Family Photo Shoot

The amazingly talented McKenzi Felt of M.Felt Photography took some pictures for us about a month ago.  I wanted to document all of Oliver's teeny, tiny, perfect newborn-ness while he was still a teeny, tiny, perfect newborn.  I also had her take some new family photos for us because of the addition of Oliver to the family.  I absolutely love how they turned out.  McKenzi is truly an artist.  She is amazing!

Here are some of my favorite shots.

Eli's Excavator Party

For a few months now, Eli has been completely obsessed with trucks of all kinds, particularly excavators.  Like I've mentioned on the blog before, he loves this video and asks to watch it multiple times a day.  I've also mentioned how obsessed he is with the garbage truck and how watching it empty the cans on the street is the best part of his week.  So for his 2nd birthday party, I knew it would only be appropriate to throw him an excavator themed party. He absolutely loved it!

His cake was a lot of fun to make and I love how it turned out.  I dug a hole out of the the cake, filled it with crushed oreo crumbs, and also mounded them up to the side of the hole.  We found these adorable orange construction cone candles at a local party store, and got a few trucks to decorate with.  I tried to find those chocolates that look like realistic rocks, but was never able to find them, so I put real pebbles on the cake.  Don't judge.  I washed them really well before hand and picked them all off before it was served.

I loved how the oreo crumbs looked like dirt.

Mr. E wore his construction vest and hard hat while he blew out his candles.  Could he be any cuter?

While everyone was singing happy birthday to him, I got overcome with emotion.  Is my baby really 2 years old?!!  I can't believe how fast he's growing up!

Surprisingly, he actually understood the whole concept of blowing out the candles.

But as soon as he blew one out, he got scared by the smoke it created and wouldn't blow out any more.

I had to comfort him. What a baby.

His guests spoiled him with trucks of all kinds.  He was in love with every single one.

My parents got him this "ride-on excavator."  He was totally in heaven!

Adam's parents got Eli a lawn mower so he can help his daddy mow every week.  I'm sure he'll be very helpful.  Oh, and the best part is that it blows bubbles as its "exhaust."  So cute.

Adam's mom has this fun attachment for the hose with a dozen or so mini hoses that spray water everywhere.  We put it underneath the trampoline and let Eli go to town.  He was in his element.

Mattie and I even got on the tramp to join in on the fun.

Jane also bought him a baby pool with a slide.  The slide was a big hit.  Every time he'd get to the top he'd yell "GO ELI!" and slide down as everybody cheered.

He couldn't have had any more fun.

I love throwing parties for my boy and showering him with love and attention.  He deserves every bit of it.  He's kind of an amazing kid.

Happy 2nd birthday, baby boy!

24 Months Old

Dear Eli,

I can't believe that today is your second birthday!  Just like last year, I am an emotional wreck.  I have been dreading this day for months now, and now that it's finally here, I can't stop bawling.  I hate that you're getting older and are growing up so fast!  With each birthday, I feel like you're slipping away from me.  Promise me that you'll always need me, even when you're all grown up?  Because I'll always need you.  I'll always need your sweet smiles, your kisses, and your big blue eyes.  I am totally and completely obsessed with you, and I don't care who knows it!

The past few weeks, your dad and I keep remarking to each other how you are at our favorite age.  I wish I could bottle you up, just the way you are, and keep you this way forever.  That way, years down the road, when I need my 2-year-old Eli fix, I will have a jar of you saved to open and enjoy.  We seriously laugh nonstop at all of the crazy things you do and say.  I don't know how so much spunky personality an be packed into such a tiny little body.

This month, you've gotten even better at counting.  You can count to 12 regularly, but you always skip the number 8.  What do you have against 8?!  On a few occasions, you've counted all the way to 15.  This is the first month that you've shown an interest in naming colors, but you almost always get them wrong.  We'll hold up a blue object and ask you what color it is, and you'll say "orange!"  or "pink!" very excitedly.  You're always so confident in your answer, even if it's way off.  We always feel bad telling you you're wrong, so instead of saying "no," we try to say, "close!"  We don't want to discourage you!  :)

You talk non-stop, and I can actually understand most of what you say.  Every day, you pick up new words and new phrases.  You're mind is so sharp.  We usually only have to teach you a new word once and you'll remember it forever.  I love listening to your little voice.  You're funny because your phrases always have to be perfect.  If you stumble through it or make a mistake, you always start the whole phrase over from the beginning instead of just fixing the word you messed up.  I think we may have a perfectionist on our hands!

