Two years ago, I married my best friend. 

 I will forever remember the day.  It was Saturday, September 5th 2009, and I had been staying with my parents for the 2 weeks before.    My Mom and I ran around like crazy people getting all of the last minute details in order and it was rainy and cool, the majority of the time.   But on that magical day, it was 75 degrees and Sunny with clear blue skies.  Someone was smiling down on me : )  About two hundred and twenty five of our closest family and friends gathered to help us celebrate and we exchanged our vows promising to love one another in good times and in bad, for the rest of our lives.  It was my fairytale wedding come true and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.  We toasted, ate,danced, and laughed all night long.  And the next day, I got to wake up next to my husband for the very first time : )

I know this picture was on an earlier post but unfortunately we didn’t get a single family picture together on the beach!  Next time for sure : )

Our actual anniversary was celebrated by Dan cooking an amazing paella dish, and drinking some wine (which he ordered and had shipped to our beach house from a winery we really enjoyed on our Napa trip last year)  The celebration continued on Tuesday night when we hired a babysitter to watch our Little Man and headed into downtown Charleston for a delicious dinner at a restaurant called Tristan.  It was a very modern restaurant, which was very quiet (since we waited until after the Labor Day Holiday to go) and we indulged in a delicious wine paring menu.  We chose a la carte dishes from their menu that stood out to us and asked if the General Manager along with the chef could pair the wines that they felt would go best with the dished.  I’m pretty sure a wine pairing menu is one of my favorite things in this world, and if I had the money, I would do it with every meal at a fine dining establishment.  It was a wonderful night spent with Dan, and we got to go home to our beautiful son! 

It was a perfect anniversary celebration and I wouldn’t have wanted  it any other way : )

So…A lot can change in a year…..and even more can change in two.  But change in this case was for the better, and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!  I have the most amazing husband and the sweetest little boy to ever walk the face of the earth : )

Getting so Long!

 I realize it’s been waaaay too long since my last post, but we have been super busy over the last month and a half, with lot’s of new experiences!!  We got our first fever : ( Received our first round of vaccinations : ( : ( We’ve had some visitors, and we’ve been traveling quite a bit, but our travels seem to be finished for now, and we are very grateful for that.  I’ve taken lots of pictures since the last post so I’ll do my best to limit what I’ve got or else this post will go on forever!  So as busy as we’ve been, we are all doing very well, and Garrett is getting more and more personality every day!  Here are his stats from his 2 month well check (which was actually taken at 9 weeks and he is now 11 weeks so I know he’s even bigger!

*Weight: 13lb 7oz (90th %)
*Height:  24 1/4″ (90th %)
*Head Circumference: 40 cm (50th %)
*Dr. says he is a VERY healthy boy!



Smiles all the time!


He was due to receive his first round of vaccinations at 8 weeks, but he woke up the week before with a fever of 102.9 so we had to reschedule.  Wetook him in to the Dr. and since he’s so young they did a full work-up which included taking a urine sample and drawing blood (poor guy) but everything came back very normal, and it turned out he just had a little stomach bug that he most likely picked up on our first plane ride/trip to Chicago.  His fever dropped by the evening and the next day he was my smiley happy baby once again : ) 
We took a trip to Chicago because our friends Nelson and Kelly got married and Dan was in the wedding, so we packed up and hopped on the plane and Garrett was perfect the entire time!  He only fussed when he got hungry and as soon as we fed him he played a little then fell asleep and was quiet the rest of the flight.  While we were there he went into the pool for the first time, and since he loves bath time so much we figured he wouldn’t mind the water, and we were right! It was much cooler there than it had been in NC so he was a little chilly, but he didn’t seem to mind the water at all!

Garrett’s first time in the pool!

Grandpa Rich, Gramma Lynn, Mommy, and Garrett

Gramma Pam is teaching me how to hold my head up like a big boy!

Our Family ❤

Ms. Erin, Mommy, and Garrett at the Winery : )

My Uncle Randy thinks I’m pretty cool!

