Movie With Dad

Spending Saturday afternoon watching The Sandlot with daddy, learning what childhood should be like when you're a little boy. But, just like his papa, Jace can never stay awake during a movie. Not even a classic. Kids these days.

Jace's Faces

I cannot even handle these newborn faces. What's going through your mind, little Jace-man?

The Arrival of Jace Colton

After 41 long weeks, our sweet son has finally arrived! On Monday, January 26th at 6:26 a.m., they laid the most beautiful little boy on my chest and he stole our hearts away.  We are completely smitten.

Since week 39, I had been fighting vague feelings of discouragement that baby wasn't here yet. Colt and I were anxious to meet him, and I was so ready to not be pregnant anymore. Little one was growing and growing (go baby go!), and although my pregnancy had been very smooth and relatively comfortable, I was starting to feel pretty over it. By week 40, it was hard not to feel upset as day after day passed by with no sign of baby. As my due date came and went, I found myself increasingly stressed out and frustrated. I may or may not have cried about it. I literally had no signs that baby was on his way, and was starting to believe that I was just going to be pregnant forever. 

I went to a doctor appointment the day after baby was due, and my doctor wanted to schedule an induction for that weekend, January 24-25th. I was initially on board, but as the week went by, I realized I really wanted to experience what it was like to go into labor on my own, and I wondered if there was a reason baby wasn't out yet. Maybe he just needed a little extra time in there before he was completely ready to take on the world...but as the days ticked by and I remained very much pregnant, an induction started to seem unavoidable. However, I did have a slight glimmer of hope: my mom went exactly eight days late with all three of her kids, and thus far, our pregnancies had been pretty similar. I asked the doctor if we could give the baby at least a full eight days to get here on his own before inducing. Even though he was initially a bit reluctant, he agreed that we could push back the induction date to allow baby a full eight days to get here by himself. I was scheduled to check into the hospital Monday night, January 26th, to get prepped and ready, and they would start the induction process on Tuesday morning, the 27th. 

At 3:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, January 25th (exactly seven days after baby was due), I woke up with mild contractions and couldn't fall back asleep. They were coming every ten minutes, but weren't super painful at that point. After I realized they were happening consistently, I called labor and delivery to be clear on what contractions should be like before heading to the hospital. The nurse told me when they started coming every five minutes for an hour and I couldn't talk or walk through them, we could check in to Labor and Delivery. They told me that it could take a pretty long time to get to that point, and the best thing to do would be to try to relax and go about my day, make sure to eat, and to casually monitor the contractions. 

My cute mom was already planning on coming up that day to stay with us for the week and help out, but she left earlier then planned when she found out I was having contractions. By the time she got here, they were coming a bit more often and were slightly more defined and painful, but not by much. After a couple hours of alternately walking and massaging pressure points on my feet, the contractions started to get more intense, although I could still walk and talk through them. However, as the night went by, they got increasingly more intense and by 10:15 p.m., we were checking into the hospital. I was in a lot of pain and pretty scared about labor-for some reason, I was really worried something bad was going to happen to me and I wouldn't get to meet my little boy. Colton gave me a blessing before we left, which helped ease my fears a little. 

In triage, we found out that throughout the course of the day, I had gone from 0 to 3 cm dilated, and those contractions had me doubled over every 2-3 minutes. My body had started to shake-my legs were quaking and my teeth were chattering. They aren't kidding when they say that labor hurts! I was admitted and given a room fairly quickly, where I asked to have the epidural as soon as I was allowed. They gave me some pain medication to hold me over until the anesthesiologist could come see me, which made me a little bit loopy but took the edge off a bit. At this point, I was in so much pain all I could think about was the next contraction, but after the epidural was in, the relief was almost instantaneous and I could finally get excited about the prospect of meeting our little man. Colton was amazing all day, talking me through the pain, holding my hand, and keeping me calm. The whole time, I kept thinking to myself of women who have to do this by themselves and how incredibly hard that would be. I couldn't have done it without C. He was so great, and for someone who hates blood and needles, surprisingly composed. I told him beforehand to prepare happy thoughts and memories to talk to me about during contractions-we talked about our wedding day, about Hawaii and how at certain hotels and resorts (according to my parents), you can pay a one-time $30.00 fee for one drink, and then receive unlimited free drinks for the rest of your stay. This made me incredibly thirsty for a smoothie, but all I got was ice chips :( Ha! I've already had three or four smoothies since being discharged yesterday. 

