A walk to remember...

Just wanted to share some fab photos from our gorgeous Fall walk the other day...

















Oh, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

One Week

Looky who's a week old today!



Time sure does fly when you're having fun! And no, I'm not being sarcastic - we really are having a blast with our new little man. The fact that my hubby is off with me for 3 weeks is helping with this. It is SOOOOOOOOO nice to be able to spend some serious family bonding time together. And with the weather getting cooler and cooler and the leaves falling off the trees, it feels extra good to just hunker inside our cozy home. I imagined life after Landon arrived to be a lot more chaotic than it is. But, Leila is adjusting fabulously and absolutely loves her little bro. And we are actually keeping up on the laundry and dishes. And Landon is an absolute angel. He didn't even cry AT ALL during his circumcision the other day. Not even a peep when they numbed his little weiner. We are so lucky.



So, I apologize if my blog is solely focused on my new little love and boring home life for a while. I'm just living it up in la-la-land right now. So bear with me. There will still be dream doing and me stuff in my future. :-)

But for now, there is just this...

Wise Words Wednesday: Sleep Deprivation

"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bank balance smaller, home happier, clothes dirty, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for." - Unknown

We are settling back into life with a newborn... sleep deprivation and all. Wanna know what makes coping with sleep deprivation a little bit easier?

This...

My hubby's pumpkin bars & an extra hot white chocolate mocha...


And especially this...

Seeing the love in Leila's eyes for her baby bro...


And flowers never hurt either...

Thanks Momma!


I'm just super duper grateful for this time I get to spend at home with my family. God is good!

Landon's Birth Story

On October 21, 2011 at 4:22pm one of the most precious blessings in my life entered the world. Landon Drew was born after only a few hours of active labor. He is perfect in every way. Here is his birth story...

Landon Drew...7 lbs 14 oz, 21.5 in long...


I had an induction scheduled for 7:30am on 10/21 (5 days post due date). At 6am I received a call from the hospital saying that they wouldn't be able to get me in right away that morning due to staffing issues. I was pretty frustrated just because I was SO ready to get this thing over with and meet my little man. I ended up spending the next couple of hours getting nervous and waiting for the hospital to tell me when I could come in. They ended up having us come in at 9am - not too bad!

After getting settled into our room the waiting game continued. It took a good couple of hours just to get an IV in me (bad veins = no fun at all) and get an order for pitocin put in. They finally were able to start the pitocin drip around 11am. After 2 hours on the pit (and several dosage increases), I still wasn't having any painful contractions. Sure, they were coming somewhat regularly, but they weren't too uncomfortable. I kept telling the nurse to crank it up because I was ready to get the show on the road! My mom, BFF Jessica & Andy kept me entertained and distracted with silly name suggestions via the internet (we still hadn't decided on a name at that point).

Around 1pm my OB FINALLY showed his face and decided to break my water. I was close to 4cm dilated at that point. Within 20 minutes the pain was on! But, I really only had to deal with it for an hour and a half because by 2:30 I had my epidural. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I immediately expressed my love to the anesthesiologist afterwards. :-)

The next couple of hours flew by and before I knew it my baby boy was in my arms. I went from a 4 to a 10 and ready to push in under 3 hours. Once the pushing started things got crazy in my delivery room. For some reason I ended up with a ton of people surrounding me. Andy, my mom and Jessica were all there along with a few random medical students, various nurses, the doctor - 10 people besides myself! Not what I would have wanted, but in the moment I couldn't have cared less. I started pushing around 3:50pm and Landon Drew was in my arms at 4:22pm. Sooooooooo much better than the 1-2 hours of pushing I endured with Leila Jade!







Overall, I wouldn't trade my birth experience with him for anything. And now I know I progress quickly (I also went from a 3-4 to a 10 with Leila super quickly), so I totally don't mind being in an induced/controlled condition (just so that I actually have time to get the epidural).



Right after the delivery, I was able to breastfeed Landon and he took onto it like a champ! We spent about an hour in the delivery room after he was born before getting moved to our recovery room where Leila got to meet her baby brother for the first time.

