where have i been!?!?

i've neglected my blog. i've been attending to my son for the past 7 weeks!! yes, if you've been keeping up with my blog, you would have noticed i would have had my child by now. well, i have!!

i have been meaning to get on here. i'm just now really finding the time... while ethan fox naps.

how have these past 7 weeks been? it has been great, awesome, overwhelming, frustrating, eventful. all together absolutely wonderful. i plan on updating this and letting you know how these past few weeks have been. first, i want to tell you my labor/delivery story.

so a couple of friends suggested i take organic raspberry leaf tea to help start the contracting/labor. i starting taking it the week before he was born; he was born on july 29. on monday, july 27, i took 2 cups of this tea. while at work, i walked 30 mins at a fast pace going at a .5% to 7 % incline & i did squats. tuesday, i took it easy.

wednesday, july 29, i woke up about 2 am with contractions. i prayed i would back to sleep but to no avail. i finally just got up & showered. i thought the warm water would calm my contractions. i got on the internet & googled about contractions & ate cereal. finally about 6 am, i was able to fall back asleep on the recliner. about 7 am, i woke back up still contracting. all the while, my contractions were at 5-7 mins apart. mainly 6 mins. i read my little hospital checklist & it started to call or come in when my contractions were 4-5 mins apart. so i guess it didn't pertain to me just yet.

about 2 pm, my dad & everyone were calling to see how far i had dilated. of course, i didn't know because i had been checked in 2 weeks. i decided to go ahead & fix my hair. about 3:30 pm, i called the doctor & they asked me to just come in to get checked. brandon & i loaded the car with the car seat & our bags, just in case. about 4:30 pm, they put me in a small labor/delivery room because they were just going to check me. so i thought....

the nurse, christina, checked me & said i was at a 3-4 cm dilated & couldn't feel the other side of my cervix. she said she would get the midwife to check me. within 10 mins, the midwife came to check me. she stated that the reason christina could not feel the other side was because i was fully dilated!! holy cow!! i just started to cry!! i was not ready. mentally. physically. emotionally. spiritually. i called my sis, gina, and told her to tell my dad i was having the baby that night. within five minutes the room was set up & ready to go for ethan fox's arrival. the midwife asked me if i was ready to push & i was like "no way!!"

i called my friend, rachel, and she rushed to the hospital. everyone told me i was such a trooper for being able to handle my pain/contractions without medicine. and because i had fully dilated, i could not get an epidural. that really freaked me out. i'm having my first baby without an epidural. i always prayed/said i had to have one. i begged them for it. i finally got a half dose of a mild narcotic which lasted about 30 mins.

still about 6 pm, i was contracting, but had no urge to push. my family wasn't there. it was just brandon, rachel, the midwife, nurse, and me. i just kind of took it easy. i was scared. i was terrified. i didn't know what i was doing... what i had gotten myself into. i didn't prepare myself. i didn't take lamaze classes. i didn't watch videos. i didn't know the correct way to breathe or to push. i was not prepared. therefore, i did not feel the urge to push.

just before 7 pm (shift change), the midwife broke my water. about 7:30 pm, i got another half dose of the narcotic. it didn't phase me. about 8 pm'ish... the urge to push began. i pushed & pushed & pushed. it was uncomfortable. it didn't really hurt. i was hot. my poor husband fanned me with a clipboard. finally, we had my dear friend, jodi, run to the store & buy a fan... which my husband used as a shield.. to shield his eyes. haha!! i was having such a hard time trying to get the baby to come down. his head was tilted & made it harder for him to get past the pelvic bone. after getting up & back in bed, i was able to get him lower.

now, the hard part. with no medicine, this was the hardest part for me... getting him to crown. everyone said that i had felt the worse of the pain with my contractions... which honestly were not that bad. i have a really good, high pain tolerance. but making him crown hurt. after making him crown, i pushed during my next contraction & his head & whole body came out!! thank God for that!! i don't think i had much more power!!

having a baby is hard work. my friend, rachel, said the midwife told her had i had the epidural, i would have had a c-section due to having trouble getting his head past my pelvic bone. so now, i'm thankful i didn't have an epidural. now... the contractions were okay. yes, they were uncomfortable & a few hurt. the pushing was annoying. the breathing had to be done. haha! the crowning hurt. after that, it was a breeze!!

