Exhale....

Wow, the last four days or so have been so incredibly nerve wracking for me! Thank goodness they're finally over! Our ultrasound was scheduled for last Friday (June 3rd), but due to a really bad storm we got overnight, the OB clinic on post lost power, so they were unable to see me that morning. The soonest they could get me back in was today (June 7th). Of course, after waiting 10 days already since the ultrasound had been scheduled, I was really bummed about not going in that day. I'm sure you all know that I've been a little stressed about Emalyn running into the same complications that Juliet did, with the IUGR and not growing at a healthy rate. So when the ultrasound was cancelled, I started worrying myself even more. I knew that at my previous OB visit, my belly had measured a little on the small side, but nothing that seemed to concern the doctor. So I ended up measuring my own belly, just to give myself peace of mind while I waited for Tuesday to roll around. Turns out, the number I was getting was about 4cm smaller than it should have been, so this ended up worrying me further. I called the OB nurse and explained what was happening, and he was very helpful in listening and looking into my charts and history. He did mention that at my last OB visit, the doctor had also measured me 4cm smaller than normal. I guess that's what he meant by "a little on the small side." The nurse told me that as long as Emalyn is still kicking, and her activity level doesn't change, then I shouldn't be worried, and that the ultrasound on Tuesday would be able to give me more answers. Of course, all I heard was that my belly has been measuring 4 weeks behind. (When the doctors first discovered the problem with Juliet, my belly had measured 3 weeks too small.) I panicked. I had a complete meltdown, and spent the next two hours crying uncontrollably on my couch. I felt sure that the same thing was happening all over again, and that when I went in for Tuesday's ultrasound, they were going to find that she was too small and end up delivering her by c-section that day. (That's how it happened with Juliet.) Thankfully, Juliet was taking a nap during all of this. I ended up taking a bubble bath to help myself relax. So needless to say, I had been mentally preparing myself for the worst at the ultrasound.

BUT.... Everything looks great! Emalyn weighs 5lb 3oz today, and is in the 43rd percentile for her age. She's already more than a pound heavier than Juliet was when she was born! Her heart rate is 158bpm, and everything looks perfect! She even has her head down still! I can't tell you how relieved I am to know that she's healthy and safe in my belly.

The OB said that I may just always have a small belly, and that they're no longer going to look at the specific number and if it matches the week of pregnancy I'm in, but instead, they just want to make sure that the number is increasing steadily. Our next appointment is in two weeks.


Last week I went to the childbirth class offered at Tripler, where we'll be delivering Emalyn. I spend a LOT of time reading up on pregnancy and vbac deliveries and whatnot, so I wasn't sure what the class would tell me that I hadn't already learned, but I still felt it was important to go, since this will technically be my first time giving birth. I'm so glad I did, because in addition to going through the stages of labor and what I can expect and the types of interventions the doctors use at this specific hospital, I was able to talk to the L&D nurse about my individual situation, and have a better idea now of how my labor will be handled once I'm admitted. As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm a little bummed about having to remain on continuous fetal monitoring, but at least I'm prepared for that now and wont have my hopes shot down while I'm in labor. Since I'm not planning on having an epidural, I'll be able to sit in a rocking chair or on the birthing ball (as long as I keep them close enough to the monitors), and depending on the nursing staff, I might also be able to use the jacuzzi tub in the room, which would be fantastic! After taking the childbirth classes, I feel so much more confident that I'll be able to have a successful VBAC delivery.


We've been busy at home, too, over the last couple of weeks. Juliet and I have washed and put away all of Emalyn's clothes, receiving blankets, bedding, burp cloths, etc. It amazes me how much laundry someone who's not even born could have! I think I ended up with 4 loads of laundry, just for Emalyn. I've also gotten my hospital bag packed and ready to go! I'm really excited about it actually, I ended up buying a new diaper bag, and that's what I'm using for the hospital. I spent about a month and a half researching reviews and looking for the perfect bag that would be big enough to carry what I need for two small kids, while not being gigantic. I had made a diaper bag a while back for this purpose, but after using it with just Juliet, I learned that it still wasn't big enough. I had it completely packed anytime we went out, and can't imagine how crowded and cluttered it would feel when I added in all of a newborn's needs as well. The one I ended up getting was a Skip Hop Loft bag from Target, and I love it! It's a super cute bag, wasn't expensive at all, and has everything I was looking for! I'm so happy, and I can't wait until Emalyn is here and I can use it!


