Still Surreal

Linus is pretty much perfect.  No joke, he really is the best baby.  He never cries.  He has the periods where he stares straight into your eyes and you can tell he is taking everything in.  I still have a hard time sometimes believing that this amazing little boy is mine.  It still is just surreal that this little person belongs to me.  I find myself staring at him all day and never wanting to put him down.  Even with the sleep deprived brain power I'm rocking these days, I avoid sleep just to watch him.  I am loving being a mom.  I have to admit that I worried about connecting with Linus once he got here, which while a valid concern of a mom-to-be, was unfounded.  Once he got I had the instant connection you here about.  Well I did once I got some sleep, lol.  Hey it was a long labor ok?!  Anyway, L is 3 weeks old and I'm already telling him to slow down with the growing up.  I can't believe how fast time has been going since he got here.  I feel like tomorrow I'll wake up and he'll be graduating high school!  Last night he had his first non-sponge bath!  He hated getting sponge bath's, but he really seemed to like getting a regular kind!

How cute is he!??!

DIY Newborn Photos

I took some time and captured some newborn photos of Linus.  He's such a cute patoot!

Linus's Birth Story

Linus finally arrived, but as I predicted it was only because he was forced out, lol!  I have to give a shout out right away to my amazing husband because not only was he by my side for all 16.5 hours of labor, he was amazing and supportive through it all AND took notes on his phone because he knew I would want to remember the times things happened.  I am so lucky to have such an amazing person to share this journey with.
I was scheduled for an induction at 6am on Monday, November 25th.  I was 40 weeks 6 days along and more than ready to meet our little Mr.  We arrived at the hospital a couple minutes early and they had us back in a labor/delivery room right away.  Once I got into a gown they hooked me up to an iv and started a pitocin drip.  I was apparently having contractions every few minutes pretty much right away but I wasn't feeling much.  Just a little uncomfortable.  Around 9:15am, the doctor came and and I was only at 4 cm, so she went ahead and broke my water.  Holy pain!  Suddenly I was feeling every last one of those contractions and how!  They were right on top of each other and getting stronger.  I didn't last long before I asked for an epidural.  I received that around 10:15am and I gotta say, it was a god send!  Jon and I were both able to get sleep off and on because I could no longer feel the pain of the contractions, just my stomach tightening.  I was checked every few hours throughout the day and reached 6 cm then 8 cm.  I reached 10 cm around 8:30 pm, but Linus wasn't down far enough for me to push yet.  Just after 9pm, he was finally in place so we did some practice pushes, then settled in for the real thing.  I only pushed for about an hour, but Linus's heart rate dropped after every push so they had me put on an oxygen mask after every push.  Finally, his head stayed down, and during my last big push, the Dr realized that he had the cord wrapped around his neck twice and his shoulder suddenly got stuck.  All of a sudden I had 2 nurses on top of me pushing him the rest of the way out!  Poor Jon was holding one of my legs and kind of got shoved out of the way in the action, lol.  Linus was placed directly on my chest and after a brief moment, let out a wail.  The nurse took him and started doing whatever it is they do to get them checked.  I delivered the placenta and then the doctor started fixing me up.  I had a second degree tear plus a labial tear.  Not to bad.  I have to say I was terrified of tearing, but all in all, the body knows what it's doing and the after care and discomfort aren't as bad as I anticipated.  That's pretty much how it all went down.  We were settled in our maternity room by 12:30am snuggling Linus.  He really is an amazing baby.  He rarely cries or fusses and is so alert when he's awake.  Even minutes after he was born, Jon commented on how calm he was.  It's hard to believe how in an instant life changes completely.


Randomness from the day:
 - I was starving, but for some reason wanted to watch the Food Network all day.
 - At some point during the delivery, Jon asked me where my sock was.  My left leg was completely numb at this point and I had no control over it, so I didn't even realize my sock wasn't on my foot.  We never did find the sock!
 - While getting cleaned up, Linus was crying until Jon said, "Hey buddy."  Seriously as soon as Jon spoke, all was well in the world and he just looked in Jon's direction while Jon talked to him, no crying at all.

HE'S HERE!!!!!

