Cutest Baby on the Block

I know I probably haven't put as many pictures of Hunter on here that some of you would like to see. 

So, I have a whole post dedicated to his cuteness :)

Playing with some sunglasses in my office

And who doesn't love a naked baby in the bath?!?

Asleep on the bed. I love his little feet in this one.

This is one of my favorite pictures of him. 

Aaand sometimes he falls asleep in his chair like this...

Perfecting the selfie...

All ready to go on a walk!

And doing his touchdown dance for the Packers :)

Love this little man!!

Birth Story...Part 2

So the last thing was I was given oxygen...the doctor had me lay on my sides, and had to wheel the tray table over the bed. I had to prop my leg up on top of a pillow that was placed on top of the tray table. This apparently was going to help open my hips and help the dilation. If that didn't work, then c-section it was. 

I got the second epidural and was informed this would take me all the way through labor until the end. NOPE. WRONG. After another couple of hours I was starting to feel my toes. It was 1 am, and the epidural was wearing off. I told the nurses and they said they would call him back. I don't know if they never called him back, or if he just never came in. All I know, is that during the last 4 hours of labor I. FELT. EVERYTHING. Any mother who does everything all natural. WOW. God bless them, cause it is hard. They gave me Fentanyl through my IV to help ease the pain and I'm pretty sure it did nothing. 

I was shaking, I was crying. Patrick was doing his best to talk me through the contractions. The nurses were rubbing my back through them. All I know was that they hurt really bad. I was shaking so hard that I had to grab onto the bedrails to keep from flailing all over. Not from the contractions, but apparently the shaking comes when you're getting closer to birth. So while I had no pain meds, propping my hips up like that was helping. 

And just when I thought it couldn't get worse...I got sick. Nauseous, throwing up. Glorious. The doctor came in at about 2 am and was SO excited that was puking! I'm pretty sure she was on crack, until she explained that that meant things were moving along great and we were getting closer. I felt good for awhile, then got sick again about 4:30 a.m.

After 3.5 hours of AWFUL contractions, I finally asked the nurse when it would be time to push. She said, "You'll just feel like you're ready. It will feel different, like you HAVE to push." I said, "Well get that doctor in here, cause it feels like that right now and I need to push."

The doctor and nurses all came in, got everything ready and push I did. And let me tell you after having those awful contractions, finally being able to push felt wonderful. Like I was being productive and could actually do something with those awful pains. The one thing I will say about having no pain meds, was that I was in control and I would tell them when I was ready to push again. 

Unfortunately, my child had an extremely large head and I had to get an episiotomy. Not bad, and I didn't feel a thing. That's like a freaking cake walk compared to contractions. So any pregnant woman or someone who will someday be a mom reading this...don't even worry about that. It got to the point where I was so exhausted from being in labor so long...25 hours at this point, that I asked them to use the vacuum because I had no energy left. They used it, and a couple pushes later he was out! 

My little man was born at 5:16 a.m. on December 20th.

They placed him on my chest right away and it was the craziest feeling. It was so many emotions and thoughts at the same time. Not only "OH MY GOSH I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!!!!" to thoughts like this is my baby, I made him, does he look like me or his dad? I just laid there staring at him the doctor finally said "You can touch him." I didn't even realize I hadn't touched him yet! I was just so in awe that I didn't even move when they placed him on me. 

It was by far the most surreal moment in my life, and there's no words to explain that moment when they lay your baby on your chest. Speechless. Patrick was right there with me telling me how proud he was, and we were both just staring at this little human that we brought into the world. It truly was amazing.

I swear I grow more and more in love with this little man each day and my heart is so full. I'm pretty sure it's accurate to say that I am obsessed with my child. I love him so much and am so thankful that God gave this little human to me to take care of while here on this earth. So lucky, and so amazed.

Birth Story...Part 1

It's so funny to think back now about all of the anxieties I had about the whole labor and birth experience. I looked up stuff online about what to expect. One of the things I feared the most, turned out to be not that big of a deal in the end.

I was full term on December 19, 2013. I had my 40 week doctor's appointment on the 18th. When I met with the doctor that day, they said I was still only 1 cm dilated and the baby had not dropped. She said she would not let me go more than a week past my due date, but the rate that I was progressing, it looked like I would have to be induced anyways. 

One thing I always thought was that I wouldn't know when I was going into labor. Well, when you get induced you pretty much get to decide when you want to start going into labor. It was a weird emotion because now all of a sudden they're asking you when you want it to happen. I just never pictured it that way. 

