Backyard Flowers
11 years ago
Monday, March 29, 2010
Messed up Posts
Okay so somehow my posts got a little messed up. The order they should be read in is: A Special Day, 38 Weeks, and then Gabbie Comes home. Somehow 38 weeks posted after A Special Day so scroll down to read the story of her birth, it's a really long post, but this is basically my journal, and this story is very important to me and I want to be able to remember all the details.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Gabbie Comes Home
On March 4th we spent the morning getting ready, taking care of all the discharge papers, and meeting with the lactation specialist who was helping me get the hang of breastfeeding.
Finally, at about noon we were ready to leave. We got Gabbie all dressed up in her outfit we brought for her to wear home. This was the first thing I bought for, plus Zac and I are HUGE BYU fans so we thought it was the perfect outfit to bring her home in (Zac wants me to point out that he didn't force me into this, and that it was, in fact, my idea). Turns out it was a little big. It was newborn size, but she basically came out preemie size so we didn't have anything that would fit her!
So we went home and took a nap, and struggled to wake Gabbie up to get her to eat. She had dropped to 5 lbs 1 oz when we left, and we had to bring her back to the doctor the next day to check her weight, they were pretty concerned because she was so small. However, Gabbie was pretty tired and she did not want to wake up to eat, and this stressed me out greatly! I finally got her to eat a little, and I felt better, but I was in a pretty emotional state.
Finally, at about noon we were ready to leave. We got Gabbie all dressed up in her outfit we brought for her to wear home. This was the first thing I bought for, plus Zac and I are HUGE BYU fans so we thought it was the perfect outfit to bring her home in (Zac wants me to point out that he didn't force me into this, and that it was, in fact, my idea). Turns out it was a little big. It was newborn size, but she basically came out preemie size so we didn't have anything that would fit her!
So we went home and took a nap, and struggled to wake Gabbie up to get her to eat. She had dropped to 5 lbs 1 oz when we left, and we had to bring her back to the doctor the next day to check her weight, they were pretty concerned because she was so small. However, Gabbie was pretty tired and she did not want to wake up to eat, and this stressed me out greatly! I finally got her to eat a little, and I felt better, but I was in a pretty emotional state.Later that night we watched the Office, one of our favorite shows, and it couldn't have been more perfect, because it was the new episode where Pam and Jim have their baby. It was fun watching the show about them having their baby right after we had ours.
It was a good day. We were scared out of our minds as to how to take care of this little person, but we did it, and she is healthy and gaining a good amount of weight, so we must be doing it mostly right. :)
It was a good day. We were scared out of our minds as to how to take care of this little person, but we did it, and she is healthy and gaining a good amount of weight, so we must be doing it mostly right. :)
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
A Special Day
March 2nd is a special day. It was on this day 4 years ago that I got into a big sexy grey truck with a really cute guy dressed down in basketball shorts, a t-shirt, and knee high socks.
This story actually started a week or so before when I fell asleep in my Chemistry 106 class. At the end of class, as we were leaving this guy asked how my nap was. I was still pretty tired, so I really wasn't in the mood to get hit on. I said my nap was fine and kept walking. He then proceded to tease me about having lines on my face. I was less than impressed with this lame attempt to start up a conversation, and decided I wanted to avoid future awkward conversations with this boy. So after that I tried to either stay behind and talk to the people who sat next to me or rush out quickly so I wouldn't have to talk to him again.
However, one day he managed to corner me. I had forgotten to write a paper for my next class so I had to skip Chem and sit outside class and write my paper. Well coincidentally, Zac decided to skip class that day too (to go golfing) and as he was leaving class he saw me sitting in the hall. He tried to be sly by pretending he was getting a drink from the fountain next to where I was sitting and then he casually began start up a conversation with me. I was a bit irritated since I was on a deadline to finish my paper, and I was less than impressed with his attempt at small talk, especially when I told him where I was from and he asked if I was a fan of one of the sports teams from Washington (The Seahawks). I'm really not that into sports. Anyway I really wasn't that surprised when he asked me out, and I really wasn't that excited.
However, from the moment he picked me up for that first date my opinion began to change. First the big, old, grey truck was pretty sexy, I don't know why, it just was. Second he had a lot of confidence driving that big old truck, and he had a lot of confidence showing up for a date all sweaty and in his soccer gear. Thirdly I was impressed by his determination to go on the date. He asked me out on a Tuesday, he had a test on Wednesday, and I was leaving on Friday for Las Vegas with my roommates for my 21st birthday. So the date had to be on Thursday but he had a soccer game; however, he was determined and so he suggested we go out for ice cream after his game since it would be late (his game didn't get over until like 9:30). What really sealed the deal for me though was when we got in the truck he asked me what music I liked, and I told him my favorite band was Fall Out Boy, so he put on Dance Dance and we both rocked out the whole way to Ben and Jerry's. It was cool because it felt like we had known each other for a long time even though it was a first date.
After the ice cream we came back to my apartment and ended up talking for hours. As it turned out he was cute, funny, smart, and interesting. After that we were inseparable for the next year and a half as we dated...
... and I realized just how cool this guy really was. Turns out he wasn't as weird and awkward as I thought. :)
After that date I was hooked and it only took a few months for me to know he was the one for me, and ironically it was me that spent the next year and 1/2 convincing him that I was the one for him.