 After approximately:

2 pregnancy tests
4 ultrasounds

numerous doctors appointments
18 pounds gained

 more trips to the bathroom than I can count
15.5 hours of labor
and 1 hour of pushing

HE IS FINALLY HERE!

Linus Conan Rhoades
Monday, November 25th
10:21 PM
8 lbs. 1 oz.
21 in.

Sooooo Pregnant

I feel soooo pregnant. I'm 39 weeks and 2 days.  I'm due Tuesday.  I am a blimp.  At my Dr appointment Monday I was 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced.  The doc stretched me in the hopes of getting contractions going.  Nothing doing.  I have random contractions but nothing regular. Just enough to be annoying.  I've tried all the old wives tales; spicy food, pineapple core, walking, sex, acupressure.  This kid is determined to stay in I think.  Jon thinks he's coming on Sunday b/c it's a full moon.  I think he's trying to stay in until Thanksgiving.  Why anyone would do this more than once I don't know.  You're all crazies!  These last weeks are awful!  Can't we find some scientific way of having babies so this whole pregnancy thing isn't necessary?!  And here's a tip for anyone who is around a preggo.  There is nothing more annoying than having everyone say, "Aw..no baby?" every time they see you. Clearly I am still pregnant, not to mention if I had given birth, I wouldn't be seeing you right now.  I would be in the hospital.  Also not helpful to hear how it will be soon (I'm aware, doesn't make me feel better), or how at least you can enjoy these last few days without a child (Because being this pregnant makes for such a relaxing and enjoyable time).  Suffice it to say, I am miserable and cranky.  Probably best to stay out of my way.  Just saying.

Zits are the Pits and Happy Halloween

I am chalking this up to my crazy preggo hormones, but I have recently been getting zits in my arm pits.   I have been using the same deodorant for years, and as it's only happened in the past couple weeks, I will stick with the weird preggo symptom theory.  But for real, zits are the pits, especially when in the pits.  Those things hurt like a mother to pop! Zouch!  

Well it's Halloween!  It is a very dark and stormy night in these parts, wind, thunder and all, so very perfect for Halloween!  We aren't taking part in any festivities this year due to my being huge and uncomfortable.  We'll just have to make up for it next year!  To be honest, I was kinda hoping for a Halloween baby, but apparently our dude has other plans.  I do have another ultrasound on Monday to determine his size because I am measuring way bigger than my 37 weeks.  If he's as big as they think he is, the doctor said we will discuss my options.  Yikes.  To be honest, I don't care how he gets here as long as he's healthy, but hearing your doctor say 11 pounds will really put the fear into you.  That's right, 11 lbs.  I am actually really surprised by that because I've only gained 20!  At least I won't have much to lose...

DIY Maternity Photos

Over the weekend we had our professional maternity photos taken.  We had a blast and I can't wait to see them!  When we got home, Jon took some pictures of me just for fun.  They turned out pretty good too!  Take a look!

Baby Shower #2

We had a second baby shower with Jon's family about a week ago.  It was so nice to see everybody and it was such a cute jungle theme!  Thank you to everyone!

That Time I Got Stuck in the Bathtub

Yep.  decided to take a nice bath with my Lush bath melt and could not get out of the tub.  I ended up having to yell for Jon to come help me and even then it was touch and go.  Sigh.  No more baths for this mama for a while.  At least it was nice until the getting out part!

In other news, we are raising a preteen.  This is challenging.  The fun thing is he tries to use excuses and really thinks we aren't going to figure it out!  For example, Josh is playing the oboe this year in band.  He is to bring it to our house when he's with us so he can practice.  Last time he was with us, we asked if he had practiced that day (Friday) and he said yes.  So we asked him to break the oboe out and play us what he was working on.  His face was priceless!   He was like a deer in headlights!  He started stuttering around his words and of course come to find out he had not practiced b/c when he put the oboe together, no sound would come out.  All he needed was a new reed, but he didn't know that.  I have no idea how long he thought he could get away with playing with no sound.  Sigh.

Preggo Pic and Five Senses

Figured I'd do a quick preggo pic since I actually got ready with makeup and everything.  We are off to our 2nd baby shower (we are so blessed) so look for that post to come!