i am so forever thankful & grateful for my dear husband, brandon. he was such a trooper. i love him. my friend, rachel, was so encouraging. i had an awesome nurse & midwife. thank God for them. they were so patient with me, encouraging, consoling.. they were all so amazing.

and so now, i had a sweet, precious baby boy. ethan fox. born at 11:03 pm on july 29, 2009. weighing in at 6 lbs, 14.4 oz. 19 3/4 inches long. head full of hair. hairy body. beautiful. amazing. wonderful.

baby Ethan Fox update

In just a few short weeks, Ethan Fox will be joining our little family!! We are so excited & anticipate his arrival!! It seems just like yesterday, we found out I was expecting!! These months have gone by so fast!! It has been a great pregnancy! God is so good!! I am now 33 weeks today! I had an ultrasound last Wednesday & got to see our precious little boy!! He is such a cutie!! :) He is definitely head down, as of now. Hopefully, he doesn't decide to flip at the last minute!! He already has hair on his head. We saw it floating in the amniotic fluid. A little gross, but definitely cool!! He has chubby cheeks & cute lips!! We couldn't tell if he has Brandon's dimples, yet. I pray he does!! What a stud he will be!! It's amazing what you can already tell through an ultrasound!!!

He has a very strong heart beat at 148 bpm. He's very active. They checked on his kidneys. His right kidney seems to be doing much better; the dilation went down. His left kidney has dilated even more. At my last ultrasound at 26 wks, I believe his left kidney was dilated at 5.2 or 5.6 mm, and now his left kidney has dilated to 6.2 mm. We spoke with the doctor & she said that they will continue to monitor his kidneys. She stated that at his "age", we would be more concerned if it went over 7 mm. Basically what this means is there is an obstruction, back flow, or reflux of his urine. Please pray for his kidneys. I go back in 4 weeks to see what has happened in the meantime. If the problem continues, after he is born we would be closely followed by his pediatrician or an urologist. We believe God is in control of this situation & strongly trust in God that all will be well!!

On a lighter note, Fox measured at 34 weeks while I was just at 32 weeks. He already weighs 4 lbs, 13 oz. The doctor said I may need an epidural because he has a big head! haha! Oh boy!! He is in the 65 percentile at this stage. I don't really understand what that means, but just thought I would throw that out. He's above average for his weight, I believe. I don't know. They said he can come as early as July 21. My due date still remains at August 4. We'll see if anything changes at my next ultrasound. Please continue to pray for us, especially for Fox. We trust God will heal his kidneys & we'll have a super healthy baby boy!!

P.S. I'm attaching the latest sonograms. Excuse the umbilical cord that's obstructing his sweet little face!! In one photo, his nose is being smooshed by the placenta!! Poor baby, doesn't have a lot of room left!! :)

What to do.. what to do?!?!

I've been having problems lately. Nothing too serious. I've been trying to find a hobby. I've been trying to get motivated. Life has seemed too mundane. It's been a little boring. Do I have things I could be doing? Of course, but it's no fun. I'm in my last trimester & haven't really started nesting. I think I should be. It would help my house look a lot better. haha! I just have no motivation. I know I have tons to do, but I don't want to do those things. Do you ever feel that way? I hate it. I get stressed thinking about all the things I need to do at home & to prepare for the arrival of our little one. I work 40 hour weeks. By the time I get home, I just want to eat & lay on the couch. So I guess Brandon got a little tired of it. haha! I'm tired of it, too. I want energy. I want motivation.

So this week, we've been on the quest of finding me a new hobby. While at work, my sweet husband printed off a list of over 200 hobbies. We both went over it & picked a few out. I already have hobbies that I enjoy, such as shopping. Brandon quickly nixed that. We're working hard at saving money to get out of debt & for Fox. Well, I can only do shopping with my allowance. And have to stay in budget or bye bye bye to the allowance. So I can still keep that hobby, just not make it an every day or every other day thing. haha! Sleeping was on the list, and I circled that one. haha! I'm tired. I'm sleepy. Everyone says I should get my sleep before Fox arrives. But it is getting a little old. Reading. I love to read. I have a book sitting on my nightstand and one in my desk at work. I've started the books, but I feel like my attention span has been almost eliminated. Is that normal when you're pregnant?

