Carter is FINALLY here!

I'm still getting used to life with Carter around but it's so great! Now that he's here, I don't know how I ever lived without him! He's fantastic and I love him more than anything! So here's what happened...we scheduled the c-section for Tuesday, October 26...well, my baby decided that once we had it scheduled, he could come whenever he wanted because, well, that's just how it's been the entire time. So Friday morning, I'm laying in bed (sorry this is kinda gross but whatev) and I felt like I had just started my period, so I stood up and WHOOSH! Yep, my water broke and it's TOTALLY like it is in the movies, only way worse! So I wake John up and tell him, his response is "Jessica, it's 10 o'clock in the morning!" (He works a swing shift so 10 AM is super early for him ha ha, and I was prego so I slept in as much as possible because I couldn't sleep at night...don't judge). I really just laughed when he said this...it's so typical of him, but it was funny. So I go into the bathroom and wow...if you don't want to hear about this, please skip to the next paragraph. But for reals, has anyone else had their water break??? It's freaking ridiculous! I had John go upstairs and get me some pads, I stood up and 3 second later sat down because I'd leaked through them already...he ended up bringing me one of the baby's diapers...that lasted about 30 seconds ha ha ha. We're so clever. I called the hospital to let them know I was coming in and asked them what they suggested...the nurse told me about the only thing I could do was put a towel in my pants and come to the hospital...AWESOME! So that's what I did. John put a garbage sack and a towel on the seat of our car seat so I wouldn't soil it...again, typical John ha ha. By the time we got to the hospital, my pants were soaked to my knees. It was pouring rain out and the parking lot was PACKED so John went and got me a wheelchair and wheeled me up to labor and delivery with a towel in my lap so I wouldn't be embarrassed lol. He's so sweet. So I get in the room and my FAVORITE scrub tech, Amy is working WAHOO! Her kids go to my school and come to the program I work for. I love them and she is so great! She just jokes with me about how my water breaking is totally "Hollywood". Some people just have a little leaking...nope, I'm not that lucky ha ha. So I go change into my little smock thing and John goes to check me in. I come out and I'm literally leaving a little "snail trail" on the ground. Everyone just laughed...awesome. So I lay down and Amy hands me a towel and says "Just put it between your legs, it'll help". Ha ha, my life is so awesome!

So the nurse comes in, her name is Candis and she's totally awesome too! She asks me all the routine questions...yadda yadda. Then she and John start giving each other crap, I love people who get John's sense of humor...it makes for fun times! Crystal showed up with Wilbur, the freaking cutest giraffe I've ever seen in my life...here we are with him...Everyone who knows us, knows how silly we are and how much we love each other. We had so much fun with the stinkin' giraffe, it made time go by really fast. When they brought John his scrubs to wear during surgery, we just had to put them on Wilbur. And here he is, Dr. Wilbur, ready for surgery :)

Anyway, Candis comes to put my IV in and I'm not gonna lie, I was kinda freaking out. I was way more worried about her sticking that needle in my arm than I was about them cutting a baby out of my stomach...seriously. I have the tiniest veins known to man and people have a tendency of missing and having to re-stick me, or heaven forbid, fish....ugh! I hate even thinking about it! Anyway, she put it in and made it on the first time! YAHOO!! I knew I liked her. I was feeling a little faint so I laid back, almost passed out, but made it through. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that my sister-in-law, Stacy, was scheduled to have a c-section Friday as well. She had hers at 1 and I had mine at 2. So after waiting a couple hours in labor and delivery, the wheeled me to the OR. While we were waiting, they told me about the Spinal Block that I'd be getting and I wasn't really nervous about it. When we got to the OR, they sat me on the table and told me to lean forward and have really bad posture. The anesthesiologist was super cool! John and I both really liked him. He poked me with some Lanicane to numb me and then he gave me the Spinal. It really wasn't bad at all. John held my hand the whole time. He's a champ. After he was done, they hurried and laid me back because you get numb SUPER fast and they don't want you to fall off the table. So I laid back and they immediately started prepping me. I was amazed at how fast everything happened. They prepped my belly with alcohol. That was definitely the weirdest feeling in the world. It felt like I was in a swimming pool and someone was waving water in front of my belly really fast, but not touching me...if that makes any sense at all. Then they put up the "blue sheet" which means it's sterile. John and the anesthesiologist stayed up by my head. John wanted to watch the whole thing. He was totally fascinated by it all. I told him not to tell me what was going on but he said they already cut me open. I thought he was just joking but the anesthesiologist said "no he's serious". Again, I couldn't believe how fast it all happened. They told me I was going to feel some pressure up by my chest and they pushed on it twice. My doctor kept saying, "whoa he has a big head"...great. Lol. After the second push on my chest, I heard the most glorious sound in the world, the cry of my baby! They brought him over to me and showed me his beautiful face! Then they hurried over to weigh him and clean him off. They weighed him and told me he was 8 lbs 14 oz. So no 10 lb baby for me ha ha. He was still pretty big but that just means there's more to love! John went over and got pictures while I, I assume, was getting stitched up and all that jazz. The nurse brought over a clean Carter and snapped this precious shot of our little family.

