Baby Zoe is finally here!

I finally gave birth to little Zoe Marie at 3:52 St. Patrick's Day.
I went to my doc for an ultrasound and cervical check at 10am Monday morning and they found that our little one didn't have enough amniotic fluid to stay inside any longer.
Despite my original intentions for an intervention free natural child birth, i decided to allow the induction with pitocin at 1:30pm.
I had a leep procedure done 3 years ago due to cervical cancer that prevented me from dilated fully. It took some serious contractions and the assistance of my doc and nurses massaging and breaking up that scar tissue so that I could deliver vaginally.
But, I did it.... I birthed a beautiful baby girl!!! COMPLETELY DRUG FREE!!!! I am so proud of myself and my support team because if it wasn't for them, I may have caved!

Baby Zoe arrived 7 days late at 3:52 am 3/17/10 weighing 7 lbs, 1 oz and was 20" long.





For more photos, please see my facebook page: www.facebook.com/kristicantdance

baby, where are you?!?!

with my due date looming a short 6 days away, my doctor is already discussing her desire for a medical induction not allowing me to carry beyond 41 weeks.

i do not agree!!!

i feel very strongly that women are fleeced into so many unnecessary procedures and interventions during birth. medical data proves that inductions lead to stress on the fetus, which then leads oftentimes to unwanted cesarean.

this pregnancy has lead me down a road i never thought i'd go... i came from never wanting to have children, to now finding myself wanting to be an advocate for women, especially first time mothers.  

Am I Nuts?!

I sit here wondering if I'm nuts to have started this blog... I realize I keep up with people quite well on facebook but I can't seem to wrap my head around blogging!

Anyhow, things are going quite well. Grandma & Grandpa threw the most fabulous baby shower for me last weekend. I think Grandma was a little shocked by how many people showed up... thinking maybe she was in for 10 or so, we had almost 30 people there!

Everything went down without a hitch though... and boy oh boy, I have the most generous friends and family ever. I came home loaded to the gills with wonderful findings for our expected baby.

The nursery is coming along nicely. I'm working on some art for the walls now. I had this idea to stencil images of hibiscus and peony flowers on the walls along with butterflies and suns... Now to see if it actually materializes. I'm really great at adding too much to my plate these days :)

I'm still keeping a full appointment book and am only allowing myself to take maternity leave a short 3 weeks before due date. When you have people counting on you to keep them looking beautiful, you make sacrifices!!!

I'd love to post pictures of the shower for you all to see, but unfortunately I was the one in the chair opening gifts! Grandpa... Grandma... Mom?????? I know there were nonstop camera flashes, so ante up, please!!!

Much love and kisses,

Kristi, Shea and Baby

26th week doctor visit

shea & i had a doctor's appointment this morning and all is well!

i've gained 5 pounds so far. doctor says another 10 would suffice. but i'm just trying not to pack it all on too quickly! blood pressure is excellent... and this little baby girl is a MOVER!!!
i actually had some concerns about how active she is... i asked my nurse practitioner today if my baby has ADD or something. she just laughed and warned both shea and i that we better get our rest now cause there's a good chance she's going to be a firey little one. but seriously, she is extremely active. i wake in the morning and she's at it. as i sit here at work at 12:30pm, she's moving around. she moves around while i'm at school. whether i'm driving, or sitting or cutting hair or eating or peeing... she's at it. she moves when i get home at 10:30pm. she moves when i go to bed after midnight. there's really no rhyme, reason, or rhythm to her antics... she's just an active little thing!

as far as pregnancy goes, it's been a breeze! i guess i'm one of the lucky ones, not having a lick of morning sickness, no problems so far, no insane weight gain, no odd cravings, no major sensitivities to smells or anything. i have my fingers crossed that our birth goes as smoothly!

shea finished the nursery for us yesterday. it's beautiful. i'll post pictures once i get everything in it's spot :). 2 more weeks to 3rd trimester and getting more and more excited everyday!

love you all,

kristi

photo shoot

i recently participated in a photo shoot at school. my model was cassie "bear" smith, the daughter of one of the ladies in my office. shoot took place in boise, october 2009. hair, makeup, and photography all done by yours truly :)

Welcome!

this is my first time "blogging", call me old fashioned, but i've been quite fond of facebook and good ol' email.
with baby on the way and so many of my family across state lines, i figured i'd keep everyone updated on the haps of the Swanson-Teels (aka.. sweatpant mafia!!!).
happy reading.

love, kristi, shea, hunter & baby