Chloe Anne Arrives

Chloe arrived on October 28th, 2010 at 8 :07 A.M. She weighed 6 lbs and 4 oz. and was 18 and 3/4 inches long. Her Apgar score was a 9 both times. She had no problems with the C-section I ended up having because she was breech. The Dr. tried to turn her manually four times but she was not budging. She is strong girl.

We stayed in the hospital for four days to recooperated. I started to nurse her an hour after she was born. Clint go to go to the nursery with her right after they delivered her. He held her little hand while her Apgar scores were taken and she was cleaned off. Once I was finshed with surgery, I got to reunite with Clint and Chloe back in our room.

We had two sets of family come in to visit after we spent some alone time with our new bundle of joy. Clint's parents and my dad came back to see her. Then my mom, Clint's brother Trevor and my best friend Kim came back to see her. We had lots of visitors the whole four days we were at the hospital. Clint's boss Penny and her daughter Miranda. Shannon and her husband, Pete, Eden and Bethany from our church, Eddie our pastor, and Carrie my co-worker and friend. I was so grateful for the visitors and all the gifts they brought to our little Chloe.

The nurses, nursery workers and lactation specialists at the hospital were great. It was a rough 24 hours with the c-section recovery. I have never had surgery before then and was not sure what to expect. The nurses walked me through everything and helped me through being connected to all the wires and IV.

Clint was also wonderful during the whole process. He seemed to go a little white as we were whisked off to the OR for the c-section. He looked cute in the scrubs. He was very supportive to me and then was right there for Chloe and stayed with her since the moment she was born. He spent every night with me in the hospital pull out chair which I know was not comfortable. He helped me in and out of bed and even rubbed lotion on my legs one day. He would assist me with burping Chloe after feedings which is now one of his bonding times with her since it hurts to hold her a certain way with the c-section and evergrowing chest area. He gave me a push present the day before we went into the hospital. He gave me my favorite cake from my favorite bakery. I am glad he is happy to be a dad and I know he will be the best dad ever.
Oh and he says we need to take a picture of Chloe every Thursday. I said that was a good idea and then he said till she is 18. I said that may not work but he was kinda serious. I can just see her telling her friends she can't go out Thurs. nights because she had to get her picture taken. lol

I am also very grateful to my dad and Clint's parents who came to town for the birth. They stayed at our home while we were in the hospital and came to visit every day for most of the day during our four day stay. It was nice to have my dad around and he was very caring toward me and loved spending time with granddaughter number 2. He is a sucker for girls. I still call him Daddy and I am 31. Clint's parents are still at the house helping us with laundry cooking and holding Chloe, their favorite thing of the three to do. Things would definately have been rougher this first week if they had not been here.

Chloe continue to do well the first first few days at home. Her first Dr's appt was today (details to come later) and the doctor gave her all kinds of compliments. She is doing great.

She has made it through the first week with flying colors. She had many of her firsts this week also. First smile, bath, tummy time, swing ride and bouncy seat ride. I will post pics of these and also you can see pictures of Chloe from birth till now on the shutterfly website her grandama put together for her. chloeannratliff.shutterfly.com

38 weeks

Maternity photos

We got a CD with 250 pics but these are the ones that stood out. lol Okay so having problems downloading pics. Stay tuned...

Clint's work baby shower

Clint's co-workers threw him a baby shower today. He had to wear a purple bandanna like a bib and a multi colored lay. He also had to drink his Dr. Pepper out of a bottle. I would have killed to be a fly on the wall. But instead I got some pics. Here you go for your viewing pleasure!! lol

Sorry they are sideways, that is how Clint sent them to me.

TN shower pictures

More shower pictures

Shower in VA at my dad's...

