Grant Mathew

After 41 long weeks we welcomed our second baby boy into our family. Grant was born on Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 2:24pm. The first 8 months of the pregnancy was smooth and uneventful and the last month seemed to drag on and on. The labor and delivery was so quick that I couldn't have asked for a better or easier experience.

It all started last summer when I least expected it, of course. Looking back it's so clear that if I had paid attention to my symptoms a bit more I would have known right then that Grant had started his life. Patrick, Miles, and I were on vacation with my family at my family's favorite past time camping resort Lake Pearrygin for the Fourth of July. The entire time we were there I was tired and felt like taking naps all day. Napping was a  huge pregnancy symptom when I was first pregnant with Miles too. As time went on I had a couple more symptoms that were similar to the ones I felt before but just played it off as being busy and tired from chasing Miles around.

The next week Patrick came home and told me that his employee had a dream that someone in the office was pregnant  (she said when she dreams about fruit, someone she knows is pregnant. She had the dream when I was pregnant with Miles). We both thought it might be another one of his employees that recently got married but in the back of my mind it clicked and all of the sudden every symptom I'd been having made sense. The next day I took a test and sure enough, there on the stick, positive. Little Grant was there.

Around 12 weeks I was able to get an ultrasound to see how far along I was. My instincts told me we were having another boy and at 20 weeks we found out it my instincts were right! The entire pregnancy felt almost identical to my first pregnancy which was nice because I knew what to expect and didn't have to deal with new symptoms or complications.

By the time week 36 rolled around I was ready to meet Grant and be done with the pregnancy. It became increasingly difficult to bend over, roll over in bed, walk up the stairs, hold Miles, and I would feel my pelvis crack throughout the night when I readjusted myself. I kept telling myself that I only had a couple more weeks left thinking that he would be here around the same time Miles was (6 days early) but little did I know that I would go a week over with no signs of labor beginning on its own!

Finally, after what felt like 4 more years of pregnancy, not 4 weeks, my doctor said we could induce since I hadn't made much more progress and wasn't feeling very many contractions and was going to hit 41 weeks later that week. I was so relieved to know there was an end in sight I almost cried!

Now I had a birthdate for little Grant. March 8th was the day.

Patrick and I arrived at the hospital at 7:30am. I was admitted, got an IV hooked up, and finally the pitocin was plugged in. I began feeling some contractions as the dosage was turned up and finally I was feeling some strong ones coming every 3 to 5 minutes. When the nurse came back in I asked for an epidural because I figured it might be a while until the doctor could be in to break my water. That turned out to be great timing because originally I was just going to wait to get the epidural until after she broke my water but she ended up being 1 1/2 hours later than she said she'd be. I don't know how I would have done that! The epidural was amazing!

Finally the doctor came in around 1:30pm and broke my water and said she'd be back when I was fully dilated and ready to push. Patrick and I talked with the nurse for about 45 minutes and then she said I was probably at 10cm and ready to get the baby out! I was surprised that it only took 45 more minutes to be completely dilated! So, my doctor came in at 2:15 I started pushing.

At 2:24pm, after four sets of pushes, Grant was born.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him. A full head of dark hair! All along I thought he might have a little hair because I had heartburn but I never thought he'd have that much and that it would be dark. I guess I expected it to be like Miles hair.

He was placed on my belly and we cuddled while daddy took pictures and video. Then he nursed for a good 45 minutes. He must have been hungry! Later the nurse weighed him and what a surprise that was!

9 pounds 2 ounces!

When she told me I yelled "REALLY?" We all thought he'd be about Miles size or even a bit smaller because he'd been measuring small. Now I realize it was probably because he was laying on his side the whole time so the measurements weren't accurate. Then he got a little bath and was placed in daddy's arms so he could hold him for the first time.

The birth was such a good experience. I prayed and prayed that Grant and I would make it to full term and through labor and delivery without any complications. Well, God sure answered my prayers! Although the last month of the pregnancy was brutal I wouldn't change it. I knew that I needed to go through a bit of suffering but at the time I just couldn't see why. Now I understand. It was so I could be truly grateful for how simple and easy the delivery was. It was almost as if I paid my dues before the hard work would begin *knock on wood*. I am so thankful for all the blessings God has given us. Patrick and I are so happy that our boys are healthy and have each other. We can't wait to see them become best friends as they grow up and we really look forward to those bunk beds!

Thank you God for a beautiful family and for such an easy and safe pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

Grant is perfect.

