Welcome James Vaden! (Birth story)

At 11 pm on a Friday night 5 days past my due date, I had a really sharp menstrual-like cramp.  I mentioned this to Charlie.  He grunted, rolled over, and went back to sleep.   I proceeded to have continually bad "cramps" and finally woke him up at 3 in the morning saying, "These cramps are really, really bad!"  He asked me if I thought I was in labor and I said "No.  I'm pretty sure I would know if this was a contraction.  It's a cramp."  We then proceeded to have an argument about what a contraction felt like until I googled "contractions", read the definition, and told him that clearly these were CRAMPS.  He said that they should go away then if I took a shower so to stop bugging him and try.  I took a shower and they didn't go away.  He took a shower just in case we were going to end up in the hospital.  For the next two hours he pestered me to call our doula and I told him I wasn't bothering her over bad cramps and didn't want to look like an idiot.  Finally, I texted her and described what was happening.  She texted back: "That is a contraction.  You are in Labor."

I hate it when Charlie is right.

So my contractions became timeable and the doula arrive around 8:00 am.  I spent a few hours laboring in my bed and in the garden tub in the bathroom.  Around 11:30 am we decided to head to the hospital.  Our doula had been telling me to visualize the baby's head dropping lower and lower with each contraction and I guess Charlie decided to take that over in the car because he kept telling me "Okay, I want you to visualize the baby dropping lower and just falling out of your vagina".  Helpful, Charlie, helpful.

We got to the hospital and they sent me to triage to see if I was really in labor.  Hahahaha.  The midwife met us there and confirmed that I was at 7 centimeters, so yeah, obviously ready to go to labor and delivery thankyouverymuch.  I spent the rest of that phase in the shower while the doula ran warm water on my back.

I'll spare most of the details of the 1.5 hour pushing circus except for the following:

1.  My OCD reared its ugly head and I kept demanding to know "HOW MANY MORE PUSHES?!?!  JUST GIVE ME A FREAKING NUMBER!!!"

2. I told my husband somewhere in the middle that this was the only child he was going to get because there was no way in hell I was going through this pain again. 

3. Once Jamie was crowning, Charlie and the midwife were playing with his hair each time his head poked through.  Yes, they were giving him faux hawks while I was demanding to know how many more pushes and yelling that this was the only kid Charlie was going to get.  Charlie is pretty lucky I did not know this was happening at the time.  I probably would have kicked him in the face.

4.  I must have said "This really hurts!" 4 billion times.

5.  My water broke around 9 cm and soaked the poor midwife who was even holding up a towel as a shield.  She had no hope.

6.  I pretty much did every gross thing you can do while on that table.  Charlie bravely held my leg and watched in fascination.  I also ended up with a 2nd degree tear.  As soon as it was over he leaned over, kissed me, and said he was still attracted to me but for god's sake don't look down there until everything is healed.

Next time, I might get the epi.

I had lost a ton of blood and was one point away from needing a transfusion, so I was a little out of it for the next few hours.  Because I was so far along when I arrived at the hospital, we hadn't even been admitted.  I signed all the paperwork about 45 minutes after I delivered.  I could have been signing away all my worldly possessions and I wouldn't have known the difference.  Charlie had left with Jamie to do all the official cleaning up and an administrator came in the room asking for my credit card for our copay.  I gestured to my purse and told her to "Take it ALL!" Really?  You couldn't give me some recovery time after delivery before coming to pester me for money?  Maybe that's their strategy.

Other than that, we had a pretty good stay in the hospital while I recovered and Jamie played tug-of-war with jaundice.  We came home after 5 long days and have been enjoying our life as a family very much.  My baby looooooves to snuggle!

Little glow worm!

Spending time with Daddy

Waiting to be discharged from the hospital (aka Mom put on real clothes)

Ready to go home!

The Nursery

Putting together the nursery for Jamie was one of my favorite projects while I was pregnant.  I love the way this room turned out!

First, I painted the walls; three blue and one yellow.  I went online and found free coloring book pages of owls.  I printed them out and used them to create stencils with quilters plastic.  I drew (erased, and drew again) all of the trees and branches on pieces of paper I had taped together, cut them out, taped them to the wall, traced, and painted.  I can't freehand to save my life, but I can trace!  Here are some of the details:

I bought some wooden letters and decoupaged them with scrapbook paper that matches the fabric for one of the quilts I made (OCD much?) and hung them over the crib:

I bought some pom-poms off of Etsy and hung them over the changing table.  I then used my Etsy-purchasing skills to have a growth chart made with his name on it:

One of my favorite purchase for the nursery (also from Etsy) were the Twinkle curtains for the window.  They are black-out curtains, but the woman who makes them cuts star-shaped holes in them to create different constellations.  I am a Pisces and Charlie is a Scorpio so I bought one panel of each.  Here they are with the lights out:

Then I added a few shelves for pictures, lovies, and whatnots, stocked the changing table and closet, added a recliner and a rug, and voila!  Cutest.  Nursery.  Ever.  Here is the finished product:

39 Weeks and Impatiently Waiting

39 weeks and 4 days pregnant today and I've decided to start a blog.  Well, I decided to start one a while ago, but I am finally getting around to actually doing it.  Hopefully this will be a good way to update family and friends on our adventures in parenting without spamming people on Facebook with a million pictures, videos, and status updates once baby James finally decides to make his appearance.  Honestly, that will happen anyway, but at least here everything will be collected in one place and will be somewhat organized for our loved ones to navigate as they please.

I thought I would kick off this first post with a few "highlights" from the past 9 months:

In May Charlie and I were officially confirmed into the Episcopal Church.  I was in the fun puffy stage of early pregnancy and felt nauseated for the entire first 12 weeks.  Good times.

We also flew out to San Diego in May to hang out with Charlie's parents.  Charlie, his brother, and his father went sailing and we all took a trip to the Wild Animal Park.

In June, my grandmother and I took a trip with my church to do some work in Navajoland.

In July we officially announced our pregnancy and I took my first tiny baby bump bathroom selfie

A few days later, Charlie and I flew to Germany for three weeks to visit his cousins and to celebrate our first wedding anniversary.  We visited Berlin, Prague, Vienna, and Salzburg to name a few.

I then flew out by myself to Thailand and spent another three weeks traveling with my brother through Thailand and Vietnam.

When I got back to the states, we found out we were having a BOY!!  and then I went crazy decorating the nursery and sewing everything in sight - but I will give that insanity its very own post.  In October I had a baby shower in Texas where I made everybody decorate onesies because I'm nice like that.

In November, I went and had a 3D/4D ultrasound done and had a baby shower in Georgia where nobody was subjected to crafts.

December rolled around and I worked in the yard, took some more pregnant selfies, and...oh yeah...broke my right foot.  Merry Christmas!

So now it's FINALLY January and I cannot wait for James Vaden Saunders to be born!  I am impatient and uncomfortable and so ready to enter the next phase of my life with Charlie and our baby.  I have a feeling he will be more stubborn than both of his parents put together and will come in his own good time.  In the meantime, I took another bathroom selfie.