Since there were so many performances and so many people getting voted off this week, I decided to just do one post about Idol after the result show summing up what I thought of this week. The title of my post says it all, America did a fairly good job at picking the top 5 guys and top 5 girls. The judges also did good with their wild card picks. There are only three people who got sent home last night that I would have put into the top 13...
Reed Grimm - I loved him from the beginning. He is such a talented individual, I really thought he could win this whole competition. He (unfortunately) was my first round draft pick for fantasy idol, that's how much I believed in him. If you look back on all of his performances, he definitely should have been in the top 13, but it's his own fault (sort of) that he didn't make it this week. What wasn't his fault is that he was the first guy to perform. Lets face it, being being the first performance of the night on any week drops your chances significantly. It's a two hour long show with 12 others after you. Unless you have the greatest performance of your life, people will most likely forget you. What was his fault is he picked a fun song that showed his ability to entertain but didn't showcase his voice... and he did this twice! When the judges gave him a chance to "sing for his life", he sang a very similar song to what he had done on Tuesday night. He scatted and danced around and didn't really sing his heart out. First and foremost, this is a singing competition, and I think a lot of contestants forget that.
Jenn Hirsh - This girl can sing! I think she was just off this week. Her vocals were rocky throughout her performances. She would song off one minute and then belt out a note that sounded amazing the next. The song choices could have been a big part of that also.
Creighton Fraker - This one I kind of get. His voice is very different and I'm sure it's easy for some people to not like it. I happen to think it's awesome. Song choice was his big issue here. Since his voice might not be appealing to all the viewers, he should have chose a song that more people could relate to.
So other than those three, I think the top 13 turned out okay this year. There are a lot of talented singers left, it's hard to tell who is going to come out on top. I think the three people still alive on my fantasy idol team are going to be the top three in this competition. Phillip Phillips, Elise Testone, and Deandre Brackensick all the way!
My guess? Phillip Phillips wins it all! ...and I'm not just saying that because he's on my fantasy idol team. This guy screams Dave Matthews in the way he performs and his voice. Being a huge DMB fan, I'm rooting for this guy to go all the way!
Any other Idol fans out there? What did you think of this week?
Friday, March 2, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Fantasy Idol
M and I are obsessed with American Idol, and everyone is so good this year! I decided that starting this week I'm going to do a weekly Idol post where I recap the night and give my opinions. Check back tomorrow and Thursday for the posts! In the meantime, here is a fun idea for any other Idol fans out there...
Last night M and I packed up B and went over to our friends C and J's house for dinner and our annual fantasy idol draft! What's fantasy idol you ask? Well, fantasy idol is a way to make watching American Idol more fun than it already is. Whether your obsessed with the show like hubby and I or are just forced to watch it by another member of your household, fantasy idol will make the experience much more enjoyable.
The way it works is you and the group of people your playing with hold a draft (think fantasy football draft which is why we call it fantasy idol) where everyone picks a certain number of idol finalists. We chose to do it with the top 24 finalists and since there are four of us we each got 6 draft picks. The way we work the scoring is a golf system, where the first week if one of your picks gets kicked off, you get 24 points, then the next week 23 points, then 22, and so on until the last week. In the end the person with the lowest score at the end of the season wins the fantasy idol season! We play for a dinner of your choice cooked by the three losers, but obviously you can play for whatever stakes you like.
So without further ado, here is my 2012 fantasy idol team!
Reed Grimm
Phillip Phillips
Elise Testone
Deandre Brackensick
Haley Johnson
Eben Franckewitz
So far I think Reed is going to win it all this year. We'll see how the first performances go tonight!
Stay tuned for my weekly Idol recap where I'll give my opinions on each of the performances tomorrow!
Last night M and I packed up B and went over to our friends C and J's house for dinner and our annual fantasy idol draft! What's fantasy idol you ask? Well, fantasy idol is a way to make watching American Idol more fun than it already is. Whether your obsessed with the show like hubby and I or are just forced to watch it by another member of your household, fantasy idol will make the experience much more enjoyable.
The way it works is you and the group of people your playing with hold a draft (think fantasy football draft which is why we call it fantasy idol) where everyone picks a certain number of idol finalists. We chose to do it with the top 24 finalists and since there are four of us we each got 6 draft picks. The way we work the scoring is a golf system, where the first week if one of your picks gets kicked off, you get 24 points, then the next week 23 points, then 22, and so on until the last week. In the end the person with the lowest score at the end of the season wins the fantasy idol season! We play for a dinner of your choice cooked by the three losers, but obviously you can play for whatever stakes you like.