When we returned from Ohio, we unpacked, unwinded (a little bit), watched Daddy play softball, and re-packed for our first official family vacation (and an Anniversary trip) to the beach! One of our favorite places is Charleston, it’s a short drive, and there are beaches all around, so we stayed in Folly, which was fun, but next time I think we’d like to try a more “family friendly” beach like Isle of Palms or Sullivans Island. But Dan and I hired a babysitter from SitterCity (which I highly recommend if you need a sitter while on vacation) and had a fabulous anniversary dinner at a great restaurant in Downtown Charleston! During the days we hung out on the beach and Garrett enjoyed his first time in the ocean!

First time in the Ocean!

Just like Mommy, the beach is his happy place!

Strengthening his neck muscles with Daddy

My Handsome Little Man : )

Had a great vacation but worn out!

So…I know it’s no excuse, but we have been super busy, but I will do my best to stay on top of the blog from here on out.  Now that we’re back home for a while we can get back into our routine, and I should have more time to post! 

Until then….here are some of the things Garrett is doing now…

• Smiles, and Coos, ALL the time, Mornings on his changing table are his happiest time, We think he’s going to giggle soon and can’t wait for that sweet sound!



Loving my Changing Table in the Morning!

• Loves to kick and splash during bath time
• Still doesn’t love Tummy Time, but is getting better at holding his head up each day!

Silly little Monkey : )

• Is wearing mostly 3 month onesies, but can fit into some 6 month….has to wear 6 month sleepers or else he can’t straighten his legs : )
• Sleeps mainly 6 hours at night before waking for a feeding, but has slept 7.5 and 8 as well
• Nurses like a champ!
• Likes to face out in his Baby Bjorn
• Starting to enjoy his swing
• Likes to watch TV in his bouncy seat
• Loves his toy/rattle from his Baby Einstein Mat (Ozzie the Octopus)  He will just look at him and smile and coo for several minutes!
• Recognizes Mommy and Daddy’s voices
• Turns his head towards sounds
• Can hold onto things momentarily if you place them in his hand

He’s growing up so fast, but we are so in Love with our Little Man.  He’s brought more joy to us then we ever thought possible and we are so proud of him! 

Sweetest. Thing. Ever.

If this isn’t one of the sweetest pictures you’ve ever seen than I don’t know what is : )  A little biased I know, but still…He sure is a handsome little man!  And already 1 month old to boot!  Where has the time gone!!!  It feels like just yesterday I was swollen and pregnant and waddling into the hospital so excited and sooo anxious to meet our little man, and now it’s been a month, it’s gone super fast and at the same time it feels like we’ve had him forever!  I can’t imagine life without him : )  It’s been quite the adventure and Dan and I couldn’t be happier!!

I am down 30 lbs so about 5 more to go, and it feels great to have lost so much weight already!!!…but my body isn’t even close to what it used to be.  Even though the majority of the weight is gone I have this pooch where I used to have abs, and it’s the most stubborn pooch in the world.  I’m so anxious to go to the Dr. for my 6 week post partum appointment to hopefully get the go ahead to really start workin it and getting my muscle tone back : )

Garrett has been quite the busy little man the last couple of weeks with all of the company we’ve had.   He’s now met all of his Aunt’s and Uncles, and one of his Great Grandmother’s as well!  It’s was so nice to have family in town and even better to get to show him off and just to see the interactions between the siblings and Garrett.  I think I can safely say he has completely stolen the heart of every family member who he has come into contact with.  Unfortunately I wasn’t as great with my camera as I had hoped to be and didn’t get pictures of him with all of his Uncles, but I do have a couple.

Aunt Amanda is smitten : )



 

Uncle Randy doesn’t want to leave!





Grandma Pam and Great Grandma Ruth

Handsome just like Daddy : )

 

4 Generations!

 So yes, it’s been a busy couple of weeks, but we are so happy to have had so many people meet him already!  Gramma Lynn is coming back in a few weeks : ) and we’re hoping to introduce Garrett to more of the extended family in the next few months!

