Welcoming Baby Hudson!

May 5th, 2013: 36 weeks, 6 Days:

Jeff and I had just cleaned up dinner and we were relaxing on the couch. My ankles were so incredibly swollen, so my feet were propped up in my recliner and I was surfing the internet. I kept feeling as though Hudson was pushing his entire body to my right side, actually, it was completely visable that my stomach would get rock hard for about a minute and bulge to the right about every 8 minutes. I posted on Facebook asking whether anyone had experienced this before and if it was normal. There was no pain, just a very noticeable tightness. Cari responded and said to call her, so I did. When I explained to her was was happening, she said, "I dunno, I think you are in labor!" I didn't really think so, so I told Jeff if it was still happening in the morning that I would go in and get checked out. We went to bed around 9pm.

May 6th, 2013: 37 weeks, 0 Days:

Around 2 am I woke up to use the restroom and I was still having those painless, tight feelings. I went to the restroom and as soon as I sat on the toilet, my water broke! I said from the bathroom, "Um, Jeff, my water broke..." His response, while jumping out of bed was, "No shit!?" LOL. He was racing around the house getting himself together and packing his bag (I told him a few weeks ago he should have gotten it all together lol!!) as I was calming him down lol. I called my mom who was in Georgia for Garth's basic training graduation and told her my water had broke. She was so sad she wouldn't be there for the birth and so was I. :( The contractions were getting more and more intense. We got in the car and luckily, around 2:30am there isn't much traffic! We got to the emergency room and the guy behind the registration counter took one look at me and said, "I think I know why you are here!" He gave me my wrist band and the lady WALKED me to the labor and delivery room, down this 2000 mile long hallway lol! When I got there, they hooked me up to the monitor, checked me, and sure enough I was 4cms. The contractions were ALL in my back. I called Nana and Papa and Papa Bill answered. You could tell he was half asleep! I told him I was at the hospital and going to have the baby! He said, "Oh okay, we will be there as soon as we can!"

The contractions began to intensify more and more and were all in my back. I decided I needed the epidural around 3:30am, but due to the Lovenox (blood thinners) I was on and I had taken that night before bed, I couldn't get an epidural until 12 hours after taking the medication. I had to wait until 9:30am before I could get it. I was in so much pain. In the meantime, Nana and Papa came and were sitting with me and Jeff in the triage while they got a L&D room ready. I was so miserable! Finally, they got a room ready around 6:00am and wheeled me to the 'older' L&D rooms. My nurse was so nice. I was in so much pain and she was so encouraging. I felt so bad because I didn't want Jeff or anyone touching me or talking to me lol! I was kinda mean, but I was so focused through the contractions. They were so strong and only in my back, so the monitor wasn't even picking them up! I just kept watching the clock for that epidural. They checked me at 8:00am and I was 6cms, but Hudson was Opicult Posterior, or Sunnyside Up, so they had me try all these positions to get him to flip, while I was in excruciating amounts of pain mind you! Finally the anestesiologist came. THANK YOU LORD! lol. I got the epidural and was able to rest for a couple hours. Around 12pm, the epirdural started to wear off, just like it did with Hayden. The contrations were so painful and I was having terrible back labor. The Anestsiologist was unavailable to come in and give me more of the epidural medication because he was with other patients. I kept feeling so much pressure like I needed to push, but she told me to wait. I was in so much pain. She told me that she would check me and sometimes people actually feel better once they start pushing. At this point the epidural had worn off so much I was able to completely move and lift my legs...and feel EVERYTHING. lol My nurse then checked me around 3:00pm and said I was at a 10 and that I could go ahead and start pushing if I felt like I needed to and she would call Dr. Dave. Dr. Dave got there around 3:15pm. I felt so much better once I started pushing. Dr. Dave came in and after about 15 minutes (pushing three, 10-second pushes per contraction, so about 5 contractions total) Our baby boy was born, STILL sunnyside up!!! lol!!

