Our first week at home with Halle

Today Halle is 1 week old and this week has absolutely flown by. It is amazing to think of the past week and how much our life has changed since those minutes when she was born.  Since I haven't really posted anything about the day she was born and the days since then, I thought I would take some time and give some of the details.

Halle's Birth

I always see people's blogs where they share the story of their labor and delivery. I won't spend too much time on this because honestly I think I would probably bore the few people who actually read this blog.  To put it simply, I might possibly have the easiest and painless labors.

In labor waiting for our little girl

Matt and I knew for three days that I would be induced on the 19th so we had plenty of time to prepare. We packed, cleaned, went grocery shopping, and arranged babysitters for Ryan all in advance. So when Thursday arrived we simply got in the car and went to the hospital at 6 a.m. By about 6:30 the nurses had started my I.V. and started the petosin.  My doctor arrived at around 9 a.m to break my water and until this time I had started having contractions but they definitely were not killing me.  At about 10 a.m. the nurse came in and said if you want an epidural let me know and I will page the anesthesiologist.  My contractions were stronger and I was starting to experience some pain but mostly it was just discomfort but I figured I would get the epidural before it got bad.  So I got my epidural at about 10:45 and was completely comfortable and relaxed. I spent the next two hours looking for something to watch on T.V. and listening to my IPOD. 

They checked me and I was at a 5 so the nurse said I had probably another hour at least. So Matt, who was probably completely bored at this time, called his mom and she brought him a cheeseburger. He gets his lunch and I actually was about to fall asleep when the doctor came in to check me at about 1:15 p.m. It was hilarious because Matt was literally taking his first bite when the doctor says, "She's complete, lets have a baby."   The doctor continued by putting on his gloves and preparing the room. Meanwhile I am still trying to comprehend the "lets have a baby line," and Matt has now put down his lunch and is frantically trying to text our parents to tell them I am about to start pushing.  Just as he finished the text, the nurse says to me, "Okay, you need to push."  The epidural had worked so well that I honestly looked at her like she was nuts and said, "Now?!?" As she nodded I pushed as they counted to 10 and the doctor abruptly says, "Stop, she's here." I looked down just as our little Halle's head came out. I simply gave one more small push and her shoulders were out and our little girl was here!  

Now I don't mean to brag but it may have been one of the quickest labors in history. I pushed for literally 15 seconds and she was born!!!!  

The First Week

The past week has been filled with a mixture of emotions.  We are so excited and blessed to have Halle home and healthy. Ryan has been adjusting slowly to her arrival. When I say slowly I mean he has had moments that are so sweet like when he gives her kisses before bed and moments where he is a complete terror like when he threw his car at her while I was nursing her.  I think it is just going to take some time for him to get used to a new little sister in the house.  

Other than Ryan's horrific bouts of anger and aggression the week has been quite pleasant. She is eating pretty well, poops all the time, and sleeps great. We have amazing family and neighbors who have taken Ryan for a few hours each day and brought in meals. We couldn't do it without them!  We have been blessed with a great little girl.  Here are a few pictures of this past week:

A nap with daddy during the first day at home

 2 days old

4 days old

5 days old

6 days old

1 week old

My little stinker so he doesn't feel left out :)  He is so cute its hard to get mad at him!!!

Our family of FOUR!

We would like to welcome our little girl to the family!

Halle Lucile Oakey

She arrived at 1:23 p.m. on 08/19/2010 and weighs 7 pounds 14 ounces and is 22 1/2 inches long (2 inches longer than her older brother was). 

She is completely healthy and has a full head of brown hair! She looks a lot like Ryan and definatley fits into our family. We are so excited to have her here!!

Just minutes old

Who knows where that hair came from!

Our first family photo....Ryan absolutely loves his little sister!

PROUD PARENTS

More info is on the way, I just thought I would get the news out. 

37 WEEKS DOWN AND HOW MUCH LONGER?!?

As of today, I am 37 weeks pregnant and my due date cannot come soon enough.  I have reached the point where I finally feel ready for her to come and ready to have my body back!  I have made lists and lists of things to do before she gets here and I think I can honestly say that I have checked most of my to-dos off!  We have done everything including: painted her room, made baby blankets, a car seat canopy/cover, hooded towels, and burp cloths (YES I actually SEWED all of this by myself and they are pretty darn cute), washed her newborn clothes,  got Ryan settled in his "Big Boy Bed,"  bought all the necessities (diapers, etc.),  got everything ready for Drew's wedding that is in two weeks, and even renewed my drivers license (which was like 4 months overdue).  I am pretty proud of myself considering most of this was done in the past 2 weeks.  Here are some of the projects we have been checking off lately:

Her new bedding and light green wall

Carseat canopy/cover

 Recieving blankets that I really love! If anyone wants to know how to make these let me know they are super easy!

Matching burp cloths

As you can see we are ready for her, I just want her to get here now!

I have this debate going on in my head whether it would be better to be 39 weeks pregnant for my little brother's wedding (he is getting married on the 14th) or to have an infant that is at best a week and a half old.  At this point I would much rather look somewhat normal in the wedding pictures and have a brand new baby, call me crazy but I think I might just ruin the wedding pictures if I am ready to pop and everyone else looks fantastic.