I've been feeling very uncomfortable lately. Emalyn is big and gets herself into all sorts of awkward positions. Her head is on my bladder, her butt is under the left side of my ribcage, and her feet are constantly kicking the right side of my ribcage, and sometimes my right hip, too. Bending over to get anything is nearly impossible (thankfully I've perfected my ability to pick things up with my toes!!) and a lot of times I have to arch my back and push down just to get her to move into a slightly more comfortable position. I get heartburn just about anytime I eat or drink anything, or lay down, or bend over, or put any sort of pressure on the top of my belly (say, when Juliet tries to climb all over me). My hips and back are pretty much constantly aching, and I take a bubble bath almost every night. I dread going to bed every night because it almost always ends in hours of tossing and turning and staring at the ceiling while I try to fall asleep. But despite all of this, I'm still very relieved that I get to stay pregnant for another month or so, instead of delivering Emalyn now because of a complication.

Hopefully Matt will be able to come home soon, and Kaitlin will be here in 3 weeks! After that, I'm perfectly fine with going into labor at any time!

Good news from the OB

Just a quick update about today's OB appointment!

Emalyn is looking good, with a strong and steady heartbeat. My belly is measuring a little on the small side for how far along we are, but the obstetrician didn't seem very concerned, and said it was still within the normal range. Just to be on the safe side, I have an ultrasound scheduled for June 3rd where they will measure her to be sure she's still growing as she should. Also, because of my history with Juliet, they are going to start seeing me for regular OB visits every two weeks now, instead of every four. I think this is when most obstetricians increase visits to every two weeks, but military doctors usually don't until after you've hit 36 weeks. Anyway, I'm happy they'll be seeing me more often, and that they're doing the ultrasound next week. It helps put my mind at ease knowing that they will be watching Emalyn's grown closely, as well as my progress. After all, I've got to stay pregnant until Matt gets home and Kaitlin gets out here ;)

I also got a few answers today about what I can expect once I go into labor, some good news and some not so great. The obstetrician assured me that they'll be monitoring Emalyn very closely while I'm in labor. I asked him if this meant continuous fetal monitoring, and he said it did. I'm a little bummed about that, because I'd much prefer to be able to get in and out of bed as I like while I'm in labor, rather than be tied down by monitors. Everything I've read or heard about labor says that being able to stand up helps tremendously, since my body can work with gravity to help bring the baby down. On the plus side, however- He told me that they will not make me have a catheter (woohoo!!!), which means that I'll have to unhook myself from the monitors and walk to the restroom whenever I have to pee. Hm.. I plan on drinking a LOT that day... I'm also planning on staying home as long as I can once I go into labor so that I'll be able to spend less time actually at the hospital.

We got our "stork parking" pass for the hospital today! I can't believe we're close enough to be able to park in the special spots they've reserved for women in labor!! We're almost there!

Anyway, overall good news from the obstetrician today! I'll update again after our ultrasound next Friday! (Hopefully with pictures of Emalyn!)

How can something seem so close, and so far, at the same time?

Wow, has it really been over a month since I've updated this?? Time is flying right now! I just looked at the countdown on the right, and it says I have 48 days until Emalyn's due date- that's so soon! And at the same time.. that's forty-eight whole days to go.... That might as well be 48 months.. Haha!

I'm 33 weeks and 1 day, less than 7 weeks to go. It's hard to imagine that in less than 7 weeks my world will be so drastically different than it is today. Today, it's just me and Juliet, all by ourselves in our new house in Hawaii. I spend most days trying to scrounge up enough energy to keep her happy, while also finishing up the last bit of unpacking and keeping the house clean. Juliet loves to be outside, so most days we go to the park that's in front of our house, and if I'm feeling up for it, we go to the beach. She loves to play in the sand and water! In about 7 weeks, it will be (hopefully) me, Matt, Juliet, and baby Emalyn, all adjusting to having our family of four together after so much time waiting! It almost doesn't seem real.

