Post Pregnancy Update

Jacob is 1 month old today. I feel like the time has gone by fast. Much faster than with Vessel. I had a difficult time adjusting to life as a new mom with him. When Vessel was a newborn I kept wishing his life away. I thought, "if only you were older then I could enjoy you." Regrettably, I didn't savor those newborn moments with Vessel. I know postpartum depression had a lot to do with that. Plus, I had several other things on my plate at the time including full time school and a calling in YW. And then my sister moved in with us and consequently brought all of her problems along with her too (not to mention my mother's death which still loomed over both of us.) Then there was that hypothyroid problem I was diagnosed with. Yeah, only two words to describe that time in my life: NO BUENO.
But things are so good this time around. I haven't had any postpartum depression or problems with my thyroid. My labor and delivery was great and I had a fantastic experience at the hospital. Last time I was admitted to the emergency room a week after delivery because of a uterine infection. But I haven't had any problems at all since Jacob's birth. I feel healthy and fully recovered for the most part. Wow, I can't believe how blessed I am to have everything going so well these days.
Can I just say, I have such a deep love for both of my kids? Jacob is so sweet and mild. I love cuddling with him. He is an amazing little babe. He eats well and sleeps like a dream. I can say this because Vessel NEVER slept through the night until he was over a year old. I blame myself for that. This time I've tried doing the "Babywise" methods and they are working great. When I was pregnant with Vessel I heard about the book "On becoming Babywise" and was told by numerous people that it was awful and basically child abuse. I vowed to steer clear of the book and just parent my child however it felt natural to me. And then while I was pregnant with Jacob I heard a couple of friends praising the book and I decided to read it for myself. So I picked up a copy at the library, and I just have to say that it is far from child abuse. In fact, I think it's a genius book! Jacob has started sleeping 6-8 hours straight through the night. I think a lot of this has to do with me applying the "babywise" techniques from the book. Anyway, having a baby on a good eat/wake/sleep cycle has done wonders for me. I feel way less exhausted this time than I did with Vessel.
Speaking of Vessel, things with him are going super as well. I was worried that when the baby was born he was going to be resentful, mean, and bitter. But he has certainly surprised me. Jacob couldn't ask for a more loving brother. Vessel has never tried to intentionally hurt the baby. He always want to love on him and kiss and hug him and stroke his hair. It's so sweet to watch. He calls Jacob HIS baby. It's nice that he hasn't been lashing out too much. I think having family visit for a couple of weeks helped because Vessel was lavished with attention while Mike and I could focus more on Jacob. Vessel is still just as loving towards me and Mike too. Of course, he has his days. He is a 3 year old after all. :) But he is a good little boy and I feel totally blessed that I get to be his mama. And that kid makes me laugh. He is getting so smart and says some of the funniest things I've ever heard. One of the best parts of having little kids is to hear the things that come out of their mouths. :)
So that is how the post pregnancy is going. I wasn't expecting things to be going as smoothly as they have, but I'm not complaining. If one thing can go right in my life, I'd rather it be with my little family than anything else.

Life....and stuff

Jacob likes to punch himself in the eye.

Cuteness.

Black and white cuteness.

Not a fan of bath-time.

Mike turned the big 2-8 on July 13th. I made sure to "Rick Roll" him twice. And both times he fell for it. I rock.
I made a basket full of treats with balloons and a card with the best Dwight Schrute quote on it. I also made him a cake (which Mike's mom frosted and decorated) and his favorite Indian food.

Then I blindfolded him and drove all over creation to try and disorient him.

Then we ended up at the grassy area near the Civic Center where the farmer's market is held. I hired a couple musicians to play a private concert for us. They played "our song" and a few DMB covers because that's Mike's favorite artist.

Then we busted out the "booze."

Mike's parents came to stay for a little over a week. They were a HUGE help with the kiddos. We spent a day in Helena with them. Here is Vessel and grandma on the carousel ride. It took a lot of persuasion to get him to ride on an animal and not the freakin' bench. Ha ha.

Then we ate at the supposed best sandwich place in Helena called the Staggering Ox. This is what my club sammich looked like. There were a lot of artsy paintings which gave the place a cool ambiance.


Uh, that's all the pics I've got to share right now. Thank you for viewing.

Who is Who?

A.

B.

