I hope we learned our lesson...

The thing about having a baby is that a good majority of your conversation begins to revolve around diaper changes.  The frequency and severity of poopy diapers become common topics of discussion.  (This is why new parents stay home with babies for a few weeks: we are socially inept).

So when you notice your newborn hasn't pooped in more than 24 hours, it is advisable not to leave the house ever.  But if you do, probably you should not do so without an extra change of clothes, plastic bags, a few hundred wipes, and some container for storing hazardous material because inevitably she will decide to have a blowout in the parking lot of the Home Depot.  And it will get all over everything.

Then, because you are left unprepared for such dire circumstances, you will be forced to change a disasterous diaper in the back seat of the car on a burp cloth while your husband dry heaves in the parking lot.  Then you will carry a mostly naked newborn around the paint department in a poop stained blanket while trying to decide if your fingers will always be poop colored.  You will most definitely feel like the trashiest of white trash around but you will insist on buying the gallon of paint you came for because it took an hour to get out the door in the first place and if you go home now, you will forever admit defeat.

The best part of all: the horror of being so unprepared for a massive poo-splosion is outweighed by the reassurance that your newborn finally pooped and is visibly content and happy.

The End.

Birth Story: Avery Margaret Part Three

The pushing phase was not at all how I had expected.  I thought it would be... noisier.  Instead it was me, Kyle, and our soft spoken and amazing nurse, Betsy.  My parents hid quietly in the corner by my head to take pictures but I totally forgot they were even there.  Betsy made me relaxed and focused because she was so soft spoken and calm.  She was just what I needed.

Thanks to the epidural, my right leg was totally dead.  Kyle was enlisted to hold it up for me so he got a front row seat whether he was ready for it or not.  Betsy had a hold of the other leg, which I could still move to some degree.  Betsy instructed me in the method of pushing and for the next 45 minutes I pushed along with the contractions.  It was quiet and everything was so calm and peaceful. 

Pushing was hard work but the 45 minutes went by fast and soon it was time to call the doctor in.  Avery's head was coming close and Kyle could see her hair.  I could see that he was really excited and seeing him so happy made me even happier.  The doctor praised me for my expert pushing abilities.  It's funny that when you're pregnant, comments from doctors like "You have a great cervix" and "You're a great pusher" are the best compliments in the world.  (Later, they just sound kind of weird) 

It all happened so fast: first her head was out and I could see elation in Kyle's face.  Another push and Avery was here.  It was 10:35 AM and I vaguely remember hearing the doctor talk Kyle through cutting the umbilical cord.  Avery was immediately placed on my chest and Kyle and I admired her for the first time.  I couldn't believe she was finally here!

Her little hands grasped our fingers and she tried to open her dark baby eyes.  Her top lip stuck out over her bottom lip and we joke now that she looked like a little fish.  We were surprised she had a lot of brown hair and noticed how long her hands and feet were for being such a tiny newborn.  She must have been born hungry because she immediately tried to eat everything near her face: her hands, our hands, my hospital gown, my chest... 

They told me whenever I was ready, they would take her back and weigh her but I didn't ever want to let her go.  I eventually gave in.  She weighed 6 lbs. 8 oz. and was 19 inches long. 

She is beautiful and perfect and she is ours.

Birth Story: Avery Margaret Part Two

So this was it.  I was really going to have a baby.  I felt relief that we weren't going home this time without Avery and also less embarrassed for coming into the hospital with such pathetic contractions.  Oh and what's more: I didn't pee my pants earlier in the day!  My water had totally broke.  And it didn't break all over the front seat of the car like Kyle had feared.

What they figured is that I had a small, high tear in the bag of fluids and that's why I only had a little water that leaked.  I would find out later what it was really like to have your water break.

We began to settle into our hosptial suite and the nurses hooked me up to all sorts of IV's and monitors.  Because of having gestational diabetes, they checked my blood sugar and they would continue to check it every hour the rest of the night.  The first check came back pretty high.  Remember that Cherry Coke I decided I could have earlier?  It came back to haunt me.  I was restricted to eating only ice chips and the nurse threatened to give me insulin if my blood sugar did not come down within the hour.  It did.  I was given a low dose of Pitocin and waited for the contractions to intensify.

Kyle found ESPN and my parents napped in their car for a few hours while I watched the monitor for every contraction.  Hours went by and I was only dilated to a 4.  It was a little depressing.  The pain was getting stronger and I was surprised when the nurse offered me pain medication not in the form of an epidural.  I did not know this was even an option!  I went for the pain meds (call me a conformist) and was able to doze off and on through most of the contractions during the night. 

Eventually I was told that I probably wouldn't progress too much until the rest of my water broke.  The plan was to let me labor for awhile longer on my own and when the doctor came in, he could break my water and get things going a lot faster.  I was also told that the anesthesiologist had a C-section to do at 7 AM so if I wanted an epidural, I either had to get it before 6:30 AM or I had to wait until after the C-section.