Hudson Eugene was 6lbs 8oz 20inches born May 6th 2013 at 3:31pm He was/is so perfect, such a blessing!! Originally we were going to name him Hudson Joshua, but decided at the last minute (mostly Jeff's idea) to name him after Pops (Hudson's great-great-grandfather) and Garth (my brother, Hudson's Uncle). Everyhing about Hudson's sweet self completed our lives, right in that moment. I cannot explain the love I felt, holding him for the first time. He is truly a miracle, and absolutely amazing.

33 Week Events

This week leading up to my birthday was definitely....what's the word......eventful! Throughout the week, I began to feel this little boy moving 'down' and the cervical pinching and pelvic aching has become pretty excruciating at times! BUT that just means we are that much closer! 29 days from today to be exact!!

Let's see, the middle of the week was pretty boring, but it got good on Friday when I went in for my usual NST. This was 10:30am and the last time I ate was 9:00am that morning!! As I was laying there, after 3 hours of waiting mind you, the monitor began to pick up the fact that I was contracting 2-3 minutes and then 3-4 minutes apart. I was starving, so they brought me some granola bars. They weren't painful, but I could definitely feel them. They kept me on the monitor, had me lay on my side, and they slowed a little, to about 6-8 minutes apart, but were getting strong and really uncomfortable. Unfortunately, I was the most stable patient in the L&D triage and it was a VERY busy day, so everything they planned to do was taking forever. My doctor was not on call, so Dr. Dan (Dr. Dave's brother) was the one the nurses were calling. He ordered a bunch of labs, swabs, and even a catheter to take my urine (YAY for that!) to see what was causing these contractions. The nurse checked me and I was not dilating or anything. They also gave me an IV of fluids. This was at about 7:00pm and Jeff had just arrived. I was SO hungry, and now, they weren't letting me eat. When the lab results came back, they concluded I had a yeast infection and bacterial infection they assumed were causing the contractions. But, they still had to get the contractions to stop before I could leave...So I got a shot of terbutaline, and laid on my side feeling like I was on crack until about 10:30pm (STILL had not eaten). The nurse called in the perscription the Dr. ordered and of course the ONLY 24 hour CVS pharmacy in the area was way over on Fresno and Shaw!! So Jeff and I decided to get food, go home and get into one car, then head over. When we got there, I felt like I was in Tiajuana...that was the most disgusting CVS I have ever seen!!! On top of that, the pharmacist had not checked his voicemails, so the perscription was not even ready!! So we walked around the store trying not to touch anything and waited for the meds. We got home around 12:00am and I crashed out big time!

The next morning, my mom, Chris, Logan, Moms and Pops, Nana and Papa, Jeff and I all went to breakfast at BS Coffee shop, it was delicious, but I was soooo exhausted! After shopping with my mom and Nana for a little bit, I decided it was probably best if I went home and rested. Later that night, we went to Cattlemen's for my birthday, which was really nice! Sunday was Harper's birthday party and that was really fun. I can't believe how big he has gotten!! After the party we came home and did chores, finished hanging stuff in the nursery, and then relaxed for the evening. It was a good, yet crazy weekend!!

So today, I am 34 weeks and it is also my birthday! Wednesday is my last day of work and I am so looking forward to just being DONE working and just focus on getting this little guy here!! Until next time!

32 Weeks

I feel like I have accomplished so much during my 32nd week! I have so far put together the Cradle n' Swing (which is MUCH more difficult than it sounds), washed ALL of the clothes I am assuming he will wear and put away the clothes I think he won't (left the tags on), wrote, addressed, and mailed out my thank you cards, bought closet organizers and put them together and organized the baby's closet, and cleaned the down stairs top to bottom! I also made 4 sales this week on my Mommy Made It venture, 2 were out of state! I am feeling good!!