Finally on May 17, 2007 Zac took me up Rock Canyon just outside of Provo to a park that we had gone to while we were dating. This park had particular significance because it was where Zac first told me he loved me. We had come here to look at the stars, and we had gone on a few group dates here. He told me there was a meteor shower that night to get me up to the park, he put on "our song" (a remix of Forever Young) and got down on one knee (in the bed of his sexy truck) and asked me to marry him. Obviously I said yes, well technically I said, "Yes! Finally!" Then I cried, which was actually a bit uncharacteristic of me, but I was just so happy he finally proposed!
We planned the wedding in only 3 months, and on August 17, 2007 I married my best friend for time and all eternity in the Portland, OR temple.
Zac turned out to be my perfect complement, and marrying him was one of the best decisions I ever made! So it turned out that agreeing to go on that date was also a really good decision. That first date changed my life forever, in a way I could never have anticipated, and so much for the better; which is why March 2 is a such a special day.
This story actually started a week or so before when I fell asleep in my Chemistry 106 class. At the end of class, as we were leaving this guy asked how my nap was. I was still pretty tired, so I really wasn't in the mood to get hit on. I said my nap was fine and kept walking. He then proceded to tease me about having lines on my face. I was less than impressed with this lame attempt to start up a conversation, and decided I wanted to avoid future awkward conversations with this boy. So after that I tried to either stay behind and talk to the people who sat next to me or rush out quickly so I wouldn't have to talk to him again.
However, one day he managed to corner me. I had forgotten to write a paper for my next class so I had to skip Chem and sit outside class and write my paper. Well coincidentally, Zac decided to skip class that day too (to go golfing) and as he was leaving class he saw me sitting in the hall. He tried to be sly by pretending he was getting a drink from the fountain next to where I was sitting and then he casually began start up a conversation with me. I was a bit irritated since I was on a deadline to finish my paper, and I was less than impressed with his attempt at small talk, especially when I told him where I was from and he asked if I was a fan of one of the sports teams from Washington (The Seahawks). I'm really not that into sports. Anyway I really wasn't that surprised when he asked me out, and I really wasn't that excited.
However, from the moment he picked me up for that first date my opinion began to change. First the big, old, grey truck was pretty sexy, I don't know why, it just was. Second he had a lot of confidence driving that big old truck, and he had a lot of confidence showing up for a date all sweaty and in his soccer gear. Thirdly I was impressed by his determination to go on the date. He asked me out on a Tuesday, he had a test on Wednesday, and I was leaving on Friday for Las Vegas with my roommates for my 21st birthday. So the date had to be on Thursday but he had a soccer game; however, he was determined and so he suggested we go out for ice cream after his game since it would be late (his game didn't get over until like 9:30). What really sealed the deal for me though was when we got in the truck he asked me what music I liked, and I told him my favorite band was Fall Out Boy, so he put on Dance Dance and we both rocked out the whole way to Ben and Jerry's. It was cool because it felt like we had known each other for a long time even though it was a first date.
After the ice cream we came back to my apartment and ended up talking for hours. As it turned out he was cute, funny, smart, and interesting. After that we were inseparable for the next year and a half as we dated...
... and I realized just how cool this guy really was. Turns out he wasn't as weird and awkward as I thought. :)
After that date I was hooked and it only took a few months for me to know he was the one for me, and ironically it was me that spent the next year and 1/2 convincing him that I was the one for him.Finally on May 17, 2007 Zac took me up Rock Canyon just outside of Provo to a park that we had gone to while we were dating. This park had particular significance because it was where Zac first told me he loved me. We had come here to look at the stars, and we had gone on a few group dates here. He told me there was a meteor shower that night to get me up to the park, he put on "our song" (a remix of Forever Young) and got down on one knee (in the bed of his sexy truck) and asked me to marry him. Obviously I said yes, well technically I said, "Yes! Finally!" Then I cried, which was actually a bit uncharacteristic of me, but I was just so happy he finally proposed!
We planned the wedding in only 3 months, and on August 17, 2007 I married my best friend for time and all eternity in the Portland, OR temple.
Zac turned out to be my perfect complement, and marrying him was one of the best decisions I ever made! So it turned out that agreeing to go on that date was also a really good decision. That first date changed my life forever, in a way I could never have anticipated, and so much for the better; which is why March 2 is a such a special day. As it turns out exactly 4 years later on this special day my life would again change forever in a way I could never have anticipated, again so much for the better...
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
38 Weeks
After reading this post, Zac informed me that this isn't the kind of thing guys want to read about. "Kira, dudes don't want to read about cervixes and gushing and stretching and tearing." So, let me warn the "dudes", this post has some "cervixes" and some gushing, stretching, and tearing. If you can handle that, read on.