Leila was a little confused and overwhelmed when she first got there...


And the look on her face was priceless when she made the connection that baby brother was no longer in my belly, we were actually able to hold him!






And, Leila loved the new baby doll that Landon brought her as a gift...


Now we are all at home together and Leila is soooooooooooooo in love and obsessed with her baby bro. That's actually the hardest part of this whole thing so far! She wants to hold him and change his diaper all the time, it's a little exhausting. BUT, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

As for little Landon, he's an angel baby so far {knock knock knock on wood}. He just sleeps and eats and poops. And barely fusses {knocking on wood again}. I'm just counting my blessings right now. BUT, I do know that things won't always be this easy. It is only day 3 after all.

Here are a couple more pics of my new little love...

He's here!!!

Landon Drew was born at 4:22pm weighing 7 lbs 11 oz and measuring 21.5 in long. He's beautiful and we are so in love. Don't know how to post a pic via my phone so you'll have to wait until we get home tomorrow for the birth story and photo overload. :-)

Baby Authority: Splurge vs. Save?

OMG, I'm having a baby - TOMORROW!!! I promise I will try to update my blog via my iphone as soon as little man arrives. In the mean time, BabyAuthority.com shared this GREAT infographic with me and since my brain is in all these places right now, I thought I'd share it with you. It totally got me thinking...

Click to Enlarge Image

Should You Splurge On Your Baby Or Save - Graphic & Marketing by Yellow Robin

Wise Words Wednesday: Calm Before the Storm

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” - Rabindranath Tagore

Nope, no baby yet. But, I'm okay with it. I think I'm experiencing the calm before the storm. Enjoying moments of quiet time (or not so quiet time with Leila) before my world is briefly turned upside down during the adjusting-to-having-a-newborn-and-toddler time period.

Mentally I feel good...and ready. Physically I'm quite uncomfortable, but it could always be worse. Today was my last day at work. Tomorrow (if baby doesn't come) I will enjoy one last day alone with my darling Leila - as a mommy of one. It will be bittersweet. I plan on savoring each second with her and devoting all of my attention her way. And, of course, we will talk a lot about how baby brother will be here on Friday.

I'm so looking forward to seeing how my smiley little girl reacts to meeting her baby bro for the first time.







Stay tuned. I promise to keep you updated once the storm hits. :-)

40 weeks

I made it! Full term! Here's my FINAL weekly belly shot post (well, until next baby that is). It's a little bittersweet actually.

Please don't judge the bikini pic - Leila was due on a 90 degree 4th of July, so I thought it was appropriate. ;-)


Final pregnancy tid-bits...

• After feeling very uncomfortable and impatient towards the end of last week, I am now feeling great and calm and ready for baby boy to get here whenever. And if that means I have to wait until my Friday induction, that's totally fine with me now.
• It's funny because now that I am all relaxed about it, my hubby is getting anxious... FINALLY!
• Little Man continues to be quite the mover. Limbs jut out of me every which way now and then. I'm going to miss feeling his movements inside me.
• I can't wait to see his face in person. Will he look just like Leila? Like Andy? Like me?
• Still not looking forward to the sleepless nights, though.
• Or the diaper changes.
• Or the breastfeeding pain.
• But, the pros still outweigh the cons. :-)

Wow, I still can't believe I'm approaching the end of this pregnancy. It has FLOWN by. Seriously. Whereas I felt like I was preggo FOREVER with Leila Jade. Craziness I say!

I hate to tag myself as a failure, but I've pretty much failed at finishing up my pre-baby to do list. But, that's just life! Things happen that are outside of our control and we have to prioritize what really matters. And in terms of my life, cleaning the office and starting to make my jewelry just got pushed down the life priority list. And that doesn't mean they won't get done. Just not before my little man gets here.

Put out the good labor & delivery vibes for me people! Can't wait to share the birth story with you all!

Pre-baby Pumpkin Patch Fun

First off... Happy Due Date to ME! (the FINAL weekly belly shot pic will post tomorrow... if I'm not at the hospital) I have tried my hardest to get my labor to start this weekend, but no such luck. I did however have a fabulous time with my friends & fam... especially when we ventured off to the pumpkin patch.



