Poor Kiddo

Haden's first diaper rash has arrived. He's such a trooper and doing really well. Thanks to my smart mom and desitin it will hopefully be over soon.

Fun, Fun

So, we're so excited! Haden laughed for the first time tonight. It was so much fun and so cute! Unfortunately we were not quick enough to get it on video. Then when we had the video ready, he was done. Better luck to us next time. It was so cute though. He let out a little squeal and then smiled and laughed. We love our little one so much!

Catching up. . .

Wow! It's amazing how fast time flies. I've tried numerous times to get on here post an update. I just haven't succeeded yet. We've had an amazing two weeks. We had a wonderful Halloween weekend. We carved pumpkins and had caramel apples at Daren and Ashlee's house. Josh and Heather came over for a fun Halloween visit with my parents. It was so cute to watch McKenna observe Haden. I think she's not sure what to think of him yet. The best part of the weekend was Sunday. We had so many of our family and friends join us for Haden's blessing. We missed those who weren't able to attend, but we understand all the circumstances that prevented their presence. We love you all! Haden looked so handsome! The blessing was wonderful. In the circle were Daddy, Great Grandpa Tibbitts, Grandpa Tibbitts, Grandpa Wilderness, Uncle Daren, Uncle Luiz, our special friend Uncle Wade and Bishop Godfrey. Daddy gave an amazing blessing. I know it was truly sent from our Lord. James' Aunt Louise wrote it down for us. I'm really glad that we will have that to keep for Haden. He truly is such a special little spirit. We love him so very much and are so grateful that he has come to our family.









I went back to work on November 2. My mom sweetly comes over every morning early enough for her to get situated and for me to make it to work on time. It's been such a blessing to have her help out. At times it's entertaining, but it's mostly wonderful. Hopefully I won't have to work full time for too long. I don't want to miss out on anything fun that Little Haden does. He has recently found his fist. He likes to put it into his mouth.



He's cooing much more now and melts our hearts with his whole hearted smile. It's so full of love.

We went to his 2-month checkup this week. He is 9 lbs 14 oz and is a whopping 24 in long! He's just our cute tall/skinny guy. Well, nature is calling me in the form of a hungry child. I must go for now, but will try and do better at posting! Love you all!

Big Day!

We are blessing Haden on Sunday, November 1, 2009. What a big day for him and daddy! We've got a beautiful blanket that was crotcheted for him by a friend of mine. We've also picked out a fantastic blessing outfit for him. He'll be so cute. If you're in the area and would like to join it will be at 1255 N 600 E Logan UT at 9am.


Lovin' the Love Sac!

Haden's First Play Date

Yesterday we went for a fun little walk. We went to see our friends, the Phillips, down in the next cul de sac. Amy had her baby, Autumn, about 6 days before Haden was born. It was a lot of fun. the babies got a little bit of fun look time as well as some scream time. And I think Amy enjoyed an adult visit. I know I sure did!



And Sweet little Haden is already a month old! Here are some pictures we took on his 4 week birthday.

Thank you!!

Thank you so much to my wonderful readers and helpers!! I really appreciate all the help you have offered on my last post. It really helped to put my mind at ease. I love you all! I'm so grateful to have women in my life that know and understand what I'm going through! You're honestly the best women/sisters/friends a girl could ask for!

Now for your viewing delight . . .

Normal

So I need some help or advice or something. I'm sure I'm the normal over paranoid first time mommy.

We went to Haden's two week appointment yesterday. I was concerned that he wasn't getting enough to eat. Turns out that's not a problem at all. He had gained about 21 oz in 12 days. What a porker! But on that note, I've been trying to pump. I get so much more out of one side than the other. How can I keep the one side from drying up? I just don't know what I'm doing.

In connection with that, Haden really likes to sleep. He takes after me, that's for sure! It seems like all he does is eat and sleep. That's normal, right? We make sure and try to talk to him and interact with him when he's awake. But when it's time to eat, he does so and sleeps right afterward. How long does this last? Am I doing this right? Please help me calm my nerves.

Much Thanks!