Five Senses for Today:
Hearing: Topeka purring.  He's been extra lovey lately :)
Tasting: Chocolate milk and Boo Berry cereal.  Nom...
Seeing: Little dude's rump sticking out at me.  He really likes to stick out his tush, lol!
Smelling: Bath and Body Works Leaves candle.  Tis' the season!
Touching: Baby clothes!  Time to get all of these washed and ready to go! 

And that's that.

Where to start.  It's been a month since I updated and I can't say a whole lot has happened.  I did have my first baby shower!  I forgot to take my camera (stupid preggo brain) so I'm waiting on pictures from my mom.  It was such a wonderful time!  I got to see my family and spend time with them which was awesome!  We got a lot of good stuff for our little dude.  Huge thank you to all who came!  I'll add pictures once I get them.  Of all the times to forget my camera.  

For the past couple of weeks Jon and I have both been sick with a cold so we've been early to bed and not doing much.  We did go to a cabin with his family over the weekend of the 5th.  Jon and Josh had fun, but I spent most of the time in bed because of my cold.  It's finally starting to wind down and we're both feeling better.  I did manage to get a few pictures while we were there.

My Pregnancy Faves

Since I'm in the home stretch I figured I'd jot down my favorite preggo things.  Here they are.

1. Maxi Dresses - These were my favorite thing to wear while I was pregnant!  They were comfy and had the added bonus of covering my legs if I didn't feel like shaving!

2. The Belly Book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal - I wanted to keep a pregnancy journal, and there are so many out there I wasn't sure which one to choose. I honestly chose this one because it looked cute, lol!  I have loved this journal though!  It has both questions for you to answer and also areas to just make your own notes.  Also, it wasn't too mushy!  It kept tracking my pregnancy fun!

3. What to Expect When You're Expecting app - I had this app on my phone and it gave me daily and weekly updates.  I really enjoyed reading the little tidbits each day and the weekly updates!

4. The Baby Bump by Carley Roney - I really liked this book!  It was informative, but still easy to read which is nice when baby brain takes over!

5. a body pillow - I didn't feel the need to invest in an expensive pregnancy pillow, so I just bought a body pillow at Target.  That thing was a life saver!  I had a lot of hip pain because Linus was so low and I wouldn't have gotten a wink of sleep if I hadn't had that body pillow!

6. Lubriderm Advanced Therapy Lotion - I have pretty bad allergies and one thing I was sensitive to before pregnancy was smells.  Perfumes and scented lotions can be awful for me and with my hyper sensitive preggo smell abilities it's been even worse!  This lotion is barely scented and doesn't bother my allergies at all.  It also kept my dry skin nice and moisturized!

7. TUMS -  I don't really need to explain this one do I?

8. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Massage Cream for Stretch Marks - I can't say that this keeps you from getting stretch marks.  I've had stretch marks since puberty (thank you predisposed genetics), so I'm just used to having them.  I have been getting more in the last month or so so I decided to treat myself to this cream.  Like I said, I don't know how much it actually works for the marks, but I love the smell and it makes your skin super soft.  I've really enjoyed using it.

Oh Myyyyy

People keep telling me to enjoy being pregnant while it lasts.  They say I'll miss feeling the baby move.  I don't know what kind of children these women had, but I personally am looking forward to life without a kung fu master in my body!  I mean this kid must be a Jackie Chan wannabe because he is constantly on the move in every nook and cranny my body cavity has!  Maybe he thinks he is fighting an epic battle of sorts.  Sometimes it's cool, but somehow I just can't see missing it the way I'm told I will.

Anywho, the weather here has finally become fall like and I am loving it!  Yesterday Jon and I had a wonderful day out and about and we so enjoyed being able to drive around with the windows down letting the cool air blow through.  We also have opened our house up and I love sleeping with the windows open!!!  I can't wait to hit the pumpkin patch and drink apple cider and have weenie roasts and watch Hocus Pocus, and wear sweaters, and...ok yeah you know, fall stuff!  I love fall!

