Officially fertile...

Well, possibly fertile anyways. As of this morning my IUD is out and hopefully pregnancy has straightened out my body and my cycles return normally.

We're not going to start trying for #2 until August, but wanted to see if I even ovulate since we had so much trouble last time. I'm so excited, nervous, anxious, you name it about having two kids. I want a sibling for Wyatt so much though. I want him to have a built in playmate as a kid and I hope that her and his brother or sister are close their whole lives. 

We're doing things a little differently this time. The plan is to not tell our family that we're trying to get pregnant. We've told a few friends over here, but it really want it to be a total surprise for our families. I'm even planning on playing it off like we're waiting until next year (with our history it may very we'll take a year to get PG). We're hoping for a due date in May/June/July which would make a thanksgiving or Christmas announcement fun. It's easier for us to keep that kind of thing a secret from our family since we live 3 hours away and only see them sporadically. 

I had been really struggling with the thought of this pregnancy being my last. While the weeks 5-21 sucked in my pregnancy with Wyatt I thoroughly enjoyed weeks 22-40...like a lot....like as much as I loves meeting Wyatt I was sad I wasn't pregnant anymore. My conundrum? I'm pretty set on only  having 2 kids even though I feel like I would enjoy being pregnant more than twice. That has lead me to VERY seriously consider being a gestational carrier (surrogate) after #2 is born. Obviously I'm going to just see how pregnancy #2 goes first, and maybe I'll change my mind, but right now it's something I really want to do. I'm really hoping that I have a happy healthy second pregnancy so that it's an option in the future. 

So that's what's going on in that department....we'll be trying for another baby starting in August so fingers crossed it doesn't take 11 months like last time...and I really hope to be a surrogate in a few years.

Someday I'll get around to getting pictures off the camera and on here :-) there may be a few picture heavy posts down the road!

A weekend to remember....

We had an absolutely lovely weekend here. It was filled with family, laughter, and love. Wyatt got to play with his cousin who is just a month older then him. The hubs got to go golfing with his dad and brother. We had Wyatt's 1 year pics taken. We took the little boys down to the practice green at the golf club and then to the pool there. Today we worked in the garden and topped off the day with a hike to the top of a butte close to our house. We made a lot of memories this weekend and confirmed two truths...1) Wyatt is a water baby 2) he's also born to be outside. I mean the kids literally does not have a bad time if he's outside, if he's cranky or throwing a fit, take him out of doors and instantly all it right with the world. It has seriously been that way since day 1 for him. It makes me so excited for the coming summer and taking him camping, he is going to love it.

Next weekend is going to be awesome too. My parents and I are going to a James Taylor concert (love his music!!!), we're taking Wyatt to the zoo one day, then Sunday some of the hubs' family is coming to my parents' house for dinner so we can talk details of our trip next February to Belize!!

I do have more news to share, but they are separate posts for different days :-)

Seriously?

Has it really been since last August? Bad blogger, bad, bad blogger...

Wyatt was only a couple months old then and here we are staring his first birthday in the face. A year? Already? I often wonder where my little baby went as my pretty much toddler scoots around the house. What is it about parenthood that sucks us into a time warp that we can never escape? I'm not the only one, right? It seems like just last week we were still swaddling and he was a stationary object, now he refuses to be rocked to sleep, preferring instead to fall asleep alone in his crib (of course as I typed that he was throwing a fit in his bed b/c he only took one nap at daycare and threw off his whole routine) and he's *this close* to walking. He takes steps regularly, but hasn't made the transition to full time walking.

I look back at pictures of him as a newborn and sometimes I barely recognize my curly blonde hair blue eyed little boy. He has changed so much over the last 11.5 months it's ridiculous. We have been so blessed to have him in our lives, and although it has been far from all puppies and rainbows it's been amazing being his mama.