Haden's Story

So our little man is already two weeks old! Time goes by way too fast. But it's been a wonderful two weeks. We sure do love him!

The story goes:

James decided to hang out with me when he put me on maternity leave. It was so nice. We spent the next few days going on walks, making me take warm baths and timing contractions. I had really hoped to have Haden on 09/09/09. That would have been so cool! I was having some pretty good contractions that day, but they weren't unbearable. So I was too scared to go in to the hospital. I shouldn't have been though. My doctor was the one on call and said he would have kept me. But my contractions slowed and eventually stopped for Thursday.

When I woke up on Friday morning I was in a lot of pain and didn't feel good. I was really scared and just in tears. We called my dad and James' dad. They came right over and gave me a blessing. After the blessing we went over to the hospital. Since it was after 9 we decided to stop at the doctor's office instead of going right up to labor and delivery. They wanted me to be checked so they fit me in. I was getting my weight and blood pressure done when Dr. Horsley walked by and said, "you don't look good, and I mean that in the nicest way!" We all laughed at that. During the appointment we found that I had progressed, which was good. The baby had finally dropped. I was dilated to 3.5 and about 80% effaced. Dr. Horsley counseled us that he could send us up to labor and delivery then but he wouldn't be able to deliver the baby. He had a prior commitment that was taking him out of town for the evening. Or we could go home and continue walking and take a nice warm bath to bring on labor more naturally. If we did this, it would take a little longer, but he would more than likely be able to deliver the baby. Then if that didn't work, he gave us the instructions for being induced on Monday morning. Of all the options, the middle one sounded best to us. So that's what we did.

After returning home, James put me in a really nice, warm bath. He fixed me some breakfast too. During the afternoon we went on a venture to Walmart and finished some laundry and things at home. We took the pup for a nice long walk that evening as well. All the while having contractions. I timed them for a while, but they weren't really being that consistent. Well they were, but kept changing. . . from 10 minutes to 5 minutes to 8. Quite random. I decided to stop timing them and not focus on it anymore. I was on Facebook with some friends who were very helpful and tried to get me to go into Labor and Delivery. I decided that I would try to go to bed and see if I could sleep through the contractions. We headed that direction at 11:30 pm. I was up again by midnight, again by 12:30 and again at 1. James was getting worried I think. He asked if I wanted to go in, and I said let me try to sleep till 2. If I can't then we'll go in. Well, by 1:20 I was still up and having some decent contractions. We both got up and decided we weren't waiting till 2. We gathered our bags and put them in the car. Gave the puppy some hugs and were on our way.

We made our way up to labor and delivery. I told them I thought I may be in labor, but wasn't really sure. They asked me about my contractions. I admitted that I had given up on timing them, but I wasn't able to sleep through them. They got me checked in and hooked up to the monitors. The nurse said she was going to get an IV ready. I had to ask, "so that means you're keeping me? I'm having this baby?" She assured me that I was. She checked me and I had dilated to 4.5 and was 90% effaced. She asked me if I wanted an epidural. I assured her that I did and the sooner the better. Thee anesthesiologist and on call dr. were doing a c-section and they would be in right afterward. We made sure that they were calling Dr. Horsley in for us as well. The on call dr. came in about 30 minuted later and asked if he could break my water. I had heard that contractions get worse after that so I told him no, not till I got my epidural. He said that he had to break my water in order to get my epidural. So I said, "sure!." My water was broke and I got my epidural. After about 30 minutes I was still feeling some intense contractions. The anesthesiologist came back in and put some additional medication in my line. Within 10 minutes, I couldn't feel a thing! They checked me again and I was dilated to a 6. I had been informed that the whole labor and delivery thing would take about 12 hours then I would be pushing for another 2-3 hours. That's a long time! An hour later they checked me again and I had progressed to a 9! I still couldn't feel a thing. In fact, I couldn't even move my legs! The extra drug that had been given me was doing the trick! James had to keep helping me reposition myself. It was quite uncomfortable. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't sleep. So I enjoyed some Popsicles and ice chips. After another hour I had dilated to a 10. After you reach that, they have you "rest and descend." Mom is supposed to rest for an hour while allowing baby to descend into the birth canal more. Then the pushing would begin. During this hour the baby's heart rate kept changing. After about 35 minutes my nurse came back in and said that his heart rate was getting really fast and we were going to begin pushing.