I did not want to risk missing the anesthesiologist so I requested the epidural at 6 AM.  It was no big deal, but also I was still on some pain meds so that probably helped some.  There was a slight shock in my right hip and I soon felt the pain from the contrations subside.  Only there was one problem: I could still feel them on my left side.  I started to panic, worried that the epidural wasn't placed right and he'd have to do it again.  Every 15 minutes I was allowed to push my button for more medicine in the epidural and I pushed that button religiously until I no longer felt the pain in my left side.

The epidural was great.  The nurse was able to turn up the pitocin to speed things up a bit and I started dilating more.  Avery was turned slightly face up however, so I had pretty intense lower back pain even with the epidural.  I didn't mind this too much though because I kind of felt like since I was in labor I should feel some pain.  Like it was cheating to be totally painless maybe?  At any rate, I was able to tell when the contractions came because the pressure on my tailbone would get really intense. 

Despite the pain, I was able to get some decent sleep (and so was everyone else) in preparation for what was ahead.

A couple hours after the epidural, I felt something that I worried was the baby coming out.  Turns out, it was my water breaking.  It broke.  And it broke.  And it broke.  Whenever I thought it was over, it just kept coming!

 Not long after my water completely broke, the pain in my tailbone became nearly unbearable.  I couldn't believe I was feeling that much pain even with the epidural and was so grateful to not be feeling the full force of labor at that point.  The nurse checked me out and I was finally a 10.  A 10!  A perfect 10!  I felt so proud of myself as if I had willed myself to reach a 10.  But really, my body did it all on it's own.  (And with a little help of some Pitocin)

It's very surreal to realize that your body is doing exactly what it should be doing and you have absolutely no control over it.  No matter how ready I felt, I could not stop or start labor at any point.  I had no control over the situation and yet my body still knew just what to do.

The delivery room quickly transformed as parts of my bed broke away and lights were lowered.  The doctor came in and chatted with Kyle about Boise State.  Kyle was wearing a BSU shirt, of course, and the doctor had just come from another delivery room where the dad was a BSU fan.  Thinking about that now, I think I should have been a little annoyed maybe?  But I had an epidural and I was relaxed and happy.  I felt a calm confidence that everything was right.

The doctor said it'd probably take me 45 minutes to 2 hours of pushing and he'd be back when "it was time."

Birth Story: Avery Margaret Part One

The day before Avery was born, I went to the doctor and had my membranes stripped in hopes that she would be more ready to come the following Tuesday, when I was scheduled for an induction. Before we left the office, the doctor said there was a 50% chance I'd go into labor within 24 hours. We went home expecting to be back later that night.

Our hospital bags were packed and we walked around the neighborhood in ridiculous heat. I got many mosquito bites and cursed myself for walking outside before the sun went down. We played cards and I beat Kyle (again). We drove to the gas station and ate ice cream cones in the parking lot. We drove to the lake and watched the giant moon rise over the water.

I did not have any contractions.

I did not go into labor.

24 hours passed and we were still home, waiting to time contractions to every 5 minutes. Still, nothing happened. My parents had planned to come Tuesday for the induction but we were bored and tired of entertaining each other so we asked if they'd come down Saturday night instead.  We spent hours in the morning heat walking around the farmer's market eating burritos hoping one or the other would get something going.

Nothing happened.

Just before 7:00 PM, I was changing my clothes for dinner when I thought for sure my water broke. I mean, I knew it wasn't unusual for someone 9 months pregnant to randomly pee their pants but this just seemed different. Only it wasn't very much, it didn't last long and nothing seemed to come of it. I chalked it up to incontinence and we went to dinner with my parents an hour later.

So here's a question: What do you eat when you want to go into labor? My answer to you is a Tommy's Burger hot dog loaded with sauerkraut, onions and chili (aka the Power Dog). That way, if you are inclined to vomit because of the pain, it will be that much more exciting. Also drink an entire Cherry Coke even though you have gestational diabetes because you figure this baby is coming sooner rather than later and maybe all that talk about blood sugar is just a joke anyway?  (Realize later that this was a bad idea)

An hour after dinner, on our way home via the freeway, I got terribly sick and made an emergency stop at the La Quinta bathroom. That's when the contractions started. (Very romantic, don't you think?)

The contractions weren't terribly painful (although the sauerkraut was) but they came every 4 minutes for a solid hour. When we got home, I packed the last of my essentials in our hospital bags while Kyle brushed up on labor by reading the birthing class book.

My parents followed us to the hospital and I started to think that maybe we were arriving a bit premature. I did not want to be sent home again but I figured that would probably happen. But still there was the question of whether or not my water had actually broke earlier in the day.

