a baby story

cohen taylor christian has arrived!

november 16 || 9:07pm

7lbs 11oz || 22in

on tuesday, november 15th, i had a doctor's appointment scheduled for 3pm. at this point cohen was 4 days overdue and we were so ready to meet him! at my 40wk appointment dr k had mentioned an induction at 41wks. i wasn't thrilled with the idea but by tuesday i was ready to ask for one. tyler and i went to lunch at chilli's for what would be our last outing before we became parents! i made sure to get nice & full because i knew if they sent me over to the hospital to be induced i wouldn't be allowed to eat until after cohen was born.

my doctor was out delivering a baby so we met with the midwife. since cohen was overdue we had another growth scan to estimate how big he was and check his positioning. the u/s tech estimated him to be 7lbs 10oz and said he was definitely head down & ready to make his entrance! the midwife gave us the choice of going to the hospital straight from the appointment or to go in first thing in the morning. we chose option 1. we went home, grabbed a few things, and headed to the hospital!

4pm: we were admitted to st mary's.

6pm: started pitocin.

       -the plan was to give me a low dose all night long and crank it up in the morning.

10pm: my water broke on its own.

       -i had just decided to lay down and try to get some sleep. as soon as i got comfortable i felt a gush of fluid. i told tyler to go get the nurse because either i was peeing myself or my water broke. when the nurse came in i was laughing uncontrollably. she told me she had barely given me any pitocin so i probably wouldn't have lasted another day or so without going in to labor on my own.

1am: i received a dose of stadol for pain & ambien to help me sleep. dilated 2cm.

       -until this point, my contractions were tolerable. i'd been having them for 2 weeks and had learned to breathe through them.

3am: second dose of stadol. dilated 4cm.

       -this dose wasn't nearly as effective as the first.

5am: ordered an epidural. dilated 4cm. 90-95% effaced.

       -i had fallen asleep and was woken up by extreme pressure in my belly and feeling nauseous.

6am: epidural in. increasing pitocin every 30 minutes. dilated 5cm.

9am: dilated 6-7cm.

-at this point i was sleeping on and off throughout the day. the nurses thought cohen would be here by lunch so i had a steady stream of visitors anxiously awaiting his arrival. i was progressing about 1cm an hour.

2:30pm: dilated 9.5cm.

4pm: dilated 10cm.

6pm: started pushing.

        -i pushed for 3 hours. unbeknown to us, cohen had his hand up by his face and it was preventing him from getting past my pubic bone. i was exhausted after 1.5 hours of pushing. i was starving and just wanted to meet my baby boy. i zoned out and don't even remember the last hour and a half. the next thing i know, dr k is telling me one more push and he will be here. i was exhausted and honestly wasn't sure i could do it but tyler and dr k reassured me that i could. the two of them were the best support team i could have ever asked for.

i pushed one last time and at 9:07pm, after 27 hours of labor, cohen taylor entered the world.

seeing him for the first time was a myriad of emotions i can't even begin to describe. my heart ached to hold him, smother him with kisses and tell him how much i loved him. we waited nine very long months for him and now time was already going by way too fast! i wanted to just press 'pause' and savor that moment forever. i couldn't fathom the intensity of my love for him. he was this absolutely perfect little person that tyler and i created. to look at him and know that we created this life was indescribable.

my mom arrived thursday evening. cohen & i were discharged from the hospital on saturday. those first two weeks were exhausting but i barely remember it now. he is very laid back and just goes with the flow. i couldn't have asked or a more perfect son to take us from a couple to a family.

