My beautiful baby

So I have a baby now and he is absolutely beautiful!

It was a tough thing. I was induced Tuesday morning at 6, and went all day, getting to maybe a three. They broke my water and everything, but not much happened, so they turned off the pitocin and I went to sleep.

Wednesday morning at 5:30 they plugged me back in, and it started working very quickly. By noon I was in a lot of pain. My midwife came in and said she'd check me at 3, and hopefully by then I'd be a five and they could take me off the pitocin and let me labor normally.

Well, that didn't work. I was still a four, and by then I was exhausted and in so much pain, I couldn't stand it anymore. I just wanted it to end.

My midwife highly recommended an epidural, because she felt that I would have to have a c-section if things didn't improve. I didn't really want to, but Mike gave me a blessing and we decided it was the right thing to do. So around 330, They got me started on the epidural.

Then things started getting scary. A couple of hours later, I was just a five, and my midwife was getting concerned because Mason's heart rate was dropping after the good contractions, which could mean he was having problems. So she called the doctor who does c-sections, and told us we might have to have one for the baby's safety.

I was devastated. I started crying, I couldn't hold it back. Mike was having a tough time too, but he gave me another blessing, in which he promised everything would be ok. So I held on to that and prayed like crazy.

The next time they checked me, I was a six, so they said we might be able to manage it. And when the doctor came and checked me, he said I was an eight (although my midwife did not agree with that) and to keep going, just watching things. The next check, which I'm not sure when it was, I lost track of the time, she said I was ready! Everyone was so relieved!

I had to use the stirrups, because I had absolutely no control over my legs. It was pretty funny, actually, because my midwife had trouble with the stirrups. So I started pushing with my contractions, and they ended up using a vacuum to get him out faster, because they were worried about the baby's heart rate, and I pushed through about six contractions, then he was out!

He was a mess! The fluid at that point had a lot of meconium (aka baby poop) in it, so they had to take him and clean him up, but he is absolutely gorgeous! He latched on right away when I breastfed, and he is so sweet. He likes to cuddle, he cried when they brought us breakfast, but he wasn't hungry, he cuddled with me for a minute and then went to sleep.

I am so grateful that I got induced, and that it worked out so well. I started to think I'd made a mistake getting induced, but all the meconium in his fluid, which could have caused problems if he had inhaled it, and the fact that his placenta was aging verifies to me that he needed to be born. We are blessed that things went so well.

Mason Gordon, born 9:58 pm on July 28th, 2010. 8 pounds 6 ounces, 20 inches.

Into every life a little annoyance must come

I guess I was feeling too good about life after my last posting because of all the blessings, and something had to be done to take me down a peg or two. Well, it's working, I'm sorry, and PLEASE FIX IT!

Anyway, here's the deal. We have a five year old Malibu that we just finished paying off (see previously referred to blessings) which is the "good" car. We also have Mike's brother's 10 year old Cavalier which somehow has 160,000+ miles, which we don't like to drive long distances, for obvious reasons, and which has no A/C. I drove the Cavalier until it got too hot, since Mike had to drive 45 minutes each way to school last semester and I didn't want him breaking down somewhere. And fortunately, it didn't get too hot till the semester was over.

Last Tuesday, Mike and I left for work at the same time, which is unusual for us. The Cavalier was parked down behind the apartment, and the Malibu on the street, making easier access for me. I get in the car, turn it on, and hear a weird ticking noise coming from somewhere low in the car. Well, I didn't like that, so I flagged Mike down, since he had to drive past me to leave, and he stopped and we tried to figure it out. We weren't sure where it was coming from, but noticed the right taillight was burnt out and thought maybe it had something to do with it. So he headed back to his car, and I got in, and started to go to work.

Except the car wouldn't shift. It would not get out of park. So I called back to Mike, and he tried it. We turned it off and on again, and played with it, but it wouldn't work. So Mike drove me to work.

Mike did some research that day, calling the dealership and researching online, and determined what might be wrong with it. The dealership quoted $400 to repair it, if that was the problem. He also found out that we had towing insurance on the Malibu, though not the Cavalier (which we have since added since it was so handy) so we wouldn't have to pay to get it towed somewhere. We got a couple of numbers of car repair places and got quotes on how much it would be to fix it if it was the problem the dealership thought it was, because we figured if that repair was cheaper, whatever it really was would be cheaper too.

Thursday, after dropping me off at work, Mike went back home and called the tow truck. When the tow truck showed up, he asked Mike to turn the car on and turn the wheel all the way to the side, to make it easier to get it on the truck. Well, when Mike tried, the car wouldn't start. But the two truck guy was able to shift the car into neutral. Weird!

He towed it to the car place, who determined the battery had died (probably thanks to our haunted CD player which tries to work when the car is turned off). When they re-charged the battery, the car worked fine. No ticking noise, shifted, everything. They held it for awhile to see if the battery was bad, and determined that nothing was wrong. They figured the computer pysched itself out into not working, and when the battery died, it rebooted everything. Go figure.