So without further ado, here is my 2012 fantasy idol team!
Reed Grimm
Phillip Phillips
Elise Testone
Deandre Brackensick
Haley Johnson
Eben Franckewitz
So far I think Reed is going to win it all this year. We'll see how the first performances go tonight!
Stay tuned for my weekly Idol recap where I'll give my opinions on each of the performances tomorrow!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Mothers don't get sick days...
So I stink at this blogging thing... but I promise to start getting better! The past couple of weeks have been crazy. I know, excuses excuses! We all were miserably sick at some point (and I was sick twice), I had a 20 page paper to write for my Marketing class (I've been taking online classes to get my MBA which I don't think I've mentioned yet), and we pretty much were busy all weekend every weekend. So to make up for the fact that I haven't blogged in a few weeks, here is an adorable picture of my little man!
So two weeks ago, M got sick. That's what you get when working in a building full of germ covered teenagers. Of course I ended up catching it and was miserably sick for a few days. Stuffy nose, sore throat, horrible cough (that never fully went away), and just overall feeling like death. I learned the hard way that mom's don't get sick days. I really wanted to stay in bed, call B and say "Hi baby! Sorry but mommy's not feeling to well today. Think you can manage without me for the day? Your bottles are in the fridge and there are clean diapers on the changing table. Oh and can you let the dog out also?" Wouldn't it be nice? Instead, I spent four days taking care of a two month old while trying my hardest to not cough, sneeze or breath on him. B was a good little boy for mommy though.
As a first time mom I gain more and more respect for my own mother, and this was one of those moments. As I sat there on the couch, curled up under the blanket while the baby played with his play gym, I could remember times when my own mom was sick or not feeling well. I don't think I ever remember her sitting on the couch all day with a bottle of cough syrup by her side. She sucked it up and went on with her day without skipping a beat. I think as a mother you gain this inner strength and will power that shines through in moments like these.
Being sick and taking care of an infant isn't easy, but there were diapers to change, laundry to be done, and a baby to feed. So I reached deep inside, summoned up my inner mother, and got my butt up off the couch... at least until daddy got home!
So two weeks ago, M got sick. That's what you get when working in a building full of germ covered teenagers. Of course I ended up catching it and was miserably sick for a few days. Stuffy nose, sore throat, horrible cough (that never fully went away), and just overall feeling like death. I learned the hard way that mom's don't get sick days. I really wanted to stay in bed, call B and say "Hi baby! Sorry but mommy's not feeling to well today. Think you can manage without me for the day? Your bottles are in the fridge and there are clean diapers on the changing table. Oh and can you let the dog out also?" Wouldn't it be nice? Instead, I spent four days taking care of a two month old while trying my hardest to not cough, sneeze or breath on him. B was a good little boy for mommy though.
As a first time mom I gain more and more respect for my own mother, and this was one of those moments. As I sat there on the couch, curled up under the blanket while the baby played with his play gym, I could remember times when my own mom was sick or not feeling well. I don't think I ever remember her sitting on the couch all day with a bottle of cough syrup by her side. She sucked it up and went on with her day without skipping a beat. I think as a mother you gain this inner strength and will power that shines through in moments like these.
Being sick and taking care of an infant isn't easy, but there were diapers to change, laundry to be done, and a baby to feed. So I reached deep inside, summoned up my inner mother, and got my butt up off the couch... at least until daddy got home!
Friday, February 10, 2012
2 months and graduating to the crib...
Yesterday B turned two months old. As all mothers say with each passing day, week, month, year, decade, etc., I can not believe how fast time is flying. While I'm sitting here dwelling on the fact that my little munchkin is growing up so fast, B is upstairs in his crib for the very first time. He has been in his beloved Rock and Play right next to our bed since we brought him home, but mommy decided that her and daddy need their space/privacy back. So the little guy is getting evicted from our room and let me tell you, this is not easy (for me)! My heart has been racing since I walked out of the room. He fell right asleep with only a few little peeps at first, and now I'm sitting downstairs on the couch resisting the urge to go up and check on him every 30 seconds. This child has only ever been in his crib one other time, a nap about two weeks ago that lasted all of 20 minutes. That's it, besides that one interaction, this crib is completely foreign to him. Is it possible that he is actually sleeping in his crib for the first time on the first shot without a single bit of fussing?