Our move to Hawaii went pretty well, all things considered. The flight was long, but went smoothly, and Juliet was very well behaved considering it was a 20 hour day of traveling! It took about a week for her to adjust to the 6-hour time difference, but now she's back on her regular schedule. That's great news for me, since it means I can- attempt to- get some regular sleep too! We were very lucky, and able to move into our house about a week and a half after we arrived on island. Now that we're settled in, we're enjoying Hawaii while we wait for Daddy and the new baby. Of course, we miss all of our family and friends in Florida so much!!!

Enough about me and Juliet, let's talk about this pregnancy! So far, things are continuing to go very well. I had an OB visit just a few days after arriving in Hawaii, at about 29 weeks. At that point, my belly was measuring right on target, Emalyn had her head down, and my weight gain was still very steady. I believe I weighed 128lbs at that appointment. I spoke with the obstetrician about the VBAC delivery I'm hoping for, and he agreed that I'm a good candidate, as long as things continue to go uncomplicated, and Emalyn isn't breech when I go into labor. That's great news for me, since I was nervous about switching obstetricians and having a hard time finding someone who would agree to let me attempt a natural birth. It seems that Hawaii is much more relaxed about VBAC deliveries than Florida is. So lots of prayers and happy thoughts that this pregnancy continues to go well, and Emalyn keeps her head down, please!

According to the last weekly email I received from BabyCenter, Emalyn should be about 4lbs and 17in long now! Those were Juliet's exact weight and length when she was born! It's very strange to think that Emalyn is already as big as Juliet was when she was born, and even more strange to think that Juliet was that tiny at one point!

How I'm feeling (physically): Exhausted! It's becoming increasingly difficult to find a comfortable position to sleep in these days, so I spend a lot of time tossing and turning. It doesn't help that Emalyn (like all babies) is very active when I lay down to go to sleep, so while I'm struggling to find that perfect position to lay in, I'm being repeatedly jabbed in the ribs. I've also been dealing with a lot of heartburn lately, and keep a bottle of Tums right by my bed. My back and hips are a little achy, but a warm bath usually helps with that. Thankfully, the bathtub in our new house is amazing, and super deep (the water will actually cover my belly!!), so I can really relax. My appetite is still pretty big, and I still haven't hit the point where I seem to have no room for food. I very rarely feel full, unless I really eat a lot. According to my scale at home, I weigh around 134lbs now, which means that I have officially gained over 30lbs so far this pregnancy!! As Matt pointed out, this is the most I've ever weighed! While most women would shed a tear over that fact, I feel great about it! I've always been thin, but throughout my pregnancy with Juliet and between her birth and finding out I was pregnant with Emalyn, I struggled to keep weight on, and constantly felt like I was too thin and looked sickly. I finally feel like I'm gaining a normal and healthy amount of weight!

How I'm feeling (emotionally): All sorts of things.. I'm getting very excited about meeting Emalyn so soon. I can't wait to see what she's like, what she shares with her sister, and how she's different. I'm excited to see how Juliet reacts to being a big sister, and hoping she's happy about it! I'm also getting nervous, because I'm a week away from where I was when Juliet was born. While this pregnancy has been so different than my first, I'm still worried that something is going to happen and Emalyn will be born early as well. I don't feel like I'm ready to have her just yet (although when my back is aching and I'm tossing and turning at night trying to fall asleep, I sometimes wish I could just have her already, haha!). I feel like I have too much to do to prepare for her, and I need Matt to get home first. I'm getting anxious about her birth day too. I'm praying everything goes smoothly, and I'll have the VBAC delivery I want without interference from doctors, being quick to want to intervene. But I've also read up a lot on TOLAC (trial of labor after cesarean) and VBAC, and know that a lot of doctors, while they may agree to let me attempt, will be quick to tell me I need an emergency cesarean when it may not exactly be necessary. I'm hoping the obstetrician on call when I go into labor is very supportive of my wishes. But I guess it's all just a roll of the dice.