Not only has he changed in the last year, but we have as well. I've learned that I have more patience then I ever thought possible (I also learned where my breaking point is LOL). I know now just how little sleep I actually need to function...how much I need to do more then "function" is a different story. I've learned that the ONLY thing I thought I would never do as a mom is the ONE thing I had to do (sleep training). Everyday I become more confident in our parenting decisions and although we have NO idea what we're doing I know that we're doing it the right way for our family. I've also learned acceptance...acceptance of other people's parenting decisions (as long as it doesn't harm their child or mine), acceptance in the inevitable judgement of others (especially other moms...why we do that to each other I have no idea, but that's another post for another time) acceptance that my son will do things in his own time and comparing him to any other child is unfair to him and to us. We have grown stronger as a couple, realizing that things said during the 4th middle of the night waking isn't something to be taken personally ;-)
*piece of unsolicited advice to new parents: adopt a "it doesn't count between 10pm-8am" rule. Nothing that is said in that frustrated sleep deprived state should be held against each other. It might just save your relationship*

I do miss being pregnant and miss his newness and sweet newborn smell, but he is so much fun now. He's always good for a laugh and his smile melts my heart. Watching him and his dad fills me will such joy I could burst, they are two peas in a pod. I'm so excited for summer. This kid LOVES being outdoors and I know he's going to enjoy camping, swimming, parks, walks, hikes, and all that good stuff that comes with the warmer weather. Watching him explore and enjoy life makes everything more fun. I love watching him learn new things or take in new experiences. His facial expressions are priceless and convey his emotions perfectly. I hope he's always so expressive.

I've said this 100 times, but I hope I can commit more time to blogging now. It has been impossible to keep up, but now that he typically goes to bed at a decent hour and stays asleep (this is a recent development in the last couple months) I think I might actually have time. I desperately want to document these days b/c they are sweet and fleeting.

I leave you with some pictures :-)

Still working on it...

A month later I'm still working on writing Wyatt's birth story! Life has been a little busy lately. Days are obviously spent feeding, changing and cuddling our baby boy :-) and more recently preparing for our first camping trip as a family of 3!

This last weekend we went back home for a wedding and Wyatt got to meet so many aunts, uncles, and cousins! We also had his "newborn" pictures taken. We would have had them done sooner, but our friend was taking them as part of our baby shower gift and she's lives "back home" and last weekend was the first time we were back. He didn't want to stay asleep during the shoot so we couldn't do all the poses we wanted, but at least he wasn't screaming :-) I'll post some of those pics soon...they are too cute!

Here's an after bath pic in the meantime :-)

Ok, back to working on his birth story!

Wyatt's Birth Story....finally

All righty, here we go...

Due date was 6/13, a Thursday. I was supposed to have an OB appointment that afternoon, but my dr got called into an emergency c section and I had to reschedule for the next day w/ a different dr in the practice.

Friday morning (6/14) I woke up at 2:30am w/ contractions. They varied from 6-15 minutes apart. The intensity wasn't bad, but as the morning wore on they increased in intensity, but not frequency. The hubs got up for work and I gave him the heads up that he might not be working a full day. Around 7:30am I managed to get some sleep in the 10 minute increments between contractions. I sent out a text to my coworkers letting them know I wouldn't be in that day and that I would keep them updated. I eventually got out of bed and after breakfast I started cleaning up the house and doing chores hoping that it might start making the contractions closer together, it didn't. However, I was having to stop what I was doing and breathe through them, which was at least a sign of progress.

 My appt was at 4. I took a shower and my contractions stopped for almost 40 min, I was totally bummed and thought they were gone for good. They picked back up again and I went to my appt. While I was there they started to get closer together about 5-7 minutes. The dr checked me and I was at 2cm and 75% effaced. He sent me home saying that he would likely see me over the weekend (he was the on call dr that weekend).

When I got home the contractions started to get closer together and more intense. The hubs made dinner and I tried to eat some, but I was getting nauseous during the contractions. Around 6:45pm the contractions were 4-5 minutes apart and had been for about 2 hours so I decided to call the doc. He called back and said to go to the hospital to get checked out. We got there about 7:30 and were checked into a triage room. The nurse checked me and I was still at 2cm. They monitored the contractions and baby for about 20min then had me walk the halls for an hour. The reason behind that being that if I was in active labor my cervix should dilate within the hour. So we walked the halls where I had several more very painful contractions. At 9 we met the nurse back in the room and she checked me again, still at 2cm, which meant they were sending me home. I was so upset! The contractions were 3 min apart and very painful. The whole time we were walking I kept telling the hubs that I was going to cry if they sent me home b/c I was in so much pain. I couldn't believe that the contractions were so strong, but I wasn't dilating anymore. I'm not a wiener or anything when it comes to pain (I know everybody says that, but I've had my share of injuries and this was way worse.), but these contractions hurt! 

