I know. I know. Today is supposed to be my week 37 pregnancy update post. But things got a little wild this past week and SURPRISE! We had a baby!
Over the past two weeks I had some great doctor’s visits and everything was looking fantastic. However, each time the doctor mentioned that she thought we might be on track for an early delivery. Last week my doctor took off for a week of vacation and her last remark was, “Just don’t have that baby til I get back.” So of course, we had that baby while she was gone. I sort of blame her for jinxing us. Just kidding.
With perfect timing, we had our baby shower a week ago Sunday. We filled up the nursery and spent Monday out running errands to get the last few things we thought we might need to get before Baby Dudek arrived. On Wednesday we left to get our car seat installed and on the way we received a call from our hospital. They were calling to confirm our preregistration process. Shortly after while we were getting the car seat installed and learning how to use it, I leaned over to Rock and told him we might need to call the doctor’s office when we got out.
Sure enough, we were in labor! Almost 24 hours later Mary Katherine Dudek arrived. I am happy to say that she is healthy and happy and we are now home and resting as a family.
I cannot begin to tell you how incredibly blessed we feel. From our family, friends and all of my wonderful blogging buddies we have received nothing but amazing support.
It had not been my intention on this blog to do many pregnancy updates. I remember when Rock and I spent so much time wishing to start a family and at times felt so hopeless. It was hard to read blog posts or hear pregnancy announcements. However, I received so much wonderful feedback on this blog over the past few weeks that encouraged me to share our pregnancy journey and in large part about my ability to continue to run and exercise throughout pregnancy.
While I spent the last week not running, I was able to run right up until a week before our delivery. Every doctor, midwife and nurse we met along the way and especially during the labor and delivery process had nothing but awesome things to say about the running. In fact, most everyone believed that my running allowed me to have a very healthy pregnancy and although my labor was a long one, it went really well thanks to this sport.
As I said before I have always wanted to be respectful of everyone’s journey and process to have a family. Running isn’t always for everyone and not all pregnancies are suitable for running. It is important to speak with your doctor and also to do what feels best for you emotionally.
If there is one thing I have learned from all of this, it is patience. Be patient with your body and with each other. Allow your body to take time to get there and trust it to do what it needs to. This not only pertains to running but to just about everything from the process of actually getting pregnant, to dealing with the changes your body goes through on an almost daily basis.
And now I am looking forward to losing my former identity and forever being known as “Mary’s Mom.”
Running On Healthy 
Aahhhh Mary’s mom! Love it!!
It has a nice ring to it 🙂
Congratulations! That is so excited! What a sweet name! You are Mary’s mother runner 😉 And yes, you need to get one of those shirts!!!!!
That shirt is so perfect. I am adding it to my wish list for Rock right now! And thank you. We are over the moon excited right now….and beginning our sleep deprivation training 😉
I love everything about this blog post! I’m so happy for you! So many blessings ahead!
Thank you so much 🙂
awww….she is beautiful !! So, glad to hear everything went well! Enjoy this time, it goes by so fast 🙂
I can’t believe how fast she is already growing! We are trying to savor every moment. Thank you so much 🙂
Congrats Sarah! So excited for you both 🙂
Thank you so much!
I am just so happy and excited for you. I can’t wait to go for runs with you and the jogging stroller!
Thank you! Oh yes, we will have to arrange that. I can’t wait to start running again. Honestly, my body feels so good right now that I wish I could but I have to wait a little while longer. More time for snuggling 🙂
Sarah, when I heard that Mary Katherine was born I burst into tears. I was so worried. I guess I just I’m an excellent worrier. We were so thrilled to hear that she finally arrived. Baby Ronan is surprising us all. he is five whole days old and has not screamed once. Of course he’s pretty much a barnacle on Maddy and fusses when anyone else holds him. We are waiting for the bomb to drop but it would not surprise me if continued on in this most amazing way. rock screamed his lungs out and exhausted us. AC (aunt Cory) and uncle mark took rock to the beach yesterday and had a gas. We call him rockadile. You two must be in heaven with your baby. I know when I had Bret I thought I was the only one in the world that could give birth to such a beautiful boy. Love the picture of Rock. It says a thousand words. Love the Gibsons and Antons
Thank you Sally. We are doing well and are just so excited. Rock is of course amazing. Could we expect anything less?! I am so excited about these two cousins that are just hours apart from each other. They are going to be the greatest of friends some day. Enjoy your baby and Maddy time!
And then they were three. Congratulations on the huge news, Mary’s Mom! What a lovable face she has! So happy for you. Best wishes and lots of restful rest for your family!
That was almost my blog title today. Reminds me of my first Agatha Christie book :). Thank you so much!
Ha. Great minds!
Congratulations! She’s beautiful 😀
Thank you so much!
yayyyy congrats!! look at that darling little face! welcome to this world, Mary Katherine. hope you two soak up every magical moment of this special time.
Thanks Shawna! We are having a blast so far 🙂
Hi Mary’s mom!! 😀 Congrats! She is absolutely beautiful and I love love looove her name!!!! ♡ gahhh!!!! So much cuteness! Those pictures! I’m dying! So many exclamation marks!
Congrats!! So many people seem to be having their babies early! Hope you are doing well!
Thanks Sara. I was thinking of you and hoping you were doing well. We delivered at Evanston and wondered if by some craziness we might run into each other ;). Keep enjoying yours!
Ahhhh I tried to comment on this the other day and it wouldn’t let me so I posted it to facebook! I am so over the moon for you and your family. Her name is absolutely beautiful too. Little girls are so much fun. Congratulations again!!!
Thank you so much. I was so tired at the time that I didn’t make the Facebook connection. I just had an Aha moment! Thank you so much!
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Congratulations on your new arrival- even if it was an early surprise! Glad you did get the car seat in and the baby shower done :).
Haha thanks. Yes it was a relief that we got all of our errands in. Just in the nick of time.
Oh yay! Congrats! She is so precious 😃
Thanks Katie!
OMG. I WAS AWAY LAST WEEK AND HAD A CRAZY WEEKEND I DEFINITELY MISSED THIS POST!!! OMG! CONGRATS! Mary is so beautiful!!! What a blessing!!!
Thanks Allison. Always a fun surprise anytime! So glad you had a nice week away too.
Congratulations!!!! She is precious. 🙂
Thank you 🙂
Congrats!! Enjoy these sweet moments with that new baby, they go by far too fast! (Even if when you’re sleep deprived they seem like fooooorever)
Thank you. She is so tiny and I know that will change in the blink of an eye. So I’m trying to savor all of it.
OMGOMGOMG!!!!! I’m super late but CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! She looks beautiful! So happy for your adorable family ❤ Sending all my love!!!
Thank you so much! We are having a blast. 🙂
Congratulations, Sarah! I’ve been off of WP for the summer, but wanted to check in on you as soon as I returned. I’m so happy to hear baby Mary arrived safe and sound! Let the love fest continue 🙂
Thank you so much. So thoughtful of you to check in. I hope you are having a wonderful summer!
Hello Mary! Congratulations! I can’t believe I missed your news. I hope you’re all doing okay!
Aw thank you! It’s still fun when I hear her name. We are doing well and learning the ropes.
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