Our life the last 6 months (Longest blog post ever)

Can I just say, HOLY COW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where has the time gone?????????? My little ball of sweet baby is growing into a little boy, scooting, eating, sitting up, babbling and grabbing everything in sight just to stick it into his mouth. There is not a single day that goes by that I do not thank God for our son, he is truly our biggest joy. As I look through the pictures from the day he was born until now, I see my scrawny, struggled-to-put-on-any-fat infant turn into my now chubby legged little boy, and let me tell you, those legs are CHUBBY. They have roles like the Michelin Tire guy, but his waist is as little as it can be, barely holding up his pants. The sound of his laugh makes me smile and often laugh myself, which in turn, makes him laugh even harder. He is a total mama's boy, which is sometimes a struggle for Rowdy when he wants to cuddle with our little boy and he decides he doesn't want anyone but me. But I'll admit, I love it =D Though it is not easy job, I absolutely love being his mama. I am so in love with him, it would drive someone crazy, but not me. Watching him grow is such a little miracle, and it shocks me even more knowing we made this little human, he grew inside of me for nearly 10 months (yes, I was pregnant for 9.8 months), I felt him kick me day and night and I heard his little heart beating. He is the best thing that's ever happen to us and makes me so excited to have more little ones.

To take you through the last 6 months,

1 Month: Blake was on the low end for weight and the high end for height, he struggled to gain weight but was such a good baby. Rarely cried, slept through the night and loved to be held, all-the-time. He slept through noise like a champ and loved to be snuggled with. I also started school and work three weeks after having him. That was a challenge but we got through it. My mom watched Blake Monday and Wednesday (every other) while I went to school and Lacey watched him every other Wednesday. They did this for me the entire school year. I also got my first round of Mastitis, holy cow, that was painful and sickening. It's like having the flu, your body hurts, you have the chills, you are shakey and on top of it all, one of your boobs hurts like crazy, luckily I got on some antibiotics and that helped a lot. Blake also got his first yeast infection, it was a rough first month for the both of us.

 Looking at himself in the mirror wondering what to do under there

2 Months: Blake got his first round of shots, poor little guy. He weighed in at 10lbs 14oz and was about 23 inches long. He also started smiling, which was so precious to see. Blake got another yeast infection and I got mastitis AGAIN. I started noticing a lot of issues with my shoulder around this time too, lots of "almost dislocations" happening, which made me nervous that I might drop Blake. He also started becoming more aware of things, whenever I moved, Blake's eyes followed me, it was amazing to see him develop something so simple, my little boy was growing up right before my eyes. We got to visit SC for Jake's baptism and he met his cousins for the first time, he did AMAZING on the plane, sleeping the entire time and didn't cry at all. Everyone was so impressed with our little one. We even proved the grouchy lady at PDX who complained to her friend about a baby being on board that he was a perfect little angel who didn't make a peep, take that! We had such a great time with the whole family, had plenty of Chik-Fil-A, went to Charleston and ate at California Dreamin' and spent some time at the beach.

We enjoyed every minute there, soaking up all the time we could with the boys. We played family baseball games in the backyard and went to the boys' practices for baseball and to their last basketball games. I've always felt blessed to have the in-law family that I do, but these special reunions always make me feel so grateful for them. Danielle and I have gotten much closer since our baby boys were born two months apart. Now that I am a mom, I have yet another circle I can fit into. She is great whenever I need advice about something because Tripp is only two months ahead of Blake and has recently experienced whatever it is Blake is currently going through. I love having so many sisters.

 all that beautiful hair!

 Charleston, SC on top of the cannon

 sleeping beach baby

 baseball practice

 the baby monster, Bret

 peek-a-boo, I see little Blakey

 Bret caught a fish!

3 Months: Well, third time is a charm, I got mastitis for the third and hopefully last time! Blake also got thrush so we had to put him on antibiotics. He also started to giggle and role over. We were all shocked when it first happened, we were playing with him on the ottoman and suddenly he lets out a laugh. We all stopped and looked at each other like, "did that just happen?" He also decided to roll over when we walked a couple feet away to grab a diaper to change him. He was again, on top of the ottoman and luckily he didn't roll right off! We also moved Blake out of our room and into his own room in a crib, he was sleeping in our room in his swing, I couldn't bare my little baby being far away from me. It took a little getting used to on both ends but it went fairly well after a couple of nights. He also had his first Easter! He loved the candy *wink wink but mostly the beach toys Grammy and Popi got him. We had a large Easter dinner with family and family friends. We went up to Bremerton, WA to visit one of my bestest best friends, Molly and her two littles. We had a great time spending the weekend with them and Naomi just loved little Blake.