So they gave me 2 ambien to help me sleep since I had been up since 2:30am and sent me home. *This next part is AJ's favorite part of the story* Now I've never taken ambien before....I can tell you now that 2 was about 1.5 too many! We got home about 10pm and I was already loopy. I took a shower, but before I did I texted the hubs who was in the living room to come check on me every 7 minutes because I felt out of it. Why 7 minutes? Well I didn't want to make him get up every 5, but 10 seemed too long...that's totally rational, right? I think so too. After what I assume was 7 minutes (I was too doped up by this time to have any concept of time) he came to check on me. I vaguely remember being in the shower and not being about to stand up very well. I kept falling into the wall and thinking how bouncy the wall was. Then I hallucinated/imagined I was having a party in the shower with the shampoo and conditioner bottles....like I said 2 pills was overkill. I also remember asking AJ to get in the shower with me, but him refusing b/c the shower is too small. I eventually got out and he helped my dry off b/c I couldn't stand very well on my own. I must have gone to bed then, but the next thing I remember is crawling around on top of the covers and pillows screaming because the contractions hurt so bad. This is where the being on ambien really screwed me b/c I wasn't coherent enough to breath through them or get in any positions to help. All I could do was yell and crawl around apparently. I sorta remember going out to tell the hubs that he should think about sleeping in the guest bedroom b/c I was being loud. At some point he came to bed in our bedroom and started timing the contractions. I can't remember for sure but I think they were anywhere from 2-4 minutes apart. They must have increased in intensity again because I started throwing up during them. That's when I told AJ to call the dr. I knew I wasn't going to be able sleep at all and I was going on 24 hours of contractions and no sleep. I was going to go to the hospital and I was not going to let them send me home this time! The dr said to go get checked again....

We got to the hospital the second time around 3am. We checked into triage and the nurse checked me during a contraction. I was 4cm and my water was bulging so she said I'd be admitted (thank God!). She asked if I was planning on an epidural...I said definitely and would like it as soon as possible. I had to get a bag on IV fluid in first which took about a half hour. Luckily there wasn't a wait for the anesthesiologist and I had the epidural by 4:30am. Then I slept and AJ slept.....and slept. The nurse came in every hour to help me switch sides. They were impressed I was still able to move my legs even though I was numb. At some point my contractions slowed down and I was given pitocin to help increase them. Around 6:30am the nurse came in and checked me, I think I was only a 5 or 6, but my water was bulging and she felt sure that once the dr came in and broke my water I would progress faster. The dr was supposed to be in about 7 to do that, but about 8am he still hadn't been in. The nurse came in and discovered that my water had broke on it's own...all over the bed. Apparently I had been laying in a puddle, but thanks to that amazing epidural I had no idea.

About 7:30 we started calling our families and letting them know that Wyatt was going to make his appearance today. I called my parents and my dad picked up...I wished him happy birthday (b/c it happened to be his birthday) and asked him if he'd be okay sharing it with his newest grandson. He just handed the phone to my mom, who couldn't believe I was calling so early to wish my dad happy birthday (she knows I'm not a morning person LOL). So they were on alert and were getting ready to head down later in the day. They let my siblings know too so I wouldn't have to make multiple calls. AJ called his mom and let her know and she spread the word to his siblings.

Sometime around 9am my epidural wore off and the anesthesiologist came and gave me another dose of the good stuff....it was heavenly. At some point AJ went and got breakfast (which somebody bought him out of the blue!)....and then more sleeping took place, at least on my end. At noon the nurse came in and checked me again and I was at 8-9! I was going to be able to start pushing soon. I'd say 20-30 min later my epidural started to wear off again. The nurse decided to check me before calling the anestheologist. I was at 10cm! Time to start pushing!

