Colton's Birth Story

At my 39 week appointment I was 3 cm dilated so I wasn't sure if I would make it through my last week of work. I was very anxious the whole week thinking I would go into labor without having everything in place for my sub. I made it to Friday and my 40 week appointment to find out I had not progressed any. At that point I was ready to have this baby. My doctor decided to schedule my induction. We were scheduled to check into the hospital Wednesday night at 8pm and I was going to receive Cervidil in hope that it would kick start my labor and I would not have to be induced.  It was game 3 of the World Series so Jason and I hung out and watched the Royals. I finally received the Cervidil at 10pm and then was allowed a snack at midnight. I knew this would be my last meal for many hours so I made sure I stayed awake for my snack. I didn't sleep much that night for many reasons but mainly because I couldn't get comfortable with all the wires attached to me.

The next morning I had dilated to 5 cm but still no contractions. I was then given Pitocin at 7am. My doctor came around 9am and decided to break my water. The second she did that I immediately starting feeling the most intense contractions. I had decided to see how long I could go without getting an epidural but once my water broke the pain was unlike anything I had every felt. I was in tears and thought I would throw up from the pain. Once the epidural kicked in I felt immediate relief and fell right to sleep. It was the best sleep since getting to the hospital.

The rest of the day was a lot of waiting. I kept progressing but Colton did not want to move down. The other issue was that he was face down so starting around 2pm they put a "peanut" exercise ball between my legs as I laid on each side for about 30 minutes to hopefully get him to move down and move face up. Around 3:30 he had moved down but was still not completely face up. At that point it was time to start pushing. Even with the epidural I was still able to feel the pressure of the contractions so I knew when to start pushing. Even with all the pushing, Colton did not want to come out. I was becoming very exhausted and ready to meet my little man. At 5pm my doctor came to help coax Colton out. The next 30 minutes were the toughest but I wanted him out so bad. Finally at  5:30pm my precious baby boy was born. He weighed 8lbs 14 oz, was 21 1/2 inches long, and had a head circumference of 14 inches. He was a big, healthy boy!

Getting Ready For Baby

I can't believe I have only 3 months until Colton is born!  He is definitely growing.  I feel like my belly gets bigger everyday and things are becoming more difficult to do.  We finally finished painting the babies room and are ready to start decorating.  

Jason finished the ceiling and painted the walls but I prepped the room and painted the trim.  I was definitely feeling it afterwards.  Painting has never made me that sore.  Putting the ceiling fan back up with Jason was also pretty difficult and would have been pretty entertaining to anyone watching us. 

I finished the 3rd piece (doggy picture) of my wall art.  I am very happy with how it turned out.  Having a Cricut is definitely worth every penny.  

Last weekend my parents came to visit so that my mom could go shopping at a couple consignment sales with me.  I am so thankful she was here because it was such an overwhelming experience.  Friday we went to the Just Between Friends Northland Sale and bought a few items.  It was pretty laid back and not crowded at all.  On Saturday we went to the Rhea Lana Sale and boy was that an experience.  I went Black Friday shopping one time in my life and this was pretty similar.  There were so many items and the second we walked in people were snatching up items right and left.  I was like a deer in headlights and had no idea where to begin.  The hottest item was the Mamaroo.  They are about $225 brand new and were being sold for $85!  Great deal but they were all gone in seconds and I didn't really want to get anywhere near that crowd.  Once the initial shock wore off, my mom and I finally got down to business and were able to find some good items.  

My cousin and his wife actually gave me the car seat and base so I found the stroller this weekend.  Not pictured is a pack-n-play my mom bought for their house.  I could have bought a ton of clothes but didn't want to go overboard and am waiting until after my baby shower to see what I actually need.  I am very happy with my purchases and the prices I paid.  I would highly recommend these sales to any new or expecting mom.  There are some great deals and so many of the items looked like they had never been used. I am actually considering going to the same sales in neighboring areas just to see what other items I can buy. Buying all these items just made the upcoming birth even more real.  Definitely scary but very exciting as well. Can't wait to meet little baby Colton!  

