Two Months Old Already!

I can't even believe that my baby is already two months old! Time is going by so fast! We continue to love every minute of it! Here are his two month stats:

Weight: 13 pounds 10 ounces (90th percentile)
Length: 24 inches (85th percentile)
Head Circumference: 40 cm (50th percentile)

He is definitely getting enough to eat!! And his head is more in proportion with the rest of him now! Look at this cute two month old!

Baby's First Christmas

Although Baby was not old enough to really get into Christmas this year, we still had a lot of fun! And he loves his new walker! He can sit up and see the world! And we love it because it won't contribute to a flat head at all!

The Baby Blessing After Party

Cydney and Nora were here for a week and were able to be here for the blessing, so the Stevenson side of the family stayed around longer than everyone else. Nora was being adorable and so I got the camera back out. Only do you know what happens when the sisters get crazy with a camera? Here's a peek:

It was a lot of fun and as you can see, we might have rubbed off on a nephew. Hopefully we didn't mess him up for life! We were sad when Cyd and Nora had to go home.

The Baby Blessing

The Steedling's Baby Blessing was December 13, 2009. It was a crazy snowy morning, so we were glad that everyone who came out to our house made it safely! The blessing was beautiful, Dave did a really nice job, and junior did not cry at all! Afterwords, we had our traditional special occasion meal: Manti Turkey. We also had lots of salads and other food (and as usual, way too much of everything!!) Everyone stayed and chated for a while and it was a really good day! Here are a few pictures:

So Blessed!

After feeding Tanner at 3:00 this morning, I was fairly awake for a few minutes. As I laid in bed, I couldn't help but say a little prayer of gratitude. I was laying in between my two snoozing sweethearts, my amazing husband to my left, and my precious little angel in the cradle to my right. These two mean more than anything to me and I am just so incredibly blessed to have them both. Life just keeps getting better!

Did Someone Speed Time Up?

I can't believe the little monkey is already two weeks old! Time is already going by way too fast, and he is growing too fast as well! We had his two week check-up on Monday afternoon. He is doing well and the doctor said he looks good! Here are his stats:

Weight: 9 pounds 9 ounces (55th percentile)
Height: 21 1/4 inches (25th percentile)
Head Circumference: 39 1/2 cm (90th percentile)

So apparently our kid has a big head! It really doesn't seem that big to me!

Things are going really well. We are loving being a family and loving life! Dave had to go back to work on Monday, which makes us all sad. We LOVED having him home with us for the first two weeks and we already miss him lots! Being parents is amazing!

The Steedling's Birth Story

This post is kind of long, sorry! Some have asked about "my story", and it's a good place to keep it for the future when I don't remember everything!

On Monday, October 26th, we went to the doctor and had one more pre-natal appointment. Pretty much everything was the same as the week before, which was disappointing. Like I said in the post on the 21st, my doctor didn't want me to go more than one week past my due date, so we scheduled a time to be induced. We set it up to be Thursday, October 29th and then Dr. Savage stripped my membranes. She warned us not to get our hopes up too high because it does something for about 50% of women, and nothing for the other half. She also said to call by the end of the day if we decided to switch and be induced on Tuesday instead. We actually decided on the way home to go ahead and do it on Tuesday. It would give my Dad two more days with the little guy since he was going back to Hawaii the next Monday, and Grandma Pat was going out of town on Thursday.

We went home, ate lunch, took a nap, and then Dave had to go to work. We decided to be prepared just in case, so most everything was already in his car. He left, and I started having contractions about a half an hour later at 4:00 pm. They started out pretty close, maybe 7-8 minutes apart at first. I finished some work stuff, took a shower and got ready to go. Dave and I had agreed to meet at my parents house if I went into labor while he was at work and then drive to the hospital in one car, so I packed the rest of our stuff up and headed to Orem. The contractions were now 3-5 minutes apart.