 darn thrush

 My BFF

 Easter

4 Months: Blake weighed in at 14lbs 1oz and was 26 inches long. He went to his first Beaver Baseball game and did not enjoy Popi and Daddy's loud screaming and cheering, so we spent a lot of time walking around  Autzen stadium, that part he liked. It was his second round of shots and he decided that sleeping through the night was no longer an option. My parents are amazing but they got extra points because they took Blake for a night so we could get some much needed sleep! It was like having a newborn all over again, he wouldn't sleep, had to be held constantly and wouldn't eat, those shots did a doozy on the poor little guy and it absolutely broke my heart. One night, I handed Blake off to Rowdy for a few minutes and just went into the back room and sat on the couch and cried, I hated feeling so helpless, all I wanted to do was make my baby feel better. After about four days, he finally started eating again and sleeping a little better but he still woke up a few times every night simply because he wanted his binky, once you popped that in, he was good to go.

About a week after Blake's shots, it was my turn to be in pain. I had shoulder surgery again on my left shoulder. 8 years ago I had surgery to fix my rotator cuff and reconstruct a socket. They told me I would need surgery again in ten years, but I don't think they anticipated me having a baby before then and speeding up the process of all my ligaments stretching out and my shoulder dislocating again. The Doctor said that my right one is in the same shape and that I will need surgery on that one too, but I am putting that off as late as possible. Surgery was hard, I came home and saw Blake and just started bawling because he wanted me to hold him and I couldn't. The following 6 weeks was a full team effort. My mom watched Blake and helped take care of me Monday-Wednesday, My grandma took Thursdays and Rowdy with the help of the Relief Society from church split Fridays until he went to school, then Rowdy was on duty the rest of the weekend. Lacey helped a ton once she got home from work and honestly this would have been impossible without all the help we received. I'm allergic to pain killers, all of them so my pain was shooting through the roof and whenever I did take meds, I just got sick from them, it was quite a cycle. After a few weeks, I started to push it and figured out how to hold Blake in my other arm if someone laid him there and eventually figured out how to pick him up in my good arm. All I wanted to do was be his mom and it was absolutely heart breaking not being able to do everything I wanted for him. We had around the clock care for about a month before I was allowed to be home with Blake on my own for a short period of time but I wasn't granted full mommyship until after six weeks and the doctor cleared me. Which leads me into Month 5.

 We got a huge milk donation from LIFEmilk when I had surgery because I wasn't able to produce enough

 Mother's Day

Go Beavers! And excuse the all natural look.

5 Months: Half way through month five I was cleared to take care of Blake on my own and it felt so good to be able to do that. We started practicing sitting up on our own and grabbing things and picking them up while sitting. We also went on a couple one nighter family vacations because Rowdy had a couple business trips, one in Bend and one at the coast. We had a lot of fun and both rooms had amazing views. Our first trip, Bend, we visited my Auntie Carla and Uncle Don in Sunriver and they got to meet Blake for the first time. Blake wasn't a fan of anyone holding him unless it was me but he sure liked to look at my uncle Don, like he was keeping an eye on him. It was good to see them and to show off our adorable little boy. The following weekend we went to Newport. Our room overlooked the beach and it was really nice. Blake loved the huge bed and loved his dad bouncing him around on it. This was also when his stranger anxiety started and his undeniable need to be connected to me at all times kicked into full gear. Since I have been able to take care of Blake again, he has wanted no one but me. He won't even let me go out of his sight without him bawling. He is okay if I am no where in sight, but the second he hears or see's me, it's all over.

Last week, Lacey and my mother in law took Blake for me for the day. When I came by my in-laws to pick him up, Popi (my father in law) was on the floor with Blake reading him a book. I quietly snuck behind them and sat on the couch until he finished. Once he was done with the story I quietly said "Blake", he starts looking around and looks at my father in law like "where is she? I hear her!" he turns him around to face me and he immediately hold his hands out and starts to whine for me to pick him up. And yesterday, Rowdy went in to get Blake when he woke up for the day and he bawled and bawled until he handed him to me, then he was perfectly fine and smiling at his daddy. I feel bad because Rowdy feels bad, but at the same time it's nice to know he trusts me and feels so safe with me when for so long, I wasn't able to do anything for him. I was jealous of everyone that they got to change diapers and feed him and play with him while I sat there or slept. Blake also started to laugh every time someone else started to laugh, he found it hilarious. We were expecting some teeth to be popping through since he has  been chewing on EVERYTHING since he was about 4.5 months and drooling like a faucet, but nothing came in, still toothless!

 He loves his binky's

 Bend

 View from our hotel in Bend

 Our hotel in Newport

 View from our hotel

 Yes, I found them exactly like this, no posing what so ever.