I started pushing at 12:45pm...I know a lot of my pushes weren't as effective as they could have been b/c from my pelvis down was numb still. I was able to feel all the contractions though, which while very painful, let me know when I should be pushing. Let me tell ya...extended pushing is exhausting!! By the end I couldn't keep my eyes open at all. They asked me if I wanted a mirror so I could see his head (which was already full of hair!), I wasn't interested in the slightest LOL I kept asking how much longer it was going to take b/c I was running out of strength to push. Eventually they called the doc in...side note, isn't it funny how the docs only come in for like the last 15 min? It really is the nurses who do the hard part. Luckily for us we had amazing nurses during labor and delivery.

Okay back on task...the dr came in and I guess at some point, according to AJ, asked if I'd be ok w/ an episiotomy if needed and I said I'd rather not, I don't remember that exchange. I do however remember saying that I couldn't do this anymore b/c I was so tired and the contractions were so painful. I remember the second time the doc asked if I'd be ok w/ an episiotomy b/c the baby needed more room and i was tearing...I said sure b/c I just wanted this kid out! So he got me numb (alhtough I'm sure I was plenty numb from the epidural) and he made the cuts. I could feel the scissors cutting, but it didn't hurt which was just a weird feeling. One of the nurses told me to look down and see what was happening and I looked down to see my baby boy make his way into the world at 3:02pm (over 2 hrs of pushin!) weighing in at 8lbs 6oz and 21 inches long. AJ cut the cord and they put him on a blanket on my chest where we met each other for the first time :-) there's a moment that no one could ever put into words. The moment you finally see this tiny human who you've only known through kicks and jabs in your belly. He was/is absolutely perfect. A full head of hair and blue eyes like his daddy.

After that things are kinda a blur. They cleaned him off and put him skin to skin on my chest, pictures were taken, we tried breast feeding (which he picked up right away and has been a champ at since, hence his awesome weight gain) and our parents showed up. 

We went home the next afternoon b/c we were so done being in the hospital and both sets of parents were staying at our house for a few days. AJ had 2 weeks off which was awesome and even though he had cabin fever I enjoyed having the help while we figured things out.

So there it is....I finally finished it 7 weeks after the fact. I'm sure I've since forgotten parts, but I got all the important parts down and I'm glad I did so I can look back on it later and remember things I will have forgotten.

Here's some pics, it's amazing how much he's changed and grown in the last 7 weeks. I can't believe it's been long....it seems like yesterday they were putting him in my arms and at the same time it's like he's always been here.

2 weeks later....

He's here!! He's actually been here for 2 weeks :-) I will (hopefully) write a birth story soon. I need to do it sooner rather then later so I don't forget anything. I'm sure I already have, but it also seems like he was just born yesterday. In the interim here's a picture of our sweet baby boy.

Wyatt James born 6/15/13 (my dad's birthday too) 8lbs 6oz 21in

39 weeks

I know I've been awful about keeping up here. I really wish I had the motivation to do these weekly like I had planned. I'm sure I'll kick myself later...for that and for being terrible at taking weekly pics :-/ you'd think the was a second kid LOL 

So thanks for the kick in the pants Kati! 

How far along: 39 weeks

How big is baby: According to the Bump, (which likes to compare baby to fruits and veggies) baby boy is the size of a watermelon. What to Expect App also says a watermelon 

Total weight gain:  I think about 20lbs, I haven't gained any weight over the last 3 weeks (despite frequent trips to DQ for blizzards and peanut buster parfaits LOL)

Sleep: since rolling over is now an Olympic sport and baby boy has dropped which equals 3-4 pee trips a night, sleep is sketchy at best. Surprisingly I'm not exhausted all the time. I do have occasional nights where I wake up at 4 and can't go back to sleep. Usually Benadryl keeps that from happening so I take that before bed. 

