fun in the sun!

Katelyn had her fourth birthday party this morning.  She invited all of her friends and we planned on having a "Fun in the Sun" themed birthday party with sprinklers and wading pools out in the backyard.

We were nervous all week because the weather report predicted an 80% chance of rain for today.  I made some back up plans in case we would be stuck inside and hoped for the best.  This morning, as Dave and I were getting everything ready for our guests, we looked out the window to see a wall of dark clouds rolling our way.  Fortunately, it rained for a few minutes and the clouds moved by quickly.  We had a beautiful sunny day for Kate's pool party!

Kate and her friends had so much fun sliding into the pool, running through the sprinkler, and playing a relay game with cute little watering cans.

My mom made the most adorable beach cake for Kate.  She created a very detailed ocean side scene of Teddy Grahams sunbathing on little licorice towels and swimming in the ocean with their "Life Savers."  It was perfect for our "Fun in the Sun" party.

Kate had so much fun today.  She is so lucky to have so many great friends.  Thank you to everyone for making Kate's fourth birthday party such a terrific day!

the best date ever

For what seemed like a year of my young preteen life, my sister Lauren watched the movie Miss Congeniality nearly every single day.  Sometimes she would watch it more than once in an afternoon.

Needless to say, I became very familiar with the plot, the characters, and some memorable quotes.

In one of those quotes, Miss Rhode Island is asked to describe her idea of the perfect date.  To which she replies...

"That's a tough one.  I'd have to say April 25th because it's not too hot, not too cold.  All you need is a light jacket."

Four years ago, April 25th was scheduled to be the "perfect date."  My first little baby was due on that day.  But while Miss Rhode Island (and later Miss America) was right about that day being "not too hot" and "not too cold," she was a little off on what would really be one of the best dates of my life.

Here are a few of the most memorable moments from that perfect day, April 28th.

The day before Katelyn was born, Dave graduated from Utah Valley University.  That was two days past my due date.  Everyone told me I wouldn't be able to attend the graduation and I said, "Watch me."  I determined that whether I had a baby in my belly or a baby in my arms, I would watch Dave receive his diploma.  And I did.

Katelyn was induced because I went for a routine checkup and there happened to be an empty room in labor and delivery.  I was overdue and tired and nervous about going into labor.  Dave had graduated that morning and we were going to have a family dinner that evening so he suggested that instead of walking over to the hospital to be administered magical potions that would make my delivery delightfully pain free, I should wait until the following Monday.  I remember thinking that it would be hard to deliver a baby after my head exploded into a million pieces all over Dave.

After making the (nearly) unanimous decision that we would have the baby that night, I started to panic.  I called my mom and told her to GET TO THE HOSPITAL RIGHT AWAY.  She asked if she could wait for half an hour so my brother could give her a ride.  I proceeded to make a scene right there in the lobby of the hospital next to the "It's a Girl" balloons.

I never felt any pain at all because of the epidural but I almost did pass out.  Passing out is one of my biggest fears right behind rabies, SIDS, and bird feathers.  As soon as whatever cocktail of medicinal juice was injected, I went into a cold sweat and the corners of my vision got really black and I panicked.  I remember thinking that my last frame of vision would be the dream team of my mom and Dave furiously fanning my face with the legal papers we were still filling out.  Apparently, passing out from an epidural is fairly common and I didn't have the chance to pass out before the anesthesiologist pushed some different brand of liquid into my IV.

Once the epidural was administered, I was supposed to sleep because it was the middle of the night but I couldn't.  I was way too excited.  After Dave fell asleep and my mom settled into a chair, I turned to watching reruns of Roseanne (which I love) that eventually turned into reruns of Three's Company (which I hate).  In the hustle of the grand event, the TV was left on and Katelyn was greeted to the world by the sounds of "Come and knock on our door.  We've been waiting for you," which, now that I think of it, was kind of appropriate given the circumstances.

When Katelyn was finally born and placed on my chest my world changed in a way that I don't think I'll ever have words to eloquently describe.  Although I had carried that sweet baby around for forty weeks and three days, in that moment I knew that I had become a mother right then.  And yet, at the same time, she was so familiar.  It was like a portal of heaven had opened and in walked the Katelyn, my baby, who I had known for eternity and missed for twenty five years.  It was an other worldly experience that was so special it makes me want to consider having litters and litters of children.

Dave went with Katelyn while she was being bathed.  The nurses gave me fair warning that she was being taken into another room but I assumed a bath would take about five minutes.  She was gone for several hours! (It was really more like forty five minutes.) My mom and in laws started filing into the recovery room I had been wheeled into.  The mood was festive and everyone seemed to be celebrating.  I just kept asking different people, "Where's my baby?  Have you seen my baby?  When are they bringing her back to me?"

Katelyn had a bit of a cone head and some swelling in her face from birth.  I remember everyone kept telling me that the swelling would go down and her head would round out eventually.  I had no idea what they were talking about.  I'm not just saying this to be dramatic but, to me, I looked at her and was staring into the face of perfection.

