He's finally here!!

Hi everyone! Sorry it's taken so long to update this but I've been a little pre-occupied with a new little man...Christian Douglas Small!

One week late and 37 hours of labor Christian decided to make his debut on Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 10:17 a.m. Weighing in at 7lbs and 7 ounces and 20 inches long our son was totally worth the weight!

I went to the hospital Thursday evening to be induced. Tyler and I got settled in our room, little did we know that our stay would be throughout the whole weekend.

I started on pitocin and cervidill to help with dilation. Around 2 a.m. they came in to check on me and still no progress. They called the doctor back in at that time and she started me again but around 5:30 a.m. when I was checked, I was pretty much at the same spot, but my cervix had dropped. At that time I was taken off of all meds and was served breakfast and showered because I was starting OVER.

Friday morning and early afternoon was brutal. My contractions were starting to really get to me and I was running out of "Happy Places" to distract my mind from the pain. Around 1 it was getting to be intolerable so I asked for Nubain. This is a drug that allows you to still feel the contractions, but you aren't bothered by the pain.

BEST THING EVER.

Downside, it only last about an hour :( So once my Nubain wore off (and Tyler and Angie were done recording my nonsense on the drug- haha ) The nurses suggested I go ahead with my epidural. My only concern was I wasn't progressing as much so I was nervous about the epidural because there is no turning back after you get it! I asked the nurses how much notice they needed to request it when I was ready and they said about 20 minutes. So my goal was to hold off as long as I could. About 30 minutes later I was ready! It ended up taking an hour for the anesthesiologist to come to my room (which never happens- go figure). At this point my contractions were 2 minutes apart and were extremely uncomfortable. FINALLY the epidural was in and I felt like a normal person again because I could make eye contact AND hold a conversation without saying "ouch....ouch.....ughh....omg..." 

Later that evening I was around 6cm dilated and slowly progressing in the right direction. At 11 o'clock that evening I was 9 cm!! So at this point I'm thinking I was most likely going to deliver in the early morning. My family was camping out in the waiting area and what was 1 more cm?!

WRONG.

Part of my cervix was still present and I was unable to start "pushing"  until the doctor arrived in the morning around 7 a.m. I was so exhausted and really starting to feel pressure and pain in my lower back around 5:30 a.m. which made 7 seems so far away. I ended up having a meltdown begging my nurse to call the doctor because I just wanted to know for sure if I was either pushing or having a c-section. She was so patient with me and assured me that the doctor would be in soon and I would know then.

8 a.m. I was awakened by the doctor! It felt like Christmas seeing her there! She said everything was ready and I was able to start pushing! Just a little over 2 hours and (in my opinion the easiest part of labor) we welcomed our son Christian Douglas Small into the world!

37 hours sounds crazy! And if anyone told me I would be in labor that long I'd laugh and tell them they're nuts. But after all the blood, sweat and tears I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Seeing our son, hearing his cry, holding him and kissing him  for the first time is something that Tyler and I will never forget.  We are so blessed to have a healthy baby who is just perfect.

Introducing....

CHRISTIAN DOUGLAS SMALL

FEBRUARY 16, 2013

10:17 a.m.

7 lbs 7 ounces

This little guy was wide awake ALL day!

 He doesn't want to miss out on anything.

Some pictures from our journey...

Excited Daddy!!

Day 2

Me and my Mom :)

37 Hours...Whew!! Well WORTH it!!

Our little cub ;)

Proud Daddy

Nana & Papa

Grandpa & Grandma

Aunt Nancy & Uncle Ryan

Uncle Ryan & Aunt Angie

Headed home!!

Our Family

Lucky in Love & Life...

Eviction Notice

- 4 DAYS!

My sweet little boy is making us wait! There are a few reasons that make sense to his late arrival.

1. Listens to me all day and is thinking "OMG, I'm never coming out! That woman wears me out!"

2. He is just being stubborn like his Mother

OR

3. He will be just like his Daddy and is enjoying life and hanging out

(I'm hoping for #3 )

Either way, we are beyond excited and VERY ready to meet him! I go to the doctor tomorrow (Wednesday, 2.13.13) at 2:50 p.m. to plan his "Eviction".

