Wife and Momma: January 2011

It's hard to believe that my little Laedin is already 1 1/2 Months old! Holy. Cow. There aren't words to describe the pure joy I've experienced by being a mother. God is so kind to give us this sweet gift! And it is such a good reminder everyday of our dependence on God for life and breath and everything.

I am so thankful for how easy the transition into parenthood has been - I'm not gonna lie, our baby is kinda abnormally good. He sleeps at night, eats really well, and when he is awake is happy and alert. It's so cool that God knit Laedin together in my womb and is growing him more each day. What an awesome Creator we have!!

I am LOVING getting to know my baby Laedin!! He mostly likes to sleep.....

in my lap...

with mommy and daddy....

in the car....

all day on Christmas....

at the pediatricians...

as a burrito...

with his hand down his pants....

Our baby boy is here!!

It all started Saturday evening. I was bouncing on my workout ball as we were watching tv. This is because I was four days overdue and wanting to have this baby naturally - with no induction. I noticed something was different - It felt almost like a very faint stomach ache. It would come and go and I didn't really think anything of it but at the same time felt like maybe labor was right around the corner...... Soooo Ryan and I cleaned up, finished laundry, and packed our hospital bags (just in case!). We ran some errands and as we were walking around the store every once in a while I felt like I was having period cramps. Nothing painful though. I was so unsure of what I was feeling and definitely didn't think they were contractions! We got some dinner and headed home. We hungout with Mark and Anna...played some wii and a game of monopoly. Throughout the game I had a piece of paper next to me and anytime I felt something happening I would write down the time. The contractions were 2-4 minutes apart. Still not painful but more uncomfortable than when we were at the store. I was not into the game at all. Just trying to figure out what was going on with my body. So I quit. I went into the bedroom to rest. It was about midnight. Ryan joined me and put on relaxing music and dim lights. At this point the contractions were noticeably stronger - whenever I would have one I would squeeze Ryans hand and close my eyes while he read bible verses to me to help focus my mind. We called the doctor to let her know how close the contractions were and she told us to time them for another hour and if they continued like they were to go to the hospital. About an hour later I kept shaking like I was cold (but it was not cold...I guess it was from my hormones being crazy) and the contractions continued to get stronger so we headed to the hospital. We arrived around 2:30am and I was 4cm dialated. Ryan started playing the music we had brought (so helpful!! they were old and new hymns), the triage nurse was asking me medical history questions, and my contractions were more frequent. Our awesome nurse Joey came in - she was everything we could've wanted in a nurse and more! She was so supportive of us going all natural and wanted to stick to our birth plan. Right away she helped me relax through my contractions and was super nice! About an hour after being at the hosptial I started feeling a ton of pressure in my belly - so she checked me again and I was 7cm dialated! I was still feeling great- couldn't believe I was that far along. In between contractions Ryan would feed me ice and give me chapstick. Sometimes I was so relaxed that I fell asleep. I enjoyed laboring so much. We would randomly slow dance and sing the doxology and pray. It was just what I needed. Around 5am I was 9cm and feeling so much pressure- the last part of my cervix was not moving out of the way so I couldn't push just yet. The contractions were intense and I am so thankful to the Lord for sustaining me and the baby and that Ryan and Joey were helping me relax so much! It seemed nothing was really progressing until my Doctor came in. She said she wanted to get my bladder completely empty to give the baby room to move down (so she did an in-and-out catheder). 30 seconds later he started to crown and I was ready to start pushing! It felt great being proactive. I was so exhausted at this point but every time I needed to push I got a burst of energy. At 7:38am our baby Laedin was born!! 8lbs 15.9oz 21inches long!! He was delivered right to my belly. Ryan and I were both in shock. It was so surreal and amazing looking at our baby boy for the first time! Definitely one of the most incredible experiences of my life.

The Lord was so kind to us in all of this and answered many prayers - we do not deserve His sweet goodness towards us. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!! Here are some pictures.....