It feels kind of funny to say this, because I used to always update you on my growing progress, but now I get to update you on Garrett’s! 
We had our 1 month check up last Monday, and Garrett is a growing machine!  Just to give you a point of reference, When he was born he weighed 7lbs 8oz and was 20 in long.  At his 2 week check up, he weighed 8lbs 2 oz (they didn’t give me his height) and at his 1 month check up he weighed in at a whopping 10 lbs 15.5 oz (75th percentile)!!!!!!  And 22 3/4 in (85th percentile)!  I was shocked, and I’m still not sure that the weight was right, I swear my hand was touching him : ) but regardless, he’s no longer a skinny little thing, he’s getting to be a Big Boy! 
I’m not sure if you realize, but 2lbs and 13.5oz is a LOT of weight to gain in only 2 weeks (The average weight a baby gains is 1 oz per day….Garrett is on the 2oz a day train!!!) so of courseI was immediately worried and asked the Dr if he was ok.  He asked a couple of questions, like is he a happy baby or is he miserable, is he spitting up a lot, etc.  He’s generally a happy baby.  He fusses when he’s tired, hungry wet, or cold, and that’s usually it.  And he spits up occasionally, but all babies do at this age, so the Dr. said he’s fine and we’re doing great, but because I have an overabundant supply of milk that I should cut back to only letting him nurse from one side per feeding.  We’re hoping his rapid weight gain slows down here before his 2 month check up or he’ll be wearing 6 month clothes!  He’s a growing boy, and he likes to eat…..what can I say.  So, we’re doing really well and we’re very happy.

Here are some of the things Garrett likes to do now:

*Smile : )
*Coo
*Kick his legs like crazy!
*Lay on his Baby Einstein Mat (This is one of the only toys we have that he will lay contently and happily on
  for an extended period of time
*Flirt (he’s got a killer smirk and a dimple to go along with it : )
*He’ll lay on his tummy for a few minutes at a time, and is able to hold his head up for short periods as well, but tummy time is not his favorite
*Take walks with Mommy
*Be outside in the warmth (although he doesn’t like to open his eyes when it’s really sunny)
*Fans (if there’s one in the room he’ll find it and just stare at it)
*Eat (as if you didn’t gather that one ; )
*And be held, although he doesn’t demand to be held to fall asleep, and he’s been sleeping in his crib like a big boy (it was harder on me than it was on him, and he’s literally in the room next to us : )

Developmentally I think he’s right on track…

                                                                                                         
                                                           …aside from his massive feet : )

and I love watching him from day to day to experience the new things he’s beginning to do!

Sorry this post is a little late, I’m actually going to post another soon for weeks 5/6 with some pictures of Garrett’s first time on the boat! 

This sunflower was almost bigger than him!

It’s funny because 3 weeks ago if you’d have told me to enjoy each moment because time goes by so quickly, I probably would have laughed and said yeah right.  I was 39 weeks pregnant and so anxious to meet our son that I couldn’t stand it.  Time felt like it was standing still, for me, but moving forward for everyone else around me.  Now, here we are almost 3 weeks later and I can’t believe how quickly the time is going by.  It’s crazy to me that on Friday, it will be 3 weeks since we welcomed our sweet baby into the world, honestly, it’s almost hard to remember what it was like without him.  He is the sweetest, cutest most precious little person I have ever seen, and although it doesn’t seem possible to fall more and more in love with him every single day….I do.

We took a little family outing to a Sunflower patch last weekend so we could attempt to get some family pictures and so I could practice my photography skills : ) It was super hot, and the baby slept the whole time, but we did manage to get a few pictures of our family and some of the landscape as well.

After we finished our outing, we grabbed a milkshake, came home and had some friends up to the house to meet Garrett and have a little dinner.  Surprisingly Garrett was wide awake for a good period of time while they were here so we had some photo opps and I love how different each picture of him looks. 

Just waking up

Contemplative

Curious

Just plain sweet

A little annoyed maybe?

The Thinker : )

Really??

 I know….lots of pictures but I can’t help it, he’s just so handsome : ) I sometimes feel like I could stare at him for hours and still be amazed.


❤ My little Angel ❤

This weekend Garrett gets to meet his Uncle Randy and Uncle Jace and his Aunt Mandy, and next week he gets to meet Uncle Tim!  I’m really excited for our siblings to visit and to get to meet him!  I’m sure I’ll have more to update you on next week! 


First Holiday Family Photo!

