{2 weeks}

Kellen will be 2 weeks old tomorrow night. Time flies when you're trying to savor every moment!

These past two weeks have taught me a lot. I dove headfirst into motherhood with the notion that anything I expect will probably turn out totally different, and I was right. For starters, everyone's "if you think you're tired now, just wait til he gets here!" proved totally wrong. I'm definitely tired, but not like I expected. Kellen sleeps at night. Not as much as I'd like, but sometimes he'll sleep for 3.5 hours at a stretch, which is awesome!

Kellen also doesn't cry very much. There have been a lot of fussy babies in my family, so I halfway expected him to spend a good deal of each day wailing. You can imagine my relief that he's a quiet little guy!

One of the things I did expect is how much Shaun loves our sweet baby. He's already the best father I've ever seen, and I'm getting teary-eyed just typing that. Having a partner in this parenthood stuff who is patient, loving, and kind is such a blessing.

What I love the most, though, is how my entire perspective on life has changed. It's hard to describe to anyone who doesn't have kids, but the way I view everything, from church sermons to songs to free time at home is different. Somehow a baby brings everything into focus. I feel I understand God's love a fraction more than before, because my love for Kellen is a dim mirror of God's love for me.

This new adventure is by far the favorite I've ever had. It's a tiring, sometimes confusing, always expensive adventure, but it's one of the best things that's ever happened to me. Shaun and I are so blessed to have Kellen. God's given me the best family anyone could ask for.

3/12/12

Kellen Daniel
Born at 11:33 on March 12, 2012
Weighing 8 lbs, 4 oz

My sweet baby boy is finally here, and he's already a week old! Time is already flying, and I'm not sure I like it. I want him to be my teeny little guy for a bit longer than he probably will be.

Last Monday Shaun and I went in to Deaconess at 7:30 a.m., where they induced labor. I originally decided against being induced, but my doctor would be taking a few days off and wanted to be sure she was there for the birth, so I agreed to it. Thank God I did! Turns out Kellen was bigger than anticipated (the doctor guessed 6 to 7 lbs), so any longer and I might've ended up getting a C-section or an episiotomy at the very least (yuck). I've been praising God that my doctor needed vacation time to move into her new house!

During the first few hours of labor, which lasted about 15.5 hours, the nurses and doctor monitored my contractions, asking me how much they hurt on a scale of 1 to 10. When I repeatedly said 1 or 2 they kept calling me a trooper. :) Apparently I was talking and relaxing through contractions that leave other women breathless. Then in the afternoon they broke my water and all that changed. I was still able to talk through most of the contractions, but I've been told my face turned some interesting colors. I'd already settled on having an epidural, but I didn't realize that the contractions would triple in pain right after my water broke. I wanted my epidural NOW!

The hilarious anesthesiologist made a point of telling me repeatedly that I had the perfect back for an epidural and that he was used to working with the "great white American buffalo." All the silly banter made the process pretty painless! After that it was smooth sailing, and while many women swear by the beauty of a natural birth, I couldn't be happier with my decision to have an epidural. I remained calm and clear-headed while I pushed and I was able to thoroughly enjoy my first glimpses and touches of Kellen much more than if I'd been in unnecessary pain.

Future mommies, I highly suggest Dr. Alward and the team at Deaconess for labor and delivery. Their birth center is unparalleled in the OKC area. All the doctors and nurses are as sweet and helpful as can be, and the lactation consultant works wonders. Add in the really nice rooms and calming atmosphere and you've got a winner!

Well folks, that's the story of the day Kellen arrived. I'll have more blogs on Kellen and some of our special moments for you soon! I'd appreciate everyone's prayers as the three of us are embarking on this journey as a family. Everything from Kellen's continued good health to finances to just learning to be godly parents has been on my mind lately. It's a lot to take in!

More week 38: Pregnancy brain

Brain no worky.

To be fair, my brain is working...there's just some sequencing off somewhere. I've heard of pregnancy brain, but this is ridiculous. For the past eight months, I've forgotten to do plenty of stuff, but not quite like this week. I usually forget an entire task, but this past week I've done surprisingly well remembering to get everything done...with the exception of one tiny (but important) detail.

First it was my three cheese chicken and pasta. I put all the ingredients in my skillet, Wanda (yes...she has a name. She is my favorite skillet of all time, so she deserves a name), turned the burner on two notches past medium and slapped the lid on, just like I always do. A few minutes later I noticed it wasn't bubbling like it should, and it took me another minute to realize it was because I had turned the knob the wrong way. Instead of medium high, I had it set between low and medium.

Possibly the same night (I really don't remember), I had just put a small load of Kellen's stuff in the laundry when I realized I'd forgotten to put in a few new onesies. I ran (read: waddled) back to his room, grabbed them, and ran back to the washer. I opened the lid...and saw enough water in there for a leprechaun to go swimming. I had forgotten to reset the load size, so instead of "small," it was set on "extra large." -.- Not a big deal, but highly annoying.

Fast forward to tonight...when I started frustrating myself to no end. Mom and I ran some errands and ended with a trip to WalMart so I could pick up cookie ingredients. I double-checked the recipe, declared that I had everything I needed, and headed home. Around 7:15, when I decided to start baking, I realized I'd forgotten something: eggs. I read the recipe twice, I've made this type of cookie a hundred times...yet I forgot one of the most important ingredients. *sigh*

Shaun kindly went to Braum's and picked up some eggs for me and I got started baking. I was putting the first batch in the oven when I realized that I set out the salt, but I never put any in the dough. I decided maybe it wasn't important and went ahead with my cookies.

