It's a BIG one!

Never in my life would I have thought I would have so many thoughts, conversations, and concerns over poop. Yes I said it, POOP! Having a baby has made this a very big part of my everyday life. Things like...Was it a big or small one? What was the consistency? What color was it? How long ago was the last one? Is this normal? Did you know they actually have a picture baby poop guide online, and I would happen to know this because I have viewed it once or twice.

My Friday nights used to look like this: going out to eat with friends, walking around the Quarter, watching a move. You know, cool grown-up things like that. Last Friday night it consisted of me talking about ways to make my little man poop. Oh yes...he had been stopped up for a couple of days, and I was worried. So I started looking up ways to make your baby poop. So what did the girls and I do? We did the bicycle with Nolan, rubbed his stomach, and even gave him a bath. All of this in hopes of poo!

Last night was even better. After Nolan's 3 o'clock feeding I changed him, and YAY there was poop. Not just any poop, but the green pasty kind that take multiple wet wipes to clean. Normally I would be grossed out, but considering the way bowel movements have been going I was excited. Yes, excited! As I am wiping him, he decides to let loose again. Hey, this is good. We are getting back to the normal looking stuff. I wait till he's done, wipe him all up, and put a new diaper on him. I am fastening it, and I hear it. You know the sound! Yes, he's pooing in the new diaper. Seriously little dude, you didn't even wear it a minute! Oh well, at least I know he isn't stopped up. I decide to put diaper rash cream on because I don't want him to actually get a rash, and as I am applying guess what? Yes, you probably guessed right, more poop. How in the world can they poop so much at one time?!?!

Boy do things change with a baby! The funniest thing is I wouldn't change my poop filled world for anything:)

