"It Won't Be Like This For Long"

"It Won't Be Like This For Long"

Darius Rucker

He didn't have to wake up, He'd been up all night
Lying there and listening to his newborn baby cry
He makes a pot of coffee, splashes water on his face
His wife gives him a kiss and says it's gonna be okay

It won't be like this for long
One day will look back laughing at the week we brought him home
This phase is gonna fly by, so baby just hold on
It won't be like this for long...

I have caught myself thinking of this song and playing it over and over in my head the past few days, and I know that this phase of time with Weston as a newborn will fly by, and he will be a toddler running around before I know it. I am cherishing this time with my baby, and I love him more than I ever imagined. He is a good baby during the day, but he screams at the top of his lungs at night. We let him cry for hours, and he still doesn't stop. We don't hold him during the day, and he sleeps with no problem. It's been a tough few days, because we are so exhausted, but we will cherish this time with our little one, and we are looking to each other for support and encouragement.

It's funny, because at the end of my pregnancy, I felt so unattractive, and I didn't really want to be close to Grant. It wasn't that I didn't love him and want that physical attention, but I just felt like I was huge and uncomfortable, and I didn't desire that. Now that the baby is born, I don't look much better...my belly is still big, and I don't get a shower everyday, but I desire that attention from Grant. I love his kisses and hugs and want to be close to him. I love just laying in his arms in the evening and watching our baby! He is a great father, and I'm so amazed at how wonderful he is doing. I'm so in love with him and that love grows stronger everyday! I can't believe that the two of us made such a perfect little boy...

No matter what we'll get through these sleepless nights, and we'll move on to another and even better phase with our son. And what post is complete without more photos of our little one...

Just a few new photos...

So, I don't have a whole lot to post about right now...things are going great! My emotions are up and down right now, but I guess that's to be expected. I'm doing great though, and I'm so proud and happy with the new edition to our family. On another note, we are exhausted. Weston doesn't really like to sleep at night, so he cried for hours last night before finally falling asleep on my chest in the office. Grant and I had to take turns, and it really sucked! Keep your fingers crossed that he does better tonight. Any advice on sleeping and getting him to sleep in his bassinet would be great!

Anyways, on to the pictures, and I'll post again soon...

Weston's Birth Story

Here it is...I could go on and on about Weston's birth and how wonderful it was, and I can't wait to share my birth story with people who are preparing to have little ones, because I truly had the best experience that I could have asked for, and I'm so grateful for how everything went. For anyone who is in the Athens area, St. Mary's hospital and the nurses were amazing, and they were so helpful. We've had a great experience. Our pediatrician has been great, as well, and he has come by the past two mornings to check on him and to just talk to us, and I'm so grateful for that. He makes us feel so comfortable and answers all of our questions!

Right after he arrived with his full head of hair! :)

Anyways, on to the birth story...
Grant and I arrived at the hospital at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, January 19th, and we had to check in through the Emergency Room. The ER was completely full, so we had to wait in line behind four other people before we were able to check in. Thankfully I wasn't in labor, because I don't know that I would've been able to wait. We finally got checked in and upstairs around 6:30 PM, and they didn't have a room for us, because ALL the rooms were full. We had to wait in a holding room until they had discharged someone, so they got things started in that room. They got me hooked up to all the monitors, and they gave me the Cervidil. Around 11:30 PM, we were able to move into our new room. We stayed there overnight, and I didn't get much sleep. I was so ready to meet my son.

Our room at the hospital

Around 8:30 AM, my nurse came in and took out the cervidil and checked my cervix. At that point, I was 4 cm dilated, so they had my doctor come and break my water. I started contracting on my own, so they let me do that for about an hour. At about 9:30, they started the pitocin to speed things up. I got the pitocin, and I started feeling terrible contractions. Once your water breaks, you feel EVERYTHING, so the contractions were awful. I had tears in my eyes, and I couldn't talk, so I immediately asked for the epidural. The anesthesiologist came around 10:30 AM, and he gave me the most amazing epidural. I didn't feel a thing!! It was awesome, so I relaxed and hung out with our families while we waited for it to be time. At 2:00 PM, they came in and checked me and I had jumped up to 9 cm dilated, so they called the doctor, and they told her to head our way, because it wouldn't be long.

Grant & I waiting for the arrival of Weston

At 3:00 PM, they asked everyone to leave the room, and the doctor still hadn't arrived yet, but they got my room ready for me to push, and they got me ready. At 3:17 PM, I started pushing, and they were telling me that I was doing so great. I reached down and could feel his head. At that point, they told me to wait again, because the doctor wasn't in the room, and I was making such good progress. Around 3:35 PM, the doctor arrived, and I pushed two more times before Weston made his debut at 3:42 PM. He came out with a head full of beautiful blonde hair, and he was just beautiful.