Kyle and I checked into a delivery room and my parents stayed in the waiting room. Shortly after I got hooked up to the monitors, the contractions started to die down and I thought "Crap. We're going home for sure." They did a quick test to determine if my water had broke. It came back negative. Just to be sure, they did another (supposedly more accurate) test and we waited for the results to come back from the lab while my contractions slowly dissipated into nothing to write home about. I was embarrassed for even coming in to the hospital and started to prepare myself to go home babyless. Again.

The second test came back positive! My water really had broke and I wasn't leaving until we had a baby. I suddenly freaked out a little: a mixture of excitement and elation and relief and terror of the unknown. It was just before 11:00 PM when we were admitted to Labor & Delivery.

Avery

This pretty much sums up my life the past 10 days.

I am now a full-time baby-starer.

I mean really, would you want to do anything else but stare at this squishy little baby face?

Avery was born Sunday, July 17th at 10:35am.

She weighed 6 lbs. 8 oz. and was 19 inches long.

Birth story coming soon... if you're into that kind of thing.

Picture Hacking

We went for an evening walk to the park and while Kyle was shooting baskets, I hacked pictures from his phone.  I may regret sharing some of these... but oh well.  My sense of good judgment is rightfully impaired these days.

During our "false alarm" trip to labor & delivery.

Yes, I was in pain, but I put on a face for Kyle.

July 4th.

Scary knife.

Kyle decided to try on my maternity pants while we folded laundry.

HA!

Recovering from a surgery at 32 weeks pregnant.  Super fun.

The first piece of clothing Kyle bought for the baby while shopping in St. George

(a Boise State onesie was next)

BBQ chicken pizza at the Brick Oven in St. George

Oatmeal on Kyle's birthday in St. George.

(Apparently I am always eating)

Zions National Park.  Kyle's birthday wayyy back in April.

A Craving

I have been begging Kyle to go to Tommy's Burger with me for months! It's a tiny shack of a place in Provo and I went there for one thing, and one thing only...

 THIS. The tastiest Chicago dog I've ever had in my life. I took this picture so I could drool on my laptop whenever I had a craving (i.e. now). Seriously, if you can go, you totally should.  And get a Chicago dog for me.  And please savor the buns. The buns are amazing.

(That's what she said)

Kyle went with a hamburger that had BBQ sauce, chili and bacon.

He said it was amazing.

I have a hard time believing it could ever beat the Chicago dog though.

Kyle Started the Fire

Kyle is having camping withdrawals since my being pregnant has kept us from going on the usual camping trips this summer.  To make him feel better, we drove to a nearby campground (literally 2 minutes from our house) and had a fire.  And smores.  And played cards.  Pretty much my perfect idea of camping :)

He tried to seduce me with his axe and Boy Scout quality fire skills.

I do my best seducing while hugely pregnant and making deliciously messy smores with Reese's.

(Truth be known, Reese's are my biggest weakness)

DAYS!

So we're down to days until this baby comes.

DAYS!

9 months of waiting and now we only have days to go.

And to all of the following questions, I answer yes yes yes yes YES:

Are you ready for the baby to come?

Are you excited?

Do you have your hospital bags packed?

Any day now?

Do you have what you need?

Is the nursery ready?

and...

Is the car in labor-ready shape?

Yes, most important of all, the car is ready for me to go into labor.  Even though I have an induction scheduled for Tuesday, Kyle has prepped the car with plastic bags and towels just in case my water breaks while I'm riding in the car.

You guys, I wish this was a joke.

He is totally serious.

I mentioned removing them and I got a death stare in response.

The irony of this situation is that I spend most of my days driving the car and not sitting on the plastic and towels.  His logic is totally lost on me, but I guess I should just go along with whatever makes him feel prepared.  And really, it's only DAYS left that I have to put up with it.

(Did I mention we're having a baby in a mere matter of DAYS?!?!)

36 Weeks

So I'm 36 weeks now.  We make it to Sunday and I will officially be full term and this baby has the go-ahead to come at any time!  And if she decides to hang around a little longer, I now have an induction scheduled for July 19th.  Seriously, in less than 2 weeks we are going to have a baby!

This means that all we can think about is baby baby baby.

After last week's labor scare, Kyle has been extra jumpy and I'm pretty sure he's never sleeping.  Every time I move at night he jumps up to find out if I'm in labor.  "Are you having contractions?  How many have you had?  How far apart are they?  Do you feel okay?"  When really I just had to roll over or go to the bathroom or something.  So I try not to move at all so he will stay asleep.  But that's pretty much impossible.  I've come to terms with not sleeping anymore.  I hear that's not going to change after the baby joins us anyway...  might as well get used to it now!

I am so excited to finally meet this baby girl!

I can't wait to see what she looks like.