Nolan's Birth

Last Monday was possibly one of the hardest days of my life, but it was the beginning of me becoming a mommy. A week later I sit and reflect, and it's crazy how much I have forgotten about the pain associated with giving birth. Before I completely forget, I want to write as much as I can so I can always remember the special day that I became a mother.
Last Sunday night Eric and I went to a Saint's game with the Rutlands. We had so much fun cheering on the Saints to a win against the Lion's. We came home, and I started saving all of my work from school because I had to turn in my laptop the next day to the parish so that it could get a new one. Eric and I hopped into bed around midnight expecting Monday to be a normal work day.
Around 1:30 in the morning I was laying in bed half asleep when I felt a huge gush. I hopped out of bed and ran to the restroom where the water continued to gush. Once it had stopped I went back to the room and told Eric that I thought my water had broken. We both were pretty clueless as what to do because I wasn't having contractions, so he called his brother and I called my mom. We eventually called the hospital who told me to call my midwife. Esther, my midwife, asked me what had happened and when I told her she said that she was pretty sure that my water had broken but to just try to get as much sleep as I could and head to the hospital early in the morning. So I got back into bed with several towels and tried to sleep through the night. Of course sleeping was pretty difficult from my water continuing to leak and the realization that he was really going to be here the next day. I finally got up around 6 to take a shower, finish packing my bag, and getting some things finished around the house.
Eric and I headed to the hospital around 8. When we got there, they put us in Labor and Delivery room 1. I was so happy about this because it had the birthing tub that I wanted so that I could labor in water. The nurse came in to put monitors on my stomach to monitor Nolan's heartbeat and my contractions. They also tested to see if my water had truly broken. The nurse was having a hard time confirming that my water had broken with the test. When Cathy, my midwife, came to the hospital she also checked to see if my water had broken. They couldn't confirm that it had, so they said they would keep me to see if my contractions got stronger and try another test to send to the lab to see if my water had truly broken. This began the no fun waiting game. I began walking down the hall and around the room to see if I could make my contractions get stronger. I did this for a while, but nothing worked. Eric went to get us some lunch. Cathy came back where they did another test to see if my water had broken. They took the swab and then sent it to the lab. If my water had broken then the specimen would make a design like a fern. So we waited even longer. Finally the results came back, and it said that my water hadn't broken. I was so frustrated because I knew it had broken. I know I had never had a baby before, but I knew it was my water breaking and not just me having an accident. So they said they could do nothing more but send me home.
So Eric, my mom, and I went back to my house. I decided to take a nap once we got home because I was exhausted from the night before and the frustrations of the day. I slept till 4. When I woke up I went to the restroom, and I felt a lot of pressure. I came back and soon realized that the pressure was the start of contractions. They began coming on pretty strong, and Eric began to time them. They were ranging from 12-15 minutes apart. They quickly became stronger and closer together. Eric suggested that we eat and take showers because it was looking like we would be heading back to the hospital in a short time. So we did, all the while my contractions were only 2-5 minutes apart. Around 6:30 we called Cathy and told her that we were heading back to the hospital.
Once getting there, they put me back in Labor and Deliver room 1, which I was worried would have been taken. They checked me, and I was just 3cm dialated. Fortunately I didn't know at the time that they wanted to send me back home. This would have been extremely frustrating being sent home twice because I knew Nolan was on his way. Luckily, they decided to keep me for a few hours to see if I would make any progress. So we began the waiting game yet again. During this time my contractions started getting very intense. I didn't want to talk at all nor did I want anyone else to talk to me, especially Eric. I just tried to put all of my attention on focusing on the contractions. They came back into the room around 9:30 to check me, and I had progressed to 6cm.
This was when all of the fun began. I wanted a natural birth and until this point it was hard work, but I was able to control the pain. After they checked me the pain got increasingly worse extremely fast. My dream of a natural birth was quickly going out of the window. The pain was becoming unbearable. I told Eric that I just couldn't do it, and that I wanted an epidural. He said that was fine, and he would let them know. It was about an hour later and since I was in so much pain they came back in to check me. I was fully dialated. They began rushing to get an IV in me and some antibiotics that I had to take. There were a lot of people in the room and everyone was rushing around to get things done. While all of this was happening, I felt like it was taking forever. I felt like I just couldn't do it because the pain was so unbearable. I wanted some relief and didn't think I could last much longer without it. The doctor came in to give me my epidural and began reading me all of what he was going to do and the risks related to it. This took FOREVER because he was trying to do it in between my contractions which were so close together and so strong, and he was talking so slow. I finally signed the release, and they started to prepare for it. Before the doctor walked in to give it to me (who was extremely late), I said I felt like I needed to start pushing. Sure enough they checked me, and it was time to start pushing.
Pushing has to be one of the hardest tasks a person could ever do. I pushed for an hour and 45 minutes. Towards the end of pushing Cathy told Eric to get cleaned up so that he could help to give me Nolan once he was born. For my last push Eric pulled Nolan out and put him on my chest. After all of the hard work and what felt like endless pushing he was finally here. I instantly had my heart stolen by the cutest little boy. At 1:10, my life changed forever, and I am so grateful for it.

30 weeks...mixed emotions

Today I am 30 weeks pregnant! 30 WEEKS!! It's so hard to believe. For so long it seemed like the end was so far away, and now it is only 10 weeks away. I am such a mix of emotions. I'm so ready for little Nolan to be here. I am ready to see his precious little face. I want to see what his little nose will look like(I love baby noses). I want to kiss the little spot between his eyes. I can't wait to see if he has curly or straight hair. will it be brown or another color? Will he be a little chunk or long and lean? What will his personality be like? There is so much to wonder about and look forward to. So many good things are about to come in such a short time.
But while I am so ready for these wonderful things, I can't help but be very sad that I will no longer be pregnant in ten weeks. I have loved pregnancy! Are there uncomfortable moments? yes. Are there days when I just feel fat? yes! Yet with all of the uncomfortable, fat, just can't move like I used to moments...I have absolutely adored this stage of life. Feeling little kicks, jabs, rolling,and just knowing I have a precious baby growing inside of me have been so awesome. I have actually liked my stomach growing bigger to accommodate for a growing baby.
Before I became pregnant, I thought of pregnancy as something that I would just have to endure to get the prize of having a little one. Now I see how much of a gift God has given women to be able to bear children. I have had 30 weeks to become so in love with a little person that I haven't even met yet.
So...while I am so ready to see him, I will be sad for this stage to be gone. Good thing I will be able to experience pregnancy again! Not for a while, but one day.