Our next OB appointment is on Monday, so we'll make sure Emalyn is still growing strong. I plan on asking a lot of questions about how the delivery will go- Will I be able to request a midwife to deliver Emalyn, rather than an obstetrician (midwives are generally more willing to let a mother labor naturally, without unnecessary interventions)? Will I be required to have continuous fetal monitoring while I'm in labor, or will they be ok with periodic checks of the baby's heart rate? Will I be able to walk around, or will I be required to stay in bed (this goes along with the fetal monitoring question)? I'm hoping they tell me that I can have a midwife deliver the baby, that I won't have to have continuous fetal monitoring, and that I'll be able to stand up and walk around as I like while I'm in labor. Again, I guess it's a roll of the dice, depending on who is on call when Emalyn decides its time to make her debut.

In just 38 days (who's counting??) Matt's oldest sister, Kaitlin will arrive in Hawaii for five weeks! I'm very excited about her coming to stay with us, and helping us adjust to life with two kids. I'm hoping Emalyn will stay put until she gets here!

For now, it's time to get Juliet up and fed! I'll try not to let so long go between now and my next post!

The Last Trimester Begins..

Here we are: 27 weeks (and 2 days)- the beginning of the third and final trimester of our pregnancy! It's hard to believe that Emalyn will be in our arms in three months. I'm so excited, and so ready to meet her!

Emalyn weighs about 2 pounds now, and is 14.5 inches long. She's big enough now to kick my ribs, which she does pretty frequently. Her kicks are still pretty strong, but I can tell she's starting to run out of room. Just a few months and she'll be able to stretch out again! :)

We had our OB visit earlier this week, and everything is progressing the way it should. I'm still gaining weight pretty steadily, having put on 7lbs since our last appointment for a total of 24lbs so far. My belly is measuring at exactly the right size- I asked the obstetrician to double check, since we're getting close to the point in my first pregnancy where they noticed, from measuring my belly, that Juliet's growth had slowed down and she needed to be monitored more closely. I'm not expecting the same thing to happen this time around, but I can't help but be a little nervous about it.

Throughout the last few weeks, I've started noticing some of the not-so-fun symptoms of the third trimester creeping up on me. I haven't been sleeping well at night- tossing and turning to get comfortable, getting up to pee several times a night, having a hard time falling asleep in general- and so I've been finding myself running out of energy during the day. I've also been waking up every now and then with leg cramps, and more Braxton Hicks contractions. Thankfully, I haven't had any back aches or swelling feet or ankles yet, and hopefully they'll stay away.

My appetite is still pretty good. I'm always hungry, and somehow never seem to feel full. I'm not sure how, since Emalyn is taking up so much room in my belly that I don't know where the food goes. I've been craving milk a lot lately, which is odd, because normally I don't care for drinking milk. Cheese and yogurt I always love, but now I find myself drinking several glasses of milk a day. I guess Emalyn is using up a lot of calcium right now!

My belly is getting quite round, and I feel like I'm as big now as I was when Juliet was born. It's a little scary, since I still have another three months to grow! I have also noticed that I'm carrying Emalyn a little higher than Juliet.

27 Weeks with Emalyn:

33 1/2 Weeks with Juliet (one week before she was born):

In just over a week, Juliet and I are moving back to Hawaii!! It's going to be a long day of traveling, but I'm very excited to be back and get settled in our new home! I'm looking forward to getting Emalyn's nursery set up, and getting moved in ready for Matt to come home. And of course, I'm excited to tan my belly on the beaches of Hawaii :)

Packing on the Pounds!

Juliet, Emalyn, and I have been very busy lately. Just a few days ago, we got back from almost two weeks in Missouri, visiting the Libbys. We had a great time, and it was so nice to get away and relax for a while! Of course, that means that now I'm super busy, haha!

Kelly and Jon's wedding is in 8 days, and Juliet and I will be flying to South Carolina for that next Thursday! We're so excited that we're able to be there for such a special day!! I couldn't be happier for my big sister, she's found an amazing man to marry! I'm lucky I'll be able to call him a brother next weekend.

About two weeks after we get home from the wedding, Juliet and I will be moving back to Hawaii to anxiously await Matt's return and Emalyn's arrival! We have lots of packing to do before then, between visiting with friends and family before we leave, of course! I'm hoping that things will go smoothly once we arrive in Hawaii, and we won't have to wait long for a house on post to move into! The sooner we can get settled, the better!