Thankful

I'm in the middle of full-on nesting this morning. I've already cleaned the entire downstairs and figured I should take a little break before moving to the upstairs. I had a sudden urge to nest yesterday but figured it would be best to wait until Patrick could help with Miles so I can clean without him climbing up my legs or following behind me messing everything up, Miles, not Patrick. :) . It just so happens that Patrick wanted to get his dad's help to change his car breaks so he and Miles took a little father-son trip up to Everett this morning and left me to fully indulge in my nesting. I don't think I've ever been this excited to have a day to myself, let alone clean and have it stay clean for more than 15 minutes.

Over the past week I've been really, really wanting this baby to come. Finally, I came to grips with the fact that baby will come when he's ready and I might as well stop worrying about it because it's driving me crazy. So, yesterday on my walk I decided I would enjoy Miles as a single child and being able to spend as much time with him as I want without any other interruptions. I decided I would enjoy the fact that if I need to run errands I can throw Miles in the car and go. I also decided that I would enjoy things being predictable and simple for the time being because it will be a while until things settle down enough to be that way again.

The last few weeks of this pregnancy has taught me to be thankful, helped me to be a stronger person both physically and emotionally, and see the brighter side to my struggles. Yes, it's easy to have self pity when you can't bend over and put on your shoes without feeling like you could pass out. It's easy to complain about your pelvis popping every time you roll over to get out of bed in the middle of the night to go the bathroom (which is racking up to about 5 or 6 times these days). But what good does that do? None.

I'm thankful for how helpful Patrick is around the house and with Miles. I thankful for how easy going Miles is. He goes to bed easy, he laughs constantly, and is generally happy all the time. I realized that my physical suffering can not compare to the physical suffering Jesus went through with his journey to and on the cross. Any time I think I can't go on anymore with whatever pain I'm feeling I recall what Jesus went through. And he willingly went through it, for me. It really puts my pain and suffering into perspective and helps me not to complain as much. Seeing the bright side has been hard and ultimately it's just been me telling myself that I'll eventually have a baby to hold. Things will be different. Our lives will change.

This pregnancy has helped me grow and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to do so. Sometimes it takes tragedy or family struggles but this time it takes a new life. And I am so grateful to God for this little guy that's kicking to get out and meet the world and help us grow even more.

The Countdown is On!

I have about 21 days, 3 hours, and 50 minutes until my due date. Can you tell I'm SO ready? I am ready to have this little guy for so many reasons many of which have to do with being able to move like a normal person again. But aside from having my body back (to somewhat normal) we'll get to meet this baby that has been cooking for 9 long months. I'm excited to meet him and see what these little movements are in my belly. His strong kicks and stretches have me in pain sometimes but soon enough I'll be able to see those kicks and stretches and understand that it is, in fact, super cramped in there and that stretching my side out with his leg was all he could do to get comfy. I keep saying to people that it's weird to think that it's someone else in there. It's not Miles this time. It's a completely new and unique version of Patrick and I put together. I wonder what that'll look like?

As I count down the days, hoping that he'll want to come sooner than his due date, I compiled a list of things to do before he gets here. I have a two page list with only a hand full of things checked off. I'm really hoping my nesting instinct will kick in so I can bust through the list in a day or two but all I really feel like doing right now is be a blob on the couch all day. Good thing Miles keeps me going! And of course the one morning he sleeps until 7:45 (usually he wakes up around 6:15) and I get enough sleep to feel like I can conquer the world, we have errands and Dr. appointments to go to. So much for spending the energy nesting.

So why, you might ask, am I typing away on this post instead of vacuuming baseboards and corners and dusting door frames? (two things I "needed" to have clean before Miles was born). Well, frankly I've also had a jumble of things in my head I want to document before baby gets here. Writing it all down clears my head and makes me feel like I've accomplished something just as important as nesting.

I think I'll just catch up on sleep for now and let chores go to the wayside a bit because I know sleep will be the last thing I'll be getting once baby arrives. It'll be a whirlwind of an experience and these next couple months will fly by. I've been praying for this little one constantly and still can't thank God enough for blessing us with a healthy pregnancy and baby. We are eagerly awaiting his arrival making our little family of three grow to four. It's weird to think I'll have two sons. But just as quickly as having one settled in, having two will feel totally normal just as fast as the first time around.

Snow Day!

Today was Miles' first snow day. Patrick closed his office due to the 10 inches of snow outside and spent two sessions playing with Miles in the snow. I got his snow suit for free from a mom at my mom's group thinking it was great but figured he wouldn't get to use it this year. After getting Miles all bundled up I couldn't help but laugh and laugh because he looked like the kid from A Christmas Story who can't put his arms down because his mom put too many layers on him for the snow. Miles had a bit of a hard time walking around in all the gear but had a blast in the snow nonetheless.