Okay I caved and just went and checked on him. Sure enough he's out cold and hasn't moved an inch. To my surprise, my monitor has not been lying to me for the past 15 min. If he lasts until his usual 5am wake up, we may be the luckiest parents ever...
Keep your fingers crossed!
Okay I caved and just went and checked on him. Sure enough he's out cold and hasn't moved an inch. To my surprise, my monitor has not been lying to me for the past 15 min. If he lasts until his usual 5am wake up, we may be the luckiest parents ever...
Keep your fingers crossed!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
He owes daddy big time...
Monday, I posted the story of my sons birth. I was so focused on the experience and describing everything I went through, I forgot to include a BIG part of the story! How could I forget something so significant!?
So some back story...
My husband is a high school football coach, the offensive coordinator to be exact. This year, the head coach he works for got a job at a new school and M (and the rest of the staff) followed him there. Well, this team is good. Really good. I have never seen high school kids play like this before. Scratch that, I've never seen high school kids in CT play like that before (I'm sure it's pretty common in other parts of the country where high school football is life). Anyway, my due date was December 10th which also happened to be the day of the state championship game. All football season there was an ongoing joke that I would go into labor during the game and what a story it would be that our future quarterback was born on the football field! Obviously this was unrealistic because 1) what are the odds that they actually would make the state championship game and 2) I probably wouldn't have the baby on my actual due date.
Well, football season comes to an end and sure enough their team makes the playoffs. I'm at the end of my pregnancy and each week I would get the "don't go into labor before the playoff game this week!" from all the coaches. They actually end up going all the way and making it to the state championship game! This is a HUGE deal as none of the coaches had been to a state championship yet and my husband, who lives and breaths football, was pumped! All week we say "B, you better not come on Saturday! If you have to come soon, make it either before or after Saturday but not on Saturday!".
So our darling son decides to be a good little boy. He actually listens to his parents and doesn't come on Saturday, but starts trying to get out of there on Thursday. As it turns out, their team ended up getting the Friday night game (there are technically four state championships since there are four different high school classes in CT), and my whole labor we were coming up with every scenario as to when he would have to be out by in order for M to go to the game. We willed our little future athlete to try his hardest!
Of course, that didn't happen. I started pushing at kickoff (6:30ish) and B was out just as the game was ending (8:45ish). M's team had to face the championship game without him. Obviously the birth of his son was way more important than the game and M has said over and over again that it doesn't matter at all. That doesn't change the fact that I felt so bad he had to miss it and apologized a million times that it worked out that way. I know how much this game meant to him.
So now our son owes his dad a state championship when he grows up... or even better, an NFL one? :)
So some back story...
My husband is a high school football coach, the offensive coordinator to be exact. This year, the head coach he works for got a job at a new school and M (and the rest of the staff) followed him there. Well, this team is good. Really good. I have never seen high school kids play like this before. Scratch that, I've never seen high school kids in CT play like that before (I'm sure it's pretty common in other parts of the country where high school football is life). Anyway, my due date was December 10th which also happened to be the day of the state championship game. All football season there was an ongoing joke that I would go into labor during the game and what a story it would be that our future quarterback was born on the football field! Obviously this was unrealistic because 1) what are the odds that they actually would make the state championship game and 2) I probably wouldn't have the baby on my actual due date.
Well, football season comes to an end and sure enough their team makes the playoffs. I'm at the end of my pregnancy and each week I would get the "don't go into labor before the playoff game this week!" from all the coaches. They actually end up going all the way and making it to the state championship game! This is a HUGE deal as none of the coaches had been to a state championship yet and my husband, who lives and breaths football, was pumped! All week we say "B, you better not come on Saturday! If you have to come soon, make it either before or after Saturday but not on Saturday!".
So our darling son decides to be a good little boy. He actually listens to his parents and doesn't come on Saturday, but starts trying to get out of there on Thursday. As it turns out, their team ended up getting the Friday night game (there are technically four state championships since there are four different high school classes in CT), and my whole labor we were coming up with every scenario as to when he would have to be out by in order for M to go to the game. We willed our little future athlete to try his hardest!