Yesterday we went out to Red Lobster for the endless shrimp and it was sooo good!  We go every year to celebrate our anniversary (it's on Wednesday).  We also stopped by Bath and Body Works and I got a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks!  Topping that off with a couple hour nap and my day was perfect!!!  Of course it means that today will be spent catching up on house chores, but it was so worth it.  We are trying to soak up as many just us days as we can before little dude gets here.  I can't wait to meet our son, but at the same time, I am going to miss being able to miss our alone time.  I suppose everybody feels that way!  Well I suppose I should get something done today, specifically laundry, the bane of my existence.  Hope everyone is having a fantabulous weekend!

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

The cat has started an annoying habit of coming in to bed very early in the morning and purring against my belly. This in turn wakes up little guy and he decides to kick like crazy and keep mommy awake. 4 mornings in a row this has happened now. They are already in cahoots! I'm doomed!

That was my facebook post this morning.  It's safe to say I'm going to need a nap today.  Anywho, I'm super glad it's a 3 day weekend!  Then again, who isn't?!  We didn't have any big plans for the weekend.  We have Josh so yesterday we went swimming at the Hardwick grandparents and ate homemade ice cream (thank you Sonnie!).  Today we made a visit to the Rhoades grandparents and put together the crib.  Tomorrow Jon and I might go see a movie.  Basically just doing whatever.  Staying in the air conditioning hoping fall will come to us soon.  I'm ready for crisp weather and pumpkin everything!  I already started burning my fall candles!  That's about all we've been doing on this lovely long weekend.  Oh yeah and I just have to mention that I am loving the following articles about pregnancy/mommyhood

• stop-acting-like-bouncing-back-from-labor-is-even-possible
• The Mom Phrase I Really Can't Stand

3rd Trimester Heat

Of course as soon as I enter my third trimester of pregnancy, the temps soar into the 90s with no sign of coming down.  Discomfort, I'd like you to meet Uncomfortable.  Why don't you have a baby and call it Sarah?  Woops, too late.  Seriously though, this third trimester business is no joke.  I am constantly hot!  Poor Jon is going to be sitting in the air conditioning in November!
We got our crib over the weekend, and a few other things have come in that we ordered.  The nursery is actually starting to look like a nursery!  I have to say it just makes me more impatient for him to get here.  I mean, I want him to stay in until fully baked, but I'm just so ready to meet him!
The big debate lately in our house is whether our little dude with be born with hair or not.  See Jon's family always has babies with full heads of hair.  My family is more mixed.  Some of us are bald, some have a wee bit of hair, some have lots of hair.  Jon thinks the baby will have tons of hair, I think he's probably gonna have...not so much.  Hence the great hair debate of 2013.
So in other news, I got to take newborn photos of this little girly over the weekend!

Isn't my new niece beyond gorgeous!?!  Sigh.  Once again, just making me even more ready to meet my baby!  Gah!  So that is pretty much it.  

Roselynn Elizabeth

Friday we got to welcome our new niece Roselynn Elizabeth!

Isn't she gorgeous!  8 lbs 11 oz and 20.5 inches long.  Holding her just makes me impatient for our little dude to get here!

Proud Momma and Poppa 

In Other News

Sup?  Around these parts, not too much.  Jon and I took last weekend to register for our little dude.  We hit up Babies R Us and Target.  We had a lot of fun with it, although there were a couple of overwhelming moments.  And we did get into a little argument over car seats.  But we got free stuff out of it!  Both places give you a bag filled with stuff when you register with them.  We had lunch with my family and it was great!  It was a little crazy considering there were around 18 people, but it was so nice for all of us to get together!  Sadly, I didn't get a picture.  I was too busy gabbing with my sisters :)   Oh and Jon got to feel our little dude kick for the first time!  We were watching Terminator and I think he was inspired by the sounds of gunfire and Arnold because it was like he was having an all out brawl in my belly!

In other big news, this guy is starting middle school next week!  I have no idea how this happened.  I am so not ready for this part.  I mean, Jon is doing the big talks that come with this time, like puberty.  And he'll get to do it again in another 11-12 years.  I am not talking about puberty with a boy.  I have no penis, I have no perspective!  That's about all that's been happening around here.  The weather has been amazing, so we've just been relaxing and enjoying quite time while it lasts.