You've started purposefully peeing everywhere this month.  If we don't get a diaper on you within .8 seconds of you getting out of the shower, you'll run off somewhere to pee (preferably your crib or one of the rugs).  You get in this funny little stance and push as hard as you can.  When a little pee comes out, you start giggling and look up at us to see what our reaction will be.  I try my hardest not to laugh because I don't want to encourage this gross behavior, but it really is pretty hilarious.  You do the same thing with farting, and it's so nasty.  I want you to have manners, boy!

You continue to love playing outside, even though it's been like 100 degrees every day lately.  Name any outside activity, and you'll do it.  You're especially fond of playing in the water.  Your Grandma Janie has an attachment on her hose that sprays water everywhere, and you will play in it forever.  You are a fish!  You have no fear of water whatsoever.

You're still a great sleeper!  We put you to bed at 7:30 p.m. and you sleep to 7:30 a.m. without waking up.  You love naps and whenever I tell you it's nap time, you give a happy little laugh and run to your crib.  It makes life so nice for me.  Your eating is still atrocious, but according to the pediatric gastroenterologist, there's nothing else we can do to help you.  You're still a big boy and are perfectly healthy, so all we can do is wait for you to grow out of your refusal to eat.  Your eating issues are forcing me to develop lots of patience, and for that, I'm grateful.

Eli, I really, really, really love you.  Before I had you, I never imagined that the love a mother feels for her child could be so strong.  You are literally a part of me, and I'm a part of you.  And not just physically, but spiritually too.  I feel like our souls are connected in a way that no one can understand.  The night I was in labor with you, your dad gave me a priesthood blessing in which he told me that we would share a very special bond and that we would be very close.  I've found this to be true.  We are soul-mates.  I hope we always stay this close, even as you grow older.

The past two years of my life have been the happiest I've ever lived.  You make my days fun, my heart happy, and my life full.  I am so lucky to be your mama!

I love you,
Mama

24 Month Stats:
Height: 36 1/4 inches (90th percentile)
Weight: 30.6 lbs (80th percentile)
Head Circumference: 19 1/4 in (55th percentile)

Downton Abbey

Adam and I spent the past few weeks watching both seasons of Downton Abbey together.  We've needed some "together time" since the arrival of the new baby, since pretty much all we do is work and take care of our boys from sun up to sun down (or son up to son down, ha ha).  As soon as they both fell asleep every night, we would run to the basement and put it on, desperate for the time to relax and snuggle on the couch together. 


I had heard a lot of people talk about how good the show is, but I was kind of skeptical at first because I don't usually like shows from this era.  But surprisingly, I thought it was very entertaining and addicting, and so did Adam.  It was definitely a little soap opera-ish at times, but a classy soap opera, at least.  I loved how many different characters and story lines there were.  I can't wait for Season 3 to start in January!

Oliver's Birth Announcement

We thought this was appropriate with Adam being a criminal defense attorney and all.

Eli Watches Garbage Truck

Eli's dream came true the other day; a front row pass to the garbage truck in action.  We happened to be outside with Eli and his best friend Charlie when we heard the truck rumbling down the street.  Eli froze, said, "gah-bage chuck?" and waited intently.  He was thrilled.  Thank you, garbage man, for going slowly and making my son's day.   The best part is the end where Eli talks about what he just witnessed.  Enjoy.

Practicing His Big Brother Skills

Eli has seen me carry Oliver around in the baby carrier, and he decided that he wanted to carry his Grinch doll around like that too.  He also insisted on diapering him in Oliver's diaper and sucking on Oliver's binky.  So cute. 

