Summer's almost over

It is unbelievable how the summer has come and gone. It's almost September! Not that summer's really even close to gone in Arizona with all this nasty heat. I told Joel that next summer if its just as humid and the monsoon is just as crappy (we've only gotten 2 or 3 good storms this year) I want to move. The lack of humidity and storms are the ONLY advantages to being here in the summer.

Mr Kody is already 3 1/2 months old! He changes every day. Just this last week he determined he needed to be able to roll over. Everywhere i've read that its easier for babies to roll from tummy to back so they usually do that around 3-4 months and the other way not until 5 months. He had never even attempted to roll from tummy to back, but was trying really hard Wednesday last week to get from back to tummy. I spent the next night helping him go back and forth and that night he did tummy to back by himself. Then Saturday with Joel he was fussing and fussing and Joel would help him flip, but he stayed upset until he went from back to tummy by himself, then promptly fell asleep! He is definitely like his mom. He wants to be able to do things on his own before he's satisfied. =P

Now that he can roll over, he is thrilled. Thats what he wants to spend his day doing. Then when he's on his tummy, he thinks hes gonna figure out how to crawl. If I put him on his blanket with his head at the top of it, give him about 10-15 min and he'll be off of it entirely.

He loves to go swimming. We've only been a few times, but he has so much fun splashing. Plus he gets to be outside, which is his favorite place to be.

I think he's gonna be like his daddy and talk a lot (which is good! I don't want him to be quiet like me cause that's frustrating!) Every time he wakes up in the morning, he babbles REALLY loud. And when I sing songs, he often will "sing" along and just go "AAAARRRRRAAAAAAABBBLLLAAAHHH" as I'm singing. =)

The next 2 months he gets to meet some new people who are very anxious to meet him. My grandparents on my mom's side are coming down in 2 weeks from Utah and staying for a few days, then in October we are going to Iowa to see my dad and his side of the family. My grandma is incredibly anxious to meet him. Next we just have to figure out how to get up to Michigan so he can meet family from Joel's dad's side.

Some parts of me want Kody to stop growing, cause I barely remember what it was like when he was so tiny. It goes so fast that my memory doesnt have time to imprint it in my brain. Good thing we have lots and lots of pictures. =P

My 2 month old

We had our 2 month Dr visit today. Boy has the little munchkin grown! He is now 12lbs 3 oz and 24 inches long! He went from being 25th percentile in weight at his 2 week visit to 75th and he's in the 90th percentile for height. He got all his vaccines today, poor guy. He screamed bloody murder when they did it, but is in a surprisingly good mood so far since.

It's amazing how quickly they change, I know all you mothers already know that, but it's different to see for yourself. We were just plugging along and one day out of the blue he smiles. It's like "Whoa! When did you learn that?" He's starting to coo and babble. He loooooves talking to the ceiling fan. He'll just sit in his swing and stare at it. One day he was smiling and cooing at it, then a second later, he's still staring at it, but he furrowed his brow and yelled "AH!" at it. Not sure what the fan did, but Kody didn't like it. He also loves his mobile, I assume for the same reason he loves the fan. I'll put him in his bassinet and he'll be angry, I turn it on and he'll stop crying, smile, then back to crying, and so on. It's hillarious.

I have to go back to work in 2 weeks. I'm gonna be really sad leaving him, but I'll be glad to get out of the house. Plus with Crystal watching him, it will be easier since I know he's getting just about as much love as he would with me.

Lessons for a first time mother

I can't believe the little man is 1 month old today. How time flies. While in most ways it doesn't seem that long since he was born, we have learned so much from each other in the time he's been here. One of the biggest things that I have discovered is that no matter how much planning you do, things will often not work out the way you want them to. And even more importantly, even if things don't go the way you want them to, you can still be a wonderful parent and in the long run have a happy, healthy baby. Learning that Kody is lactose intolerant and would not be able to breastfeed without having constant diarrhea taught me that. I was bound and determined to breastfeed knowing it's a great boost to his immune system and a heck of a lot cheaper than formula. Even when he refused to latch, I still pumped and fed it to him. But he was miserable. I talked to his Dr. about me going on a lactose free diet, only to learn that breastmilk naturally contains lactose even without it in my diet, so it would not help any. It opened my eyes to realizing that you can read all the books to find out the "perfect" way to raise your child, but when things don't go according to plan, you can either feel guilty that you are not doing what the "experts" say is best, or you can make the most of it and see that no one can tell you what's best for your child because every parent and every child is different. While I loved the few weeks I had in bonding through breastfeeding, seeing Kody miserable after every feeding just broke my heart. He is getting whats best for him and is actually gaining weight now.

He has also taught me an incredible love that I always knew existed between a parent and child, but is so awesome to actually experience. It's not a fuzzy kind of love like I imagined, although that's there too. But, it's the kind of love that makes me long to see him after being in the ER for 10 hours. One that when I hear him crying in pain cause his tummy hurts so bad that I cry with him. Its amazing how this little person can wrap themselves so well into your heart and life after such a short time. I am so thankful God gave me the chance to be a mother. Other than the gift of salvation, it's the greatest gift I've been given.

