Our Little Wyatt

The Birth

Wyatt joined our family on Sunday, September 16, 2012. That day is also special because it is Mexico's Independence Day. We had scheduled an induction for Tuesday, September 18th, but the doctor told us if we went to triage on Sunday they would probably induce me because I was already 10 days past my due date. I had started to feel really anxious about Wyatt coming so late because I knew that after 41 weeks, other complications can arise. I felt a lot of weight in making the decision of whether to induce or wait to see if he would come on his own. I had been showing signs of labor for the past two weeks (mild contractions and some dilation and effacement) but things didn't seem to be progressing. Isaac and I decided that we should make this decision a matter of prayer. We felt good about going in on Sunday, so we got up early and headed over to the hospital.

Here we are at the hospital. Not our best picture but we got up at 5:00 am so what can you expect?

Although I ate prior to going to the hospital, after they had completed all the paperwork and got me in a delivery room I was starving! Luckily, the nurse believed in feeding me before we started the Pitocin so she ordered me a breakfast burrito. Nothing ever tasted so good! 

They finally started the Pitocin at 10:00 am. At 11:00 am my water broke on its own. A little while later the doctor came in and checked me. Turns out my water broke up high (what they call a high leak), so he broke the sac where the water was below the baby's head. 

About an hour after that, contractions began to be painful. At first I would breathe through them easily. But as time went on, they became more intense and closer together. 

At the top in the blue shaded area, you can see baby's heart beat. As long as he is in the blue he is good. The bottom graph shows the contractions. At this point they were two minutes apart lasting about 1 minute.

At one point the contractions were about one or two minutes apart but there was no break. As soon as the contraction subsided, the next one began. I thought I was going to die! The pain was so intense. I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen that would build and shoot down my legs. Labor is a very unique pain because it builds and then subsides. It requires a lot of concentration. I've never experienced anything like it before. When I started to have a contraction, I didn't want to be touched or talked to. As the contractions got worse, I thought to myself, "I can't do this for hours!" I had really wanted to go natural but I knew that since I had decided to induce that most likely I would end up getting an epidural. Word on the street is that contractions caused by Pitocin (a synthetic hormone of Oxytocin) are more painful. So I had my doula get the doctor to check me to see how far I had progressed. This way I could judge if I should stick it out or get the epidural. Well the doctor checked me and I was only dilated to 4 cm. You need to be 10 cm in order to deliver. So obviously, I decided to get the epidural. The epidural wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. I did have a problem with my epidural. It didn't quite take on my left side. So they had me lay on my left side but it still wasn't really helping, so then I was still needing to breathe through contractions as I felt my left side contract and pain shoot down my left leg. The nurse came in and shot up something into the epidural and then at some point I fell asleep. When I woke up, I was so chatty! About an hour later, I told my doula that I felt pressure down there and once I felt it all the time she called in the doctor. They checked me and the baby was at what they call a "plus 3." The scale goes minus 3 to plus 3 so he was ready to come out! I pushed for about 30 minutes and our little Wyatt made his arrival at 6:18pm. Once Wyatt came out they set him right on my chest. He wasn't nearly as gooey as I thought he'd be. His skin looked a little purple at first. Isaac cut the umbilical cord which was white. I was surprised that it was white but once the air hit it, it started to turn to a blueish purple tint. After they wiped up Wyatt and put a little hat on him I was able to look at him in wonder. I was crying and so was Isaac. It was so crazy to think that this little life came out of me. I then breastfed Wyatt. It is so amazing how he knew just what to do and that my body was able to fill his need to eat. Once he finished eating the nurse took him and gave him a sponge bath and weighed and measured him. Wyatt was 7 lbs. 14 oz. and 20 inches long. 

     

 Both of us with Wyatt right after he was born.

     
Here is Wyatt sucking on his thumb after the nurse gave him a bath. He hasn't really been able to suck his thumb since then. He usually just attempts to stick both hands in his mouth at the same time.

I know I look awesome in this picture but I included it because I thought it was so interesting that the hospital would give me food like chicken fingers and french fries or a hamburger. Shouldn't hospitals give you healthy food?

  

Here is Wyatt, already practicing his riding technique.What a cutie!

  

Isaac's parents hopped in the car when we called to tell them I was being induced. They made it to the hospital at about midnight. I was exhausted and sleeping but they enjoyed spending time with their first grandchild.

This is our little Wyatt's first car ride leaving the hospital.

Pictures

My mom and I tried to take some cute photos of Wyatt. Below I have put little captions for each pic

          

"Don't mess with Texas!"                  "Yawn..."                                         "Model pose" 

Pictures with Daddy

 

Family portrait

Hanging out with Grandma Jean

We had just given him a sponge bath and his hair was sticking up all over the place. His hair is so long he needs a little trim around his ears already!