We seriously lucked out with some awesome Fall weather this past weekend - crisp, cool air with lots of sunshine. Perfect for the looooonnnnnnngggggg walks we took through the pumpkins and around town.





After feeling like absolute crap on Friday (following the annoyingly painful night of prodromal labor), I surprisingly have felt GREAT all weekend and feel like I could stay pregnant forever if I had to (well, at least until Friday when my induction is scheduled).







It was so nice to spend a lot of last minute (literally) quality time with my little princess. Daddy had to work, so we did some serious bonding. I know I'll always be able to have alone time with "just us girls," but I also know it will never be the same as it is right now once this little man gets here.

I'm excited for what's to come over the next few days.

Prodromal Labor

Ever heard of this? Well, I had the pleasure of experiencing it first hand for most of last night. Lucky me.

Pre-labor, also called "prodromal labor," consists of the early signs before labor starts. It is the body's preparation for real labor. Prodromal labor has been misnamed as “false labor." Prodromal labor begins much as traditional labor but does not progress to the birth of the baby.
Courtesy of Wikipedia

Last night around 9pm I thought "maybe this is it!" After 20 minutes of 5-minute-apart uncomfortable contractions, I was getting excited. But I knew they had to keep up for at least an hour before I could really get excited. And they did. Every 5-6 minutes like clockwork another one would kick in, lasting around 1 minute in length. They weren't strong enough to take my breath away, but they definitely weren't just plain ole braxton hicks. By 10pm exhaustion took over and I decided to hit the hay. I figured that if I couldn't sleep through them, then maybe it was time to head to the hospital. Long story short... I was up off and on until 3am with the suckers. They were coming every 5-10 minutes until that time. And then... they just stopped.

At least I slept ok from 3-6am.

When I got in the shower at 6:15 to get ready for work, I was angry. But at the same time I was grateful that I didn't rush to the hospital just to get sent home for "false labor." I just feel like I'm going crazy now!

Maybe I should have just taken my doc up on the offer to get induced this weekend. This waiting game is killing me. I am so uncomfortable and super scared because I know it could happen at any minute! And my biggest fear? That I'm going to have a SUPER fast labor and won't have time to get an epidural by the time I make it to the hospital. I'm just a big baby when it comes to pain.

Come on little man! Let's do this! No more fake-outs. Time to get down to business and make your grand debut.

Wise Words Wednesday: The Waiting Game

"Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success." - Brian Adams

My baby belly self portrait...


The waiting game begins. Today I realized I am really ready for baby boy to arrive. I've pretty much wrapped things up at work and sure, the house could be cleaner, but I don't really care anymore. I just want to meet my little man.

Time to master the art of patience.

I had my FINAL OB appointment today. Total pregnancy weight gain = 33 lbs and I'm happy with that. And guess what? I'm 3 cm dilated! I know this really doesn't mean much, but the fact that I didn't dilate at all on my own with Leila gives me hope that this baby will choose his own birthday. And if he doesn't? We scheduled an induction for the 21st (just in case). Doc thinks he'll be here before then, though. I hope so!

Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock.

"Momma get you!"

This evening after work, despite feeling extremely uncomfortable (and being 39+ weeks pregnant), I took a few minutes to play a little game of chase outside with my daughter.

Leila says, "Momma get you!"

Side Note: OMG, check out those pine needles! This is the downfall of our beautiful backyard in the Fall. Pooey.

My girl is silly. Whenever we play chase, I say "Momma's gonna get you!" and run after her while she squeals. So, any time she wants me to chase her she'll say, "Momma get you!" (instead of the more proper, "Momma get me!") It cracks me up every time.





It felt good to get outside for a few minutes and run around. Maybe it'll jump start my labor. Yeah, right.

Leila's teacher actually got her to sit still long enough to do her hair today!


Anyhow, just thought I'd share the highlight of my day with you! :-)

39 weeks

Yes, I am still pregnant. And I apologize to those who may not know me in real life who may have thought I had the baby... nope, just been MIA for almost a week (due to baby prep & stress at work & emotional exhaustion).



