Friday, September 28, 2012

Friday Letters

Today I'm participating in my first ever link up. You can join in too by clicking here!

Dear Blog- I'm loving writing you, but I desperately need to update your look. I have a few favorite templates I've been looking at, but I can't make up my mind. So for now, you'll just have to look like this a little bit longer.
Dear Baby Will- I love you so much I can't stand it. You are the sweetest baby I've ever met, and I am SO lucky to be your mommy. Thank you for everything you have already taught me in just the past five weeks. I cannot wait to learn so much more from you, my sweet boy.



Dear Mr. - You are such a wonderful man. I feel so blessed to be your wife. I am so proud of everything you do for our little family and watching you with our son has made me fall in love with you a thousand times over. Basically, you rock my world.


Dear Athens- Thank you for being such a wonderful place to live. There is so much to do here and so many places to go. I can't wait to get to know you better. Dear Fall- Thank you for showing up. It's been pretty hot around this place and I have so missed being outside. Also, I'm pretty ready to wear some scarves, so if you decided to get even cooler soon, I wouldn't complain. Dear Lori- I'm super excited to start making more banners. Hooray for craft days with one of my favorite people. I'm also so excited for your house! It is going to be absolutely beautiful. Dear Hallmark- I'm so glad that you have your ornaments out. After working for you for three years, I have a deep obsession with all things cute and Christmas-y that you have to offer. I am already excited for the day after Christmas to I can go buy up all the cute stuff that you still have left. And thank you for having such a cute little sale table today. I enjoyed myself.




Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Hello, Fall!

I just love when the seasons change. In Georgia, it mostly feels like we have two season: hot and cold(ish). BUT- for some reason right now it feels amazing outside. It's chilly and I'm loving it. I even made white chicken chili yesterday (recipe courtesy of Lori) and it was SO tasty! With all of this fall happiness going on, I figured I'd make a fall bucket list. 
  • Take Will to his first ever pumpkin patch and pick up a tiny pumpkin for our tiny boy
  • Go find a fabulous fall scarf like this one to wrap up in and get cozy 
  • Watch Remember the Titans because what says fall better than a great football movie? I already want to curl up in a sweatshirt with a mug of hot tea and watch it. 
  • Visit an apple orchard and pick some tasty ones
  • Make this pie with the apples we pick. Yum! You know any Paula Deen recipe is going to be wonderful!
                                                     
  • Try to learn more about the rules of football. I've been a little distracted during the first couple of UGA games since I'm home taking care of my little one, but as our schedule gets more defined, I think I'll be able to actually pay more attention and learn a thing or two (or twenty). 
  • Go on a picnic with my guys. This really is perfect picnic weather.
  • Make my own marshmallows to put in hot chocolate.
  • Celebrate my baby's first Thanksgiving
  • Make handprint/footprint art with Will


So, what's on your fall bucket list?

Friday, September 21, 2012

Oh, Baby! Happy 1 month birthday to Baby Will!

Oh, Baby! Happy 1 month birthday to Baby Will!





Since today is Will's one month birthday, it feels like the perfect time to rehash our birth story and how our handsome little man got here.

There are no words to express what motherhood is like. I look at this little baby boy and cannot believe that he is mine. I feel like I just met this little man and that I have known him my whole life. I am amazed by each and every little thing he does. Every time he does something new I am in awe and every time we cuddle and he falls asleep on my shoulder I feel this overwhelming happiness and thankfulness for such a sweet little baby. 


While I love him to pieces, getting him here was no easy process. Due to high blood pressure mixed with a couple of other issues, my doctor decided that being induced at 37 weeks was the best and safest plan, so Blake and I went to the hospital on Sunday, August 19. Other than when I was born, I have never been in the hospital. Getting checked in was scary and a little overwhelming. Of course, they had problems getting my IV in. After one nurse couldn't find my vein, she called in another nurse. This lady stuck my right hand twice with no luck and then, after saying that she was going in blind, stuck me in the bend of my wrist on my left hand. They started me on a medicine to get labor going, and while it kind of worked, it also didn't. I began having contractions and had them all night long, but by Monday morning I hadn't made too much progress. However, I had my amazing support team there with me, so I was easily distracted. 

My doctor broke my water and my labor continued. They started me on pitocin and we waited to see what would happen. Around 11:00 p.m. Monday night I began to really feel my contractions. I was trying to be tough and wait as long as possible to get my epidural because the last thing I wanted to have happen was for it to wear off during delivery. At 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday, my doctor called the hospital to tell the nurse that I should go ahead and get my epidural since I still wasn't progressing much. The anesthesiologist came in and, of course, told me that I was one of the most difficult epidural sticks he's had. It took quite a while, and honestly, it was the worst part of the whole process for me. With the epidural safely in, I was finally able to get some sleep. By the way, I feel that it is very important to tell you that at this point, I had only been allowed to have liquids since Sunday. Once I had the epidural I could only have ice chips, but I had to limit how many I had. Talk about miserable.
Tuesday morning got there and my doctor came to check me. I had only gotten to 4 cm since Sunday night, even with multiple types of medicines and my water breaking. At 2:00 p.m. he checked again and I was officially stuck at 4 cm. That's when the doctor decided that a c-section would be the best option. They initially said that we would be going back in an hour. Then the one hour turned into three. Then after the three hours, we had two more 30 minute delays. Every time my sweet nurse came in I  would start to cry because I just wanted to have my baby already. I know, I know. I was whiney. But can you really blame me?

Eventually the wheeled me back and it was baby time. Blake was such an amazing hubby through it all. Not only was he a trooper for the entire time we were there, but he decided he wanted to watch my c-section. He held my hand the whole time, but he stood up to watch over the paper curtain. It took a good couple of weeks before I would let him tell me what it looked it. I was expecting to feel lots of pressure and pulling during the surgery, but before I knew it had even started, the doctor told us that the head was out. Just a minute later, out came our sweet pumpkin. At 37 weeks, he weighed 7 pounds 10 oz and was 19.5 inches long. And- my wonderful hubby captured the first time I ever saw our sweet baby boy. This may be my favorite picture of all time.


Here is the proud papa holding baby Will. My handsome men. :)


My wonderful nurse knew that our whole family had been waiting forever to finally meet this sweet boy, so they allowed them to come back two at a time to the recovery room. That nurse gave me a gift I didn't think I'd have. I got to see my mom and the rest of my family the first time they ever saw Will. My mom (Will's Grammy) is on the left. Blake's mom (Will's Mimi) is on the right.



                                                                            
He is the first grandbaby on both sides, so spoiled doesn't even begin to cover it. He is so loved and has been for so long. He is one lucky baby to have a family so in love with him and to have lots of aunts and uncles in his mommy and daddy's friends who have been so thoughtful and helpful ever since we found out he was on his way.




So, little Will. You made quite an entrance. After being in labor from 7:30 p.m. on Sunday until 5:13 p.m. on Tuesday you finally made your way out. You have been such a sweet little baby and every bit of those few days was entirely worth getting to have you to snuggle and cuddle every day.





And, I just have to say that we had some amazing photographers do Will's newborn photos. Two Chics Photography is the best ever. Sometimes I just  go to their website to look at all of the beautiful pictures they have taken, not only of babies, but of weddings and all sorts of other occasions. Here are a few other sneak peeks they sent us. We cannot wait to see the rest!