Patrick was with me at this appointment, and the doctor left it up to us what we wanted to do. As much as I wanted pregnancy to be over, when the decision was left up to us I almost felt as if I wasn't ready to pull the trigger. Patrick was all for getting this thing started and I was hesitant. He had to remind me how miserable and uncomfortable I had become. I had a mini panic attack in the doctor's office that day, because it was actually going to happen! We had a small window, because the doctor was leaving for the Christmas holiday to visit family, and to finally make up the decision of when I would be induced, I left it up to the OB nurses. The doctor called their office and asked when they had the most staff and it would be easiest for them. They decided I would go in that night at midnight to start the process. 

HOLY. FREAKING.OUT.

It was actually going to happen! I went back to work (yep!), finished the last of the things I needed to get done, then went home to sleep. And gorge myself full of food because after 8 pm that night I couldn't eat anything. My "last meal" as I called it consisted of almost a whole box of mac and cheese, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Super healthy, I know. Patrick had a meeting that night, and I turned the phone off, took the dogs to my in-laws, and slept. 

My last picture at home before heading in that night...hellooooo fat face and basketball belly.

 

We went to the hospital and got checked in at midnight, and got to put one of those lovely gowns on. I got settled into the hospital bed and Patrick got settled onto the pull-out couch. The nurse gave me a teeny tiny pill that would help get the dilating started...and then we went to sleep. Yep, that's all inducing consists of. I thought it would be a little more exciting than that.

Four hours later, the nurse came in and gave me another little pill to take. After another 4 hours of sleep, they started me on an IV drip with fluids and pitocin, to help speed things up. At this point I couldn't feel any contractions, but apparently I was having them. I had dilated a little more, but not much. It seems the little pills got things started, but they were moving very slowly. 

After hanging out and a couple more hours, they turned up the pitocin. It helped a little bit but things were still progressing very slowly. I was starting to feel the contractions and they were getting uncomfortable. At about 4 pm I finally got my first epidural. Yep, you read that right...the first one. Let me tell you, it was magical! Unfortunately at about 8 pm that epidural wore off...the anesthesiologist had to come back to the hospital. Apparently it had come out, which was why it stopped working. 

At this point, I had technically been in labor for 16 hours and I was only at a 5. At about 10 pm, the doctor said that if I wasn't going to progress any more, they were going to have to give me a c-section because the baby was showing signs of stress from being in labor too long. I had to be given oxygen at this point because my levels were low...

Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow!!!

Newborn Pics

Now that my son will be three months old this week, I think it's probably time I share his newborn pictures...ya think?

We had them done Christmas Eve morning. That's one thing that's great about small towns, is that the people are willing to work with your schedule. A friend of ours, Alex, took the pictures at her home, where one of her bedrooms is set up as a studio. She was wonderful to work with, took time ahead of the session to research different things for newborn shoots (she's fairly new into her photography business), and had everything ready to go when we got there. She was more than patient with us when we showed up 15 minutes late! In our defense, it was our first adventure out of the house since being home from the hospital. 

Hunter did really great at first, but when we got him naked for the naked shots, he kept getting worked up. It was a good thing Patrick was there, because that seemed to be the only thing that calmed him down!

Alright, enough talking...more pictures!

Seeing how little he is in these pictures makes me realize how fast the time goes by. He's so small and wrinkly and I can just remember holding him when he was that little. Crazy how time flies. I just look over these pictures and realize how full my heart is. He is so precious and we are so in love with him. 

I could post 100 more of these pictures and not get sick of them :)

Weekend Wrap Up

Aaaaaaand we're back to Monday! I honestly don't mind Mondays because I love my job and I love the people I work with. Well, most of them ;) And for me it's really like Tuesday because I have a short week this week. I'm headed to Vegas on Friday for the weekend !Woohoo!

This weekend was pretty low-key for us, which is nice. Friday night we went to dinner with my brother and sister in law, and then headed in for the night. Saturday Patrick worked around the farm a bit, and was checking cows and saw that we had the first calf of the year!

All of our cows are red angus, but we are taking care of our neighbors' herd of 235 cows this winter, so this was one of his. While he was out working I started cleaning. He came home and entertained Hunter while I scrubbed the floors, cleaned bathrooms and got ready for company we were having that night. He also started planning out some corrals and a riding arena that we're going to put up this year.