I was really worried that a baby snatcher would come in and swipe this jewel of a baby.  I refused to keep Kate in the nursery and made my mom and Dave help me by taking shifts in an all night vigil to watch over my precious Katelyn.  Eventually, my mom turned into Hercules and actually moved my bed so that it would block Katelyn's crib.  That way, if anyone wanted to take her, they would have to physically climb over my body to get to her.  I finally slept but with one eye open.

When I came home from the hospital, my mom had cleaned my apartment and my Dad and sister were on their way home from the store with fresh groceries for my fridge.  This included a twelve pack of Diet Coke which I had somehow abstained from during most of my pregnancy.  I felt like I had stumbled into heaven.  I remember sitting on the couch with my tiny new baby surrounded by my family and feeling so excited about the rest of my eternity.

Sometimes it feels like April 28, 2012 was just yesterday and some days it feels like a lifetime ago.  That beautiful baby girl made me a mother and in these four short years has taught me so much about happiness and laughter and Hello Kitty and Peppa Pig and unconditional love.  Four short years and one day ago, I hadn't even met her and now I can't imagine what life would be like without her in my life.  She is one of the best things to ever happen to me and I am so grateful that I get to be her mother.

Happy Birthday Katie Girl!

sir sam is born!

Baby Sam is finally born!

I say finally fully realizing that I haven't blogged in over seven months and most people didn't realize I was pregnant until I was telling them I would be induced the next week.

However, for me, finally seemed an appropriate word.

It felt like I was pregnant for FOREVER!  The ironic thing is that I don't really mind being pregnant.  In fact, I kind of almost prefer it to not being pregnant.  I feel healthier and I lose weight and my adult onset acne clears up.  If I could be pregnant about fifty more times, I would be back down to my fighting high school weight.

Really, my pregnancy was not bad at all.  I felt great and I loved feeling little Sam rolling around and kicking me.  I was just very excited to meet him and forty weeks is a really long time.

At my 37 week check up, my doctor told me that I could be induced the week of October 13th.  It was decided that I would report to the the hospital at 8PM on the thirteenth to meet my little boy.  We were all so excited.

I spent the week before cleaning and organizing my house.  I guess the nesting thing never really kicked in.  I waited until the last possible minute to get things ready for Sam.  Dave and I spent the Saturday before celebrating my birthday a little early.  He took me on a duck tour of Galveston.  Several months before we took Kate on a beach trip and passed by a duck tour bus and I casually mentioned that ever since I was a little girl I had wanted to go on a duck tour.  I couldn't believe he remembered!

That evening my family and I ran a glow stick 5k in downtown Houston.  That's right.  I dragged my nine month pregnant self on a 5k.  And when I say dragged, I mean dragged.  I walked so slowly that my mom and I were literally the last people on the trail.  The race officials had to wait for us to walk by so that they could start picking up the orange cones and reopen the street to traffic.  Whatever.

And then came Monday which turned out to feel like the longest day of my life.  First of all, I got absolutely no sleep the night before.  I was a mixture of nervous and excited all at the same time and I just could not shut down.  I was so happy to see the light of day.  That, however, started the long, long wait until 8PM when we could go to the hospital.  The day was especially long for me because I was on a clear liquid diet and I was starving.  It wasn't so much medically necessary as I was just afraid of throwing up in labor like I did with Kate.  My doctor had suggested a clear liquid diet the day before.  So on Monday I was hungry and tired and nervous and excited.  I still threw up.

Finally, 8PM rolled around and my mom and Dave and I drove over to the hospital.  I got all settled in and we watched TV until they were ready to get Pitocin going at 1AM.  I opted for the pain free experience and got my epidural before things got going.  I was able to sleep in little bits here and there but it's really hard to rest with a blood pressure cuff going on every half hour.

So, I have to admit, that I think I might have gotten a little spoiled with my delivery experiences because, even though I knew that I was lucky to still not know what a contraction feels like, I got a little cranky that I was having to wait so long for Sam to be ready for his arrival.  I mean, I was uncomfortable!

=

Right before it was time to push though, I actually really was uncomfortable because I kept throwing up and it was making me miserable.  Dave was so great.  He kept a cool wash cloth on my head and did the best thing he could to distract me from everything.  He showed me videos of Katelyn that were on his phone.  Nothing makes a mother happier than seeing videos of her precious baby.

Finally, it was time for Sam to be born.  My mom and Dave were so wonderful!  I was so glad to have them with me, not only because of their support but also because I was happy that they got to share this amazing experience with me.

As soon as Sam was born, they placed him on my chest and I burst into tears of joy.  One of the first things I said was how much I thought he looked like Kate.  It was like a flash back to two and a half years before when I met Katelyn for the very first time.  It's an amazing to me how, in one moment the number of people in the room grows by one most precious arrival.

Sam was born in what they call the "sunny side up" position which made it a lot more difficult for him to be born and also resulted in a major welt on his forehead.  Everyone kept assuring me that it would go away and, looking back on the pictures I can see the bump but, in that moment, I thought he was the most handsome baby boy I had ever laid eyes on.

I still think he is.

27 years - a birthday pictorial