Of course, that didn't happen. I started pushing at kickoff (6:30ish) and B was out just as the game was ending (8:45ish). M's team had to face the championship game without him. Obviously the birth of his son was way more important than the game and M has said over and over again that it doesn't matter at all. That doesn't change the fact that I felt so bad he had to miss it and apologized a million times that it worked out that way. I know how much this game meant to him.
So now our son owes his dad a state championship when he grows up... or even better, an NFL one? :)
Monday, February 6, 2012
The Birth
Before I get started I just have to say, wooohoooo!!! The New York Giants are the 2011 Superbowl champions!!! This was my little man in his jersey last night for the game...
Okay now that I got that out, on to the point of this post, the story of the birth of my son...
Let me start off by saying I am not one of those people who think pregnancy and childbirth is beautiful. Don't get me wrong, there were certain things I loved about it like feeling my baby moving around inside of me, being able to eat whatever I wanted and not feel guilty about it (sort of), having an excuse to lay around all day instead of cleaning the house like I should have been. The experience as a whole was not "beautiful", but the end result was. I felt fat and ugly, everything hurt all the time, and I was exhausted. So when it came down to actual labor, I wanted to know nothing. I didn't want to see pictures or watch movies. It scared the hell out of me and grossed me out a lot so I just did not want to know. I read the labor and delivery section of the What to Expect When You're Expecting book exactly one time because I felt like I had to, and that was it. Looking back, I wish I had been a little more prepared.
I was due December 10th and the weeks leading up to his birth were tough. I was so uncomfortable and there was absolutely nothing going on down there. Each doctors appointment was a huge disappointment and I pretty much was set on the fact that this baby was going to have to be forced out of me. I just did not feel like I was going to go into labor any time soon. Low and behold, B decided he had had enough and proved me wrong.
I woke up on December 8th around 3am. I felt crampy but thought nothing of it and fell back asleep. I remember waking up to the same feeling about three more times and then at 4:30am I woke up for the last time thinking "okay this is weird maybe I should start paying attention to this feeling". Sure enough the feeling came back. Since this was my first time, I had that fear every first time mother has, that I would have no idea when I was in labor. Well I can tell you, my contractions were textbook. I didn't believe everyone when they said "you'll know when it's real" but sure enough I did. Each one came on like a wave, rising and falling. By the time my husband woke up for work I had been having contractions every 7-10 minutes lasting about a minute each. They were uncomfortable but not terrible. I called the doctor just to see what I should do and they wanted me to come in to the office to get checked, so we both stayed home from work.
We decided to bring all the packed bags and be ready to go just in case. We got to the office and they checked me and told me I was 3cm! That was the greatest news ever because it meant that these were the real things and we were that much closer to meeting our little man. The doctor hooked me up to the machine and monitored my contractions for about 20 min. Sure enough they were the real deal, so he was sending me to labor and delivery. He actually made a funny face when looking at the sheet and said "you have a high pain tolerance don't you?" I was uncomfortable but able to walk and talk and laugh through the contractions, which I guess surprised him. We called my parents so they could get ready and start the two hour drive up to CT. We all thought the baby would be here soon but boy were we wrong.
We spent about four hours in labor and delivery. We walked up and down the hallways for two hours hoping to make some progress. After all that time (it had been about 5 hours since I was checked at the doctors office) I was still 3cm. It was like someone had took a pin to my big happy labor balloon. My contractions were getting stronger but I was still able to walk and talk through them so despite my pleading for them to let me stay, they sent me home with instructions to come back when my contractions were less than 5 minutes apart and I couldn't walk or talk through them. I was petrified to go home. What if I all of a sudden progressed rapidly? I live 45 minutes from the hospital!
My parents were waiting for us at the house. That night was torture. I had been up since 4am and all I wanted to do was sleep but with each contraction I was woken up. I told M to get some rest, and I spent the entire night awake and contracting. They were getting bad and by the next morning I could no longer walk or talk through them and was in a lot of pain, but they were still between 6-8 minutes apart. Finally I said screw it, and we left for the hospital. The car ride there was torture... I was in so much pain and an hour in the car (we stopped at Starbucks to get hubby a coffee, ha) without the ability to walk around was not fun!