Maybe he will surprise us tonight?!?...hmm....doubtful.

 Although I don't care for bare belly's, I figure in honor of  "Fat Tuesday" this is totally appropriate and wanted to share this video.

This is from last night- Christian is most active as soon as I sit down to "relax" on the couch. I suppose he is just prepping me for Mommy hood.... no more relaxation for me!

Little Stinker.

So funny!

I know I shared this on my Facebook page, but I had to share it on here as well! For all you Mom's out there....

Click the link Motherhood :)

39 weeks...how can this be?!?

Christian is ready to make his debut!!

How many weeks? 39  weeks and 5 days

Total weight gain: 54

Maternity clothes? I now have a favorite pair of jeans and work pants

Stretch marks? Not yet-trying to stay strong! Lathering up BIG TIME!

Sleep: As good as it can be. Definitely challenging to roll from side to side. I either have to pee when I do or can't breath. Not to mention I dreamt that I gave birth to twins last night-but not just any twins...twin, KITTENS. (I'm stopping here...)  

Best moment this week: Angie treated me to a eflexology appoinment today! It was amazing!!  And I'm just trying to enjoy these final days before Christian gets here! Soaking up all his little movements and eating everything I can ;)  

Miss Anything? So many things, but I know I will miss this time. I will miss my little baby rolling, kicking and just being in my belly :(
Movement: He is a wiggly little booger!
Food cravings: Meats, Milk, and some sweets. Was eating icing out of the container tonight....neat.
Anything making you queasy or sick: No
Gender: My little boy!
Symptoms: Some shooting pains and swelling
Belly Button in or out? Out
Mood?: Ready to meet my baby!!

Looking forward to: My doctor's appointment this Friday- Christian's due date! Hoping to have a better idea on when we can expect to meet our little man. And I can't express enough how excited I am to just see him, hold him and kiss him for the 1st time! Ahhh!! It's so close!!!



My 1st picture of my sweet boy at 9 weeks!
Can't believe it's really almost here!!!

2 Days!!
or maybe sooner... ;)

38 weeks

Christian is 20 inches long
and is almost to his final weight!

How many weeks? 38  weeks and 5 days

Total weight gain: 53 (I lost a pound last week!--weird)

Maternity clothes? Duh ;)

Stretch marks? Still no....hoping and praying it stays like this!

Sleep: Tossing and turning a bit more, but my sleep is okay

Best moment this week: Have a doctor appointment on the 31st, hoping to have a better idea when we can expect Christian! Finished his growth chart last night :)

Miss Anything? Christian's sweet tiny kicks... now they are "knock a motha out" kicks=brutal
Movement: Still active. I feel bad for him because I know he is running out of room in there!
Food cravings: Ok, so I'm starting to crave my Ice Cream and Chocolate! I'm happy it's coming at the end! I want Vanilla Ice Cream and Fudge... so odd.
Anything making you queasy or sick:  Nada
Gender: Daddy's little fishing buddy ;)
Symptoms:  Large and in charge! My swelling is calming down (knock on wood) but my backacne (sorry gross I know lol)  and hot flashes are in full force. Poor Tyler... 
Belly Button in or out? It's pretty much out. Looks funny
Mood?: Anxious, Happy, Sleepy, Worried, Excited & Blessed
Looking forward to: My 1st contraction! Everyone has asked me 100 times if I have had any, and I still have not. I'm just curious to know what they feel like.
I know I'll regret this one later, but I really want to know! Also, my cousin Caty (Aunt Caty) is coming to spend my final weekend before his due date with me! I'm SO excited to see her!

 10 Days!!

So sweet :)

This morning I was thinking that I wanted to see if there were any books with Christian's name in the title that we could read to him. After a few searches on Google, and trying to modify the search to the name Christian and not the religion- I came across this story.

First I found the book, then I came across the YouTube video.I had to share because it will seriously melt your heart... <3 

Click on the link to watch the video :)
A Lion named Christian

36 weeks...almost 37, tomorrow :)

Christian's lungs are almost fully developed!
(So is Mama's belly!)