We're 25 weeks into the pregnancy today! Only 15 weeks until Emalyn's due date! According to my weekly email from BabyCenter, she's over 13 inches long, and weighs about a pound and a half!! What's scary to me, is that Juliet was born at 34 weeks, which is only 9 weeks from where we are now. I'm hoping that once we're settled in our new house in Hawaii, I'll be able to rest as much as possible and make sure Emalyn stays put a little longer than her big sister did!

We had our 22 week check-up on March 9th, and everything is looking good. I'm definitely gaining weight at this point, though! From my previous appointment four weeks earlier, I had gained 10 pounds!! My obstetrician was a little bit surprised by that number, and actually double- and triple-checked my weight on the scale. At this point in the pregnancy, I should be gaining about a pound a week, and I had gained two and a half times that. She said she wasn't too concerned just yet, especially since I was underweight to begin with. She expects that at our next appointment on April 6, my weight gain won't be nearly as drastic, if I gain any weight at all. I can tell from the scale at home, though, that I've already put on 4 to 5 pounds since then. We'll see what my obstetrician has to say about that in a week and a half!




With my body growing and changing as quickly as it is, I figured it would be a good time to go through my clothes and pack up anything that no longer fits to be shipped to Hawaii. I was a little shocked when I was done, and 90% of my clothes were gone. I hadn't realized just how big my belly had grown until I saw it peeking out from underneath almost every shirt I own! But hey, that will make packing our suitcases much, much easier!!

For the most part, I'm still feeling good and enjoying my pregnancy, although I have hit that point where my energy is starting to fade a little, and sleep is hard to come by. I've been feeling like I need a nap in the afternoons to get through most days, although I usually don't take advantage of the opportunity to sleep when it arises. There's always something else that needs to be done! At night, I don't usually have trouble falling asleep, but I've been waking up two or three times a night because I'm uncomfortable and need to roll over and reposition all of my pillows in order to get comfortable again. Of course, by the time I get myself situated, I realize that I really have to pee. So I'll get up, go pee, and get back into bed and try to get comfortable again. Once I'm comfortable, my stomach will start growling at me, telling me that I'm starving, because it's been more than 3 hours since my last meal. I'll lay in bed and try to ignore my stomach, and when I've just about fallen back asleep, Emalyn will wake up and start pounding on me as hard as she possibly can (which at this point, is very hard!). By the time I fall back asleep, I've been awake for at least an hour. It's frustrating, but I know that once she's born, none of these little frustrations will matter! Either that, or I'll be so exhausted from waking up several times a night to feed her that I won't be able to remember, haha!


I'll try to keep updating as often as possible, but with everything going on over the next few weeks, I'm not making any promises!

I'll wrap up this post by saying a huge Congratulations to Matt, who is being promoted to Sergeant next week!! Jules, Emmy, and I are so very proud!

Things are looking good!!

Just wanted to write a quick update about the ultrasound last week! I had heard there was a chance that the placenta could move upwards before the end of the pregnancy, but I had assumed that it would be a gradual thing. Apparently, it doesn't have to be gradual! We got lucky, and the placenta has already moved away from the cervix, enough that the high risk specialist I was referred to said that "the pregnancy looks perfect" and there's no reason to keep seeing her! Talk about a relief!!

I also think it's neat to see how similar Emalyn and Juliet look. The picture of Juliet was taken when she was about 10 days old.

Emalyn is doing fantastic, growing bigger and kicking all the time! One of my favorite things to do is just sit back and watch my belly jump all over the place as she's playing. Of course, with a toddler who is constantly trying to explore every corner of the house (Currently, my friend, Sheena's, house) I don't always get to just sit down and stare at my belly for very long. That's alright though, it makes those special moments when I do even more special!

Juliet loves to come snuggle up on my belly, almost like she's giving her sister a hug. It's so sweet. I am always telling her that her baby sister is in there, although I'm pretty sure she's too young to understand. When I do say "there's a baby in there!" she tries to pull my skin, like its a piece of clothing she's trying to look under, haha! She also plays with my belly button all the time still, which is really cute to watch!

I'm still feeling great! I get tired if I've been running around a lot, and I still find myself going to bed pretty early these days, but aside from that, everything is wonderful! My appetite is huge, and I constantly feel like I should be eating. I try to stick with the healthier foods, but I've had a major sweet tooth lately. Ice cream, cinnamon buns, and chocolate chip cookies especially! I'm still gaining weight pretty steadily, although still much faster than I did with Juliet! I weighed 115.5lbs on March 2nd, a total of almost 12lbs gained so far this pregnancy.