Hudson has been passing the NST's and AFI's with flying colors the past couple weeks, which has been nice. I returned to work last week; it was great to see everyone but I am just so exhausted and DONE, so I am glad the end is near! It was really sweet though; all of the supervisors got together and bought us a gift (newborn bottle set, pacifers, bathing suit, sandals, outfit, and glow worm). It was really sweet. My last day of work is April 17th, so I will spend the last few weeks going to Doctor appointments and prepping for little man's arrival!

His induction is officially on Dr. Dave's calendar as May 13th!! I can't believe it, it is becoming so real!!

I can defintely feel that Hudson is running out of room. What used to be flowing, graceful movements have turned into irritated and HARD jabs to my ribs, sides, and pelvis. Speaking of my pelvis, I never understood what pelvic pain was until this pregnancy...I literally feel like it could shatter at any given moment! However, he still has 17cm of Amniotic Fluid, so he is able to move around a lot still, and he DOES. I have been noticing (TMI) a lot more discharge "down there", so I have started to wear a pad...I also pee my pants a few times a day...sometimes because I laugh, sometimes because I cough, sometimes because he pushes down on just the right (or wrong) spot. I have also discovered a total of 4 light stretch marks on the under side of my belly. Rats! I thought I got off easy...Oh well! Shaving my legs and 'down there' has also become quite the event...It's a good thing I am decent at doing so blindly because that is exactly how I have to take care of business, all the while stretching and contorting as much as possible into only what I can describe as advanced yoga positions to reach my legs! Oh the joys!

Week 31 and 32 were kinda uneventful though...It has been nice just growing the baby and being pregnant...Other than the numerous appointments and lovenox injections, I have kinda felt like a normal pregnant lady for once the last couple weeks! It has been nice :) Tomorrow I start week 33--YAY! Under 5 weeks left until D-day!! WOOO!!

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Weeks 28, 29, 30, & 31

Let's see what we have been up to the past few weeks!

28 Weeks:

It was really nice this week; Jeff was on vacation and we were able to get started on the nursery! We moved all of my craft room stuff into what used to be the spare bedroom, and decided the bigger bedroom would be better for the baby to have. We went to Lowe's and chose our paint color. I knew I wanted White and Grey on the walls, so we decided to do the bottom half of the wall in grey, and the top half in white, with a white chair rail in between. Once we got all the supplies, I went and taped all of the base boards and door jams with the painters tape. The next day, Jeff got started painting the white portion. I helped paint the edges (yes, the windows were open and the fan was on!). Once that was dry, we taped off were we wanted the chair rail to go (pain in the BUTT because we didn't have a level, but it turned out perfect). Then Jeff painted the grey. It made such a difference! We love the colors!!

I did a lot of sewing this week and made a set of burp cloths for a customer in North Carolina! I also made my very first diaper cover/bloomer with an "h" for Hudson! :) I was proud. It didn't come out perfect, but it is still very cute!

Jeff was so excited to set up the crib, even though the chair rail wasn't up yet, so he went ahead and put it all together. It is BEAUTIFUL and looks PERFECT with the colors we chose.

Updates on the baby- he is definitely growing and doing great at his NSTs and AFIs! We are so blessed!



29 Weeks:

This week Jeff was also off on vacation, which was sooo nice. We got a new slab of cement poured in the back yard and we went and picked up a bunch of flowers to plant. We also went to the nursery and picked out a Japanese Maple to plant in memory of Hayden <3 It looks amazing. I can't wait to watch it grow each year.

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My Aunt Trish came out from New Mexico this week for a visit and it was so great to see her! She left before the shower, but I got to go to coffee and dinner with her, moms, and Nana, and that was really fun! It was so nice to be able to visit.

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Jeff and I went to Lowe's this week and bought all of the materials for the chair rail. I was really nervous that he planed to do it all himself, but I was so shocked on how perfect it turned out!!! The dresser also came in, so the room is really starting to come together. I know putting all of this together has made him more excited about the baby because he gets really excited when he talks about it :)

I bought all of the detergent to start washing my cloth diapers and baby cloths I currently have this week...LOTS of laundry and the shower hasn't even happened!