How many weeks? 36 weeks and 6 days

Total weight gain: Refer to note at bottom....you'll understand in a minute

Maternity clothes?  Yep, finding the lose fitting pants to my best friend right now. No longer wearing heals to work

Stretch marks? No...trying to stay strong here!!

Sleep: Considering my belly is huge and Christian likes to move at night, I will say I'm sleeping better than I thought I would.

Best moment this week: We are officially under 25 days to our countdown! We are all ready for our baby boy to get here! He had hiccups Sunday night before bed again which makes me giggle because they are so sweet! Had a doctor appointment Tuesday (15th) and everything seems to be on track. I am not dilated yet so no real progress, but I still have plenty of time. I am now going to the doc every week :)

Miss Anything? Sitting comfortable on the couch, in the car, at work....anywhere really
Movement: He is an active boy! At times I seriously wonder if he is going to tear out of my skin
Food cravings: MILK and I did have a moment this week where I had to have Avocados, so Tyler took me to our local Mexican restaurant :)
Anything making you queasy or sick:  No
Gender: Sweet Baby Boy
Symptoms:  Swelling! It's definitely kicked in....BOO
Belly Button in or out? Hanging "in" for it's dear life
Mood?: Excited! It's getting SO close!
Looking forward to: Soaking up and taking in our final days before our life is truly changed forever. I am beyond anxious to meet Christian, but can't believe it's really almost here! So I want to really enjoy these last days with Tyler :)

CONFESSION:

OK, so I'm coming clean with my weight gain. I've only been going up a couple lbs a week as I blog because 1. I truly haven't tracked my exact week gain 2. It's one of those things you'd rather just not know. But after my M.D. appointment yesterday, I realized I have been a little too "generous" to myself  and it's time to confess....uh oh ;)

I'm sharing this for those women who are self conscious about their weight and worry about what people think as they gain (pregnant or not), it's not a fun thing to face period. Either way I've always been one to be open and honest with this topic as I feel like there is so much pressure on how much a woman weighs and not has she feels.

So, with that said here are my numbers...

Starting weight: 148-150  

Preggo as of 1/16/2013: 202  

Total Weight Gain: Around 52lbs

WOW. I thought for sure I would be a "fit" pregnant chick but the reality of it is- I'm so far from it. I have not eaten the ice cream, cookies, and pizza everyday like you hear with pregnancy or had insane cravings. But I also haven't eaten "clean". I've wanted carbs, meats, veggies and have indulged in foods I wouldn't typically: Ribs, Ramen Noodles, Chicken Wings...the list goes on. All of this with the mentality of, "You know what, I'm pregnant...I can do this" then others around me reminding me "I'm eating for two".

I learned a valuable lesson...that's all a bunch a nonsense. 

I've come a very long way in learning and understanding my body. This journey itself  has been the biggest life changing event I could ever go through and I'm so grateful I have. But ladies, please do not have the mentality of "Eating for two" because truly you aren't adding that much more to your diet. I think I took this and ran with it because I'm always trying to watch what I eat and this was my guilt-free ticket to eat whatever, whenever. And when the doctors told me I couldn't lift more than 20#'s total, I was so discouraged to continue with my weight training that I ultimately just stopped. Terrible idea. Next time around I'm doing things much different and just staying true to my body.
 

SO- if you've made it this far- THANK YOU for listening...I'm almost done here.

My goal now is to figure out a healthy and constructive weight loss program post-baby. I plan to track my progress and hope to share it with everyone. It will help me hold myself accountable and maybe, just maybe...help someone else.

 22 Days!

 

One Month!

Yesterday marked exactly ONE MONTH until our sweet baby's due date! Hard to think we are already to this point and here before long we will get to see, hold, and kiss our little boy for the 1st time.

The past 8 months (really 9) has been a journey that has changed my life forever. Going into pregnancy I truly had NO IDEA what was ahead. I read all the books and blogs I possibly could to try to "prepare" myself- little did I know I would I create my own experience.

