoa Nelly....where did that belly come from???

Can you say countdown??

36 weeks- Its funny because before I got pregnant I thought that was the ending mark. 36 weeks=9 months…so I’m done, right? WRONG! Now I know this whole baby making process takes 40 weeks. So, 25 days to go. I can do this with my eyes closed! There is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel…..there better be a few margaritas at the end of that darn tunnel waiting on me too. :) I’m still feeling great for the most part. My biggest complaints are just being more tired than I ever thought possible and walking around on tree trunks every day. Everything below the knee is swollen beyond belief. I honestly have not seen my ankle bone in weeks. It looks like someone blew them up like a balloon. Larry actually cringes when he sees them sometimes- yes, they’re that bad. Speaking of Larry, if you were to ask him…His biggest complaint would probably be the snoring. He has to escape to the couch midway through the night because of my hog calling. Lets pray the snoring ends in 25 days too! This weekend I got a lot done in the nursery and feel slightly more prepared for Emerson's arrival. Mom and Meghan helped me make decisions on what to buy, how to get everything put away, etc. I definitely felt a meltdown coming on before their visit. I also packed my bag for the hospital, which made everything seem quite real. I’m really going to do this. When I bring that bag back home from the hospital, there will be a new member of our family. Wow! That is hard to believe. When I went to the dr on Friday, they said that she has definitely dropped and is very low (is there any way for me to back out of this now??). I didnt gain any weight from 35 to 36 weeks, so they are not sure if the baby is growing. They're going to do an ultrasound on Thursday to verify that she is growing/still has space to grow. Hopefully we will have good news after the ultrasound....

I had another fantastic shower last weekend! A couple of neighbors and friends threw an “all dessert” shower that was absolutely amazing. Everything looked beautiful, the food was delicious, lots of friends were able to come, and the weather was perfect. It couldn’t have been better (except maybe if I could have had a glass of that cute pink champagne everyone enjoyed).
I got tons of great stuff that I cant wait to use: baby slings, onsies, sleepers, swaddling blankets, diapers, bottles, the list goes on. Everyone was very generous and I cant wait for all of them to meet Emerson!
Here are a few pix of from the shower:
delicious desserts!

a few of my neighbors who came to the shower

adorable party favors

busy opening the wonderful gifts

so many cute things....