Bringing Home Baby

This day last week, Stutz and I arrived at the hospital at around noon, after experiencing contractions for the previous 9 hours at home. I was excited and nervous, but mostly glad that we were finally going to have Jonah soon - I even thought that Sunday would be his birthday. Little did I know that a full day would pass before he would arrive, making the total time of having contractions 34 hours. But he was finally here!

Looking back I realize how much has changed completely in only 7 days. I went from being absolutely against epidurals to not only having one, but deciding that they are one of the most wonderful inventions in medicine. I went from being pregnant to being a mother. I experienced my first taste of dealing with my baby's pain from needle pricks and surgeon's cuts and the helpless feeling that came with it. I've smiled, laughed, and cried and been more tired than I've ever thought possible. And I've also lost 18 pounds, which sounds very impressive if you forget that 8 of those were Jonah and the rest was probably water.

I never knew that I could love someone so much from the first moment I held him. That sense of recognition was huge. I recognized his movements, his hand positions, and even parts of his face were familiar. Now that he is 6 days old, we've gotten into a nice routine that includes lots of feedings during the day and long hours of sleep at night. Even though my entire life has changed, I know without a doubt that I don't want to go back.

Stutz's Creations

There are times when my husband is very creative and once he sets his mind on an idea, he cannot be stopped until that idea is complete. Last month, he got inspired to design and make a robot out of some robot fabric and ribbon that I had for some baby ribbon blankets I was making.

Stutz made the design, cut the fabric and ribbons and laid everything out. He had me do the machine sewing, but was determined to stuff the robot and hand sew the edges himself. The robot looks like this:

The other day, Stutz made cute signs to put in the nursery on the closet doors. Inspired by etsy and loving dinosaur and robot baby items anyways, it's not hard to see why he wanted to make them.

He was most excited about all the repins that happened once he posted these on pinterest. I have to admit that I'm impressed with his designs and enthusiasm for his projects, especially right now, when my energy level is so low.

Turning Baby #2

Our date for the version was moved up a week and it happened last Thursday on the 12th. And it was successful!! Even though we were at the hospital for many hours waiting for blood work and monitoring the baby, the actual version went very smoothly and quickly. Jonah was very cooperative and turned head down in a matter of minutes! Thank God!

Also, as far as we know, he has stayed head down for the last week. We are hopeful that we will be able to have a natural birth as soon as Jonah decides he's ready. And so the waiting game is on. Each day I wonder if today will be the day, but so far nothing. The days are starting to drag on and a week seems to take a month. Even though we only have one more week until our due date, January 26th, it seems like forever and that I'll always be pregnant, but I know that's not true.

We are, however, prepared for when the time does come. We have our suitcase packed, our list of last minute items, the car seat in the car, and Stutz even made a visual aid to help me see my progress during labor.

They show dilation, effacement, and station. We picked the runner, because in my mind I feel like this will be a lot like the marathon I did in May. It will be long, painful, and require mind over matter. I thought that by having something to look at and see my progress, like mile markers in a race, would be a good way to for me to stay focused. We'll see if it works!

Turning Baby

Ok, so our baby boy has been stubbornly head up for about a month now. With our due date less than 3 weeks away, we are trying quite a few things to get him to turn. But do you know how many things people say to do to get your baby to turn head down? Laying on an inclined iron board for an hour each day, swimming, crawling everywhere, doing certain back stretches, putting pillows under your bottom, having an ice pack on the top of your belly and a hot pack on the bottom, going to a chiropractor or an acupuncturist, and even more!

With all these options, what is a girl to do? Especially when her doctor doesn't really think any of them work, besides the doctors moving him manually in what is called a version.

Well, I've been swimming in a fabulous outfit (talk about looking good in a swimsuit)

I've tried crawling around the house, but it's a lot more difficult with a 7 pound baby inside of you.

Stutz and I have also tried elaborate pillow configurations on the coach. These attempts mostly end up with me laughing hysterically, with my hoodie up around my neck and my body mostly off the couch. But don't worry, Stutz is there to help me get out of these precarious positions.

The ice pack on the top of the stomach seems not to phase baby Jonah at all.

With all these tries, the most that Jonah has moved is sideways...but getting him to turn the last 90 degrees is looking to be out of our hands.

So for now we have a version scheduled for the 19th of January and are trusting that God has things under control.

Jonah's Nursery

We've been working on Jonah's nursery for months and it is now completely ready for his arrival! We went with a wood theme, with fun green paint and an accent tree our friend Warwick painted for us. 

We found the bedding, curtains, and camping wall plaques at a consignment sale for $15!

The blankets on the chair in this photo are handmade by Jonah's Nana and a woman from our church. He is definitely going to be cozy this winter!

As you can see, his closet is full of toys, clothes, and supplies. We painted the desk (which we got for free) and the dresser for $20 on craigslist. The awesome banner was a gift from my baby shower. 

His framed initials were a gift from his Aunt Rachel and the framed cross stich is mine from when I was a baby that my mom made. I'm really excited that I get to put it up in his room! Thanks for the Christmas present Mom!

Everything has really come together nicely and sitting in the room makes me even more excited for Jonah to get here!