James was such a trooper! Since my legs were completely numb, he had to help me by holding one of my legs. What an amazing man! Anyway, we did about 3 sets of 3 pushes. Things were going so well that our nurse called Dr. Horsley shortly before 7. He arrived a few minutes later and we did about 3-4 more sets of pushing. Haden joined our family in a rush of excitement! He started to cry and at the moment I heard his voice I began to tear as well. I couldn't stop smiling and crying. It was such a miracle to hear that little cry! Dr. Horsley helped James cut Haden's the umbilical cord. Then reminded him to go take pictures while Haden was getting cleaned up and measured. Our little man came into this world on 9/12/09 at 7:23 am, just over 5 hours after checking into the hospital. He weighed 7 lbs 9 oz, and measured 20 in long. What a joy in our lives!

We had such a wonderful team of nurses. Our doctor is so wonderful! We love and respect him so much. He will forever be a lifelong friend. I am so honored that Heavenly Father has blessed me with such a miracle. I have yearned for a child for years. I just had to wait for the Lord's time. Hopefully the patience I have learned from waiting will also play a role in raising this little one. Patience is not something that I'm good at. But I'm excited for this opportunity that has been given me.

I also want to thank my wonderful husband and family for all the help and love that they've given me and our new family during this time. I love you all!

Labor Day

!!WE ARE FINALLY IN LABOR!!

Here is Our little Tidbit!

Haden James Tibbitts
9/12/09
7:23 am
7 lbs 9 oz
20 in long

40 Weeks, Executive Decisions & Emotions

By now I'm sure you can tell that the baby tracker is off. It counted down to zero and is now adding days on. That's right folks, I'm overdue.



We made our 40 week mark on Monday. As I'm writing this, I'm 3 days over. We were sure hoping to have our little gut on 09/09/09, but alas, it was not meant to be. Tuesday evening James and I went for a fantastic walk with the pup. We all enjoyed ourselves and have been going on many walks since then.

Wednesday morning, James helped make an executive decision for our family. He put me on my maternity leave! We figured that since I had already gone past my due date and I was so exhausted that what the heck. . . start my leave. If worse comes to worse, we will deliver on the 14th. That was only 3 work days away. I must admit that I'm very grateful for this decision. It's been nice to be taken care of and be able to take a nap if I feel the need. It's like a burden has been lifted from my shoulders. Now I'm not saying that work is a burden, it's just nice to have one less thing to have to worry about. I've been able to sleep in a little, go on walks, patch up a few loose ends for the baby and focus on our family. It's just nice.

EMOTIONS.
Need I say more. Please realize that I am 40+ weeks pregnant. I just feel so full of emotions this week. I'm happy, sad, nervous, ecstatic, anxious. . . etc. . . all at the same time. And its all over this little guy inside me. Honestly, I'm doing really well. This is such a happy time for us. I've had such a wonderful pregnancy. It's been easy. For that, I am so grateful. On the other hand, I'm sad, nervous and anxious. He's not here yet! I don't know what I'm doing! I don't know if I'm in labor or not. Yesterday I was having regular contractions with pain. Today. . . pretty much nothing. Some here and there. I don't want to be a burden on my doctor. We had an ultrasound on Tuesday and found out the baby is doing great, he's just really crammed in there. They also told us that he was about 8 lbs 11 oz! That's huge!! But we didn't get to see the doctor afterward. We saw the nurse practitioner. I don't know if I'm supposed to be seen again, or just wait it out until Monday when the doctor said he would induce me. At that, what am I supposed to do? Do I go in for an appointment on Monday or just go in and say, "Start me."? I have no idea what I'm doing. We're so concerned about all of this. The baby hadn't dropped by last Friday. Is he going to drop at all? Are we holding out for a natural delivery that won't be achievable, or am I prone now to have a c-section? My emotions. . . just all over the place. Sorry about the ranting. I'm sure all will be ok. I just don't want to cause imbalance to the universe. Faith in every footstep. That's what I have to keep in mind.

