Happy St. Patty's Day!

Stopping by to say...

HE GOT THE JOB!!!!!!

HE GOT THE JOB!!!!!!

HE GOT THE JOOOOOB!!!!!!

This is absolutely an answered prayer and Keith and I are so thankful for this news! Thank you God! Gavin and I are very proud of you baby! He'll be starting at the end of March, and...

We're moving back to Charleston! 

:D

That is all. :)

Friday Favorties

Hi readers! Today I'm linking up with Al at Traffic Jelly for Favorite Post Friday!

From Al:

It's time to select a post you've written that ranks up there on your favorites list. Can be sad, happy, funny, short, long, photo crazy, or today's post. It doesn't matter. The whole point is to see a special side of the person behind the blog.

This isn't meant to obtain more followers, but just to get to know the fabulous women out there who are writing their hearts out every day. So, I'd love it if you could somehow spread the word, even if you don't grab the button. Send a tweet, stick a link on your post, whatever you like. 

 

I love this idea and I'm excited to link up and meet new bloggers! Head over to Al's blog if you'd like to participate!

 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

:)

Sneak Peak at Gav's Newborn Pictures

Baby boy is such an amazing kid! He rarely ever cries, sleeps through the night (we have to wake him up to feed him), and is always so happy and relaxed. I'd definitely say Keith and I lucked out! On Tuesday we had his newborn pictures taken and this proud momma just couldn't wait to share a sneak peak of these photos! :D I know it's only been a week and a day since his arrival, but I don't know what I ever did without him. Mommy loves you, Gavin Josiah!

(Check out our awesome photographer's site! If you're in Atlanta, I highly recommend her!)

Two Years

Two years ago, I married the man of my dreams. A man that I met by chance in March 2008 and who forever changed my life. On this day, our son was scheduled to make his big debut, but lucky for us he arrived a week early. Today, we're spending the day together with Gavin and treasuring these moments with our newborn. Keith Joseph, I didn't think it was possible, but I love you more and more each day. 

Gavin's Birth Story, Part II

"At 8:00am, the midwife from my doctor's practice arrived and we were thrilled to discover that not only was the crazy midwife not there, but it was the one that I absolutely love! :) At this point I was wishing for a good 6 cm, but was told that this wasn't likely since it had only been 6ish hours. So, you can imagine everyone's surprise when she told me that I was 8 cm!!! My contractions were so inconsistent and definitely not close enough to allow me to dilate this much, but the body is an amazing thing and I was blessed by this dilation. During this check my water actually broke, and that is when things really got intense!" - From Part I.

For the next hour and sixteen minutes, every few minutes, I felt the worst pain of my life. Once my water broke there was no longer that shield protecting Gavin's head from my pelvis and the pressure and pain I felt is truly indescribable. It was very similar to the Endometriosis pain I felt in the past, but on a whole other level. Through each contractions I was moving all over the place trying to find the best position to be in. I had a squatting bar at the end of my bed and I would go from that position, to laying on my side, laying on my back, to even getting on all fours and hugging the back of my hospital bed. This last position really helped to move things along. I kept telling Keith that I couldn't do it anymore. I just couldn't take the pain. But, I had made it to 8 cm and it was too late to turn back now. There was only a little left to accomplish and I was determined to do this!

Luckily, the time it took to get to those last two centimeters flew by and before we knew it my midwife was being paged to my room for delivery. I began to push a few minutes before she was able to get to my room and Gavin was there, ready to enter this world. The nurses were telling me to stop and wait for the doctors and I couldn't believe it! I was literally experiencing the "ring of fire" and they were asking me to wait! Lol I remember not listening and yelling "HURRY UP!!!" They did, and with a few final pushes Gavin was in this world. 

My eyes were closed for the majority of the time at the end, but I did see his big debut and they handed him to me right after. I immediately began sobbing. I was so overwhelmed that my sweet baby boy was finally here. And that I had just given birth the way that I wanted. I only held Gavin for a few moments before he was brought to the side to be cleaned up and checked out. I thought that I'd mind, but in reality I was a bit traumatized. The pain was gone but not forgotten. I was exhausted and sweaty and while an episiotomy wasn't done, there were stitches needed. Then came the placenta and a whole bunch of blood. To be honest, I was a bit scared. I was worried that something was wrong, but apparently this was all normal. 

Once my midwife was finished making sure that I was okay, Gavin was brought over to me and it was a moment that I never wanted to end. 

