One Month Old

I can't believe it's been a month already.

Even if he's only been home for a week.

I'm sure I'm going to say that when he's 16 also...

Right now he next to refuses to sleep alone. I have tried to get him to sleep in his crib, but he always ends up in bed with me within ten minutes. It's ok with me though! We missed out on a lot of bonding time when he was in the hospital, so we're making up for it now.

He is just like a normal newborn still.

Eat. Poop. Sleep. Cry.

And I'm loving it!

Weight: 6lbs. 6oz. (finally back up to his birth weight! yay!)

Length: 19 inches (I'm not sure where that extra 1/2 inch went from when he was born...)

I love you Tanner!

xoxo

mama

Just the Beginning of Pictures

We went grocery shopping last night, which was much needed after being in California for the past 2 weeks. I wanted to find one of those "My first St. Patrick's Day" onesies, but there weren't any small enough for him. So I found this onesie instead and had to get it! It was a preemie size (they didn't have anymore newborn), but it is still big on him. hee hee He sure looked cute for his doctor appointment today! We went in to follow up on his weight to make sure he is gaining. He has gained 4oz since his last appointment a few days ago! Yay! He is almost a month old, and finally back up to his birth weight. Whew! Of course, he zonked out during the car ride home... he is still looking just like this at the moment, so I am stealing the moment to update the blog. :) This is a little off subject, but this was me when I was 10 days old. I think he looked a lot like this when he was first born, but has changed so much already. I still think I have a Mini-me though!

Keep the Good News Coming!

We are all settling in at home very well. It is so nice to have Tanner at home! Now I get to catch up on all the normal newborn stuff I guess.

He is a very well behaved baby though. I was expecting this to be much worse, and much more sleep deprived. He only wakes up a couple times a night to eat, and is great the rest of the time. There are occasions where it is hard to get him back to sleep. You can totally tell he is tired, but he'll fight going to sleep.

He even watched some NASCAR with Daddy the other day. I'm sure it was just all the bright colors of the cars flashing by, but it was way cute.

We went to his pediatrician's office to day to follow up on his weight and make sure he is gaining. He has gained 4oz since his appointment a few days ago! Yay! That means he is back to his birth weight... and almost a month old. sheesh.

He sure did look cute for the doctor today though. This is a preemie onesie that we found at Wal-Mart yesterday while grocery shopping, and it is still big on him. So cute!


He was totally (and still is at the moment) zonked out after the car ride home.
I also wanted to compare him to me. This is me when I was 10 days old. I think I've got a Mini-me!

Serves Me Right for Being Sneaky...

Kollin got me back for being sneaky and taking the pictures of him and Tanner sleeping... It also looks like we have another NASCAR fan on our hands....

I know he has no control over his hands yet, but it is still funny when he accidentally does something with his hands that seem to be on purpose. "holding his bottle"

"stinky"

SO Happy to be Home!

Happy Valentines Day!

Getting Borned is Tough!

I figured since I have some extra time on my hands now that Tanner is recovering from surgery, I would tell the tale of his birth before I forget the details....

On Wednesday, February 2nd, I had my weekly doctor appointment. I was dilated to a 2, and 80% effaced. I had my doctor strip my membranes to hopefully get labor started.

A few hours later, around 8:30pm, I was bleeding more than I thought my doctor had implied I should, so his on call nurse suggested we go to the hospital to get it checked out to be on the safe side.

They said everything was ok and sent me home. Dang.

Then, at about 1:30 in the morning of February 3rd, I thought I felt my first contraction. I wasn't sure though, because it was all in my back, and I didn't feel any pain in my belly. I felt my belly and it was getting all hard, but no pain. Very strange since that is not what I was told it would feel like.

I felt a couple more and decided that they have to be contractions, and went and woke up Kollin.

He tried to help me through them, but since most of the exercises you learn is to rub the back, or put pressure on the back, nothing was helping!

I finally decided to lie down in bed and let Kollin try to sleep as I timed the contractions.

They were getting soooo painful, I was crying and getting pretty close to screaming... but I didn't.

They were not being very steady either. Some would be 5 or 6 minutes apart, and then all the sudden I wouldn't get one for 10 or so.