I'm excited to learn about her little personality.

I'm dying to dress her up in all her cute tiny clothes.

I look forward to watching her grow up.

I want to have my face back.

And my ankles.

Also the rest of my body, if that's not too much to ask.

Done and Done

The baby quilt is FINALLY done!

Nevermind the fact that I started this sometime back in March of this year.

This is my very first quilting project ever and even though my mom/expert quilter extraordinaire coached me along through many many phone calls and emails, I am proud to say I did it all by myself.

Here she is in all her glory.

The nursery was originally planned to be all white (because I'm crazy like that) but when I found these fabrics for the quilt, I was inspired and that's where all the color in the nursery came from.

Binding this sucker gave me blisters.  I did not expect to have to hand sew to finish this thing!  (I hate hand sewing)  But one of my favorite parts of this pattern is the prairie points along the interior border.  Even though I hated sewing those too.

Her lovely backside.

Now I can proudly say my pile of unfinished projects is rapidly depleting.

Nursery Reveal!

The nursery is finally done and ready for Baby P to move in!

There's a few little things here and there that I'd still like to do (i.e. finish that dang baby quilt...) but I think it's as good as done for now.  This room is seriously the smallest room in our house and it's been my biggest headache trying to squeeze everything we want in there without making it feel too crammed. 

All in all, I'm proud to say we did everything in the nursery for pretty dang cheap.

That's how we like it!

Most of the stuff in the room was revamped from things we already had, found at yard sales, or were hand-me-downs. 

View from the door.

Our biggest splurge was the crib.  We bought a used crib and mattress from some friends (hi Jamie!) but when we went to put it together it was missing some bolts.  Sad as we were, we kept the mattress and fell in love with this Jenny Lind crib for $160.

The painted chandelier I got at a yard sale for $10 and spray painted white.

The mini bunting I made from fabric scraps I already had.

Next to the crib is a teal plastic bin we are calling the laundry basket: $6

And a lidded diaper pail from IKEA for $15

Oh I can't forget (Kyle's favorite) the rocking horse we found at a yard sale and cleaned up for $5

View from the rocking chair

The lime green vintage arm chair was Kyle's grandma's and is in the most perfect condition ever.  And it was free!

The little wooden chair next to it was my dad's when he was a baby.  Also free.

The square purple shag rug came from IKEA for.. I think $20

You might remember the IKEA spice racks we painted for our bookshelves.  They were $4 a piece, making the set $16  (The books were all gifts, hand-me-downs, and a couple of yard sale finds)

The batik print on the wall was done by a high school friend of mine and I have always loved it.  It says "When twilight drops her curtain down and pins it with a star, remember that you have a friend though she may wander far."  It has a new home in an old frame I've been storing...

The pink retro clock was a gift from my mom several years ago.

The floor lamp (you can barely see) belonged to my parents.  I am still thinking about painting it...

The guitar is mine.  It probably won't stay in there for long, but for now it's a nice spot for me to sit and serenade the baby.

View from the green chair

Kyle's parents gave us the rocking chair when we moved in last year and the blanket on it was crocheted by my late grandma a long time ago.

My favorite thing about the room is the pink mirror!  It was $8 at D.I. and was uuuugly.  I painted her up good with a $2 sample paint from Home Depot.  Total: $10

I got the ledge shelves at a yard sale a couple of years ago and never quite knew what I wanted to do with them.  I painted them the wall color and now they hold some of my favorite toys and trinkets.

The dresser was an old nightstand Kyle has moved around for years.  We painted it the same color as the walls and covered it in about 5 or 6 layers of poly to make it shine.

The milk glass lamp I scored on ebay awhile back and I made the ruffled lampshade with some muslin I had on hand.

The paneled mirror was second hand from somewhere and I've carted it around for a few years.

Hanging above the mirror are tissue pom poms from one of my baby showers.

I made the crib skirt from some clearance fabric I scored at JoAnns.  It is the exact match to the color of the mirror and I about peed my pants when I found it--and for $2 a yard!  Woohoo!  I bought 3 yards but I still have a bunch left over.  Total for the skirt: $6

We started out with just the purple sheer curtains from IKEA ($7 for the pair) but they turned out a little more sheer than we'd expected and looked a little brown at night.  So we snagged the white pair, also from IKEA ($15 for the pair).  The white curtains were tabbed and the sheers were not, so I sewed the tabs down on the back of the panels so the two sets of curtains hung the in the same style.  (If that makes sense...)  Adding the white curtains also helps block out a lot of the light during the day, which I'm sure will be handy for naptime!

Grand total for the nursery: $270

Considering more than half of that was just for the crib, I think we came out pretty good!

Alright, that's probably way more than you wanted to know about our nursery.  I only wish I had a finished baby quilt to blog about!  Someday...