I was finally holding the precious child that had been kicking me for the past 4+ months. I had never seen anything so beautiful, and in that moment I finally understood God's love for me. It was completely amazing. 

Gavin was born at 9:16am and Keith and I stayed in the labor and delivery room until around 3pm. My sisters and Keith's Dad and StepMom came visit and we spent the day in awe of our son. Once we were moved to our recovery room my Mom arrived and we visited with her for a bit. While I should have been beyond exhausted (I only slept one hour the night before) I was on cloud nine and running on adrenaline. Due to hospital policy for new moms we were required to stay for two days. Keith and I didn't mind at all and we enjoyed resting and learning as much as possible about how to care for our son.

Overall, my labor and delivery experience could not have gone better. I was able to have the natural birth that I wanted and had a pretty quick labor, at around 9 and a half hours, once we arrived at the hospital. Even though the natural birth wasn't exactly what I had in mind, I absolutely do not regret going this route. I was able to experience the true process of giving birth and feel incredibly grateful for both the good and not-so-good parts. Besides the soreness, I felt truly amazing afterwards. Lol and actually, I was eating lunch (a Big Mac) an hour after Gav arrived. If anyone is thinking about going natural, I highly recommend it. It's not easy, but it sure is worth it. At this point I feel like I can tackle anything I set my mind to. Taking the LSAT? Law School? Climbing Mount Everest? Psht. No biggie. (I'm obviously joking a tad, but I do feel so empowered) I also had a doula present during my labor and she was such a big help. She offered encouragement and advice on pain management when it was needed, and Keith and I don't know what we would have done without her.

Another factor that contributed to our experience was the hospital that we delivered at. Keith and I were so impressed with all of the nurses and staff at Northside Hospital - Main Campus in Atlanta, Georgia. The kindness and hospitality that we received was fantastic. Each and every person we came into contact with was especially helpful and made our experience so special. To our nurses -- Janice, both Jennifers, Maggie, Connie, Darlene, Rebecca and Fabira -- THANK YOU! You guys are superb. 

And while this isn't an award show, I'd also like to express how grateful I am for this experience and for the love and support I felt from my husband. Keith, I love you so very much and appreciate your strength during my times of weakness. You had just as much to do with the success of this labor and delivery as I did. I love you. And last but certainly not least, I could not have done any of this without the strength of my Lord and Savior. Without a doubt, His love, mercy and grace carried me through.

Dad and son.

Bath time!

Sleeping Angel

View from our room

Family.

Gavin's Birth Story, Part I

I cannot believe that I am writing Gavin's birth story...2 days before his due date! :D Okay, where do I begin...

On Tuesday of last week, I wrote about the contractions that I had been having since Monday morning (2/26). These contractions were tolerable and consistent, but were short in length. On Monday we went to the doctor and I found out that I was only 1.25 cm dilated, but 70% effaced. I was told that it could still be two weeks before Gavin's debut, but we were hoping that he would come quick! I woke up Tuesday with the same contractions, but by Tuesday night I was in excruciating pain. I had fallen asleep that night at 10pm thanks to Tylenol PM, but by 12pm I was awake and miserable. Beginning at 11pm, I began having contractions every 7 minutes, according to Keith. Every 7 minutes, I would toss and turn and moan in pain, and he was timing them. By midnight I was awake and being crippled by the contractions. We called the midwife on duty and she advised us to wait another hour or until the contractions were 5 minutes apart to go to the hospital. We didn't have to wait long, because by 1:30am we were heading to the hospital! :)

 So excited that it was finally time!

We only had a 10 minute drive before arriving at the hospital, but the two contractions I had in the car were intense. I kept praying that I was dilated enough to have Gavin soon because as much as I wanted a natural birth, if I was still at 1-2 cms I didn't know if I was strong enough to make it through. Around 2:30am I was checked by the sweetest nurse, and told that I was dilated to 4 cm! We were so excited to hear this news! From 2:30am until 8:00am it was just me, Keith and my doula, Amber, in the room. My contractions kept the same intensity, however they would range from 5-8 minutes. During this time period, we listened to a CD of relaxing and encouraging music that I had made and I also watched the movie Serendipity. The song that sticks out in my mind is By Your Side by Tenth Avenue North. I remember being in the middle of a contraction and hearing:

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you 

Even now, I tear up reading those words because I know that on the night of Gavin's birth, right in the middle of all the pain, God was right there with me by my side the whole time. It was so powerful. 