We have our next OB visit on Wednesday, so we'll see where we're at then. After that, Emalyn is going on her first plane ride! We're headed up to Missouri to visit Matt's aunt and uncle again! We're all so excited!

Emalyn Coral

We're 21 weeks into the pregnancy already! Over halfway done! It's hard to believe sometimes that these 40 weeks are going by as quickly as they are. Before I know it, we're going to have two beautiful children to love on.

Matt got home for RnR on February 10th, and we had an amazing 15 days together! I absolutely love my little family, and I'm very much looking forward to this summer when he is home for good and we meet the next member of the Reif family.

About 4 hours after his plane landed, we had an ultrasound appointment to find out if we're having a baby boy or baby girl. And guess what?? IT'S A GIRL!! I can honestly say that I was surprised by this news, since my gut had been telling me for a while that we were going to have a boy. However, I am absolutely thrilled that we'll have two beautiful girls running around our home giggling with each other.

It took almost the entire 15 days that Matt was home to decide on her name, but we've found the perfect one! Emalyn Coral Reif. I fell in love with Emalyn the second I heard it, and I love that we can call her 'Emma' or 'Emmy' when she's young. We decided to give Coral as her middle name for Pa, Matt's grandpa. When Matt's mom was pregnant with his oldest sister, Pa wanted so badly to name her Coral, since her last name is Reif. He loved the idea. That didn't work out, and so when Matt and I were pregnant with Juliet, Pa suggested we name her Coral as well. At the time, I couldn't bring myself to give my baby a name like Coral Reif. Pa passed away in October, and Matt was able to come home on emergency leave to attend the service and be here for his family. That's when she was conceived. So, since we wouldn't have little Emalyn on the way if it weren't for Pa, we decided to use Coral as her middle name. Plus, I think Emalyn Coral sounds beautiful.

The past month or so has been a great one as far as the pregnancy goes. My belly is getting bigger by the minute, and Emmy is getting stronger and stronger every day! I feel her kicking and playing throughout the day, every day. I can even see my belly bouncing around when she's having fun in there! It's amazing! Matt was able to see and feel her kicks, too, while he was home, and I'm so thankful that he was able to share in that part of the pregnancy. It's truly one of my favorite parts of being pregnant.

Juliet has discovered my belly button, and she loves to play with it. She really does take after her daddy, haha! She'll climb up on my lap and pull up my shirt and either try to pinch my belly button, or push it back in. She cracks me up!

My funky food cravings seem to have passed, although now I'm constantly hungry. I find myself eating 3 to 4 big meals a day, and snacking non-stop in between them. The good news is that I've finally been putting on weight, about 12 lbs so far. My entire pregnancy with Juliet, I only gained 15lbs (lost 10 in the first trimester, then put on 25 from there), and I had been struggling to keep weight on since she was born.

I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions every now and then for a few weeks. I sometimes get them when Emalyn has wiggled herself into a funny position that's not very comfortable for me, and then the contraction on top of it is really uncomfortable! Usually though, they just come and go without bothering me much.

A couple of her funny positions:

As usual, when things seem to be going along perfectly, some sort of complication seems to pop up. That's what happened two days ago, when I received a phone call from USF Women's Care scheduling me for a high-risk ultrasound. I had no idea why they were calling me, or that my obstetrician had referred me to have an in-depth screening done. I freaked out as my mind went through all of the possible complications that could be arising out of no where. After calling my OB, I found out that I have placenta previa, which means that instead of being at the top of my uterus, the placenta is laying low, close to my cervix. I'm not sure at this point how low the placenta is, or if it's actually covering my cervix. If it is, I'll have no choice but to have another cesarean section that will most likely be scheduled a couple weeks before my due date. There is a possibility that if it's not covering my cervix, it may shift upwards, hopefully allowing me to attempt a VBAC delivery. My ultrasound at USF is scheduled for Wednesday, so I'll know more at that point.

I know that everything will work out in the end, and all that matters is that Emalyn and I are safe and healthy!