*disclaimer*: any soon-to-be moms reading this- do not believe all the horror stories of labor & delivery. it is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be! i would have done it again in a second the next day.

recap: month 9

37wks ................................................. 38wks

39wks ............................................ 40wks

weeks: 36-40... october 15 - november 11

due date: november 11, 2011

baby's size: pumpkin ... 6-9lbs, 19-22 in

morning sickness/symptoms: braxton hicks contraction, real contractions, swollen feet

cravings: milk! milk! milk! and oreos. or any chocolate.

sleep: i'm still able to get a good nights sleep almost every night.

i can't live without: pedicures. my feet are so sore by the end of the day, so its nice to have someone
rub my feet.. even if i have to pay them.

i miss: having energy! even taking a shower is exhausting.

milestones: i've reached my due date!

awkward moments: people constantly telling me how big i am. yes, i'm growing a human and he's
estimated to weigh 6+lbs so i'm going to be large and in charge.

exercise: HA!

weight gain: 25lbs.

stretch marks: none.

belly button: popped!

movement: he's still movin' & shakin'!

gender: still a boy!

labor signs: i'm starting to have real contractions in the evenings.

recap: month 8

33wks ...................................... 34wks

35wks ....................................... 36wks

weeks: 32-36 ... september 17 - october 14

due date: november 11, 2011

baby's size: watermelon ... 6lbs, 19-22 in

morning sickness/symptoms: braxton hicks contractions, swollen feet

cravings: i still can't drink enough milk.. and lately i'm loving jello's no bake cheesecake!

sleep: check! and i'm sure everyone around me is very thankful.

i can't live without: naps. its the only thing that allows me to function past 5pm.

i miss: not sharing my body! i'm perfectly happy to keep baking this baby boy but it will be nice to not have to worry about every single thing i do or eat.

milestones: i've switched from bi-weekly appointments to weekly appointments! only 1 month left to go!

awkward moments: the unsolicted advice. everyone is an expert on what you can/can't do, labor, & child rearing. the farther along i get the less filter i seem to have.. at this point, its very hard to smile & nod and let them ramble on when i really want to tell them to shut up & mind their own damn business!

exercise: at this point, i count cleaning my house as exercise.

weight gain: +12lbs

stretch marks: none.

belly button: popped!

movement: he's still movin' & shakin'! he's really a fan of stretching and sticking his butt in my ribs and sticking his shoulder/elbow in my hip bone.

gender: still a boy!

labor signs: none.

recap: month 7

29wks .......................................... 30wks

  

31wks ......................................... 32wks

weeks: 28-32 ... august 20 - september 16

due date: november 11, 2011

baby's size: honeydew ... 3.14lbs, 19in

morning sickness/symptoms: braxton hicks contractions

cravings: my milk craving is getting a bit ridiculous. i've been drinking 2-3 gallons a week for over a month now! i can't get enough of it.

sleep: i sleep well, but i can't seem to sleep in anymore.

i can't live without: yoga pants! they're so comfortable i change into them the minute i get home from work.

i miss: the tanning bed! there is nothing more relaxing than taking a nap in the tanning bed on cold, winter days.. and getting a tan doesn't hurt either ;) hitting up the tanning bed will be high on my post-partum to-do list.. along with drinking an ice cold beer!

milestones: switched from monthly appointments to bi weekly appointments! at my 31 week appointment i had a growth ultrasound.. i'm baking a big boy! they estimated his weight to be 3lbs 14oz.. so they're expecting him to weigh between 7-8lbs at birth. tyler took a half-day so he could be at the ultrasound since we hadn't had one since our 18 week appointment. the tech gave us lots of great pictures in 3D.. it was so amazing to see him and features. we've decided he has tyler's nose and chin and my mouth.. and he has lots of hair :)

awkward moments: the phenomenon of strangers touching my belly is happening again. even with a bigger belly, its still awkward and unwanted.

exercise: the seaton pool is closed for the winter so walking is my only option these days.

weight gain: +8lbs.

stretch marks: none.

belly button: still flat.

movement: less kicks, more movement. he's head down and growing bigger by the day so he's running out of room. he likes to stretch and stick his butt out and it makes a hard lump on my stomach.

gender: still a boy!

labor signs: none.


i couldn't gush about our 3D ultrasound and not share pictures of his precious face :)

recap: month 6

25wks ............................................ 26wks

27wks .......................................... 28wks

weeks: 24-28 ... july 23 - august 19

due date: november 11, 2011

baby's size: small cabbage ... 2.9lbs, 17in

morning sickness/symptoms: braxton hicks contractions

cravings: milk

sleep: other than getting up multiple times a night to pee, i'm sleeping okay. which i'm very thankful for, and i'm sure tyler is too. (i'm a beast when i'm sleep deprived.. ask my mother!)

