Our Week in Review

Boy, how time does fly.  This time last week we were still at the hospital. 

We were celebrating the birth of this boy...Easton Garrett...

Thursday was quite a day, that's for sure, one I will never forget.  We entered the hospital at 7am.  We were in our labor & delivery room by 8am.  By 9am I had my water broken and received pitocin.  By 9:45 I was demanding, ahem, requesting an epidural.  By 10:20am, the epidural still was not working. By 10:40am the 2nd pump of the epidural finally kicked in.  Through all this I was suffering from major nausea.  More on that to come...  By 12:15 I was fully dilated.  The waiting game began as we waited for Easton to make his final turn.  We began pushing at about 3pm and at 4:13pm we welcomed our first son into this world.  Lance and I spent about 30-45 minutes with him and then welcomed our family and friends into the room to meet our son.  I have never been more proud in my life- proud to be a mother to this amazing little boy, but proud to be the wife of a husband who is both amazing and supportive.  He stayed by my side the entire day, through every up and down, every contraction and break, every push.  I've never loved him more.  He is the father of my child and for that I am eternally grateful.  I could not ask for more.

Friday was filled with many visitors, Newborn Pictures, a Birthday Bash with information about things to expect from your newborn and for your recovery, as well as a complimentary in-room message. 

Saturday, we were discharged to head home.

Saturday was quite an emotional day. Its so strange to enter the hospital as 2 and leave as 3.  I experienced a roller coaster of emotions.  It was a beautiful day on Saturday.  A day I had prayed for.  I love the sunshine and just as our hearts were filled with sun, so were the skies.  We had kept Kirby at home while we were at the hospital and Lance went back and forth letting her out, feeding her and even skyping her so I could see she was ok!  :)  Oh, the things we do for that dog!  So, when we arrived home with a new addition, you can imagine the excitement by our 4 legged child. She was bonkers!  She remained bonkers for about the first 24 hours.  She made things a little more challenging but she's part of the family.  Saturday night I don't think we slept a wink. We kept Easton in the pack-n-play by our bed.  I heard every breath, every move, every everything.  SO DID KIRBY!  She whimpered all night long.  Mom came over Sunday morning to watch Easton and let us get another 2 hours of sleep. 

We've had lots of visitors this week and lots of good food brought to us.  It's been so nice to have Lance at home all week. I'm going to have a hard time sending him off to work on Monday.  :(  We've had a great time together.  Every day we go for a drive- I'm not one for being cooped up.  It's nice to get out of the house and have a change of scenery.

Tuesday we took Easton to his first doctors appointment. He checked out just fine.  Dr.S assured us that we were doing great and to keep up the good work. That was reassuring to hear.  He does have a bit of jaundice but its going away. 

I've experienced some challenges this week- breastfeeding, the "blues", changing a boys diaper while dodging a stream of pp, caring for a blocked tear duct, etc.  All of these are joys even though they are challenging.  I'm sure we will face many more challenging times but they are all worth it when I look at my son.  MY SON...wow, I am a mother.  Lance is a father.  What a blessing.  What an honor to be chosen to be this childs mother. 

Here are some pictures from our week...

 

Yes, Kirby has a spot in the nursery! Are you surprised?  I didn't think so!

More to come soon,

Annie

Beautiful Baby Boy!

More to come soon...but for now,

Thursday, March 18th at 4:13pm, Lance and I welcomed Easton into this world!

He weighed 8 lbs 6 3\4 ounces, 20 inches long

We couldn't be more thrilled with this baby the Lord has blessed us with!

Daddy & Easton

Mommy & Easton

He is a good mix of both mommy and daddy!

More on the labor & delivery to come...but I wanted to brag real quick :)

Enjoy! 

Thank you all for your prayers! 

Be careful what you wish for...

Since last Friday I've been watching the weather and waiting for the next sunny day.  I'm a lover of sunshine, flowers and most things outdoors...so I was waiting on that sunny day to determine when I THOUGHT I might deliver Easton.  As the weekend wore on Thursday was looking like the day- warm, mid 60's, sunny- great day for a baby I thought.  All weekend I told Lance I felt like we were going to have Easton on Thursday.  He assured me I was crazy and that Dr. G told us most first time pregnancy's go past their due date.  Still, I felt like Thursday was the day. 

SO, yesterday, I go to my 39 week apointment.  Dr. G examined me, we talked, then he says "I'm going to check with Debbie and see if we can induce before your due date." What?!?!?!?!  Ok, now, this is what I WANTED to hear, what I WISHED to hear, but never did I think he'd say that!  So, he goes to talk with Debbie and she comes back to say "How does THURSDAY at 7:30 sound?"  Oh dear- Thursday, this week, the day after tomorrow...the water works were opened!  I tried to regain composure and went to schedule my 6 week post-partum check up and then headed to the truck.  Once I hit the door, I called Lance. 

It went a little something like this:

me: Are you ready to have this baby?

Lance: nuh uh...you're kidding???

me: I'm not kidding, Thursday is the day

Lance:...........................................................

me: sniff sniff

Lance:  Are you crying?

me: Yes

Lance: Boo, you've been saying Thursday all week, this is what you wanted!