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July Holiday! Ours was slightly different than previous ones but still very memorable because it was our first holiday as a family : )
Instead of spending the weekend on the boat participating in all the LKN festivities, we spent our weekend running errands, visiting friends, and cooking out.
Dan has been off work since Garrett was born which has been so nice especially because I’m not supposed to drive anywhere for a few more days and most people know that if I were stuck at my house with no way of getting out, I would go pretty crazy.  I’m finally feeling like I’m able to get back into somewhat of a routine, though I’m still figuring out what that routine will consist of.  Garrett is a great baby so far.  He spends most of his time sleeping, in fact he sleeps so much that we have to wake him up every couple of hours to change and feed him, both during the day and at night!  I’m sure this phase won’t last long, and I’m actually pretty excited or when it passes at least a little bit, so we can interact more. 

Visiting with friends!

We’ve had a few Dr.’s appointments since we were released from the hospital, and at only 4 days old, Garrett was back up to his original birth weight.  I’m lucky that my milk came in so quickly and that he’s taken to nursing so well, and at this rate, we’ll have no problem putting a little bit of meat on his tiny little bones.  Garrett, like all babies, was born with a slight heart murmur (due to the valves in his heart not being fully closed off right away because I was breathing for him for so long), and although the Nurse Practitioner told us it was probably nothing to be worried about, she said she could still hear it slightly and referred us to a Pediatric Cardiologist for an echo, just to be sure.  So we packed up and went down to the city for our Dr.’s appointment last week and after a thorough echo (just like an ultrasound) the Dr. came in, checked over all of his pictures, and assured us that he was indeed “perfect” and that we had absolutely nothing to worry about.  You can imagine how much better that made us feel. 

Since we were down in the city we decided to visit our friends Ryan and Catherine and their new daughter Leia.  Ryan and Dan grew up together and Ryan and Catherine welcomed Leia into the world on June 11, so they are not too far apart in age.

Both just snoozin away!  

I know I’ve said it before, but Dan is a great Dad!  He’s the master burper, and incredibly patient when it comes to soothing the baby.  Sometimes Garrett will get overstimulated and need to just cry it out, and Dan will hold him and switch positions, and take him outside, and not give up until he’s calmed the baby.  We all know, he’s not one to let a problem just fix itself, and he is no different as a Dad.  Here are some pictures of Daddy and Garrett : )

Last Friday we had an appointment with the Nursing Mother’s Place to make sure Garrett was getting enough to eat.  They ask you to bring the baby hungry and weigh him before and after you feed him to see how much milk he is taking in.  Like I said, he took to nursing right away, and luckily we’ve had no problems since he was born, so I wasn’t surprised when they weighed him after he ate and we found out that he was getting exactly what he needed, and that I actually had even more had he wanted to feed for longer.  He was up to 7lbs 12oz when they weighed him there, and today when we took him back to the pediatrician for another check-up, we found out that he’s now 8lbs 2oz!!!  So he is doing really well in the weight department, and we are very happy to report that we have such a handsome, and healthy baby boy!!!!

He’s notorious for his furrowed brow, one eye scrunched and cute little smirk.  I have a feeling he’s going to have quite the personality : )

  He’s Finally Here!!!!!
Hey there, I think most everyone knows that Sweet Baby Garrett graced us with his presence last Friday June 24th and we are over the moon and in love with our little man. He was born at 5:30 am and weighed 7 lbs 8 oz. We are home and doing well and figuring out the whole parenting thing : )  It’s been a whirl wind of a week, that’s why this post is a little late in coming. Several people have asked me if I’m going to continue my blogging now that Garrett is here, and I think that I will.

As you can see, I’ve changed the name of the blog, because I no longer have a pea in the pod, he’s here, for real, I can touch him and smell him, and kiss him whenever I want to and when he hiccups, I can actually hear and see them, rather than just feel them : ) Having him here is the very best feeling in the whole entire world!  Dan and I are thrilled to finally be able to have our son home with us, and we are learning how to parent and becoming more and more of a family every single day.  I can’t think of any other word to describe it, but…Amazing.

So sweet : )

 I’ve had some people ask me about my labor and delivery experience, and while I’ll spare you some of the details, I can give you a quick run down of how everything happened.  If you’d like to hear more, feel free to ask and I’d be happy to share.

