The Arrival of Owen...

Here is the story of how Owen arrived....

On Tuesday, October 5th, my water broke at exactly 6 AM. I can't remember if I was awake yet, or if that's what woke me up, but I pretty much thought I peed the bed. I woke up Jer and said 'I gushed or I think I peed myself.' I went to the bathroom and peed and when I stood up, I felt another gush, so I knew for sure that my water had broken. Jer called the doctor while I took a quick shower. The DR said to head on up to the hospital! We called our family (all of our siblings live out-of-town) and told them Owen was on his way!

We took about 30 minutes to get ready and headed off to the hospital. I was admitted and in a gown at about 7 AM. The nurse checked me and said I was definitely in labor! Jer and I were very calm at this point, but very excited.

My nurse checked me about every 2 hours and I was progressing at about 1 CM every time I was checked. At 10 AM, my DR said I could get an epidural and I was all for it! Right before I got the epidural, my contractions were starting to get pretty intense. The epidural was not as bad as I thought it was going to be, it was definitely painful and a weird pain, but it wasn't anything unbearable.

The rest of the day is kind of a blur, I slowly progressed and I think around 1 AM on Wednesday, I was finally 10 CM! His head wasn't very low, I think he was at a -2 if I remember correctly. I was on my third nurse by now and she couldn't tell whether he was facing up or down. I started to push at about 2 AM and the 'nice' nurse told me I would be pushing for a good 2 hours. Yeah. She was quite the optimist. I would rather have been lied to at this point and not told I would have to push for 2 hours, but she wasn't the nicest of nurses. ;)

Anyways, I pushed for about 30 minutes and made no progress. So, we chilled for about an hour and then tried to push again. My DR came in at this point and said that his head was not going to fit through my pelvis and his head was in an awkward position, so the best thing would be to have a c-section. For the last couple of hours of labor I also had a fever, so it was best to get him out sooner than later. For some reason, I knew I was going to have a c-section all along. I wasn't surprised, just disappointed that I had labored for almost 24 hours only to have a c-section!

Owen was born at a WHOPPING 9 lbs 11 oz at 5:08 AM. He was 22 inches long. I vaguely remember (I was pretty drugged at this point) someone saying 'he's a kindergartner' when they pulled him out! We had no idea he was going to be this big and no idea where it came from.

Jer and I heard his first cries when he was first born and both burst into tears when we heard it. We were both surprised when he was immediately carried out of the room after he was born and both got worried. Everyone assured us that everything was fine and he was brought back to us to meet.

Unfortunately, due to my fever (which was caused by an infection due to me being in labor and without amniotic fluid for so long) we both had to be given antibiotics and he had to spend the first 2 days of life in the NICU. This was upsetting, but I'm very thankful that he wasn't in there for more serious reasons.

Here are some pictures!

Jer and I feel so blessed to finally have Owen here with us. He is such a joy and the love of our lives! We are both so obsessed with him and 'fight' over who gets to hold him! More pictures to come, hopefully I can get better with blogging!

XOXO Haley

Introducing.....

Owen Ross

9 lbs 11 oz

22 in

His birth story to come soon....

XOXO Haley

Birthday Wishes

My birthday planning this year has definitely taken a back seat this year! Ever since we found out back in February that my due date for Owen would fall on my 25th birthday this year, I honestly have barely thought about my birthday. That doesn't mean I haven't thought about what I want, we just haven't made any plans as to what we are going to do. We don't know if baby Owen will be here by then, so we are playing it by ear. But here are a few things I've had my eye on:

Black, leather, over-the-knee boots:

The little girl in me has been WAITING for this movie to come out of the vault:

Some scarlet ensembles to cheer on the Red Raiders from our living room this football season:

A new phone:

Some gift cards would also be nice. My name is Haley and I am addicted to online shopping.

Last, but certainly not least, my birthday would be unforgettable if I got to hold this little boy in my arms by then:

We have our appointment tomorrow, so we are hoping GREAT things come from it. Prayers are appreciated for some progression.

boots

movie

dress

sweater

phone

XOXO Haley

Thankful Thirty Eight

First, I want to thank everyone who commented or sent me a message on Facebook in response to my last post. I am very gracious for all of the sweet words and for making me feel NORMAL. I love blogging and I love how the people who blog can support one another when so desperately needed.

Of course Jer knows how I have been feeling, so we made a point to have a date night this past Saturday, just the two of us. We picked a quiet restaurant and I must say, it was exactly what we both needed. On the drive home, I felt peaceful and calm, which I haven't felt in a while. We both agreed that for our sake, we have to set time aside at least a few times a month to go on a real date, just us. We spend a lot of time together alone, but most of it is done with our attention on other things. I honestly didn't realize until this weekend how important uninterrupted one-on-one time with your spouse is.

After dinner, we took a 38 week picture. I haven't done one in a few weeks because I haven't felt 'cute' and have been wearing the same comfy clothes all the time. Here is my huge belly:

Our next appointment isn't until Friday, so hopefully we will see some progress made by then. I really don't want to induce, because my sister had an induction and had to have a c-section. I am all for getting the baby out safely and by whatever means necessary, but I want to make sure he (and my body) are 100% ready. I have been sleeping a little better these days, but one thing that hasn't gotten better is the itching. I am getting more and more stretch marks, so I know he is still gaining weight and growing.

I felt amazing yesterday, I think it was in part due to the weather we have been having! I LOVE this weather. I ran errands, picked up some fall decor and then Jer and I went over to my parent's for some yummy chili and pumpkin pie. Perfect way to spend a Fall(ish) day. Can you really call it Fall when the high is in the 80's? Who cares, I love Texas and it's whacked out seasons.