March 2, 2010: 5:00 AM
On the morning of March 2nd, I woke up to a small gush. It felt like when you laugh a little too hard and a little bit of pee comes out. I thought it was weird that this would wake me up, but I didn't have to get up for another hour so I decided to ignore it. 6:00 rolled around and I got up to get ready, and another small gush came. Hum... weird, but at 38 weeks of pregnancy, when it seemed like some new weird thing was happening to my body all the time, I ignored it. I took a shower and got dressed, and as I was getting ready, another small gush came. Now I was just plain annoyed. How was I supposed to go through the whole day like this? I started wondering if my water bag might be leaking (I learned about it in my birth prep class). But I still had two weeks till my due date so there was no way that my water had broken. I put on a pad and decide to ignore it. I went down and made myself some breakfast. Just as I was about to sit down... big gush... hum... harder to ignore. So I went into the bathroom and sat on the toilet trying to deny that my water really broke. Zac walked down the stairs and saw me sitting there and asked if I was okay. I said, "well I don't know, I think my water may have broke." And he said, "are you serious?!" I began to relate the events of the morning to him. After some discussion we decided it would be best if I called the hospital and asked them. So I did, and of course they suggested I come in and get it checked out. I finished my oatmeal (which was a good thing, because it was the last food I got for over 24 hours!) and headed to the hospital.
On the way there we were both still denying that I was going into labor. After all I hadn't felt a single contraction! I hadn't yet wrapped my head around the whole "labor" thing, I was putting off thinking about it. We hadn't packed for the hospital, we didn't have a name picked yet, I wasn't done teaching my classes, I had done a ton of work and planning, and I wasn't done yet! I was getting really stressed, and in complete denial because I NEEDED two more weeks, I wasn't ready yet. Of course I was sick and tired of being huge and uncomfortable, and ironically the night before I yelled in desperation, "I just want this baby out!" but in all honesty I really meant I wanted her to come on her due date and not late. When my mom was pregnant I was 2 days late and my sister was almost 2 weeks late, so I basically had it solidified in my mind that our baby was going to be late, and I didn't want to be pregnant any longer than I had to be....but I also didn't want to be early. In hindsight I suppose that was rather unreasonable of me to assume that she would be so accommodating.
We got to the hospital at about 8:30 and the nurse did all the preliminary checks (ironically all this stuff- checking my weight, blood pressure, etc.- had been done the day before because I had a pre-natal check up, and everything was fine, with absolutely no indications that I would go into labor 2 weeks early). Then the midwife came in and did the examination. Yes my water had in fact broken, but I was only dilated to a about a 1. They were going to have to admit me now. Wait... what? We hadn't packed yet, we thought we could go home, and come back. Contractions hadn't even started yet. At the class they made such a big deal about don't come in until your contractions are 60 seconds long and 5 minutes apart. However, once your water breaks they have to admit you for fear of infection to the baby. So I had to send Zac home with a very detailed list of things to get and where to find them.
March 2, 2010: 5:00 AM
On the morning of March 2nd, I woke up to a small gush. It felt like when you laugh a little too hard and a little bit of pee comes out. I thought it was weird that this would wake me up, but I didn't have to get up for another hour so I decided to ignore it. 6:00 rolled around and I got up to get ready, and another small gush came. Hum... weird, but at 38 weeks of pregnancy, when it seemed like some new weird thing was happening to my body all the time, I ignored it. I took a shower and got dressed, and as I was getting ready, another small gush came. Now I was just plain annoyed. How was I supposed to go through the whole day like this? I started wondering if my water bag might be leaking (I learned about it in my birth prep class). But I still had two weeks till my due date so there was no way that my water had broken. I put on a pad and decide to ignore it. I went down and made myself some breakfast. Just as I was about to sit down... big gush... hum... harder to ignore. So I went into the bathroom and sat on the toilet trying to deny that my water really broke. Zac walked down the stairs and saw me sitting there and asked if I was okay. I said, "well I don't know, I think my water may have broke." And he said, "are you serious?!" I began to relate the events of the morning to him. After some discussion we decided it would be best if I called the hospital and asked them. So I did, and of course they suggested I come in and get it checked out. I finished my oatmeal (which was a good thing, because it was the last food I got for over 24 hours!) and headed to the hospital.
On the way there we were both still denying that I was going into labor. After all I hadn't felt a single contraction! I hadn't yet wrapped my head around the whole "labor" thing, I was putting off thinking about it. We hadn't packed for the hospital, we didn't have a name picked yet, I wasn't done teaching my classes, I had done a ton of work and planning, and I wasn't done yet! I was getting really stressed, and in complete denial because I NEEDED two more weeks, I wasn't ready yet. Of course I was sick and tired of being huge and uncomfortable, and ironically the night before I yelled in desperation, "I just want this baby out!" but in all honesty I really meant I wanted her to come on her due date and not late. When my mom was pregnant I was 2 days late and my sister was almost 2 weeks late, so I basically had it solidified in my mind that our baby was going to be late, and I didn't want to be pregnant any longer than I had to be....but I also didn't want to be early. In hindsight I suppose that was rather unreasonable of me to assume that she would be so accommodating.