Dan and I checked into the hospital on Wednesday, June 22nd at 5:30 p.m.  They immediately took me into the room where we would remain throughout the entire labor and delivery (which was nice because we didn’t have to move around at all) and gave me my awesome hospital gown.  Dan went down to the car and got all of our stuff and the Dr. came in to talk to me about the induction process.  He checked me for progress and I was still only about 1cm dilated and about 50% effaced, but the baby’s head was not engaged at all (in fact, “still floating” is exactly how the Dr. put it)  He told me about the medication he was going to give me to try and get my body to start the laboring process before administering the pitocin on Thursday.  It was painless and easy, and our wait began.  Nothing happened on Wednesday evening, just a few Dr. and nurse visits, followed by a restless night of sleep for both Dan and I.  On Thursday morning the new On Call Dr. came in to check me and talk to me about the pitocin, and believe it or not, it was the only Dr. in my entire practice that I didn’t get to see a single time throughout my pregnancy, but I got to know her very quickly and was  happy she was the one who would be taking care of us.  I was only about 1.5 cm dilated in the morning but I was about 70% effaced so the medication worked a little bit.  I was told to eat a good hearty breakfast because that would be the last full meal I would be able to have before Garrett was born.  So, I ate and then by about 9:30 the pitocin was administered through my IV.  It started my labor a little bit, I was having consistent contractions about 3 to 4 minutes apart but they were not painful so we waited some more.  At 1:30 I was slightly more dilated and Dr. Clark decided to break my water which was painless, but weird, and then my contractions began to get a little more intense and closer together.  I held off on any type of pain medicine for a few more hours, then asked for a local pain medicine to take the edge off of the contractions. 

Both my parents and Dan’s parents left Thursday morning to drive to us and I got to see my parents just as my contractions were getting pretty unbearable.  By about 4:30 My contractions were extremely painful and I was having a hard time breathing through them so I decided to ask for my epidural.  The anesthesiologist came in and gave it to me, which was pretty painless as well, and as soon as it was in place, all of my pain and discomfort just seemed to disappear.  The nurse asked me if I could feel when the monitor showed I was having a contraction and I just smiled and said, not at all.  Throughout this process, my blood pressure remained a little unstable, it was slightly higher in the beginning and then after I was given the epidural, it started to drop, so I had people in and out of the room constantly because every time the machine would take my BP and get a reading the alarm would go off signaling for a nurse to come in and check on me.  Needless to say it was a very long and uncomfortable night’s sleep (or lack there of) and I was just about over the whole labor thing.  Being confined to your hospital bed with no food other than jello, Popsicles, and nasty chicken broth allowed and having to switch positions and wear an oxygen mask and listen to a machine beep every 15 minutes was really annoying.  I was dilating slowly throughout the night and so ready for Garrett to be born.  At this point, I wasn’t sure if they would let me labor through the night because I had been laboring for 12 + hours already and thought that if I didn’t progress soon, they would have to take him by section which I wasn’t thrilled about at all, but again, I just wanted him to be born healthy.  Dr. Clark didn’t want to jump the gun so she let me labor it out a little bit longer.

Finally at 5:00 the next morning, I asked Dan to get my stuff so I could brush my teeth and they checked me for progress and…Yay!!!!! I was at 10 cm dilated and feeling my contractions again so the Dr. came in and told me I had the OK to begin pushing on my next contraction if I was ready.  Of course, I was more than ready so we were given instructions on what to do, and I began to push at my next contraction (but not before I got another click of the epidural medication : )  Anything to calm me down and take the edge off of the contraction pains. 