So after thinking on the hobbies I had chosen, we decided I would try out calligraphy first. I think I have pretty, decent penmanship. And I love that type of writing. Brandon & I went out & bought a calligraphy kit. Have I started on it? No, I've been reading on it & researching. I want to practice first by learning the alphabets & the strokes or whatever you call them. I had to find a certain pencil to use. I don't want to start out with the ink. I promised Brandon I would make 10 attempts at calligraphy before giving up. Sometimes some hobbies or things are just not for you. I'm the type of person that once I find something I truly enjoy & love, it's with me for life. And I know that is true with a lot of people. It's just finding those things. I honestly really do hope it works out. haha! I know that once Fox comes, he will be my "hobby". And I can't wait!!

I am pretty excited about this. My goal for learning calligraphy is to write a beautiful love letter to my husband. It would be neat. I've also thought of doing that as a side job? I know that sometimes calligraphers are hired for writing out wedding invitations & whatnot. So we'll see where this goes.

Do I have a back up plan? I think I will just go down my list until something clicks.

Wish me luck!! :)

3rd Tri-mester

HOLY MOLY!!

I have entered my 3rd tri-mester & it's quite a scary & exciting thing. Everything is going great! Fox is growing "perfectly", according to my mid-wife. He has great calcium in his bones. He has "chubby" cheeks & a sweet little nose. I can't wait to hold him & kiss his sweet little cheeks. We are having to go back in a few weeks to check on his kidneys. Apparently, his kidneys are not transporting all of the urine to the bladder & there is a "back-up" or "obstruction". We're really hoping & praying it will clear up by our next ultrasound. They say it's a very common thing in baby boys & it usually self-corrects. And that's what we're really hoping and praying for.

At my last ultrasound, Fox weighed 2 lbs, 2 oz. I have only gained 11 lbs so far during the pregnancy, but now I can actually say it's not all me!! Woohoo!! During the ultrasound, it looked like he has hair, but we'll have to wait & see when he's born. I have been feeling him move more & more. It's one of the coolest things. One of my favorite things is for Brandon & I to just watch my stomach move. Sometimes it looks a little creepy & feels that way, too. But it is so cool. I love to feel my little boy move. Fox measured a little bigger than what I really am. I was 26 wks, 0 days last Tuesday & he measure 26 wks, 6 days. So I can have him as early as July 29. It's fast approaching!!

I feel like I'm starting to get a little stressed out with it all!! Not so much the labor & delivery, I don't think it's really hit me yet. Honestly, I'm just blocking it out of my mind. I'm hoping to just go in there & wing it & do a great job at it! But I feel like I have so much to do to get him ready. I haven't really started on his nursery. I have his bedding & he'll be clothed, that's for sure. I'm really hoping to be ready to go by mid June. There's so much to think about & buy to prepare for a baby. So far I have been really blessed by my friends & family. I know we'll get it all done. I need to find more energy & more motivation.

I really hope things start to slow down so I can get it all done & enjoy these last 3 months of pregnancy.

God is good. And thanks be to God for blessing me with a great pregnancy.

the good ole south

well, i just got back from a visit to louisiana. it was a blast. it was just nice to get away from new mexico & work...get away from reality. i did miss my husband & dharma dog (our st. bernard) while i was gone, but it was so nice to see my family & friends. and everyone got a glimpse of my belly & some even got to feel fox move. it was nice to see the green grass & all the trees. i think grass & trees are a luxury in new mexico. but it really felt & smelt like spring in louisiana. i've missed our beautiful flowers in my daddy's yard. i ate raising cane's.. twice. yum!! i wish new mexico would invest in opening one of them.

i got to eat dinner & hang out with my lady friends. we ate at the tokyo japanese steakhouse. it was a lot of fun! we "celebrated" jenifer's engagement, ashley's recent nuptials, & my pregnancy! we all just knocked it out at once!! haha! it was so great to see them. i later went to visit with my pastors from louisiana & my dear friend, jenny. they were having a game night & got to see a lot of people from my church there. i love how you can be gone for so long, but once you're reunited with your friends, it's just like old times. you crack up & joke & just have a great time!! i think this trip really made me realize how blessed i am to have these people in my life.