After this, they took Carter to the nursery to do all the stuff they do there...not sure what ha ha. John went with them. Then after I was all stitched up, they wheeled me into recovery where they took all my vitals and such and after a bit, they brought me Carter so we could have "skin to skin" and I could nurse him for the first time...boy was that a weird experience but there's nothing in the world like it, that's for sure. Then they took him back to the nursery to have a bath and get a shot and check his blood sugar etc. and I went up to Mother/Baby. When I got to the room, I saw the only other person I'd want to see, other than John, my Cryssy Sissy. My mom hadn't made it yet because she was in the hospital the night before which is a whole different story...ask and I'll tell. My mom showed up about 20 minutes later along with John's parents. They had already been to see Stacy (John's sister) and little baby Brooklyn (who weighed a measly 6 lbs 1 oz. ha ha just kidding). We waited, for what seemed like years, when John finally showed up with Carter. I didn't even get to hold him before everyone else had to get their hands on those squishy lil cheeks. There were so many people in and out...that night was kinda a blur. But I did get a few GREAT shots of Johnny Poo changing the first poopy diaper. And anyone who's had a baby knows how disgusting those first few poopy ones are. I think John used at least 10 or 15 wipes to get his butt completely clean ha ha.

He did a great job though. I just love these 2 so much! Like I said, the rest of the night was pretty much a blur but here are some more fun shots from the rest of the days at the hospital.Carter and Brooklyn, side by side...he is HUGE!

Cute Halloween Onesie I bought for him a couple weeks ago...I'm super glad it fits him lol.

Hanging out with daddy while I was in the shower.

I love this picture because John isn't even looking at the TV, he's just marveling over our beautiful baby. Such a cute daddy :D

Outfit we brought him home in. This is what I wanted his pictures taken in but they told me, right before we left, that they took his picture right after he was born. They had 35 patients that day and to save on time, they just took all the pictures right away. I was a little bummed but oh well.

FINALLY home and they both zonked out ha ha. I love this picture with all my heart! John just LOVES snuggling with our little guy. It melts my heart!

Well, I think that's about all! Thanks to everyone who was so supportive and loving towards me and John while I was pregnant. I'm so glad Carter is finally here! It feels like our lives have finally begun and I know they're going to get a lot more interesting :)