So Friday, we went and picked the car up (no charge, since all they did was charge a battery). We dropped the other car off at home, and went to get a pizza at Papa Murphy's to take to Lizzie's house. When we got back to the car, it was stuck in park again. No problem, we figured, they told us if it happened again to disconnect the battery and reconnect it. Oops, though, problem. We hadn't figured on it happening again so fast, and didn't have any tools with us. So Lizzie drove out with her husband's tool box and we disconnected the battery.

Only it didn't fix it.

We called the car place, and they suggested leaving it disconnected for 20-30 minutes. We didn't have the time to wait around, since we had plans, so we disconnected it, and went with Lizzie.

Later that night we went back and tried again. Not only did it not work, but the trunk kept popping on it's own.

So we disconnected the battery again, so the trunk would stay closed, and Liz drove us home. The next morning, Mike drove out in the Cavalier to get it towed. Only before he called the tow place, he tried the car. And it worked. Still ticking noise, but able to shift. He didn't dare turn it off, so he pulled a move from the God's must be crazy by leaving it in reverse (it was on a slight hill) and sticking the tool box behind the wheel while he locked up the other car, and drove home to get me. We drove back and picked up the other car, and decided to take them both home, since the car place was closed til Monday and we didn't want to leave the car there over the weekend.

Monday Mike drove the car to the car place, and they looked it over, but said, basically, that as long as it is able to shift, they can't determine what is wrong with it. They can do the repair we thought it was originally, but if that's not it, we are out $250. So now we are stuck with an unreliable car that we can't drive long distances, because we don't want to be stranded, and my baby could be born any day now.

I've been driving it to work, since I live 15 minutes from work, and Mike could pick me up if it broke down, but we can't drive it to our birthing class, which is a 45 minute drive, and I don't feel safe driving it to my weekly check-ups, since I don't want to be stranded in in the city. Although, there could be worst places. I mean, if go into labor or something, the hospital is right there.

Fortunately, Liz and Bruce have a second car which Bruce hardly ever uses, that they let us drive to my birthing class (since a 45 minute drive in the kind of heat we are having does not seem like a good idea without A/C right now). I have to drive it though, because it's a manual, which Mike hasn't ever really driven (our next car will be a manual and we'll fix that). And they have let me drive it to my mid-wife appointments as well.

I just want the car to die though so we can get it fixed. It's been a bit of a hassle figuring out how to do stuff without driving the "good" car, since we can't rely on it anymore. And I'm sure the moment we start trusting it, something will happen and we'll be stuck somewhere. Yuck!

The blessings of free stuff

I have been a little worried about money issues, what with baby coming and me not having enough leave to pay for the time I am taking off for him. On top of that, there are all the things I know I am going to need when the baby is born.

Or rather that I needed.

Not that I have everything I need. But lets review some of the big things you need with a new baby.

A crib.
Car seats.
Dresser, or other storage space for clothes.
I wanted a bassinet, so he could sleep in our room for a bit.
A stroller or two.
A pump, as I plan to breast feed but have to go to work.

Of course there are still clothes and miscellaneous small items, but these are the large, pricier items.

Now lets review what we have, and where it came from.

A crib- the bishop of Lizabroo's/ Mike's parents ward gave it to us.
Car seats- A coworker who's baby just outgrew them gave me two nice ones.
Dresser- I got one through freecycle just this last weekend, a nice big one I'll be sharing with the baby which will double as a changing table.
A bassinet- also came off freecycle.
A stroller- A VERY nice one that a family Mike has known for years noticed out on the curb with a "Please Take" sign and grabbed for us. They also grabbed a booster chair and some toys.
A pump- My dear kind sister who gets to stay at home with her kids lent me hers from when her first baby was born.

And of course there are clothes coming from all over the place: my sister has sent me some of Eli's, my sister-in-law April, who works at a thrift store keeps bringing over bags and bags of clothes, my cousin's wife Kaylee gave me some of hers. And I have a shower this week at work and another the end of the month for family and friends.

We have been blessed. It really just takes knowing people, and having patience to wait and see what comes along. Our house has been almost completely furnished with these kinds of offerings, the only things we had to buy were some of our bookshelves. And its not too shabby looking either.

Thank you everyone who has helped!

Baby stuff

I had my most recent appointment Wednesday. I seem to have capped out on my weight gain, I didn't gain any weight. The baby is breach currently, but I have some things to do to get him to flip. Today, I lay down with a bag of cold corn on my high belly and a warm pac on my lower belly, the idea to encourage him to flip. I don't know if he did, but he did react to the cold and pushed against it.

Here is a new picture of me.


My feet are flabby. It's very annoying. They flop a bit when I walk. I eat a lot these days too. Today at work, someone brought four containers of strawberries, and I ate almost a full one myself. They were very yummy.

