Aspen's Birth

Aspen is here! We are SO lucky to have her in our lives. She is such a fun and sweet baby and we have absolutely loved our first week as parents. I wanted to write our experience down so that I won't forget the details. 

It all started on Sunday, June 2. I started having regular contractions that "hurt" and they lasted for about two hours and we decided to head off for the hospital. (I say "hurt" because I had NO IDEA what I was in for later.) We were so excited to finally meet our little one! So, after 6 hours in the hospital and only 1 cm of progress, they asked us if we wanted to go home or have my water broken. I decided it would be better for my body to decide when I went into labor, so we went home. It was very sad and hard but I assumed she'd be coming any time.

Here is a picture of the "dry run"

Just a quick note about the first hospital visit. At first it kind of felt like a failure because we went in and came home with no baby. But, through the next few days we realized it was a really good learning experience for us. It helped Billie and I to prepare better for the real thing.

Needless to say, the next week after the hospital visit was a tough one for me. I continued to have contractions on and off (emphasis on the ON) for the entire week. Every day I wondered if this was going to be the day and if these contractions meant I was truly in labor. Not to mention the fact that hormones get a little crazy and this time of the pregnancy and I was a little bit of a mess. I just wanted Aspen to be here and I wanted my body to either be in real labor or not. No more of this in between thing!

Finally on the following Saturday afternoon, the contractions got stronger and stronger. Had to stop what I was doing, close my eyes, breathe through it kind of thing. This continued through the night and into the morning on Sunday June 10. I had been planning for a natural birth and was told it was best to stay at home for as long as possible before coming into the hospital. So I tried to be patient and wait and see if this was the real thing. When the contractions were about 2 minutes apart  we knew (thought) this was the real thing! So we jumped in the car and got to the hospital at around 12:30pm.

I was dilated to a 5. I thought sarcastically, "Okay good, at least this is about halfway there. Maybe I only have another week left!!"

I was deep in labor land. I literally felt drugged and a little out of my mind, but so deep in my mind at the same time (if that makes any sense!). I could hardly open my eyes or respond to anyone around me. I was completely aware of Billie, the nurse, etc. but I was so focused and zoned in on myself and the baby. It was a crazy feeling!

Three intense, unmedicated hours later, I had only dilated to a 6. I was so discouraged and felt like there was no way I could do this. Luckily I have the greatest husband in the world who reassured me that I was strong and was doing great. He was so amazingly reassuring and loving throughout this whole experience. From there, I progressed really quickly 7, 8, 9...and time to push!

Everyone always says you KNOW when it's time to push. I never really had that urge, but when the midwife asked me if I was wanting to push I said yes because it sounded a whole lot better than just trying to "breathe" through the contractions. (More like attempt to not hyperventilate. My face went completely numb at one point from all the "breathing".) The shift change happens at 7:00pm so the nurse told me she wanted me to try to get her here before she had to leave. That kind of made me laugh in my crazy state but it lightened the mood. After 1/2 hour of pushing and about 10 minutes of decelerated baby heart rate, oxygen mask, and more and more nurses and doctors coming into the room, she was HERE!! Born at 6:26pm on June 10, 2012. 6 hours in the hospital the first time was a LITTLE different than the 6 hours in the hospital the second time.

She cried only for a few seconds when she came out and then they laid her right on my chest. It was an amazing rush of emotions!

They let me hold her for as long as I wanted and Billie got to cut the cord. She even got to have her first feeding within minutes of being born and was already a champ at it.

Gretchen, our midwife, was AMAZING!

A very proud and sweet daddy.

Taking care of my screaming self was hard work. Billie was rewarded with hot wing pizza from The Pie. His favorite!

My dad and step mom and sister were all able to greet baby Aspen just hours after she was born.

Aspen's first bath!

Still on that after-birth high. Look at her cute face!!

She is well worth the wait!

Let's play a game

What do all of the following pictures have in common?

