olivia with mom after being swaddled

Welcome Olivia Caroline Barth

Melissa got her water broken at noon and started pushing at 5:18 p.m. At 8:02 pm Olivia came into the world at 6 lbs 10 ounces and 18 1/2 inches long. She came face up which was a surprise to us and our doctor. I guess that's why she was so stubborn at the end. We are so excited and exhausted at the same time. We are resting in our room upstairs for the evening and Olivia is getting check ups still. More to come tomorrow.

hospital bound

we left the house at 4aM for the hospital. At first it seemed like we would get sent home but then the contractions kicked up around 5:15 am. Melissa got the epidural at 10 am and is trying to sleep now. Hopefully we'll get to see Olivia soon enough. I'm going to try a nap myself soon

Brendon

Waiting...

Still waiting and not much happening. On Friday Melissa was definitely not ready for Olivia to come. When she woke up Saturday- she said she is ready. Well nothing has happened. So here is what we have been doing the past few days.

1. Have the Last Supper- we went out to lunch on Friday thinking this would be the last supper as a husband and wife with no children.

2. Pack the car- and then unpack the car. The car is ready to go but we are finding that we need things out of it so we have had to unpack some stuff from a car.

3. Watch a lot of sports and television- we have watched more of March Madness then ever. We have watched hockey- the Thrashers sucked it up big time last night against the Sabres- embarrassing loss. Today Nascar is on tap- that means Napcar for Melissa and more basketball and possibly some more hockey. Melissa has also watched a plethora of Lifetime movies- thank goodness for LMN.

4. Go to a baby shower and ride a bike- Melissa wasn't sure if she would make it to her friend Malissa's shower but got so sick of just sitting around, she got ready to go. While Melissa went to the shower Brendon went for a bike ride at Harbins Park. The park was really close to the shower so in case anything happened....he would be close by.

5. Go for a walk- we went for a walk last night hoping that would do the trick- all that made Melissa do is want to go to the bathroom.

6. Bake/Cook- Melissa decided to make home made waffles for breakfast this morning and another batch of banana bread. Brendon made corned beef and cabbage last night.

7. Read- We have been reading, rereading... everything possible to make sure that we are prepared.

8. False Alarm Trips to the hospital- ZERO.

We will keep you updated if anything happens.

P.S. If you have Skype you can add us- search for brendon.barth and then you can add us then when we do go to the hospital and are there we can Skype and you can see Olivia!

36 week update

Well we have had a rough week! Melissa ended up with some form of virus this week. She woke up Sunday morning with a little sore throat and then woke up Monday with a fever. She kicked the sore throat pretty soon but is a little congested still.

Wednesday Melissa starting feeling a lot of pressure and could barely walk. She called the doctor on Wednesday night and then stayed home Thursday- doctor said bedrest for the day and to call Friday morning. She called this morning and we ended up going in. They decided to remove the cerclage which they were going to do on Monday anyways. After they got the stitch out they checked to see if she was dilated- and voila- 3 cm. So we are on baby watch for now. We have the car packed and ready to go. We are both nervous and excited about what is to come. Melissa wants to keep Olivia in the womb as long as possible and let her grow and develop! Right now Olivia would be 4 weeks early. Her real due date is April 14th.

So for now- just a lot of waiting and seeing. If nothing happens- we go back on Monday afternoon for another check. Keep us in your prayers!!

Surprises!

Yesterday we received 2 packages! We get really happy when we get packages!

The first package was from Melissa's cousins- Melanie and her 2 daughters Bonnie and Grace, and Lisa. Olivia received some great books- the ones that are touch and feel and have mirrors!! She also got some great toys, a soft blanket, and a picture frame. They also gave us a Target giftcard!! Thank you soooooo much!!

The second package was from our friend Cathy. Cathy got Olivia a cute monkey blanket and 4 receiving blankets which are big- we have been looking for some larger blankets for swaddling. Also Olivia got more plaid- everyone knows Melissa loves some plaid =) The shirt is adorable!! Cathy also sent some great information on breastfeeding. Melissa went to the class last Saturday and felt like she didn't have enough information- so thank you Cathy for letting us borrow your information and the beautiful gift.

We are so grateful and appreciative for all the gifts that we have received. We are overwhelmed by everyone's kindness and generosity. At times it is overwhelming because we know that there are so many people that love Olivia already. Thank you so much everyone!!

Almost 35 weeks update

Here are some updates from the past week or so...

A co-worker of Melissa's- Kristi Terri- also has a daughter named Olivia. She gave us 2 cute personalized burp clothes and is letting us borrow a cute diaper cover for some cute pictures!! Thank You Kristi!!

Thank you to the Whidden Family who sent us this great package today! We greatly appreciate it but we are so sad that you are moving this summer from Florida to Philidelphia. Who will we have a UGA/ Florida rivalry with???? But we are so happy for you! My friend Missy Whidden gave us the idea for the blog! Check hers out with her cutie son Ryan!! http://www.babywhidden.com/

Installing the car seat =)

Jake, the car seat, and part of Melissa... you can at least see the bump.

Brendon decided to plant an apple tree for Olivia. Hopefully we will be picking apples together as a family in a few years. We planted another apple tree last year and it takes a few years to pollinate and produce apples.

Melissa with the apple tree.