We got to the hospital at about 8:30 and the nurse did all the preliminary checks (ironically all this stuff- checking my weight, blood pressure, etc.- had been done the day before because I had a pre-natal check up, and everything was fine, with absolutely no indications that I would go into labor 2 weeks early). Then the midwife came in and did the examination. Yes my water had in fact broken, but I was only dilated to a about a 1. They were going to have to admit me now. Wait... what? We hadn't packed yet, we thought we could go home, and come back. Contractions hadn't even started yet. At the class they made such a big deal about don't come in until your contractions are 60 seconds long and 5 minutes apart. However, once your water breaks they have to admit you for fear of infection to the baby. So I had to send Zac home with a very detailed list of things to get and where to find them.Since my labor hadn't really started yet the midwife asked if I would like some medicine to help loosen my cervix and help start the labor. Well I didn't want to be at the hospital forever so I agreed. I had to keep this little string with medicine in my cervix for an hour, but after about 40 minutes the nurse came in and said they were going to have to take it out now. Contractions had started, but they were now coming back to back. I couldn't tell when one stopped and another started. The midwife was very surprised at how quickly my body was reacting to the medicine, and since my contractions were out of control, they were now going to have to give me some medicine to counteract the first medicine and slow the contractions down.
At about midnight the nurse came rushing in and hooked up another bag of fluid to my IV and they said they needed put an oxygen mask on me to help the baby because her heart rate was way down. Then the midwife had to come in and put the internal monitors on the baby because they weren't getting good enough readings from the external monitors. After she placed the monitors she said I had dilated all the way to an 8! She had checked me two hours earlier and I was only at a "loose 3".
So in about 2 hours I had gone from a 3 to an 8, apparently this put some stress on the baby, imagine that. Because my water had broken so long ago the baby no longer had her watery cushion so it was putting too much pressure on her umbilical cord and she wasn't getting enough oxygen. So this is why they hooked up the extra fluid, to give the baby more of a cushion and try and lower the stress on her. They had to keep monitoring me, and had me try different positions that would help bring her heart rate back up. It was pretty scary, and so my blood pressure started going up, and I had to work really hard to control my breathing and calm down to keep my blood pressure under control. But the nurses kept a really close eye on the baby so everything was well taken care of. After that it took another 2 hours or so and I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. It took me about 30- 45 minutes of pushing just to figure out how to do it right since I had the epidural it was hard to tell what I was doing. I ended up pushing for about 3 hours and 40 minutes (they said it usually takes 1 to 2 hours). I was so tired! That was what I remember the most, just being completely exhausted! I hadn't eaten for like 20 hours and hadn't slept in as long, and pushing is hard work! Also the epidural made me nauseous and I threw up about 20 times (which was particularly unpleasant since it was mostly stomach bile, since I hadn't eaten all day). And because of the nausea I couldn't have any water either because that would make it worse. So Zac and the nurse who was helping me push kept motivating me to push by telling me if I pushed really hard they would let me have some ice chips, and when I did really well I got one or two small sips of apple juice! The nurse had me try a couple different positions to help me push better, but all the other positions besides just being on my back kept slowing down the baby's heart rate, so I had to mostly just lie on my back and push.
The epidural was a life saver! I don't know how I would have done it without it! Just the pressure alone was terrible! Plus at the end right before her head came out, it was so painful to be stretched out so much! Even with the epidural I could feel that pain! Finally after 3 hours and 40 minutes of pushing she finally came out!
She was healthy and strong and beautiful! The first thing I said was, "oh she is so cute!" They immediately put her on my chest for skin to skin contact. I held her, then I practically fell asleep from exhaustion!
Well the contractions didn't really slow down, but somehow this didn't help me dilate. It was about 11:00 when Zac brought me the stuff from home, but I was still only dilated to about a 3, so he decided to go back to work. I spent the rest of the day with back to back contractions and only dilated to a 3. 
It was very frustrating! Sometime that afternoon, the midwife came in and asked if I would like anything for the pain, and I decided to get a shot of the narcotic to help take the edge off. It was really weird and it made me super dizzy. It helped for about an hour, and I waited another hour, and then decided to get another shot. That lasted another hour, and after that wore off, the midwife asked if I wanted the epidural. Originally I had wanted to wait until I had dilated to a 5 so I wouldn't slow down the labor, but I had spent the whole day with back to back contractions and I was in a lot pain. I still hadn't dilated past a 3, but I figured it was already going slow, I might as well be more comfortable. I decided I would take the epidural but I wanted to wait until Zac got there. Once Zac got there at 6:30 they gave me the epidural, and once it kicked in I felt a lot better. But I continued to stay dilated to only a 3 until like 12:00 that night!
It was very frustrating! Sometime that afternoon, the midwife came in and asked if I would like anything for the pain, and I decided to get a shot of the narcotic to help take the edge off. It was really weird and it made me super dizzy. It helped for about an hour, and I waited another hour, and then decided to get another shot. That lasted another hour, and after that wore off, the midwife asked if I wanted the epidural. Originally I had wanted to wait until I had dilated to a 5 so I wouldn't slow down the labor, but I had spent the whole day with back to back contractions and I was in a lot pain. I still hadn't dilated past a 3, but I figured it was already going slow, I might as well be more comfortable. I decided I would take the epidural but I wanted to wait until Zac got there. Once Zac got there at 6:30 they gave me the epidural, and once it kicked in I felt a lot better. But I continued to stay dilated to only a 3 until like 12:00 that night!