As I mentioned, we were having some of our friends out for dinner. They have a 6 month old little girl named Trinity. Let's just say I have one chunky monkey for a child, because she is twice his age and they weigh the same and are the same length. We were joking that it was their first date together and got some pictures together. They were so cute! After a few seconds she sort of cuddled into him and started holding his hand. It was adorable :)

Sunday we went to church, Patrick did some work stacking hay and loading his semi, and well, I blogged :) I am happy to report that I have a blog entry for EVERY day this week! That hasn't happened in months!!

One thing I've started doing to be more organized for the week, is a lot of prep work. Sunday I usually do meal prepping for the week. I go to the grocery store on Thursday or Friday, then get everything ready for the week. I usually bake something for Patrick to take in his lunches, get stuff ready for my lunches, and make a couple dinners ahead of time. This week I am making some marinated round steaks for tomorrow night and lasagna for another night.

I also set out Hunter's outfits for the whole week, and my outfit for the next day. Staying super organized like this definitely helps me get to work on time, and allows me to get up at my normal time that I always did in the mornings, even before baby. I'm still able to make a nice meal every night, and make a lunch for myself and Patrick every day. All while working full time! But believe me, I get tired!

Sunday night we decided to have a movie night, so I got some microwave popcorn, candy and some ice cream for both of us :) we rented Last Vegas and it was pretty funny.

Overall it was a nice weekend with my little family. We're looking forward to a week of hard work, and then a trip for me starting Friday, and some daddy/Hunter time for 3 days!

Happy Monday friends!

Weekend Wrap Up

Well, I suppose it's Monday again. Honestly, I love my job so I don't mind Mondays. I bought a bunch of new clothes recently, most of which were for work, and I'm having a fun time getting dressed up! In the fall when I was pregnant it seems like I wore leggings....like every day. So it's nice to have a bunch of new dress pants to wear. 

So this weekend was pretty low key for the most part, with the exception of Friday night. We had a Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher social for our county. Patrick is the chair of the committee, so he planned a dinner in a town called Wibaux (wee-bow). Most of us had the rib steak, potatoes and salad bar. After dinner we headed across the street to a brewery called Beaver Creek Brewery. Their motto is "our beaver tastes better." Yep.

Since we were gonna be home late, Hunter had his first sleepover with his grandparents. We went and picked him up in the morning and he did great! I did good too :)

Saturday we all just hung out and Patrick went to some political campaign dinner while Hunter and I hung out and caught up on the DVR. I also hooked up my new washer and dryer-woohoo!

Sunday I did some meal prepping for the week, and made enchiladas for tomorrow, banana bread, and put a roast in for dinner.

Also on Sunday it was 60 degrees! Considering it was -20 last week, we were all pretty excited. I got to take Hunter out in his first walk, which is the most time he has spent outside yet.

Then we spent the afternoon hanging out watching TV. Hunter an his dad had on their Carhartts and boots :)

Hope everyone else had a great weekend! I have a blog post for tomorrow on a health fad that has been going around lately...stay tuned!

Mama's Night Out

Last weekend Patrick and I attended a local fundraiser for the Mondak Stockgrower's Association and the Foundation for Community Care. Both are local non-profit organizations. Obviously Stockgrower's helps promote animal agriculture, and the Foundation helps support local healthcare. This was the second year the two teamed up to put on the Cattleman's Ball. It's a night full of food, dancing, drinks and an auction.

My friend Chay was in town again, so we went dress shopping in the morning. I got a new Calvin Klein dress that I absolutely love. Since I've lost so much weight after baby, most of my dresses don't fit me. Oh darn, have to go shopping! Chay and I were friends in college, so when we were getting ready for the evening it was just like old times. 

Before we left for the evening, my mother in law came over to watch Hunter and got a few pictures of us.

Our first family picture :) I hate that it's a  little blurry, but the lighting wasn't the best at the time.

How lucky is he that he had 2 hot dates?!

I love that Hunter is smiling for the camera!

And last but certainly not least...

This event was pretty fancy-they had a red carpet and everything! The evening started out with a social hour, and salad and rolls. A few people got up to talk about the organizations, including a representative from the Montana Beef Council. Then we were served a dinner of prime rib, and baked or scalloped potatoes. They had a dessert bar, and we told Patrick to get us one of everything, so he did! Hey, this was my cheat day for eating, so I took full advantage!

Let's just say after a few cocktails, Chay and I decided to have our own photo shoot on the red carpet...

 It started out nice...

Then things got a little western...