Oliver's Birth Story

At long last, I've finally finished the story of how my sweet Oliver Samuel entered the world.  It's only taken me a month, but hey, do you know how long it takes to get anything done when you have two kids?  It's crazy!  I'm pretty proud that it didn't take even longer than it did!  I typed a big portion of this with one hand while holding and bouncing Oliver with the other.  It was a labor of love, I tell you.

I'm not going to make any apologies for how long this is because I wanted a complete record of how everything went down.  Read it if you want, or skip it if you want.  It doesn't matter to me.  This record is for me and someday, for Oliver.

This photo was taken just a few hours before Oliver was born.  Holy belly!

The story of Oliver’s arrival begins at about 5:00 a.m. on Friday, May 4th. I was awakened by the strongest contractions I’d had so far in my pregnancy. As soon as they started, I recognized the feeling from my labor with Eli, and I knew that real labor was beginning. These definitely weren’t just Braxton Hicks contractions like I’d experienced the past few months, but were both stronger and longer. They were lasting about 30 seconds each and were coming every 10 minutes or so. From 5:00 a.m. on, I didn’t sleep at all but just laid in bed and tried to breathe through the contractions.

As soon as Adam’s alarm went off around 7:00 a.m., I told him about the contractions and that I knew that this was really happening. I think he doubted me a little because there was still a week until my due date, but I assured him that these contractions were real and our baby was on his way. He suggested that we call his mom to watch Eli while I labored at home. I was more than happy to hear this suggestion because the thought of chasing Eli around all day while being in labor didn’t sound very fun to me. I was enormously grateful when Jane came to pick him up around 8:30 a.m. and take him to her house.

While Eli was gone, I sprung into action and began working on a few of the last minute things that needed to be done. I packed a bag for Eli because he was going to be staying at Adam’s parent’s house while we were in the hospital. I typed up a sheet of detailed instructions for them on how to get Eli to eat, sleep, etc. I took a long shower, shaved my legs, and finished packing my toiletries for my hospital bag. All this time, I was having contractions. I started writing them down in a notebook so that I could keep track of when I was having them, how long they lasted, and how far apart they were. While I was up and moving around, they were coming anywhere from 15 minutes to even an hour apart.

Jane brought Eli home around 11:30 a.m. I fed him some lunch and put him down for his nap around 12:30 p.m. Thankfully, he fell right to sleep. Because I knew it was probably going to be a long night and I wanted to be rested, I also laid down and tried to nap too. But unfortunately, the contractions were too strong and painful to sleep, but at least I was able to lie down and rest while he slept. He took a nice long nap (thank you, Eli!) and woke up around 3:00 p.m.

My little sister Rachelle had had a baby just 4 days earlier, and my parents were both in town to help her with her daughter Avery. Also, my other little sister Lauren was graduating from the University of Utah that night, and they were here to attend her graduation ceremony. It was a big weekend for my family.  The plan was for Eli and I to meet up with my parents, Lauren, and Adam for an early dinner to celebrate Lauren’s graduation. So as soon as Eli woke up, I loaded him into the car, and we headed down to Salt Lake to meet everyone at an Italian restaurant called Michelangelo’s.

By this point, my contractions were pretty bearable but I really wanted to be there to support Lauren at her celebratory dinner (plus, I never pass up a free meal!). But as we were driving there, they started to get more intense. I remember one in particular that was so strong I wanted to pass out from the pain. I don’t even know how I got to the restaurant. Looking back, I really shouldn't have been driving in that condition. Oops!

We met up with everyone and ate. Between contractions, I tried to make casual conversation and have the focus be on Lauren. It was her graduation dinner, after all. But during contractions, I wasn't able to talk. I’d grip the table or someone’s hand and try to breathe through them. I was like one of those super dramatic girls in a movie, but I couldn't help it. It was getting pretty ridiculous. As soon as we were done eating, Adam, Eli, and I drove home together. My mom took Adam’s car so that he could drive mine (because I knew by this point there was no way I could drive).