Maternity Clothes: I don't have any maternity shorts so I squeeze my butt into pre pregnancy ones LOL they either have elastic waist or they don't get buttoned up. Thank goodness for long maternity shirts :-)

Food cravings : still sweets, especially chocolate! My mom mentioned that she craved sweets/chocolate with my oldest brother as well and now he has a huge sweet tooth. This kid doesn't stand a chance 

Food Aversions: oh no, I'm relishing being able to eat an actual meal since he dropped 

Challenges: moving LOL

Movement: earlier this week he had a quiet day and a half, he was still moving but he was much more mellow than normal. Yesterday he was back to his spastic self, which prompted me to tell him that if he feels the need to stretch out so much he should just get out of there

Boy or Girl?: Baby boy

What I’m looking forward to: meeting our little guy....more then that, watching my husband hold his son

What I miss: rolling over in bed w/o waking up

Next appt: Weekly appt next Thursday the 13th, my due date!

Updates: 

1. OB made a weight guess at my appt today...I think her exact words were something like "well, he's definitely solid" LOL she thinks he'll be 8+lbs, 9 if I go over my due date. I'm not super surprised b/c big babies run in my family and AJ's family has decent sized kids too.

2. I've been having contractions off and on, nothing super painful or worth timing. At my 38 week appt I was 1cm and 50% effaced. I didn't have her check today b/c I didn't want her to tell me I'm still at a 1 or get my hopes up if I'm dilated more

Here's a couple of our maternity pics. I would link to her blog and/or FB page, but I can't figure it out on the iPad. They were taking by our good friend Kati Bodle at Creative Juices Photography. We absolutely love them!

34 weeks (in 1.5 days)

Yikes! I'm such a slacker....

How far along: let's call is an even 34 weeks, which I will be the day after tomorrow

How big is baby: According to the Bump, (which likes to compare baby to fruits and veggies) baby boy is the size of a durian (wtf is that??). What to Expect App says a pineapple, but that will probably change Friday

Total weight gain: not sure, I stopped weighing myself at home even though my scale seems to be more forgiving then the doctor's. I think it's about 20lbs give or take a couple

Sleep: actually better, thank goodness! I think it's because I worked a lot last week and we were very busy over the weekend so I was exhausted. I do get uncomfortable on occasion and it will take a while to find a semi comfortable position and be able to fall back asleep

Maternity Clothes: is that a serious question? Funnily enough I did wear a pair of pre-pregnancy convertible pants (or as my dad likes to call them, shlongs LOL) over the weekend. They were a little big before, but I could wear them under my bump and only had to unbutton when I was sitting in the car

Food cravings : anything sweet....candy bars, ice cream, pastries, all those goodies!

Food Aversions: no, a lot of days I'll eat everything in front of me and then start thinking about my next meal

Challenges: moving comfortably

Movement: he's been so hyper lately! I love it most of the time, but sometimes I just want a minute of peace....does that sound like a mom talking or what? LOL

Boy or Girl?: Baby boy

What I’m looking forward to: Maternity pictures in a week and a half!

What I miss: sleeping comfortably and not having to pee every 20 min

Next appt: Bi-monthly OB appt on Friday

Updates:

1. Baby shower was amazing!! My mom and MIL did an unbelievable job putting it together and I had a blast. There was a ton of people there and this baby got crazy spoiled. We don't really have to worry about buying very many things. I was exhausted afterwards, but it was totally worth it. It was also great to see people I hadn't seen for awhile. Unfortunately with being the guest of honor doesn't leave much time to catch up with people.

2. The whole job thing is in limbo. I'm working part time which is good for now. I'm not sure if they're going to have a permanent position for me or what so I'm kinda letting it go until after the baby gets here.

31 weeks

So once again I've been terrible about the weekly updates, but one week has been pretty much like the next so you're not missing anything :-)

How far along: 31 weeks

How big is baby: According to the Bump, (which likes to compare baby to fruits and veggies) baby boy is the size of a pineapple. What to Expect App says a head of lettuce, but that will probably change tomorrow

Total weight gain: good question...20 maybe? I didn't gain anything between my last dr's visits, but she wasn't concerned about it

Sleep: last night was terrible....no, that's an understatement. I've been sick the last 3 days or so and last night I slept maybe 2-3 hours. I'd love to go back to sleep, but I can't breathe and my body won't let me sleep if I can't breathe through my nose :-(

Maternity Clothes: you betcha

Food cravings : nothing lately

Food Aversions: not that I can think of

Challenges: being sick and uncomfortably pregnant.

