Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Boston: Two Months

Well, as we walked into our appointment at the pediatrician's office yesterday, I had a flashback to walking in for Boston's two week appointment, and it seemed like it was yesterday! I can't believe how fast these first two months have flown by! Although Boston was two months on June 5, there was a mix up with scheduling and we just had his two month appointment yesterday. He handled his shots like a champ! He cried for about a minute, and then fell right asleep once we put him back in his car seat.

Boston's Stats:

Weight: 13 lbs. 4.5 oz. - 60%
Length: 24.5 in. - 91%
Head Circ: 40 cm. - 63%
Just started wearing 3-6 month clothes

Boston's Likes: 

Smiling - boy does he LOVE smiling, and he has the cutest smile!
Blowing bubbles
Babbling
Staring and sucking on his fists
Sleeping through the night!


Boston's Dislikes:

Being burped
Being up on your shoulder
Being swadled


Boston's Firsts:

First time in the temple; we went through the Payson Temple Open House with Nana Hair!
First road trip was to California for Memorial Day to visit great grandma and grandpa Downey. We also visited San Francisco.
First flu...ending up in his first ER visit.

As was mentioned, Boston had his first ER visit on his 2 month birthday. He started throwing up around 6 PM and then threw up again in his bath around 9. We took his temperature and it was 99.5. We decided it might be a little high because of his bath, so we checked it again half an hour later. It was at 99.9. We called our pediatrician's office and the on-call doctor suggested that we take him to the ER. We took him to Timpanogos Regional and when they checked his rectal temperature, it was 101.2. Boston had to get poked to draw blood and get some fluids and antibiotics into him, he had to get two catheters to draw a urine sample because the first time his bladder was completely empty, he also had to have a spinal tap to check for meningitis, and chest x-rays to check for fluid in his lungs. At 2:30 AM, after 4 hours in the ER, the doctor gave us the all clear. All his tests had come back negative and his temperature was down to a reasonable number. It was definitely the hardest night of parenthood thus far. It was so hard to see him have to go through so many pokes and prods, but we learned a lot as a family and have an increase of faith in our Heavenly Father and His plan for us.

Now... enjoy these cute pictures!















We are seriously so in love with this little boy! He is such a happy and calm little guy. We are so lucky and blessed to have him in our lives and we are excited to see his little personality grow and see him reach each little milestone.

Monday, June 1, 2015

A Birth Story: Boston Chandler Hair

I realize that it has been entirely too long since I have updated this thing. That being said, this post isn't for you, it's for me. After people started asking me how my labor and delivery went, I realized that I didn't quite remember all the details that I would have wanted to. Each time I told it, I remembered more and more. And then, one day I read a friend's post. Her son was 3 and she was trying to remember the details of his birth. She remembered a lot, but was so grateful she had recorded it to be able to look back to. I want that. I want a record to look to when I don't remember. So, here it is.

At my 8 week appointment, I was given the due date of April 4. At my next appointment, the computer generated a due date of April 6 but my doctor decided to leave it at the 4th. Boston was born on April 5, 2015, right in the middle!

April 4, 2015


Here I am, on my due date, looking very pregnant and SO done. I was ready to have this baby. The past few nights, we had stayed at a hotel in Sandy so that I would be closer to the hospital if I were to go in to labor because we lived in Orem, and the hospital we delivered at was in Sandy, way up on the bench. Both nights we were there I started having mild contractions, and just hoped that it would be "time" to go in. But, both times they subtly went away. We came back home Saturday morning and, to be honest, I was a little disappointed that he decided to stay in there. Both nights there was also an hour or two that Boston was just restless. He would kick me up and down my stomach, in my ribs, in my back, all the while I'm wondering if this is what labor feels like or if he's just feeling crammed in there. I don't blame him after all! We went on with our Saturday, listening to General Conference and wondering when our family would finally have our third member.

April 5, 2015

Sunday brought more discomfort, wonder, and words from our dear prophets. After the last session, we went on a walk to the park to relax and get our minds off of everything. I knew I wouldn't be able to walk all the way there and back (even though it was a pretty short distance) so we took a blanket and a card game with us. I guess we didn't consider that wind and card games don't really mix so we didn't stay long. On the way back, I started having some small contractions again, but they were very irregular and I could still walk and talk through them. When we got back home, we skyped with Chandler's parents, all the while I was having small contractions about 3 minutes apart. WOW is right. How did they go from being so irregular to THREE minutes apart? They still weren't very strong, but because we were so far from the hospital, we decided to call and see if we should come in. The nurse suggested that I take a warm bath and see if they diminish or go away. Well, they decided to get stronger! We called them back and told them that we would be coming in. We got there around 7:30 PM and they got us into a room to be checked. My doctor's office hadn't sent my information down to them yet, so besides the pre-registration information I had called in a few months prior, they had nothing. It took them about half an hour to get all my medical information and then the nurse checked me. I can still hear her words in my mind, "Well, you're going to have a baby! You're dilated to a 5. Good thing you decided to come in." A FIVE!? I'd heard horror stories of first-time moms being at a 1 for HOURS and here I was at a 5. This baby was definitely coming! We texted our family this...

