Grandma's 98th Birthday

August 17th, was my grandmother's 98th birthday! To celebrate we took over some cupcakes that my mother had made.
I am so grateful to have such an amazing woman as my grandmother. She has been such a great example to me of faith, charity and humility. I love her very much and am thankful for the times that I have been able to spend with her, learning from her wisdom and from her life.
Here is a picture of my grandma with some of my nieces and nephews and of course Joslyn.

The Birth of Seth

On Thursday the 19th, AKA my due date, I went in to have an ultrasound and an NST done. The NST showed that I was having small contractions every 5 minutes. These contractions continued all day and into Friday. Friday, they started to get harder and longer. By mid-afternoon they were livable, but I was definitely thinking that tonight was the night.

We finally left for the hospital around 8:30pm and got checked in. The nurse came into put the monitors on and checked to see how dilated I was. I was STILL at 2cm! I had been at a 2 for almost 2 weeks now. I was so frustrated and I was really thinking that they were going to send us home and I was going to have to spend the night with these contractions instead of a sweet little baby.

Luckily, they called my doctor and he told them to have me walk around for an hour and then check me again and see where we were then. She after about 30 minutes of walking/being doubled over in pain due to contractions that were now even closer together, my water broke in the hallway. So Patrick and I walked back to triage and left a pretty gross puddle and path in the hallway. At least now they couldn't send me home and one way or another I would have my little boy within 24 hours.

Funny side story about Patrick. A few weeks back, Patrick told me that women's water didn't break like in the movies or on tv. I laughed at him and said yes it does! He got to see first hand that is can definitely happen like it does on tv. :)

After my water broke they took me back to our labor/delivery room and hooked me up there. It was now around midnight and they asked if I was wanting to have an epidural. I, of course, said yes. And around 1:30 that was all done and I was beginning to get all nice and numbed up. I didn't feel much after that, which was a blessing! It meant I could actually get some much needed sleep.

My doctor told the nurse that he wanted to do what she called a "scalp" on the baby. This monitors the heart rate through the cervix and is attached to the baby's scalp. It is more accurate. Unfortunately, the nurse had to try four different times because I was losing so much amniotic fluid, but the fourth time was the charm and luckily my epidural was working really well.

Over the next 7 hours, they let us sleep while they monitored us and can in to flip me over every once in a while because Seth didn't like the position he was in and his heart rate would drop. They also were having to give me medications because my blood pressure would go really low. At one point it was 80/30. This is common with epidurals but can be dangerous.

Around 4:00, the doctor can into check and see how dilated I was and I was passed a 2! But, I was still only at a 4. Progress, but not like we were hoping. He decided to put another monitor through my cervix to better monitor my contractions and also to pump saline into my uterus to counteract the loss of so much amniotic fluid and hopefully stop Seth's heart rate from dipping so much.

They also gave me what they called "the peanut". The peanut is basically two exercise balls stuck together that they placed between my knees to help keep things open enough so that it would be easier for my cervix to dilate.

Around 8:00 the nurse came in and was talking to us about what was happening with Seth. She told us that his heart rate had been dipping all night and that sometimes it was related to my blood pressure or contractions, but that sometimes it wasn't related to anything at all. It was at that point that I pretty much knew that my chances of actually being able to have a VBAC were very small and that a c-section was almost inevitable.

At 8:30, Seth's heart rate dropped again and the doctor came in and checked to see how dilated I was. I was still at a 4, maybe 4.5 cm. So we decided that the best course of action was to do another c-section. I was sad, but all I wanted was for my little guy to be healthy.

So, they wheeled us to the OR and started prepping me for surgery. I was in much better spirits this time around. We were even making jokes and laughing.
I did get a little nervous when the anesthesiologist called me Dora, and I had to tell him my name was Kelli, and he said, "Oh! I've got the wrong chart."

Pretty quickly, it was all over and our little Seth was born at 9:04am, Saturday August, 21st.

We were all trying to guess how big he was and we were all wrong! We were guessing mid 7lbs and he weighed in at 8lb 1oz.

Seth has been such a surprise for me. He is so different from his big sister. Joss was so tiny, fair, with just a little bit of hair and very alert. Seth is a chunk, with lots of dark hair and he has been so sleepy.

He is such a sweet little guy and I love him to pieces. I am so glad that he chose to come be in our family and that even though things didn't go as planned, they turned out perfectly.

My first time with Seth.


In our hospital room

He's Here!!!!

