Luke is Here (The Birth Story)!

Picking up where I left off last time, on Friday September 27th Katy and Jason joined us for pizza night. We feasted on pepperoni and olive (my favorite) and the all-meat combo. Our hubbies fell asleep on the couch watching 'Fast & Loud' and Katy and I gabbed away about waiting for the baby. We also snuck in a few belly photos before the sun set. In addition to being frustrated over a day with no contractions (after two days of inconsistent ones), I was over the edge since my feet were so swollen they would no longer fit in my slouchy, pre-pregnancy roomy cowboy boots. I officially had one pair of shoes my feet would fit into, at least for a few hours before they would start swelling on the top in a less than glamorous manner. 

After saying goodnight (and waking our men up off the couch!) I gave into my frustrations of waiting. I mean it was 11 days til his official due date, I convinced myself to just CHILL. I prayed and let it all go. I repeated to myself that God knew Luke's birthday and birth story, and it wasn't one I could be the author of. I just had to wait. I fell asleep and within a half-hour I sprung out of bed faster than I have in months! I ran to the bathroom and sat there wondering if it really could be that my water just broke. When I felt it was 'safe' I made my way back to our bedroom to get fresh clothes. And that's when the second gush came and a series of earth shattering contractions began. I yelled something that I'm pretty sure wasn't even English and Cody sat up half-asleep to ask what the commotion was all about. As he woke himself up, I hung out in the shower--I only had a few items of clothing that still fit, so I figured the shower was the best place to be until it was time to head to the hospital. I had enough clarity to laugh at the irony of how I fell asleep giving control to God and was awakened so soon after with a clear answer!

We arrived at the hospital at about 12:30 AM on Saturday, September 28th. I was immediately given a bed, private room and the nicest nurse on the planet. For the next few hours I tried to sleep while contractions built and I continued to dilate--which means I got no sleep. Cody did, however! At about 3AM I was given an injection to slow my contractions, they were coming every minute and therefore not as effective. By noontime I was desperate for the epidural. My mom and Cody spent the day swapping out as my bedside encourager (around coffee and meal breaks!). I was able to sneak in a power nap with the epidural (finally!) At around 4PM I was feeling the urge to push, so we gave that a thirty minute try. It was around this time that I felt like I had to epidural at all. I mean my legs were dead weight, but my tailbone was horrendously painful. My contractions were also back to every minute, so we had to slow everything down again. Throughout the entire day, I was continually comforted by the monitor showing no change in Luke's strong heartbeat. Usually my level of contractions would have been a stress on the baby, but Luke was strong as ever the whole time! 

After my additional anesthetic cocktail for tailbone pain (Luke was set on being born 'sunny side up') and another injection to manage my contractions, I was ready to try pushing again by 7PM. Long day already, but this baby was going to be born on the 28th or bust! My mom and Cody were at my sides and we had one nurse coaching us along (an emergency cesarean had stretched the staff thin). Mom was on ice-chip duty and Cody was on oxygen mask duty. It wasn't long before my contractions sped back up to be by the minute again but with the oxygen and ice-chips we made it through. As exhausted as I was, I had no idea it had been two hours, and thanks to the epidural + tailbone cocktail the pressure of labor was bearable. I did manage to (accidentally) clock Cody in the jaw, though. At 9PM I was still pushing and the majority of my epidural and additional tailbone painkillers had worn off. We tried every angle to get him to turn and make the process easier, but he refused to budge! Since I had been pushing for two hours it was time to get the baby out myself or turn to additional help by the doctor. That's when my midwife rescuer arrived. I mean this in the most flattering of ways--she was the best combination of drill sergeant and cheerleader there ever was. She yelled with me, at me and for me. And at 9:11 Luke was born and made his first cry!

He was quickly placed on my chest and I could barely see through my tears to look back into his eyes. It was a moment I will never forget and to have Cody with me from water breaking to this moment was more than I could have ever asked for. We had been so worried about my water breaking while he was an hour away at his job, so it was truly God's plan to have orchestrated it all this way. He and my mom provided tremendous support in their own ways that I can't imagine my labor any other way. My mom is a pro at childbirth, having four healthy children herself (three with no epidural!) and could also be called a baby whisperer. Babies just love her. Cody has an infamous weak stomach, I was fully ready for him to need breaks during the climax of labor. But he didn't. He never left my side! The two of them coached me through in their individual and intimate knowledge of me and what I needed that nobody else has. Plus, my mom was able to steer Cody appropriately away from me and to our son so he wouldn't see too much of the afterbirth loveliness. 

