And now, the finished product!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
This post took as long as the remodeling!
After months of promising you a look at the kitchen, here it is! I'm sure I've mentioned before, but we live in J's grandmother's old house. And when I say old, I mean dinosaurs were probaby still roaming the earth. In case it is not glaringly obvious, the old kitchen had yellow and green wallpaper with strawberries, the floors were the same green and the countertops were yellow.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Birth Story
I am so sorry I have neglected you for so long. It has been nearly impossible to schedule baby, school, and life... but it has been an amazing ride so far! So, here is my super long birth story...
Thursday, June 17th, around 11:30am I started feeling a little crampy. I didn't really think anything of it until I started having tinges of pink in my discharge. Throughout the day, the blood increased. The cramps still didn't really hurt, but by about 3:00pm they were 5 minutes apart. I held off on calling the doctor's office until 4:00pm because I didn't really believe I was in labor. I could still talk, walk, etc and I just didn't think they were contractions.
The nurse actually laughed at me when I called, as if I was in denial about being in labor! She told me to go to L&D to get checked out. J was at work and couldn't make it home any quicker than 5:00pm. At the time, it didn't seem like a big deal. I truly believed that we would get to the hospital, get checked, and be sent home. Around 5:00 I went next door to his parents' house to say goodbye to my dog (he was hanging out with them for the afternoon). I think the walk over really turned up the heat on my "contractions." By then I was in a good bit of pain. MIL made me some toast because I hadn't eaten lunch.
J got home and showered, and we were on the road by 5:30. He started timing my contractions and they were 3 minutes apart... and we were still an hour away from the hospital. The ride was pretty awful, but we got to the hospital and were in a room by 7:00.
L&D was super busy and an ER nurse gave me my IV. She blew a vein in my right arm before finally getting the IV in my hand. It hurt, but not nearly as bad as the contractions. The doctor came in and checked me and I was 4cm, 90%, and -2.
The contractions sucked, BAD. They were finally able to give me the epidural at 9:30. It didn't hurt, and took away the pain with the TEST dose. They had to cut it down about 20%. Who knew I would be such a light weight! When people describe it as heavenly, they are dead right. It was. I was finally able to relax a little. They did have to put me on an extrememly low dose of pitocin because the epi kind of stalled the contractions a little.
Our families came in and visited with us until about 11:00pm when J and I decided to take naps and get a little bit of rest before the big show. The doctor wanted to check me one more time before we went to sleep. She said, "You are never going to believe this. It is time to push." I started shaking violently because I was so nervous!!! J was wonderful encouragement through the two hours of pushing. I couldn't feel anything. I kept hitting my leg and apologizing to the nurse because I thought I was hitting her!
The doc did have to give me an episiotomy, but only about a quarter of an inch. Afterward, the baby came right out. J got very choked up when he told me that it was a boy. Jake was born at 1:01am on June 18th and was 7lbs 4oz, 20 3/4 inches. He didn't cry right at first and they thought he might be having a little trouble breathing. I had developed a fever over the two hours of 102.1. Jake also had a slight fever at first.
I was sewn up and given a fundal massage, which I also couldn't feel, and was able to hold Jake after about 30 minutes. I breastfed him for the first week, but because of his eating schedule and having his days and nights mixed up I have had to resort to pumping. It has made life much easier. We have also had to supplement with some formula because I am not making enough milk to keep him satisfied. That has been very disappointing, but the important thing is that my baby is fed and happy.
I'm not going to lie. This is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Our lives have been turned upside down, but it is worth it. Jake is just precious. I cried all the way home from the hospital because I was so scared. I didn't sleep for the first two nights at home because I was petrified that he would stop breathing. All in all, I was a complete zombie for the first week, but it has gotten much better. I'm not sure why, but I also had NO appetite. I really think that is what had such a negative effect on my milk production. The baby blues are no joke. It has been rough, but Jake is wonderful. I promise I will post pics later!
I have no clue if this birth story is complete. I may go back and look at it later and realize that I left out something important. Over all, I can not emphasize enough how completely amazing my husband has been. He has taken such good care of me and Jake. Recovery has not been easy, but not nearly has hard as I thought it would be.
Oh yeah, and I finally took pictures of the kitchen! Maybe I'll get around to posting them soon... hopefully!
Thursday, June 17th, around 11:30am I started feeling a little crampy. I didn't really think anything of it until I started having tinges of pink in my discharge. Throughout the day, the blood increased. The cramps still didn't really hurt, but by about 3:00pm they were 5 minutes apart. I held off on calling the doctor's office until 4:00pm because I didn't really believe I was in labor. I could still talk, walk, etc and I just didn't think they were contractions.