My doctor had told me to wait at home until they are 5 minutes apart, and stay 5 minutes apart for an hour. This obviously wasn't happening. I just could not deal with the pain anymore, so Kollin and I headed back to the hospital around 5:30am to get checked out again.

They got me into a room and shortly came in and checked how dilated I was. I was already to a 5! Woo hoo! Bring on the epidural!

They got an IV in me and finally gave me the epidural. It really didn't take that long. Probably only about 30 minutes after I got to the hospital. Good for you Jordan Valley!

After the epidural kicked in, I couldn't feel pain anymore. But I did NOT like how the epidural was making me feel. I was shaking like crazy, crying and on the verge of screaming again because the feeling in my legs was just unbearable. Kollin's mom Kathy had shown up by this time and both of them were trying to get my mind off it and talk about other things.

Nothing worked. I wasn't even really listening to them. All I could think about was my lower body being heavy, completely dead, and not being able to move or control my own body. The only thing I could move were my toes, and that was hardly at all.

Everyone kept asking me if I would prefer that feeling, or the pain of the contractions. It was SO bad, I was actually debating what was worse....

We finally got the anesthesiologist back into my room and he gave me some suggestions. Apparently I am really sensitive to pain meds. He could either turn it off, and turn it back on when I started to feel pain again. Or he could just lower the dose. I opted to lower the dose and see what that would do. After some of it wore off, I still didn't like the feeling, but at least I could zone it out, calm down and stop freaking out.

I was actually able to get some sleep as well. Every now an then, I don't know how often since I was in and out of sleep, they would come in and check me. Each time they checked me I went from a 5 to a 6, 7, 8 and then 9! It was around noon when I was a 9, and they broke my water.

They came and checked me again a little while after that expecting me to be at a 10 and be able to start pushing, but I had stalled out and made no progress. So they decided to give me some pitosin to get me over the last hump.

It sure worked.

They next time I was checked, the nurse informed me that we were going to start pushing. Wow! This was at about 2:30...2:45 ish pm.

So we started pushing... I kept thinking this was going to take FOREVER! I wasn't really seeing him move, but my nurse was saying I was doing a great job and she could see him coming down. I thought she was just saying that to be nice....

It actually wasn't has difficult as I thought it would be. I was pushing as hard as I could, but I kept feeling that I wasn't doing it right since I couldn't feel ANYTHING in my lower body. I had a mirror so I could see the progress I was making, and it was seriously the coolest thing to see as his head got closer and closer to crowning!

I pushed for a while, and they finally called my doctor to get to the hospital to complete the delivery. When he got there, I only had to push a couple more times when he told me to STOP! I guess I'm a rock star at pushing, and he was able to just do the rest with how much I had already done. I just pushed a tiny bit more and out he came at 3:32pm!

I had pushed for just under an hour. My total labor and deliver was almost exactly 14 hours. Everyone kept commenting that it was really fast especially for my first baby. Let's hope I make that a habit!

It was the most wonderful feeling to see him coming the rest of the way out and having him placed on my chest to touch and hold. When anyone says that it is a feeling that cannot be explained, and you will understand it when it actually happens... its TOTALLY true.

It was so sweet to look over at Kollin and see that he also had tears in his eyes and cried a little bit.

They then took him away to get him all washed off. Kollin went with him to watch and get to spend time with his brand new baby boy. It was so cute, as they were rubbing his head off, his hair poofed into a perfect little mohawk. Kollin and I were pretty excited about that!

Afterwards, they gave him back to me and Kollin and I were able to hold him and just be with each other for a little while as a new family.

Then they came back and took him to go get an official bath, some shots and tests. Kollin went with them and was able to help out with the bath and everything. So sweet!

In the mean time, the nurses helped me get all cleaned up and moved to the postpartum unit to start to recover. The cleaning up part and getting moved was not much fun since I still had no control over my legs. But we got it done and got me settled back in bed. It was sooo nice when I was finally able to use my legs again! Took a few hours, but it eventually happened. Whew!

They brought my babies (Kollin and the new little guy who was still nameless) back to me and I was able to hold him again.

We got some visitors. Britta came with her kids and camera. She snapped some beautiful pictures of him when he was just about an hour old. So precious!

Uncle Stanford also came, and we told him that we had been planning to name his middle name after him. And we also asked him if he would do us the honor of blessing him. Of course he said yes, and was very happy and flattered.