I called Dave when I got off of the freeway, and he quickly left work and met me at their house. We took a picture or two, and headed to the hospital. We got there about 9pm and they took me to a room. They hooked me up to monitors (at that point I was still dilated to a 3 and 75% effaced, but the contractions were 2-3 minutes apart) and watched me for an hour to see if they were going to keep me. After an hour (10:15 pm), still the same. They called Dr. Savage and she said to keep me for another hour and to have me walk around. So we made two laps around labor & delivery. It took forever becuase I had to stop about every ten steps to have a contraction. They were that close together, and so strong!

They checked me again after the second hour (11:15 pm) and I was still only 3cm, but 90% effaced. They called Dr. Savage again, and she decided to be nice. She said to keep me and she would come break my water. So, they came in and started the iv and asked if I wanted an epidural. I said yes, so they did that too (about 11:45 pm). Dr. Savage broke my water (about 12:15 am) and unfortunately there was meconium in my water. They hooked me up to a tube thingy that flushed out my uterus until I delivered so that it wouldn't be such a risk when he was born. I went to 4cm and 100% effaced pretty much right away, and they told me get some sleep while I was able to.

After two hours (about 2:30 am) I was feeling pain again. I got some more pain medicine, and the nurse decided to check and see how much I had dilated. She was very suprised to find that I was fully dilated and ready to go! They called Dr. Savage but she said to have me wait to start pushing for about an hour since he was still fairly high. She wanted him to move down on his own more before the pushing began. And then about 3:30 am, we started pushing. We pushed, and pushed, and pushed. Once he finally crowned, they got Dr. Savage in. I pushed with her three times, and at 5:40 am, Tanner was finally here! (Yes, that means I pushed for two hours.)

They immediately put him on my tummy and I cried while I looked at him for the first time. They took him and started to work on him and do his apgar score and all of that. There were NICU nurses and a doctor there for the birth because of the meconium. Tanner got an 8 on his apgar, but wasn't breathing really well, so they decided to take him to the NICU and put him on a c-pap for an hour. After they weighed him and all of that, Dave went with him to the NICU. I had torn a little during delivery, so Dr. Savage started stitching me up.

About five minutes later, Dave came back in with Tanner. Apparently when they got to the NICU he decided he wanted to be with his Mommy and started breathing just fine on his own. So they sent him back! We recovered for an hour, Tanner and Dave went to the nursery for his first bath and newborn screening, and the nurses got me all cleaned up. Then we met downstairs on the Mother/Baby floor. We were in the hospital for the normal 48 hour stay, and came home on Thursday, the 29th.

I feel like the whole thing went very well! We all did great, and we are just loving being a little family!

Pictures of Tanner

To see more pictures of our cute little boy, go to his blog! It is: http://babysteedmonkey.blogspot.com

We are going to take it private soon, so if you want to be able to see lots of him, send me your email address and I will add you to the list!

He Is Here!!

Tanner David Steed is here!! He was born October 27, 2009 at 5:40 am. 8 pounds 13 ounces, 20 inches long and adorable! We are all doing well and we will get some pictures up soon!

Any Day Now!

Yesterday was our last pre-natal appointment. According to the Doctor, my due date is today... yep I am 40 weeks today! I am not getting too worked up about the fact that I am still pregnant. Here's why. The doctor goes strictly by a calendar, based on a 28 day cycle. Since we had been trying to get pregnant for quite a long time, we were tracking everything. My cycle was a few days longer than a "normal" 28 days, and so when we found out we were pregnant and did the math, it put our due date as October 25th, which will be on Sunday. We have had that day in the back of our minds the whole time, and that's the date I am going to go off of. In fact, I just changed the ticker on the side of the blog to reflect the 25th instead of today. If that date comes and goes, I might be in a different state of mind! So we will keep you posted!

As for the appointment yesterday, it went really well. I am now a good 3+ cm dilated and 75 - 80% effaced. She was impressed with the change over the last week and said with that much of a change, I should have this baby any day. I am ok with that! We talked a little about how far she would let me go over. She doesn't like to let her patients go over 1 week past their due date. She doesn't think I will make it that far, but if I do, she said we will schedule something probably for next Tuesday, or even Monday if we want. But I will definitely have a little boy to dress up for Halloween.