6 Months: Blakey had his third round of shots and to tell you the truth, I was terrified, I didn't know if I could handle another weekend like last time. Rowdy and I both went this time, Rowdy held him to get the shots, I closed me eyes like a scaredy-cat and he hardly cried, maybe for 5-10 seconds and that was it! No waking up in the middle of the night, ate like a champ and was super happy! I was so relieved and grateful. He weighed in at 17lbs 1oz and was 27.5 inches long. High on the height scale but still in the lower percentile for weight. He's got some chunky legs but that little belly of his just doesn't seem to get any bigger. My dad thinks it's because Blake is so active, that boy does NOT sit still. He is constantly kicking and moving everywhere. He's figured out how to scoot, but only backwards. He gets up like he is going to crawl then scoots back like an inchworm, it's quite funny. He rolls around everywhere and gets stuck too. We also started Blake on some food. He wasn't sure at first, it took about 4 tries before he started to accept anything. So far he likes avocado, carrots, green beans and prunes. We tried peas but he was not a fan, which also leads me to the next new thing he does, spitting. Full on, tongue spit, and I got the bad end of it, a face full of peas and spit, yay. He was not a fan of the peas no matter how many times I tried them, and needless to say, I was also covered in them. He thinks it's quite funny, he laughs every time he does it.

He is still attached to me like my shadow, which is giving my arms quite the workout. I can honestly say though, I wouldn't want to be doing anything else, I was made to be a mom. I love it. Of course, whenever we go to family's house I let them take him as often as they want but at home, when Rowdy and Lacey are at work and we haven't left for work yet, I love it just he and I. We also recently started working full time, nannying. The kids love Blake, sometimes a little too much but it's nice that they try to entertain him playing peek-a-boo and making funny faces. School is also out, and can I just say, hallelujah!!! Working, going to school, being a wife and a mother is a lot of work. Often times my house does not look spick and span clean, my laundry is piling up and I hardly know what's for dinner, but somehow we have made it these last 6 months. We are so lucky to live near family that is always willing to help as often as possible, it would have been impossible without them at times these last 6 months. Danielle and the boys are flying back here for the month of July and the last week they are here, Ryan and Nick will be in town too. We are SOOOO excited! That will be a huge blog post in its self. Lots of things planned!

 first bite of avocado

 carrots

 was not a fan of the swing

 flower child

Molly made him a daisy chain 

 prunes

 Charlie and Blakey

 Molly and Blake

 "MAMA!"

 Fat little legs

If the above video doesn't work, here is the link to the video: Blake's hilarious laughing fit

This is a must watch!

So the last six months have been quite a journey with their fair share of ups and downs. I can't wait to see what the next six bring us, and hopefully I will be much better about blogging it all in a more timely fashion. Here is to another great six months!

1 Month old and Cute as a button!

I can't believe it has already been a month since our pride and joy entered into the world!! He has been such a wonderful blessing in our family and we have enjoyed every minute with him. Blake has quite the personality already, he's stubborn just like his parents and doesn't like to miss anything, he likes to sit up so he can see what is going on. He loves to be held, and I actually don't think love is a strong enough word.... he doesn't really care by who, just as long as they are holding him, which has made going to sleep a little difficult. We have been working on putting him down slightly awake so he can learn to go to sleep on his own and self soothe, he has not been enjoying this process, and neither has mommy.

He's already watching football with daddy (lovely, he's started early) and Gilmore Girls with aunt Lacey. He is practically smothered with all the love from grandma and grandpa (Jasperson) and Grammy and Popi (Coakley). They enjoy spending as much time with him as possible. We love having our families close by, they are so helpful whenever we need something and are always willing and wanting to have so much family time (mainly for Blake, we don't rate as high without him nowadays).

I started both work and school January 7th and it has been a challenge. Thankfully, my mom watches Blake Monday/Wednesday mornings, occasionally Popi will fill in too, while I go to class for a couple of hours. Leaving him is hard, I miss spending every second with him. Then, Daddy watches him with help from Lacey and his mom sometimes, while I take my night class on Thursdays. Blake comes to work with me, which is so nice, and the Towne's kids adore him. Molly is always sitting next to him, putting his paci in if it falls out and showing him her stuffed animals. Charlie likes all his friends to come and see how cute he is and all his funny little faces and smiles he makes. Violet, their black lab, has become quite motherly towards Blake. Whenever he cries, she comes running from wherever she was laying and sits next to him whimpers until I come to pick him up if not already there and sniffs and sometimes licks him to calm him down and doesn't leave until he stops crying, it's quite cute. Gus isn't really a huge fan, so he leaves him alone.