It's go time!
 I had lost track of time by now. My best guess is that it was now 8 or 8:30. The nurse left and said that she was helping with another delivery, but that another nurse would be in soon to help through the rest of the night. She asked if I wanted an epidural and if I wanted it now or later. "I might as well just get it now." was my response, and it was a good thing. The anesthesiologist came about half an hour later. The epidural was not AT ALL what I expected it to be. A single shot...no. What felt to be a ribbed tube went down my spine followed by what felt like 2 or 3 ice cold tubes inside of that one. As he was giving me the epidural, I was feeling an intense pressure and couldn't resist pushing. I remembered reading that women who go through a natural birth will have this sort of feeling, so I voiced, rather loudly, what I was feeling. The anesthesiologist was quite surprised and asked what I was dilated to. The nurse said I was at a 5 when I came in and he said he would hurry and finish so she could check me again. She checked me. I was at a.....NINE! She was appalled. She asked me about 3 more times if this was my first baby. She just couldn't believe it. By this time, I think it was around 9:30 or so. She called my doctor and then we started pushing. By now I couldn't feel anything, and even Chandler's hand on my leg felt uncomfortable. The one thing I thought I would like, him rubbing my legs, was the last thing I wanted him to do. I pushed blindly for what seemed like an hour. After a while, the nurse seemed unhappy with my progress. She put in a catheter (uhhh most uncomfortable thing ever!) to empty my bladder. I had been drinking water all day so there was a lot in there.. Once my bladder was empty things started moving a little faster. She put her fingers down there and asked if I could feel them. Ummmm, barely. "Push right where my fingers are." Uhhh ok? As I got more feeling in by bottom, I could feel him descending and my water broke. Nay, it GUSHED! They aren't kidding that it feels like you peed your pants, times ten. This was a major turning point for me. I could feel him, I could feel where to push, and I was so excited to meet him! Who knows how many contractions later, his head was starting to appear. Chandler was a little nervous to look down there, but his excitement is what kept me going. We paused while they called the doctor down and got everything prepped; again more discomfort, and more excitement from Chandler. I can still hear him saying, "He's right there Dev! He's almost here! You're doing so great!" At 11:41 PM Boston was born. They aren't kidding when they say that first cry is music to your ears. I started crying! I was a MOM!!




Boston weighed 8 pounds and 3 ounces, he was 21 inches long, and his head measured 37 cm. I did have to have an episiotomy so that I wouldn't tear, but he was here and we was healthy! By then, my epidural was starting to wear off and I could feel every stitch as my doctor sewed me up. But, once he was done, and they got my bleeding under control (they had to give me pitocen because it wasn't slowing down at first), I was able to get up and walk to the bathroom with their assistance. They moved us to another room and it would be very accurate to say that between the pain, nostalgia, worry, and interruptions by the nurses, I didn't get ANY sleep. After the first feeding right after he was born, Boston decided he didn't want to eat for the next 10 hours. The nurses kept bringing him over to try to nurse, but he just wasn't interested in it, and they wouldn't give him a bath until he had eaten a second time. The next morning, a lactation consultant came in and helped him. After that, it was (mostly) smooth sailing. Danielle and Ryan, and Dustin, Amy, Luke, and Owen came and visited as well as Chandler's grandma, aunt, and cousin. Tuesday morning was busy, busy with a photographer who took some newborn shots of him, a hospital employee helping us get my drugs, and the nurses doing their discharge routine, but we were finally on our way home with our new little guy!

Boston didn't pass his first hearing test (although they didn't "fail" him because he was only about 8 hours old). He still had fluid in his left ear so we had to keep it uncovered for the rest of the day. That is why he looks like a thug in this picture. :)

Some skin to skin time with mommy after his bath. His hair was so fluffy!

You can kind of see his old man hair, mostly bald on the top, with long hair (and very long sideburns) on the side.

Cuddles with daddy while they were giving me a few shots and getting me discharged.

Snug as a bug in his car seat on the ride home.
We are so happy to have Boston in our family. We are having so much fun with him! He has been the calmest, sweetest, happiest baby we could have ever hoped for and he is going to be the best big brother!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Florida Trip

Well, a long time it has been. Chandler and I have had a pretty awesome last few months. First of all, we bought a new car. We traded in our Pacifica and bought a 2012 Chevy Cruze. The Pacifica was great, but wasn't too great on gas mileage and it was a little too big for us.