Other than that, we just wait! Dave finished painting the baby's room last night and it looks amazing!! I am so excited to move his stuff in! I am totally caught up and even ahead of things at work and at home (bills, etc.) and we are ready for him to come! We can't wait to meet this little miracle boy! When things happen, we will let you all know!! Thanks for all of the love, support, and encouraging words!! You are all the best friends and family ever! We love you!

39 Weeks and Counting!

Tuesday was our 39 week appointment. Everything still looks really good and I am dilated about another 1/2 cm, but still about 65% effaced. My Doctor went to Disneyland on Tuesday evening with her family and won't be back until Sunday, so hopefully we will make it until she gets back. It looks like we will since not much changed from last week and it is already Thursday afternoon.

Other news, IHC implemented new visitor restrictions this past week. Because of H1N1 flu and other fall/winter illnesses, no children under the age of 14 are allowed to visit patients in IHC hospitals (including the one we will be in). Also, only two visitors are allowed in at a time. This makes me sad, as it will affect most of our family coming to meet the little guy. I guess it is all for the best if it keeps us all healthy though.

That's the update for the week! We will keep everyone posted if things start happening!

38 Weeks!!

Yesterday was another prenatal appointment! I am now dilated 2 cm and about 65% effaced. The baby's head is still down, and my blood pressure is really good. The group B strep test came back negative so I don't have to deal with that during delivery. I think the scale was off a little yesterday. It said I have lost 4 pounds in the last week. I don't think that is true, but if it is, it puts my total weight gain for the pregnancy at a whopping 2 pounds. I guess we will see what it says next week.

My Mom won't be home from Hawaii until Monday morning (10/12), and Dr. Savage is going to be in Disneyland with her family from next Tuesday through Sunday (10/13 - 10/18). Which means... the Steedling can come on Monday (10/12) or not until the following Monday (10/19) if I want my Mom and the Doctor to both be there, which I think is preferable!!

I just told them at work that Dr. Savage said Monday would be a good day, and they flat out said it's not an option. Frankly, I kind-of wish it would happen. They have known about this "baby situation" for 7 months, and they still don't have anyone hired or trained to fill in while I am gone or work part time once I come back. At this point, it really is their problem not mine. I gave them PLENTY of notice, and they have done NOTHING. I have to not let it stress me out, or the Steedling might come early anyway. Everything will work out right?!?

As far as the house being ready... We spent the weekend listening to a wonderful General Conference, DEEP cleaning our house (still not quite done yet!), working in the nursery (wainscoting is half-way done), getting baby stuff ready, and cooking yummy conference weekend food (we had huevos rancheros and chile verde - with fresh tomatoes from the garden!) The car seat and stroller are out, the car seat bases are in our cars, and the cradle is all set up in our room, so even if he comes before his room is all the way done, we have a place for him to sleep!

Yesterday after the doctor, I went home and did a bunch of cooking. I made two lasagnas, two pans of manicotti, and two pans of sour cream enchiladas. We have one of each planned into our menu in the next week and a half, and the other 3 are in the freezer for after baby comes! I am doing the same thing this weekend with chicken pot pie, chicken cordon bleu and ham. We also planned out some other quick meals for after and have stuff ready for those as well! We are just trying to get as much ready ahead of time as we can!!

37 Weeks!!

I haven't been very good about posting much. I had many things this summer that I intended to post about, but it just never happened! Here's an update on a few things going on lately:

I never got a really good shot of our garden when it was going crazy. We topped off the out of control tomatoes so they would focus on turning red instead of growing more, we pulled out all of the lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, potatoes, and onions. I will make sure to take pictures of what is left, as well as our big box of potatoes and our nice stash of onions and put them up. It was a fun year of experimenting, and we have a pretty good idea of what we will and will not plant next year.

I started training a new girl at work yesterday. I am going part time when the baby is born, and she will be working part time as well. I am giving her all of the Coupon Manager part of my job, and I couldn't be happier! I really don't enjoy it that much, and it will be nice to give it all away and not have to worry about it anymore. (We were originally going to both be doing parts of it, but I think it will be much better/easier for her to do it all, and me to have the other responsibilities that I already have... financials, accounting, conference, etc.)