For some reason, I was pretty sure the baby would be here by 7:00 a.m. (maybe because that is when my nurse told me her shift ended? I was a bit out of it). Colt and I tried to get some sleep while we waited for my body to get ready to push. I drifted in and out of sleep, but mostly I stayed awake-I was too excited and nervous to sleep, not to mention running on the adrenaline from earlier labor pain. The epidural was working perfectly, but all the fluids had decreased my contractions a bit and my rapid progress had slowed down. At 2:00 a.m., the doctor decided to administer a tiny amount of Pitocin to give my body a little nudge. At that point, I was at a 4. Two and a half hours later, around 4:30, I realized I couldn't get comfortable because my belly felt too hard, and there was a lot of pressure. My nurse came in to check on me, and I told her I was feeling a bit uncomfortable. When she checked me, she informed me I was feeling contractions, that I had gone from barely 4 cm to 10 cm in two hours; no wonder I was uncomfortable! The shaking I had experienced before the epidural was administered returned with a vengeance-I could hardly speak! They told me I was ready to start pushing. I called to Colt, who was sleeping on the couch, that it was time, and he sprang up in surprise. We thought we had quite a ways to go before I would be ready! I think all my shaking unnerved him a little, but he was excited and calm and so supportive. I was so scared to push! I just didn't know what to expect. Luckily, I had great nurses, and Colt was there, encouraging me and counting me through. Even though pushing was hard and got increasingly more intense, the atmosphere in the room was quiet and peaceful. Each push was getting us closer to our baby...ready or not! 

After an hour and a half of pushing, our beautiful little boy was born at 6:26 a.m, exactly eight days after his due date. The nurses immediately noted that he looked so much like his daddy, which made me so happy. They laid my son on my chest and he immediately stuck his fingers in his mouth, just like he had done months earlier in an ultrasound picture. We looked at him, fully expecting that seeing his sweet face would help us decide between the two names we had picked out for him. Instead, we were at a loss-that little face was not an Eli, nor was it a Conrad. It took a full day before we landed on Jace: a name we had briefly discussed when we first found out I was pregnant, and never really thought about again. But it just seemed to fit him better, and we love it. I love hearing other people call him by his name; it makes it more real that we really have a son.

We are so happy to be home with JJ. He is such a good, sweet baby. So good and sweet, I'm fully expecting him to do a 180 and start crying inconsolably, or stop eating and sleeping...but hopefully that doesn't happen! For awhile, at least-I'm really enjoying these peaceful, quiet days at home with my boys. Jace is absolutely perfect and I can't believe that after all this time, he is finally here. Colt is absolutely in love; it is amazing to see him become such a loving, attentive daddy. When baby arrived, he couldn't stop smiling at him, leaning over to kiss his little nose and give him nuzzles. We are just enjoying getting to know him, laughing at his adorable newborn noises and funny faces, learning how to tend to his needs and work together. We've already had a few parenting noob moments (we've been peed on twice so far...and maybe JJ peed in his own face once.), but luckily Jace has been pretty patient with us. Sometimes I feel like he came out a lot better at this than me!

 My two handsome boys-is this real life? We are so lucky to have this little one join our family.

I just don't think it gets much better than this.

Ready, Set, Go: 38 Weeks

How Far Along? 38 weeks. Baby's Size Equivalent? A pumpkin. Which is a bit vague, given the vast size/weight discrepancy amongst the pumpkin population. Are we talking, like, a 5 dollar pumpkin? Or one of the 30 dollar ones? Because I can't even lift some of those guys, let alone push one out of me. Maternity Clothes? Mostly I just wear Colt's sweatpants. How Are You Sleeping? I do ok. My belly gets kind of sore and uncomfortable during the night, but it could be lots worse! Best moment this week? Going home to Portland for Christmas. My mom and sisters gave me a baby shower, which was a blast. I have the best family and friends. And there is nothing like being home for the holidays. Also, Colt has been super motivated to get everything in order for when the baby comes. I think he's nesting. Weird pregnancy moment? On Christmas Day, per tradition, our whole family went to a movie. About a half hour into "Interstellar," I noticed I was having really frequent Braxton Hicks. I've always had a lot, but these seemed closer together than normal. I decided to try timing them, and for the next hour they came at regular three minute intervals, each one lasting about a minute. No pain, just a really tight belly. I left the theater and called the hospital, and they said I'm just at the point where my body is practicing for labor, and as long as the contractions didn't hurt, I didn't have to come in. Which was good news, since at that point in time I was three and a half hours away from our hospital. I was a little nervous I was going to give birth to an Oregon baby. Any Movement: Yep, little pokes and prods, mostly on my left side. I love him. But I want him out of my ribs. Anything making you queasy? No, but I'm excited for him to "drop," so that I can breathe and eat a little bit easier. How About Cravings? Cheerios with blueberries and banana slices. What I'm Looking Forward To: Bringing this little buddy home with us! 

2015 Already?!

After tossing around a few ideas, Colt suggested this scripture for our 2015 family motto. I liked it, and I also liked that C picked it out so I didn't have to make a decision. I just got to sketch it out in my beautiful new sketchbook (thanks, babe!). So, Proverbs 3:5-6 it is! No matter what we may deal with, I know that when we trust the Lord, everything will work out as it should.