Wow, I look almost exactly the same this week as I did with Leila last time - even my hair looks the same!  It's funny how some weeks I have looked much bigger and some weeks I look so similar. Craziness I say!

Pregnancy tid-bits for this week...

• I can't believe I only have a week to go (ok, maybe 2 weeks if he decides not to make his own appearance).
• Up until today I have been wanting baby boy to stay inside of me. Yesterday was Mike's memorial and I really wanted to make it through that. Now, he is free to come whenever he wants! Bring it on.
• At the same time I am SO not ready to do this. Terrified of L&D because I know what it's like. Still haven't packed my hospital bag. Work is chaos and I still haven't even met with my boss yet about my maternity leave. But, whatever.
• I AM super excited to have a cute, lil, snuggly baby in the house! :-)
• I am already getting used to the lack of sleep - been sleeping like crap lately. It's so funny how your body prepares you for sleep deprivation before baby even gets here.
• This weekend will be fun...if baby isn't here yet I'm gonna try to make him come. No, I'm not gonna try castor oil or anything too crazy, but I am going to be SUPER active and stay busy and eat lots of spicy food and pineapple. And maybe even try this. Any other suggestions?
• Can't wait to see his sweet face! And figure out a name for him! (ok, maybe that's a lie... I'm kinda dreading having to settle on a name.)

Now, let's see if there will be a "40 weeks" post! Who knows!?

Wise Words Wednesday: Fall in love with Fall

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." - John Ruskin

Okay, so maybe the above quote is a bit of a stretch, but you know I love trying to be optimistic! I tend to be one of those people who the weather affects emotionally. That is, the dark and dreary days of Fall & Winter can often lead me into a bit of seasonal depression. Nothing serious really, just a little case of the dumps.

So, instead of letting today's gloomy, low, wet skies bring me down (and the fact that it is starting to get dark WAY too early), I am choosing to focus on and embrace what I love about this season!

• Pumpkin Spice Lattes (okay, really anything pumpkin flavored)
• Socks, boots, & the occasional scarf
• Colorful leaves
• The crackle & smell of our first fire
• Casseroles
• Crappy weather = easier to hunker in and focus on work
• Snuggles without sticking to each other and/or getting heat stroke
• Seasonal decorations
• My Fall baby is almost here!

Bit by bit I am falling more and more in love with Fall. What's your favorite thing about this season?

38 weeks

Whoa baby! I am large & in charge!



Pregnancy tid-bits for this week...

• Only 2 weeks to go (if even)! I am just in shock. Utter shock.
• At 36 weeks I mentioned that I had lost a few pounds and was actually smaller than I was with Leila at that time. Well... I made up for it. Gained a good 7 lbs. in 2 weeks... cool, huh?
• Last night I was awoken 2-3 times with uncomfortable contractions. Does that mean anything? I don't think so. I've felt pretty good all day today with minor braxton hicks.
• With so much pressure on my stomach now it is getting hard for me to eat a lot. The appetite is still there, so I've been getting myself into trouble. I will pig out and then 20 minutes later all I want to do is puke it all up. I just feel soooooooo bloated. And the acid reflux? I won't even go there.
• I'm scared. I know I've mentioned this before, but I'm even more nervous than I was at this point in the pregnancy with Leila. I was clueless last time. Now I know the pain I'm going to go through during L&D and I know how hard it is to have a newborn. And I don't know what it's like to have a toddler and a newborn, which is even scarier. God grant me the strength...
• So, I really want to make it to my due date. I have so much to wrap up at work and at home before he gets here. BUT, I am super excited for my due date weekend. I am due on a Sunday and I plan on being active ALL weekend and doing everything I can to induce labor naturally. It's exciting! I really want to experience going into labor naturally this time (but I still want the epi!).

That's all I got for now. Sorry for my lame blogging lately. Not gonna lie, I may be pretty pathetic for a while. Wish me luck keeping this baby up once little man gets here! I will try my best, though.