At about midnight the nurse came rushing in and hooked up another bag of fluid to my IV and they said they needed put an oxygen mask on me to help the baby because her heart rate was way down. Then the midwife had to come in and put the internal monitors on the baby because they weren't getting good enough readings from the external monitors. After she placed the monitors she said I had dilated all the way to an 8! She had checked me two hours earlier and I was only at a "loose 3".So in about 2 hours I had gone from a 3 to an 8, apparently this put some stress on the baby, imagine that. Because my water had broken so long ago the baby no longer had her watery cushion so it was putting too much pressure on her umbilical cord and she wasn't getting enough oxygen. So this is why they hooked up the extra fluid, to give the baby more of a cushion and try and lower the stress on her. They had to keep monitoring me, and had me try different positions that would help bring her heart rate back up. It was pretty scary, and so my blood pressure started going up, and I had to work really hard to control my breathing and calm down to keep my blood pressure under control. But the nurses kept a really close eye on the baby so everything was well taken care of. After that it took another 2 hours or so and I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. It took me about 30- 45 minutes of pushing just to figure out how to do it right since I had the epidural it was hard to tell what I was doing. I ended up pushing for about 3 hours and 40 minutes (they said it usually takes 1 to 2 hours). I was so tired! That was what I remember the most, just being completely exhausted! I hadn't eaten for like 20 hours and hadn't slept in as long, and pushing is hard work! Also the epidural made me nauseous and I threw up about 20 times (which was particularly unpleasant since it was mostly stomach bile, since I hadn't eaten all day). And because of the nausea I couldn't have any water either because that would make it worse. So Zac and the nurse who was helping me push kept motivating me to push by telling me if I pushed really hard they would let me have some ice chips, and when I did really well I got one or two small sips of apple juice! The nurse had me try a couple different positions to help me push better, but all the other positions besides just being on my back kept slowing down the baby's heart rate, so I had to mostly just lie on my back and push.
The epidural was a life saver! I don't know how I would have done it without it! Just the pressure alone was terrible! Plus at the end right before her head came out, it was so painful to be stretched out so much! Even with the epidural I could feel that pain! Finally after 3 hours and 40 minutes of pushing she finally came out!
She was healthy and strong and beautiful! The first thing I said was, "oh she is so cute!" They immediately put her on my chest for skin to skin contact. I held her, then I practically fell asleep from exhaustion!She came out with a full head of dark hair, and dark blue grey eyes. She weighed 5 lbs and 8oz
and was 18 inches long. I'm sure the nurses all got a good laugh that it took me so long to push her out! They said it usually only took an hour or two, it took me twice that long and she was tiny! I sure hope all my babies are this small because that was freaking hard, and I still tore even with a tiny little baby!
and was 18 inches long. I'm sure the nurses all got a good laugh that it took me so long to push her out! They said it usually only took an hour or two, it took me twice that long and she was tiny! I sure hope all my babies are this small because that was freaking hard, and I still tore even with a tiny little baby!My nurse and midwife were awesome! Thei (on the left) was my nurse and she took really good care of me, and she was really good at motivating me and helping me push. Melanie (in the middle) was my midwife, and she was very nice, and helpful, and she delivered my baby very smoothly. 
Zac quickly learned from Thei what to do and how to help hold my legs to help me push better. Zac did awesome! He was actually really intrigued by the whole process, he didn't have any problem looking "down there" and watching the baby come out. He jokingly asked me if I wanted a mirror so I could see, and I said, "heck no! That's gross! Why would I want to see that?" He wasn't squeamish or anything, he was actually really excited, he thought it was cool. I am glad Zac was there and he actually said just the right things at the right time! When it comes to pushing, I'm not a screamer or anything, and I don't get mad, or mean, so Zac was pretty lucky there. I just cried. It hurt really bad, and I was so tired! I was just so frustrated that I was pushing so hard and for so long and it felt like I wasn't making any progress, I just wanted to give up! I am sure I was more pitiful than anything, since I just cried a lot. Zac told me I was doing great, and I was making progress, and it would be over soon. I really needed that or may have just given up, and let the baby come out on her own, or just let her stay in there if she really wanted to stay in that badly!
I was holding her as they had me birth the placenta, and then stitch me up. I asked Zac if he wanted to hold her, but he said he would wait until after they cleaned her up. He was just scared to hold her. After they finished with me they took her to give her a little bath, and I immediately fell asleep. I was so tired!
Zac quickly learned from Thei what to do and how to help hold my legs to help me push better. Zac did awesome! He was actually really intrigued by the whole process, he didn't have any problem looking "down there" and watching the baby come out. He jokingly asked me if I wanted a mirror so I could see, and I said, "heck no! That's gross! Why would I want to see that?" He wasn't squeamish or anything, he was actually really excited, he thought it was cool. I am glad Zac was there and he actually said just the right things at the right time! When it comes to pushing, I'm not a screamer or anything, and I don't get mad, or mean, so Zac was pretty lucky there. I just cried. It hurt really bad, and I was so tired! I was just so frustrated that I was pushing so hard and for so long and it felt like I wasn't making any progress, I just wanted to give up! I am sure I was more pitiful than anything, since I just cried a lot. Zac told me I was doing great, and I was making progress, and it would be over soon. I really needed that or may have just given up, and let the baby come out on her own, or just let her stay in there if she really wanted to stay in that badly!
