Smile

I finally caught Isaac smiling on camera today. I pretty much think it's the cutest thing. Sometimes I have to work really hard for the smiles...sometimes not so much. Either way, they make my day.

Santa Baby

Or maybe just Santa with a baby.

A Moment

I was hauling a crying Isaac upstairs to feed him and decided I needed to use the bathroom first.

So, I propped him up in the glider with his pacifier loosely in his mouth and went about my business. I could hear a little continued crying and then nothing.

I returned to find this adorable scene.

Photos had to be taken.

I love this kid!

Don't Worry, Be Happy

So, this whole baby thing has been a rocky transition for me. I find that all the worst things about myself have been amplified with having a baby to care for and all the hormones that come with it. I have been kind of a roller coaster of anxiety, worry, stress, and "baby blues" but maybe a little stronger... It's been a rocky road.
But, I think I've turned the corner. It was difficult for me to really enjoy Isaac because I was so worried about every little thing. "Is he sleeping too little, is he eating enough, is he active enough, is he sleeping too much, why can't I get anything done," and on and on.

I know that am I naturally inclined to worry. And I know that I almost always have expectations about things and when I can't count on those expectations or things change too much, I struggle. Like I said, totally amplified by having a newborn. I have come to realize I can't have expectations. Babies are going to be different every day. I can't worry about every little change or I'll go crazy. Well, I'm probably a little too close to crazy all ready!

I know that is no epiphany for the majority of you out there, but trust that it was really hard for me to let go of the worry and the expectations. It's hard for me every day but I am getting better. And I am more able to enjoy the cuteness and fun personality developing in my son. And I'm thankful for that.

He is delightful! Here's the proof... (newest photos to oldest- except the first one, I guess I'm not that great at uploading in the right order and I'm definitely too lazy to change them around.)

These two were taken last night.

This is from last Sunday and the one below is from a week ago.

This was taken on Thanksgiving.

These two were from his blessing day. Jacob wore this sweater outfit when he was blessed. I added the pants and shoes.

This was from his first day at church.

Pictures

The Details

Some of you have requested the details about Isaac's birth. Others of you may not care. And truthfully, I'm not sure I want to share every little detail in this very public forum. But I'll give some of the story:

I went to the urgent care the night before Isaac was born because I wasn't feeling him move at all. The doctor there put me on the monitor to check for fluctuations in Isaac's heart rate. Basically they weren't happening. So he then sent me to the hospital for a biophysical profile, a fancy name for an extended ultrasound where they look for specific types of movement. Again, he was moving, but not as much as they would like to see. So, Jacob and I waited for a phone call from my doctor with more information. We got the call and decided to induce labor as I was already dilated to a 3 and 39 weeks.

They started me on pitocin that night and saw little reaction to the drug. I was contracting regularly, baby was moving fine, but I couldn't really feel any contractions so they couldn't really call it labor. They were going to send me home. But, as I stood up to use the restroom, my water broke. So stay I did.

I progressed very quickly from that point. I think I dilated from a 4 to a 9.5 in about 2-3 hours. I was to the point where I was asking for the epidural and Jacob was trying to get me to wait a few more minutes. I asked the nurse to check my progress. Jacob started running water in the Jacuzzi bath for me. I went to the bathroom. When I came out I told the nurse I felt like I needed to push. She did check me at that point and was surprised to see I was at a 9.5.

The nurse then frantically got the room ready, called for my doctor, and got some others for assistance. She told me not to push as my doctor was still 15 minutes away. I did some breathing to help not push but it was difficult because my body wanted to push.

When the doctor arrived I began pushing. I pushed for what I'm pretty sure was 2 hours before Isaac joined us. He was perfect, and still is, and he was placed on my stomach. I turned to Jacob and told him Isaac had a "Carter nose." I think I also calmly told him that was the worst pain of my life. But I did do it all without the epidural.

And then there were some complications with the placenta not separating from the uterus. And that is where I will skip the details, because frankly, it wasn't pretty. I lost more blood than they would have liked and I was weak from the loss. I still am trying to build up my iron levels. Good times.

But Isaac is here and well, and I am well. And that's all that really matters.

I'm having difficulty loading my pictures to this blog, again, so those will have to wait. And, since it's been a while since I actually wrote this post I will update with these few words. Newborns are hard. I worry a lot. And I give props to all you mothers out there.