A watched pot never boils, right? I distinctly remember hearing someone tell me that when I was a kid and I tried it and it's true! The minute you look away because you're sick of watching the pot, it will finally boil.

And when you're a kid, there's nothing harder than waiting for Christmas morning. My sister and I would wake up somewhere in the neighborhood of 2:00am and literally pray for morning to come. Hours and hours of barbies later, our parents would FINALLY knock on our door and tell us it was time!

Then there's fingernails. They'd never actually grow if you were waiting for them, but soon enough, they get to a certain point where you can't stand them anymore and chop them off. It blows my mind because the day before they were fine, and then today you decide they have to go. The same is true with hair for me. There comes a day where it just needs to be cut.

And then there's waiting for a baby. Officially being in my 41st week of pregnancy is a lot harder than I would have thought! We were told at 36 1/2 weeks that the baby would probably come within the next week. Then, just 5 or 6 days ago, we went into the hospital because I was having contractions 2-5 minutes apart and this continued on for 8 hours with no progress. We came home, slept, and have just been waiting ever since.

Don't get me wrong, we've had some fun! Parks, walks, naps, hikes, swimming, cooking, cleaning have all been on the agenda. I just really want our little one to be here and it's harder than waiting for water to boil, or waiting for your hair and nails to grow, or even waiting for Christmas morning to get here! 

We can't wait to meet our little girl! 

(Billie is the most patient person I know and even HE is getting a little anxious!)

Great friends

I'm grateful for great friends!

Me at 37 weeks, Suzi at 39

Suzi and I have been lucky enough to be spend lots of time together this year! And it just so happens that our due dates are about 1 1/2 weeks apart. We have spent hours and hours together working out (in the beginning it was working out, and it's a little more like waddling these days) after work. We went to see a movie together last night and finally got a good pregnant picture. She's only a week away from the big day! So excited for them and for us to finally have our babies here! We can't wait.

Pregnancy Progress

Well, we're nearing the end of this whole pregnancy thing. I thought I'd post some pictures of the past two weeks of belly pics. 

Here I am at 35 weeks.

And this is the belly at 36 1/2 weeks. I've noticed I seem to be taking pictures in the same few shirts every time. I think I'm running low on things that fit. Oh well, you get the idea! 

We can't wait to meet and hold and love and care for our new baby!!!!!!

Babybumpinit

Just a little update on the baby bump progress. Only 6 1/2 more weeks until the due date!

We've been busy

We've been having a lot of fun lately! It's about time for an update and some pictures!

My sister, Jordan, got married at the end of March and it was the most PERFECT day. They got married right on the bay in front of the most picturesque backdrop of sailboats and San Diego sunset. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

 This is my 13-year-old sister, Katie. Love her!

 Billie is so handsome!

 The four sisters!

 Just playing around the morning of the wedding, pre-transformation.

 GORGEOUS bride!

 Beautiful sisters, Katie and Kelly.

 Mr. and Mrs. Martinsen.

I know I already said this, but he is the most handsome.

 Family!

Last night I had a family baby shower and today my friends Summer and Missy threw me a baby shower for our friends in the area. Both of them were so fun! Here are some pictures from the day.

 This is the SWEETEST little baby dress for a newborn. It's so fun to be having a girl!

 Isn't this baby fruit bowl amazing. So many creative people!

Thank you Missy and Summer for everything you did to make this such a great day!

Blossoming

I've learned over the past few months that people say and do funny things to you when you are pregnant. Today I was told by one of the dietitans I'm working with that I have "blossomed" since the last time she saw me. Haven't heard that one since I was 12!

Here is proof of said blossoming :)

27 weeks! Officially starting the third trimester. Time is flying!

Sleepers

Thanks, Matney and Billie for helping me do my very first patterned sewing projects. These were fun and really not too hard. Our baby will be a cozy little sleeper!

Oh and stay tuned for a post with Billie's latest video project. I know a few of you out there can't get enough of those. This next one might just be my favorite so far. We have fun on the weekends!!