It was a bit of a waiting game and during the contractions I focused on my breathing. I also used a hand massager that Amber had brought with her and I just kept massaging my legs to distract from the pain. Believe it or not, deep breaths and the massager actually worked to get me through it. 

At 8:00am, the midwife from my doctor's practice arrived and we were thrilled to discover that not only was the crazy midwife not there, but it was the one that I absolutely love! :) At this point I was wishing for a good 6 cm, but was told that this wasn't likely since it had only been 6ish hours. So, you can imagine everyone's surprise when she told me that I was 8 cm!!! My contractions were so inconsistent and definitely not close enough to allow me to dilate this much, but the body is an amazing thing and I was blessed by this dilation. During this check my water actually broke, and that is when things really got intense!

To be continued...

He's Here!!!

Gavin Josiah Christmas

Born February 29, 2012 at 9:16am

7lbs. 8oz. and 20"long

Mom and baby are doing great, 

and this momma was able to go natural! 

Praise God!!!

Updates to come...we are so. in. love.

Baby Bump - Weeks 37 & 38 and an Update!

The swollen feet have returned! Weeks 37 and 38 were filled with many days of this, but I am very happy to report that my wedding ring still fits! :) Sleep has been extremely uncomfortable, and I've even taken Tylenol PM (recommended by my doc) a few nights just to get enough zzz's in. Cravings have sort of leveled off...so not much to report there.

While I thought about waiting to update you guys until I write Gavin's birth story, I figured I'd go ahead and write about yesterday's events now while I still have the time to blog. Yesterday when I woke up, I began having contractions. These contractions were 5-10 minutes apart but only lasted about 20 seconds each. From 7:30am until 11:00pm last night (when I wrote this post) I had consistent contractions. Keith and I went to my doctor so that they could check me, and I didn't get the news I had hoped for. (I thought contractions = labor/hospital/baby, but apparently not always) I am only 1.5cm dilated but I am 70% effaced and my cervix has considerably dropped! The midwife that I saw told us that I could go into labor tonight or two weeks from now. Since the contractions are very consistent and painful, I am praying that Gavin comes soon. I fear that if I have too many days of this, I will be too exhausted once active labor begins to achieve a natural birth. I will say that while the contractions are painful, they are tolerable. They definitely resemble the pain I experienced with Endometriosis, so it's a familiar pain. I know it's only going to get worse, but for now I can manage these. If Gav isn't here by Thursday then we're heading back to the doc to see my progress. So, that's all for now. I sincerely hope that the next post I write is a "He's Here!" one and not a "Still Waiting" one... 

37 weeks

38 weeks, 1 day

Our Bags are Packed, We're Ready to Go!

We are definitely entering the homestretch of this pregnancy! With 9 days left until Gavin's due date, the excitement around my house is getting pretty high. Keith and I are very anxious and any little pain or Braxton Hicks contraction is gaining tons of attention. So far, nothing has been serious. Both of our hospital bags are packed, I am officially finished with the spring semester (YAY!), and there isn't much for us to do but wait.

My baby sister arrived in Atlanta Saturday night and we've been talking a lot about my big belly and my hopes for a natural birth. She is on board with my plan and I am thrilled. After hearing so much negativity on the topic, it's nice to talk to someone who actually believes in me. :) On Sunday, we experimented with a belly cast and I have to say...I love it. Keith and I now a personal piece of art that will be a reminder of Gavin's home for his first 9 months.

While Gav's nursery isn't what I envisioned, it will do for now. Until we know where we'll be living in a few months, there isn't much of a point to painting, decorating, or setting up his crib. (By the way, we heard back from the company that Keith interviewed with and they will be calling on Tuesday to discuss the details!!!) For now, Gav has a bassinet in our room and a bassinet/play yard in his room. 

Every time I walk into his closet and see those tiny diapers, my heart truly melts. I am beyond ready to meet my son. I always thought that I knew what love was. I know that I love and simply adore my wonderful husband. I know that I love my God more than words can describe. But, the love that a parent has for their child is a different kind of love (so I'm told). It resembles the love that God has for us, His children. And it is a love that I am slowly becoming introduced to. Once that little body is placed in my arms and I look into my son's eyes...everything will be complete. Oh goodness I am already tearing up just thinking about it. 

I cannot wait. 

It's going to be the most magical moment of my life.