30 Weeks:

Current craving-- Chicken Salad sandwiches!!!! YUM!

Baby boy is doing terrific! He has passed all of the NSTs and AFIs, even though they may take longer than they should because he moves around like an acrobat CONSTANTLY! But I love it. Feeling him move is so reassuring and I am absolutely in love with it!

This week and a little bit last week I have started getting some really bad pelvic pain when I go from standing to sitting or laying to standing or sitting....like....really bad. Hooray for the home stretch lol!

This week we had an ultrasound at Dr. Helm. Nana was able to go with us, which was really special! I was so happy, the tech was nice enough to switch to 3-D for a little bit!! He is so cute! I think he looks like me! :)

This Saturday is the Baby Shower! My mom comes into town Thursday and I am soooo excited! Nana and I picked up some Duck Dynasty shirts for us to wear while we run our errands since we are all huge Duck Dynasty fans, and I bought us some Mason Jar cups and made Sweet Tea! It was really fun!

I ordered special necklaces from Origami Owl for my mom and Nana for their thank you gifts. they LOVED them.

The shower was...how do I put this....AMAZING. This little boy is so loved....it was such a special day. I can't thank everyone enough for being there.

31 Weeks:

This week I am feeling reeeealllly like I am running out of room and we still have about 6 weeks left lol.

This little boy is trying to get comfortable in there and so am I, especially at night! I am on Spring Break this week, so my project is putting the billions of gifts away, finishing his laundry, and packing our bags for the hospital! I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy is going!!

I have an NST and AFI today, so we will see how our little one is doing :)

Last night I washed and put together the carseat cover :) And I attempted to start organizing the loot lol...

Overall, I have just been tired for the most part, but other than that and the pelvic pain, I am doing really good :)

My last day of work is April 17th, so that will be really nice to just be able to focus on getting the baby here!

Until Next Time!!

Weeks 26 & 27

The last couple weeks have been so crazy busy!!! I hope I can remember everything I need to update on...I just literally haven't even had a minute to sit and write! Okay, here it goes:

Week 26:

This week started out fairly uneventful, but as the weekend neared, things got a bit more crazy. Wednesday, I found an awesome deal on the diaper bag I registered for, so I went ahead and bought it, new with tags in perfect condition, for only $89.00!

Thanks eBay! Friday night, after work, Jeff had me meet him at Michelangelos for dinner. He and his friends were there celebrating the AFE inspection being over, so I stuck it out and hung out til 10:00pm while they had a good time. When we got home, I went to the restroom and to my horror, saw some spotting on the toilet paper. It wasn't a whole lot, but even the tiniest of amounts freaks me out. I called the on-call Doctor and they told me to head to the emergency room. It was really frustrating because Jeff was intoxicated, I had to drive myself, and he was stressing me out. He insisted on going, only to be of no assistance, but it is what it is!

We got to emergency and they quickly got us checked in and back to L&D. They hooked me up to the monitor, where Hudson's heartbeat was immediately pounding away which was reassuring.

It was really strange because they never checked my cervix or anything. They left me on the monitor for quite a while and Hudson did NOT like it! He was literally kicking the monitor off! LOL....Meanwhile, I began contracting. Nothing big or painful, but definitely present and enough to give me a shot of Terbutaline to stop them. After the shot, the contractions stopped and they sent us home around 3:30am. The rest of the weekend was unfortunately busy; I had to get up the next morning and supervise at a cheer competition on about hours of sleep and I had a ton of homework :( Sunday, Jeff and I cleaned up around the house and we got a phone call that our crib was ready for pick-up at Babies-R-Us which was exciting! Luckily, no more contractions or spotting!

