Connor's Birth Story

Well, we are 7 weeks in with our sweet Connor and wanted to be sure to capture his birth story. Not because I care if anyone reads this but because I want to be sure to remember every single detail of the happiest day of our lives.

When it first totally sunk in that I would not be having a regular birth, but rather a scheduled c section, I definitely went through a mourning period as I felt like I was being robbed of my birth experience. I thought, "what will be his birth story if everything is so scheduled and scripted?" In hindsight, it wasn't such a bad thing for this control freak but little did I know there were still fun surprises.

So, we got to the hospital as scheduled at 5:30 - ok, we were actually about 4 minutes late, which I blame on Greg (as evidenced by the pregnancy sass and stink eye I was giving him on the way to the hospital) but then Ace of Base's "The Sign" came on the radio on the drive to the hospital and all was right again.

We got right into our room where I'd hang out until it was baby time. I thought it'd be fairly low-key... just get an IV and try to relax. Turns out, it was the most stressful moment of the day. I think it's probably fair to say I am not super-tough but when it comes to blood/needles, it's even worse. But I'd had plenty of IVs before... So, they were putting in the IV and blew my vein on that side. I'm not sure if it was the discomfort, the fact that I was rather dehydrated or the words "blew your vein" but I started getting really dizzy/nauseous. It took about 15 minutes to get me in a good place and with a new IV (in the other arm). And turns out, I was actually having contractions, too!

Post IV-drama

Dad's ready!

After that, my mom and stepdad came in to document. everything. in. the. room.

They left after a bit and what do you know - it was already time! I seriously think my heart fell out of my chest I was so nervous. And guess what? They actually make you get up and walk into the operating room. Um, terrifying.

I kept my head down (as I was less than interested in seeing what tools they'd be using) and got on the table. Luckily, my anesthesiologist was awesome and walked me through everything. First, I got my epidural and can I just tell you - not all that bad. Maybe I was still reeling from the IV drama from the previous hour, but I thought it was going to be awful and it wasn't! I immediately started feeling my legs go numb and started to panic - it's an odd sensation and I looked at Greg totally panic-stricken and said, "I'm starting to not feel my legs. I don't like this. I can't feel them. Don't like this..." But my anesthesiologist pal assured me this was a good thing.

Then, literally minutes later my doctor came in and it was time. Greg and I just kind of mindlessly talked the whole time. Partly to take my mind off what was going on, partly to drown out the noises and partly to pass the time. I'm not sure either of us could recall what we talked about or were even listening to each other but I just remember how incredibly reassuring/calm he was and how he told me he was so proud of me and that I was being really brave. Which made me feel so good considering how terrified/unsure I was!

Then, my doctor announced baby was coming out and that I'd feel pressure. I braced myself ready to feel pain, but I didn't really feel that much discomfort at all. And then our sweet boy made his entrance in and started crying like a champ. They held him up so I got a quick glance but I really couldn't see much as my eyes were absolutely streaming with tears. Greg and I shared a quick moment and then I urged him to go be with the baby while he was cleaned/weighed.

A few minutes later, Greg came back over holding Connor and he sat by me while I was finished being stitched up. Honestly, this is all a little foggy and I seriously felt like the whole thing went by so fast!

Next, we went across the hall to a little "recovery" area and I got to hold Connor for the first time. It was seriously the sweetest moment of my entire life. Within 5 minutes, I feel like I already knew his little personality. We were supposed to be having skin-to-skin time, where babies generally immediately fall asleep on their mommy's chest. Not my boy, though. He immediately reared his head up (oh yes, he already had some head control 20 minutes after birth!) and started latching on to my shoulder. The nurse suggested I try to nurse him, which he immediately did. Um, can I just say he is so advanced for his age...?! ;-) Then, Greg and I just held him and stared at him, and took a quick picture.

Editor's Note: SO many people made comments about how put together I looked right after birth. Keep in mind, I did my hair and makeup before going to the hospital (bonus of a scheduled C-section!) but the picture was a little misleading. It looked like I had some va-va-voom hair:

When in reality, my hair just fallen loose and was kind of a disaster:

The nurse commented that the baby's temperature had dropped so they wanted to get him under the heaters in the nursery. Looking back, I'm surprised I was as laid back about the whole thing, but I had Greg go with Connor to the nursery and I stayed in recovery and rested.