Baby Showers

I have had a few showers over the past few months. I am so grateful to the friends and family that have thrown these showers. I had a church shower this past weekend thrown by my friends Eden and Bethany. I had a shower in VA thrown by my dad and step mom with some great party favors by my sister in law Nicole. I had a shower in August, thrown by my best friends, Shannon, Kim and Jennifer. All three showers were awesome. I had great guests and got great gifts for Chloe. Here are some pictures of my chruch shower this weekend.

Halloween ??

So the due date is about 5 weeks away. We are due on October 30th so I couldn't let this Halloween pass without making Chloe her first Halloween costume. Hopefully she will cooperate and arrive the last week of October and placing her in the costume will be perfect. So if you couldn't tell from the picture she will be our little ladybug. This homemade outfit was made by her mother with some creative suggestions from her dad. I hope you like it...

34 week dr. appt.

I went to the Dr for my last bi-monthly appt. I weighed 140 pounds. That means I gained one pound since my last appt. My Dr. measured me and i measured just right, 34 cm. The heartbeat was 145 bpm and when I started talking it went up to 150. The dcotor said she recognized my voice. :-) our next appt. is october 1st. at this appt. we will have our last ultrasound. Dr. can also tell how big she is approx. October 1st is the first of our weekly appts. We will have appts. every Friday for the month of October until her due date. She is getting bigger and bigger and my stomach is popping out. My bellybutton is also starting to pop out. (pics to come later) You can now see my belly move when she moves. It is kinda crazy lookin. Clint and I had maternity photos the day after this appt. I will post those also once we receive them. I have started to pack our hospital bag. I want to be prepared in case something happens early, I would hate to have to explain to Clint what we need and where it is in the house. :-0

32 weeks

Prediction: Chloe will have alot of hair

I went to the doctor last Wednesday the 18th. I weigh 139. I gained 5 pounds since the last appt. about 3 and a half weeks ago. Her heart beat was strong again at 155 bpm. I got my blood sugar test results back. Anything under 140 is good and I was 88. The doctor measured my belly and it was 39 cm which matches since I was 39 weeks. The doctor said my belly looked good, not stretch marks so far. (knock on wood). I told the doctor about my heartburn which has been pretty awful. No matter what I eat or what time of the day or night I get heartburn. She said this is normal for the third trimester and she gave me a prescription for Zantac. My doctor said since I have bad heartburn she will probably have a full head of hair. lol We will see. The doctor also said that the appts will start to get closer together. My next appt. is set for September 1st, then Sept. 17th and then I go in weekly till she arrives. I can't believe how quick time has gone by since we found out she was a girl. 10 weeks to go :-)

30 week belly pic

My shirt is starting to get shorter at the bottom. lol

More Nursery photots

Nursery is complete!!

Nursery almost complete

Clint and I have been working hard to get this room put together. We have spend several weekends doing many tasks. The first weekend I taped off the edges and laid drop cloths. Then Clint took over and painted most of the walls. We are doing crown molding and chair rail so we have some areas that aren't painted. I also started sewing the curtains this weekend.

The next weekend Clint did some more painting and touch ups. I made some crafts to go in Chloe's room. I also repainted (with a mask of course) some of the treasures I found at the antique stores. My friend Kim and I went on a mission earlier in July to find shabby chic decor to fill up the room.
This last weekend we bought the crown molding and chair rail and Clint painted it so it will be ready to hang this weekend when Kim and her husband come down to help. (We have no clue how to hang that stuff so we have called in the experts). This weekend I also made two more homemade crafts. A bulletin board covered in the same fabric as the curtains and a ribbon mobile that will hang from the ceiling. It kind looks like a ribbon chandelier. Chloe's name also came in the mail. This will go directly above her crib.

We are excited and proud of the room we have put together. Final pics will be sent at a later date once the room is complete.

Construction takes place in the nursery

Clint put together the crib on Sunday. He did a great job! He actually read the directions as you can see which is suprising for him. He usually likes to figure things out on his own. I know he wanted it to be done just right for baby Chloe.