Emotional Day :(

I guess I'd better let everyone know what's going on today. So I went to the doctor as planned. When I got called back, I realized I didn't recognize the ultrasound tech (I have been getting one every week or so, I know them all). When I got back to the room, the other tech told me that she was a training radiology student and that she was going to be performing my ultrasound...no biggie. It took a really long time...I get it, she's learning. She got all his measurements, listened to his heartbeat etc. The other tech had to jump in a few times just to help out...that's what she's there for, right? So after all is said and done, she asks me if I want to know his estimated weight. "Hit me with it...I'm ready", I thought. When she told me, I almost had a heart attack...let's just say that. I really don't even want to put on here what she said but for, what I'm sure will be curiosity's sake, I will go ahead and tell you...10 FREAKING POUNDS AND 4 OUNCES!!!!!!
Needless to say, I was almost on the floor. I had 2 ultrasounds...one 3 weeks ago and another 2 weeks ago and they both said he was around 7.8 or 7.9. How on earth could he gain almost 3 pounds in 2 weeks?!?!? is that even possible???? When I left the ultrasound room, I was close to tears. I knew if I had to talk about it, they would overflow out of my eyes and that would be the end of it. So I walked out to let the secretary know I was ready to see the doctor (again, not MY doctor, he's still out of town). After waiting a few minutes, the nurse called me back...did the usual, weighed me, I peed in a cup...but when she took my blood pressure, it was OBVIOUSLY elevated...I just found out my kid is a GIANT!!!! Of course my blood pressure is going to be higher than normal! I told her why and she totally understood. She also told me that at 38 weeks, she had an ultrasound that said her baby was 9.4 and at 39 weeks, she delivered an 8 pound 4 ounce baby...so I know they're not always accurate. That's what I'm praying for in this case. I think since the tech was a student, there is definitely room for error...right?! Anyhoo, I went into the office and waited for Angie, the doctor I was seeing today. She came in and asked me how I was doing...I immediately burst into tears. Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm very emotional and very sensitive. She handed me a tissue and told me she knew exactly how I felt. She is the same doctor I saw when my doctor was out of town last time...the one that shared the wonderful story about her first child ripping her so badly that she never wanted to have another child...but I still like her...weird? I dunno. Anyway, she just told me that she didn't have any special instructions from my doctor but that he wasn't going to be back in town until Thursday...I was under the impression that he was going to be back on Wednesday and he was going to look at my ultrasound and call me to let me know if he wanted to induce me Thursday. Once I found this out, I cried even harder because I was just so frustrated. I just wanted answers and I wasn't able to ask questions to the right person...yeah, I was frustrated. After I calmed down a bit, she told me she was going to measure and check me and listen to baby's heartbeat. Still just dilated to a 2...of course...measuring right at 40 weeks so he's freaking ready in there! She told me to call the office Thursday morning to talk to Dr. Horsley. I was still upset...this just didn't seem like a good answer to me but I didn't have much of a choice and I'm never one to disagree when someone tells me something, even if I'm screaming inside my head, that's just how I am, get over it. So I left, still very upset. I had to call my sister because she is my rock through all of this. I'm of course crying really hard when I get into my car. My sister is talking about driving up here and giving the hospital a piece of her mind (we're complete opposites when it comes to confrontation). She would do it too. While I'm on the phone with her, I get a call from the hospital. The scheduler told me that she just talked to Angie and she thinks that I should come in on Thursday and talk to Dr. Horsley instead of talking to him over the phone. This is a big decision and she thinks it should be done in person...I agree. So basically, we'll be deciding if I'm going to get induced or if a c-section is a better option at this point. John is coming with me of course...this involves him just as much as it does me. I'm going to let the doctor give me his opinion on what he thinks I should do. If he thinks I can deliver him vaginally, I am going to try it, but if he even thinks for one second that I should have a c-section, I will most likely do that. If I get induced, it will more than likely be on Friday (the same day my sister in law is having her c-section, go figure) and if I have a c-section, it will probably be scheduled for early next week...just depending when he has an opening I guess? My gut tells me that he is still going to suggest induction and I'm totally fine with that. I'm just a little nervous that I'm going to be in labor for 20 hours and be so tired, only for them to tell me that he's too big and I have to have a c-section anyway...but that's a risk I'm willing to take I guess. Who ever thought that having a baby would be this much of a hassle?! ;)
I honestly deserve all that I'm going through right now. It has been a SUPER easy pregnancy thus far and I know a lot of women have HORRIBLE pregnancies so I got really lucky. I think I deserve to have a little trouble now because it was so easy from the start. Now that this post is about 10 pages too long, I guess I'd better end it since you're all probably falling asleep at your computers ha ha. Thanks for reading :)

It's been a while...