  

Wyatt just chillin'

Sleeping

More fun pics:

 Wyatt with flowers from Joanna.       A little smile I managed to catch.    He looks like a little boxer here.

 Oh this little guy is just so cute!


A Little More About Wyatt

Wyatt is such a good baby. We are so blessed that he is so healthy. We are learning the ropes of being new parents which means we now know what it's like to be pooped on, peed on, and spit up upon. Wyatt is very strong. He could already lift up his head by the time he arrived home. In fact, once my mom (Grandma Jean) was holding him and it looked as though Wyatt lifted his head up to kiss her. He actually sucked her cheek. Wyatt goes a little crazy when he is hungry. I call him "my little crazy man." We've noticed that Wyatt has long toes just like his father. He also seems to have big hands for his size. It seems to me that Wyatt has inherited his body type from Isaac, but Wyatt's facial features seem more similar to my baby pictures. Wyatt has gray eyes so we are curious to see what color his eyes will be as he gets older. It is so fun to see Wyatt grow. I have noticed that he has become more alert and that he has begun to study my face. It is so exciting to see my baby memorizing my face. I absolutely love being a mother though there have already been difficult times that have led me to tears. The other day I was holding Wyatt and he was only in his diaper. I had placed my hand on his chest and I could feel his little heart beat. I started to cry as I became so overwhelmed at the thought that Isaac and I created this little life. We are so blessed that we were able to have a child and we are so excited to be starting a family.

Country Living

In May, Isaac and I moved right outside the city limits of Lubbock. I don't know that it is really all that "country" but we did have to get special internet and we have well water, so close enough. Isaac found this great little place that sits on five acres and came equipped with horse stalls and a round pin. I never thought I'd live in a trailer house but life is full of surprises. It is really nice to be out of an apartment and I'm excited that our little one will have room to run around. It's also nice to have the horses with us and to see Isaac doing what he loves.

This is Isaac's horse Golden Boy. He is a beautiful horse and very good natured. Isaac has used him to do some cowboy work. He seems like the father of the bunch and has taken a liking to our filly "Boots."

Here Isaac is with Golden Boy and Blue.

Here is a picture of Isaac and Blue. It is more rare to find a white horse. Blue has blue eyes, hence the name. For a while they would not register Cremello horses. I think it was because they thought they were albino. Isaac has had Blue since he was a teenager. He bred Blue and she gave birth to Boots one year ago.

Isaac had bred Blue with the intent to give the foal to his father. Isaac's dad named the filly "Boots" because the bottom of her legs are a different color and it looks like she is wearing boots. Boots has two little hearts on the bottom of one of her hind leg. So cute!

Here is a gray colt that Isaac is breaking for a friend. This horse likes to neigh a lot. He is pretty spunky!

Here is our beloved Boots. She was in her pin so I will have to post a picture of her full body later. She is a real pretty horse and is growing so fast. She likes to stick her head through any fence that she can. She can be pretty silly but she is a good horse and hopefully our kids will be able to ride her someday.

May (Graduation and St. Louis)

May was a busy month for Isaac and me. The beginning of May was filled with studying for finals. We then attended three graduations (mine, Isaac's, and Aaron's, Isaac's brother). After graduation, Isaac and I headed up to St. Louis. My parents were moving from St. Louis at the time and it was great to go there one last time and say goodbye to my childhood home. Once we got back to Lubbock, we then moved ourselves. It was a whirlwind of a month! Well, here are the pics!

My classmates from my program

Isaac's graduation

My graduation (showing off our firstborn or first-to-come-soon)

Isaac and I

Isaac's family and I 

(I'm not sure why I don't have a photo of Isaac with his family. I think it must be on another camera)

The pregnant ladies and cousins

Aaron (Isaac's brother) is an opera singer and was asked to sing the Alma Mater at graduation

A trip to St. Louis always requires that one fill up on toasted ravioli. 

Cunetto's makes the best, so we had to eat there.

We then had to get some Ted Drewes. So delicious!

St. Louis was such a fun trip. Melanie and Nick were also there so it was great to spend time with them as well. It was also fun to help my mom go through our basement and look at old memorabilia. One particular highlight of the trip for me was when my mom went through some baby things and we were able to look at some things of my brother Blake. Blake was the firstborn child but died at age two following a heart surgery. None of us kids ever knew him. I'm grateful for my knowledge of eternal families and that someday I will meet him. I'll miss St. Louis but I'm so grateful for my family and the memories that I have that will be with me no matter where I go.

Have you ever been caught with your pants down?