Pregnancy Update: 26 Weeks

How far along: 26 weeks
Total weight gain: I do not keep track.  I only get weighed at the doctor's office
Maternity clothes: Almost everything I wear
Stretch marks: None yet but I have started using Palmer's Cocoa Butter
Sleep: Sleeping great!
Exercise: Stretching everyday but not much exercise.  With the cool weather coming this week I am hoping to go for more walks
Miss anything: A nice, cold beer.
Movement: All the time! Thankfully he sleeps through the night.
Anything making you queasy or sick: I am lucky to have not had any sickness through this whole pregnancy
Looking forward to: Finishing the nursery
Nervous about: Going back to school and getting ready for a long-term sub.

 

Three Thoughts for Thursday

One
Sasha has almost doubled her weight in a month! We are curious to see how big she will actually get.  We are guessing 75-80 pounds but who knows.  She is getting so tall and has so much energy.  Charlie loves playing with her but when he needs a break she wants to keep going.  Our recent vet visit showed she was parasite free and doing great!  She is getting use to the leash and will hopefully be able to go for walks very soon.

Two
Another birthday has passed.  It was one of the most laid back birthdays yet but I wasn't complaining.  It was the first birthday in a long time that I did not have a celebratory drink but I made up for it with free Starbucks, a fun, fruity drink, and a yummy birthday pie.

Drink Recipe Here

Pie Recipe Here

Three

We have finally started to think about decorating the nursery. Last weekend Jason starting scrapping the popcorn ceilings in the nursery and has plans to finish this weekend.  It is not a fun job so I am so happy to have an amazing husband who is willing to do it.  

We are planning on painting the walls grey, purchasing white furniture, and having accents of turquoise.  Below is one of my inspiration photos. I don't necessary have to have the chevron design but just love the colors together.

I also created some wall art that I think turned out pretty well. (And yes we are naming our baby, boy Colton!)

Photo Credit

July Currently

It has been awhile since my last "Loves of the Month".  This time I decided to change it to "Currently" as I have seen on a few other blogs.  I thought it would be easier to write about what is currently happening in my life than think back on what I liked from the previous month.  

LISTENING

To Sasha and Charlie play together.  Sasha loves Charlie and he is so patient with her.  It could get interesting when Sasha is Charlie's size.

LOVING

Feeling baby move around in my tummy.  I thought it would feel really weird feeling and seeing something move around in your tummy but it is the complete opposite.  I smile every time I feel him move.  

THINKING

About how fast summer is going and there is so much I haven't done that I wanted to.  I need to get moving but it is so nice just relaxing during my last summer by myself.  

WATCHING

I jumped on the bandwagon and starting watching "Orange is the New Black".  To be honest it is okay but think there are much better shows out there.  I enjoy Netflix's "House of Cards" so much better.  

READING

As I have mentioned before, one of my favorite things about summer is reading.  I have read a decent amount of books already and have a long list of books I still want to read.

Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Fault of Our Stars by John Green

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Sleep Tight by Rachel Abbot

Notebook Know-How: Strategies for the Writer's Notebook by Aimee Buckner

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich

Currently reading The Maze Runner by James Dashner

PLANS FOR THE 4th

Celebrate my 33rd birthday by heading to English Landing Park in Parkville for their 4th of July Celebration during the day and watching all the fireworks in the city from our house at night. 

Introducing Our New Addition, Sasha!

We always said that we would get another dog right away if something would happen to either Charlie or Aspen.  We just didn't know it would happen so soon and when I was 5 months pregnant.  I thought it was crazy when pregnant people got puppies.  Your lives are already going to be turned upside down with a new baby, why would you want to add a puppy to the mix?  Lesson learned that you never know what you will do until you are in the same situation.  Watching how lost and depressed Charlie was, we knew he needed a playmate.  He is only 2 years old so is still young and loves to run and play with other dogs.  Jason and I were also very sad and needed a distraction from thinking about Aspen.