i can't live without: pedicures! granted, i gave up trying to reach my toes months ago but now there is no possible way i could paint my toes myself. plus, its a nice way to treat myself after a long week!

i miss: being able to buy clothes without trying them on. i don't care what anyone says, maternity clothes still suck. granted, they are way better than when my mom was pregnant with me (hello, mumus anyone?!) but they still leave a lot to be desired. i've given up on most maternity clothes, besides jeans, and just continue to wear my pre-pregnancy shirts and dresses. when i need something new i head straight to my normal shopping stores and just buy a size bigger than i wore pre-pregnancy. i think normal clothes look better and they show off the baby bump!

milestones: birthing class. it wasn't anything like the movies, not that anything is, but it was informative. it was very laid-back and informal. it was from 9a-3p on a saturday taught by a labor and delivery nurse. she covered everything that would happen from the moment we checked in to l&d to the moment we checked out with sweet baby cohen, and every possible situation in between. i didn't have any "omg i never knew that!" revelations but i left feeling much more informed and prepared.

awkward moments: the stares! i feel like i'm the only person to have ever been pregnant in the entire world the way some people look at me. its weird and awkward and i don't know how to take it! i don't know if they're staring because i look young and they're silently judging me or if i'm so ginormous they think i'm going to give birth to a baby whale or what.. but its definitely awkward. at first, i thought it was just my imagination but tyler even noticed it last week as we were leaving max & erma's. the guy at the next table just stared at me and made no attempt to hide it. i think it bothered tyler more than me; he was very close to saying something but i just wanted to go.

exercise: besides the 100 trips i take to the bathroom a day and swimming at my dad's, i've given up on exercise until it cools down. i'm not a morning person so walking in the AM before work is out of the question and by the time i'm home its too hot. i keep reminding myself that cooler weather will be here sooner or later!

weight gain: +4lbs from pre-pregnancy weight. it seems so strange but i think my weight has just redistributed itself to my belly. so far, its the only thing that seems to have grown. it took me 4 months to put on the 7lbs i lost in april plus another 4lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight. but have no fear- cohen is healthy, growing right on schedule & isn't nutrient deprived in any way!

stretch marks: none.

belly button: still flat.

movement: cohen has his own schedule! around 9a-10a, after i eat breakfast he kicks and moves around constantly for a good hour or so. the rest of the day he's pretty chill with a few kicks/twists throughout the day. once i'm home and relaxing around 5p-6p he starts his evening jazzercise routine and continues it well into the night.

gender: boy!

labor signs: none.

*special announcement* for months, i thought we were settled on a name.. cohen ryder. well, that's changed. when we were discussing names we kept going back and forth between ryder and taylor as cohen's middle name. tyler preferred ryder and i preferred taylor. i gave in. well, my great great aunt passed away while we were at the beach and the funeral services took place the day after we got home. it was nice to visit with family members even though it wasn't under the best circumstances. naturally, everyone was asking about the baby and his name and we caught some flack for not giving him the middle name taylor, (i secretly loved every minute of it) and i promised my aunt chris i would work on it. as we're driving home tyler throws me a curve ball.. he tells me he DOES like cohen taylor and he thinks he wants to change his name! i try to contain my excitement and tell him i'm open to discussing middle names if he is. within a few days, and no pushing from me (i swear!) we decided to change his name.....

so cohen taylor christian it is <3

tyler and i can't wait to tell him about all the amazing and wonderful people he's named after.. some of who are still with us and some that aren't. plus, he'll share a middle name with his granddaddy and uncle cole!

overall, its been a great month! tyler and i had a great time on vacation and it was nice to get away for 10 whole days!

beach bums

outlet shopping  .................. cohen's new diaper bag

who says you can't wear a bikini at 6 months pregnant?

my wild pack of 4-legged children were in good hands while we were lounging on the beach.. they had a great time at my dad's playing with nico!

 brewsky, benson, bailey, & nico ................ chicken > dog chow

granddaddy daycare is equipped with a pool.. i doubt i was missed. 