My sister waiting with us for Weston

I was so lucky that I didn't have any tears, so no stitches, and they were able to get everything back together in the room quickly. I wasn't able to get out of bed until 11:00 PM, because the epidural was so awesome that I really couldn't feel my legs until then. But that's okay, because my family brought us food and gifts for Weston, I was able to breastfeed and everyone was able to hold him. He is doing great now! He is latching on and feeding like a champ...he is such a natural. We had to stay in the hospital overnight tonight, because he hasn't gotten circumcised yet. They are planning to do that this morning, and we'll get to go home this afternoon. We can't wait and are looking forward to reuniting with our puppy, Banks, and for him to meet Wes! :)

Right after his arrival...I'm looking rough, but so elated! He's beautiful!

I've got lots more photos from the past couple of days to share, but I don't want to overload and post all the pictures at once, so I'll post more over the weekend or early next week! Thanks everyone for your well wishes and congratulations!

He's Here!!

I'll post more photos, as well as, a the birth story once I get a chance. The birth was awesome, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. Grant and I are both so proud, and we are SO in love with our little angel! :)

He's Not Here Yet, but SO Close!

So, I'm sure that since I've been so MIA since my last post some of you may have thought that the little one had arrived, unfortunately, no such luck, but we'll be at the hospital in 24 hours preparing to meet our little boy! We can't wait, and I'm SO excited. I've been on overdrive the past few days, thus, the reason for not posting.

I've been trying to get ahead in school, so I would have some downtime after Weston arrives. For those of you that don't know, I've been going back to school to get my MBA, and I am in my final semester. It's going to be a busy semester, but it'll be definitely worth it when it's over. I've been cleaning the house, doing the laundry, spending time with Grant and just running around town to get out of the house, since I won't be able to do so for awhile.

I'm so anxious, and I have a feeling that I won't be able to sleep tonight as I wait through the final hours before meeting our little one. This will likely be my last post before I meet my little one, so thanks to everyone for all your support and encouragement during this journey. I will post photos after our little one is born, as well as, the birth story. I may wait until this weekend when we get home from the hospital, but as soon as I'm feeling up to it, I'll definitely post! Can't wait for you all to meet our little one soon!!

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

...to the hospital, that is! I'm so ready that I can hardly stand it, and I can't wait until I see my son for the first time without the help of an ultrasound. I want to see him and hold him in my arms. It's hard to believe that it's been 38 weeks, and the time is so near. It's going to be an exciting year for us, and I'm really looking forward to all that God has in store for us. I'm really hoping that Weston decides to come on his own before next Tuesday, but if not, Grant and I will be headed to the hospital next Tuesday evening, and I'll be induced on Wednesday morning. We are so excited and anxious. I've decided to take next Tuesday off work, so I'll be able to relax, straighten up the house and do any last minute things, take a nice bath and take Banks to the kennel. I'm looking forward to relaxing before arriving at the hospital.

I've packed my bags, and they are in the car ready to go when it's time...here is a list of the items that I've packed. Is there anything else that anyone can think of that I'm forgetting?

For Me:
- Insurance Information (Grant is keeping this information, so he can provide when necessary at the hospital)
- Comfortable PJ's & Lounge Clothes
- Outfit to wear Home from Hospital
- Socks
- Bathrobe
- Pillow
- Camera
- Pen & Notebook
- Plastic Wal-Mart Bag for any Dirty Clothes
- Cell Phone & Wall Charger
- Chapstick
- Magazine
- Photo of Banks, so he can be there with us...I know, I'm a total nerd, but what can I say, I love my dog!
- Hair Ties / Headbands
- Breast Pads...since I'm already having to wear these on a daily basis since I'm leaking so bad! Ugh!
- Sanitary Pads - I know the hospital will provide me some, and I'll probably use those, but I packed a few of my own, just in case.
- Toiletries
- DVD for Tuesday night while we are waiting
- Hand Sanitizer
- Baby Book
- Nursing Bra & Lanolin
- Slippers for Hospital
- Flip Flops & Shoes for going Home

For Grant
- Cash for Parking / Change for Vending Machine
- Change of Clothes
- Toiletries
- Snacks

For Baby
- Car Seat - Already installed in Car!!
- Going Home Outfit
- Receiving Blanket
- Extra outfit for Baby, just in case. :)
- Boppy Pillow - In car, in case I want to use it while I'm in the hospital
- Diaper Bag - Packed and in the car, in case we need it at some point during the stay or anything

Last Minute Items to Grab before Leaving
- Hair Straightener
- Make-Up
- Laptop

So, what am I missing anything else anyone can think of?

Finally with my goals...

So, I'm finally back to finish posting about my goals. Even though I was supposed to be finished with everything at work, the past few days have been SO busy. The office threw us a Baby Shower on Friday, and we also had a Wedding Shower at a different time for another girl at the office. I also had to move offices, so that's been a challenge trying to get everything boxed up, then move it upstairs, then unpacking and being pregnant makes it that much more difficult.

Without further ado, here are my 2010 Goals:
1.) Run a minimum of two 5K's this year - I haven't been running much lately, because I hurt myself, then I got pregnant, so I haven't done much running. Get back into it and start running regularly.