Turns out they taste just fine, but apparently pregnancy has stolen my ability to tell when cookies are done. The first batch literally fall apart on my cookie rack. And when I say "on" my cookie rack, I really mean "through" my cookie rack. Cookies pieces everywhere.

So here I sit, drowning my sorrows in some nice cold milk and eating broken cookie pieces. I'm pretty sure I've had about 1/3 gallon of milk, but at least I'm not drowning my sorrows in what I really want: cookie dough. I think this is why I haven't baked much in the past few months. I can't handle the temptation!

I suppose Shaun was right when he recently told me "I know what a man's job is in pregnancy. The woman eats for two, the man thinks for two. In my case, anyway" At the time I wasn't so amused, but I have to admit he's right.

Hey, guess what? Still pregnant.

Since my last blog was super short, I feel like I can take license to write as long as I want for this one. Let's face it...I like to ramble.

Today marks the 38th week. Gotta tell ya, I am tired of being pregnant. Being pregnant means I don't get to meet Kellen yet, and it means I get to deal with all these stupid pregnancy woes, like the heartburn. And the nausea. And the tiredness. And the rib pain. And all the other little things like that.

I haven't been too emotional throughout the past 8+ months (that I know of), but I think it's starting to catch up with me. I've seen several Facebook friends who were due after me have their babies early, and the other day it actually made me cry. Yep...I cried out of baby jealousy. Ridiculous, I know.

Every time I read an article saying that women as close to delivering as myself should get extra rest and generally take it easy, I just have to laugh. Who has time for that? I've got tons of work to get done before maternity leave, I've got a crazy amount of housework to do, and I've been helping Shaun get the first issue of the scene[essence] magazine done! So, silly articles: I laugh at your naivete.

Speaking of the magazine, I'm really excited about it. Last night I finished up a fun article about Mitch Brown, the tour manager for Woe, Is Me. He's been a friend of ours since the first time we met the WIM guys in 2010, and he's one of the most impressive young guys in the music industry today if you ask me. If you don't go read about him...I'll cry. Seriously. I'm pregnant. The waterworks could start any time.

...You'll also love the rest of the magazine! Articles about great music + Shaun's super-cool designs = pure awesomeness.

In the midst of all this craziness, I've found myself yearning to go on vacation worse than I can ever remember. I think it might have something to do with knowing I won't get to go anywhere for quite a while! I'm starting to get cabin fever. I'm just ready to go somewhere peaceful. Somewhere that doesn't involve work or other everyday tasks!

I guess that's all that's going on in my exciting little world lately. And when I say exciting, I mean the opposite, because my entire existence is revolving around waiting right now lol. If anyone feels the urge to help me whittle away at my pre-baby to do list, come on over! :)

 Yep. I get this a lot.

Weeks 37/38 in numbers

3 - The number of baby showers Kellen has had

18 - The number of packages of diapers we've been given (that's a lot of diapers!)

15 - Days until Kellen's due date

37 - The number of weeks I've been pregnant (tomorrow is 38 weeks)

24 - The number of pounds I've gained so far

6 to 7 - The approximate weight the doctor is guessing for Kellen's birth weight

4.5 million - The approximate number of times I've complained about how much my ribs hurt

Since this blog is entirely too short, here, have a cartoon!

{Week 35 - Are we there yet?}

30 days until Kellen's due date! I have tons to get done before our lil' guy gets here, but I still hope he decides to come a little early. I'm ready to see him and I'm ready to have the ability to take a deep breath again!

Third trimester has been an adventure and I've found several things I can't live without lately. These days I'm in love with my Boppy pregnancy wedge, Tums, and ice. My Boppy because it's the best pillow ever and helps me get a bit of sleep, Tums because stomach acid is trying to eat up my insides, and ice because I've been anemic/iron deficient and I guess eating ice is a symptom.

Unfortunately, even with my Boppy I don't sleep much these days. If Kellen's not kicking me, the ribs on my right side are hurting like they've been knocked out of place. It's not so fun! Makes me feel like this:

(by the way, check out this cartoonist's blog here. She is hilarious!)

Today I stayed home from work, avoiding the crazy drivers in the snow. I fully intended to get tons of work done in the morning then go in at 1 after the snow had melted, but that didn't happen. Instead I was a bum. All day. I felt really bad about it, but Shaun keeps reminding me that with everything I've been doing and how little sleep I've had, I need to take a break and rest on occasion. I won't get that opportunity after Kellen is born!

Speaking of Shaun, I'm pretty sure there's not a better husband around. He's been so helpful! I've even caught him doing the dishes when I hadn't asked him to. :) If I had a best husband trophy I'd award it to him!

{Baby shower}

(Most of these photos were stolen from my Mom. I forgot to bring my camera!)

Saturday was baby shower numero uno! It was put together by Margaret, Nina, Sue, and JoAnn, and they did such a great job! When I think of baby showers I always think of cutesy baby blue decorations and silly-looking cakes (this is possibly because I rarely go to baby showers), but these lovely ladies went above and beyond! They put together a baseball-themed shower, complete with Cracker Jacks, hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn, good ol' fashioned bubble gum, and baseball-shaped cake pops! I loved it, especially since I got to have all my fave snacks lol.

I got some amazing presents, including this quilt by Elaine and a blue, red, and cream afghan handmade by my cousin Earlene!

You can't really tell in this photo, but Kellen got so much awesome stuff. We're blessed to have such generous friends and family! You can't really see it in the photo, but we even got the little baby spa (it has a wee little jacuzzi jet!) I registered for but never really expected to get. The hostesses got it for me!

Thanks again to everyone who came and gave us such lovely gifts! It means more than you know to us. :)

Well, folks, I leave you with a photo I couldn't resist including. Allysha decided to ham it up for the camera!