We started looking for another dog right away.  I have never wanted to buy a puppy from a breeder because there are so many loving animals stuck in shelters that need homes.  Charlie was a shelter dog we rescued 2 years ago,  hence why we have no idea what breed(s) he is.  Jason isn't completely against buying from breeders because he is pretty particular on what kind of dog he wants. We started looking online at shelters and craigslist.  We found a ad on craigslist for lab/Newfoundland mix puppies (we are not small/medium size dog people).  They looked really cute so we decided to make the hour drive out to the middle of nowhere.  We actually were looking at getting one of the tan colored puppies but once we got there we both feel in love with an all black puppy.  The lady who had the puppies was not a breeder but just had a lot of farm dogs that had just had pups.  We got to meet he mom and dad who were both very sweet dogs.  We already knew we were going to name her Sasha.

First car ride home

The first night in her new home

We had made a vet appointment for the next day which we were very thankful for.  We already knew she was covered in fleas and ticks and wanted the vet to check for worms.  She had a pretty intense day at the vet getting rid of all the ticks and fleas.  We also found out she had both roundworms and hookworms.  The vet said Sasha was very lucky we rescued her.

Sasha is doing much better now and is getting use to our life. Charlie and her play all the time together and she is growing everyday.  We tried to kennel train her at night and during the day but we quickly found out that was NOT going to happen.  She is much better now that we let her just sleep on a dog bed in our room and baby gate her in the kitchen when we leave.  I still miss Aspen everyday but look forward to our new life with Sasha.

Aspen: 8/15/2008 - 6/4/2014

If you know anything about Jason and I you know that our dogs are very important to us.  They are not just pets, they are family.  We love taking our dogs on hikes and they always come with us when we visit both our our parents.  We hate leaving them with strangers so we have only boarded them once.

Jason had Aspen for almost 2 years before meeting me.  It was one of the things that attracted me to Jason.  I loved dogs and finding someone who loves dogs as much as me was a plus.  I had also wanted to get a dog for awhile so I was happy to "adopt" Aspen as my own.  She was a very high strung dog when she was young but when we got Charlie, she became a completely different dog.  She was a great big sister and really taught Charlie the ropes.  She stopped crying when we left the house and just became more calm and relaxed.  Even though he never gave up, she never let Charlie cuddle with her.  That was just her personality but you could tell she loved Charlie and couldn't live without him.

We always knew that when one of them would pass away, we would have to get another dog because they loved being a pair.  They loved playing and going on adventures together.  We just didn't think that day would come as soon as it did.

After Memorial Day weekend, Jason was set to be out of town from Wednesday-Friday.  It was also my first week of summer vacation so I would get to be home with the dogs every day.  Both dogs and I started going on walks every morning and everything seemed fine.  But there were a few things that were somewhat out of the ordinary.  At the beginning of the week, Aspen wan't eating very much.  I wasn't too concerned at first for a couple reasons.  We had just come off the holiday weekend where I knew the dogs had eaten a lot of people food.  Aspen only eats when she is hungry so having so much people food could have filled her up for a few days.  Also when Jason is out of town, it sometimes takes her a few days to eat normally.  She still didn't like when either one of us wasn't there.  They other thing that was concerning me was the fact that she was throwing up at least once a day.  Aspen often threw up because she cleans herself like a cat and gets hairballs, had eaten a lot of people food the weekend before, and we had been outside more where it was hot and she was still getting rid of her winter coat.  I really started to get concerned as the week progressed and it seemed to get worse.  She stopped eating all together, even when Jason came home and was still throwing up every day.