A. Vessel
B. Jacob

Jacob Phoenix

After 5 days the kid finally has a name. It was tough, you guys. We went through at least 10 baby name books, and online baby name sites, and we even went through the dictionary. If I had my way he would've been named Riven Jacob as soon as he was born, but Mike was not into that. I understand where he's coming from though. If he had his way the boy would be named Dallin, and I so wasn't into that. Anyway, here he is. Little Jacob. And here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

He loves sucking on his hand. It's really cute.

And here's a cute one of Vessel with his new bike riding gear!

Learning how to live life with two children....

Thursday the 24th I went in for another NST (non stress test) to make sure the baby was doing all right. His heartbeat was good and he was still very active. But my doctor gave me the schpeel about the risks and complications that can occur from being overdue. (Yeah, after realizing that still birth was one of them, it pretty much scared the crap out of me.) I was 9 days overdue at that point and figured I might as well just bite the bullet. So the next day I got induced. It would've been nice if nature had just taken it's course and I began labor on my own, but in the end, it wasn't that big of a deal.

Here I am getting ready for them to hook me up to some pitocin.

The contractions were actually pretty bearable until the doctor broke my water. Then they became really intense and I just didn't have the mental or physical energy to deal with that kind of pain. I was suffering from a cold, I got zero sleep the night before, and hadn't eaten since the previous day. So I decided to get an epidural this time. I must say, it was a godsend for me. It wasn't like what I expected at all. I guess that just proves you gotta try something before you judge it. Anyway, I was able to sleep through my contractions. I was at 3 cm and within about an hour and a half I was at a 10 and ready to push. After 3 contractions of pushing, the little man child was born. I am going to spare you the blood and gore pictures. Nobody wants to see my baby all covered in blood and fluid, except maybe me, right? :)

Here I am in all my post pregnancy glory with the kiddo.

And here's my baby daddy.

And proud big brother holding the baby for the first time.

Here is the kiddo enjoying the heat lamp while he gets his first sponge bath.

Uh, can I have a little privacy?

Getting his hur did.

Mike with his new little friend.

Time to go home!

Stats-
Name: N/A as of now
Weight: 8 lb. 12 oz.
Length: 20 3/4 in.
Hair: Brown
Eye: Muddy blue
Born: 6/25/10 12:01 pm

Big Day

Tomorrow I'm getting induced. Please pray for me. If you don't pray, please send good vibes and well wishes my way. Or at least wish me luck. :)

I don't have the energy to think of a cool title for this post

Hi, dear readers. Are you there?
'Cause I'm not. Well, mentally I'm not here. But most people would say that's all part of being pregnant. Perhaps. Maybe I'm just a little bit stressed. A little bit hormonal. And a tad on the crazy side lately. Not to mention irritable. I really can't say I know what's going on for sure, but I hope it passes soon. Like, right now. :)
On a bright note, my house is absolutely immaculate. Top to bottom, everything is in order and everything is clean. Now, if I didn't live with two other people, it might stay that way. :) Okay, okay, Mike and Vessie aren't slobs. I just have obsessive compulsive disorder. Maybe not full blown. But, yeah, I'd venture to say I'm mildly OCD. Just throwin' that out there in case anyone wants to know some juicy detail about ME.
So what's been going on with me these days you ask? Well, let me tell you. It's been rainy, cold and wet for the past...uhm....I dunno, two weeks or so it seems. We didn't get much of a spring and at this point it doesn't look like we'll have much of a summer either. Lo and behold, do my eyes deceive me? Is the sun actually showing it's cowardly face now? It's about time. The thing about the rain (besides being a bit depressing) is that it's hindered Mike and me from getting any real yard work accomplished lately. It's raining any time Mike has a little free time to work outside. It's definitely a bummer. He did get the retaining wall built. And was able to put stone tile around the fire pit a couple weekends ago. (Although, he still needs to do the grout.) We also got our front door replaced. But as far as other projects go, the sod hasn't been laid, the path hasn't been made, and the garden...well, I don't know if we'll have a garden this year after all. It's very sad to me. I think it's just too late in the year to plant anything now. So much has been going on that some things have just fallen by the wayside. Hopefully some good weather comes our way soon so we can actually make a dent in our projects.
What else? Well, I'm overdue. Just by three days, so it's not too bad yet. I'm just getting impatient I guess. I saw a woman from our ward yesterday while I was shopping and she told me she was 3 weeks overdue with one of her children! Is that even possible? Although, I think they must've had her due date wrong, her comment did not comfort me in the least.
We still haven't come up with a name for the baby. It's been a constant battle this entire pregnancy. Mike really likes the name Dallin. He even liked that name back when I was pregnant with Vessel. I am not a big fan of that name. Believe me, I've really tried to like it, but for some reason I just can't. My top choice for a name at this point is Riven. I think it looks and sounds awesome. The literal word comes from "rive" meaning to split or be ripped apart by force. Kind of unusual for a name, and yet I LOVE IT. It's the only name I've really liked this whole 9 months. Mike doesn't seem to care for it much, unfortunately. I wish we could come up with a name we both like that also has special meaning to us. I also tend to lean towards names that are unique. Vessel fits perfectly into that category. I'm sure if we named our 2nd son Riven, he'd be the only one in his class with that name. I told Mike that if I had to get a cesarean section, it would be cool to name the baby Riven. Because he would quite literally be riven from my body. Eh, eh? I said if that's what it takes for me to be able to use that name, then BRING ON THE KNIVES, baby!!! Yeah, I'm gross. So, uh... anyway, one name that Mike and I have recently started to like is the name Ember. I've toyed with the name a bit and also like Embry. However, everyone we've mentioned those names to think they are a bit feminine. AGH! I shouldn't care what anyone else thinks, but I'll admit, I kinda do. Psh. I don't know what's going on this kid's birth certificate. Last time, Mike and I knew for awhile that our son's name would be Vessel. There was comfort in having that already established before he was even born. One last thing to worry about, ya know?
I can't think of much else that's going on right now. Just kind of waiting and wondering what this next week holds for us. I'll keep you all posted.