Car trouble and bananas

I was lazy this morning. Mike woke up at 6 and was very prompt about getting up and going, but I decided I would sleep in because I was planning on going to the DMV to get my name changed on my car title, and they don't open until 8 am. So I got up at seven, right when Mike was leaving. He had a final today and had to be there at 8, and it's about a 45 minute drive to his campus.

My plans changed slightly. While I was in the shower, Mike came in. He asked me if I'd ever had trouble with the car not starting. The newer one, not the junker that I've been driving since January. I told him to take the other car and go, since he had his final. He was concerned about me, and asked how I was going to get to work, but I told him not to worry about it and go. Technically I didn't need to be to work until 9, so I had plenty of time. I figured if needed, I could call Liz and get a ride.

I got ready, and went to the car and tried to start it. It wouldn't work, so I called my father-in-law to ask him to listen to the sounds it was making. He said he thought it was the battery, so I went and bugged my new neighbors for a jump. And it worked! Woo-hoo! I even had time to go to the DMV before work.

Anyway, I figured I should do something nice for the neighbors as a thank you.

My mid-wives suggested I eat more bananas to help with leg cramps. The problem with bananas is I only like them at a certain stage. I like them with just a tad of green on them, up until right before they get spots. And Mike doesn't like them much either, so they tend to go bad before we eat them. So we have been sticking the extra ones in the freezer for use in banana bread or muffins. Mike has been harassing me for not eating them fast enough.

So I decided to make banana bread. I had enough bananas to make four loaves. I gave one to my neighbors, one is for my work's snack day Thursday, one is for a church thing, and one is for our consumption. The last two are in the oven right now, filling our house with the smell of goodness.

I don't think Mike will keep harassing me about eating the bananas for awhile.

Baby update

I've been meaning to put the ultrasound pictures up for awhile. Here they are!




It's amazing the things they can figure out looking at the ultrasounds. I would not be able to see as much as they can. Of course it takes training.

My mom has been bugging me for a pregnancy picture. I thought I'd start with a pre-pregnancy picture, and I found a couple of pictures from the wedding to use for comparison. Nice huh? You can kinda see my belly in these pictures. Now here's one taken last Sunday: Wow baby boy, you are making Mommy fat!

Anyway, I am now starting to walk funny. I'm not waddling yet, but it's a sort of wobble. The baby is getting more active, and I feel him almost every day. Mike felt him a couple of weeks ago, but hasn't been able to much since, he isn't violent enough to be felt much outside of my belly.

I'm really hungry lately, I eat a lot more than I used too. Whenever we go out to eat I want meat. It used to be that Mike and I would split a dinner, but now I am too hungry and have to get my own food. Besides, Mike isn't a huge fan of steak, and I want that a lot.

I get tired a lot and very quickly. And I get short of breath if I walk to quickly or when I walk upstairs carrying laundry. My husband is very good about taking care of those problems for me. He rocks!

And I have heartburn almost every night. Ouch! It is not fun.

Other than that, things are going ok for me. I'm not sick anymore, and I am adjusting to being pregnant nicely.

And my husband is a great guy. He has done a lot to help me. One day I sent him a text letting him know I was having a hard time, and he made dinner, and got me a special treat for dessert.

I am due July 16th, but I assume the baby will be late, so I;m guessing late July, hopefully not as late as August.

Giddy!

I am seriously giddy and excited. D'you want to know why?

I just paid off my car!

Ok, so technically I haven't yet, I still have to mail the check because my bank is lame and doesn't let me do it any other way. But I have the money, I wrote the check, and I am going to the post office tomorrow to send it off certified, since it is a pretty big check.

I bought the car almost exactly two years ago, and took out a $7500 loan to pay for it. It was a six year loan, but I always intended to make extra payments on it, and pay it off faster. Well, for awhile I was putting a lot extra each month, like $300 or so more, because I was living with family and didn't have rent, and then after we got married, we weren't really paying attention to budget, so I kept it up. But then we realized that we had to pay for Mike's tuition, so we needed to start saving, and I cut back. Then tax season came around.

To be honest, I had completely forgotten about tax returns when I was doing financial planning. We figured we'd put whatever we got into savings as a cushion when the baby was born, but we didn't realize how much we were going to get. Being married put a big chunk back in our wallet. So we decided that we were getting enough to pay off my car, and to still have some savings for when the baby came.

We were told by my aunt, who did our taxes, that we would get the tax return next weekend, so we figured we'd pay it off then. Well, I logged onto our bank website today and noticed a big increase in my checking account. I was soooo excited! I logged onto the other bank site to check the payoff amount and wrote out the check immediately.

It's such a good feeling! We now have extra money we can put into savings or my student loans, and we will own my car outright! I don't think I will ever get another car loan. I kind of needed this one, since I was moving and needed a good reliable car, and I'm glad I have it, but I have made a personal goal to never have to do it again. I don't think people realize how much interest they end up paying on loans. The first few payments I made, more than a third of the money went to interest! That's why I decided so quickly to make extra payments. A six year loan paid off in two years? Not too shabby.

We paid off our car!