Birth Story

This is my favorite picture of my sweet baby boy!  I can't believe Nathan is 5 weeks old!  The time has gone by so quickly but at the same time its hard to remember before he was born.  He has become Matt and my entire world and I can't believe how much I love him.

Nathan was born on November 6, 2011 even though my due date was October 30.  I went in to my 39 week doctor appointment hopeful that I would soon be done with being pregnant.  By that point I was so exhausted and ready to be done.  My doctor had been watching my blood pressure and swelling and was all ready to send me to the hospital to be induced.

Unfortunately my blood pressure was just a few numbers away from going to the hospital and when the doctor checked me I was had not begun effacing or dilating, and the baby was still up high.  The doctor told me to not be discouraged, to walk a lot, and that she was sure I wouldn't go too far past my due date.

My last day of work was the Friday before my due date because the doctor told me I was not allowed to work beyond that.  My due date came and went with no excitement and I showed up to my regular doctor appointment at 40 weeks 2 days.  My doctor told me if I was even just dilated to a 1 she would send me to the hospital to be induced but unfortunately I still hadn't progressed at all.  She scheduled me to be induced on Sunday when I would be 41 weeks.

I ended up going to the hospital Saturday night because the doctor thought it would take at least 20 hours once I got induced.  The nurse told me they would start me on three pills throughout the night and then begin pitocin in the morning.  The pills were supposed to help me efface but not start contractions.  Within 20 minutes of taking the first pill I started having contractions. 

The nurse came to check me after three hours and I was 50 percent effaced, dilated to a 1 and the baby had dropped down into position.  By 7 am I was dilated to a 4 and didn't even need pitocin.  They gave  me my epidural right as my mom and Emily got to the hospital.  By 12:45 I was dilated to a 10 and ready to push. 

They called the on call doctor, Doctor Warren and I began pushing.  I pushed for two hours but couldn't get the baby's head out. At 1:30 the doctor suggested using the vacuum to get the baby out and by that point I was so exhausted I would have agreed to anything to get the baby out.  Once she put the vacuum on the baby's head he was out within 5 minutes!

It was the most amazing moment when all of the sudden the baby was out and I heard him cry for the first time.  The nurses immediately laid him on my chest and was overcome with how much love I instantly felt for my sweet baby.  I held my baby and cried with absolute joy and as I held him he calmed down and snuggled next to me.  Emily cut the cord and they took the baby to weigh him. He was born at 2:49 and was 8 pounds 7 ounces and 21 inches long.  Matt decided that his first name would be Nathan and I picked David after my dad for his middle name.

I was so grateful to have Matt by my side throughout the entire labor as well as having my mom and Emily there.  They were all so wonderful and encouraging and I was so happy to share the experience with them.  Labor was such an amazing experience even though it was not how I had planned it but more than anything I am so happy to have my little Nathan here after 9 long months!

Cute Husband

I got a text from Matt today with this picture and a caption saying "The baby is coming today!"  Well husband, lets just hope that Panda Express is correct and that the baby will be here today.

10 Days Left

Good and bad news.  I am still borderline preeclampsia but my test results came back low enough that I do not need to be induced early.  It is good news to know that the baby and I are healthy and not at risk.  The bad news is that I am still pregnant!!!

In some ways it feels like everything is going by so fast and the baby will be here before we know it.  On the other hand 10 days until my due date feels like forever, and then I could possibly go two more weeks over that date.  Arg I hate the waiting game.

My work is holding interviews for my position today and tomorrow.  I had not even realized that my last day at work is scheduled for next Friday.  Leaving work and letting someone have full control over my job is going to be extremely hard for me.  I keep having horror nightmares about coming back to work in January and having files missing and erased or corrupted.

Matt and I were talking about the baby last night and both of us have decided we have not grasped the fact that we are going to be taking a baby home with us from the hospital.  I know that sounds so strange but I feel like I haven't even had time to think about it.  I just keep thinking that I am almost done being pregnant and that is as far as I get.

I just need to have this baby soon!  The anxiety about making sure everything is ready and leaving work and the thought of labor is making me an absolute crazy person.  I hope this baby comes any day!!

36 Weeks, Ready or Not!

I went to my 36 week doctor appointment on Tuesday expecting the usual 20 minutes in and out.  Hear the babies heart beat, get measured, weight and blood pressure test, leave a urine sample and back to work within an hour.  Oh no such luck!

