Birth Story

I was exhausted on Wednesday November 14, 2012. I worked a full day, but I was very sluggish. I even shut my door and took a little nap during my lunch. I got off work and headed home to fix dinner. After eating a grilled hamburger, I went to bed at 8:00 PM. I usually don't go to sleep until 10:00 PM, but I couldn't keep my eyes open. Little did I know then that I would need those extra 2 hours of sleep. I think my body was preparing me for labor. Scott came to bed around 10:00 PM. I later found out that I was snoring, and he couldn't get to sleep. He stayed up watching TV until after midnight. At 2:00 AM, I woke up to contractions. I stayed in bed for a while but couldn't fall back to sleep. I was so excited and kept wondering if it was the beginning of labor. After about a hour, I decided to get on up. I took a bath just in case. I made sure to shave my legs and wash my hair. After my shower, I sat on the couch watching Steve Harvey's talk show and put on some make-up. I called my mom and told her what was going on. Mom thought I was in labor. She said to go to the hospital asap!! I thought she was overreacting. She convinced me to call the doctor and see what they thought. In our child birth class, they told us to download a timing contraction app and to wait until contractions were 5 minutes apart lasting for 1 minute for 1 hour (5-1-1). Some contractions were coming back to back, but some where 2-7 minutes apart. They were not regular and not painful, so I figured I would stay at home until the 5-1-1 rule was happening. I called the doctor anyways and talked to a woman at the answering service. Since I was 39 weeks, she said to go on to L & D and get checked out. I DID NOT want to have a false alarm and be sent home, but I had to go because the lady on the phone said they would be expecting me. I called my mom back at ~3:30 AM and asked if she would come get Junior like we had planned. I started a load of laundry and woke Scott up. He DID NOT think it was labor. I was not hurting/screaming like we both imagined. He was taking his precious time getting up and into the shower. I didn't say anything because I honestly thought we either a.) had plenty of time or b.) it was false labor. Bless his heart, he had only been asleep for a few hours when I woke him up. Once he was in the shower, I made the bed, finished the laundry, and got dressed. At 4:30 AM, my mom arrived at our house. Right when she walked in, I leaned up against the kitchen counter and told her I was having a contraction. During the contraction, my water broke!! According to Scott, we all went nuts. I was crying because I knew I was about to meet my baby. Scott jumped into high gear and started putting our bags in the trunk while mom was running around my house looking for dry pants. Mom took Junior to her house and said she would be up at the hospital later in the morning. The plan was to call people once we were in a room and checked to see how far along I was. I was admitted at 5:41 AM. My nurse Amy checked me shortly after and said that I was 4 cm. She predicted I would dialate 1 cm every hour and have a baby around lunch time. Although I wasn't hurting, she said I could go ahead and get an epidural. I got the epidural about a hour after arriving at the hospital. My mom and Scott's parents got to the hospital around 9:00 AM, and we all visited in my room. Scott was watching the monitor and let me know that the contractions were coming one after the other. I told Scott and the grandparents that I was feeling "different" around 9:30 AM, so Amy asked everybody to leave while she checked me. Amy had a funny look on her face and said you aren't going to believe what you are dialated to. I grinned and predicted that I was 8 cm. She said you are 10!! I started crying and she started getting the room ready for a delivery. She let the grandparents come in for a second, and I got to tell them I was about to push. They couldn't believe it (although my mom told me the whole 9 months that we have babies fast). At 10:00 AM, I started practice pushes with nurse Amy while we waited on the doctor. Pushing caused me to get nauseous. I vomited several times. I kept apologizing to Amy for getting sick. She told me that vomiting can help push the baby out. After pushing and vomiting through 2 contractions, the doctor came in. The doctor wanted to see me push. I pushed during a contraction, and the doctor immediately said that she was going to have to use forceps. I got very upset and started crying. I told her to give me another chance to push her out, so she had Amy hold one end of a towel and me the other. She told me to pull on the towel while I was pushing. I was pulling the towel, pushing, and vomiting in a bucket that Scott was holding when our baby girl shot out. She came out so fast that the doctor and nurses gave her the nickname Rocket. Our 6 lb 13 oz 19" baby girl was born on November 15, 2012 at 10:30 AM.

The difference a month makes

Let's Ask America

A little back history….

I have been known to apply for a game show or two.  While living in Auburn, Deal or No Deal was the new game show on TV.  I applied.  I remember getting a call back while eating at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Acopulco’s.  Well, one phone interview turned into two then three.  Before I knew it, they had asked that my supporters that I wanted to be on the show come to Auburn to do a video interview with the show producers.  My mom, Maw.Maw., Gabe, and Scott all came to my apartment for the video interview and to play a round of the game.  I thought we had it in the bag, but I never heard back from the show.

Fast forward a few years….

Since being married, I was able to get my family an audition for Family Feud which fell through, and I recently went to the open casting call in Birmingham for Big Brother.  The Price is Right had a special episode earlier this summer for expectant women only.  I was put on a waiting list for tickets, and they notified me less than 24 hours before the show that I had a ticket.  Things just never seemed to work out.