I was holding her as they had me birth the placenta, and then stitch me up. I asked Zac if he wanted to hold her, but he said he would wait until after they cleaned her up. He was just scared to hold her. After they finished with me they took her to give her a little bath, and I immediately fell asleep. I was so tired!The nurses weighed and measured her
, and then gave her her first bath, which of course she did not enjoy. Everyone was amazed by how nice she came out looking. She scored a 9 on her APGAR test, and everyone was impressed by how cute she was because she wasn't squished or bruised or weird looking or anything. Little did they know that I had been praying for 9 months that she would come out cute! Okay so I prayed that she would be healthy and strong without any problems, but I also secretly hoped that she would be cute, because lets face it, not all babies are cute, and I really wanted a cute one! Obviously I am biased, but I think she is super cute!
After they cleaned her up, Zac was finally ready to try holding her. He was pretty excited, but also pretty scared. It is scary holding something so small! She seemed so fragile! He is such a cute daddy. He is much more confident now, and thinks it is funny how scared he was at first.
After all that, they helped clean me up and move me to my postpartum room. I had breakfast, which was much needed since I hadn't eaten in forever! And the food was actually surprisingly good! I mostly slept all day, while Zac spent most of the day looking back over the name books, since we still hadn't picked a name for our little one. Before coming to
the hospital we had narrowed it down to Avery or Kennedy, but I wasn't particularly thrilled with either name, and I was hoping some really great name would hit me once we saw her. Once we saw her we threw out Avery since we didn't think she looked like an Avery, and we tried out Kennedy, but it didn't seem to fit either. After hours of looking over the book and texting everyone we knew for their opinion Zac found the name Gabriella. I mentioned this name to him before, at least twice, but he immediately threw it out without thinking about it because he thought it sounded too exotic, but when he found the name himself he liked it a lot better. And when we looked at her she looked like a Gabriella, plus the name wasn't super popular, and it had really cute nick names. 
So at the last minute, basically right before the lady made us give a name for the birth certificate we finally decided on Gabriella Mae. This surprised pretty much everyone since it was out of left field. It had never been on a list, and we had been texting people all morning about other names, and then suddenly we decided on a name we had never even mentioned! But we love it, and we think it is absolutely perfect for her!
After that we spent the rest of the day sleeping and trying to wake Gabriella up to get her to eat. Breastfeeding turned out to be much harder and more painful than I had anticipated!
That night the staff brought us our complimentary celebratory dinner, which was actually really good! There was steak, potatoes, green beans, fruit, pie, and little bottles of sparkling cider. It was so nice!
We spent the night at the hospital and the nurses came in and woke me up to give me my pain medicine and help me feed Gabriella.
, and then gave her her first bath, which of course she did not enjoy. Everyone was amazed by how nice she came out looking. She scored a 9 on her APGAR test, and everyone was impressed by how cute she was because she wasn't squished or bruised or weird looking or anything. Little did they know that I had been praying for 9 months that she would come out cute! Okay so I prayed that she would be healthy and strong without any problems, but I also secretly hoped that she would be cute, because lets face it, not all babies are cute, and I really wanted a cute one! Obviously I am biased, but I think she is super cute!
After they cleaned her up, Zac was finally ready to try holding her. He was pretty excited, but also pretty scared. It is scary holding something so small! She seemed so fragile! He is such a cute daddy. He is much more confident now, and thinks it is funny how scared he was at first.After all that, they helped clean me up and move me to my postpartum room. I had breakfast, which was much needed since I hadn't eaten in forever! And the food was actually surprisingly good! I mostly slept all day, while Zac spent most of the day looking back over the name books, since we still hadn't picked a name for our little one. Before coming to
the hospital we had narrowed it down to Avery or Kennedy, but I wasn't particularly thrilled with either name, and I was hoping some really great name would hit me once we saw her. Once we saw her we threw out Avery since we didn't think she looked like an Avery, and we tried out Kennedy, but it didn't seem to fit either. After hours of looking over the book and texting everyone we knew for their opinion Zac found the name Gabriella. I mentioned this name to him before, at least twice, but he immediately threw it out without thinking about it because he thought it sounded too exotic, but when he found the name himself he liked it a lot better. And when we looked at her she looked like a Gabriella, plus the name wasn't super popular, and it had really cute nick names. 
So at the last minute, basically right before the lady made us give a name for the birth certificate we finally decided on Gabriella Mae. This surprised pretty much everyone since it was out of left field. It had never been on a list, and we had been texting people all morning about other names, and then suddenly we decided on a name we had never even mentioned! But we love it, and we think it is absolutely perfect for her!After that we spent the rest of the day sleeping and trying to wake Gabriella up to get her to eat. Breastfeeding turned out to be much harder and more painful than I had anticipated!
That night the staff brought us our complimentary celebratory dinner, which was actually really good! There was steak, potatoes, green beans, fruit, pie, and little bottles of sparkling cider. It was so nice!
We spent the night at the hospital and the nurses came in and woke me up to give me my pain medicine and help me feed Gabriella.
It was a very long, very unexpected day. When I look back on it now, it really wasn't that bad. I usually only remember the good things when I think back to past experiences, and I tend to quickly forget bad things. At the time I remember thinking it was going to be a long time before I gave birth again, but now I realize it really wasn't that bad, and I could definitely do it again in a couple of years. The hospital and all the staff were awesome and sure hope that all my birth experiences go so well with such nice people and such nice accommodations.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Done Playing Catch-Up
Okay so I am finally caught up! If you care there are about 8 posts to look over as you wait just a little longer for me to post the stories and pictures you have all been waiting for!