So the other day Isaac and I went out to see his horses. While outside I felt something crawling up my pants and then I felt a prick or bite on my thigh. I started to freak out. We were out in the open so I was yelling, "Isaac! Something bit me! Help me!" I was trying to walk over behind a shed before I took off my pants to get the bug out. The bug continued to crawl up. Just when I got my pants down, a repair man that was in the shed walked around and quickly retreated after he saw me in my underwear. The bug flew away right as a got my pants down. I'm pretty sure it was a bee because three days later the area was pretty red still. I'm not sure if you can see it but there is a pretty red spot there in the center.

After, this incident we ended up talking to the repair man and he said that he thought I had been bit by a horse! No, not quite. It did hurt though. It was quite embarrassing but upsetting too. This bee is the one that decided to fly up my pants and then I'm the one that gets hurt? How is that fair? I don't like bees.

My little baby

I cannot even begin to express how excited I am about our little one. It is so neat to think that this little life is growing inside of me. I can feel the baby move almost everyday. It is so cute! Whenever I feel the baby move, I always think about this little baby just flippin' around having a good old time in mama's belly. I'm beginning to understand the love between a parent and child. I haven't even seen the baby but I already feel so much love toward my baby. It is a little but scary to think about how much I already love this baby.

I had a really strange dream the other night where my baby was born with no arms. In the dream, we were puzzled by the birth defect because the baby had had arms in the ultrasound. But in the dream, I took the baby in my arms after birth and I didn't even care that baby didn't have arms. It made me think about how special this little soul will be to me no matter what. I can't wait to find out the sex of the baby and just see my little one in just a few days!

The other day, Isaac and I were lying in bed and he said to me, "Can you believe we even thought about waiting?!" It is definitely going to be a struggle to have a baby when our future is so uncertain since we are both graduating and do not have long term employment. However, Isaac and I decided before we married that having children was a priority in terms of importance and timeliness. I feel so blessed that we were able to get pregnant so quickly and that we will be having this baby join our family.

I feel so overwhelmed with love for this child and sometimes I worry that my love will get in the way of good parenting. As a therapist, I realize that I will probably emotionally damage my children as most parents do. It is so crazy to think of the times when I questioned my parents love. Maybe parents fall in love with their babies and the love changes overtime, similar to a marriage. But, every now and then, I see how my mom looks at me and remembers me as her little baby. I see many friends posting about their babies on Facebook and it seems as though their babies are growing up so fast. I already feel as though every moment is going to slip away so fast after the baby is born. My prayer is that motherhood will transform me and that as my love increases, so will my ability to let my children develop their own unique selves.

Pregnancy Photos

6 weeks

  18 weeks

19 weeks

20 weeks

23 weeks

                                               24 weeks

                                                29 weeks

                                                31 weeks

You know you're pregnant when...

You know you're pregnant when you sleep 10 hours at night, then take a two hour nap the following day and can still fall fast asleep at your regular bedtime.

You know you're pregnant when you begin to spend as much time in the bathroom as your husband does.

You know you're pregnant when you get excited that you gained weight.

You know you're pregnant when you no longer feel ashamed if you didn't put on make or get ready for the day.

You know you're pregnant when you fall asleep in class as the teacher stands next to you and you don't even try to stay awake.

You know you're pregnant when you dream about going to Ted Drewes and you order two ice creams.

You know you're pregnant when you look down at your feet and find that you are wearing mismatching shoes and you are too lazy to run home and change them.

You know you're pregnant when you buy a Einstein's Brothers Bagel bucket because you are having a craving. No I am not carb loading, I just want to eat bagels! Lots of them!

You know you're pregnant when your friends and family look at you like, "you are going to eat more of that?" or "you actually finished that plate?"

You know you're pregnant when you cry when someone wins something on TV.

You know you're pregnant when you cry as someone yells, "I'm debt free!" on the Dave Ramsey radio show.

You know you're pregnant when you cry cause you're sad.

You know you're pregnant when you cry cause you're happy.

You know you're pregnant when you cry cause you are mad.

And lastly, you know you're pregnant when you cry about how you cry all the time.

The baby whisperer...

For Christmas break, Isaac and I made our way to St. Louis to visit my parents. My cousin,  her husband and their baby also joined us for the holidays. While we were there, Isaac made a new best friend; meet Jack. Now, I can testify that Isaac did not bribe the child with sweets or toys but Jack did in fact like Isaac on his own accord. We knew Isaac had magic powers when Jack began to refuse to go to his parents and wanted the comfort of Isaac's arms (I can relate!). While shopping the after Christmas sales, Jack fell    asleep in Isaac's arms, so precious! I'm hoping that Isaac's baby whispering powers will work on our own children so we can get sleep when the little one comes! We shall see if he really is the baby whisperer.