Should I feel guilty for 'making' Lola stay outside even when she is howling to get inside? It's so nice, I want her to enjoy it! All she wants to do is stay inside and nap. Lazy girl.

Well I hope everyone's enjoying nice weather somewhere and having a great Tuesday! Who is excited for 'Glee' tonight? It's Britney, bitch.

XOXO Haley

Honestly

I have been so emotional these past few days. I'm sure most would say it's pregnancy hormones (which I'm sure it is) but some of it is just the big change of the whole situation. It has been Jeremy and I together, alone (relatively speaking) for the past 7 years. Now we are adding a member to our family and it will never be JUST Jer and I. Don't get me wrong, I am beyond excited to have our little Owen, but I guess a part of me is a little scared of the unknown.

I know we are 'ready' for a baby and when we were trying, we never doubted we wanted a child. I'm not doubting it now, I guess I am a little scared because this is the biggest decision we have ever made and probably will ever make.

I know in about a month I will be gushing over our little boy and can't imagine life without him, but this is me being selfish.

I guess I'm writing this to see if anyone else had or is having these same thoughts when they were about to have their first child. Also, so I can look back at this in a year and laugh at myself for getting upset while watching the Journey episode of Glee on Youtube and bawling my eyes out when they sang 'Right down the line it's been you and me.' True story.

I hope no one takes this the wrong way and thinks I'm an ungrateful biatch because truly I'm not. I am having a lot of mixed emotions. I can't sleep at all at night anymore. The superficial me lays awake in bed just thinking about who he's going to look like and what color his hair will be. Other times, I lay awake thinking if the outfits we picked out for him for the hospital will be cute in pictures. Yeah, welcome to my head.

OK, I feel better now. You should know I don't handle change very well. But I'm sure this change will be the greatest I have ever experienced. Thanks for listening.

XOXO Haley

Batik, So Chic!

I am sitting here with my belly hanging out in all it's glory with a fresh coat of prescription hydrocortisone cream lathered on it. Hopefully it relieves some itching. While waiting for it to dry, I happened upon 'The Martha Stewart Show'. She just had a guest on from Hiho Batik... what is Batik you ask?? Why let me show you....

Hiho Batik sells shirts that are wax and garment dyed. These shirts are available for $38 on the Hiho web site, but you can buy a kit for $40 and make your own!! You trace whatever design you want on the t-shirt with the wax, fill in the design with regular garment dye, let it dry and voila! The wax is completely safe and washes out in the washing machine.

The kit will definitely be added to my Christmas list to start making Owen some shirts!

In other news, I had my 37 week doctor appointment yesterday and I have progressed!! I am 1 cm dilated, still 50% effaced and he has dropped to a -1. Here is the description I found online that talks about what the numbers mean in regards to his head. It's from Answers.com:

"Negative 1" refers to the position of the baby's head in relation to your cervix. Negative numbers imply that the baby's head is still floating above the cervix. Zero position means the baby's head is engaged. Positive numbers means the baby's head has begun its descent through the cervix and into the birth canal. The higher the negative numbers, the higher up in your uterus the baby is located (ex., - 3 is higher up than - 2). The higher the positive numbers, the lower into the birth canal the baby is located (ex., +3 is lower -- closer to birth -- than +1).

Happy Hump Day and first day of Fall lovers!!!

XOXO Haley

37 Weeks and Shopping!

I am 37 weeks and 1 day pregnant today.... and SO ready for this baby to be born. I have had such a great pregnancy (PTL) but these last few weeks are CRAWLING. I think part of it has to do with a rash I have developed on my belly. I am going to be really honest here: I have HORRIBLE stretch marks. The only people that have seen them are my doctor, her nurses, Jer, my mom and my sister. The stretch marks under my belly button have somehow gotten irritated and itch like crazy!! I have taken oatmeal baths, lathered on the Cortizone cream and have been popping the Zyrtec every night (all doctor approved). This seems to be keeping the itching to a minimum, but sometimes I have to give in a scratch the crap out of my stomach.

My doctor says the stretch marks are not from my weight gain, I am actually right on track with that. But it's because Owen is a big boy and my skin just isn't very elastic. He is also low in my belly, so when he grows, he is stretching one part of my belly, not the whole belly. My sister, Amber, delivered an 8 pound baby boy and had the same stretch marks. Now her stretch marks are so tiny you can barely tell she had any. We have had such similar pregnancies, so i'm hoping mine are tiny afterwards.

Honestly, I could care less about the stretch marks, I'm just glad my biggest problem right now is cosmetic.

In other news, I have been keeping myself busy by returning duplicate gifts from Owen's showers, getting 'last minute' things for baby and shopping for clothes for my post Owen body. Here are some of my recent purchases:

via

These are both from Tucker for Target which I am loving and want one of everything. These two were my faves.

This sweater dress/tunic is LC by Lauren Conrad at Kohls:

I was perusing Zulily the other day and came across the cutest artwork by Lex Modern! I would love one of these for Owen's playroom later on:

This weekend was definitely a lazy one. A new mexican restaurant opened recently, so Jer and my parents and I tried it out on Friday night. It's called Las Alamedas and it was scrumptious and so gorgeous! I slept most of the day Saturday while Jer watched football, then woke up for the Tech vs. Texas game. Boo. Sunday my parents and Jer's mom came over for dinner and it was delicious! Jer and I have stopped making plans for the weekend since I am officially 'full term' now and he could come at any time. I do hope to have a movie date this weekend though. Hope everyone is having a great beginning to your week!

Oh yeah, if you need a little snack during the day, my friend Morgan always makes this to welcome Fall:

It is simply peanuts mixed with Candy Corn and is delectable! Enjoy!

XOXO Haley