Kody is born!

Despite all my hoping that Kody would arrive on his own before the scheduled induction, he apparently had decided he was still too comfy to go anywhere. I was scheduled for 730 AM on the 13th due to low amniotic fluid level. I have to say, it was nice to know the time so we could make sure everything was all packed and ready to go.

We checked in at 830 and they took me back and started an IV and fluids. When the nurse checked, I was only 1.5 cm dilated which is the same as I had been last week. They started Pitocin around 930 and my contractions weren't too bad. At noon the doctor came to check on my progress and I was still only 2.5 cm and 80%. He broke my water to see if that would get things going. Boy did it. The contractions hit me like a ton of bricks. They got incredibly intense and close together, eventually to the point that they were coming about 15 to 45 seconds apart. I tried everything I could think of for natural pain management. The birthing ball was really helpful for a bit, but it got to the point that I felt like I couldn't breathe in between contractions. I asked to be checked because I felt like I was tiring out fast and was hoping if I had made progress that I could just talk myself into pushing through. The nurse came and checked and though I was almost completely effaced, I was still between 2.5 and 3cm. I knew I had to do something. at 5 1/2 hours of labor only progressing 1 cm, I knew I would end up being too tired to push even if I made it through the rest of the contractions. No way was I gonna risk a C section, so I gave into getting the epidural. It was such a difference. I told my mom I felt like I was cheating. I worked so hard the last few hours and then it was just gone. I still had decent control of my legs but all I felt was a bit of pressure.

I took a nap for about 2 hours and woke up around 6pm feeling like I needed to use the bathroom. I had heard that's what it feels like when its time to push but I thought there was no way after going 1cm in 5 1/2 hours that I'd be ready to push in the next 2 hours. The urge only got stronger though so I called my nurse in. Amazingly I was complete. After about 45 min of pushing and an episiotomy Kody was born! He weighed 7lbs 15oz, and was 21.5 in long.

He is the most beautiful baby I could've imagined. He's perfectly healthy and only issue we've had is with nursing. Thank you all for your prayers for us. This little guy is our miracle. To God be the glory!

Baby will be here soon!

I have just a few updates then I decided to post a little pregnancy survey as a little something to remind me of things about my pregnancy.

So Im just over 38 weeks now. At my 37 week appointment my tummy was measuring at 39 weeks so the doctor wanted to get an ultrasound at my next visit to make sure he wasn't getting too big. I went Wednesday for the ultrasound and appt. I wish it wasn't as hurried of an ultrasound. It was hard to really good look at him cause she went from one spot to the next fairly quickly just getting measurements, and he's sooo big now he took up the whole screen so it was hard to tell what was what! Well, he was not measuring too big. They estimated him about 7lbs and put him in pretty much exactly the middle for percentile growth.

When I talked with my OB he said everything looked great as far as Kody was concerned, heart rate, movement, I guess they are able to see the baby's practice breaths. The only concern he had was the amniotic fluid level. He didn't give me a measurement number, only that it was low. Not yet on the too concerned side, but concerned enough that it would possibly get lower and be an issue. So he told me he'd like to induce on Thursday May 13th just to be safe. We set up the time for 730 AM and so that's the plan unless Kody comes earlier.

I'm thinking of calling the office on Wednesday to see if he would want to recheck the fluid level to see if it's still ok or if he really does need to come early. I want him here, but I'm not thrilled at the idea of induction. I really wanted a natural/med-free birth and thats less likely to happen with induction. It would be harder on my body and possibly Kody's. But at the same time if that's what needs to happen for Kody to be safe, I'm fine with it. I'm just praying that maybe he'll decide on his own to come before then.

Well, we are ready for him in any case. The nursery is done (I'll try to get some pics up sometime today or tomorrow), and we are as prepared as we can be. Just a couple more days (maybe a shared bday with his uncle!) and we'll have our little guy in our arms!