For a while, Blake had his nights and days mixed up, but as of this week, we have gotten that almost rectified! Before, Blake wouldn't go to sleep until well after midnight, EVERY NIGHT. He slept all day and was wide awake from about 6 or 7 until 1 or 130am! That was no bueno with school and work for both Rowdy and I. Rowdy has also been a huge help. He comes home and holds and changes Blake and will give him a bottle before he puts him down for the night. That's another thing, Blake eats like a grown man!
Just before bed he often feeds off both sides and then Rowdy gives him a bottle of pumped milk, I don't know where he puts it all considering he's still so long and skinny, he's still in newborn clothes and diapers!

Blake hates to be swaddled because it means he can't get his hands to his mouth or face. He sleeps with his fists/hands right on his face and often if the sun is shining in his face, he was cover his eyes with his arm. It is  very cute. He's not a fan of tummy time either, but can roll over onto his back every time, I think it's to avoid laying on his tummy on the floor. He also likes movement, so he sleeps in his swing at night. He is a great sleeper, in the way that you can blow an air horn and he wont even flinch. Literally. Our fire alarm went off in the house, not a peep came out of him, slept through the whole ordeal. It's nice because when we have company around we can just pass him around laugh and be loud and he won't wake up.

He got his first cold at two weeks old and it's been slowly going away. That might have been why sleeping was such a challenge for a while, but the last few nights it's been a solid 5-6 hrs, which I am LOVING. He still has all his amazing, strawberry blonde hair and I am praying he doesn't lose it.

Blake has brought Rowdy and I closer together but I will admit we still fight, a lot... over who gets to hold him and take him with them to places, ha. We both love spending as much time as possible with our son. It's so cliche yet so true that I can remember our lives before him but I can't imagine our lives being any different than it is now. He is such a doll and we cannot get enough of him.

But I do have one question, who do YOU think he looks like?????

 I love it when he does this thing with his lips

The classic, puts his arm over his face to block the sun

Birth Story, Pictures and Updates

Well Blake is just over two weeks old and we are enjoying everything about him! He's gained a little weight, at 16 days old he is 8lbs 7.5oz! It's hard to believe that just two weeks ago we were anticipating his arrival. So I promised in my last blog post that I would post his birth story, so here it is:

December 16th, 2012 Rowdy and I had been busy all morning trying to get things together before we left for the hospital. I was emotional, upset that nothing had gone to plan thus far, nervous about needing pitocin and what it was going to be like, if my baby would handle everything okay, etc. We went and had "linner" over at Rowdy's parents house and then Rowdy, Lacey and I left for the hospital. We got there and checked in at 4pm, and got settled in our room. The nurse said that we would be lucky if the baby came by Tuesday. TUESDAY? We were all a little surprised  and a little let down that we would have to wait that long. The nurse said that we should set a goal for that night and since my doctor had suggested I get lots of sleep the night before they start pitocin because the chances of me going into labor from cervidil were minimal, I made sleep my goal. At 6:15pm she started the cervidil and within about a half hour I noticed that my contractions had started to increase in number and intensity, but I didn't allow myself to get too excited yet.

Lacey left to go get us some food and a couple more things we had forgotten at home. Rowdy and I enjoyed some fruit from room service before she dropped off Burger King. Lacey said that she was going to go home unless I felt I would be going into labor that night but since my contractions weren't painful, we sent her home at 8:30 to get a good nights sleep before all the action the following day. The nurse came in and noticed I was eating a burger and fries, she smiled, "You know, I would go easy on what you eat, what goes down is likely to come back up later" but I wasn't too concerned considering  she said that we would be lucky if he came by Tuesday. Not long afterwards I started to have stronger contractions, and they were about every 4 minutes consistently. The nurse came in to check on me and saw the monitor and told me that it looked like I went into labor on my own and that this was a good thing. She said that the spikes of my contractions were not accurate, that because I didn't have any internal monitors, what looks like a small contraction on the screen could very well be a huge one.

By 9:30pm, I was in full blown, hard labor, having painful, strong contractions every 3 minutes lasting 60-90 seconds each. We called Lacey and told her what was going on and she rushed back. I asked the nurse if I would still need pitocin, she assured me there was definitely no need for it anymore. My contractions continued to get stronger and harder to handle. I rocked on the birthing ball, leaned and rocked over the bed and even tried to walk, but walking was not much of an option seeing that I could only get about three doors down the hall before another contraction would come on and render me unable to walk. Rowdy was a rockstar, holding me, breathing with me, massaging my back and helping me in anyway possible. By 10pm, I was in so much pain, I wanted my mom. So I told Rowdy to call her and Jordanna, my doula up. When my mom got there I just cried and leaned into her, I was so grateful she was there with me. My dad and Jordanna came up shortly after. 