Seth Patrick Edwards came into this world at 9:04am August 21st, 2010. He weighed 8lbs 1oz. His length was 20 3/4 inches. For those who like to hear all about the birth, I will post a separate post detailing that, in the near future. For now, enjoy these sweet pictures.

Our first family picture. Joss was terrified of my bed and wanted nothing to do with it.


Joss and Seth. I love this picture!


Seth is already making faces for the camera. ;)



My little man and me.

100,000 Miles

A few weeks ago, Tabby and I (Tabby is the name of my car) hit a MILEstone! As we were cruising up the 101, heading home from work we hit the 100,000 mile mark! I was pretty was kinda sad that it was just me and Tabs, so I called up Patrick to let him share in the excitement. He wasn't as excited as we were, but that's okay. :)

Not Today! :(

I was really thinking that today would be the day I would have this baby. I was fully expecting to go to the doctor's office and they would say, "Looks like you're ready! Let's head over to the hospital!" But that is not what happened. :( BOO!

This morning, I was all ready, the house is cleaned, dishes are done, the laundry is washed, folded and put away, I'm all packed for the hospital, everything is ready to go. And that is probably why I'm still stuck at 2cm! 2CM!!!!! Are you kidding me?!?!?! I figured I would have at least progressed a little bit! ARGH!

So, now I go in on Thursday, my due date, and they want to do an NST, or Non-Stress Test. This test measures the baby's heart rate and my contractions. Basically, they are wanting to make sure that the baby is still happy in there and that he is healthy and not in danger.

They are also going to do an ultrasound to measure how big he is getting. They are worried about size because if he gets too big it will add extra risk to an already dangerous situation with the VBAC.

So, that is what is happening with the baby and me. I'm thinking long walks are a must these next few nights.

Updated Again!

Sorry about all these posts at once. For some reason I keep letting myself get so far behind.

In case you were wondering, the whole month of August was posted in the last few days. So there is lots to read and I do have a few more posts that are in the making, but I will save those for another day. :)

Also, I want to thank my sister, Kristi, for the cute new background and header that she made for me.

Happy reading and I hope you enjoy.

Baby Boy Edwards

So, I guess I should post something about what's going on with our pregnancy since I'm due next week. :)

Today I had another doctor's appointment. I'm only dilated to 2cm. We are slowly making progress.

Patrick and I have decided to have a VBAC, vaginal birth after c-section. There are some serious risks involved in this but we feel that it will be best for our family. The recovery for a VBAC is a lot fast and easier than a c-section. With Joss being so young she still needs me to lift her and help her with a lot of things that I wouldn't be able to do with a c-section.

What is most likely to happen for us is that I will either go into labor on my own and head to the hospital or I will go in for my regular appointment, be dilated to about a 4 and they will send me to the hospital, break my water and try to hurry along my labor.

So, we just have to sit and wait and see what happens. I am thinking that the second option is more likely for us. If I do go into labor on my own, I just pray that it isn't Friday because my doctor won't be able to be at the hospital and none of the other doctors will let me do a VBAC, so they will just go ahead and do a second c-section.

Socks

Joss has recently found socks. Not her socks mind you, but mine. She loves to slide them up her leg. I especially love it when she puts her shoes on over it to complete the outfit. She quickly learned that her white sandals fit over the socks better than her flip flops. She is such a smart girl with quite the fashion sense. Also her pants are on backwards in this picture because she wanted to put them on herself.

Chasing Around

Some nights I get to watch my niece and nephew. This is their favorite thing to do at my house. They run around and around and around letting Joss "chase" them. They all giggle and laugh so hard when they play together. Its a lot of fun to watch.

Blocks

I bought Joss a set of foam blocks and she loves to play with them. When we first got them she would run to them when we got her out of bed every morning.

Here she is trying to build a castle like her daddy does.

Phones

Patrick recently got a new phone from work. His old one would shut off when he answered phone calls. That makes for poor customer service when they call and think that you have hung up on them. Also, he couldn't send out text messages from his phone. It was really old.

This is Patrick's new phone, the Sprint HTC EVO. I joke with him that he skipped decades of technology.


He went from a phone that all it could do was make and receive phone calls, to a phone that can surf the Internet, text, picture and video message people. He can use it as a video phone to people with the same technology. He has all sorts of apps to use. Joss loves to watch Baby Einstein videos on it. Patrick can even tune his guitar using it. Its a pretty cool phone, and he loves it!