So…when you have a contraction, they tell you to push for 10 seconds..take a quick breath, push 10 more, take another quick breath, and push for 10 more before your contraction is finished, so essentially you’re pushing for 30 seconds every contraction.  After 2 pushing sequences, the nurses called the Dr. and all of the nurses back into our room because Garrett was coming fast and furiously.  The Dr. was impressed that as a first time Mom, I wasn’t going to have to push for an extended period of time, but she, just like me, was very happy because I had labored for so long, and she thought I deserved a quick delivery.  After about 5 or 6 pushes, and about 20 minutes, our  Baby was born.  7lbs, 8 oz, and 20 inches long.  His cord was wrapped around his neck so his color a very pale bluish color, and I was a little bit freaked out because he didn’t start crying very hard right away, but the Dr. assured me he was fine and after they placed him on my chest for a few seconds they took him to clean him and do all the things they do to babies when they’re born.  I’m sure it was only about 10 minutes or so but it felt like forever until they brought him to me and let Dan and I hold him and kiss him, and marvel at the life that we created.  It was truly an experience like none other. 

Our parents and my brother Jeff were at the hospital by about 6:30 or 7 and everyone got to meet our little man!

It was great to be home with our families…..and spend some time together before my Dad, Lynn, and Rich left on Monday.  My Mom stayed for the week to help us around the house and I am so glad she did!  Our laundry was finished, the house was kept clean and any errands that we needed were run by her.  I’m so lucky she was able to be around for as long as she was and I can’t wait to get her back down here again!

So here we are…..8 days later and 23 lbs lighter (on my end : )
We are happy and healthy and loving our little man. 

I’ll post an update about our first week with Garrett and more pictures soon!

2 More Weeks…

Ok…so they’re not that bad, but they are pretty ridiculous looking, and I’m getting so tired of it!  Also, my hands have started swelling so that’s pretty sweet too!  I know the weather doesn’t help much, but it actually hasn’t been as hot as it was last week, which is nice, but still…the swelling continues.  The only thing that will make it better is to have the baby.  I’m not sure if I can hold out for 2 more weeks or longer, but Baby Garrett seems to be perfectly content where he is right now.

I had my 38 week check-up this afternoon and it was ok, but not fantastic.  My blood pressure read 150/102 the first time the nurse tested it, and I told her we had to use a larger cuff last week so she got a larger one as well and tested again.  The second time it was 130/90 which is better but still elevated, however, there still is no protein in my urine and I don’t have blurred vision, headaches, pain under my upper right side etc,  Just swelling of my feet and hands.  So the nurse talked to the Dr. and I was given 2 options:

#1:  I could go to the hospital immediately and they would run some tests and monitor me and the baby, and my blood pressure and urine for a few hours  then send me home to finish the urine test (not my ideal situation)

Or

#2:  I could let the lab tech at my Dr.’s office take some blood and send it off to be tested, and begin a 24 hour urine test from my house tomorrow morning….only to return to the Dr. on Thursday morning and give them the urine test with a follow up O/B visit for blood pressure and an ultrasound to check on the baby’s growth (still not ideal, but probably much cheaper and more comfortable for me) 

Since my Dr. left it completely up to me, and I feel fine other than the swelling, I opted for the second choice.  I gave my blood, got a bright orange container with a basket like looking thing that I have to set on the toilet every time I use the bathroom tomorrow, and store the urine in a cooler with ice, and will return to the Dr. on Thursday to get some hopefully good news.  Pretty annoying I know, but it could be worse.

At least I’m still feeling Garrett move around quite a bit, and I have no other symptoms of preeclampsia….so whatever I have to do to make sure we’re healthy…I’ll do.  If when I return on Thursday my blood pressure is still elevated, I have protein in my urine, or any other symptoms then we will most likely discuss an induction.  If everything checks out alright, then I guess we just continue to monitor and wait. 

My weight is still on track, Garrett’s heart beat was 136 : ) and my belly is measuring 37 cm, which is all good.  Also, when the Dr. checked me she told me that he is still head down, (good news) and at a -2 position (which is ok too…you start at -3, then go to -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3) By the time you get to a 2 or 3 position you will be in labor and pushing) So I’m progessing slightly but still have a ways to go.  Also, I am no more dialated than I was last week, so Garrett just isn’t finished baking yet. 

Other than that, things are good.  I’m still walking every day and swimming when I go to the pool, and I have a nice tan working.  I’m just getting more tired, achy and uncomfortable, and the swelling in my hands and feet seems like it is a constant.  I’m hoping for good news on Thursday, and just trying to be as patient as I can until our Little Man decides to join us.

I’ll update again on Thursday after my appointment!