recap: month 5

22w3d

23wks ......................................................... 2wks

(i missed the 21wk bump picture)

weeks: 20-24 ... june 25 - july 22

due date: november 11, 2011

baby's size: eggplant ... 1.7lbs, 9 inches

morning sickness/symptoms: sciatic nerve pain and allergies.

cravings: i still can't drink enough milk!

sleep: i sleep okay; its getting to sleep that's the problem.

i can't live without: air conditioning and the pool! we've been under a heat advisory the last week and its been brutal. the heat index has hovered around 104-105 degrees. so i've spent the majority of my time either inside enjoying the AC or in the pool.

i miss: being able to bend over comfortably. i feel like i'm squishing him every time i bend over.

i'm looking forward to: vacation! tyler has a tournament in myrtle beach the last week of july and i'm heading down the following week for our vacation. i can't wait to lay on the beach, the good food and of course, shopping!

milestones: viability! generally, most doctors define the 24wk mark as viability and its usually the cut-off for intensive medical intervention to save a premature baby. cohen definitely still has lots of baking to do, but its one less worry at this point.

awkward moments: when you're pregnant, everyone is an expert on parenting, childbirth, etc. the touching is still awkward and as my baby bump grows bigger it seems to be more and more enticing to people.

exercise: yoga, walking, swimming

weight gain: -3lbs from pre-pregnancy weight.

stretch marks: none.

belly button: flat. its not an innie anymore but its not an outie.

movement: cohen is kicking and moving up a storm these days! he's most active right after i eat breakfast in the morning and in the evenings when its quiet and i'm not up and moving around a lot. he's not very cooperative when other people want to feel him kick, and i have no idea where he gets this stubbornness from. ;)

gender: boy!

labor signs: none.

after many weeks of internet browsing and research we bought the 2nd edition tori convertible crib and matching dresser and changing table from jcpenney. the crib converts to a toddler bed, day bed and regular bed with only a few extra pieces which was an important feature to us. as far as the matching furniture, it had to be solid hardwood. i refused to budge on that feature even if it did cost us more money. i wanted something that would hold up for years to come and particle board doesn't; and many places were charging $500-600 for a dresser that wasn't solid hardwood, which is more than the crib! it was outrageous! after spending weeks searching i was ready to give up until someone suggested jcpenney. the nursery sets were beautiful, solid hardwood AND the prices were great! what's not to love? added bonus: the company who manufactures jcp's cribs and nursery furniture received excellent reviews in baby bargains! (and for those of you who have no idea what baby bargains is.. its the holy grail of baby product reviews and a lifesaver when registering!) after doing the math, we decided it would be cheaper to buy the furniture as a set instead of purchasing the pieces separately over the next few weeks. and guess what? jcp gives you a huge discount for buying the set! add in the coupon i found online and we got a helluva deal!

the furniture was delivered about 2 weeks ago and tyler set it up the next day! i couldn't be happier with our selection; the only thing missing to complete the room is cohen <3

crib

 changing table ................................. crib & dresser

recap: month 4

 

16wks .................................... 17wks 

 

18wks .....................................19wks

 

20wks

 
weeks: 16-20 ... may 27 - june 24

due date: november 11, 2011

baby's size: cantaloupe ... 10oz, 6.5 inches

morning sickness/symptoms: still feeling good! i'm happy to have missed the morning sickness altogether.

cravings: MILK! i can't get enough of it. when tyler is home we go through a gallon of milk almost every other day. its insane.. and expensive!

sleep: so far, so good. i've had a few restless nights but nothing too bad. it has definitely been an adjustment to find new sleeping positions because i've always been a stomach sleeper.

i can't live without: air conditioning! its been super hot lately and after being in a stuffy office all day i can't wait to come home and crank the ac down to 65 and do nothing but lay on the couch.

i miss: beer. i know its ridiculous, but i do. its cookout season and who doesn't love a cold beer with their burger?

i'm looking forward to: shopping! my gut feeling was finally confirmed and baby christian is alllll BOY! i have a few disappointed friends, ahem jen, who were pulling for a girl but i knew from the beginning we were having a boy. now, let the shopping begin!