By 11pm I was asking about an epidural, but Rowdy and Jordanna tried to keep me on track with my natural childbirth that I wanted so badly. We decided to put the birthing ball in the hot shower and Rowdy got in with me and massaged my back. I rocked back and forth, moaning as each contraction would peek and go back down. I was later told that it was quite entertaining listening to me, between contractions, I would say different things like: "You have no idea how much pain I am in!" or one time Rowdy asked me if I still wanted 4 kids, my response "No, we are only having one! We will adopt the rest" and "When is this contraction going to end!" My dad wanted to record my rantings. I can honestly say, while I was in the shower, I thought about my son, how much I loved him and how much pain I was feeling, but I wanted so badly to give him the safest, unmedicated birth possible. I also thought about my Savior, how he suffered so much for me, how he knew everything I was going through because he had experienced all pain. I know that's not always something women think about while in labor, but I sure did. I thought about how much He must really love me to go through that much pain.

By 1am I was really wanting to end the pain so the nurse checked me and said I was 3cm, "That's it? Are you kidding me?!" I felt defeated considering I was in SO much pain, I was sure I had to be at least at a 5. She pulled the cervidil out and recommended I try the whirlpool tub. I got in and tried that and was not a fan, after about 20 minutes I was done. It was getting extremely intense. "I am not kidding, I want an epidural, somebody listen to me, I want an epidural!" Rowdy and Jordanna could tell I was serious and went and got the nurse. I honestly cannot describe the pain I felt, it is the most intense experience I have ever had. They got me into my room, "Somebody, anybody, call the anesthesiologist!!!" I was desperate. They started me on the fluids I would need for an epidural, I was crying, "Does it really take two hours for the person to get here?" The nurse laughed a little, "No honey, he will be here in about ten minutes." Thank goodness! She checked me just before he arrived and I was at 5cm. She told me that my body was acting as if I was in transition and that once I got the epidural, my body would likely to catch up in dilation with how it was physically feeling. She also said that only one person could be in the room for the 45 minute procedure. I about had a heart attack, "I have to sit still during contractions for 45 minutes?!" This was a huge concern because sitting still was the last thing I wanted to do while having a contraction. Luckily she said that I only had to sit still for about ten minutes, I could try to manage that. Just before the anesthesiologist came in, I had one massive contraction and it was the only one I actually screamed during.

At 3am the miracle worker, named Toby came in and started doing what he did best, relieving pain. Rowdy stood in front of me and held my weight as I leaned into him. Poor guy had to sit down after a few minutes because he almost passed out from locking his knees and me breathing in his face. Heavenly Father must have had pity on me because the three contractions I had during the period I had to sit still were manageable. They were not nearly as painful as the others I had before. I was so grateful for this. After that, they started the medicine and got me comfortable in bed and life seemed like heaven at that point. They left us alone so we could rest, Rowdy fell asleep for a bit but I was so anxious and excited that I couldn't sleep, only rest. 

At 5am they came in and checked me, I was at an 8. Woo! Almost there! Then at 5:30am two nurses rushed in, "The baby's heart rate has dropped significantly, its at 66bpm and it wont go back up, we might have to take you into emergency surgery." I piped up real quick. They put me on oxygen and got me up on all fours since I couldn't get there on my own completely with the epidural. I had had 4 major contractions all in a row and he didn't have any recovery time to raise his heart rate. I prayed so hard that his heart rate wold come back up and that everything would be okay. After a few minutes, it finally did, but that would not be the last time they would have to move me around to get his heart rate back up. They kept me on oxygen the majority of the time and I would breath deeper as I would feel the pressure from my contractions to help get him more oxygen so he could handle the contractions.

The nurses didn't want to break my water because it would put more pressure on the baby, I wanted my water to break naturally so I was perfectly fine with that. I was at a ten not long after but wanted to wait until I felt the urge to push. Jordanna came in to be with me and get updated with the nurses. Suddenly I had a different urge, the urge to throw up. I was regretting the hamburger and french fries  I had eaten earlier. Rowdy went out to talk with our family and Jordanna stayed with me, feeding me ice chips. At 7:30am Dr. Johnson, the doctor who was working that shift, not my doctor, came in and starting talking about getting things going. "Lets break your water and get this show on the road." "I don't want to break my water" I said. They checked me and noticed that my bag of waters was partially hanging out of me. Dr. Johnson continued trying to convince me that breaking my water would get my labor going. I was thoroughly annoyed and Jordanna was sticking up for me, had he not read my chart? Breaking my water was not an option for the safety of my baby and because I'm the mom and I said no. He had just started his shift, I was his first patient and already he was trying to rush me. He was not happy with my response of not breaking my water, and me telling him I had been at a ten for a while, I was just waiting for the urge to push. I told him I wanted to wait another 30 minutes before I made any decisions. "Fine" was his response and he walked out. 