39 Weeks and Love!

We're to our 39 weeks! And at this point it's actually down to 5 days left! Doctor seems pretty positive that I'm going to go over though. We will see what he says at Friday's appointment. Here's my mug for now:



So, one of my favorite fall goodies is CANDY CORN!! I love it! I went on a quest for it yesterday. Luckily I found some. I bought a package for myself at work and a package for James and I at home. It's a great treat we can both agree on :) We were getting headed out of the house tonight and I had grabbed a handful and put it on the counter. I fed James a few and realized I had to potty, again! I took care of the situation and came back to grab our corns and head out. This is what I found when I arrived in the kitchen:



What a sweetheart my husband is!

Quick Trip!

So last Friday the doctor gave James the thumbs up for a quick business trip. He left Monday morning for San Jose. He set up a ride quick, just to find out that he couldn't train anyone on the ride. The park is not going to open till sometime next year which means he will go back later to train someone. Not too big a deal. He returned home this afternoon. I like that it was such a short trip, and within the Continental US.

We've got 12 more days till Baby Tidbit's scheduled arrival. Now that James is home, and we've passed the 37 week mark, he can come at anytime! His room is as ready as it's going to be for now. So bring it on! We go to the doctor again on Friday. Woo HOO!

MMMMMMMMMMM. . . . while James was away, I made jam from the Bear Lake Raspberries we bought. Oh, it's soooooooooo delicious. I'm so excited!

For your viewing pleasure. . . My friend Randa did a maternity photo shoot for me. She's so much fun and amazing! You can check out more of her work at http://www.alvordphotography.blogspot.com

What a month!

Ok, so I've been a blogging slacker again. But I really haven't been slacking! I've been quite busy! We were given some wonderful baby showers, James overcame Swine Flu and I didn't get it, been camping, started weekly doctor appointments, James turned 27, we've got the baby's room painted and all the furniture set up! That's just among the regular things we do on a weekly basis that keep us busy. So please forgive.

Thank you so much to all our wonderful friends and family that have taken care of us! We have received such an outpouring of love and generosity! Thank you again so much! Here's just a quick view of the rest of the showering we were blessed with:


Thank you Sisters of the Logan 19th Ward!


Thank you Friends!


Thank you Family! You're the greatest!

We had an awesome time at the Hancey Family Campout! We camped from the 5th to the 8th. It was such a nice getaway. And such a pleasure to just be with family. There was so much food! It was awesome. Unfortunately I found that I gained 4 lbs at the appointment following the week of the campout!


Our little family, including a lazy dog.

As mentioned, James turned 27! I'm so grateful for him. We didn't really get to do anything spectacular for his birthday. But he was so gracious and happy with just hanging out. We celebrated his day on Sunday the 9th with cake and ice cream. We celebrated his actual day on Wednesday the 12th with dinner at Quizno's and putting a second coat of paint on the baby's room. A big shout out to Daren, Ashlee, Lacey, Jody, James and Mom Tibbitts! You all did an amazing job! I wasn't allowed in. pout, pout.




Sophie Loves her Daddy.

Baby Tidbit's room is finally to the point where I can take a deep breath and relax. James built most of the furniture then his brother Daren came and helped set up some of the final pieces. I've got all the newborn clothing washed and with the help of my mommy and Lacey, it's all put away in his dresser. Thanks team! Couldn't have done it without you!






On another note, I've finally gotten to the uncomfortable stage of my pregnancy. I'm not super huge or anything, it's just different for me now. I can't bend over without grunting and I certainly don't feel like I can sit like a lady anymore! It really makes me laugh, but is just uncomfortable. It's ok though. I'm 38 weeks tomorrow. The baby and I are both 100% healthy and well. That's really the most that I can ask for.

And the last thing I'll probably talk about for tonight. . .