my saturday was a busy busy day. it was my nephew's birthday party!! we let the kids loose & run wild!! preston's birthday was spiderman themed!! everyone had a great time!! he was absolutely spoiled!! even though, he already is!! after the bday party, my family went to eat lunch. i got to meet my brother's girlfriend, sarah, who is expecting a baby boy, my nephew, in late august. my family had a great time. i later went to jenifer's bridal shower. it was very beautiful & i know she was blessed with a ton of bridal gifts. that evening, i went shopping with my sister in law, gina, & nephew, maddox. we love to shop!! i have such a great daddy that blesses us & let's us do some damage at the mall!! i got some great things on sale. i picked up a cute shirt for fox which brandon really liked. i spent the evening just relaxing with my daddy. just some good daughter/daddy time.

sunday was church day! i visited my "home" church. worship was really great. that's my favorite part of sunday services, worship. after church, i just hung out & visited with people. my friend, jenny, pulled me aside & led me up to the church annex to show me some new "remodelations". when we walked in, i was surprised!! they had a baby shower set up for me!! i was absolutely surprised & did not see it coming!! mrs. pam, jenny, & my daddy set it up for me. wow. it was so nice of everyone. i tell ya, i AM blessed. i got a lot of giftcards & money. and some cute outfits. i know fox is already blessed beyond compare & is loved. thanks to everyone for blessing me, brandon, & fox.

sunday afternoon, i took some maternity photos with jordan smith. it was a blast & so far the pictures are great!! i love them. jordan is really talented. i'm glad i got to do them with her. sunday evening, i was daddy's date to a marriage service thing at the church. it was fun. good food & good message!

monday, i got up extra early to say bye to my daddy. i went to gina & lester's to play with preston before he went off to "school". i love that little boy. i got to hang out with my sis & maddox. mrs. jane stopped by for a bit. i miss that lady. and then i was off to jackson to catch a flight to new mexico.

i really had a great time in louisiana. my family & friends mean so much to me. they are the ones that have helped mold me into the person i have become. they are greatly loved & appreciated. i thank God everyday for them.

i can't wait to see them again.. and to meet my baby boy after he's born.

it's a BOY!!

and he shall be called Fox, Ethan Fox.

we had our ultrasound on March 17, St. Patty's Day. I do have to say I was hoping for a girl. I really wanted to name her after my Mom. But I know one of my desires is to have a little girl. And God will give me the desires of my heart.. one day.. all in His time.

so the night before the actual ultrasound, i had a very real dream. brandon & i went to the hospital for my ultrasound, but instead of them performing the ultrasound.. the tech just gave me the sonogram & said "It's a BOY!!" I was so mad. I was confused & told her "I can't see it (penis). It's not a boy! " But she kept pointing something out to me that I had no clue what I was looking at. So I woke up from the dream & could not go to sleep. And I just had that feeling... it's a boy. when it was time to get ready to go, i told brandon my dream & told him we're probably having a boy.

so we go to the appointment & the girl was so sweet & pointed everything out to us. it's amazing how much your baby grows in just a few weeks. so she checks out the brain, the heart, the abdomen. and while she's checking on the kidneys, she moves the ultrasound device thing & quickly passes by the baby's legs. and there i saw IT. i saw his "3rd leg". i turned my head to brandon & whispered to him that in fact it was a boy. i saw it with my own eyes. and so the tech carried on with what she was doing & it was just amazing to watch the baby move & cross his legs. so about 10 minutes after my discovery, she asked if we would like to know the sex. of course we did!! she went straight to his legs & she confirmed that we are indeed having a BABY BOY!!

i have to saw he is quite handsome!! just like his daddy!! haha! i really do hope he has brandon's dimples!! but we are so so excited!! when i went in for the ultrasound i was 20 weeks, 0 days. and Fox measured 20 wks, 4 days. he also weighed 13 oz. and he has cute feet & nice plump lips (i can't wait to kiss them!!). i am now 23 wks pregnant. and i am telling you, i have an active baby. just last week, brandon & i were on the couch & i lifted my top to expose my belly. and a few minutes later, you could see my stomach move! it's just so amazing!! i love it!! i love to feel my baby boy move. he really enjoys michael jackson/jackson 5. haha!!