We finally go to labor and delivery only to find out I was only 4cm! The issue was I was extremely dehydrated. Silly me forgot to drink a lot of water throughout the night. They admitted us (woohoo!) and once we got settled in our room, they had to hook me up to an IV to give me fluids for the dehydration. At this point the contractions were strong and I had not slept in about 32 hours so I decided it was epidural time even though I was only 4cm. I figured I needed the rest to get me through labor and I was already hooked up to and IV. The epidural was surprisingly easy and painless, and after, M told me how he couldn't believe I didn't even flinch because he saw the needle and it was huge! I instantly couldn't feel anything and thought this was wonderful until I found out, oh wait no, that was because my contractions had just stopped! Literally stopped dead. The line on my screen was flat and steady, no mountains going up and down. My nurse couldn't believe it but after speaking with the doctor, it turns out that pumping me with fluids and the epidural had caused my labor to just stop. So, they decided to give me pitocin, the dreaded drug that every pregnant woman wants to avoid if at all possible, and it honestly wasn't that bad.
I labored fairly easily for the next few hours. The epidural was magic and I was able to nap and chat with M, my mom and my mother-in-law. When I got to 7cm they broke my water and after that things started to get intense. Over the next couple hours, I started feeling a lot more. Each contraction I would feel what I could only describe as strong pressure. I was getting really uncomfortable as my contractions were pretty much one right on top of the other so the anaesthesiologist had to give me this extra special "shot" of epidural which helped for a little while. By the time I was 9cm I was in a lot of pain and feeling so much of that pressure it was excruciating. I kicked everyone out of the room except for my husband as I wanted the birth to be just him and I.
I was finally at 10cm at around 5:30pm, but still had a slight "lip" that needed to go away before I could start pushing. Each contraction was torture at this point. I was literally screaming through them. My poor husband, I'm surprised he still has a hand! All I wanted to do was push with each contraction. I always thought that if I had the epidural, I would never feel what I felt at that point. I swore I could feel everything and think that my epidural started to ware off or something. Through my haze I remember hearing my nurse call the desk and tell them "we need another epi bag call the anesthesiologist". I also remember once I started pushing he walked into the room and she said "it's too late she's pushing". So I truly think I was feeling way more than I should have been feeling.
After about the longest hour of my life, the "lip" was gone and they called the doctor for me to start pushing. I was feeling so much pressure I seriously thought he would just fly right out, but he decided to be much more stubborn than that. I pushed for a little more than two hours and they were horrible. I was exhausted and ready to give up. M almost passed out at one point but he was fine once he was able to sit down next to me rather than stand hunched over. I remember saying numerous times that I couldn't do it any more, I wanted to stop, and the nurse responded with "well he's got no where else to go but out so you can't stop, we can't put him back in!" which makes me laugh now. They kept trying to get me to breath through my contractions but I was horrible at that. I was that crazy lady that literally screamed bloody murder each time and was hysterical between contractions. Eventually they told me they were going to have to cut me and I just said "I DON'T CARE DO WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET HIM OUT OF ME!"
Finally, at 8:40pm on December 9th, two trips to the hospital, 40 hours of labor, two hours of pushing and one episiotomy later, B was born weighing 7lbs 12oz and 19 inches long! He decided to greet mommy and daddy with a glimpse into their future and 1 minute after coming out, he peed all over both of us!
I'm not going to lie, labor and delivery were way worse than I thought they would be. I was completely unprepared for what I experienced. I thought I would get the epidural and it would be smooth sailing until I had to push in which I would just feel enough pressure to know when to push. I wish I had been a little more prepared.
...but to every pregnant woman out there reading this, don't worry it's completely true what everyone says. Once the baby was out, and I saw him for the first time, all of those hours just disappeared. Nothing else mattered except for this tiny creature that was ours. It was all worth it in the end!
Okay now that I got that out, on to the point of this post, the story of the birth of my son...
Let me start off by saying I am not one of those people who think pregnancy and childbirth is beautiful. Don't get me wrong, there were certain things I loved about it like feeling my baby moving around inside of me, being able to eat whatever I wanted and not feel guilty about it (sort of), having an excuse to lay around all day instead of cleaning the house like I should have been. The experience as a whole was not "beautiful", but the end result was. I felt fat and ugly, everything hurt all the time, and I was exhausted. So when it came down to actual labor, I wanted to know nothing. I didn't want to see pictures or watch movies. It scared the hell out of me and grossed me out a lot so I just did not want to know. I read the labor and delivery section of the What to Expect When You're Expecting book exactly one time because I felt like I had to, and that was it. Looking back, I wish I had been a little more prepared.