Getting all geared up!

10 inches!!

Miles is cleaning my car off.

The snow was past his knees. He couldn't even move!

It was so fun to watch him and Patrick play outside. Miles was a little unsure at first but realized how fun it was after doing a couple face plants. I loved his little cold rosy cheeks when he came in. We snuggled under a blanket while Patrick shoveled the driveway with a storage bin incase he has to go to work tomorrow. (He used a storage bin because the basic shovel was too small and the bin seemed to work better. Our neighbors got a kick out of that).

"No dad, I don't need your help..."

Oh, now you need dad's help huh?

Going for a little walk to the park via shoulder transportation.

I look forward to the days when Miles can really play in the snow. Seeing those tiny snow angels and snowmen will just make my day.

Silly Sleeper

This is how Miles sleeps almost every night. How can this be comfortable?

December in Pictures

Daddy and Miles

Miles was really into using anything and everything as a phone and if you look close enough you can see he's holding a piece of Coco's dog food as a phone.

He thinks he's pretty cool when he stands on things but it gives mom a heart attack, especially when he stumbles a little and almost falls off. We're working on his listening and obeying skills right now.

I can't believe he can still fit in something so small!

Miles is getting good at making messes.

Every night when Pat drives in I say "daddy's home!" and Miles runs as fast as he can over to the garage and stands in his spot waiting to greet daddy.

He won't eat mashed potatoes or noodles but he'll eat chili. And loves it. A lot.

I love finding things from Miles.

A New Year

2012 is one day away already! December has flown by a lot faster than I though it would and I'm happy about that because it  means that meeting Baby #2 is even closer! This past year has flown by just as fast as December has. It's crazy to think that this time last year Miles was a month old and now he's running around, babbling, and making us laugh constantly. I'm sure this time next year I'll be saying the same thing 'I can't believe I was about 8 months pregnant!'

I've been thinking about New Year's resolutions and remembered how I made a "birthday resolution" back in May. That resolution was to read more for my 24th year of life. Reflecting on that commitment I can say that it almost fell into that same category as a New Year's resolution does where it's forgotten about after 2 months. I say almost because I truly made an effort to work on this resolution and it was always in the back of my mind. I ended up reading a couple books but as the first trimester of pregnancy exhaustion came on I tended to put my books down and take naps instead (well worth it to keep up with Miles).

I worked harder to read more by starting small. For instance I used to just flip through a magazine reading captions and looking at pictures, but now I read almost every page and even some of the articles that look super lame or boring. Those articles actually turn out pretty interesting! I'm happy about the effort I put forth to accomplish my resolution but know I could have worked harder. So, for my New Year's resolution I am reestablishing my birthday resolution and will try to make more of an effort to read by reading fun books and books by my favorite authors Mitch Albom and Scott Hahn.

Other than having the baby on my mind constantly and trying to keep up with Miles things around here have been going pretty smoothly. Although I CAN NOT wait to have the baby due to being so uncomfortable and ready to meet him, I'm trying to enjoy the last weeks of pregnancy. Once the baby comes I won't be able to sleep through the night, I'll be adjusting to a slower pace where I'm attached to the couch for 45 minutes at a time feeding the baby, and all things that come with a newborn and toddler. Aside from that I'll be able to bend over again! I'll be able to sleep on my stomach! I'll be able to have a real work out and walk up the stairs without being completely out of breath! There are so many things I've taken for granted and wait in anticipation to be able to do them once again. But above all those things we'll have our little boy and get to see how much Miles loves his little brother, that's what I mostly can't wait for.

Lately, Miles has been super cute and learning so much. I wish I could just video tape him all the time because there is so much I want to remember and share with others. Since recording his every movement is a little over the top I just record little clips here and there and have posted a few below. The first one is super cute but made me so sad for him! He got a little glowworm for Christmas from his Aunt Cheri, Uncle Zach, and cousins. It's face lights up and plays music. He went to bed with it the night he got it and rolled on it turning the music on and waking him up. He cried so I had to take it out of his bed. When we got home I gave it to him and he hugged it turning it on and the music made him react like he does in the video. After getting a few laughs out of how cute he looked I finally felt bad enough for him that I had to help him realize it was a fun toy, not a sad toy. The funny thing is is that he liked it the entire time it was just that the music probably reminded him of going to bed or waking up to the music. Now he dances when he hears the tunes. So cute, yet so sad!

And to make you feel better about that cute, sad face here's a fun and happy video...