St. Patrick's Day

Jake ended it up being able to be home last night, but I had Bunco. So he stayed home and played with Reese while I went. I wanted to do something cutsie for him to show him my appreciation, so I came up with this idea. Being that it was St. Patrick's Day today, I made a shamrock that said "Wanna get Lucky?" and then in an envelope I put some lottery tickets in and a letter. On the outside of the envelope if you can't see it it says "Jake Good Luck You're worth a million!" I also taped a penny on the outside, it's supposed to be lucky because it's from the year that we got married...kinda cheesy I know, but gotta love it! It turns out he only won $1, but I guess that's why you don't really invest in the lottery!

Ups and Downs

Reese and Mom New Years Eve Dec. 31, 2010

Above Reese 4 months Dec. 2010

Reese and Grandpa Stocks

Above Reese 6 months feeding herself for the first time!

Above Reese 6 months

Since having a baby I have felt a lot of ups and downs. It's so amazing to be a mom to this little angel that I have been waiting for a very long time. At the same time, no one can prepare any one for the amount of stress and life change that a bundle of joy can bring. I don't mean to make it sound like it is so hard, but I honestly feel like a single parent. I know that if Jake could be here it would be a million times easier, I am always so grateful when he comes home. I definitley know how hard it can be for single mommies to work and take care of a little one by their self, I have a lot of respect for them. I am just so lucky that I am able to stay home and do online classes with my baby monster. Jake and I have grown even closer since Reese was born. It's amazing at all the changes babies bring. She has softened his heart more than I have ever seen. It is so sweet and heartbreaking!

Baby Reese

Reese was one week old, how tiny!

So Reese is 5 months now!!! She is so much fun she is always smiling, she "talks" a lot, rolls all over the place, and is already trying to go every where! These are some pictures of her since she was born. I started online classes at USU last week, so I will be more and more strapped for time, but I wanted to get something new up.

Baby!!!

On Tuesday August 10, I woke up to my alarm which I then quickly hit the snooze button. I just didn't feel like getting up, plus I was frustrated that I was 2 days past my due date! (I had planned on having her earlier than my due date LOL!) Then after hitting snooze one more time, I had a contraction. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but then I got up to get ready for work and had another really unusual contraction, this time I could feel it in my back. I had just started going into labor. I was going to head into work, but then I just kept getting back labor that hurt like crazy!

So then I decided to go for a walk thinking this could be false labor. I still kept getting contractions. I hadn't been keeping track of my contractions because I thought I would just know when I would need to go into the hospital. When I told my Aunt Linda that I was in labor, she made me keep track of how far apart they were...They were a lot closer than I thought, about 15 minutes. All day until 10:30pm they were the same 15 minutes apart, but then when I called to tell Jake goodnight they started coming every 5 minutes. I thought to myself that I would be fine, that I would take a nice relaxing bath and go to bed, and then when it got worse I would go in. But that plan didn't work, I guess that just because you plan for it to go like that it doesn't. The contractions kept coming every 5 minutes and the back labor was horrible! Finally at 12am I was ready to go get checked up, I still thought that I would get sent home though. So I texted my Aunt Karen to see if she would drive me to the hospital, and if she was asleep I had planned on driving myself (what a joke!). So she drove me to the hospital, I didn't even take my bags because I thought they would just send me home.

It's funny, on the way to the hospital Karen was speeding to get there and I told her she could go the speed limit so she wouldn't get a ticket, she kindly informed me that the cop would probably have been ok for speeding since I was in labor. I wasn't thinking clearly!

Well, we got to the hospital and I got checked in and I was dilated almost to a 4, so they kept me! Gosh, none of the things I had planned were happening! Great, just my luck! So I was now at the hospital with my husband in Oregon, no hospital bags, now 3 days past my due date! Hmm...what else could go wrong?

At about 3am I got my epidural. It was much appreciated and I honestly don't know how I would have done it with out the epidural. At around 8am the doctor came in a broke my water. I was dilated to a 6. After a few hours of being dilated to a 6 they gave me pitocin to speed up the process. While I was on pitocin, it made me get a whole bunch of contractions right in a row, without giving my body a break, Reese's heart rate started dropping. So when we couldn't get her heart rate to pick back up a nurse came in and gave me a shot and started flipping me from side to side to get her heart rate back up. All at the same time I was prepped for an emergency c-section.

It was scary because they didn't tell me what was going on, they just came in and started doing what they had to so her heart rate would go back up. Luckily they got her heart rate up and I didn't need an emergency c-section. However, after hours and hours of being stuck at a 6 I finally had a c-section and Reese Avery Hamblin was born at 5:06pm on Wednesday, August 11, 2010, weighing in at 7lbs 4oz and 19 inches long.

It was so overwhelming with everything, but I am glad she made it here safely and that we get to finally kiss her chubby cheekers!

"What?! You're my mom?!!! Wish me luck, ha"

This is the first time I saw her....

So ready, but not!

We took a last trip for the year with my family to Yellowstone this last weekend. It was fun, but is sure wore me out! It's so weird to think that at how once we have a baby going on vacation will be so different. But it will be good.

So I have 4 weeks and 5 days to go until we welcome our little bundle of joy! I am so ready to have this little girl, but then I feel so unprepared all at the same time. I am just starting to get her room put up and things bought that we really need for her. I just worry that I won't get what she needs or what will be the best, or that I will all of a sudden go into labor and not have anything ready at the house when we bring her home. I guess these are pretty silly since all I really need is a place for her to sleep, diapers, wipes, bottles, and blankets.

I have been going crazy trying to get everything organized at least a little bit, but between work, doing hair, and trying to keep up the normal house chores plus Jake's chores while he is gone, I have little time to do so, and I get so tired. I'm sure everything will work out just fine.

I hope everyone is well.

What's in a name?

So since I have known that I am having a baby girl, I have started buying something for her at least once a week. Jake and I have had no problems deciding on a name. For some reason Reese, just comes to mind and it seems to be perfect. As for the middle name, it will probably be Avery, but there is a slight chance of it being Olivia. It's funny, whenever we refer to her we always call her "Baby Reese".

I have been feeling her move since I was 15-16 weeks, but now, I can feel her doing some dance moves or something in there. I'm sure this will only get worse, but I can't wait to meet her! About 15 weeks left to go! It is going by crazy fast!

Sweet baby girl

It's official! We are having a baby girl! It completely took me by surprise! From the moment that I found out I was pregnant, I had this feeling that it would be a little boy. What else can I say though...I am very pleasantly surprised!

It seems like just this week my belly popped out! I even had a lady on Monday tell me that I looked like I was due in June. Then she went on to tell me that she has a daughter due in June, but she wasn't as big as me! I thought it was funny! I think she just got excited, but I am a little bit more self concious about my belly now :)