A few months ago, a strange number showed up on my cell phone, and I answered.  They asked to speak with Casey Barrett.  Apparently, a new game show had gotten my application and my video interview tape from when I auditioned to be on Deal or No Deal 7 years ago.  They asked me to fill out a new application with my current information if I was interested.  I was interested!!  I had several phone and skype interviews with assistant producers and producers.   I knew it was getting serious when I had a hour long interview with the producer.  I came home from work a few weeks ago and had a box on my front porch.  When I opened the box, I read a letter that said I had been chosen to be on Let’s Ask America.  They sent me all kinds of Let’s Ask America gear like a shirt, bumper sticker, cups, etc.  They called the night I received the letter and set up a tape date for last Tuesday (8/21).  I was scheduled to start taping the show at 3:00 on Tuesday.  I played against 3 other people.  The game is similar to Family Feud.  Random people were surveyed, and we won money if we matched the correct answer.  After each round, the person with the least amount of money would be eliminated until only one person remained.  The grand total you could win was $50,000.  I made it to the third round, but I ended up losing to the only other girl on the show.  The final question was WHICH PERSON DID 100 ARTIST SAY THEY WOULD MOST LIKE TO HAVE AS A NUDE MODEL.  The possible answers were WILLIE NELSON, CARNIE WILSON, CATHY BATES, OR KEITH RICHARS.  I guessed Keith Richards.  The correct answer was Cathy Bates.  The other contestant didn’t get it right either (she guessed Willie), but I had the lowest score and was eliminated.  I was so disappointed.  I had big plans for my winnings.  Oh well, it was SO MUCH FUN!!  It was something I have ALWAYS wanted to do, but I think I’m hanging up my game show/reality TV dreams for a while.  Let’s Ask America is scheduled to premiere on September 17.  They didn’t know when my show would be on TV.  Only certain TV markets get the network that Let’s Ask America will be shown on, so I don’t think we will be able to watch.

You can read more about the show here:  http://www.letsaskamerica.tv/

26-27 weeks??

My due date is 11-22-12 (Thanksgiving Day) which makes me 26 weeks and 4 days today.  However, I always thought I was four days ahead of the due date given by the doctor (after all, I was there when I conceived and knew she was mistaken on her day of conception).  I thought my due date should be 11-18-12 which would make me 27 weeks and 1 day today.  Well, at my doctor's appointment on Friday, the doctor said I'm measuring 6 days ahead of the 11-22-12 due date which would make me 27 weeks and 3 days today and due on 11-16-12.  All of the dates are really close, but it makes it hard to take my weekly pictures and know how many weeks pregnant I am.

Size of baby:  Head of lettuce.  The doctor estimated that she weighed 2 lbs 1 oz on Friday.

Weight:  At my 26 weeks appointment on Friday (8/17), I had gained 1 lb in the last month.  I am now only 2 lbs below my starting weight.

Best moment of the week:  Before seeing the doctor on Friday, Scott and I got to see baby girl in 4D.  She's pretty cute!!

Movement:  All the time unless I actually want her to move (ex. during ultrasound, wanting somebody to feel her).  She is especially active before I go to sleep (10:00-11:00 pm) and before I get up in the mornings (6:00 am).

Symptoms:  Heartburn, Getting full quick but eating often

Food cravings/aversions:  Cravings-salt, meat; Aversions-still not eating a lot of sweets, potatoes

Belly button in or out: Looks normal

What I miss:  Drinking unlimited amounts of Diet Pepsi

What I am looking forward to:  My church and Gadsden baby showers in September

Nursery:  It's my favorite room in the house, and I love going in there to sit and rock.  It is coming together great, but I do need to go get a crib mattress.

Exercise:  I stay very busy at work and on the weekends.  I figure all that walking has to count as exercise.  Right??

Locust Fork Baby Shower

My SIL wanted to help host a baby shower for Scott and I.  Since she is a teacher and off in the summers, she came up with her family from Miami.  The shower was sweet and perfect.  She had planned the theme and ordered invites before knowing if Baby Partain was a boy or girl.  The yellow/black with touches of pink was adorable.

Mom and Rick in the Gadsden Times

www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20120801/NEWS/120809999

There are a few typos in the article, but I think it's very cool!! My dad didn't pass away from brain cancer....it was lung cancer.  I called mom immediately after reading it thinking they had kept something from me.  Nope, it was just a typo.  I told her dad wouldn't mind, but if they made a typo and said that Gabe and I went to "that other school" he would be MAD.  I learned things about Rick that I didn't know.  Their backyard is absolutely beautiful, and I'm proud that it was recognized.

Kaci Lee's Wedding Shower

On Saturday, we celebrated my childhood friend's upcoming December wedding.  I'm sad about no longer being in the wedding, but my due date and her wedding were just too close.  I'm so excited to see Kaci Lee as a bride and will probably cry the whole day.  We have been friends since she was 4 and I was 12.

 Philip and Kaci Lee

 Kaci Lee with the hostesses

 The wedding party girls