Isaac is still perfectly healthy, sometimes a little fussy, but over all pretty good. He just does not like to sleep on his back in the bassinet so if anyone has suggestions on how to get a newborn to sleep in the bassinet please let me know.

Baby Brunson

Our baby made has made his debut.

Isaac Carter was born yesterday at about 12:30 in the afternoon. He checked in at 7 lbs 2 oz and 19.5 inches long. We are both doing well and he is beautiful. But I may be a little biased.

A Fantastic Fall

Let's be honest...this time of year is the best! And it just keeps getting better.

Last year I remember being a little disappointed with the fall colors but this year it has been amazing. I think last year things cooled down drastically at the end of September beginning of October and things just died too quickly or turned ugly brown. This year the temperatures have been more mild and the colors have been awesome!

I'll show you.

Yep, we raked leaves. I love raking leaves. I even liked it being 39 weeks pregnant. And that's saying something!

A Week of No Work

So last Friday I walked away from my office, and I guess my career in general, for good. Or at least for an extended hiatus. People keep asking how it is not working and I think maybe it hasn't really sunk in that this is permanent. It still feels like a vacation.

But I must admit, I'm pretty good with the idea of not ever going back. I have really enjoyed myself this week!

I have slept in and napped most days, which is awesome. I have made myself busy cleaning my house and making some food to put in the freezer for after this baby comes (which is hopefully soon). And I have also done some shopping. Not a lot of purchasing, but I have enjoyed the looking.

I have one more week before my official due date. And hopefully I'll have a baby, but if not I think I will enjoy another week to do whatever I want to do!

The Best Time of the Year

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but I love the fall! It just doesn't get better than this. At least not in my book. That's the view from one of my windows. Just love the colors! And don't get me started on the fun fall activities...

The Baby's Room

Okay, I can't get these photos in the order I really want them. So, you will get the details of some things before you get the whole picture. Too bad.

This wall with the bassinet will eventually have the crib and some more art or something above it. I have my plans. But I'm not going to implement them until I get a crib.

I was supposed to have room to put some vinyl lettering that said "blast off!" after this little countdown. But clearly there isn't room under the frames. So for now I'm just trying to teach our son to count backwards...or something. If you have suggestions let me know.

Pictures

So here are a few pictures. Some good, some less good.

This was taken on conference weekend so I think I was 36 weeks then.

I took pictures of these mums last year, and they are beautiful again this year. But I'm wondering how the yellow flowers became partly orange. Any thoughts?

Jacob and I went on a walk today and then Jacob climbed our pretty tree.

Here's me at 2 days away from 38 weeks, and our pretty tree out front of our house.

I need to take a few more pictures of the baby's room and then I'll post those.

I'm Ready

I think I am finally ready to be done being pregnant. With 18 days to go (hopefully not more), I'm beginning to understand what it means to be uncomfortable. I realize I am rather fortunate in that department, but all the same, I'm done.

4 Weeks to Go, Yo!

So, the reason I haven't blogged much lately is my sad broken computer. My laptop bit the dust and we haven't replaced it. I'm not sure we will. I can use our desk top computer I just don't much. I mean, it's all the way in the basement after all! I do also use Jacob's really old macbook, but it is extremely slow. I guess I also haven't bothered to blog much because putting pictures on these two computers isn't terribly convenient.

So, this post will be pictureless, even though a plethora of pictures have been taken.

Enough with the disclaimers. Here are things I would have blogged about if I were more diligent:

1. Our child birth class. Yep, we attended one. I was more scared by the video of the epidural than the child birthing process. I might change my mind when the pain of it all is more real, but right now the fear of that needle and possible side effects is pretty real. Jacob did not care for any of the videos. But I do think we learned some good things to help us prepare and endure birth. Here's hoping!

2. Jacob's new job. Jacob got that job he interviewed for a month ago. He is now a proud employee of Pelco. He will be working on security cameras and systems. If you want more information than that, it is best just to ask him. It's a language I don't speak so well. But, the fun part of all this for me was that Jacob had to use up his vacation from HP so I took a couple of days off too. We worked on the baby's room and spent a day in Boulder. It was fun. I recommend the Celestial Seasonings tour. It was a good one.