As soon as we got home, Adam informed me that he needed to mow the lawn. The front yard and backyard. He told me that if we were going to be in the hospital all weekend, he needed to do it before we left or else our yard was going to look trashy when we got back. I could have killed him, but told him to go ahead. So I took another long shower, this time with Eli, to help pass the time and entertain him while Adam mowed. We were in there for at least 45 minutes. I was having contractions the whole time, but I noticed that while I was up and moving around, they weren’t coming as frequently. While I was in the shower, they were only coming every 10 minutes or so. Adam finally got done mowing the lawn and came in to help me get Eli out of the shower and into his pajamas. It was about 7:00 p.m. by now. We fed Eli some yogurt for dinner and began his bedtime routine.

As we were putting Eli to bed, I started getting emotional because I knew that it was going to be the last time that we’d be putting him to bed, just the three of us. We read a book, sang a hymn, said a prayer, pointed out all of the body parts and gave each other kisses. I cried as I thought of how much our lives were about to change. It was a really bittersweet moment. As soon as Eli was in bed, I blow dryed my hair, put on some makeup, and got dressed. My mom got to our house about this time, and she helped me put all of my toiletries and camera equipment in my suitcase. We zipped it up and I was officially ready to go!

 I went downstairs and painted my nails while Adam and I tried to watch Shark Tank, one of our favorite shows. But I couldn’t concentrate during contractions. I kept making Adam pause it during contractions, and then we’d resume where we’d left off as soon as it was over. Adam was writing them down in the notebook the whole time. We noticed that they were getting closer together overall, but I was still having periods where I’d go 10 or 12 minutes without a contraction at all. My doctor told me I shouldn’t go to the hospital until they were 5 minutes apart for a whole hour, so I held off going. But they were getting stronger and stronger, and I was getting exhausted by this point. I’d been laboring for 16 hours, and it was really taking its toll on me.

 Around 10:00 p.m., my dad got to our house after stopping at the grocery store to pick up some snacks to put in our hospital bag. By this point, my body shakes had begun. I started shaking uncontrollably and couldn’t stop them, even if I tried. I guess this happens because of the rapid change in hormones and is a sign of active labor. The same thing happened to me when I had Eli, but not until I’d already been in the hospital for about half a day. As soon as this happened, I realized it was time to get ready to go to the hospital.

I had Adam, with the help of my dad, give me a blessing of peace and comfort. Adam gave me the most beautiful blessing. He blessed that both the baby and I would have a safe labor and delivery, that I would feel the spirit as the baby entered the world, and that we would have a calm experience. He told me that Heavenly Father was proud of me and what I was doing as a mother, and that He would watch over me and give me the help I needed. especially with the burden of having two young boys to take care of. Despite my uncontrollable shaking during the blessing, I felt peace. I felt like everything was going to be okay. I just wanted to get to the hospital and get things started!

Adam and I left the house for LDS Hospital around 11:15 p.m. I was so excited! I texted my family and close friends as we drove, telling them that we were on our way. The contractions were so bad during the drive, but for the first time since they began, I decided to change my method of dealing with them. Instead of dreading each one and fighting it when it came, I tried to welcome each one and embrace it. I pictured each contraction moving the baby down and opening me up, just like it was supposed to. I started muttering like a crazy person to Adam during each contraction about how I was glad I was having these and how my body was doing what it was supposed to.

We pulled up to the hospital at 11:40 p.m. We left our car at the valet circle right in front of the hospital, and Adam helped me walk in. As soon as we were inside, he asked the guard at the security desk if it was okay for us to leave our car there. He said, “Of course not.” Ha ha. Who did we think we were, right? So I sat down while Adam went and moved it to the parking garage across the street. When he got back, we made our way up to labor and delivery on the 4th floor. When we got to the nurse’s station, we told them I was in labor. Thankfully, I had pre-registered and I didn’t have much paperwork to fill out. But by this point, I could barely talk or walk, the pain was so intense. I had Adam answer all of the questions they were asking and fill out the forms for me.