During the end of labor, I had also gone into a fever. So Luke would automatically spend his first twelve hours in the NICU for testing and antibiotics. That first night was everything. Exciting & exhausting. We would visit the NICU every 3 hours to continue bonding and trying to nurse. Which meant by the time we were woken up, and made the slow  walk down the hall we got about one hour of sleep at a time. I could barely put one foot in front of the other! But it was worth every teensy step to hold Luke and freak out in excitement over our new reality. By 10AM the next morning, Luke was cleared from the NICU and back to our recovery room. I was given the go-ahead for a shower & family and friends began pouring in to admire our babe! So far, the world is in agreement that he is in fact the  cutest baby ever!!

Luke Cody

Born September 28th, 2013

at 9:11 PM

8 lbs. 5 oz.

21 inches long

Blue eyes &

(Lots of!) Brown hair

Welcome to our family little Luke! We love you and are so excited to have you here in our arms!

9 Month Bump--Taken Just in Time!

My final bump photo. Little did I know we'd be making a midnight run for the hospital later this same day! 

Our not-so-little man (thankfully) made his grand entrance into our lives a little over 24 hours from these photos. I credit spicy pizza (no not the infamous 'prego pizza') and a little something called letting go and giving God control. I went to bed extremely frustrated that I'd had ZERO contractions after two days of having lots of in-consistent ones. I fell asleep repeating "God is in control, He knows Luke's birthday and birth story--you are just along for the ride on this one." I had fallen asleep for no more than thirty minutes when I found myself leaping out of bed to avoid getting 'water' on my freshly washed sheets!

And the rest of that story is to be continued with photos of the babe!

View the rest of my growing tummy here: Months 1-4, Months 5 & 6, Month 7, Month 8

Best Ever Pregnancy Safe "Cocktail" : (Not So) Dark and Stormy

There's a handful of us currently pregnant in my circle of friends right now. To celebrate, we threw a quickie "Cocktail" (Mocktail!) Night together and gabbed for hours on all the glories of pregnancy. It was really a lot of fun to just talk preggo talk, you know cravings, how we broke the news, choosing a name, clothing troubles, etc. 

Throughout being pregnant, especially on hot summer days, I've experimented here and there with mocktails. Usually just adding some fresh ingredients to tonic or Sprite (typically lemon slices, maybe lime or cilantro sprigs), just to give a little variety to the gallons of water I'm downing daily. 

But thanks to Ashley, I've found IT. The best ever mocktail ever. Ever, ever. 

It's called the (Not So) Dark & Stormy. Gather ginger ale, molasses, fresh lime juice & lime wedges for garnish. The original recipe (and a lot of others too!) can be found here.

8 Month Bump & My Favorite Things for Pregnancy

We are officially at the 'any day now' mark. Of course this means the wait could still be for several more weeks, but hopefully not! The most recent photos I took from a few weeks ago are below. I think my monthly count has been slighty off since technically a woman is pregnant for 10 months, but oh well! It was pretty convenient for me to just take a photo at the start of each month and count that way since Baby Boy is due in October (the 10th month!) and I found out I was one month pregnant on Feb 1st! So regardless here I am at 8 months, even though I should probably refer to it as nine months!

As I wrap up this whole pregnancy gig, I've been thinking about the things I really latched onto. Let me just say one thing: Pregnancy is hard work! I mean I knew it would be taxing on my body, but WOW. From the moment you are pregnant, you are placed on the back burner and that baby is all your body focuses on. Which considering that growing a human inside a human thing is pretty extreme, I shouldn't be surprised. But nothing I read or heard could have prepared me for the ride. Well, maybe just hearing the advice that if you're feeling sick, uncomfortable and just overall strange--that's a sign all is right in the growing of your baby! It's supposed to completely take over your life! (Obviously there are dangerous symptoms your doctor will go over with you to watch out for!!) But all in all, I'm viewing it as training for when that baby is born, because I will remain on the back burner for that little love bug his entire life!

So my favorite pregnancy things are...

Mint Tea

Mint gum

Tums (I knew I was really pregnant when I was seriouly ecstatic that the all cherry flavored bottles were on sale....!)

Ginger Gum/Ginger Candies

Seabands (you can also apply two fingers of pressure just below where you would find your wrist pulse and slightly inward, works wonders for nausea!)