milestones: we've reached the half-way point!

awkward moments: people touching my stomach, especially strangers. its awkward, and it always will be. i'm a freak with personal space issues, i know. i would just prefer to be asked before being groped.

exercise: yoga, walking, swimming

weight gain: -5lbs from pre-pregnancy weight.

stretch marks: negative. & let's hope it stays that way!

belly button: in

movement: i have an anterior placenta, but all that means is that its on the front side acting as a cushion between the baby and my belly so it makes it harder to feel bumps and kicks. i've felt a few very light kicks as of the 20wk mark.

gender: still a boy! u/s at week 16, confirmed again at week 18.

labor signs: its far too early for that.

& baby makes.. seven?

if you count brewsky, bailey, benson & roar we're about to become a household of seven come november!

tyler and i found out we were expecting on march 5th and our lives have been a whirlwind of excitement and anticipation ever since! our little boy, cohen ryder, is set to arrive around novemeber 11th.. just in time for the holidays!

between work, summer projects, and baseball tournaments we've been doing our best to get cohen's room ready before the school year starts. of course, we happen to have the shortest summer break ever in cabell county this year so its definitely crunch time!

i designed the bedding at babybedding.com and i highly recommend it to any expectant mommas! they have a great selection of bedding options and fabrics. you can make changes to any bedding set they've designed or you can design a bedding set from scratch from the massive selection of fabrics. i loved the brown modern zoo print so i built the set around it. tyler and i wanted something fun that worked for a nursery but also could grow with him.

this is stock photo of the bedding from the website

i got a lot of nursery decor ideas from this blog. you can filter and search by gender, color, theme, etc. its where i got the idea to paint the wall where the crib would go...

the squares turned out better than i ever could have imagined; even up close they look like a decal and not hand painted. the whole process only took about 3 hours; measuring for symmetry and putting up the tape was the most time consuming part.

next up: new hardwood floor and furniture. both of which, should be finished this week. tyler just came back from a baseball tournament in indianapolis so he's taking a day of R&R before starting to lay the new floor tomorrow. so progess is being made!

baby countdown:

17 weeks 4 days to go!

smörgåsbord

i started this blog as an assignment in a journalism/public relations class i took at marshall and i decided to keep blogging after the semester ended. that was 2 years ago.. i fell off the wagon for a while, but i'm back at it! usually blogs tend to have a central theme.. life, politics, crafts, reviews, etc. my blog does not, its a smorgasbord. and because its my blog, i can do that :) so this post, will be about crafting!

lately, tyler and i have been very crafty people. one look around our home and you can see how talented tyler is, especially when it comes to carpentry. because of his talent, he's become very picky (and so have i) about items we purchase for our home. tyler would rather build whatever item it is we have in mind, than settle and buy something in a store we aren't crazy about.

for months, we have been looking for a small table to go against the wall in the family room that separates the opening to the dining room and game room. after multiple unsuccessful trips to hobby lobby, big sandy, and other stores we decided to build one ourselves.. and this is what we created :)

of course i didn't leave hobby lobby empty handed; the 2 vases and flower arrangements were a must have! they matched the family room color scheme perfectly.

as for the specifics on the table, it was actually very easy to make and only took about 45 minutes. the shelves are poplar and the legs are pine; the legs were pre-fab and bought at lowe's. tyler used a router saw to create an edge on the shelves so they didn't look plain. i put two coats of regular black paint to get the color i wanted and three coats of polyurethane. normally, you don't want to use regular paint on wood but the black wood stain i found wasn't dark enough no matter how many coats i put on the test piece. by putting three heavy coats of polyurethane the surface is smooth and can easily be wiped down when dusty and won't lose any shine.

i love how it turned out; its the perfect accent piece for the room and the wall! and not to toot my own horn, but it looks store bought! (toot! toot!)