Well the Connor Benson Welcoming Committee was VERY excited to hear the baby was going to the nursery so they could steal a peek at him for the first time.

Then, an hour later I was in my post-partum room and the baby was back with me. Looking back on that day, it was wonderful.I felt great, the baby was great, I was a little tired, but not too bad.

The next two days were pretty rough, though. One, they turned off my epidural. Bitches. Two, between feeding the baby, nurses coming in to check every few hours, we got very little sleep. And three, I had to get up out of bed, which resulted in lots of tears. (The recovery for c-sections is definitely tough!)

Overall, though, I had a great experience at my hospital (Baylor Frisco) - the staff and nurses were amazing and the food was damn good!

Enjoying our steak and lobster "new parent" dinner!

Finally, we got to go home 3 days later, which I was super-pumped about.

"Um, WTF. A bonnet. Really Mom and Dad?"

A few days later my glider FINALLY came in

And best of all, I had the world's best support and help over the next few weeks (Greg and my Mom)

Now, we've just been enjoying our time with him - he's such a sweet baby and Greg and I couldn't be more in love with him!

Baby Nursery Reveal

Last time I blogged about the baby's nursery, we were literally putting the pieces together, but it was nowhere near finished. Over the final 6 weeks of my pregnancy, we pulled it all together. And I'm sure glad we did - I haven't had a minute to even think about since we brought Connor home.

While there's no theme to the room, we did stick with a gray and navy color scheme with shots of bright green. I didn't want anything too babyish, but I also wanted to be sure it looked like a nursery. So, without further ado, here's Connor's nursery!

Reading Corner

Color-block curtains

Gallery Wall with Antique Dresser/Changing Table

Close-up of the Gallery Wall - Still adding a cute yarn ball garland at the bottom...

Shelf and Hook for Diaper Bag

Crib - we actually have put the pennant above his crib

I'm very proud to say that we completed the whole room for well under $1000, but that's certainly due to the generosity of our family and friends for helping us to furnish key items. And in case you were wondering, here's a breakdown of items:

Crib - Babies 'R Us (gift from my Dad & Stepmom)
Dresser - purchased at an antique store and refinished by my super-handy hubby for around $400 total (cost of dresser plus cost of paint and supplies)
Glider - BuyBuyBaby (Little Castle Glider Company) in Navy (gift from Greg's parents)
Accent table next to glider - Target
Pendant Drum Light - Destination Lighting
Rug - Target
Gallery Wall - frames from IKEA & Target; wall art is DIY'd or from Etsy
Book Ledges - IKEA
Curtains - DIY'd courtesy of my mom (similar at PB Kids)
Chevron crib skirt - DIY'd courtesy of my mom (similar at PB Kids)
Wall shelf- my Grandpa actually built this shelf years and years ago; Greg painted it white
"C" Wall hook - Anthropologie

Life With Baby

In case you didn't see/hear, our little one arrived Wednesday, March 13. This post was originally titled "One Week Out" and was started last Wednesday, but turns out being a Mommy is pretty time-consuming and I've gotten a little side-tracked... :-) But here are the deets:

Connor Philip
7:58 a.m.
6 pounds, 13 ounces
20 inches long

He is truly the sweetest little thing we've ever laid our eyes on. Greg and I just stare at him for hours - we couldn't be more in love! While we're still holding our breath, he is the best eater and sleeper and is doing so great. I'm not saying it's easy being new parents (the amount of times a night that we check to make sure he's still breathing or question every little thing is pretty ridiculous), but he is making it pretty easy on us!

I've really unplugged a lot the past week (which is why I have about a 1-2 day delay in replying to texts/emails), but am trying to soak in as much time with the little guy while he's so small.

While the recovery from my c-section has been a little tougher than I expected, we are setting little goals for ourselves to make sure we're making progress. First, it was the goal of getting me out of bed and walking the halls at the hospital. Then, it was going on our first walk in the neighborhood. Then, we got out of the house for our first non-pediatrician visit; it was a 45 minute trip to Target and it was wonderful. Next up? Who knows! Maybe out to eat?!

We finally finished the nursery (glider has arrived so no one at Buy Buy Baby has to get hurt! ;-) so am planning to share pictures of that soon as well as Connor's birth story. After that, I'm really not sure how often I'll blog but hope to do so somewhat regularly.

We're super-grateful for all the kind words, texts, visits, meals and love sent our way over the 11 days!