That Saturday we decided to head to Smithville Lake to let the dogs go for a swim.  Aspen was so excited and loved going for a swim.  Looking back now, I am glad we had decided to go and have such a fun time with the dogs.  She slept most of the weekend but we just assumed it was from the all the swimming and heat. On Monday morning, Aspen woke me up at about 5:30 to go outside.  The earliest our dogs wake us up is around 6:30-7:00 unless they are not feeling well.  It had rained that night, so after I let them out I headed to the laundry room to grab a town to dry their paws off.  It was dark still so I didn't see the wet spot on the floor and stepped right in it.  At first I thought Aspen had thrown up but now I am confident it was actually pee because of the amount and how clear it was.  I called the vet at 7:00 and made an appointment for 11:00 to get her checked out.

Before leaving for the vet, I was a little concerned for Charlie.  He had never been left alone.  Even when we took Aspen to the vet, it was usually on a Saturday and either myself or Jason was still here.  Our vet is in Liberty so it takes us a good 20 minutes to get there.  The car ride was not good.  I didn't think Aspen would make it without throwing up.  She looked awful and was shaking.  I was so scared and couldn't drive fast enough.  Even when I put the window down she wouldn't stick her head out which was a sign to me that something wasn't right.

As soon as we got to the vet office, she was acting like herself and wanted to play with everyone.  At that point I thought I was crazy for bringing her in but I am glad I did.  The vet checked her over and she had no abdominal pain but when she looked at her eyes the whites were very yellow which is a clear indicator of liver problems.  At this point I began crying.  In my gut, I knew something was wrong but I just kept hoping it was nothing.  The vet took her back for blood tests.  The blood tests clearly showed something was going on with the liver.  They vet thought it was probably something she ate so they wanted to admit her for X-rays, a  ultrasound, and to start her on a fluid and medication regime to flush her system out of any toxins.  It was hard to leave her there but I was confident she would get better.

The next day, Jason and I went to visit her and it was one of the hardest things to see.  She was hooked up to IVs and was very out of it from all the drugs she was on.  She seemed to know who we were and just went to sleep once we were there.  We we left, we didn't know it would be the last time we would see her. We got a call the next morning and the vet was concerned.  She wasn't getting any better.  She hadn't eaten and had thrown up the water she had just drank along with a pill they had given her the day before.  She was also showing signs of abdominal discomfort.  The vet wanted to do another X-ray with dies to see if there was something blocking her GI system.  A short time later the vet called us back and said that Aspen had quickly gotten worse and now she wanted to do exploratory surgery and take a liver biopsy.  The vet was quick to say that she was not ready to give up and was determined to find the problem.

We waited all day for the results.  We finally got a call that evening around 6:30 with an update.  The surgery showed nothing was blocking her GI system but her liver looked pretty bad.  The vet thought it was some form of hepatitis but wouldn't know for sure until the biopsy results came back.  She prepared us for what to expect when we came to visit Aspen the next day.  She said she was very out of it and also was very bloody from the surgery.

A couple hours later we got another call from the vet to say that Aspen had not made it.  She had died in her sleep.  Both Jason and I were devastated.  We just kept racking our brains on what she could have gotten into.  To this day it is very hard to believe she is gone.  She was was so young and such a huge part of our life.  We loved her so much and just couldn't imagine our lives without her.  Charlie was actually handling it better than I thought he would.  He would just search the house for her and stuck pretty close to either myself or Jason.  He seemed lost without her and didn't really know what to do when I let him outside.

We didn't get the biopsy results until the following Tuesday (almost a week after Aspen passed) that her liver was covered with cancer cells.  We were happy to have closure and know what the cause was.  It also helped to know that it was nothing we did or could have prevented.  We just don't know how long she had been sick.  We read so much about liver problems in dogs and we learned that dogs don't really show signs of liver failure until it is too late. We have an amazing vet who truly cared for Aspen and was just as devastated as us.  We know she did everything she could.

We miss Aspen everyday.  I was so excited to see how she would be with our baby.  I thought she would become a little mama protector and bond with the baby.  I have pretty much cried the entire time writing this post.  I know that I will eventually be able to talk about Aspen without crying but will never forget her.

Goodbye my beautiful princess.