WV: no lifeguard in the gene pool

..quoted from an A&F shirt, way back when.


there is a huge stigma attached to being from west virginia; granted, sometimes its dead on.. but most of the time, its dead wrong. i've lived in west virginia my entire life and contrary to popular belief, my life is nothing like deliverance or wrong turn: i have a full set of pearly whites, i didn't marry a relative, and i'm educated! shocking, i know!

i will now step down from my soapbox..


i've always loved hearing different accents and lingo. i was in accent heaven when i vacationed in ireland in 2007. i find all accents intriguing whether they be southern, northern, midwestern, or foreign.. but i could listen to an irish or australian accent all day! i never really thought i had an accent, a twang at best, until i went to cancun for senior week. my friends and i met a group of kids from new jersey who were also there for senior week. they were fascinated by the way we talked.. i mean fascinated!

they kept asking us to say different words and what we called certain things.. they went on and on about our accent and we all kept saying, "we don't have an accent.. you guys do!" i finally asked them "have you never talked to someone from the south before?" and they said, "yea, but not like you guys.. all the girls we know sound like gangsters, you guys sound so sweet and innocent!" i couldn't help but laugh.. i thought i guess i do have an accent.


anyways, i decided to do this vlog (video blog) because my friend, jen @ pearls and politics did the video challenge i thought it looked like fun! enjoy!

words: aunt, route, wash, oil, theater, iron, salmon, caramel, fire, water, sure, data, ruin, crayon, toilet, new orleans, pecan, both, again, probably, spitting image, alabama, lawyer, coupon, mayonnaise, syrup, pajamas, caught.

questions:
1. what is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
2. what is the bug that curls into a ball when you touch it?
3. what is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
4. what do you call gym shoes?
5. what do you say to address a group of people?
6. what do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
7. what do you call your grandparents?
8. what do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
9. what do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
10. what is the thing you change the TV channel with?

practice makes perfect

if you've met me, you know.. i heart kids! especially, maxwell..


..i mean how cute is this face?
 
i try to spend as much time as humanly possible with the little fella, as everyone in my family does and i have to patiently wait my turn. so imagine my excitement when kris (my cousin, max's dad) called & asked me to keep max overnight! kris had to work 6p-3a and my aunt, who normally gets first dibs on babysitting, was in aruba. i had watched max numerous times, but never overnight. my excitement was momentarily replaced my panic.. will he freak out at bedtime? wake up scared because he's never stayed the night here? will he hate the dogs? will the dogs hate him? my house isn't childproof! after what seemed like a million scenarios ran through my head i thought, i can do this. he's been to my house plenty of times; loves my dogs; they love him; plus, he's obsessed with my pool table. i got this!
 
next crisis: what will we do all evening??? solution: PAINT!
 
kris dropped max off around 5:30.. & first things first, max had to find roar. he may be the fattest cat on the planet but he has lots of hiding places. max hearts roar almost as much as i heart max. he's been obsessed with him since the first time he came to my house.. and he loves to say his name. so off we went in search of roar until tyler came home.. who was just as excited to have max stay with us as i was! i suggested we go grab dinner & take my max to the pottery place. tyler wasn't thrilled with the idea of driving downtown but i had max on my side! tyler was putty his max's hands when he walked in and max said "hi ty ty! i go paint pwease?" mission accomplished. :-D
 

and off we went... to mu cafe. max was so well behaved! he and tyler colored and played tic tac toe while we waited for our food.. and max flirted with our waitress.

after eating his chicken nuggets, as promised we went to the pottery place! max picked out two magnets for fufi & daddy..

he was in the zone while painting.. (i think he's got the artist gene that floats around the taylor/seaton gene pool like his dad) he knew exactly what he waited to paint & what colors. i was impressed :)

after the little artist finished his masterpieces we headed back to my house.. & it was playtime, for max & the dogs! brewsky isn't known to be a cuddly, but he took an instant liking to max and wanted nothing more than to snuggle up next to him and play..

brew didn't move from that spot all night! the next morning, max started referring to brew as "my guy" and instructed brew to follow him everywhere (not that he wouldn't have done so on his own). it was quite possibly one of the cutest things i've seen :)

after a quick run to the mall saturday afternoon and an obligatory stop at the giant fruit play place, i took max back to his faza and called the past 36 hours a success! a blast was had by all.. and until tyler & i have one of our own, practice makes perfect hangin' out with maxwell<3

the cuteness just never stops..