Baby bumpin it!

Here's the old belly at 25 weeks! Only 15 more to go!

And a close up just for fun. There's no more denying it--I've got myself a bump and I love it!

I have found my form of steepandcheap

As you have all probably either noticed from our blog or observed in real-life, Billie really loves anything and everything having to do with being outside. The man is a geologist. And he loves the gear to go with it. Ever since I've known him, he's had a little obsession where he checks this website regularly to see what deals they have at that moment. Ladies and gentlemen: meet steepandcheap.com.

This isn't just a website that shows you how to find great stuff for great prices. Nope. They have a limited amount of supply and will only sell the items for a certain amount of time before the deal runs out. So the poor customer is forced to make quick decisions in a stressed state for fear of losing out on the DEAL OF THE CENTURY. This whole phenomenon of the way this site works and the amount of times Billie checks it is something I have never understood. That is until...

I'm definitely not complaining. He has found some great stuff on that site that I have personally benefited from. But I have always chuckled to myself when he gets all stressed out because the deal is about to go away in 15 seconds and he has to decide RIGHT THEN if he wants to buy it or not. More often than not, he decides not to get it, but sometimes he can't help himself. Who can blame the guy?

But, I have to admit, I've found my very own form of steepandcheap. It's called babsteals.com. I asked a woman at the WIC clinic where I've been working where she got her adorable diaper bag (side note: since when do I care about adorable diaper bags??). She told me, "baby stills dot com." It took me writing it down to understand that "stills" meant "steals" but I eventually got the picture. Gotta love Utah!!

Anyway, this site is awesome! It's a similar idea to steepandcheap but for baby stuff. And everything is 50% off or more (and so cuuute!). I haven't bought anything (yet) and probably won't really be addicted to the shopping part of it, but a little part of me just loves to check it everyday and see what's on there. I'm finally understanding Billie and his steepandcheap obsession a little better.

Ohh baby!

We had our 20-week ultrasound yesterday and everything is looking great. In fact, the ultrasound tech said we have a gorgeous baby. I thought it was funny she used that word. 

(Side note: I think it's really funny/adorable that someone who looks at black and white images of babies all day long day in day out can still laugh and giggle with excitement as they are chasing your baby around your womb with an ultrasound wand thingy. This lady was so fun and a little bit giddy for us. I loved it!) 

It was such a great experience! I had no idea that they can see the ventricles of the brain, the chambers of the heart, the kidneys, stomach, femur, and all that stuff. Oh, and, they confirmed with a 100% surety that SHE is indeed a she. At our last ultrasound, they were 80% sure because our little girl was being just too modest. Yesterday she tried hiding again (hands in between her legs, flipping around, kicking the ultrasound tech, etc.) but with some chasing, we were able to confirm the 80% to a 100%. That's always a good thing!

And, we got a great shot of her little profile. Isn't she going to be a cutie? That bubble by her lips is the umbilical cord. I think she has my nose...

Some of you have been requesting some pregnant pictures and I haven't done it yet because there hasn't been much to see. Yesterday, I had two people at work tell me they could actually see my belly! With that, I knew it was time to post a picture like this. Sorry for the awkward expression--I feel kinda funny taking these pictures, but it will be fun to look back and remember!

Look! I made this!

It was a really rainy/snowy day on Saturday and I decided to get my nesting on and I made this car seat canopy/cover. It was really fun and I'm excited about how it turned out. I'm enjoying my sewing machine from my mother-in-law! It's so great to not have to spend $40 for something like this and to have it exactly they way you want it. And I never thought I would be the kind of person to be able to do stuff like this but it's been really fun to try it out. 

Here are my special ruffly edges that took a loong time to make. But it's so cute right?

Our baby girl will be safe from the elements! (And in style too!)

Just FYI: I used this tutorial and made some minor changes to suit my tastes, but in general I just followed the instructions and I was happy with how it turned out. They do a great job of explaining!