We absolutely love it. Secondly, we went on a belated Honeymoon vacation to Florida last month. I think half our family has been to Florida in the past month. We had so much fun and it was a great get away. And, unlike events in the past, we did take quite a few pictures. We flew in to Orlando pretty late on Tuesday so we just picked up our rental car and checked into our hotel, then promptly went to Waffle House. It was actually very good, but the service was somewhat terrible. I was wondering if our whole vacation was going to be that way, but it wasn't and I was very glad. Wednesday we headed over to Cocoa Beach to absorb some sun rays, and that we did. It was a fun beach, but there was a charge for EVERYTHING! There was even a $2 charge to go out to the end of the pier. Quite lame. We didn't stay super long, but it was nice to just relax after 7 hours of flying.




Thursday we went to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. The first ride we went on was the Hulk roller coaster. Probably not a good way to start things off, it was quite a long wait and it was WILD!!


We eventually made our way around to Harry Potter World. It was so cool but so crowded! We didn't go on any of the rides because it was so crowded, but we did get some butter beer. It was so good! I would go back again just to get some more butter beer. In the next picture you can see the castle in the background.


They also had a Dr. Suess setup. It was so cute! All the buildings and everything were so cartoony and fun.


While we were eating lunch, someone started walking down the street telling everyone to get on the side walks. Seconds later super heroes were riding down the street honking and giving people high fives. It was fun to see the little kids getting so excited.




Not sure what this world was, but I thought it was a pretty cool building.


Closer to Hogwarts castle!


The last ride we went on was a Spider Man ride. The wait was so long but so worth it. It was a 3-D ride and it was so realistic! It really felt like we were being flung around in Spider Man's web and falling from buildings and everything. It was so cool! After we got back from Universal Studios we went up to the temple to take some pictures. It was such a pretty temple!!




Friday we went to Daytona Beach. Little did we know it was Bike Week. There were motorcyclers everywhere! But, the beach was so beautiful. We purchased a day pass to be able to drive down on the beach and then used the car to block the wind while we relaxed.






After we were done at Daytona, we met up with my Aunt Colleen and Uncle Mark for dinner. It was so great to see them. They were so nice to show us around a few of the resorts at Disney World. We stayed and watched the fireworks and they were able to get us tickets to go to Disney the next day with them and two of their friends. Saturday morning we went to Downtown Disney with Mark and Colleen and then met up with their friends Steve and Becky and went to Epcot for the Flower and Garden festival. By that time, my legs were basically fried...so we went on a few rides and walked around to the different "countries" there and then left to drive up to Jacksonville.

Resorts:
This resort is called the Grand Floridian. It had a 50's feel and there was a live band playing on the second level.
This resort had a wilderness feel similar to Yellowstone. Please excuse the disgusting face I am making.
This resort had an African Safari theme
The middle of the resort was a big open Safari and had all sorts of wildlife native to Africa
Fireworks over Space Mountain
Downtown Disney:

Mr. Potato Head!

This was made out of glass! There was also Cinderella's carriage with Cinderella and Prince Charming inside!
These were made out of legos!
The Seven Lego Dwarfs
Buzz and Woody
Epcot:

The famous Epcot ball
Finding Nemo ride
Dolphin!
And a Manatee





Alice was signing autographs. She was so cute with this little girl and was very bubbly and in character the whole time
A few of the ferries in the butterfly exhibit made out of shrubbery


 After Epcot we drove up to Jacksonville. On Sunday we met up with one of Chandler's mission companions and his wife in St. Augustine, the oldest city in America. We ate at a pizza place and walked around the shops.


The fort at St. Augustine

Looking out at the ocean. Please excuse the fact that I look pregnant...totally not, we had just had a big meal.
Lauren and I, being classy
Monday we went up to Savannah, Georgia. We were going to go up on Saturday for the big St. Patrick's day festivities but then went to Disney instead. It was a pretty good trade off though because a couple people we talked to said it was super crowded and busy. We ate at a restaurant called Spanky's. My coworker who used to live in Savannah recommended it and it was AMAZING! They had the best chicken strips with honey dipping sauce and "spuds", basically potato slices dipped in batter and fried. They were so good!


After lunch we walked around River Street for a couple hours, got some shirts, and then drove over to another cute little street to walk around.


Chandler saw this huge barge and wanted a picture with it
I really wanted Chandler to get this shirt. He would only let me take a picture of him with it. If you can't read it it says,
"I don't need Wikipedia. My wife knows everything."
While we were walking around we saw this guy who was bending wire into people's names for free! He made this for Chandler and I. I love it so much! On the way back to Jacksonville I just kept staring at it.


We saw this cute little building before leaving Savannah. I just loved the look of it!
Monday night we met up with Bram and Lauren again for dinner and frozen yogurt. They were so fun to be around it made me want to stay another week! Thanks to everyone for the great time. We loved getting away for a week and loved being able to see a few relatives and close friends. Now, it's back to the real world.