Sunday, April 18, 2010

One more day.....

Tomorrow I will have a toddler! I will no longer have a baby....well technically he will be considered a toddler, but to me he will always be my baby!

One year ago today, I woke up around 5:30am to roll over....however when I did so, I felt something. It wasn't a big gush, but did feel wet. I laid there for a minute or so and decided to roll back over and see if I felt the same thing, and I did....I knew then that my water had broke! Hallelujah! I knew that they couldn't turn me away from L&D with my water broken. I shook Hans awake and told him we needed to get to the hospital. He asked if we had time for him to shower, and so while he showered, I gathered the few things that we needed to add to the hospital bag and started to call our family and friends that we would be calling to inform we were on our way to the hospital. Once he was done, we headed out the door. He told me that he wanted to stop at McDonald's to get some breakfast and boy oh boy am I glad that he suggested that as once I got to the hospital the only thing they let me eat was a Popsicle and ice chips.

We got to the hospital around 7 or 7:30 (can't remember the exact time) and got all checked in. The nurses kept apologizing to us because they were full and they had to put us in the smallest room. It doubled as the storage room for extra monitoring machines! They kept telling us that as soon as another room was vacated and cleaned they would move us. I was not even close to delivering, so was not worried at all. Around 10 they were able to move us to a much bigger nicer room. By this point, I was still not dilating and my contractions were maybe 10 minutes apart and I still couldn't feel them. The doctor on call wanted me started on pitocin. I had wanted to stay away from pitocin unless I had to have it, but also wanted to keep from having a C-Section more. I asked if I could try walking around for a bit to see if that would help, so they let me go. I used the time to go over to the mother and baby unit to visit with my co-worker who had delivered her son the day before!

Once I got back to my room, my contractions were the same, and I agreed to the pitocin. They first started me on it and it would make my contractions get into a more regular pattern, but then would make them stack on top of each other, so they would have to stop it and wait for awhile and then try again. At one point, they had stopped it for a few hours. Then one of the nurse said that maybe what we needed to do was double the amount that they were giving me and see if that worked better. They hadn't been giving me all that much before, so we figured that it would hurt. While this was going on Hans and his mom had left to go have some dinner. They were nice and didn't bring it back to the room where I would have to smell it as I was VERY hungry by this point. By the point that Hans made it back to my room (around 8ish), the pitocin had started to make my contractions painful and to the point that I had to stop and think about breathing through them. He was so great, he just pulled up a chair and sat next to me helping me breath and telling me when they were almost over and making sure that I was comfortable. This continued on, and continued to get worse. Around 10:30pm the nurse checked me and I had finally made it to 6cm!


At 11pm, I turned to Hans and told him to turn on the TV, I wanted to watch Jay Leno! I listened to his jokes and then when they were done, I wanted the room back to being dark and quiet! Hans continued to talk me through my contractions and helping me to breath. Around midnight I finally asked the nurse if I would have something in my IV to knock the edge off. I don't remember what they gave me, I just remember looking at the nurse as she pushed the drug into my IV and saying to her....this is just going to take the edge off right? And she looked at me and said oh no hunny, this is just going to relax you! That is NOT what I wanted to hear! Yes it did allow me to fall asleep between contractions for the 20 or 30 seconds, but it didn't take that edge off that I was looking for.

After another 1/2 hour or hour I finally turned to Hans and told him that I couldn't do it any more, I needed drugs. I can't remember if he or Diane (my mother in law) went to get the nurse, but one of them did. She came in and just verified that I was asking for the EPI. I told her yes and they paged the anesthesiologist. They came in and needless to say it was a mess. It took 6 attempts to get it placed, and it still didn't work. After the first 3 tries, she thought that she had it. They ran the tube up my back, and had me positioned and she was about to give me more meds in it when she realized that the line was full of blood and she didn't have it placed correctly. They had to remove this and, she had to go restock her cart! At this point, Hans had to leave the room because he could tell that the anesthesiologist was getting frustrated. He left and Diane and one of the nurse took over allowing me to lean on them while it was being placed. Another 3 tries and she said that she got it. My legs went numb, and the left side of my belly went numb, but that it all. I still felt every.single.contraction! Like the meds that they had given me before, the EPI allowed me to fall asleep between contractions and I think that this is what allowed me to finally finish dilating. I really didn't want to have a C-section. Finally around 2:30ish I turned to Hans and said I have to push!

We paged the nurse and she came and checked me and sure enough I was fully dilated! They paged the doctor. He was at home, so we had to wait for him to get down to the hospital. Once he got there, they had me start pushing and at 3:16 am Jacob Christopher made his debut into this world! It was the most amazing moment of my life! The nurses were so nice, they have saved me a dinner tray since they new that I was starving, so as soon as the doctor was done, they brought me food! Then after all the cleaning up happening, we moved on over to the mother baby unit. After we were settled, Hans headed home to get some much needed rest. Jacob and I snuggled right on in and slept until breakfast came! I scarfed it down as I was still starving! Later that morning, family and friends started to come by and meet Jacob.

In just a few short hours, my baby will be 1! We are having his birthday party from 11am to 1pm and I am really excited for it! I just can't believe how fast the past year had flown by. I have heard many times that you never know how fast time goes by until you have a baby and boy is that true.

This was our first family photo! 


And this is our most recent family picture! What a difference a year makes! 

Friday, April 16, 2010

My Review of Graco Ipo Stroller - Navarro

Originally submitted at Toys R Us

This compact, convenient stroller is ready to go anywhere and everywhere. Built for action, this lightweight stroller weighs just 17 pounds without skimping on features. There's a roomy, completely accessible storage basket, a canopy with peek-a-boo window and tinted sun visor, an adjustable le...