Before and After...So far

Estimated 8 weeks

25 week belly pic

Weekend at Granda's

So we made a trip to Mississippi over the weekend of July fourth to see Clint's family. We had a great time relaxing and shopping for a flat screen TV for grandpa. Oh and the food was amazing. I definately ate too much but you can't pass up home grown food. Chloe also had her first round of gifts from Clint's side of the family. She got her first baby doll from her great Aunt Jill. Great Maw Maw Sue got her booties that look like little mary jane's and Granda and Grandpa bought two cute outfits and will buy her crib. It was so nice to have the family be excited about her upcoming arrival and want to bless her with such nice things. Thanks everyone!! Chloe is going to be well rested and the best dressed girl, next to her cousin Lyla of course.

Nursery is coming together

So the paint colors have been chosen and the bedding has been bought. I have been slowly planning the nursery decor over the past few weeks. I also decided to sew curtains and bought the fabric weekend before last. We are going to buy the crib tommorow, which will be a gift from Clint's parents. Today I went antique shopping with my friend Kimberly. I was able to get some great finds. A shelf to go over the changing table, a shabby chic picture frame, a decorative box to hold things, and a antique lamp with a tin shade. Very cute stuff. Everything is coming together. Tomorrow Clint plans to paint the nursery while I sew curtains. Chloe will have the best room ever!!!! Above is a pic of some things I plan to put in the room. I will post pics of what I bought today at a later time.

22 weeks

Labor of Love class

So we went to our first birthing class tonight. It is a four week class every Tuesday night for two hours. Tonight we learned about some interesting things. The class is taught by a nurse that works at Summit Hospital which is the hospital our Dr is at and where we will be delivering. She taught us what certain terms mean like effaced, dilated and quickening. Also what signs mean you need to come to the hospital and some things that you wouldn't come to the hospital for. We then took a tour of the labor and delivery wing. We saw the nursery and there was one baby girl in there. She was cute and had a yellow bow in her hair. She had lots of hair. :-) After delivery you get to spend one with your baby before they go to the nursery.

We then got to see a room. The room is a labor, delivery and post par tum room. The bed converts when you need to deliver. There is a TV and DVD player which Clint was happy about. Also wireless Internet. I told Clint no surfing the net while I am in labor. lol. Each nurse is assigned one to two patients. They recommended bringing anything to the hospital to make you comfortable, even suggested an egg crate for the dad to use in the fold out chair.

At next weeks class we are to bring a blanket, pillow and tennis ball. But she didn't say what we will be doing. Tune in next week to find out.

Hi my name is: Chloe Anne Ratliff

After much discussion and getting over the fact that Clint has a friend with a little girl named Chloe, we have officially decided that our baby girl will be named Chloe Anne Ratliff. Initials C.A.R. This is one of Clint's favorite parts about the name. One of mine is the middle name. Probably because my middle name is Anne along with both of my aunts. Clint is starting to talk to my belly but it's just random stuff, but it's cute. I will send more belly pics as I take them. As I get bigger you might actually get to see my belly without the shirt. We registered this weekend. It was fun but a little overwhelming. Who knew a baby needed so much. We registered at Babies R Us and Target. We think we have found our bedding and the crib. Clint is very good at picking out stuff for the nursery and helping me make my ideas reality. Uncle Trevor will be a vital part also in the nursery coming together. He and Clint moved the office furniture out of the room we are using for the nursery and moved it into a spare bedroom. Good thing he works for food. Next he and Clint will be painting the nursery. Thanks Uncle Trevor!!!

I will post pics of the progress in the nursery as it is made.

20 week belly pic

A little bigger but not much. :-) I am ready to look pregnant to those who don't know. lol. Chloe weighed 12 oz. at my appt. on the 9th. Next appt. is on June 30th.

It's a GIRL!!