Week 27:
Monday was my Glucose Intolerance test at 7:30am. I am so thankful I didn't get sick this time around! The bad thing is, when I was there, I went to the bathroom, and had some more spotting on the toilet paper like I did Friday. My doctors' office is right next to the Quest lab I went to, so right after my test I went to my doctors office to get checked. They took me right in, and even though Dr. Dave wasn't there, Dr. Lopez who is Cathleen's doctor, saw me with no problem. He checked me and noticed that my cervix was irritated and ran a test, kind of like a Pap Smear. Turns out the spotting was being caused by a minor infection, so he prescribed some medication that I took the rest of the week to clear it up. Thank God it was nothing big!

I also started my NSTs and AFI's at the hospital this week. I will be going to them every Tuesday and Friday. I went to my first one on Tuesday. The AFI check was really quick, but neat because I get to see the baby on an ultrasound and make sure he is doing wonderfully! It only took about 10 minutes which was really nice. The NST on the other hand.....ugh. My appointment was at 1:00pm...I didn't get called back until 4:30! After that, they hooked me up to the monitor, and I started contracting, of course...so what should take 30-45 minutes, took a total of 7 hours because I didn't get home until 7:30pm! They had to give me another shot of Terb (as the nurses call it) to stop the contractions, and once they were under control, sent me home. This boy! lol! It will all be worth it of course.

Before my NST on Friday, I had a regular appointment with Dr. Dave. He said I passed my glucose test, Yippe!! He also said his wife is due the day before me with a boy as well, which he totally didn't say anything until now!! He even said that Hudson is on their name list lol! He seems excited! I am just glad I am being induced early so hopefully he will be there to deliver baby boy! I have started my every two week appointments, so I go back on March 13th!

My NST appt on Friday I waited 2 hours before being seen, which wasn't as bad as Tuesday, but still took a while. The good thing is I was able to pre-register and get that out of the way! No contractions during this NST and I was able to make it back to work this time! Wednesday, I had Bunco, which I did a Vegas theme and it was super fun! Kinda came at a stressful point in the week though. Yesterday, Jeff and I went and picked up the crib and went to lunch which was fun! Today we are just lounging.

I can't believe I have already reached the 28 week mark as of tomorrow....SO crazy. Time is flying!!

Weeks 25 & 26

This was a GROWING week for us!! I getting so anxious as I approach the third trimester next week and also approach the milestone of getting past the point we lost Hayden: 28 weeks 5 days. I am nervous, excited, happy, and everything else all at the same time as this becomes more and more real. Mister Hudson is so active nowadays, which is so reassuring. Jeff and I have grown to love late evenings and early mornings when we are laying in bed and Hudson somersaults around. I don't remember being able to watch these huge movements from the outside with Hayden, but maybe I did. Last week at 25 weeks 2 days we had an ultrasound with Dr. Helm. It was really nice to be able to see the baby and hear how fabulously he is doing. The tech told us that they were looking for his kidneys and liver functions and his swallowing capabilities, all of which are doing great! He weighed 1lb 12oz which was in the 52%-tile :0) Such a proud mama!

So far from the beginning of the pregnancy I have gained 22lbs ;0/ Dr. Dave said he isn't concerned with my weight gain, but I am since I still have 85 days left!!! I guess as long as he isn't concerned, I shouldn't be either. I have my gestational diabetes test next Tuesday, which should be interesting. I really hope I don't have GD...I have been feeling quite weird when I don't eat and even have felt like I am going to pass out some times, so I hope that doesn't have anything to do with GD.

I think the most exciting and amazing thing the last couple of weeks has been watching Jeff fall in love with his baby. Only until recently has he gotten outwardly excited. He talks about 'his son' a lot and about plans that he has for the back yard, etc for him to have a play area and all that jazz. He has also become very protective of Hudson, even to the point that he wants us to look for a new home for our kitty Rosco :( I am so sad, and I am hoping that maybe we can come up with a solution besides giving him away. But ultimately, I know he probably isn't good to have around the baby since he is so playful :(

My mom has been busy planning my baby shower which I am super excited for! Anna is planning the games and Nana is getting the tables and napkins. My mom has been a Pinterest QUEEN and posting all sorts of amazing ideas on there. I am super excited about it :)

Below you will find pictures of the ultrasounds from Dr. Helm's last week and my 25 and 26 week belly shots! :)

Weeks 22 & 23 & 24.5

Hi everyone!!