The nurse actually laughed at me when I called, as if I was in denial about being in labor! She told me to go to L&D to get checked out. J was at work and couldn't make it home any quicker than 5:00pm. At the time, it didn't seem like a big deal. I truly believed that we would get to the hospital, get checked, and be sent home. Around 5:00 I went next door to his parents' house to say goodbye to my dog (he was hanging out with them for the afternoon). I think the walk over really turned up the heat on my "contractions." By then I was in a good bit of pain. MIL made me some toast because I hadn't eaten lunch.
J got home and showered, and we were on the road by 5:30. He started timing my contractions and they were 3 minutes apart... and we were still an hour away from the hospital. The ride was pretty awful, but we got to the hospital and were in a room by 7:00.
L&D was super busy and an ER nurse gave me my IV. She blew a vein in my right arm before finally getting the IV in my hand. It hurt, but not nearly as bad as the contractions. The doctor came in and checked me and I was 4cm, 90%, and -2.
The contractions sucked, BAD. They were finally able to give me the epidural at 9:30. It didn't hurt, and took away the pain with the TEST dose. They had to cut it down about 20%. Who knew I would be such a light weight! When people describe it as heavenly, they are dead right. It was. I was finally able to relax a little. They did have to put me on an extrememly low dose of pitocin because the epi kind of stalled the contractions a little.
Our families came in and visited with us until about 11:00pm when J and I decided to take naps and get a little bit of rest before the big show. The doctor wanted to check me one more time before we went to sleep. She said, "You are never going to believe this. It is time to push." I started shaking violently because I was so nervous!!! J was wonderful encouragement through the two hours of pushing. I couldn't feel anything. I kept hitting my leg and apologizing to the nurse because I thought I was hitting her!
The doc did have to give me an episiotomy, but only about a quarter of an inch. Afterward, the baby came right out. J got very choked up when he told me that it was a boy. Jake was born at 1:01am on June 18th and was 7lbs 4oz, 20 3/4 inches. He didn't cry right at first and they thought he might be having a little trouble breathing. I had developed a fever over the two hours of 102.1. Jake also had a slight fever at first.
I was sewn up and given a fundal massage, which I also couldn't feel, and was able to hold Jake after about 30 minutes. I breastfed him for the first week, but because of his eating schedule and having his days and nights mixed up I have had to resort to pumping. It has made life much easier. We have also had to supplement with some formula because I am not making enough milk to keep him satisfied. That has been very disappointing, but the important thing is that my baby is fed and happy.
I'm not going to lie. This is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Our lives have been turned upside down, but it is worth it. Jake is just precious. I cried all the way home from the hospital because I was so scared. I didn't sleep for the first two nights at home because I was petrified that he would stop breathing. All in all, I was a complete zombie for the first week, but it has gotten much better. I'm not sure why, but I also had NO appetite. I really think that is what had such a negative effect on my milk production. The baby blues are no joke. It has been rough, but Jake is wonderful. I promise I will post pics later!
I have no clue if this birth story is complete. I may go back and look at it later and realize that I left out something important. Over all, I can not emphasize enough how completely amazing my husband has been. He has taken such good care of me and Jake. Recovery has not been easy, but not nearly has hard as I thought it would be.
Oh yeah, and I finally took pictures of the kitchen! Maybe I'll get around to posting them soon... hopefully!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Baby Jackson is HERE!
... and it's a BOY! Jacob Lee "Jake" Jackson was born at 1:01am Friday, June 18th. I can't wait to tell y'all my birth story. So far it has been an absolutely wonderful experience. I feel so blessed and so lucky. It was nothing like what I had in my mind, but it was perfect. I could not have asked for anything better.
We are being discharged from the hospital today. I am sure the next few days and/or weeks will be difficult, but I promise I will do my best to make time to tell you all of the details.
Wish me luck! I feel like we are just starting the adventure of a lifetime! Oh, and of course, I will be drowning you in pictures as soon as I possibly can. Here are a couple that I took with my phone:
***Sorry if the formatting is a little funky. I'm not sure what the deal is.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
LAST DAY OF WORK!
I'm sorry, but there is just nothing else that I can say that will be greater than those four words.
Oh yeah, and I have an appointment tomorrow, so I'll try to update as quickly as I can... you know, since I'll be HOME and all :)
Oh yeah, and I have an appointment tomorrow, so I'll try to update as quickly as I can... you know, since I'll be HOME and all :)
Friday, June 11, 2010
T minus 10 days, y'all!
Or something like that. I guess it just depends. Maybe I should explain.
