Birth Story

He FINALLY came :) I really thought he wasnt going to ever come out as the days kept getting longer and longer and I was having all these false contractions and then one day they just stopped :) On May 19th at 2:30 in the morning I woke up to some pretty strong contractions. After about 3 of them I woke Eric up and told him I dont know if this is the real deal or not but they are hurting and coming freguently. We started timing them and found out they were actually every 2 to 3 min apart. Eric started to pack things up and kept telling me we are going to the hospital. I was a little hesitant because I didnt want this to be a false alarm and wanted to time them longer than 20 min. But I wasnt thinking clearly and was sooo glad Eric got me in the car cause it wasnt much longer than 20 min where I was contracting every 2 min consistently. We got to labor and delivery and I thought I was going to die. I know the things they have to do are procedure but seriously cant u tell I am in pain and cannot talk please just wheel me back to my delivery room and get me my epidural!! :) Nope! they made me do the whole check in process and then was going to hook me up to the monitor to watch my contractions. I told them I was not getting into bed because this was it and I was in so much pain I couldnt lay down I just wanted to walk. So she got the nurse in who told me I just needed to get in bed so they can see how much I have dilated. As soon as she checked me she called for my wheelchair to take me to my delivery room cause i was at 6 cm. We got to my delievery room and they quickly hooked me up to my iv. and still no epidural because my blood pressure was too low. You think, I am going to die here I thought. Contractions were every minute and a half and I had eric rubbing my back constantly due to back labor. Blakes face was facing the wrong way, but thankfully turned as he was moving down. After the doctor came in and said i was 8 cm. I pleaded for the epidural thinking i was going to be too late. Finally I got one and my blood pressure went to normal. See I told them. Apparently when u are in pain typically it is suppose to go up, well mine goes down. After about 10 more min I felt great, still felt pressure but I would take that any day. The epidural slowed my contractions down a little but I didnt mind cause I wanted to rest before I needed to start pushing. The doctor came in and broke my water at 9 cm and a little under an hour of pushing my sweet little boy was here! My whole labor time was 5 hours long. Blake weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. He was perfect!

Baby is head down!

So for my 35 week check up they did a mini ultrasound to see if baby was still breech. AND he wasn't! He is head down and hopefully will stay that way. I am getting so excited to meet Blake especially after seeing his cute face today. For the most part I have been feeling great. Contractions have stopped(which is good and bad) and I had my first experience with some swelling last night at the suns game, But wasn't too bad. This week and weekend I am going to hopefully finish things I still need to get ready for his arrival. I want to be prepared this time cause I wasn't for Brayden. Crazy to think I could have him in two weeks and he will be full term! This week I also got my maternity pictures done. I absolutely love them. Brittany did a fabulous job and spent so much time with us; which was definitely needed with my son running around. To make them low key we just did them at my house and neighborhood. I loved this cause it made changing outfits easy and allowed brayden to run around the house. He is at that age where it is so hard to get him to participate in pictures, but leave it to Brittany and candy to help get good shots. Yes, I know I used candy. I was desperate :) Pictures will be coming soon.......

We have decided on a Name....

Blake Isaac....So I am pretty sure this is official unless I change my mind when I see him :)!!! We really arent going for all B names, it just happened to be a name we liked. Since I am talking about our new little guy, here is the latest on Blake. Just like his brother Brayden, Blake wants to come out and play a little too early. I have been having contractions here and there... nothing real consistent, just the usual Braxon hicks. This week however they have been coming more frequent and closer together. So for my regular checkup I told the doctor about them and she decided to do a Fetal Fibronectin test since I experienced preterm labor with Brayden, telling me the whole time that she thought it would be negative but just in case. Well turns out it was positive. Basically this test tells doctors that I am at great risk to deliver prematurely. So I am taking it easy and will be closely monitored by the doctors every week. So Blake, I need you to stay put for at least 8 more weeks (mommy's preference) or 7 if you want to be like your brother, but absolutely noooo sooner please.

Flagstaff

Last week we went up to Eric's Families Cabin and it was beautiful. It snowed almost the whole time we were there. Anna came with us and kept Brayden company. They loved playing in the snow. Brayden wanted to be outside every minute of the day, the only problem was he could only stay on the driveway where it wasnt so deep or he would have been swallowed. That and I was freezing :) He quickly forgot about the snow when he discovered he could ride his Mater down his great grandmas wheelchair ramp. The thought process of him discovering this was priceless. He is such his Daddy's boy.

There is nothing better...

....than a oatmeal chocolate chip cookie out of the oven! I spent hours in the kitchen between making dinner and cookies, but it didnt seem to bother me much cause I knew I was going to have cookies in the end. It also made Eric happy and forget about his hours of hw he had that night.(even if it was for just a minute :))..... and then we have Brayden... well the pictures can tell you how much he LOVED the cookie. I am not a huge fan of sweets when it comes to Brayden, as many know, so this was his FIRST COOKIE. He did so well eating dinner that Eric and I thought he deserved it. I started cleaning the kitchen while he ate it and the next thing I know it is everywhere. SERIOUSLY, how does chocolate end up ALL over your face??!! I couldnt help but laugh because he was so cute. These are the little moments as a mom that I absolutely love!

Valentines Weekend

This Valentines day was extra special because I didnt only have 1 valentine, BUT 2!!! Eric and I went out to dinner and saw Valentines Day on Saturday night while my mom watched Brayden for us. Sunday morning I made the boys Heart pancakes before church. After nap time we met my parents at the park with Anna since Holli worked and Brad was studying. The kids always have a great time being outside. Brayden loves the slide and swings, but gets distracted very easily and likes to play with "earthy" things like rocks, sticks, bugs... Such a boy :) The day ended with dinner at Oreganos! My favorite restaurant and I think Braydens too! He tore apart the kids pasta with chicken. My true italian. With that said it was a great weekend spent with the people that mean so much to me!

Zoo Trip

I absolutely love going to the zoo. Not only does Brayden enjoy it but I get to walk :) The weather was absolutely wonderful today and it was so fun to catch up with Alyse and let the boys play. Brayden loves the animals but he equally loves the play area and the giant tractors! He had so much fun going down the slide and "driving" the tractors. Today we got to see the dragon. It was the first time I saw it walking around. Brayden and the boys thought it was the funniest thing. I love how Preston and Hudson love Brayden so much, cause he just thinks they are so cool!