I was due December 10th and the weeks leading up to his birth were tough. I was so uncomfortable and there was absolutely nothing going on down there. Each doctors appointment was a huge disappointment and I pretty much was set on the fact that this baby was going to have to be forced out of me. I just did not feel like I was going to go into labor any time soon. Low and behold, B decided he had had enough and proved me wrong.
I woke up on December 8th around 3am. I felt crampy but thought nothing of it and fell back asleep. I remember waking up to the same feeling about three more times and then at 4:30am I woke up for the last time thinking "okay this is weird maybe I should start paying attention to this feeling". Sure enough the feeling came back. Since this was my first time, I had that fear every first time mother has, that I would have no idea when I was in labor. Well I can tell you, my contractions were textbook. I didn't believe everyone when they said "you'll know when it's real" but sure enough I did. Each one came on like a wave, rising and falling. By the time my husband woke up for work I had been having contractions every 7-10 minutes lasting about a minute each. They were uncomfortable but not terrible. I called the doctor just to see what I should do and they wanted me to come in to the office to get checked, so we both stayed home from work.
We decided to bring all the packed bags and be ready to go just in case. We got to the office and they checked me and told me I was 3cm! That was the greatest news ever because it meant that these were the real things and we were that much closer to meeting our little man. The doctor hooked me up to the machine and monitored my contractions for about 20 min. Sure enough they were the real deal, so he was sending me to labor and delivery. He actually made a funny face when looking at the sheet and said "you have a high pain tolerance don't you?" I was uncomfortable but able to walk and talk and laugh through the contractions, which I guess surprised him. We called my parents so they could get ready and start the two hour drive up to CT. We all thought the baby would be here soon but boy were we wrong.
We spent about four hours in labor and delivery. We walked up and down the hallways for two hours hoping to make some progress. After all that time (it had been about 5 hours since I was checked at the doctors office) I was still 3cm. It was like someone had took a pin to my big happy labor balloon. My contractions were getting stronger but I was still able to walk and talk through them so despite my pleading for them to let me stay, they sent me home with instructions to come back when my contractions were less than 5 minutes apart and I couldn't walk or talk through them. I was petrified to go home. What if I all of a sudden progressed rapidly? I live 45 minutes from the hospital!
My parents were waiting for us at the house. That night was torture. I had been up since 4am and all I wanted to do was sleep but with each contraction I was woken up. I told M to get some rest, and I spent the entire night awake and contracting. They were getting bad and by the next morning I could no longer walk or talk through them and was in a lot of pain, but they were still between 6-8 minutes apart. Finally I said screw it, and we left for the hospital. The car ride there was torture... I was in so much pain and an hour in the car (we stopped at Starbucks to get hubby a coffee, ha) without the ability to walk around was not fun!
We finally go to labor and delivery only to find out I was only 4cm! The issue was I was extremely dehydrated. Silly me forgot to drink a lot of water throughout the night. They admitted us (woohoo!) and once we got settled in our room, they had to hook me up to an IV to give me fluids for the dehydration. At this point the contractions were strong and I had not slept in about 32 hours so I decided it was epidural time even though I was only 4cm. I figured I needed the rest to get me through labor and I was already hooked up to and IV. The epidural was surprisingly easy and painless, and after, M told me how he couldn't believe I didn't even flinch because he saw the needle and it was huge! I instantly couldn't feel anything and thought this was wonderful until I found out, oh wait no, that was because my contractions had just stopped! Literally stopped dead. The line on my screen was flat and steady, no mountains going up and down. My nurse couldn't believe it but after speaking with the doctor, it turns out that pumping me with fluids and the epidural had caused my labor to just stop. So, they decided to give me pitocin, the dreaded drug that every pregnant woman wants to avoid if at all possible, and it honestly wasn't that bad.
I labored fairly easily for the next few hours. The epidural was magic and I was able to nap and chat with M, my mom and my mother-in-law. When I got to 7cm they broke my water and after that things started to get intense. Over the next couple hours, I started feeling a lot more. Each contraction I would feel what I could only describe as strong pressure. I was getting really uncomfortable as my contractions were pretty much one right on top of the other so the anaesthesiologist had to give me this extra special "shot" of epidural which helped for a little while. By the time I was 9cm I was in a lot of pain and feeling so much of that pressure it was excruciating. I kicked everyone out of the room except for my husband as I wanted the birth to be just him and I.