In the meantime, here are just a few pics from the 11 days with our sweet boy.

Before the festivities began!

First picture as a family of three! (In recovery)

Daddy getting to know his little one while he warms up in the nursery!

Dressing him in his "going home" outfit

All ready to go home!

Heading home! (Love Greg's face here)

Angel Baby

After our first bath at home. It was a little traumatic.

Pregnancy: Week 38-39 in Review

Well, we've come to the end, folks. This is the last "Pregnancy Review" blog post! The exciting news is that Connor will be arriving on Wednesday morning and WE. CAN'T. WAIT. He'll be here just one day before his actual due date.

Feeling? Excited, scared, anxious and totally joyful! Physically? Errrr, fairly uncomfortable. We're definitely ready.

Sleeping? Meh. I sleep OK some nights, not so great others.

Weight Gain? A little over 25 pounds.

Baby Size? As of week 38, they estimated his weight at 7 lbs, 5 oz. But really, who knows? My weight guess at birth is 8 lb, 3 oz. And we'll know soon enough!

Maternity Clothes? Oh lord, I'm so over maternity clothes. When I'm shopping (usually for something really awesome like extra nursing pads or a diaper genie), I always stare longingly at the non-maternity clothes...

Cravings? Same as before... but I'm still on a bit of a kick with sweets. I'm literally drooling as I scan Pinterest dessert boards. And I may or may not be eating a pint of ice cream as we speak. This can neither be confirmed or denied.

Baby Position? Well after weeks of effort, hours of tilts/being upside down and hundreds of dollars worth of acupuncture and chiropractor, unfortunately the little guy is still head-up, so he needs a little help coming out. So, we'll be going in for a c-section on Wednesday morning. At first, I was extremely upset and it's certainly not what I wanted for my birth experience, but I've had several weeks to let the idea soak in and I've found the positive in it. The main thing is that we get a healthy baby, which is all we want!

What I Miss? I do miss walking like a regular person. In the past two weeks, I've definitely gotten the token "pregnant person" waddle down pretty pat.

What I'm Looking Forward To? Meeting my baby boy, of course!


Best Moment? Lots! I finally got over my sickness, we finished up the nursery (well, except for that blasted glider that we're still waiting for. Little Castle Gilder Company and BuyBuyBaby are about to get on my shit list, if I don't get a call this week that it's arrived!) and Greg delivered my "push" present early! 

Belly Button Status? Outie. I could probably poke an eye out with that thing...

Once we get the glider in, I'll definitely do a belated blog post to share all the nursery photos. It's so precious! And I'll be sure to share photos at some point after he arrives.

Last bump pic at week 39 and a sneak peak at the nursery!

 Wish us luck! ;-)

Pregnancy Talk (Explained in .GIFs)

An alternative title to this blog post could be How to Make a Mommy-to-be Want to Attack You. I'll totally admit that I've been treated awesome throughout my pregnancy and there have only been a couple of comments that have annoyed me. But I hear things all the time from new Moms and Mommies-to-be about things people say and it appears as though some people lose all sense of what's polite/appropriate. If that's you, take note. If it isn't, here's a nice glimpse into pregnancy!

So far, I've thoroughly for the most part enjoyed my pregnancy. But that's not to say that there aren't still those moments of, ummm, WTF? Whether it be noticing something weird your body is doing or, more commonly, something someone says to you. So, I thought it'd be interesting to share some of my top WTF moments with an accompanying .GIF to explain my reaction.

Them: "Awww, you're having a baby? Let me explain to you in detail how horrifying my birth experience is... It'll help 'prepare' you."

 
Them: "You're going to be the cutest pregnant lady ever. I bet you only gain weight in your belly and face...

  



Parenting advice from people who DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE CHILDREN

The first time someone referred to me as "Big Momma"

 

After reading a series of BabyCenter emails, with titles like "The Truth Behind Labor" or "Nine Things No One Tells You About Breastfeeding" or "What a Post-Pregnancy Tummy Really Looks Like" ... (Um, I kid you not with these emails...)

Pretty much anytime anyone says "You look like you're about to pop!" (In particular, when that happens at 34 weeks...)

 My thoughts about half-way through our Prepared Childbirth Class:

I hope we've all learned a valuable lesson... If you can't say anything nice to a pregnant person, by all means LIE! ;-)