Great Stroller!

By Jacobs mom from Anchorage, AK on 4/16/2010

 

5out of 5

Pros: Easy To Maneuver, Easily Stowed, Stylish, Lightweight, Easy to Set Up, Smooth Ride, Comfortable

Cons: Small Basket, No Cup Holder

Best Uses: Infants, Toddlers

Describe Yourself: First Time Parent

I keep this stroller in my car and use it all the time! It is super easy to open and close. I have done so while holding my son and can do it with one hand! It is great for traveling with, and a good size for airports. I love that it reclines, as this allows my son to take a nap in it if need be. We used this stroller while at Walt Disney World and he slept in it everyday. The storage area isn't very big, but I don't know of any lightweight stroller that does have a large one.

(legalese)

April 15th.....

What a day......to some it is tax day....to others a birthday (my sisters...happy birthday Cristy!) To me it is a day that I will remember for the rest of my life. One year ago today, was my last OB visit for my pregnancy with Jacob. I went in hoping and praying that my OB would tell me that I had progressed some more than I was the previous week and would be delivering soon. However she didn't...she told me that I was still only 3cm, and I could easily go another 2 weeks. Needless to say that is not what I wanted to be told. Yes I was 38 weeks and technically had another 2 weeks to go until my due date. But I was uncomfortable and ready to have Jacob out! It took me a good 10 minutes at the end of my appointment to stop crying enough to leave the exam room. I was then so frustrated that I could not bring myself to go back to work. I called work and told them I would be in the next day and drove myself over to Diane's school as I needed a "mom" hug and my mom was in Canada. I talked to her on the way there and she kept telling me to try and change my thinking that I was not due until May 5th so that I wouldn't be disappointed if I went past my due date.

After getting my "mom" hug and talking to Diane, I drove myself home and cried some more at home before taking a much needed nap. I woke up that evening and hung out with Hans. I woke up the next day and went to work. Of course my co-workers kept asking me how things went the day before and I just kept telling them as nicely as I could that I didn't want to talk about it. Most people left me along and I was thankful for that. I came home that night and decided that I was not going to worry about when I would go into labor and just leave it to mother nature to take its course........I will continue the story on the 17th!

Ok for the fun stuff that happened today.....I drove my new van for the first time today! Hans went and picked it up yesterday in Fairbanks, and got home around 8pm. I didn't have anywhere to go last night so today was the first time driving it. It is so nice! Today I also took Jacob for some pictures at Pictureme studio in Wal-Mart. They turned out so so so cute! Then this evening Megan and Mike came over and brought some pizza from Papa Murphy's and it was really good! We had a good time socializing and eating yummy pizza, and then we went out and I showed them my new van!

Here are some of Jacob's pictures form today!

Sunday, April 11, 2010

OMG............Only One week!

It has been a very busy couple of weeks! Jacob is doing great from his surgery! We don't go back to the urologist until the end of the month, but I can just tell that he has healed very well. :)

After everything settled down from Jacobs surgery, I was able to get a good start on my new business! I am enjoying being my own boss! Jacob is still going over to Diane's for a few hours most days so that I have time to focus on work and can get some phone calls done if need be without having to worry about a crying baby in the background.

We have made the decision to sell my Trailblazer and buy a 2010 Honda Odyssey! I just loved driving my moms while I was in AZ, and Hans liked it as well so we have put the Trailblazer up for sale and he will be flying to Fairbanks on Wednesday to pick up the van. We had to go with a dealership in Fairbanks as the one here in Anchorage didn't have the model that we wanted or one with the options that we were looking for. So he is headed up there early Wednesday morning. I can't wait to have my new van! (I never thought that I would be a mini-van person, but alas I love this van!)

Last weekend I tried to take Jacob to the park. Diane came with us, and we I got a couple of cute pictures. He wasn't to sure about the snow as there is still a good amount on the ground at the parks. We only stayed for maybe 10 minutes as they didn't have any swings at the park we went to and I really was trying to get pictures of him in the swing.

Last Sunday was Jacob's first Easter! I also realized that out of Hans' parents 6 grand kids, it was the first Easter for 4 of them! Jacob, Grace, Katherine and Julianna all were born in the past year! We got some cute pictures of Jacob in his outfit that Diane bought him for Easter! We also got a few good pictures of him with his cousins that live here in AK, and then some good family shots!

Today Megan and I went to the Crop for Cancer event. It was from 10 to 10...yes that is right, 12 straight hours of scrapbooking! We had a great time! Both of us won a silent auction item. Megan's was a basket with wine, place mats, napkins, napkin rings, and a table runner. My item was a big set of "boy" scrapbooking supplies! I have been eying the paper that was included in the bunch at Michel's but have never bought it. Now I don't have to and I got a bunch of stickers and stuff to go with it! And of course there is the added benefit that the proceeds went to a great cause. I will take all the stuff out tomorrow and take a picture of all the cool stuff I won and post a picture! Thanks to Diane who watched Jacob almost all day while I was off scrapbooking and Hans was at work!

After I got home and checked my email and facebook, I signed onto thebump as usual. Every time I sign on, it tells me in the corner how many days until Jacob's birthday. When I signed in it said that there were only 7 days until his birthday! This made me freak out just a bit! Can you believe it....only 7 more days until my sweet baby enters toddler-hood! I have a feeling that the next 7 days I will be a crying mess as he is starting to get so darn big!

Here are some of our newest photos from the last few weeks. :) Enjoy!