After only a few short minutes, a nurse told us to follow her and she’d show us to our labor and delivery room. I stood up to walk there, but another contraction hit so hard that I had to sit back down. I remember saying, “I’m not trying to be dramatic, but I really can’t walk!” She laughed and told me to take my time. As soon as it was over, we walked into our labor and delivery room. We got there just a few minutes before midnight. I was given a gown to put on and a cup to pee into. I had Adam help me change into my gown because by this point, the contractions were coming pretty much right on top of each other and I could barely stand up.

I laid down in the hospital bed, ready to be checked. I was dying to see how dilated I was! I was sure that I was at least a 7 because of how painful the contractions were. The nurse took forever filling out forms on the computer before she checked me. She finally checked me around 12:30 p.m., and I was shocked to find that I was only 4 cm dilated. Four! I couldn’t have been more disappointed. On the drive to the hospital, Adam and I were making our predictions about how dilated I’d be, and we were both sure I’d be at least a 7. I felt like such a wuss! These contractions had felt much more painful than the ones I’d had with Eli, so I was kind of confused.

My nurse (Kathleen? Katherine?) told me she wasn’t even sure if they were going to let me stay and she went to call my doctor to talk to him about it. And man, did she take her sweet time. She was gone for at least 20 minutes. She was super snotty and I could tell she thought I was being a baby. I didn’t care. I was on that bed, writhing around in pain. When she came back into the room, she didn’t even tell me what Dr. Ward had said, she just went silently to her computer and started clicking away. I had to ask her whether they were going to let me stay or not. She said yes, I could stay, but only because I was Group B Strep positive and I needed to have my antibiotics for at least 4 hours before the baby was delivered, and they wanted to get me started on it, just in case. Hallelujah!

The nurse started my IV, which was kind of a horrible experience. She tried placing it in my right hand first, but couldn’t get a vein. I wasn’t surprised by this at all. I have teeny, tiny veins and almost every time I have to get blood drawn or an IV placed, they have a hard time. She seriously spent a full five minutes digging around in my hand, twisting and turning the needle. All the while I was having horrible contractions. I kept making eye contact with Adam, silently trying to tell him to make her stop! I have a history of being a major wuss about blood, veins, and needles in general, so I was beyond grateful when she finally gave up on that hand, tried my left hand, and got a vein.

Even though I was only a 4, I requested my epidural as soon as she told me I was staying. It had been a really long, painful day and I was exhausted. All I wanted was for the pain to go away and to get some sleep so that I’d be ready to push when the time came. I don’t know if she had to, or if she was just being rude, but she finished a bunch of paperwork before she called the anesthesiologist to come do the epidural. It was a little past 1:00 a.m. by this point and I was seriously dizzy with pain. The room seemed like it was swimming and I was moaning and writhing around and muttering a bunch of nonsense. Never in my life had I felt pain like this. The nurse was asking me a bunch of questions about my medical history and I couldn’t even think straight to answer them. I had Adam answer every one he could for me.

Finally, around 1:10 a.m., the anesthesiologist arrived to place my epidural. I had never felt so happy to see someone or so anxious to get it done so I could get some relief. The doctor was very chipper and nice, explaining every. single. thing. to me as he did it. I know he meant well, but I was not in the mood to hear all of his chatter. I didn’t care what he was doing or how he was doing it. I just wanted it done. He gave me the option to lie on my side or to sit up while he placed it. I asked him which was easier for him (i.e. quicker!) and he told me sitting up, so that’s what I did.

The whole process took about 20 minutes from start to finish, but it felt like much, much, much longer. The main difference between this epidural and the one I had with Eli was that it didn’t seem to be working as quickly. I remember with Eli, I felt relief from the contractions almost immediately after the epidural was placed. But this time, the anesthesiologist placed it, gave me a shot of the numbing medication through my IV, and nothing happened. The contractions were still out-of-this world intense. So he gave me another shot of the medication. Still nothing happened.

I was feeling every single contraction, and I literally felt like I was going to pass out from the pain. I didn’t want Adam to leave my side. I had him sit directly in front of me as I was sitting sideways on the bed, bent over. I grasped both of his hands for support. Something about being bent in half while getting the epidural made me feel the contractions throughout my back, and much stronger than ever. At this point, I remember telling Adam that I wanted to die. The pain was that bad. I felt like I couldn’t take it for another minute, but a minute would pass and I still wouldn’t feel any relief. It was horrible.