I arrived and did the usual weight, blood pressure and urine samples expecting everything to be fine like it always is.  Well my blood pressure was high, and I did not gain any weight in the two weeks since my last appointment.  When the nurse looked at my urine sample she did not comment, and instead hustled me into a room.

She left me in the room for about 15 minutes and then I heard her and the doctor talking quietly outside my room.  The doctor came in the room and gave me the good news. She believes that I have pre eclampsia, especially because I have had so much swelling the entire pregnancy.  Because my tests had always been normal before she wants to wait one more week before she diagnoses me either way.

She checked the babies heartbeat which was normal but when she took his measurements he had not grown since his measurement two weeks ago.  The doctor decided to order an ultrasound to make sure everything was okay and check to see if the baby was head down.  He was and has plenty of fluid and is still being active so they are not too concerned. 

So then the doctor sat me down and had a serious discussion with me about being induced early.  Which basically consisted of if there is protein in my urine next week they are  not going to let me continue to be pregnant.  I just stared at her, I didn't know what to think or do or say.  I could be having my baby next week!

So Matt and I will be spending our weekend scrambling to get everything finished up just in case we meet our baby next week.  I'm hoping and praying that all my test results will come back normal next week and be fine, but on the other hand I'm so excited to meet my baby I can't stand it and it would be so fun to not have to wait three more weeks!

My Baby Has a Name!!

Matt and I are 95% sure we know what we are naming our little baby!!  But we are keeping it a secret until baby is here because we want to surprise everyone!  Oh I am so excited, naming the baby makes everything seem so real and close!  I can't believe our little baby will be here in six short weeks! 

At this point six weeks feels like absolutely forever but I know it will fly by.  We almost have the nursery set up, we just need to wash all of our baby bedding, clothes, blankets, hats, etc...  We also need to figure out a better system for organizing his room and get the last things that we need. 

Here is a picture of his crib all set up!  I can't wait to meet my little baby in just a month and a half!

88 Days Left!

The app on my phone let me know today that I only have 88 DAYS LEFT until my due date!  Holy cow, where did the time go? Work has just been so crazy the past couple months, and especially the past few weeks that weeks have seemed like days.  Luckily it looks like my workload will not be lightening up anytime soon so the remainder of  my pregnancy should fly right by!

We also found out last week that Brittany and Bryce are having a boy too!  Everyone was so shocked, even Brittany's doctor because the baby's heart rate has always been above 160 and not one person guessed that she was having a boy.

We are all so excited though especially where the babies will be so close in age and we are hoping that they will be good friends.  Brittany brought over a bunch of the baby clothes she has bought to show us and Matt and I have a bunch of the same stuff she does!  They really will be little buddies.

Now we just need the next 88 days to fly by so that Matt and I can finally meet our little guy!

20 Week Ultrasound Update

So on Monday Matt and I went to the 20 week ultrasound appointment and it went awesome!!  I don't know why but everytime I have a doctor appointment I get so nervous.  I was really nervous for this appointment though.  It probably had to deal with the fact that it was at the hospital and that they were checking to make sure the  baby is growing correctly with no complications.

Well everything went wonderful.  We found LDS hospital with just a few wrong turns and the nurses and doctors were so nice to us.  The ultrasound technician we had was great, she told us everything she was looking for and when she found it she would tell us. 

On Monday I was 20 weeks and 1 day but the baby was measuring 20 weeks 5 days and weighs 12 ounces.  The technician said your baby weighs the same as a coke haha.  They looked at his brain, heart, lungs, stomach, kidneys, and spine. 

Matt told the technician that we already knew we were having a boy early on in the ultrasound but after about 10 minutes she stopped and said "They told you it was a boy?"  Matt and I both looked at each other and panicked a bit and then she started laughing and said "Well good because it is definetely a boy!"  She was also the fourth person to tell us that we have a very active baby so Matt and I are a little worried that we may have super baby come out but we are so excited!!

Ultrasound today!

Yay I have my 20 week ultrasound today!  I can't wait to see my little baby moving all around, it feels like it has been forever since I have seen him.  I also am having this ultrasound at the LDS hospital which is where I am delivering so it will be good to see the hospital and know where to go.  I'm so excited to be halfway done! Only 4 and a half more months!

Its Officially a Boy!

Matt and I found out on Friday, May 13 that we are definatly 100% having a boy!  When we went in for our appointment on Monday the cord was between the baby's legs so they could not give us a definate answer.  They tried for a half hour to get the baby to reposition himself but he wouldn't. 