I just can't believe how behind I get on this blog! It's so frustrating! Between school, work, making dinner, bunco, bible study, and everything in between, I suppose the blog gets put on the back burner more than I would like. *sigh* Ce la vie, right?

So Monday I started my 24th week, but I need to update you all on weeks 22 & 23.

Week 22:

As Hudson is getting bigger, so are his karate kicks! I caught the first visible kicks from the outside on video this week! You can BARELY see them on the video, but they are there! We also had a 3-D ultrasound and WOW does he look like Jeff, just based on the ultrasound! Jeff got to go to this ultrasound (this was the first time he had seen it done in 3-D) and he was so excited. It was adorable to see Jeff's face, all excited :) I also completed my cloth diaper collection for now! I am going to wait until after he is born and we figure out what we like until I buy more, but for now, I think we are set!! Bible study started this week as well, and ended on a very fun note celebrating my dear friend Anna's birthday! We did brunch at Copper River Country Club and it was delish! At first I was freaking out because I had nothing to wear, but ended up wearing a really pretty tunic my aunt gave me with white leggings and beige heels and it looked fine. The food was to die for and Hudson was especially partial to the fresh cantaloupe as he was squirming all around! My mom placed the order for my baby shower invites this week as well. They are super cute! I am excited!

Week 23:

This week FLEW by. Literally. I had something to do every single day, and school is getting stressful. However, baby boy is growing like a weed. He spent a couple days being 'quiet' except for at night, which naturally makes me nervous so out came the doppler. It was obviously just a growth spurt because he is right back to HUGE kicks now. Bunco started this week and is really fun! I met some really nice ladies and am actually hosting it for the month of February, which will be fun! Hudson enjoys the snacks of course! Bible study went well, and it was so sweet- Anna and Melanie decided they would put on a separate shower for me at the end of April with the Bible Study group. So thoughtful!
As many of you also know, I visit Subs n Grub regularly. I went in this week and mentioned that I need to get Hudson a Subs n Grub shirt when he is born since he is seriously their littlest fan! Donna said, "Here! take this one!" and tossed me a blue Subs n Grub onesie!! It's perfect!! It is a size 12 months, but hey! It's adorable!

Sunday was Super Bowl and Jeff and I did some 'party hopping'. It literally felt like Christmas: we started out at Jason and Kalene Ramirez's house, then off to Debbie's and then to Brendan and Cathleen's. It was fun, but we were exhausted after! Speaking of Brendan and Cathleen, we found out on Super Bowl Sunday that they are expecting again! So weird how both pregnancies, Cathleen and I have been pregnant together! We are very excited. She is Due with a ____ (I can't tell yet lol) on August 13th, so she is about 13 weeks. Very happy for them!

Week 24 (so far):

Hudson has changed position and has moved "up" like into my ribs, which is making it really uncomfortable to breathe and sleep. I get sore like right under my breast bone toward the end of the day and the only thing that helps is to lay down on my side, but when I do that, my hands go numb for some reason. Oh the joys lol! He has also started (toward the end of week 23 and beginning of week 24) to wake me up at night with his enormous moves! I don't mine though because I absolutely love feeling him move around! I have a doctors appointment tomorrow to check on the baby and schedule my NST's and gestational diabetes test- YAY lol. Jeff and I figured out last night that we only have 96 days left (because they are inducing no later than the 13th of May)-- I can't believe how fast it's going. It's stressing me out! We have NO furniture! LOL Hoping to get that in the next few weeks!

Still a boy LOL....Other than that, just keeping busy and watching my belly grow! I can't wait to meet my little man!! :)