James and I went on a date Friday night! It was so wonderful!! We headed over to Bear Lake right after work. It was a pleasant and construction-less drive. We had dinner at LeBeau's. It's always great! We did decide though that we were going to give one of the other eateries a try the next time we go over. There's so many great places, but we've only ever done LeBeau's. We will be expanding our horizons! After we ate we stopped by a local raspberry stand and got a half a flat! I get to make some freezer jam tomorrow and am so excited for it! It's so delicious! Then we traveled to the south end of the lake to a little town called Pickleville. There's not much there, but the one thing that counts is the Pickleville Playhouse! It's a family run operation that's absolutely OUTSTANDING!!! The cast puts on two shows a summer that run through July and August. We went to see "The Hanging of ElBandito." It was a melodrama that was written by one of the crew. It had us laughing for the rest of the night. I thought I was going to go into labor from laughing so hard! All was well though. Then we headed home, stopping again at LeBeau's so we could have shakes. What a fantastic evening! One of our last outings as just the two of us :)

Surprise!

Yesterday the girls at work surprised me with a baby shower! They won't be able to make the shower tomorrow, but didn't want me to feel forgotten. It was a lot of fun! I sure do work with a good group. The best part was that it involved ICE CREAM!!! the most entertaining part was our bailiff: he was putting whipped cream on top and ended up spraying it all over the place. Heather and Jen got the brunt of it. The look on the three of their faces was priceless! Thanks Pals!

Vacation

James and I have returned from a real Wyoming vacation! We left last Tuesday night and drove to Cheyenne. We arrived at about 2 am. Boy were we exhausted!

Wednesday we got up and went into town to watch the Thunderbirds. We were there during Frontier Days, so they were there for the air show. They were pretty good! The show wasn't as long as it usually is, but good none the less. For dinner becky made some great pork chops. mmmmm, mmmmm good!Later that night we went to the carnival. The kids had a blast and got to ride some rides. None for me though!




Frontier Days is great for "People Watching." We caught a glimpse of this cool dude we have conveniently named "Afro Man."


Thursday we kinda relaxed. It was nice. Went and looked at some stores. The most exciting part was that James was able to obtain his illegal for Utah fireworks. I have no idea what we are going to do with them, but I'm sure it will be entertaining. We wrapped this day up with some authentic Mexican grub. It was delicious. We made cilantro lime rice and homemade re-fried beans to go with our shredded beef. It was delicious!

My sister had to work on Friday, so we got ready and got a few pictures. We loaded up everything and set out for our next destination.




First, I took James out to Burns. That's where I grew up. It didn't take too long. There's not much there that's the same anymore. We did stop at the cemetery to visit my grandparents. I hadn't been there in so long. It was nice. James never got to meet them, but now he at least knows where they are. After our tour (sorry, no pictures. It's that boring!), we went back into Cheyenne where we met up with my uncle, a couple cousins, and our friends Al & Linda Wilcox for lunch. We had such a good time there! Food is always welcome!



After we finished eating, we headed to Douglas to see my other Sister. Her husband, Paul is an amazing chef! That night, he cooked the best steak I believe I've ever had in my life! I would definately eat more of it if he were closer, that's for sure!

On Saturday, we kinda just hung out again. It was so nice and relaxing. I got a little rambunctious and went on a Harley ride with Paul. I loved it!



We made personal calzones for dinner and watched movies all night!

We made the LOOOOOOONNNNNGGGG trip home on Sunday. Here's the sad stuff. I hadn't been feeling well for most of the trip. By the time we got to Lea's on Friday, I had lost my voice. We almost came home early. I was tough and my sister Lea helped me get in contact with a doctor to feel better. By Sunday morning, I was feeling a lot better and was gaining my voice again. But my sweetie wasn't feeling well. He ached all over. We figured it was just the sleeping arrangements. We were both not feeling well this morning and stayed home from work. By 8:30 I had James to the instacare. Turns out he has the swine flu! I can't believe it! I feel so bad for him. We are both on anti-viral medication. Since I'm in the high risk group, I get to take the same meds as James does. He's out of work for 7-10 days and gets to be quarintend. I'm still safe. I can go to work. So it's all good. Dr. Horsley says so.

Wrapping up this extra long post. . . We are at 34 weeks today! 6 more to go! I better get cracking on the baby's room!