OK, so I guess it's been a bit since I've blogged and I feel like nothing has happened that is "blog-worthy" but I guess that's not true. Last week I had the entire week off work because the kids had Parent-Teacher Conference and UEA. That would have been the PERFECT time for me to have a baby, right?! Ha, that's what all my co-workers thought and then when I came to work today they were all like "you STILL haven't had that baby?" Nope, story of my life, folks! I haven't really told anyone other than my family because I'm too dang embarrassed but we ended up at the hospital AGAIN early Saturday morning. I was having pretty bad contractions from about 10 PM-2 AM. I kept trying to just ignore them and fall asleep but I just couldn't do it. They were really hurting so I got up and tried moving around to see if they'd stop...nope, they just got worse. By 2 AM, I was having them every 3 or 4 minutes and they HURT! I woke John up after much debate in my head. I knew he had to wake up at 6 the next morning to go out and work on the house (which I fully intended on helping him with before this all started). I told him I was pretty sure this was it...I had to call my sister, Crystal, of course because that's just how we are. She was out of town for her anniversary with her husband but told me to call her no matter what, so I did. She told me she thought I should go, so that's what we did. Went up to the hospital, did the normal drill, peed in a cup, blood pressure, monitors, got checked etc. When they checked me, I was dilated to a 2 so she let me labor for about 2 hours. I was still having contractions about every 3 or 4 minutes and they were pretty painful. I just had to breathe through them but when she came back in to check me...still a 2. I was really upset, to say the least. I was hoping that this was it. Needless to say, I felt HORRIBLE for waking John up for nothing. She let me labor for another hour because she could see how frustrated I was, but my body just wasn't having it....so she sent me home. We got home about 5:30...with John having to wake up in about a half hour to go work on the house. We decided that he needed a bit more sleep so he went out around 8 instead and I just stayed home, hoping I'd start contracting again...but it just didn't happen. CARTER, you little stinker!

Yesterday was our friend, Jaron's, homecoming speech. He did such an awesome job! He went to Seattle. We missed him terribly but are really glad to have him home! We are really close to his entire family and it was great to spend the day with them. After his talk, we went up to their house for lunch. After lunch, the boys all played scatterball while I just watched ha ha. They kept telling me to play but it's a game where you have to sit down and stand up A LOT and I just can't do it fast enough. It would take me 5 minutes to stand up and the game would already be over ha ha. It was really fun watching them though. I love watching John play sports of any kind, he's so good! It was a really good day :D

Oh yeah....I guess I forgot to talk about Friday...well, John and I just spent the day together running errands. I absolutely LOVE spending time with him, no matter what we're doing. We went out to Lowe's to get some plywood for his nephew's Christmas present. We draw names and this year his sister had the brilliant idea that we should all MAKE our gifts...yeah, great idea :/ But John, being...well, John...thought of the AWESOME idea to get one of those 3-D, wooden dinosaur skeletons and trace the little pieces, blow up the pictures, and then cut out bigger pieces and put it all together, making a big dinosaur. If that makes any sense at all ha ha. But here are a couple of pictures I took of him working on it on Friday night :)


He was getting the sawdust out of his hair ha ha


Cutting out one of the pieces

And I guess I haven't posted any recent pictures of the pregnant belly, so here I am on Saturday...38 weeks! I wasn't feeling well this day so excuse my sick-looking-ness ha ha.

Well...I guess that's all I have for now. I have my appointment tomorrow and after my doc looks at the ultrasound, he'll most likely give me the OK to be induced on Thursday. That makes me oh so very very happy! I just hope that's still the plan! As always, thanks for reading :)

Get this baby outta me!

Alright...everyone knows what's going on with the baby. He's just measuring really big and I've had 2 ultrasounds in the past 2 weeks and have another one scheduled for Monday. If I don't have him before then, (Please pray that I do) then my doctor is going to look at the ultrasound and determine if he wants to induce me on the 21st. I really don't want to be induced. I really want him to come, but I don't think that sounds fun. My sister's water broke and she had to be induced and because it was her first one, she was in labor for 21 hours!!!! She wasn't progressing and they talked about doing a c-section, but then she finally started dilating so she was able to have him natural. I just don't think that sounds fun AT ALL!!! I think I'd much rather go into labor on my own. I just hope it happens soon. And yes, we've tried all the "do it yourself" remedies and none of them have worked up to now. My sister told me about this pressure point in your foot that you can hit to induce labor...I'm going to look into that one. Today I freaked out and started crying to John. I don't want everyone to think I'm just impatient. I realize he isn't due until the end of the month but with all the doctors and nurses freaking out because of his size, it's really gotten me on edge. I don't want to have any problems. And I know he's going to come when he's good and ready...I get that people, I really do...but I kinda just feel like no one understands what I'm going through or how I'm feeling. Maybe I'm just overreacting...maybe it's just my pregnant girl emotions, but I feel justified in my freak out so deal with it ;) If you're reading this, when you kneel down tonight, please remember Jessica in your prayers. Ha ha, I'm not even joking. Just pray that everything will be ok. I don't need you to pray that he'll come right now, just pray that everything will happen the way it's supposed to with minor problems or complications. Thanks for reading :D

Pointless appointment and finished nursery!