2.) Get back to Wedding Day weight - I'm planning on joining Weight Watcher's as soon as I get the "go-ahead" from my doctor. I'm looking forward to it, and I'm also planning on working out at a minimum of 4-5 days per week. I know it might be a job around the neighborhood or walk with the baby, but anything is better than nothing.

3.) Become Debt Free - I want us to be debt-free aside from our house payment. I'd like to finish paying off my car and Grant's last student loan.

I think that's it...I can't think of any other goals to post, but those are the main things that I want to do this year. I know that there are other items, but these are the highlights for now. I might come back and update later when I think of more! My brain is fried right now with everything that's been going on.

Major Life Events & Goals for 2010

2010 is bound to be one of the most memorable years of our lives, and I'm looking forward to all the excitement and everything that this year will bring! I know that it'll be great, and I'm mostly awaiting the arrival of our bundle of joy in less than two weeks! I'm betting that it'll be the highlight of our year. In addition, we will be invited to seven weddings this upcoming year, but we'll only make it to five, because of overlaps.

Here is our list of weddings and major events in our life for 2010:
January 20th or earlier - Birth of Weston James Harvey
April 24th - Running 5K in Athens with Friends
May 2nd - Our 1 Year Wedding Anniversary
May 15th - David & Jessica's Wedding in Dallas, GA (Grant is in this wedding)
June 5th - Abby & David's Wedding in Jackson, GA (I'm in this wedding)
June 5th - Jamie & Michael's Wedding in Jamaica (We won't be attending this wedding)
June 19th - Natalie & Jeremy's Wedding in Athens, GA (I'm also in this wedding)
June 23rd - 26th - Family Reunion in St. Augustine, FL & Weston's 1st Beach Trip
July 24th - Mary & Jarrod's Wedding in Athens, GA
August 28th - Heather & Brandon's Wedding in Tuscaloosa, AL (Don't know about this one!)
August 28th - Katie & Terrance's Wedding in Americus, GA (Don't know about this one!)
September 3rd - 6th - Labor Day Weekend at Jekyll Island & Weston's 2nd Beach Trip

We are going to be busy, and I'm sure that more events will come up between now and then, but we are so excited, and we can't wait to see what this year holds for us!

Next up...my goals for 2010! I started to write them tonight, but I'm tired and ready for bed, so I will post them tomorrow. :)

It's All Wrapped Up!

So, I got everything wrapped up at work in the past two days that I'm responsible for since I'll definitely be out of the office in no more than two weeks! I'm so thrilled, and it's a huge relief to know that I'm working, and I'm getting things done, but I've transitioned everything off, and I'll have no worry or stress when our little one arrives.

To highlight my wrap-up items from this week:
- Complete transition of ALL project-related tasks to co-worker
- Complete documentation and Maternity Leave letter to highlight list of responsibilities
- Transition invoice approvals and information to co-worker

These are the items that I've had to work through in the past two days, but I've gotten it done, and I'm SO thankful! A little late, but I'm also going to try to post my 2010 Goals, not Resolutions later today! I've had them written down, but I just haven't gotten around to posting them yet.

Full Term - Yipee!!!

So, I've been gone again, but the holidays are over, so I should be back regularly until Weston decides to make his appearance. So, today marks Full Term! I can't believe it...I've been pregnant for 37 weeks!

How far along? 37 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 30 lbs...yikes!!
Maternity clothes? Yes...I'm not wearing anything that's not maternity except for Grant's t-shirts that are a Large and my regular pajama pants. I can still wear a small/medium pajama pants, because I can wear them down low.
Stretch marks? Nope...crossing fingers that I don't get any! :) Starting to put lotion on my stomach more regularly just to be sure!
Sleep: Having a tough time...waking up more and more often to go to the bathroom and just finding it more difficult to sleep! Woke up at 2:30 this morning and couldn't fall back to sleep until 4:00 AM. UGH!
Best moment this week: My doctor's appointment and scheduling an induction for January 20th! Yipee!! And being full term at 37 weeks! By the way, if you guessed "On Time" or "Late" in the poll, it looks like you are wrong! Those who guessed "Early" are right on!
Movement: Yes! He moves a lot, and I love it!
Food cravings: Nothing that I can think of...
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: BH Contractions this week and weekend and lots of pressure. I'm 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced, so he may come before our scheduled induction! :)
Belly Button in or out? Finally poking out...I think he's done!
What I am looking forward to: Only having two more weeks of having an inside baby! :)
Weekly Wisdom: I don't have any this week...
Milestones: Everything is done and packed and car seat installed and inspected! Yay!

Oh, and my Step B test came back negative! Yay!! For those who are curious as to why they are inducing me early, due to my elevated blood pressure, my placenta is a Grade 3, so it's not really providing the nutrients to the baby that it should. It has become calcified, and it isn't looking great, so I guess it's not a favorable environment, and they want him to come early. I'm not real good with all the details. It has also made my fluid levels be on the low side. They are going to check them again via ultrasound next week, and if it's real low, then they'll go ahead and let him come out. But hopefully, it'll be normal, and they will wait until the following week.