He came back at 8am and asked that I try to push, I told him I would push after I threw up again because I felt nauseous. The nurse asked if I wanted zofran to help, so I got some of that and was ready to go. We got everyone in the room, Rowdy, Lacey, Jordanna, both my parents and Karen were there, Rowdy's parents decided to wait out in the waiting room instead of coming in. Dr. Johnson was already starting to tick people off, as everyone filed in for the birth my mom whispered, "Just warning you, the doctor's an ass". He was very rude and condescending to everyone, but I tried to ignore it and get ready for my baby boy to arrive. I started to push at 8:15am and he was crowning after the first push. I could feel the pressure of my contractions, so I knew when to push and how to push, the epidural was perfect because I was only numb from the pain, but not from any pressure, so I knew what to do and when to do it to get my baby out. Four pushes total and he was born at 8:29am. The cool thing was our son was born still in his bag of water, which is pretty rare apparently.

Everyone was in aw, I was bawling because I was so overwhelmed with emotion and joy. Rowdy was crying and we were all thrilled. They put him on my chest and he cried and cried. I held him for an hour before they took his measurements. 8lbs 5oz 21.5 inches long. He had a head full of hair too and was absolutely perfect. Visitors came and went as we enjoyed our new baby boy. We finally decided we should choose a name for him around 8:30pm that night. We went to the hospital with 5 names. Names had been nothing but a fight for Rowdy and I but now that our son was born, we both were more than willing to let the other person name him. We were in a blissful heaven. Rowdy asked me about the name Tyson, this was not a name we had previously discussed. I liked it so we decided to put Tyson, Hayden and Blake in the hat and to draw one. I drew Blake and that was his name. I had a feeling the last month that Blake would be his name, but I didn't want to tell Rowdy because I didn't want to persuade him one way or the other. Guess my feeling was right.

Rowdy fell in love with him instantly just as I did. His daddy instincts took over and he was a natural. I fell even more in love with Rowdy as I watched him tend to our son and cuddle and rock him. Those were some of the best moments I have experienced, ever. Now, Rowdy still is just as active in wanting to take care of Blake as I am. When he gets home from work, he holds him, changes him and when it's time for bed, he feeds him a bottle after I feed him and puts him to bed every night. Blake sleeps pretty well at night, giving me about a 5hr stint of sleep before waking up for a feeding, and then goes back to sleep for another 3 hrs before wanting to be up for a bit. His hair is so soft and long and he LOVES baths. He hated the sponge baths, but now that we can submerge him, he just hangs out and relaxes with his foot hanging over the hammock in the tub.

He also is fascinated with the TV, just last night he and Rowdy were both glued to the game. I saw a glimmer of my future in that moment. Blake got down to 7lbs 11 oz, but his two week check up is tomorrow and we will know how much he's gained. He eats like a man child at night, literally, he eats about 8oz just before bedtime. Yet, he is skinny as can be in his little waist. We have to overlap the diaper straps on both sides just to keep it on. He loves to suck on his hands and have his hands up by his face and if the sun is shining through the window in his eyes, he will put his arm over his eyes so he can sleep better. It is adorable. He has the cutest cry and makes adorable faces when he sleeps and when he cries. We are so in love with our little boy and he is loved incredibly so by all his family that constantly want to see him and hold him.

I was thinking yesterday, nothing has really gone to plan. My labor was very different than I had planned with not going into labor anywhere near my due date, he was 13 days late. Needing cervidil, not having a natural childbirth, breast feeding was a huge challenge because Blake was tongue tied so he had to get his frenulum cut (now it' going great), we started bottle feeding with pumped milk much sooner than I wanted and I gave in to the pacifier. But, everything has turned out just fine, and I think I was meant to learn that just because things do not go my way, does not mean I fail and that things won't work out just fine in the end. I didn't feel like a failure for getting an epidural, and I thought I would have, but honestly, I went 6 hrs in hard labor without it and tried by best, I would not have survived another 5 hrs. We are so in love with our son and I look forward to the years ahead of raising him.

 Christmas Eve

 first Christmas

 Jaspersons

 Both glued to the football game

 New Years Eve

 Kisses at Midnight

Baby Coakley Has Arrived!!!!