P.S. The baby birds that were in the little nest on our porch have now embarked on their journey away from the nest and mama bird's protection. They grow up so fast. *sniff, sniff*

Anniversaries

This time of year holds many memories since June marks the anniversary of several life events for me.

1 year since getting called as the Primary President
2 years since moving to Montana
2 years since graduating from U of U
3 years since I started this blog
4 years since my mom passed away
6 years since we moved to Japan
7 years since I graduated from BYU-I
10 years since I graduated high school
And this will be the month our new little one is born.

Randomosity: Pregnancy Version

The good, the bad, and the terribly hideous

* Swollen feet

* Swollen ankles

* Swollen fingers (they look like sausages people!)

* Aches and pains (majorly)

* Comments from strangers (e.g. "Wow! You're big!", "You must be having a huge baby!", "Have a nice day, and congratulations!", "You look miserable!", "You look like you're ready to pop!", etc. etc.)

* Napping everyday

* Waddling

* Getting up to pee more times in the night than I'd like to (more than any normal person would like to, I'm sure.)

* Underestimating my ability to fit through tight spaces

* Lacking energy

* Inability to see my feet

* Bending over is a joke

* No comfortable sleep positions

* Anxiety (biggest fear right now: baby's head will be too big to fit through me and I'll have to have a Cesarean section.)

* Late night punches and kicks from the little man

* Feeling like I could drink gallons and gallons of ice water

* No names picked out yet (no, babe, we cannot name our son Jack Bauer Bates."

* Nothing fits (yikes)

* 3 more weeks *sigh*

* Best part about pregnancy:

New Baby Day Camp

We found out that the hospital offered a class to help siblings-to-be learn about newborns and what it will be like to have a new brother or sister in their home. Our friends told us about it so we signed up with them. Even though we've been talking to him about the new baby for some time now, we thought it would be helpful for Vessel to take this class. They watched a movie, read a book, and got to hold a life-like baby.

They got to learn how to change a diaper. Here is Vessel taking the "dirty" diaper off the baby.

Here he is taken back by the fact that this baby has no penis. We had to emphasize (yet again) that girl babies (and adult girls, too) do not have penises. Not that he has to worry about that, since we're having another boy. But it was funny to hear him so concerned about it.

With a clean diaper on baby, he then learned how to wrap the baby up in a blanket.

Ta-da! And here he is holding the baby. So cute. They tried to teach the kids how to hold the head and neck and made sure they understood the importance of having a grown-up present when they wanted to hold their new sibling.

The kids all got nifty little back-packs to take home as a souvenir.

Then they got to take a hike up to the maternity ward and see where their moms will be having the baby. They got to play with the remote control bed and see an actual newborn baby.

Here I am with my friend Jenny. We are due a week apart. It has been fun to be pregnant together. Good times!