The ultrasound tech was getting a little frustrated and said "wow you will have a stubborn baby on your hands.  Which one of you does he take after?"  Matt and I both looked at each other, smiled, and said the baby will be just like its Daddy!  We had a pretty good hunch at that point it would be a little boy.

The ultrasound tech confirmed that we are having a boy at our Friday appointment.  As soon as she said boy I got tears in my eyes and instantly felt so much closer to the little baby that is inside me.  Just knowing that it is a boy made the pregnancy feel so much more real, and almost like wow, we really will have a baby here in just over 5 months and I can't wait to meet him!

The great part about not finding out on Monday is that I got to see my baby twice in one week!  He really was darling, we could see him moving all around, stretching, and kicking his legs.  The ultrasound tech said he was sucking his thumb too.  She also said that he was one of the most active babies that she had ever seen.  I think I may have my hands full come October 30th and I can't wait! :)

Boy or Girl?

Matt and I are finding out if we are having a boy or girl tonight!! Well, if all goes to plans.  I am just barely 15 weeks and it will depend on if the baby wants to be cooperative or not, but I think we will find out tonight.

Half our family and friends say boy, the other half say girl.  Matt and I go back and forth pretty much on a daily basis so I can't wait to find out!  I have been trying to not get too excited either way, so that no matter what we are having I will be thrilled for. 

I do have to admit though, I am slightly nervous to find out if its a boy or girl.  It is one of those landmarks in a pregnancy and I think everything will start feeling so real after this.  Then Matt and I can start buying things for the baby and start thinking of names and really get excited for our little Halloween baby to get here!

The Crib

We ordered our crib!! Oh I am so excited!  My parents are so sweet and told Matt and I that they wanted to buy our first baby crib.  So the day Matt and I told my parents we were having a baby my mom and I went to Babies'R'Us to start crib shopping.

This is the crib I picked!  Darling, isn't it?  It will arrive to the store in 7-14 days and then we can go pick it up!  I talked to Matt about it last night and convinced him to help me clean out our second bedroom early, so that we can set the crib up as soon as it arrives.  I know he thinks I am a little crazy, but I am just so excited and Matt is so good to humor me!

                                            

Announcement

I meant to blog sooner, but work has been a little too crazy these days.  A week ago today, so March 25 Matt and I went to our first doctor's appointment!  Oh we were scared to death, had absolutely no idea what to expect.  We decided to go to the Salt Lake Clinic, instead of Intermountain Health Care because they are smaller, and also it would be easier for me to go leave work for appointments if it was downtown.

We met our doctor and she was really great.  She took me back first to do the regular screenings, and then brought Matt back so that we could see our baby for the first time on the ultrasound!  We were absolutely amazed at how clearly we could see our little baby.  You could see the heartbeat and its little arms and legs and it kept moving all around.  It was seriously the most amazing experience I have ever had and the doctor gave us three pictures to take home!

Matt and I were headed over to his parent's house for dinner that night, but we stopped home and made a photocopy of the ultrasound.  We then went to the grocery store and bought a congratulations card and stuck the ultrasound inside.  When we got to his parent's house Matt handed them the card, luckily while both his parents were sitting. 

Shayne opened the card and got really confused.  She looked at the ultrasound, looked back at us and said "What is this?"  Matt told her it was exactly what she thought it was and she freaked out!!  Both parents took several hours for the news to completely sink in because they had not been suspecting a thing.

Because my dad had to work Friday night and we wanted to tell both parents together, we decided to go to my parents Saturday morning for breakfast.  We were more careful this time, and actually wrote in the card that they were going to be grandparents again.  We gave my parents the card and when they opened it all they said was "NO WAY"!! And then my mom cried. haha Apparently Matt and I are very good at keeping people in the dark.

It's so nice to have everything out in the open now and to get excited about having a baby here in just 7 months!!! Oh I can't wait!

Here's Your Sign

Have you ever heard that program Larry the Cable Guy does, called "Here's your sign?"  Basically Larry things stupid people should have to wear a stupid sign around their neck to warn others.  So he tells idiotic stories of dumb and embarrassing things that people do.  Then he yells out "Here is your sign!!" and then a jingle plays.

Well there have only been a few times in my life that I felt I did something stupid enough to deserve a sign.  Like in junior high when I forgot my locker combination after opening my locker 4 times a day for six months and having to go to the office to get a copy of it.