I'll write his birth story on a different blog post, this is just meant to show some pictures, share a few details and and naming video Rowdy and I made. For those who didn't know, last night, December 16th we went in for them to start the induction with the cervidil. Cervidil is not known for starting labor for first time moms and usually only works in 10-15% of recurrent mothers in inducing labor, its strictly for ripening the cervix. Well, it put me right into labor, woo! So hard labor started at about 9:30pm last night. My main goal was to have a natural childbirth, but come 3am I decided that an epidural was the path for me, so I got one. Rowdy was AMAZING the entire time. He was so supportive and helpful. I started pushing at 8:15am this morning, December 17th and four pushes later at 8:29am he was out!!! He's got some lungs on him, he screamed for about an hour and a half straight. He has been such a joy to kiss and cuddle and look at. He is just perfect! And I have fallen even more in love with my husband watching him love his son, he is such a great dad already and I adore that about him. So here are some pictures and the naming video, enjoy!!!

Click this link: Naming Baby Coakley

Passing 40

How Far Along: 40 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 20lbs

Maternity Clothes: yep

Stretch Marks: nope!

Best Moment This week? It my due date, so im hoping he's here soon

Miss Anything? yeah, a baby!

Movement: yes, but he is slowing down a bit, but when he stretches out it can be painful

Food cravings? clementines

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not really

Have you started to show yet? Undeniably preggers

Gender? Boy

Labor Signs? yep, contractions, sometimes very regular, but still no baby

Belly button in or out? out

Wedding rings on or off? On and loose

Happy or moody most of the time? Stressed, anxious, exhausted but happy

Looking forward to? Going into labor and finally meeting my little boy

Funny Moment this week? none so far

So I'm a little crabby writing this post. I realize that babies rarely come on their due dates, especially first babies, but from a pregnant person's standpoint, that is very unfortunate. You prepare and grow for 9 months, you just can't wait to get the little bugger out, all to find out that it's really a waiting game. I'm exhausted because for some reason, I wake up between 5 and 530 every morning and have been the last month or so, and darn it, if I'm waking up at that hour it better be to see my little man and not just to lay there and think about when the heck he will decide to get here.

I went in today for my Dr. appointment. Everything looks fine, but I have not progressed passed 1cm, grr. And YES, I have been doing everything possible to help this along. He did say however, that my bag of waters is so tight that he couldn't feel where the baby was positioned, so he had to wheel in his little ultrasound machine to ensure he was still head down, he is luckily. But, he said it made him wonder if my bag of waters will just burst and shoot me into labor because of how tight it is. My thought: SWEET, lets get this show on the road! The plan if I don't go into labor by next Tuesday (41 weeks): ultra sound, amniotic fluid test and stress test to see how baby boy is holding up. If all is well, then I will meet again that Friday (14th) have another stress test and if everything is fine, they will schedule me to be induced the following week (42nd week). If the tests don't look very good, then they will induce me within a day or so if not that day. None of this I want. I broke down in my car after all of this. I want to have a natural labor so badly and it's starting to freak me out that he could decide to hangout much longer than a doctor is willing to let him. I pray every night that things will be okay and he will come soon.

Little man had us in a tither the other night, Saturday night because I was having constant contractions for several hours, we were really starting to wonder if he was on his way. Then they stopped, just like that. Rowdy asked that I try and hold off until Friday so he can finish his finals, yeah I'll get right on that dear. I don't think it has quite set in for him yet that this is going to happen any day, it's not longer "a month from now" or anything like that, it's any day. I am so excited to hold our little bundle of joy, our little miracle baby, because he was definitely a baby sent to us at this time for a purpose. I wonder what he will look like, if he will have mounds of blonde hair like Rowdy did when he was born, if he will be big (hope not) or small, if he will sleep well or cry a lot, what he will smell like, feel his baby soft skin. I welcome it all, whatever he brings.

11 days and Counting

How Far Along: 38 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 18lbs

Maternity Clothes: yep

Stretch Marks: nope!

Best Moment This week? Last week of class before finals and baby! And we have 5 names now that we are choosing from.

Miss Anything? Being skinny, being able to bend over, pain free back

Movement: yes, but he is slowing down a bit, but when he stretches out it can be painful

Food cravings? nothing constant, more so in-the-moment cravings

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not really

Have you started to show yet? Undeniably preggers

Gender? Boy

Labor Signs? 24/7 Braxton Hicks and they are starting to get more intense. And having a lot of "lightning" moments

Belly button in or out? protudes slightly 

Wedding rings on or off? On and loose

Happy or moody most of the time? Stressed, anxious, exhausted but happy

Looking forward to? Going into labor and being finished with this term

Funny Moment this week? During the photo shoot, we had waffles on my tummy and the baby kicked them

 We are getting so close!!!! It's hard to believe that we are almost into single digits of the due date. Thanksgiving was fun, we had my parents, Logan and my older brother Jens with his girlfriend and my nephew Micah and my grandma Iris over at our house. Rowdy smoked our turkey, and it was fabulous I must say. We ate our brains out, so much that I didn't eat anything until lunch time the following day. We went and did some Black Friday shopping, definitely killed my feet and my back, wiped me out! I have finals this coming week, lots of work ahead of me for the next few days, but then I am done and my baby can come without me having to juggle finals as well.