Mama also came. Long story on how I know her and our relationship, but she is my Bosnian mother.

Other people that came that I didn't get pictures of were Gabby and Dan, Alicia, Amanda and I think some others, but my mind is such mush, I can't remember at the moment. Sowwy.

Welcome to the world my gummybear! It's about time you made it!

Tanner's Page

As many of you may have heard by now, Tanner is not doing too well, and is now at Primary Children's. He is going to need open heart surgery later this week, and will have a long recovery after. I have created a blog to be able to update friends and family during this time. Please click here to see it. http://tanners-page.blogspot.com/

Tanner Tanner Bo Banner, Banana Fana Fo Fanner!

Introducing....

Baby Tanner!

Born: February 3, 2011

Time: 3:32pm MST

Weight: 6lbs 6oz

Length: 19 1/2 inches

I am so happy he is finally here! Such a cutie!

More stories to come when I am more up to it. :)

39 Week Dr. Appointment

Finally some changes! Dr. says that I am now 2cm dilated, 80% effaced and at 0 station with head down. I haven't gained any weight or belly gotten any bigger since last week, which is ok, since I'm still eating a LOT. He says the baby is weighing around 7lbs give or take. The stress test went well. Still sounds like a happy healthy baby. I told him I am getting more uncomfortable, but nothing I can't deal with. I just want him out! He suggested to strip my membranes, and I was already wanting to ask him about that, so we went ahead and did it. It didn't feel great, but he says that it will put a woman into labor within the next day or two 60% of the time. He also said with how much I am dilated and effaced, it is a higher percentage for me! So hopefully we will see this little guy in the next couple of days!

An Invitation to Our Gummybear

Dear Baby, So we are 38 1/2 weeks into you cooking away! This last week has been starting to get a little agonizing playing the waiting game and wishing you would just get here already. It's not because I am uncomfortable, I can deal with that no problem. It is because both Dad and I are so excited to meet you and know that you are healthy and ok. You see, Dad and I are two very impatient people. Although I think he is dealing with this better than I am. We have been trying to get you to come out this past week, and it doesn't seem like anything is working. We have done lots of walking, spicy foods, bumpy roads, stairs and we even went to our favorite club last night and I tried to dance you out! I know that the truth is that you won't make any move until you are good and ready, and I don't even know if what we have been trying is even making a difference. For all I know, it's making you want to stay in there longer. With that being said, I am extending a formal invitation to you, that it is ok for you to make your debut. You have mine and Dad's full permission to officially become a part of our family, and that you will be just fine, happy and so incredibly loved by so many people. There are actually a lot more people besides just Dad and me waiting to meet you! My doctor even says that it is just fine for you to make your appearance as well. If that isn't official permission, then I don't know what is! I have tried to make a good home for you these last 38 1/2 weeks, and really hope that it has been good enough for you to be able to have developed well with all working parts. But the home you will be coming to when you are out here? Wow! See, there's Dad... He is an incredibly goofy and fun guy. He drives a BIG truck for his job that you will just love! That is, if you are like any typical little boy and love anything that has to do with cars and trucks. I'm sure he'll let you sit in it and even honk the horn! He also does these really funny voices that make me love him even more, and make kids either laugh like crazy, or wonder what the heck is wrong with him. He loves cartoons, and is a great jungle gym. He's got these arms that are so warm and inviting, they can put any child at ease, so you will for sure be very comfortable in them. You also have a brother... He doesn't live with us, but you should still see him a whole bunch. He is a fun guy and I know he will just love you. He has another little brother that I hear he has a ball with and is a really cool big brother already. He really likes cars, trucks and motorcycles right now, and will for sure share with you. There is Grandma... She lives downstairs. Isn't that cool? You will be one lucky kid to be able to see her everyday. She is an awesome grandma too. She will actually get down on the ground and play with you. She'll even let you make a huge mess of her house and spray crazy string on her! There is also your big sister, Chloe... She's not like normal big sisters though. She's all covered in white hair, has two brown spots on the top of her head, a tail, floppy ears and walks on all fours (kind of like how you will for a little while before you figure out walking on just two feet is more fun). She's a few years older than you, but you will be bigger than her very soon. She is a lot of fun to play with and won't mind if you pull her hair, ears or tail. Then there's me... I'm the one you will call Mom, Mommy, Ma ma or whatever works best for you. I am just hoping I can live up to whatever name you decide to call me. I guess I'm pretty cool too. I don't mind getting dirt under my nails and I like to play with bugs, watch and play sports, go camping and dink around with cars. I make awesome cookies that were your Grandma Cannon's (my mom's) recipe. Trust me, they are good. We are all so excited to meet you. We are pretty fun people. I'm sure you will like it here. So come on out!! xoxo mom