Movement: he's pretty active unless I'm up and moving around. It makes me think he's going to be one of those babies that you have to constantly move around with and as soon as you sit or set them down they freak out

Boy or Girl?: Baby boy

What I’m looking forward to: Getting over this cold

What I miss: sleep

Next appt: Bi-monthly OB appt on the 19th

Updates:

1. I lost my full time job :-( terrible timing...I still have my part time job, but it's not really enough to make ends meet. I've applied for unemployment and am waiting on that. There may be another dr buying the practice and we may have jobs with him, but right now everything is up in the air and it's sooooo stressful.

2. AJ was able to feel the baby (other then just getting kicked in the back at night). They actually seemed to be playing a game with each other. Baby would kick, AJ would push back and baby would kick again, super cute!

3. My mom and AJ's aunt are coming this weekend to paint the nursery! My mom is bringing the glider my sis-in-law gave us and my mom recovered for us. After they paint we can set up the crib. My sis-in-law also refinished dressers she gets from Craigslist and she is aid she wanted to do one for the baby's room so that's going to take care of all the nursery furniture which is awesome (especially with the uncertain job future).

4. Baby shower is next weekend! I can't believe it's almost here, when we set the date it seemed so far away, now it's just around the corner.

That's all I've got, if I'm lucky I'll be back next week for another update, but I'm not holding my breath ;-)

28 weeks 1 day, and a trip to the birthing center

 Quick appt update: I passed my GD test, only by 2 points, but a pass is a pass! After my next OB I'll go to bi-monthly appts, June is creeping up fast!

Baby boy is a trouble maker already. He's usually super active at least 3 times a day, like shaking my belly active. But, starting early yesterday into today I only felt him maybe a couple times. I kept thinking that if I ate this or that or poked at him enough he would give me a couple good kicks, but nope, stubborn like his mom ;-) So today around 1 I finally caved and called my OB's office. My doc wasn't there today, but the on call dr decided to have me head straight over to the hospital to check on him. I started to freak out a little thinking maybe I shouldn't have waited so long and had AJ meet me at the hospital just in case. I got all checked in and hooked up to the doppler and what does the little turkey do as soon as the nurse leaves? Starts punching at the doppler....seriously dude? I try to get you jacked up on sugar and poke at you repeatedly and nothing, but as soon as there's a doppler strapped to my stomach you go nuts? So then I felt a little silly b/c obviously he was fine, but I would rather be safe then sorry. The nurse did sorta chide me about waiting so long to go in. All is well again and while I felt like the epitome of a first time mom I'm happy to know he's okay. Plus they did another ultrasound so we got to see his cute little face again :-) once again he had at least one hand over his face at all times, camera shy just like his father LOL

How far along: 28 weeks 1 day

How big is baby: According to the Bump, (which likes to compare baby to fruits and veggies) baby boy is the size of an eggplant. What to Expect App says a small cabbage (that one is kinda odd)

Total weight gain: good question...about 15 I think

Sleep: hit and miss, would be better if I didn't have to wake up so many times to pee.

Maternity Clothes: you betcha

Food cravings : still sweets, but not as bad as before

Food Aversions: I made some toaster waffles yesterday at like 3 in the afternoon because they sounded delicious. I ate them and they were super yummy, but as soon as I was done the thought of them made me want to puke LOL

Challenges: tying my shoes, finding a comfortable position to sleep in, and my body has been all around tired lately

Movement: kinda covered that above

Boy or Girl?: Baby boy...we had the ultrasound tech double check today LOL

What I’m looking forward to: My parents offered to come put in a new window in the baby's room since we don't really have the time before my mom and AJ's aunt come to paint. So it'll be fun to really get started on his room.

What I miss: not feeling so exhausted

Next appt: April 4th