The anesthesiologist kept asking me if the pain was subsiding, but it wasn’t. So he gave me another shot of numbing medication. Still no relief. I had to wait a few minutes between each shot, so the pain seemed to go on forever. He ended up giving me 5 shots through my IV, the maximum amount he was allowed to give me, before the pain finally subsided. When I asked him how many shots most people get, he said 2 or 3. Maybe it was in my mind, but he seemed a little surprised that I needed 5. I felt confused too. Was I that much of baby? I was only dilated to a 4, after all. Why was it hurting so bad?

It was about 1:30 a.m. by the time the pain was finally gone. I can’t even describe how wonderful it felt to finally have relief from the intense pain that I had been feeling for over 20 hours. Adam was watching the monitor and kept telling me that I was having a contraction, but I couldn’t feel it. Thank you, modern medicine! By this point, I was totally exhausted and was ready to turn off the lights and get some sleep, finally pain free.

The anesthesiologist was still at my bedside, packing everything up in his little cart when I was finally allowed to lay back down in the bed. As soon as I switched positions from sitting up in the bed, hunched over, to laying in the bed, stretched out, my water broke. It literally felt like a water balloon had popped. It was a very distinct, strange feeling. It happened so quickly and suddenly that no one but me even noticed it had happened. I yelled out, “My water just broke!” The nurse ran over and started cleaning everything up.

Within just a few seconds of my water breaking, I felt the baby’s head in the birth canal. There was no mistaking it, and I started freaking out. With the knowledge that he was already in the birth canal, I knew he was going to be here any moment. My parents were at my house sleeping and they were planning on being in the room for the birth, so I started worrying that I wasn’t going to be able to hold the baby in long enough for them to get there in time.

I told Adam that we needed to call them immediately and tell them to get to the hospital right away. He wasn’t convinced. He kept asking me if I was sure that I wanted to wake them up already. They had only gone to bed about an hour before, and they were probably exhausted. He was like, “Do you really think that you’re going to have this baby soon?” And I was like, “Adam! This baby is about to fall out of me! I can literally feel him dropping out! I bet if you looked, you’d be able to see his head!” He didn’t believe that it could seriously be happening this fast. He convinced me to wait until the nurse checked me again before we called my parents. I agreed.

The nurse came over and checked me again, at about 1:35 a.m. Within just a few seconds, she said, “You’re complete.” I was like, “What?!” And she repeated again, “You’re complete. You’re fully dilated. The baby’s head is right here.” I could. not. believe. it. I had progressed from a 4 to a 10 in an hour flat! No wonder the pain had been so intense!!! Since the epidural had only started working a few minutes before she checked me, I had completely dilated to a 10 without the help of the epidural!

That was not my intention at all! I am a big proponent of epidurals, and I was planning on getting one way before I was a 10! Oops! I knew in that moment that I should have gone to the hospital a lot sooner than I did. People always told me that your body knows what to do with your second baby because it’s done it before, and you progress a lot faster, but I never imagined it would be that fast. I was completely shocked. I felt kind of validated too, because I realized that I hadn’t really been a big baby about the pain. I had practically had the baby naturally. The only thing that the epidural helped with was the actual pushing. This knowledge made me feel better about myself. :)

As soon as we found out I was fully dilated, we asked the nurse if she thought my parents would be able to make it in time. She was like, “Maybe, maybe not. I’ve seen it happen both ways.” I asked her if she thought I could hold the baby in, and she said, “You can try!” We flew into action. Adam called my parents, woke them up, and told them that they needed to leave for the hospital that very second. They could hear me in the background saying, “I’ll try my best to hold him in, but I can’t promise anything!”

The next few minutes were a whirlwind. More nurses came into the room and started scurrying around, preparing the room for the arrival of the baby. Dr. Ward got there within just a few minutes because he was the doctor on call at the hospital that night, so he was sleeping just a few doors down. I was really happy to see him. It’s always nice to have your own doctor deliver your baby.