Or the time at Utah State that I accidentally wore mismatched shoes to school and did not notice until I was on the bus and it was too late.  Or the time that I sprinkled blueberry pancake mix on my french toast instead of powdered sugar...

But today I think I deserve a stupid sign.  Oh do I ever deserve a sign.  Today at work I accidentally erased my company's accounting program off my computer.  The accounting program that I use practically every single day and can't do my job without...

So yes, can someone please bring me a sign while I sit on the phone with the IT guy trying to explain what in the world I did as he laughs hysterically at me.

Making Wendy's

I made Wendy's for lunch with my best friend, Ashley today.  Oh, there is nothing like making Wendy's, especially a chocolate frosty and chicken nuggets!

Matt's New Job

MATT GOT A NEW JOB!!! For those of you who don't know much about Matt's old job it totally sucks!! He works awful night shifts, Saturdays and Sundays, he will work 50 hour weeks, and then work nothing for 2-3 weeks.  So basically his schedule was killing us.

He started his new job yesterday.  It is with our brother in law, Bryce's brother doing flood emergency stuff?  I don't know much about the details but basically when someone's house floods the insurance company calls them up, and they go rip out carpet and sheet rock and clean up all the water. 

Sounds like a drab job?  Luckily for Matthew, this is exactly his specialty.  Matt loves working in people's homes and using power tools and all that good stuff. The hours are good, he will be doing day shifts and guaranteed hours every single week.  He has to be on-call a few nights a week in case there are emergencies but compared to Sara Lee this will be a walk in the park.

Matt and I feel very blessed right now and know that we are being watched over and taken care of.  When things get tough you just need to stick through it and everything will work out in the end.

Yay for Matt, I am so excited for him!

Sleep Walking

Things have been pretty stressful and out of control for Matt and I lately.  My job has been really busy, and Matt has been without hours at his work for two weeks now.  Then throw in Matt's grandpa dieing, and little Annie being herself and buying the new dirtbike we both have been an overload.

I know when I have had enough because I start sleep walking like nobody's business.  Two nights ago I woke myself up just about each hour in a different room besides my bedroom.  I woke up in the kitchen twice, the bathroom once, and the living room.  Once I woke up to Annie licking me, I had picked her up and was holding her in the kitchen! She just looked up at me like "Do you know its 3 am and I want to be asleep"?

Good thing its the weekend!

Finally!!

Matt was able to FINALLY pick up his brand stinking new dirtbike last night!!  I have to admit, it is one seriously hot bike.  He found it on KSL last Friday, we went and saw it on Saturday, and it took until last night at 4:00 to get everything finalized.

Matt and his dad loaded up the trailer and drove to Toole to pick up the bike.  Its a CRF 450 something or other all I know is that the bike is  HUGE! Like my 6'1 husband has to stand on his tip toes when he gets on the bike.  And I know that it is fast, extremely fast.  AND! The bike only has 75 miles on it which means we got an insanly great deal considering it is basically new.

I will post pictures this weekend after I go take some!

Annie

Annie is the sweetest dog!

This morning she woke up when I got up to get ready for work.  She sat at the bathroom door and cried so when I finally opened the door she bolted in and tried to jump on my lap.  Needless to say I was late for work this morning because she kept crying to be held. I love having Annie around.  Even though she always wants to be held when I am blow drying my hair or when I am cooking dinner I still love it. 

Annie has recently  developed a love for the wind.   She loves to play in Matt's Mom's backyard and run as fast as she can against it.  Poor thing though, she is so small she really has no chance.  She also has started to like riding in the car and she doesn't shake anymore when we take her out to the car.  Our little Annie is getting so big so quick!

Valentines Day

This year for Valentines Day Matt and I went out with Emily and Chase. We ate dinner at Five Guys and then got ice-cream from Frogurt. Apparently this Valentines Day was all about me because I was the only person who actually liked eating at Five Guys, and Emily and I are the ones who love Frogurt. But it was great to all get to spend time together. Matt surprised me the way he usually does by getting me flowers and a steam clean vacuum! I have such a sweet and thoughtful husband that I love so much. It was a great Valentines Day!

New Blog

Well, it is time for me to start a blog, since I think I may be the only person I know that does not already have one. It is called Matthew and Aubrey even though Matthew will probably never write on it, and will probably never read it either. But this way I can document all of the things that Matt and I do and have an excuse to take more pictures. :)