I can't believe it's 2015...or that I'm supposed to have a baby this month. Sometime within the next three and a half weeks, I'm going to be a mama (hopefully sooner rather than later). Blows my mind.

One of my two resolutions for this year is to give my husband and son the undivided attention they deserve. This means making significant cutbacks in time spent on the computer, phone, and on Facebook. Those things are serious time-sucks for me, and I want to be more present. 

My other resolution is to run a half-marathon...because obviously I'm crazy. Given the amount of running I've done recently (i.e. none), this one is definitely ambitious; I'm also not used to having to work around a baby's schedule, so we will see how it goes. Wish me luck!

2015 is going to be full of changes. Life will never be the same, but in a good way! New babies, brother-in-laws being added to our family left and right...I can't wait to see how it all unfolds! And, lucky me, I get to experience it all with this gent by my side.

Sweet Week

Tuesday was my birthday. Colt leaves very early for work, so I woke up to ^ that  awesome, self-esteem boosting message, a funny card and very sweet letter, a clean kitchen, and 20 bucks to take myself to a fancy lunch (since we couldn't hang out during the day). I went into work, then came home to beautiful flowers and a big hug from Colt before going in to have my hair all did. I'm dark blonde now! It's a fun change-and low maintenance, for when baby gets here. Then Colt and I went to dinner, and we came home and opened presents and watched a movie. Colt also made me a kick-a birthday dessert...which we have eaten pretty much every day this week. YUM. Thanks so much, babe! You made my birthday so great.

 Sorry if you find this picture creepy (it's ok, I sometimes secretly found other people's ultrasounds quite unsettling), but honestly, if you had seen the front view of his face a few months ago, you would agree that he is looking pretty adorable these days! The day after my birthday, we had our 35 week ultrasound to see how big the baby is and make sure all is well in there. We will be in Oregon for Christmas, and my doctor just wanted to take a peek and make sure we were good to go! It was so cool to see how big our little peanut has become-he currently weights 5 lbs 7 oz, and is on track to be about 7.5 lbs if he comes on time. According to the doctor, baby is in the correct position for delivery, or, as he put it, "ready for take-off." That was good to hear. We could also see that our little guy has hair! A little bit of peach fuzz, just like his daddy had when he was a baby, as well as his mama's EXTRA chubby cheeks. That big white bulge is his chipmunk cheek; looks like he's been enjoying all the hot chocolate I've been drinking ;)
I love Christmas lights. Tonight, Colt and I drove over to the Fir Grove neighborhood to check out the festivities. Not every house was decorated (but tons were!), and they weren't all professionally done or anything, but I think that makes it more fun. It reminds me of when I was a kid and we'd just cruise around the neighborhood and count how many decorated homes we saw. This particular neighborhood has been putting on a light display for over 25 years, and we were pretty impressed. I love starting our own family traditions.

Baby, It's Cold Outside: 34½ Weeks

How Far Along? 34 and a half weeks. Only five weeks left (hopefully)! Baby's Size Equivalent? A pineapple. Mmm...pineapple is yummy. Maternity Clothes? Same old story. Some of my regular clothes still fit, some don't. I tried to put on the shirt I wore for our engagement photos, and that was a little bit hilarious. How Are You Sleeping? I'm doing ok. My belly has gotten heavy enough that it pulls on my ligaments when I lay on my side, so Colt bought me a fluffy pillow to support it when I go to sleep. It's sort of sad when your belly requires it's own pillow. Pretty soon it will need it's own apartment. Best moment this week? We were able to go to an Infant Basics class offered through our hospital. I learned how to swaddle! Colt is better at it, though. Swaddling is too much like oragami for me to be especially adept. And, if you want to get real honest, the other best moment was when someone shoved a menu for a local Chinese restaurant through the slit in our front door advertising a "buy one entree, get one free" special. Oh, sesame chicken. It's been too long. Weird pregnancy moment? I think I'm a little more emotional than usual. Colt made me a sandwich for lunch in the morning before he left for work, and when I found it in the fridge, I almost cried. Also, I keep finding mysterious little spots and stains on the bellies of my shirts. I don't know how they get there, and I only notice them after the fact, when I go to put the shirt on again a few days later. Waaaah! Any Movement: Yes, but he's gotten bigger, so movements happen a little less often, and they feel more like nudges and waves than sharp jabs and somersaults. He's running out of room in there! Anything making you queasy? No, but small amounts of food continue to fill me up super quickly. Thanksgiving dinner was a crisis. How About Cravings? Biscuits with peanut butter and honey have become delicious unto me. And raw veggies with sour cream ranch dip. That's pretty much the only way I will eat vegetables these days. What I'm Looking Forward To: Our doctor is going to do an ultrasound next week to see how big baby is measuring. I hope he can tell us if little man has any hair!