I don't know what got into me on Saturday night, but I just felt like having a whiskey night. That almost never happens. It just sounded good for some reason though. Who knows.

Patrick with our good friend Vanessa, Russell, and Vanessa's friend Megan.

It was a great night out with friends, and we look forward to doing another fun outing in a couple weeks to a local brewery! 

10 Things for Thursday

This is a play on the whole "Five on Friday" blog posts that I've seen around, but I decided to go with 10 Things for Thursday.

1. First, let's just get this out of the way, shall we? Cousins...cuteness overload!

2. I know I keep saying I want to get back to blogging. I have a LOT to share! I have about 10 blog posts started, I just need to find the time to finish them. It will happen, I swear!

3.  I seeeriously need to figure out a new name for my blog. And a new URL. It's gonna be a pain in the ass to switch it all over, but it's been a long time coming. I'll be a blogger for FOUR years coming up in May, so I think it's time for a re-vamp.

4. This winter has been SO bi-polar. It's literally either freeeeeezing cold below zero, like -20 degrees, or 30-40 degrees. And hardly any snow. I NEVER thought I'd say "I could really go for some snow right now" but I've caught myself saying it several times. We need the snow for moisture for our crops!

5. I know it's only the middle of February, but we have pretty much our whole year planned out, vacations and all. All of the travel we'll be doing is either for a wedding or to see family. March-bachelorette party in Vegas. April-wedding in Texas. May-camping with my family over Memorial weekend. June-wedding in Cancun. Heeeeeyyyyy! July-brother's wedding in Western Montana, and friend's wedding in Idaho. August-September-family is coming out here to help with harvest. And I think that's it! Usually things start slowing down for us in October, and it will be a welcomed sight! 

6. I am officially the Women's Committee Chairperson for our county's Farm Bureau. I'll be promoting things like our cookbook, the Farmer's Market, farm to table education in local schools, scholarships for students and a photo contest. All fun things! I'm excited to get started!

7. I love my son, but I was ready to get back to work. At first I thought I was never going to be able to make it back to work with the type of schedule he was on-which wasn't a schedule at all. But by the end of the 7 weeks I was getting stir crazy. I'm glad to be back and around adults all day! I know it will make me a better mom.

8. Ok, here's another. I couldn't help it :)

9. Obamacare ACTUALLY did something positive for me. With the new changes in all of the insurance companies, my insurance covered my birth control. ALL of it. I didn't have to pay a dime. Holy shit. That ridiculous premium I'm paying every month actually did something. I'm glad my husband and I work so hard to pay a ridiculous amount so others who don't can get free healthcare.

10. We're getting our taxes done tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for a big ol' return! We have pretty good luck every year, so I'm hoping this year will be just as good to us. Between owning our own business, the farm and a new tax deduction, I'm betting we'll do pretty well. Which is good cause I told Patrick no matter what we get for our return, I want a big ol' fancy camera!

That's all for now friends! Happy Thursday!

How Do I Have A 1 Month Old Already?

Time at home with my little man has been great...so great that I was already thinking about asking my boss for more time off of work to stay home longer. I had lunch with her and a couple of my coworkers last week and good news...she wants me to bring him to work for a little while!! This is Hunter's face when I old him:

I love it! I won't bring him every day, but when I can I will-at least to transition back into working full time. I have my own office with a door and my schedule for the first couple weeks back is pretty slow. I already have a gliding chair in my office and enoug room for a portable crib. Just need a bouncy chair and I'm set! I'm set to head back on February 10th, which will be 7 weeks off. Not a lot, but for me I think it is enough. Especially now that I can bring him to work when I need to.

So how has the first month gone? Well, we've already learned a lot of things about him...he doesn't like to be swaddled, he doesn't like his hands covered when he sleeps, and he loved tummy time, bath time and getting his fingers clipped. Odd, I know. 

Another major milestone he already reached, which I didn't expect for a couple months, is he already rolled over! He was exactly 4 weeks old when he did it. I looked it up and apparently that doesn't happen until they are 4 months old. The nurses and doctor said he was strong, so apparently he's very strong!

I'm happy to report that I've been feeling like blogging again and sharing what's been going on in our lives besides baby, and what Hunter and I have been doing with all of our time together. 

I've also slowly but surely been catching up on my blog reading, but still have a ways to go! Thanks for stopping by!

P. S. I love dressing him in cute outfits...little Gap baby with a Ralph Lauren beanie right here :)