We had our appt. this morning to find out the sex. After 30 minutes of trying to get a good view we were able to see she was a GIRL. She had the ubillical cord in between her legs for awhile and then her legs were crossed and then her hand. The Dr. said the baby was either shy or a comedian. I said probably both if the baby is like their father. Our modest little girl also stuck out her tongue at us a couple times. It was neat to see. While looking for girl or boy parts we got to see the rest of her body. We could clearly see the brain while looking at the top of the head. We also got to see the four chambers of the heart, the stomach, liver, legs, hands, bottom, ribs and spine. The Dr. said everything is forming well and she didn't see anything of concern. Everything looked really good. I gained 2.5 pounds since the last appt. Overall I have gained 5 lbs in five months. Not bad I don't think. My Dr. said the biggest jump in weight occurs between 18 and 22 weeks. I will be 20 weeks on Saturday. The heartbeat was good again this time. It was 141 at the begininng and then 148 later in the appt.

My next appt is June 3oth. I believe I will just hear the heartbeat at this appt.

Sonagram pics to come...

Lyla bean

My recent beach trip with the family was a blast. I got to see my niece Lyla for the first time. She is two months old and precious. Clint was really taken with her. He held her and fed her a bottle a time or two. Clint is definately hooked on babies. All he could say is Lyla is the best baby and he hopes ours has that great temperment and personality. I can't wait to see her again. Hopefully in August. Here are some of my favorite pics of her...

BOY or GIRL?!

So we find out the sex of our baby on Wednesday the 9th. Our appt. is at 8 a.m. so most of you will get a text or call shortly thereafter. For now lets take a vote. Comment back on the blog to case your vote before Wed.

17 week belly pic

15 1/2 week appt.

I went for another appt. on 5/12/10. The same workup was done at the beginning of the visit... blood pressure, urine test for iron levels and weight check.

I gained two pounds since my last visit. I have been having lots of allergy and sinus issues but my doctor assured me Tylenol Sinus is okay to take. Also allergy medications are okay also. My doctor said that I am progressing nicely and are just the right size. I was worried I was not big enough. She also said that I will notice the biggest jump in weight gain between 18 to 22 weeks, so not to be worried because I will not consistently gain that amount in that short amount of time in the future.

I got the hear the babies heartbeat and the baby kept moving so much it took a minute for the machine to register. The doctor had to keep moving the monitor to find it. She went pretty low on me and was able to get a good read. The little guy or girl was active. The heartbeat was between 146-150 bpm. Right where it should be. The doctor said I should be able to feel the baby between 18 to 20 weeks. Then daily at 24 weeks. That will be neat, but different!

While at the visit I also got some information on classes to take at the hospital. They offer a childbirth education class which is a 4 to 5 week course on Tuesday and Thursday nights. During the class they also give us a tour of the labor and delivery rooms. They also offer breastfeeding classes. I plan to get signed up for these classes, we need all the classes we can get. At least I do. :-)

Reminder we find out what we are having at our next appt. June 9th. Yay!!!!!!

14 week baby bump

Baby's first gifts

My brother and his wife sent us this Giraffe, story books and pregnancy scrap booking stickers about three weeks ago. The Giraffe is the same, as the one they bought for their baby when they first found out they were pregnant. So cousins will have matching first toys. :-) (Thanks James and Nicole)

My mom then gave me these two dresses that were mine as a baby. The white one was made by my Grannie and the red and white was bought by my aunt pat. If we don't have a girl, Lyla will be sporting these lovely dresses. Mom also gave me about 15 books from my childhood. Titles include: Curious George, Cloudy with a chance of meatballs and Danny and the Dinosaur. Some of these are probably James' favorites and I plan to pass some of them on to him so Lyla can benefit from these classics. Glad mom kept all these.
Also mom gave us this table and chair set that she bought back when she was wishing for grandchildren. I will probably paint these to match the nursery once we know what the gender is. (Thanks mom).

I can't wait to find out the gender and start getting the nursery underway. These items will be a great start to the room!!!