38 Week Dr. Appointment

I had another Dr. appointment today. The stress test went well. He says it's looking like a happy healthy baby! Which is great, but I was kinda hoping he was going to tell me to get to the hospital. Just to get this over with! I am incredibly happy that he is still doing so well in there, just wish he would put me out of my misery already. I'm dilated to 1 1/2 cm, which is a tiny bit more than last week. The baby is sitting really low (ouch), and still head down. I also gained 3 flippin' pounds since my appointment last week! He says it's water weight and that it's normal with how close I am. Some pretty good news though, is he says that my "cervix is favorable," which he says means I can go into labor at any time now. YAY! He said that he wants to see me again next week if I don't have him within that time, which he has never said before. I am hoping this will happen soon like he is expecting, and he's not just saying that to be nice. lol But ya, that's all I've got right now. Sorry not very interesting!

Just a Short One...

Remember me saying that I haven't been that uncomfortable in my last post? Pfft! That's a thing of the past. I'm getting pretty uncomfortable over the past few days. I guess during that time that I was doing pretty good was just the calm before the storm. My hips and pubic bone still aren't too tender, but there are times when they act up.

I have also been having one Hell of a time trying to sleep at night. I've gotten to the point were I can't even sleep in bed anymore, and I just stay out on the couch all night. I'm hating it, since I get even less time with Kollin and can't snuggle with him. I think last night was the first night I actually got some decent sleep in the past couple of weeks.

One fun thing is yesterday I had my maternity photo shoot with my friend Barb. She is an awesome photographer and have always loved her work. I can't wait to get the pictures!!

Well that's it for now! Toldja it'd be a short one. I'm off to take a warm bath to try to feel a little better. mmmm....

37 weeks ~ belly update.

37 weeks! Full term! I'm done! Wait...

Maybe not. I had another Dr. appointment today, and there has not been any progress in dilation or effacement. Still the same as last week. Oh well.

Just some other stats... I gained 1lb since last week, but my belly is still measuring the same as last week (34cm). So where did that pound go to?? He also says the baby is weighing about 6lbs, head still down and feeling fine. The Dr. also said that my placenta is starting to calcify, which can be normal. But he is wanting me to do stress tests every week from now on just to make sure the baby isn't stressing out because of it. The test today went just fine. The baby sounds great and not stressing. Whew! It is at least good to know that I am officially full term, and he can come any day and be perfectly fine. Of course, the longer he is in there (but not too long), the better. But I want him out! Hurry up kiddo!

So Unexciting... Well Maybe a Little Exciting.