I remember around week 7 (because this is what the books told me I should expect this to happen) I would walk into a restaurant or open my fridge...and smell anything and everything I could to see if that would be the item to make me "nauseous". To my surprise nothing ever bothered me. Now, I'm not trying to brag here for those of you who nothing settled well with! My point is at that moment I should have taken into consideration that just because the Book says so or the Blog tells me this, does NOT mean it will happen. Don't get me wrong- there are definitely things that I read and was warned about by my brutally honest friend (thank you Sarah Packer) that I was SO happy I was prepared for, but I truly have been blessed with a smooth pregnancy.

It's bittersweet thinking about how it's quickly coming to an end. As much as I have complained at times and been a grump (sorry Tyler)  I will miss the bond I've shared with my sweet boy. From the moment I took the test, seeing his little pea body wiggling around at our 1st ultra sound, hearing his itty bitty FAST heartbeat for the 1st time, finding out that he is really a BOY, feeling his little flutter kicks, seeing his tiny hiccups move my belly, and now feeling his strong "I'll kick your rib out" Kicks...ALL OF IT. I'm going to miss. He has been so safe in my belly, but now it's almost time for him to face this big, scary, crazy and fun world. 

I think about what he will look like and who he will be like everyday. I try to picture the feeling I'll have when Tyler and I get to meet our son for the 1st time, and it makes my heart melt. Although, this journey is quickly coming to an end...our story and Christian's is just beginning :)

Now that I'm crying and SWEATING horribly-it's time to stop! Thank you all again for following me throughout these months and reading my nonsense. I know I've said it before, but we couldn't have done this without the love and support of our AMAZING family and friends. We love you.

30 Days!

34 Weeks

Christian could be as long
 as 20 inches and weighing 5lbs!

How many weeks? 34

Total weight gain: 37

Maternity clothes?  Can I just say that I'm not sure if I'll EVER go back to regular "civilian" jeans...EVER. Maternity jeans are the BEST!

Stretch marks? Not yet...hope this stays! 

Sleep:  Pretty good!  I feel like a RHINO when I go to lift myself up in the morning- but I'm very happy about my sleep at this point.

Best moment this week: Last week (Christmas Eve to be exact) I felt Christian have the hiccups for the 1st time! It was SO cool! My belly literally moved for each one! Also, Tyler and I made more progress on the nursery! Hanging pictures and Tyler gets to cut a gutter -yes, a real house gutter (thank you Pinterest) for book shelves for Christian's room! Also, working on project # 2 (again thank you Pinterest) Tyler is making a growth chart for the baby as well. Tyler didn't know it was "Productive Parents" week! ;) I'm still going strong! Yee haw!

Miss Anything?  Getting dressed without sweating, hyperventilating and being depressed when I've outgrown MATERNITY shirts. Can't wait to be able to tie my shoes without having to "prep stretch" beforehand.
Movement: So now that my little cub is feeling more like a grizzly in there. His once, sweet, cute little "kicks" feel like I'm getting  a cheap shot in my ribs, side and bladder. So yes- he is moving!
Food cravings: Meat- all day- everyday. Beer (it's a food-today.) Also,  I'm officially coming back to my old self. I was on a Ramen Noodles kick but those days are O-V-E-R! What the heck was I thinking?
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope!
Gender: Mama's boy :)
Symptoms: Shortness of breath, difficulty bending over to put my shoes on and some swelling in my ankles and feet! (Dreading this!)
Belly Button in or out? in...barely
Mood?: Bipolar- Yes, I said it. I'm really beginning to act and think like a crazy preggo. One minute I'm happy, the next I'm irritated for WHO KNOWS what reason. I just need to make sure everything is done and ready for the baby, then (hopefully) I'll come back to earth ;) Tyler is SO lucky! haha!
Looking forward to: The New Year! We have one more shower hosted  by Diane and Morgan this weekend and then it's the final countdown for Christian's arrival! We are so EXCITED to meet our little baby boy!

Let the countdown begin!

1 Month 7 Days