Anyways, other than me being completely done with this pregnancy all else is going well for us.  I think I will actually miss feeling our little girl moving so much. There is something to be said about what an amazing experience it really is.  Ryan is loving summer and has a new obsession with "Simba." He has never watched movies before and all of the sudden he wants to watch The Lion King all the time!  Matt is completely busy with work and has been working anywhere from 50-60 hours a week! He doesn't get to be home a ton so when he is home we have been trying to take advantage of it with short overnight trips camping, trips to the local pools and parks, and spending time with all of our family.  Summer is a great time of year!

Here are a few more fun pictures so you aren't completely bored by this post:

Ryan enjoying a baseball game and licorice on the 24th of July

Our attempt at a family picture...not the best but atleast we're all in it!

Ryan enjoying a RARE can of pop while camping.

Such a happy and sticky boy!

Gotta BEAT the HEAT!!!

It is definately summer and it is definately HOT!  I now understand why people have made comments like, "Oh you get to be pregnant all summer...I'm sorry."  The heat is NOT a pregnant woman's friend that is for sure. Despite the heat, we have found a few ways to stay cool and enjoy ourselves.  Ryan for one loves to swim and brings me his swimming suit atleast once a day.  This past week we all took a little dip in our little wading pool in the privacy of our fenced backyard.  I am so grateful for a wood fence all the way around, NO ONE wants to see someone who is 34 weeks pregnant in a wading pool that is for sure!  Luckily no one was there to take pictures either so I don't have any pictures of me but here are a couple of Ryan and Matt over the past few days.  He loves it! Plus Matt is so much more fun than mom in the pool!

BIG Splashes!

Dad copying Ryan

Horsey ride in the pool!

In addition to swimming we have also resorted to camping in order to stay cool. Its amazing how much cooler it is in the mountains.  We took Ryan fishing for the first time over the 4th of July and guess what...he caught his first fish!!!  He was so excited until he actually touched the fish and it flipped water in his face, then he was a little unsure about it.  He loves getting dirty and playing in the dirt!

I love getting dirty!

Here comes the fish!

Mr. Gorilla A.K.A "Ha Ha"

May I introduce all of you to Mr. Gorilla: This cuddly little guy is Ryan's obsession and best friend. He has had Mr. Gorilla for a long time but only recently has decided that Mr. Gorilla's name is "Ha Ha" and that he has to do everything Ryan does. When I say everything I mean he has to eat with Ryan, sleep with Ryan, play with Ryan, etc. As for the name, we aren't exactly sure where he came up with the name "Ha Ha." Our only guess is that he has taken the sound a monkey makes, shortened it and made it his name. Strange but cute.

Here are a few pictures of Ryan and his "Ha Ha." He insists that they share every meal lately.

So cuddly

Have a cracker

and don't forget the milk.


On another note, I had my 32 week appointment yesterday and all is well with our baby girl. She is definately growing and I feel like I have doubled in size in the past few weeks. Here is a picture of me at 32 weeks taken today. I am feeling pretty good and actually the heat isn't bothering as much as I anticipated. This has been a pretty good pregnancy so far and we just can't believe that she will be here in about 8 weeks (hopefully a little sooner).

5 years, I can't believe it!

As of today, Matt and I have been married for 5 years! It is amazing how fast time has flown by over the past 5 years. I can still remember our wedding like it was yesterday yet it seems like it was forever ago at the same time. We were so young and in such different places than we are now. I mean I still had two years of college basketball left and Matt, well Matt really had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. We have come so far. We now have an adorable little boy, a little girl on the way, we own a house, I have been teaching for two years, and Matt is nearing the end of his electrial apprentiship. Such a difference 5 years can make! I feel so lucky to have Matt in my life. He is an amazing husband and dad and works so hard to make us happy!

Happy Anniversay Matt! I love you!

Ragnar 2010 and our BIG boy!

I have to give a shout out to Matt for just a minute! This past weekend he completed his first race and it was a big one! A year ago (before I was pregnant) I committed to run in the Ragnar (Wasatch Back) Relay race. So when I got pregnant, Matt was sort of forced into the race as we had to fill my spot. What a guy! So he has been training for the race for the past few months and really was not too excited for it. The Ragnar is intense! It is a 12 man relay race that covers 188 miles. The race starts in Logan, UT and finishes in Park City, UT. Each member of the 12 man team runs 3 different legs of the race and they never stop for like 36 hours. Not only did Matt run in the race, he also ran the three hardest legs of the race and did a great job! One of his legs was even 7 miles up hill at 3:30 AM....CRAZY!!! Of course I have zero pictures to put on here as I wasn't able to go and lets face it, Matt is not really into taking pictures like I am. I am so proud of him and the dedication he has shown through this whole thing. He is actually talking about doing a 1/2 marathon in a few weeks too....WHAT HAVE I STARTED!?!

On a completely different note, Ryan is growing up so fast! He is officially sleeping in a "big boy bed" which is both good and bad. Its good because he won't have the crib in 2 months, but its bad because he can now get out of bed whenever he wants. There is nothing more freaky than the first time he came into our room at 2AM, tapped me on the arm, and said "hi mommy!" I loved being able to put him in his crib and not worry about it but we are all adjusting. He actually fell asleep on his own, in his new bed today for the first time, he's finally getting used to it!!! He's hugging a stuffed gorilla in this picture in case you were wondering....he can't be without it at bed time!

Here are a few pictures of our family from the past few weeks. WE LOVE SUMMER!

The Art City Days parade

The Carnival-- Ryan loved the rides!