I've been trying to think of something to write about, but have had absolutely no luck. I have been so unmotivated the last couple weeks, so I am feeling pretty useless. But I want to try to stay caught up on these final weeks of pregnancy, so I'm sorry if this is a boring post. I am waiting to hit another nesting period so I can attack the house and the baby's room before he gets here. There is so much I want to do in there and organize, but I am just too tired lately. Apparently I've been having a bunch of Braxton Hicks contractions lately, and didn't even know it! My Dr. told me to be expecting them if I haven't had any yet at one of my appointments a few weeks ago. Last Friday, Kollin and I went to Area to hang out with some friends that we hadn't seen for far too long. One of them has just recently had a baby and could not get enough of my belly. It was so cute! She kept asking if it was ok to rub my belly, and that she didn't want to annoy me. But I really didn't mind, and I was just plain getting a kick out of her excitement. Anyway, back to the Braxton Hicks... As she was playing around with my belly, all the sudden she ripped her hands away and started to apologize. I didn't know what she was freaking out about and asked her what was wrong? She told me that I was having a contraction! "I am?" You can't feel that?? "A little, but I just thought that was the baby rolling over or something..." Nope, that's a contraction. And she showed me how when my belly feels all hard the way it did, that it was indeed a contraction. Who knew!?!? Apparently not me. At least it's good to know that I barely notice them, and they don't bother me at all. Although I know that real contractions and labor will be completely different, so I might as well enjoy the Braxton Hicks while they last. lol The other night I actually went to bed at the same time Kollin did (which never happens). I was so tired and ready to just fall asleep. But of course, once I was in bed I couldn't get comfortable and couldn't fall asleep. So I got up to go watch some TV and hopefully be able to fall asleep on the couch, which for some reason I am getting pretty good at. As I left the bedroom and started to head down the dark hallway, I had completely forgotten about the baby gate that was still set up in the hallway from when we had Jaedyn. The baby gate has a door that opens in the middle of it that we just keep open. But... it is a little bit raised off the ground to avoid the floor board, and there is still part of the gate that juts out from the walls even with the door open. With this being said, being the clumsy pregnant lady that I have been for the past few months, I SLAMMED my belly right into the corner of where the door was open, and SMASHED the top of my foot underneath the bottom of it! I hit with such force, that I dropped my cell phone on the hardwood floor and made a huge commotion. I was so afraid that I woke up Kollin, I ran back into the bedroom and told him I was ok and not to worry about that big crashing sound he just heard. Apparently he didn't hear the CRASH, but got startled awake when I started talking to him. Woops! The top of my foot has been a little swollen since then, but is finally feeling better today. My belly, on the other hand, is still really sore where I hit and a bruise has finally appeared. It was strange, for the first couple days there was no trace of where I hit other than it was really sore when I would touch it. But now (4 days later) a bruise has finally popped up. Weird. I haven't been too worried about the baby after all of this for a few reasons. 1) The side of my belly where I hit is the opposite side of my belly where he has been laying. 2) I know how protected they are in there, and that other mothers have been through much worse and their kids were perfectly fine. 3) Since I already had an ultrasound scheduled, I had the ultrasound tech double check for me just for kicks. I can deal with me being bruised, limping and in pain as long as I have the peace of mind that the gummybear is ok. I had another couple Dr. appointments earlier this week. One was another ultrasound to check on the size of the baby's head again. (I got pictures, but have been too lazy to scan them) Everything looks fine, and that he just has a big head. The calculations showed that his head is measuring at 37 weeks, and his body at 34. I feel better about it this time, since I'm 36 weeks and his head is only a week ahead. My last ultrasound was when I was 32 weeks. His head was measuring 35 weeks and his body 32. That kinda freaked me out. But it is good to know that everything looks fine on the inside and outside of his head, and that it is not too big. My other appointment, I had my Group B Strep test which I will get the results for in a couple days. Even if I have it (30% of women do), it's not a big deal. Just means I will have antibiotics pumped into me during labor through an IV to protect the baby when he comes out. No biggie. My Dr. also checked my cervix to see how I was measuring. He was telling me how he wasn't expecting much, if anything with me being 36 weeks, and that we shouldn't be expecting me to go into labor for another 2 to 3 weeks.... Until he was actually checking me. Apparently right now I am a loose 1cm (which he says is almost 1 1/2cm) dilated, and 75% effaced! He was a little surprised by that, and said that I will most likely go into labor earlier than he thought. Probably around 2 weeks! I figure as long as I can keep him in there for 1 more week and get to 37 weeks, I will be full term and can pop him out at any time as far as I am concerned. I am done and want to meet my gummybear! I can't wait to see what he looks like, that he is healthy and finally be able to start this new phase of my life. Surprisingly enough, I haven't been that uncomfortable lately. My hips and pubic bone haven't even been as tender as they were. I still get sore and uncomfortable every now an then, especially when I am trying to sleep, but it hasn't been nearly as bad as I was expecting. I am wondering if I have been thinking way too into it, and expecting so much more pain, that all the hype I have expecting isn't really as bad in reality. Or maybe I'm just getting used to all of the aches and pains, and just zoning it out at this point? I dunno, but I'm not complaining! Well that is everything that has been on my mind and going on lately! Hopefully I can get another post or 2 in before the gummybear makes his debut, since I have no idea when I will post again afterward. Guess we'll find out!

Happy New Year!!