A large refillable water bottle (dehydration is not an option!)

Insole shoe cushions 

Wet wipes (Especially towards the end of pregnancy, because its un-realistic to take 40 showers per day)

Palmer's Coco Butter lotion (THE BEST EVER. I think I will continue using it after pregnancy too!)

Epsom salt (for foot soaks & warmish baths)

Gel ice-packs (mold to your back, ribs or wherever else!)

There are lots and lots of pregnancy must have lists out there, but these are the things I really couldn't have survived without. And there are a whole lot of other items recommended for childbirth too, but I haven't had that experience yet!

Feel free to leave a comment with anything you loved to this during pregnancy list!

View the rest of my growing tummy here: Months 1-4, Months 5 & 6, Month 7

Little Red Wagon Baby Shower

Last weekend my parents hosted our baby shower for Luke. My mom, friends & aunties all echoed my favoritism to big bold boy colors and threw a Little Red Wagon themed party! It was totally perfect and I have to share everything they worked so hard on--so get ready for a picture overload today!

The shower was held in the afternoon, perfect timing for light snacks, lemonade & dessert. My sweet cousin Haley made 'cake pops' using donut holes, we had 'dirt' pudding in a table-top red wagon (complete with worms and shovel to serve!). Lot's of blue candy was scattered on each table & the favors were chocolate chip cookies (tied with ribbon left over from our wedding favors!) and cardboard box 'wagons' with chocolates inside. My mom also spruced up the fireplace mantle with a clothesline of all-american boy clothes: plaid button ups, blue jeans & a cowboy hat! A pocket sized Curious George wooden car and a large red "L" was the cherry on top! For games, Ashley gathered up victims for a pregnant version of twister (tape a pillow to your midsection and see how well you do!) and guests filled out the sweetest wishes for Luke to read when he's older. 

 

 

The invites were purchased through DressUpMyParty on Etsy and they turned out just as I had imagined!

(Above is the shop image for chosen invite style, click here for more!)

And now for all those thank you notes I need to write....!

Seventh Month Bump & How Dogs Have Prepped Me for Motherhood

All caught up now on pregnancy bump (all though it's quite a bit larger than a 'just a bump' now!) photos! 

Here is month seven!

Even though this photo was taken just a couple of weeks ago, I feel like I look so much smaller here! I am convinced my little mister is growing by the hour. This weekend is my much anticipated weekend of baby centered craziness...baby shower on Saturday and maternity photos with Cody on Sunday! 

A few weeks ago Cody and I were talking about the seemingly very common train of events to familyhood: get married, get a dog(s) and then graduate to kids. It sounds kind of silly, because raising dogs is obviously very different than raising a human (Cody was quick to point out that our infant can't be left in the backyard so we can have our Friday night date at Chili's!). But we came up with a list and I thought I would share it!

 How dogs have prepared us for kids:

• They need to be fed on a regular basis.
• They need to be potty trained.
• They put everything in their mouths out of plain curiosity. 
• They make messes & need to be cleaned up after. (Nose prints on the windows, muddy paws..)
• Give them their own toys so your things don't become chewables. 
• Socialization helps them learn how to interact with their peers.
• They whine and whimper when they are sad or want attention. (Our dogs in particular have some serious vocal range!)
• They just want to play. Like all the time.
• They have trouble transitioning from play time to quiet time.
• They need a balance of love & discipline.
• They need treats & cuddles to reinforce good behavior.
• They have natural fears and individual personalities which may require different training methods.

Have anything to add??

Bumpalicious...!

Terribly behind on posting these baby bump photos, but oh my goodness all I want to do is sleep these days!  This little guy is definitely growing and taking everything from me! But I guess with Daddy being 6'4" in height, should I expect any less?

Month 5

(And a nod to the little man!)

Month 6

(I've been told I have officially "popped"!)

And now I am coming up on needing the seventh month update! I am currently 29 weeks, although I was measuring 28 weeks along at my last appointment (3 weeks ago!). So at my next appointment we will measure again and see if the little guy is likely to make his entrance in September instead!

Cody has finished closing up the walls in the baby's room too. The new double pane window and insulated walls has made an immediate impact! Now its texturing the new sheetock and I need to re-visit my paint color choice. Now that the walls are closed up its much easier for me to envision the room as a finished product and I'm worried my original beige choice will be a bit dark in there.

So there you have it! And now its time for a nap...