And since Patrick no longer uses his old phone we gave it to Joss and she loves to "call" daddy on it. :)

Chores

Joslyn loves using our new carpet sweeper. She will use it until the battery runs out. The only problem is that she can only use it in a 3 foot square area. :) At least it is something. We will have to see if she still loves it when she is older.

Rain!

It had been a long time since we had seen rain in the Phoenix area, but recently we have had a few storms come in and drop some rain on us. When it started to rain, Joss and I went out to play in it, but our fuddy-duddy, Patrick, wanted to stay dry, so he got to take pictures of us playing and having fun.

Patrick's Job

At the beginning of summer, Patrick was given a type of promotion. His official title is lead technician now. He is responsible for the other technicians and for making the routes everyday.

With this job came hours that were fairly set. He works Monday through Friday until 5 or 6 at night. On Saturday, he gets off between noon and one. He usually takes his day off on Tuesday. I love knowing that he will be home at a decent time. The last few summers there were nights that he didn't get home until 8pm or later.

He also was put on salary. I was so happy for this. I hated trying to budget with his commission pay.

Another great thing about his new position is that he doesn't spend all day out in the sun. Which means that when he gets home he isn't completely drained!

A few weeks ago, Patrick got a call from the branch owner. He just wanted to call and tell him that he thinks that he is doing a great job! He is really happy with the work that he is doing and that he thinks the company is headed in the right direction with him! What a great phone call! I'm so proud of my busy and hardworking husband.

Extension Cords

A while back Patrick and I went to the store to buy some yard tools. We bought a hedge trimmer and a weed eater. We also needed an extension cord to get these jobs done.

When we got home, Patrick was so excited to start using his new tools. He went right out and started trimming our hedges by our front door. About five minutes later, Patrick comes back inside and tells me that he has cut through the extension cord. To which I jokingly responded, "We can't buy you anything nice!"

However, Patrick tells me he can fix it and that I am a lucky girl because I have a husband that is so handy around the house. I laughed and thought, the only reason you are being handy is because you broke the thing to begin with!

So, here is a picture of our new extension cord all patched up and ready for use again. All thanks to my handy husband! I love you Patrick!

Giggles

Patrick makes Joss giggle so hard. These two just love playing together and laughing a lot.

Piano and Dancing

Joss loves to play with my electric piano. She plays the pre-programmed songs and then she dances to them.

Rockin' Out With Daddy

Here are Patrick and Joss "rockin' out" with Patrick's bass guitar. It's not plugged in so you can't hear him on it very well.

Lounging Around

In case you don't know this, Arizona is REALLY hot in the summer time. It makes getting in the car unbearable sometimes. So when Joss and I get home from work/daycare we lay on the couch and cool off for a while. I will usually put some ice water in Joss's sippy cup and get us a snack to enjoy. Here is a picture of Joss lounging around with her snack.

Tongue Wagging

Just a fun video of Joss and Patrick. I leave Joss alone with Patrick for a few hours and this is what he teaches her.

Joss's New Skirt

A while back I came across this really cute skirt tutorial that I wanted to make for Joss. I had some adorable fabric that I was going to use for something else, but I wanted this more! This was definitely the most difficult piece I've made... but it was a lot easier that I thought it was going to be. The tutorial has LOTS of pictures and that really helps.



I was so excited to put it on Joss to have her wear it, but unfortunately, the girl is too small still. So maybe in a few months when she is taller and her waist is a little bigger. :)

Christmas in July

Last week, I was invited to a Christmas in July craft night. It was a lot of fun and I got to make this cute advent calendar. The numbers are held onto a mini-muffin pan with magnets and inside is a little strip of paper that has fun Christmas activities to do. So each day we will have something fun to do to help us count our way down to Christmas.

Nursery

Joslyn finally turned 18 months in July. In the LDS religion, that is a BIG deal! That means that they can go into the nursery and play while the adults can actually listen to the lessons in Sunday School and Priesthood/Relief Society.

Every parent worries that their kid will be the one that kicks and screams and cries and refuses to go in. Luckily for us, Joss went in with no problems. She loves it in there. The only problem that she had was that she doesn't eat fast enough so the other kids were trying to steal her snacks. She will have to learn to eat faster so that doesn't happen. :)

Fourth of July Dress

For the Fourth of July I decided to make Joss a special little dress to wear. It was really easy. The hardest part was finding elastic thread. Well, at least for me it was hard to find.



Here is the link to the instructions for making the dress. It really was pretty simple to make. I think the whole thing, cutting and hemming included took me an hour and a half, maybe 2 hours.