3. My baby shower. I had a baby shower last weekend. It went really well. I was somewhat nervous about combining friends from work, church, and my old singles ward. It could have been really awkward, but it turned out to be just fine. Not uncomfortable in the least. The food was amazing! My friends, a co-worker, and my sister-in-law put in a lot of work. And I appreciated it.

4. The progress on the baby's room. (It's pretty cute folks). Jacob and I put up chair rail. I made curtains. I also made a couple of different art projects. I just need to find a good, used dresser to make cute in the room, make a crib skirt, and do one more project to hang on the wall. I'm not going to worry too much about any of these things until after the baby comes.

5. My ever increasing girth. People are finally starting to notice I am pregnant and not just getting fatter. I guess with only 4 weeks to go it is about time! Did you notice the tracker over on the side bar? 27 days!?! I'm not sure I'm totally ready for this boy to make his appearance but I certainly am excited to meet him and see what he will look like.

In other news, I have two weeks left at my job until I begin my maternity leave. I'm extremely excited about that. I don't expect to go back to work but wanted to be able to use up the remainder of my vacation days and what my employer calls "extended leave bank." In order to use my ELB I have to go on official medical leave. After getting all my benefits paid out I will then give my notice I guess.

I guess that really is all the news from my neck of the woods.

An Overdue Update

I'm such a slacker. I think it's primarily because I have been busy but have also not felt like I've done much that is really postworthy...unless you count growing a baby. But I once promised not to make this blog all about my pregnancy. And I'm trying to stick to that~mostly.

So, a quick update about our past month.

Jacob and I have both been busy with our callings, he with the 11 year old scouts and me with the Beehives.

We have devoted some of our free time, but maybe not enough, to cleaning our garage. After a year of living here it was in need of a good overhaul. But I must confess, it is still not completely done. It's on the schedule for tonight though, so wish us luck.

We went to a rodeo. I've only been once before and while I did really enjoy it, I still find it slightly disturbing. They claim to be very animal friendly, but I saw one calf that didn't seem too okay after he was roped. And the injuries in the bronco and bull riding! Yikes. I always feel a little badly when things are more exciting because some one is getting hurt. It's the same with hockey...but I digress.

Jacob and I have both also recently been studying. Nope, neither of us are in school. We just love learning that much! Okay...maybe not totally true. I'm working on preparing for my LCSW license test as it is one of the big "to do's" before this baby arrives. And Jacob has been brushing up on his mad engineering skills for possible future job opportunities. That is also why we procured this snazzy get up and Jacob enjoyed a "day off" from his regular employment to interview with a different company.

Wish us luck! He really wants the job. And I want him to be happy. Plus...doesn't he clean up well?!? I think so.

And of course, I have been getting bigger. I think about 50% of our ward still doesn't really know I'm pregnant. And no one ever suspects that I have just 9 weeks left. But there is one person who is keenly aware of that fact.

That person is me. Can you sense my anxiety?! I feel so unprepared for this kids arrival.

And just 'cuz, here's a tomato.

We grew four different varieties this year. This is my personal favorite. They are an heirloom tomato called "black krim" and they are tasty! Funny looking buggers though.

It's Alive!

After several weeks of failed attempts, Jacob felt the baby move today.

I've been feeling movement since about week 20 but feeling from the outside is a different story. I suppose that strength of kicking is a little less common than the more subtle movements I can sense from the inside. Pair that with the fact that every time Jacob would try to feel the kicks, the baby would suddenly stop moving, and it's no wonder it's taken Jacob a little longer.

But tonight was success!

And I still think it's a weird feeling. But I also really love it. Mostly for the reassurance that things are normal and on track. Have I mentioned before that I am prone to worry?!?

Some Things are Growing Around Here

Like...

the basil and oregano (yes, something is eating my basil. Any suggestions?)



the flowers



the other flowers (sunflowers to be exact)



the lettuce



the bell peppers


the jalapenos



the tomatoes



the baby



I'm almost 25 weeks in this photo. And, to be fair, some things I wear make me look bigger than others. This is a "look bigger" day. Most people still tell me I don't look pregnant at all. And that makes me a little sad because those people must think I am really fat.

Some things are not growing. Or more accurately they are not growing as well as I would hope.

Like...

the "Big Jim" peppers (similar to Anaheim, I think) and the flowers on my front porch. But nobody wants to see dying plants.

So I didn't take pictures of those.