36 Weeks Pregnant
Okay so I wasn't looking particularly cute this day, but for some reason Zac thought I looked hot, and wanted a picture. 
Not much different than 34 weeks, I know.
And by now I was definitely uncomfortable and so ready to be done with being pregnant. Little did I know I would get my wish a little sooner than expected!
Not much different than 34 weeks, I know.
And by now I was definitely uncomfortable and so ready to be done with being pregnant. Little did I know I would get my wish a little sooner than expected!Zac's Creation
Zac created this lovely little sculpture out of hangers: 
I have no idea what it is, and neither does Zac for that matter, but he was pretty proud of it and wanted a picture of it.
He wanted to leave it on display, but I wasn't so enamoured with it, so I told him to take it to work and put it on display there. Zac is so cute, and I am glad that he occasionally acts on his creative side, and makes these fun creative little "things."
I have no idea what it is, and neither does Zac for that matter, but he was pretty proud of it and wanted a picture of it.
He wanted to leave it on display, but I wasn't so enamoured with it, so I told him to take it to work and put it on display there. Zac is so cute, and I am glad that he occasionally acts on his creative side, and makes these fun creative little "things."34 Weeks Pregnant
I hit 34 weeks pregnant on Ground Hog's Day, that is February 2 for those of you who don't care to know when this very special holiday takes place. 
It was right about this time that I finally hit the "puffy" phase of pregnancy, and I finally surpassed Zac in weight. It was awesome! It did wonders for my self esteem. And to make me feel even better my doctor confirmed that I was fat. Right about the time I puffed out I put on like 8 pounds in one week, and when I went into the doctor for a check up my doctor informed me quite bluntly that I needed to watch my weight gain. As it turns out I am pretty sure that it was just the water weight that made me really puffy that accounted for the rapid weight gain. My body was pretty weird during pregnancy, for some reason I always made these big jumps out of nowhere even though my eating habits never changed. I jumped 8 pounds in one week and then I didn't gain another pound for the rest of the pregnancy, and I honestly never did anything different week to week. All in all I gain 28 pounds with the pregnancy and that is safely within the healthy ideal range, so my doctor made me feel really badly about myself for no reason!
It was right about this time that I finally hit the "puffy" phase of pregnancy, and I finally surpassed Zac in weight. It was awesome! It did wonders for my self esteem. And to make me feel even better my doctor confirmed that I was fat. Right about the time I puffed out I put on like 8 pounds in one week, and when I went into the doctor for a check up my doctor informed me quite bluntly that I needed to watch my weight gain. As it turns out I am pretty sure that it was just the water weight that made me really puffy that accounted for the rapid weight gain. My body was pretty weird during pregnancy, for some reason I always made these big jumps out of nowhere even though my eating habits never changed. I jumped 8 pounds in one week and then I didn't gain another pound for the rest of the pregnancy, and I honestly never did anything different week to week. All in all I gain 28 pounds with the pregnancy and that is safely within the healthy ideal range, so my doctor made me feel really badly about myself for no reason!
New Job
So in February I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful opportunity fall in my lap. I was asked to take a semi-long term sub job for a teacher out on maternity leave. Because of the type of credential I have, I could only sub in the same classroom for 6 weeks at a time, but that worked out perfect since that was how much longer I had until the baby was due. The kids thought it was pretty funny that they were replacing one pregnant teacher with another.
This job could not have been more perfect if I had hand picked exactly what I wanted. It was at the nicest school in the East Side District, the only school I liked working at, because it actually has good kids. And by good kids I mean more like a normal school, where in general the kids care about school, or their parents care, and there are only 1 or 2 kids in a class of 35 who don't care and don't try, unlike the other schools where the entire class of 35 kids didn't care and didn't try, and I had to deal with 5 classes of rude, disrespectful, unmotivated kids. These kids were good, they put forth effort, and they were actually fun, respectful, and kind to me. It was a huge change from regular subbing, and I loved it!
Also I got to teach 3 classes of Biology and 2 classes of Chemistry which I absolutely loved! It was exactly what I would want to teach when I become a real teacher some day, and I loved that I actually got to really teach! Plus as it turns out, I am actually really good at it! Regular subbing was pretty disheartening, and I had pretty much given up on the idea of teaching because I hated subbing so much. The kids were awful, I didn't feel like I was any good at it, I couldn't get the kids to do anything, and it was really boring. I was also really sad that it felt like I had never had a real job before I was going to stop working and stay at home to be a mom. I felt like I hadn't accomplished anything, and I hadn't done anything with my degree that I worked so hard on.
This job totally changed that for me. I found out that if I am at a good school, and I am really teaching, that I actually love it, and I am actually really good at it. The kids loved me, they told me the learned more with me than they had the whole year, and they begged me not to leave. It was a lot of work for sure, and I definitely didn't get paid fairly for the kind of work that I did, but it was well worth it. Having this job for only a month erased a year and a half of bad experiences with subbing. It made me feel good about myself, I felt like I had accomplished something before I had to stop working, and I realized that I do still want to be a teacher some day, and when I do, I know I will be a good one!