While we waited for my parents to get there, Adam changed out of his pajamas and into real clothes. I put on some makeup because I didn’t have any on and I didn’t want to look ugly in all the pictures. But putting it on was kind of ridiculous (especially my eye makeup) because I was shaking so hard. I could barely hold my eyeliner, let alone draw a straight line around my eyes. Adam was holding a mirror up for me, but he kept moving it all over, and I could barely see. It was hilarious. 

I don’t know how my parents got there as fast as they did, but they were there within about 15 minutes, even though our house is normally about 25 minutes from the hospital. Later, they told me they ran almost every red light and stop sign along the way. As soon as they ran into the room at about 1:50 a.m., I was ready to push. I was feeling a lot of pressure, and I wanted to get this baby out. I was ready to meet him! 

The room felt really chaotic as Adam, my mom, and dad started getting their cameras and video cameras out to record the big event. Medical staff were rushing around. In the midst of the chaos, I heard my dad say, “Oops. I forgot my video camera in the car. I have to go get it. I’ll only be gone a minute,” and he ran out of the room. I was so annoyed. Now I had to hold that baby in even longer!

The room got pretty quiet as we waited for my dad to get back. By this point, Dr. Ward was all suited up with his big gloves and apron on, just patiently sitting at the foot of the bed. The nurses were all in position, ready to do whatever it is that they were going to do. My feet were in the stirrups. My mom was on my left side, and Adam was on my right. He had his cell phone out ready to call his mom as soon as the baby was born. 

I felt really nervous as we were waiting. I couldn’t believe how fast everything was happening and how chaotic everything had been since we got to the hospital. It was nothing like I had imagined or planned. I was totally exhausted and had hoped to get some sleep before he arrived, but there was no way that was going to happen. I was so excited to finally meet my baby boy, but I was nervous too. 

 

My dad got back within just a few minutes, and he stood up by my head so he couldn't see anything "down there."  It was time to push. One of the nurses let me push my foot against her hand for support, and Adam did the same on the other side. I put my hands underneath my thighs and sat up a little in bed so I could bear down. I got this overwhelming feeling that I wanted to see the baby come out, so the nurses pulled up a big mirror that was on wheels and positioned it so I could see. I didn’t want to miss out on seeing my baby be born! 

As soon as the next contraction came, Dr. Ward told me to push. I used the technique that I remembered from when I birthed Eli, and it was really effective. I pushed through one contraction, and I could already see his head. Dr. Ward told me that the baby needed “a little more room,” so he snipped me. I remember Adam looking away, totally disgusted. He did not want to see me get cut down there! I pushed through one more contraction, and he was here! It was an unbelievably fast, easy delivery. He popped out really easily!

It was 1:55 a.m. when Oliver was placed in my arms for the first time. As soon as I saw him, I felt a flood of all kinds of emotions. Gratitude, joy, humility, and excitement filled me. I couldn’t stop smiling and crying. I looked down into his beautiful face and couldn’t believe he was mine. Mine! He was so tiny and so perfect. And he looked just like my husband, even more than Eli had. I loved it. I could tell that he was smaller than Eli had been, but I expected that because he was a week early and Eli had been a week late. He opened his eyes and looked up at me, and I could immediately tell that his eyes were going to be brown. I had been calling him my brown-eyed boy my whole pregnancy, and I was so happy to see that I had been right. He was beautiful.

I felt such love for Adam too, in this moment.  I was so grateful for him giving me the opportunity to be a mother to another little boy.

Adam was such an amazing birth coach and support to me during the whole process.  I couldn't have done it without him.

After a few moments, the nurse took him to weigh and measure him. He was 7 pounds, 7 ounces and 20 inches long. A tiny little guy! 

Just thinking about this night makes me weepy.  There is nothing sweeter than bringing another baby into the world and into our family.  What an incredible experience!  Thank you for letting me share this experience with you, and my pregnancy as well.  xoxo.