About the mommy

Name Robyn
Age 26
First child? yes
About the daddy!
Name Joel
Age 26 (27 when he's born)
First child? yes
Finding out!!
What day did you find out? I can't recall offhand - Early September 2 weeks after embryo transfer
How did you feel when you found out? Ecstatic beyond belief
Who was with you? Amy
Who was the first peson you told? Amy, cause she was there when they called
How did they react? We hugged and squeeled like Jr high girls
How did the daddy react? I called him and he was excited and stopped to tell his coworkers
Telling the grandparents!
How did your parents react? excited about the baby - reacting to the gender news my mom was quite wide eyed and giddy
How did his parents react? also excited - gender news his mom got teary and smiled and I believe Ralph said "All right!"
Are they helping with baby names? nope, sorry, all us =) (actually this one was all mine)
Have they bought anything for the baby yet? plenty - 1st my mom bought 3 winnie the pooh onsies, 1st his mom bought was snowmen socks
How often do they call to check on you? often =)
About the pregnancy!
When was your first appointment? November 3rd
When is your due date? May 19th
How far along are you? 38 weeks
How much weight have you gained? About 30 lbs
Have you had an unltrasound? I think total I've had 7
Have you heard the heartbeat? Every visit
What was the heartbeat? Early on he was 170s-180s - after about halfway he's upper 130s to 140s
Sex of the baby!
What do you want? I wanted a boy
What does the daddy want? Joel wanted a girl
What do you think you are having? I knew it would be a boy, I wouldve been in complete shock if it hadn't been
Have you had ur big ultrasound yet? Had it in December about a week before Xmas
If so, what are you having? boy
Are you happy with what you are having? we are both very excited
About the birth!
Do you know what you're taking with you? other than the essentials: my 1st time mom book, the laptop, and Joels ipod with my labor playlists
Who is going to be with you? In the labor room, just Joel and my mom
Are you going to videotape it? No way, we will videotape after he's born - hospital doesnt allow it anyway
Natural or medicated? As natural as I can
Do you think you will need a c-section? I pray not
Will you cry when you hold your baby for the first time? I'm sure I will
Do u know what you will say to the baby when you first hold him/her? I imagine something like " Hi little man. I love you so much!"
Are you scared about the labor? A little nervous, especially about possible induction
Names!!
Do you have a name picked out? Yep
Girl names... We had considered Hannah Paige and Alexis Reagan
Boy names... Kody Michael - I had that picked out at 13 years old.
Is your baby going to be named after someone? Nope
Other random questions!!
Where was your baby conceived? In a laboratory =D
Have you felt the baby move? Constantly - his favorite spots are on my right side right below my ribs, and his little feet like to go into my ribs quite often
What race will your baby have? From you and daddy? White. Very, very white.
Do you have stretch marks? Unfortunately
What was your first symptom? Erm I think little twinges in my abdomen that might've just been me convincing myself thats what it was. But definitely had smell and food aversions.
What religion will the baby know? And from what side? We will raise him Christian - we are both Christian and pray that he will know and love God too.
What music or interests do you want the baby to know? Hardcore and Metal =D but it's ok if he likes something else. Even if its electronica or something horrid
Will your baby have godparents? Don't think so. If he does its not gonna be in a legal sense.
What is the baby's room theme? Turtles and Frogs
What was the first thing you bought for the baby? Joel bought a onsie that says "my dad rocks" and I bought a dinosaur outfit that has booties that look like dino claws and it says snugglesaurus
Are you ready to be a mommy? Extremely

Start the countdown!

34 weeks this week! I haven't updated in a long time, so I figured I'd better do it now before things get even more crazy.

Kody has been a busy, growing boy. He's kicking me all the time now. Actually, more kind of squirming than kicking, or stretching to the point that I'm sure he's gonna break an arm or leg through my skin! His favorite spot to sit is under my right rib, so that means every time he feels like there's no more room, and has to stretch, mommy has to stretch with him or her ribs get incredibly sore. All my Dr appointments have gone well. He's measuring about a week ahead, so I'm praying that means he'll come a week early, and not just that he'll be a big baby. O.o

Crystal threw me a wonderful baby shower a few weeks ago. I'll post a few pics at the end. It was so fun to have everyone there. We got lots of really nice stuff for Kody. I personally enjoyed the game she planned for all the guys to "diaper" each other with toilet paper, then feed the other person a jar of baby food. I think some of the guys got to know each other a little more than they would've liked!

We have another baby shower that Joel's mom and a friend of hers are throwing for people at our church next weekend. We are very blessed to have such wonderful friends and family.

The nursery is coming along nicely. My mom and Joel finished the last bits of painting last weekend, and Joel started to put the crib together. Hopefully it will be done in the next few weeks and I can put some pictures up.

Here are the few pics from the shower

follow up ultrasound

We had our follow up ultrasound today just to check out his heart since they couldn't see it very well. I brought my mom and Joel's mom so they could get a peek at their grandson. I think they had fun. They had their phones out taking pictures most of the time.

The doctor said everything looks good. He's measuring at about 1 pound, 2 oz right now which is in the higher end of average. I feel him more and more each day which is tons of fun! I keep hearing I'll be tired of him kicking by the end, but I can't imagine ever getting tired of it.

The baby's room is nowhere near ready and I'm afraid that I'll be in panic mode by the end of march. We have to move all of our office stuff into the other room that will be the guest room/office. Hopefully we'll have enough room in there. We are going to get the carpets shampooed at some point in time. Then we'll be painting and are going to wait to put the baby's stuff in there until after our shower so we know what we have to get ourselves. I guess its not too big a deal since the baby will be in our room for a little while, the nursery doesnt have to be completely finished.

I've been feeling wonderful. The worst I have is occasional rib pain that the OB says is probably due to stretching and pushing on nerves up there. If everyone felt this way during pregnancy, I would wonder why people werent pregnant more often. I'm so incredibly thankful.