We have finally gotten our name list down to 5 names!!! It is a miracle, let me tell you. I kind of had a melt down and made Rowdy narrow it down for us because we are getting so close to the due date with no names, I gave him Thanksgiving as his cut off date or I would be naming our son. He came up with his names the day after I said this. Our names are Addisen, Blake, Ethan, Hayden and Teagan, we will just have to see what he looks like! Pregnancy is wiping me out. As he continues to drop even more, my bladder feels more and more pressure and my waddle gets bigger and bigger. Sleeping is not very comfortable and the lightning I have is at times insanely painful. For those that don't know what that is, it's sharp, stabbing pains  in the lower uterus as the baby moves down. My B.H. are getting stronger and longer, which is a good thing, but I'm hoping they will pick up even more in the next week because I would love for him to be a tad early.

I'm going to my friend, Livia's house tomorrow to get some freezer meals made for when the baby comes and no one feels like cooking. His room is almost completely done, even though he won't be sleeping in there for a while. He's still active, stretching out all over the place. He really likes music, specifically Adele. We went and saw the new James Bond today and as soon as her song came on, he started dancing up a storm in my belly. My friend, Jenni Merritt did my maternity pictures last Saturday, and I've only seen two so far but I love them. I think pregnancy should be celebrated and women should feel beautiful and sexy while pregnant and I feel that these photo's capture that. Now all we have to do is wait for him to arrive and we will be taking countless pictures of him!

37 weeks and 5 days pregnant

36 Weeks down, 26 days to go!

This picture really doesn't do my belly justice, I will try to have Rowdy take one with a real camera.

How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 15lbs

Maternity Clothes: yep

Stretch Marks: nope!

Best Moment This week? The fact that I can practically grab onto his little foot because he drives it into my stomach and side so hard!

Miss Anything? Being able to bend over, tie my shoes, my back not hurting, sleeping well through the night.

Movement: Constant

Food cravings? Starting to want salads... which I loved pre-pregnancy, then hated all while prego but now im starting to want them

Anything making you queasy or sick? Not really

Have you started to show yet? Undeniably preggers

Gender? Boy

Labor Signs? 24/7 Braxton Hicks and they are starting to get more intense. And starting to have some "lightning" moments

Belly button in or out? mm flush, but protudes slightly when I sit

Wedding rings on or off? On and loose

Happy or moody most of the time? Stressed, anxious, exhausted but happy

Looking forward to? My prego photoshoot and getting him out!

Funny Moment this week? My dad noticing my son kicking me while we were sitting at church

Well I'm a little past 36 weeks, leaving only 26 more days until his due date! I am looking forward to this day more and more with every second that passes. I have loved being pregnant, but I have reached the point that every pregnant woman seems to reach, where she is ready for her baby to come OUT! I have had a wonderful pregnancy, avoiding many things women are plagued with such as morning sickness, heartburn, stretch marks and swelling, but I have not escaped all symptoms. My back is constantly in pain, and with a bowling ball attached to my stomach, bending over is nearly impossible as are the tasks that accompany bending over such as tying my shoes, picking something up, getting up from a chair or out of bed etc. And I've had this excruciating spot on my stomach ever since I've started to show, doctors just say that our son is so active that he beats me up in that spot often and so the muscle tissue is very sore. Lucky me.

Complaining aside, I only have three weeks left of school, two of those weeks I have a couple days off because of holidays, woo hoo! After my last final on the 28th, I am jumping on that stair master and treadmill and coaxing this baby out. I've had two weekly appointments, my first weekly appointment I tested negative for Step B (which is a good thing) and was already 1cm dilated and cervix was already softening (sorry if that is TMI for some). Today they didn't check me but all is well, his heartbeat is strong and healthy and he is still head down. We meet with my doula, Jordanna again this weekend to go over some things before the birth and I have my birth plan all written out. My dad said it looks like a legal document lol. It doesn't really, but I clearly state what I want and don't want.

We are getting so close! Still no name, we aren't even close to that decision. We should probably get working on the narrowing down of the 11 we have left on our lists. I have half of his clothes washed, his white clothes alone filled the entire hamper, and it was heavy. My life will forever be filled with laundry. The holidays are coming up, I am so excited, the last months of the year are my favorite. This Christmas will be so special for us with our new addition. I can't wait to take a million pictures of him =)