I was finally at 10cm at around 5:30pm, but still had a slight "lip" that needed to go away before I could start pushing. Each contraction was torture at this point. I was literally screaming through them. My poor husband, I'm surprised he still has a hand! All I wanted to do was push with each contraction. I always thought that if I had the epidural, I would never feel what I felt at that point. I swore I could feel everything and think that my epidural started to ware off or something. Through my haze I remember hearing my nurse call the desk and tell them "we need another epi bag call the anesthesiologist". I also remember once I started pushing he walked into the room and she said "it's too late she's pushing". So I truly think I was feeling way more than I should have been feeling.
After about the longest hour of my life, the "lip" was gone and they called the doctor for me to start pushing. I was feeling so much pressure I seriously thought he would just fly right out, but he decided to be much more stubborn than that. I pushed for a little more than two hours and they were horrible. I was exhausted and ready to give up. M almost passed out at one point but he was fine once he was able to sit down next to me rather than stand hunched over. I remember saying numerous times that I couldn't do it any more, I wanted to stop, and the nurse responded with "well he's got no where else to go but out so you can't stop, we can't put him back in!" which makes me laugh now. They kept trying to get me to breath through my contractions but I was horrible at that. I was that crazy lady that literally screamed bloody murder each time and was hysterical between contractions. Eventually they told me they were going to have to cut me and I just said "I DON'T CARE DO WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET HIM OUT OF ME!"
Finally, at 8:40pm on December 9th, two trips to the hospital, 40 hours of labor, two hours of pushing and one episiotomy later, B was born weighing 7lbs 12oz and 19 inches long! He decided to greet mommy and daddy with a glimpse into their future and 1 minute after coming out, he peed all over both of us!
I'm not going to lie, labor and delivery were way worse than I thought they would be. I was completely unprepared for what I experienced. I thought I would get the epidural and it would be smooth sailing until I had to push in which I would just feel enough pressure to know when to push. I wish I had been a little more prepared.
...but to every pregnant woman out there reading this, don't worry it's completely true what everyone says. Once the baby was out, and I saw him for the first time, all of those hours just disappeared. Nothing else mattered except for this tiny creature that was ours. It was all worth it in the end!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
There's a first time for everything!
Hello world! Yes I know, what a cliche opening for my first post.
Anyway, my name is Lauryn and I'm 24 years old. I am married to my best friend, M, and we have a son, B, who was born in December of 2011. You're probably wondering what it is I could possibly have to blog about, and I hope that question is answered by the end of this inaugural post.
You know how people say "that was the best ____ of my life!" secretly knowing that at some point in the next however many years, there will be another ____ that will most definitely surpass the one that was previously the best of their life? Well this is not the case for me... I am fairly certain that there will never be another year as amazing as 2011. The best year of my life has come and gone in the blink of an eye. It was filled with many firsts for my husband and I. We were first time home buyers turned first time home owners, we got married for the first (and what will hopefully be the only) time, and the biggest first of them all, we became first time parents. Last year was epic, and has inspired me to start my first blog.
All of these experiences have given me a different outlook on life, parenting, motherhood, etc. and I feel like I need a place to put these thoughts and document my adventures in mommyhood!
So thanks for checking out my attempt at blogging and I hope you enjoy the posts to come :)
Anyway, my name is Lauryn and I'm 24 years old. I am married to my best friend, M, and we have a son, B, who was born in December of 2011. You're probably wondering what it is I could possibly have to blog about, and I hope that question is answered by the end of this inaugural post.
You know how people say "that was the best ____ of my life!" secretly knowing that at some point in the next however many years, there will be another ____ that will most definitely surpass the one that was previously the best of their life? Well this is not the case for me... I am fairly certain that there will never be another year as amazing as 2011. The best year of my life has come and gone in the blink of an eye. It was filled with many firsts for my husband and I. We were first time home buyers turned first time home owners, we got married for the first (and what will hopefully be the only) time, and the biggest first of them all, we became first time parents. Last year was epic, and has inspired me to start my first blog.
All of these experiences have given me a different outlook on life, parenting, motherhood, etc. and I feel like I need a place to put these thoughts and document my adventures in mommyhood!
So thanks for checking out my attempt at blogging and I hope you enjoy the posts to come :)
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