Yes, that is what I wanted- after all, a sunny day is a perfect day to have a baby...but, oh me...now I'm nervous.  Last night, Lance and I went on a date- we went to Stoney River for dinner and then to the mall to look for some baby clothes.  One last date without having to find a babysitter.  My last day of work was today.  I worked a half day today and then my co-workers took me to lunch.  I went and had the car seat base installed by a police officer.  Who knew that it would be so hard to find someone who was certified to do so.  I called 15 or 20 police stations, fire departments, state offices to find someone certified to make sure it was in correctly.  I feel pretty confident that I can reinstall if need be.  So, that was the last major item to check off the list. 

Tonight, we'll get our bags packed, get the house clean, enjoy our time together as a family of 3 (Kirby included), love on Kirby a lot (because I'm having a SERIOUS time thinking about being away from her for 2-3 days but Lance assures he will take celebrate Tyler's birthday and try to get some sleep.  I can assure you that last item on the list won't happen.  Last night every time I rolled over, Lance's eyes were open too.  We were wide awake all night!  Tomorrow will be a big day though with lots of emotions so we need some rest. 

Easton, we are ready to meet you and welcome you into our family!

Happy St. Patty's day!

38 Weeks

Today we went for our 38 week visit.  We had an ultrasound that apparently Dr. G does routinely to make sure your fluids are ok- to determine IF you carry full term that you've got enough fluids.  Mine were just fine.  Little Easton was a bit to big to get any new photos of him but we did get to see his heart beating, see his brain, see arms and legs, organs, verify again that he was a boy---even though the sonographer played a cruel trick on us..."You know what you're having right?"  We beam with pride and say "yes".  She says "A little girl, how exciting"  She almost had to pick daddy up off the floor!  For that brief instant our hearts sank.  Its amazing how many thoughts can go through your mind in 10 seconds!  It was funny though!  But she confirmed, that indeed, Easton IS a boy.  She confirmed that he is head down and his body runs along my right ribs and his arms and legs are near my stomach\left side. That jab I've been getting must be a knee, elbow, foot or hand.  She saved the best information for last- Easton is weighing in at 8.1 lb based on her measurements.  Of course, this can be off a pound either way- so I'm pulling for 7.1 and not the up side of 9.1!  Oh heavens- looks like we might have a line backer instead of that lefty baseball player.  Lance and I both were big babies so I knew we weren't going to have a tiny baby...but 8.1 with 2 weeks left, geesh!  

After waiting an hour for our doctors appointment we finally saw Dr. G.  I'm at 1.5cm!  Progress!  Makes me a little nervous\excited\anxious.  My blood pressure was a little up from what it is normally so he sent me for some blood work after my appointment.  Those results should be back on Thursday.  I'm fairly confident that everything is fine- I think it was just the anxiety of the day elevated it slightly.  

Here's a pic of me at 38 weeks- only 2 short weeks to go!

 

And...a little 38 week questionairre...
Sleep: I WISH!  After 4 nights of no sleep, I think I'll take some Nyquil tonight as a sleep aid!

Best Moment of the Week: getting to see Easton on the monitor. Although we didn't get to see his face, we still got to see lots of amazing things about his little body. 

Movement: my jabs and punches have changed to rolls and lumps- my belly can take on a completely different shape depending where he's laying!

Food Craving:  I eat lots of Chick Fil A and lots of Cereal- this week a breakfast favorite has been fresh peaches and yogurt.  I LOVE COLD things!  Don't give me anything hot!

Ailments: lower back pain, tightness in stomach, EXHAUSTION, not as much indigestion, thanks to my friend Zantac 150!

Labor Signs: I had my first contraction Sunday in church.  Everyone had said "you'll know..." and I didn't believe them...but as I sat in church holding my breath wondering what in the world that pain was- I KNEW I had my first contraction!  That also CONFIRMED that I WILL have an epidural at first opportunity!  I have nothing to prove- give me the meds!

What I'm looking forward to: the excitement of the day of delivery

Weekly Wisdom: Take it easy, rest, spend time with your spouse.
 
Enjoy your week! It's looking like Springtime here in Nashville! THANK THE LORD!  Bring on the buttercups!

As promised, nursery pics!

Well, as I promised, we finally got the nursery finished and put together.  I took some pictures this weekend and thought I'd share.  I'm really excited how it turned out!

These are the shelves that Lance built for Easton!

I bought this dresser a while back at the Salvation Army and refinished it myself. 

It's the perfect addition the the nursery!

The prints above the bed came from  Lee ArtHaus on Etsy. Lance found these! 

He's got good taste, what can I say?!?!?

Lance refinished our chaning table.  Bob & Cindy got us the changing table but when it came in it was "too shiney" so he had to distress it.  He put 2 coats of black paint on it, rubbed the edges with a sanding block and sealed it with poly.  It now matches the style of the bed and the dresser with the distressed look. 

It looks awesome!

Here's the piggy bank we painted a few weeks back.  He mimicks the bedding.

And, these are the little felt owls that I made for his mobile. We opted to hang them instead from the curtain rod by twine- I think its a cute touch.  These hang over the changing table.

I'm thrilled with his new room and I hope that he loves it just as much!

37 Weeks

I went this week for my weekly visit with Dr. G.  No major change but without divulging into the details, we'll just say there is progress.  Nothing that led him to think I'd deliver early or anything like that, just normal routine progress.  Dr. G did suggest cutting back my hours at work, so that will start tomorrow until I deliver.

With that said, welcome 37 weeks! 3 more weeks to go!

...and a little sneak peek at the nursery (notice my shelves that Lance built! LOVE THEM!)

... hopefully finished pictures to come this weekend.