I had my regular appointment on Wednesday. It was VERY interesting. First, I was told that I am 2cm dilated, 70% effaced, and baby is still at -2 station. Good news, I am progressing!
Then my doctor asked me if we had discussed induction. You are probably thinking, just as I was, "ummm, no, why?" My swelling is out of control. But my blood pressure is still fairly normal, so I didn't understand why we would discuss it. She said that she believed with the swelling that my BP would continue to go up, so she scheduled me for induction on June 21st. Holy shit. That is only 10 days from today.
I really, REALLY wanted to have that experience of going into labor naturally, but it is nice to know that there is a definite end in sight. And more importantly, OUR BABY WILL BE HERE IN A LITTLE OVER A WEEK!!!
I guess I just have mixed feelings about everything. If my body wasn't already making progress, I would not have agreed to the induction. And let's not forget that because my body is making progress, that Baby Jackson may decide to make the big debut before the 21st.
Want to know what I don't have mixed feelings about? Tuesday being my last day of work! Yippee!!!
I had my regular appointment on Wednesday. It was VERY interesting. First, I was told that I am 2cm dilated, 70% effaced, and baby is still at -2 station. Good news, I am progressing!
Then my doctor asked me if we had discussed induction. You are probably thinking, just as I was, "ummm, no, why?" My swelling is out of control. But my blood pressure is still fairly normal, so I didn't understand why we would discuss it. She said that she believed with the swelling that my BP would continue to go up, so she scheduled me for induction on June 21st. Holy shit. That is only 10 days from today.
I really, REALLY wanted to have that experience of going into labor naturally, but it is nice to know that there is a definite end in sight. And more importantly, OUR BABY WILL BE HERE IN A LITTLE OVER A WEEK!!!
I guess I just have mixed feelings about everything. If my body wasn't already making progress, I would not have agreed to the induction. And let's not forget that because my body is making progress, that Baby Jackson may decide to make the big debut before the 21st.
Want to know what I don't have mixed feelings about? Tuesday being my last day of work! Yippee!!!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
I don't wanna!
So, apparently, if you do not eat constantly when you are 37ish weeks pregnant you run the risk of almost passing out in Target and having to go in to the doctor's office and be hooked up to an NST for 20 minutes only to be told that you should be eating more. Yep, that was one sentence. And that really happened to me last week. And I feel stupid. Oh well, what can you do?
How awful is it that I lack the motivation to do anything? Eating included. I don't want to go to work. I don't want to go to school. I don't feel like thinking about what I'm going to put on the walls in the nursery. I don't want to sit at home on the couch by myself and be bored.
Quite a problem I have here. Well, not really, considering I have to go to work and school, but you get the idea.
What I really want to do is be at home spending time with J. That is literally the ONLY thing that I can honestly say that I want to do right now. Oh, and sleep. That would be nice, but unfortunately, it seems to be a thing of the past.
And one more thing to add to the list of things I WANT to do... give birth. Any time now would be good.
How awful is it that I lack the motivation to do anything? Eating included. I don't want to go to work. I don't want to go to school. I don't feel like thinking about what I'm going to put on the walls in the nursery. I don't want to sit at home on the couch by myself and be bored.
Quite a problem I have here. Well, not really, considering I have to go to work and school, but you get the idea.
What I really want to do is be at home spending time with J. That is literally the ONLY thing that I can honestly say that I want to do right now. Oh, and sleep. That would be nice, but unfortunately, it seems to be a thing of the past.
And one more thing to add to the list of things I WANT to do... give birth. Any time now would be good.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Check me out!
Hey y'all! I'm guest blogging over at Pippy's Perspective today... I know, right? Me, guest blogging?! She has seriously lost her marbles to allow me to do such a thing. And let me also say that it makes me feel like the new kid in school- very nervous. Like, I can't even read it and might throw up.
Anyway, take a few minutes and go check it out- I seriously love her blog and as a bonus she has the most precious pictures of her baby, Pipsqueak! I'm discussing the whole not finding out the sex of the baby thing. And there is a too cute picture of leetle outfits that my Mama made (along with a sneak peek of the nursery, in all of its disarray).
Have a great day everyone! And if you are just browsing, thanks to my good friend Pippy, stick around and I'll try not to bore you to tears!
Anyway, take a few minutes and go check it out- I seriously love her blog and as a bonus she has the most precious pictures of her baby, Pipsqueak! I'm discussing the whole not finding out the sex of the baby thing. And there is a too cute picture of leetle outfits that my Mama made (along with a sneak peek of the nursery, in all of its disarray).
Oh, and by the way, I am full term as of Friday! Yay!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