So I told everyone I would update today after I had my appointment. Well, I'm sad to say that I don't have much to report :( I went in, not really knowing what to expect. I went to the Mammography and Women's Imaging Center at 11 AM and checked in. Once they called me back, I went into an ultrasound room and was asked to "show my tummy". So I laid down and the tech just started performing an ultrasound EXACTLY like the one I had on Tuesday of last week. Measured his head, abdomen, etc. She even admitted that she wasn't sure why I was there if I had just had an ultrasound less than a week ago but she proceeded on anyway. Everything looks great! Carter is still right around the same weight...this time he's measuring 7 pounds 8 ounces (1 ounce less than last week). The lady told me that he could literally come any day now. I guess that was good news? Yes, I'm definitely excited about that. Then another doctor came in, just to go over a couple things I guess. He told me that, yes, I could have him within the next couple days, but I could also go til my due date, but not to worry if I do. He should only be about 8 and a half or 9 pounds, even if I go til the end of the month. He said not to worry about having a 10 or 11 pound baby. As long as I'm eating right and taking care of myself, he shouldn't get too big. That was about the extent of my visit...I didn't even see MY doctor which I was a little upset about. I haven't seen him since the middle of September and I have a lot of questions for him. I have one with him on Monday...we'll see if I even make it that long. Anyway, after my appointment, I went to the store to get a few things that I still needed. I realized I didn't have a baby book yet and I definitely want to record every feeling and memory that we have throughout the entire pregnancy and labor so I got a great one at KMart for 13 bucks that goes all the way to his 5th birthday! I also wanted to get a diaper tent but couldn't find one :( Guess I may have to find one at Babies-R-Us. KMart was also having a huge sale on all their summer clothes so I got a few things that Carter could wear next summer for 2 bucks a piece (can't beat that) and I got me some shorts that I can sleep in and be a little more comfortable...NOTHING fits anymore and it makes sleeping that much more difficult!

As most of you know, we are currently living with my in-laws while we are building our house. They were kind enough to make arrangements for us to have a bedroom for Carter and all of his stuff. Over the weekend, we were able to get it all put together and here are a few of my favorite shots...
His crib and bedding all put together! John is so sweet! He put the crib together on his birthday! I'm really excited with what it looks like all put together!


Changing table area and cute decorations in the window!


And this, ladies and gents, is the BEAUTIFUL dresser that John refurbished for Carter! It's so gorgeous and I'm thrilled with the results! I really wish I would have taken a "before" picture of this dresser! It was a big mess and I'm sure most people would have just gotten rid of it, but my wonderful husband made it into something amazing for our child! I could not ask for a better husband!

Happy birthday Johnny Poo!

Aww! Here's Johnny Poo's birthday cake that I made him. It's made out of cupcakes. He wanted this last year but his sister made little spider cupcakes instead. They were really cute, but not what he wanted so this year he told me I had to make it so it would be what he wanted ha ha. He's so particular about certain things. He had his favorite meal, homemade potato soup with red potatoes, carrots and onions fresh out of his dad's garden. It was really good! I still need to learn how to make it so I can make it for his birthday when his parents (Heaven forbid) aren't around anymore. John got lots of fun gifts for his birthday. His sister, Stacy, got him jerky and Dr. Pepper...his favorites! My mom got him a big bag of Kit Kats and some money. His parents gave him money (that's all he asked for). His sister, Jen, got him some work gloves and a hat for when he works on the house. I was going to get him a new MP3 player but I ended up having to get it for him a couple weeks ago because he couldn't survive one day at work without his beloved audio books ha ha ha. He is such a nerd. So I got him a game called Rummikub that we recently discovered in his parents' basement that we really enjoy playing. I decided it'd be fun to have our own set so we can play at our house when we move out.
Since it's his birthday, I decided to put up my favorite picture of him from when he was little.
Love you Johnny Poo! May you have many, many more birthdays to come! I hope 24 was a good one :D
Love, JessicaP.S. The year on this picture is wrong...don't ask me how that happened but he wasn't even born until '86...