we purchased his baby bedding. we are doing a little jungle theme for him. we're not so much into sports or cars/trucks. i like monkeys/animals. i was so happy when his bedding came in!! it's so soft & cute! my sister-in-law & friend, melissa, are working on a little project for fox's birth announcement/nursery. i know it's going to be great!! brandon & i are in the process of cleaning out the garage to move his office in there. the office will be fox's den. :)

have i had any pregnancy problems lately? we thought i had gallstones for a few weeks. i had an ultrasound & it came back negative for gallstones, but i do have a minimum amount of sludge. i was told to stay off the fatty foods (the good pregnancy food) & exercise. so i'm doing so much better. no, i have not had any unusual pregnancy cravings. i honestly think it's a little bogus. now i know i'm not much of a healthy eater, but i think "pregnancy cravings" are an excuse to eat crap. haha! now, if you "crave" an apple, that's great! but if it's a double decker at 2 am, that's just retarded. eat a bowl of cheerios. my opinion. i have been eating a lot of lemons with salt. that's my thing. do i crave them? no. i just eat them when i go to restaurants. it's something i can do without. just saying.

i'm going to louisiana in a couple of weeks for my nephew's 4th birthday. i cannot believe Preston will be 4. it's all so insane!! time flies by so fast!! i spoke to preston on the phone a few weeks ago & i said "preston, guess what?!?" he said "huh?".. i said "i'm going to be a mommy!!" he said "no, you not mommy. you just aunt jj.".. i said "that's right, i'm just aunt jj." haha! it was so cute & funny. i'm not a mommy to him. i'm just his cool aunt!! :) i love him.

i'm going to be an aunt yet again. my brother, axel, is having a little boy. his girlfriend is due august 20th. so there will be two new babies in august. it's going to be a crazy, busy month!!

so far this has been a great pregnancy. not too much problems. i only have God to thank for that. i have to say i really miss my Mom during this time. i wish she were here to experience this with me & axel. she was the greatest Mimi in the world. she is greatly missed, but i know she's rejoicing with us in heaven.

well, that's all for now, i suppose. until next time..

our little Sweetpea

yes. i'm pregnant!

brandon & i found out we were expecting on Nov. 28, 2008. i have to say we were pretty surprised & shocked. haha! i know i'm not the only one that has gone through that feeling. i could not believe it! i think brandon didn't want to believe it! haha! so i took a second test 5 minutes after the first!

it was a little crazy & scary within the first few weeks of finding out. i spotted a little & had a little stint in the emergency room. after a couple of weeks, we finally got great reports! all thanks to God!! even though, we were not planning on being pregnant, i didn't want to lose the baby!

we got to see the baby & hear the heartbeat for the first time on december 18. it is the most amazing thing in the entire world! i cried! brandon didn't want to come in the room with me due to the type of ultrasound they were doing. but when i heard the heartbeat, i had the doctor bring him in. brandon was just drawn to the screen. i think he was amazed, as well!

this is our first picture of our "Sweetpea". it's so cool!

i've passed the morning sickness stage. Praise God! it was not that fun! i actually was more sick at night than the morning. but it's all cool! i've actually lost 6 pounds since i've gotten pregnant. they say it's normal during the first trimester!

this is the baby at 12 wks, 3 days. what a difference in just a few weeks!!

i'll be 14 weeks tomorrow (4 months)! it's so crazy! i am almost half way there! i'm excited about this new trimester! apparantly, i should start feeling like my old self again. we'll see!! :)

brandon has been such a great help! i know i married an amazing guy!!

i've been to 2 pre-natal appointments. is that what you call them? i've begun my down syndrome & spinal defects screenings. everything has come back negative!! it's such a blessing to hear a great report! my mid-wife says everything is coming along just great! i think she & i have connected! i totally like her!

we'll find out the sex of the baby in mid March! i can't wait!! brandon & i would love to have a little girl. i'm the only girl out of 5 kids & i have 2 nephews. it's time for another girl in the family! and i would also like to name her after my mom, who passed away almost 3 years ago. but no matter what, i will just take a healthy baby! i know that whatever sex the baby is we will be blessed!!

i am due august 4th. i anxiously await the arrival of our little one!! i've got a long way to go, but i'm enjoying the ride!!

please keep me in your prayers!!

this is the baby at 12 wks, 3 days. you can see the baby's arm by the head