Dave just got a new calling. He is the Executive Secretary, and is trying to get used to the increase of time required. It is much more than preparing Primary lessons for 4 and 5 year olds! I think he will really enjoy it, and our Bishopric is great. He really does miss Primary though, he loved that calling!! He's just so dang good with kids!

Ok, the baby... The room is painted, thanks so much to a good neighbor and new friend! Mike was great, and taught Dave some good tips too. (I think he is much more excited about tackling some of the other projects we want to do around the house eventually!) We are going to try and get the wainscoting up this weekend, and then we can move everything in. We have washed and folded everything, and I think we have pretty much everything we need now, we just need the room to get finished up in order to put it all in place!

Yesterday was our 37 week appointment. My blood pressure is good, I lost a pound (thanks to the kidney stones last week and being unable to eat anything), the Steedling's heartbeat was 142, and we did the Group B Strep test. (We will get the results next week on that one.) I am dialated to a 1 1/2, and 50% effaced. And the best news... the baby's head is DOWN! Yea!! I think hearing that was a huge relief for both Dave and me! Other than that, things look good! Now we finish getting the house ready, and wait! We are so excited to be parents!!

The Love of My Life!!

HAPPY 3RD ANNIVERSARY TO THE MOST WONDERFUL MAN IN THE WORLD!!

I can't even begin to tell you how lucky I am to have found this man! He is truly the greatest blessing in my life! I can't even imagine what I would do without him by my side. He completes me and makes me better. I am so blessed to be married to this worthy Priesthood holder and future amazing father. I can't wait to watch him with our children!

(This picture was taken on our three month anniversary.)

And... today we hit 34 weeks! Time is flying and we are finally starting to get things ready. The room will be coming together, and I will make sure to get pictures up soon! My doctor appointments are now every two weeks and things are still looking good!

The Steedling is Definitely Active and Definitely a Boy!!

Last night for kicks and giggles, Dave and I went and had a 3D/4D ultrasound done. It was a little traumatic, but I am glad we did it! I say traumatic because about five minutes into the ultrasound, I got sick. I was super light-headed and really nauseous, and was sweating buckets. I have no idea what happened, but I thought I was either going to pass out or throw up at any point. I missed part of the ultrasound because I couldn't look at the screen. I adjusted my legs(bent my knees and put my feet up), took some deep breaths, said a little prayer, and felt better enough to finish the ultrasound and see some really cute pictures of our very active little boy!

It is so fun to be able to see a little bit what he is going to look like! He moved around a ton! Most of the time, he had his arm and hand in front of his face. He also spent a good bit of time with his foot in front of his face too! It is amazing that you can see all of his little fingers and toes, as well as knuckles, joints, and everything else!

While he was pretty shy at the first ultrasound, taking a long time to tell that he was a boy, this time around... not shy at all! We got very clear shots, and he is very clearly a he!

The first picture is his face ( a little smushed) and the second is his arm and foot in front of his face. Dave loves how his little toes are all spread out!



We can't wait to meet this little guy in just under 3 months!

Well, I Stumped the Doctor!

On Tuesday I had my prenatal appointment, which included the oh so fun glucose test. I drank the orange flavored sugar stuff and then had my normal appointment. Everything looks good and once again I measured a week small. Then I got my finger pricked. My iron level was AMAZING! The nurse was very impressed. My glucose level... not so much. Yep, it was high.

So I got to go back this morning. I had to do a 12 hour fast and be there at 8:30 this morning. I got poked, and my level was just fine. I drank the orange drink and ran errands for an hour. I went back and picked the next victim finger to be stabbed. At that point they wanted my level to be below 180. It was 225. Oops. I ran more errands for an hour and went back for finger number three. After two hours, my level was just slightly above the two-hour level on the chart. One more hour and the fourth finger later, they wanted me below 140. It was 114.