This job could not have been more perfect if I had hand picked exactly what I wanted. It was at the nicest school in the East Side District, the only school I liked working at, because it actually has good kids. And by good kids I mean more like a normal school, where in general the kids care about school, or their parents care, and there are only 1 or 2 kids in a class of 35 who don't care and don't try, unlike the other schools where the entire class of 35 kids didn't care and didn't try, and I had to deal with 5 classes of rude, disrespectful, unmotivated kids. These kids were good, they put forth effort, and they were actually fun, respectful, and kind to me. It was a huge change from regular subbing, and I loved it!
Also I got to teach 3 classes of Biology and 2 classes of Chemistry which I absolutely loved! It was exactly what I would want to teach when I become a real teacher some day, and I loved that I actually got to really teach! Plus as it turns out, I am actually really good at it! Regular subbing was pretty disheartening, and I had pretty much given up on the idea of teaching because I hated subbing so much. The kids were awful, I didn't feel like I was any good at it, I couldn't get the kids to do anything, and it was really boring. I was also really sad that it felt like I had never had a real job before I was going to stop working and stay at home to be a mom. I felt like I hadn't accomplished anything, and I hadn't done anything with my degree that I worked so hard on.
This job totally changed that for me. I found out that if I am at a good school, and I am really teaching, that I actually love it, and I am actually really good at it. The kids loved me, they told me the learned more with me than they had the whole year, and they begged me not to leave. It was a lot of work for sure, and I definitely didn't get paid fairly for the kind of work that I did, but it was well worth it. Having this job for only a month erased a year and a half of bad experiences with subbing. It made me feel good about myself, I felt like I had accomplished something before I had to stop working, and I realized that I do still want to be a teacher some day, and when I do, I know I will be a good one!
Projects Completed
So in January Zac and I flew back to my parents' house to work on our projects some more. Zac had finished pretty much everything on the crib other than the varnish, and my dad had spent the last 3 weeks putting the finish on so it could get done. So when Zac and I came back Zac started work on the changing table. Again Zac designed it from scratch and he and my dad just figured it out as they went along. We were there for 3 days and Zac got a ton done, but there was still quite a bit to get done when we left. My dad did as much as he could, but there was still a lot to get done once we got it here. I went along to finish the bedding that my mom and I were working on. I finally finished the quilt while I was there, and my mom took it to a professional to have the back quilted on.
However; we were still left with the problem of the furniture being in Washington so in February my parents drove the furniture down over President's Day weekend. It was a lot of driving (for my dad especially!) but we REALLY appreciated it! So once the stuff got here we set up the crib since it was done and here is how it looks:
Pretty amazing right? It looks absolutely beautiful and I am so proud of Zac and my dad! They did a phenomenal job, and I think it looks better than anything we could have bought!
You can kind of see the bedding that I made too, which I think turned out really cute. My mom took a bunch of pictures when they were here of us with the stuff, and I will have to get those pictures and put them in the post, since they are better than the ones I have, but these will have to do for now.
However; we were still left with the problem of the furniture being in Washington so in February my parents drove the furniture down over President's Day weekend. It was a lot of driving (for my dad especially!) but we REALLY appreciated it! So once the stuff got here we set up the crib since it was done and here is how it looks:
Pretty amazing right? It looks absolutely beautiful and I am so proud of Zac and my dad! They did a phenomenal job, and I think it looks better than anything we could have bought!
You can kind of see the bedding that I made too, which I think turned out really cute. My mom took a bunch of pictures when they were here of us with the stuff, and I will have to get those pictures and put them in the post, since they are better than the ones I have, but these will have to do for now. My parents helped us get the supplies we would need to finish the changing table here, and we set it up in our garage and Zac would spent the next couple weeks doing the finishing, and putting the whole thing together.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Zac's Birthday
I made Zac his favorite meal for his birthday dinner. Usually we go out for dinner, but since the National Championship game was on, and I knew Zac would want to watch it, we decided to stay home, and I would make his favorite meal, which is pot roast. Unfortunately Zac usually makes the pot roast, so I was nervous to make it 
since I had never made it before, but it actually turned out pretty good, almost as good as when Zac makes it.
Zac turned the big 2-8, does he look older and wiser?
I worked really hard on this cake, but it still turned out weird looking. I guess I'm not cut out to be a cake decorator, I should probably leave it to people with talent, like my Aunt Linda, she makes amazing cakes!
Zac was pretty excited about the gift he got from my parents. He loves the Office, and he got all the seasons! We have been watching them ever since and we are almost done, so I guess we will have to start back at the beginning soon.
I got Zac a Mario Golf game for the Wii, Zac has been wanting it for a long time.
All his loot, he made out like a bandit!
All in all I think he had a pretty good birthday!
30 Weeks Pregnant
January 5, 2010 I reach 30 weeks pregnant. I don't even remember what it looks or feels like to have a waist! She is moving all the time! She especially likes kicking me in the ribs when I am sitting down, isn't she kind? Good to know at least she is healthy and strong.
January and February
I know this is not the posting everyone has been waiting for, but I need to catch up on these posts before I post the good new stuff everyone has been waiting for. So bear with me as I catch up through January and February.
Just remember, Patience is a virtue.
Just remember, Patience is a virtue.
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