What the? The nurse went and got the P.A. and she came in to talk to me. She was confused to say the least! They were all very impressed by my amazing three-hour level of 114, but not so impressed by the 225 after the first hour. She asked me some questions and we talked about a few things. She was floored with my total weight gain of only three pounds and zero swelling (even in summer heat) at 27 weeks! And since I have measured small so far, she thinks I am fine, and decided not to treat me for glucose problems/diabetes. She told me to make sure I am eating enough protein and watching my carb and sugar intake.

So, I left. That first number worries me, so I am going to be careful. That means less carbs and sugar, so don't tempt me with your treats! I have been pretty good, but I am going to do better!

Under 100 Days!!!

Well, today is a fun day!! We are officially under 100 days until the Steedling's due date! It still seems so far away and yet so close at the same time! My last appointment was three weeks ago (23 Weeks) and everything still looks good. I am measuring just fine (a week small in fact), and my next appointment is next week. I also have to do the glucose test next week. (From what I've heard, yuck!) Anyway, that's the baby news! Hopefully this week I will get a chance to post some other things that have been happening the last couple of months, as well as garden pictures!!

Happy Birthday To Me...Grr!

So yesterday was my birthday. I knew going into the day it wouldn't be the best birthday ever... I had to work during the day and Dave had to work at night, but I was going to go in a little late that way I could sleep in and have breakfast with Dave. We slept in a little bit, but I woke up in pain. It started on my lower left side (in the front). I got up, took some tylenol, took a shower, got ready, and cried some. It moved mostly to my back, and at that point I was pretty sure it was my kidney. I had Dave call our home teacher who works from home. They gave me a blessing, I ate something, and left for work.

By the time I made it to the elementary school (like 1 block away), I was in tears. I kept going because Kathy was at work by herself without me. I barely made it to Smith's in Saratoga and had to stop to stand up. I called Dave and told him I couldn't go any further. He called the doctor and I called work. I got back in the car and cried my way home. I went inside and fell into Dave's arms sobbing. We left for the doctor not long after that.

We stopped at the new instacare in Saratoga Springs because I had to stand up again. I was almost the very first patient since they just opened yesterday at 11:00 am. (We were there at 10:30). Luckily, they were honest with me and said since I am pregnant, they would probably end up sending me to the hospital anyway. Since I was starting to feel more pain in the front of my body and was starting to get really worried there might be a problem with the baby, I decided I'd rather just go to the hospital and not pay for both. So we got back in and kept driving. Once on Lehi main, I asked if we could stop again before the freeway and Dave pulled into Kohler's. Luckily it rained hard yesterday, because I got out of the car and lost my breakfast in the parking lot. Hopefully it all got washed away. I felt so bad!

We finally made it to the hospital and the ER sent me straight up to Labor and Delivery triage. They took me right in and hooked me up to fetal monitors. We had a non-stress test done and everything with the baby was just fine, so they called the doctor and he said it was ok to send us back down to the ER. In the ER, we didn't have to wait too long, but we had to answer all of the same questions three more times for different people! Eventually, I got an iv with fluids, nausea medicine, and a pain killer. I took a little nap and they confirmed it was kidney stones. I got a prescription for pain meds and we went home. I rested the rest of the evening and slept in a little this morning. I passed a TINY little stone last night and never ended up taking a pain pill. Today I am just sore, but not in serious pain like yesterday!!

Anyway, I asked Dave last night if I could have a Birthday re-do. He said yes as long as he could take me to dinner somewhere. So maybe this weekend, I will have another (pain free) birthday!

Playing With The Baby!

Last week at our ultrasound, we obviously found out we are having a little boy! The shot took a long time to get because he kept wiggling, but once the tech got a good angle, it was pretty dang clear that the Steedling is a he!! She was able to find all of his organs and everything she was looking for. She said everything appears to be normal, he has the correct amounts of things (2 arms, legs, kidneys), and they are all in the correct places!

I can't believe he is halfway cooked!! Luckily, things have gone by really quickly! I just hope I don't jinx myself and slow down the clock or run out of time to get everything done! October does seem like it's still a long time away though!

I pulled out a project that I started as a Laurel project a long time ago and never finished. It is a baby quilt that is perfect size for a crib. It is a Noah's Ark pattern and so dang cute. We decided to use that for the Steedling's bedroom! I am working on finishing it, and we are trying to find some fabric that matches one of the many patterns on the quilt to make bumpers, a crib skirt, and maybe even curtains if we find enough fabric!! I found several different fitted crib sheets online and ordered a few. They all are animal prints on cream fabric, so we are going to see which one matches the quilt best, and take the rest back. I have gotten so excited about stuff like this lately. Actually it's kind of ridiculous...I can't think about anything else!!

Last night I was not feeling very well and was lazily laying on the floor while Dave was making dinner. I had my hand on my tummy and all of the sudden I felt the baby kick! (I have been feeling the movements inside for a couple of weeks, but this was the first time I was able to feel him on the outside!) I called Dave over and told him to put his hand there. We sat for a little bit, but he didn't kick again and Dave went back to what he was doing.

After he was done, he came back and I put his hand over where the Steedling had been moving. It took a little bit, but then he felt it!! Dave was soooo excited to be able to finally feel his baby move!! Later when we went upstairs to bed, I laid on my back for a little bit and Dave was able to feel him moving again. What a fun night!!!

And The Steedling Is...

A BOY!!

We're Taking A Poll!

Our Ultrasound is in just TWO WEEKS!! So everyone, give us your predictions! Will the Baby Steedling be a Handsome Little Prince or an Adorable Little Princess? Vote in our poll to the side, and then leave a comment telling what you voted! (I want to know who thinks what!) It closes on the 26th, two hours before the ultrasound! Thanks for playing!

Update!

On Tuesday, we had our second prenatal appointment! I am 15 weeks and feeling pretty good! We took a tape recorder and now have a cute little snippet of our Steedling's heartbeat!! Everything looks good and all of my lab tests from the first appointment came back good as well! I had to go buy a pair of jeans a size bigger which made me scared I was already gaining too much weight, but it's just the baby growing because I actually lost a couple of pounds since my first appointment.

Next appointment? In four weeks at 19 weeks, along with an ultrasound!! Wahoo!

Yep, It's Official!! (FINALLY!!)

You heard it right folks!! We are FINALLY...

Our little Steedling is due October 21st!!!

Happy St. Patricks Day!!

So this is just the cutest!!

Valentine's

On the 13th, we went with 5 other couples to Olive Garden for dinner and then to the Stake Adult Dance! Honestly, I thought we would probably leave early because the dance would be soo lame. However, I was very wrong. We stayed for a couple of hours and had so much fun!! Brother Webb in our ward was in charge of the music, and he made a fine DJ!! We all had so much fun acting like dorks and reliving high school moments such as... The Electric Slide, YMCA, Thriller, Cotton-Eyed Joe, The Hokey Pokey, etc. However, when the Macarena started, we made our quick escape!

I of course forgot to take either camera, so alas, no pictures of the entertaining evening. :(

On Valentine's, Dave had to work. He is in charge of the floral department, so naturally, this was a big day. I was in charge of dinner. Knowing that he would be exhausted when he got home, I decided to go with something simple. I got a Papa Murphy's heart shaped pizza, made foccacia bread, and cute little salads. It was yummy! I also made him a bouquet of fruit, which was very fun!! He came home with flowers which he arranged himself! They were, of course, Black Magic Roses!! Along with white daisies and Israeli Ruscus, all of which he special ordered! He is amazing!! And then after dinner, we crashed!

Here are some pictures of the dinner, fruit bouquet, and roses:

Stevenson Family Dinner

Once a month, the Stevensons get together for dinner too! Last month we played at our house. We had potluck pizza and played...you guessed it...Guitar Hero! Here are some pictures...

There was also a great game of hide and seek! Caleb found the best hiding places while Spencer crashed!

And we all chipped in and got this amazing Family Tree for Dad and Mom's 30th Anniversary. We think they like it! (Cydney was on the phone in the third picture.) There is plenty of space on the board for all of the grandchildren to come!

Thanks for the fun night!!