Prestyn's 1st Easter

After Prestyn turned 1 week old she got to celebrate her 1st Easter. Since the Easter Holiday begins on Good Friday Prestyn began celebrating then by wearing her "This Bunny Loves Karats" onesie! :) Prestyn's Pap Pap got to come over with Uncle Danny & Aunt Kathy, and they all met her for the first time! She was a good baby & slept most of the time...

The Saturday before Easter Prestyn's Great Aunt Denise & cousins Alex & Danielle came to visit. They brought Prestyn a sweet Easter basket with adorable clothes! Prestyn's Nonna & her cousins Jake & Jared also came to visit, and also brought an Easter bucket for Prestyn. It had a little bow in it that she wore on Easter Sunday! I'll never forget Jake holding Prestyn, and saying her eyes are blue like the ocean. He is so sweet! They just love their new baby cousin. We had a good visit with everybody...baby girl was ready to eat once they all left!

If Prestyn was born on time or earlier we probably would have braved going to church on Easter Sunday, but since she was late & only 10 days old on Easter we decided to stay home...Ryan's family brought Easter to us!

Prestyn's Uncle Justin & Katie were here along with Prestyn's Grammies, Nanny, & Steve. It was wonderful! They brought EVERYTHING! I didn't have to do a thing! We had a great meal & a good time visiting! And of course Prestyn was spoiled with presents from Uncle Justin & Easter goodies from Grammies & Nanny! Prestyn LOVES the jammies & sleep hats her Nanny got her. :)

And we got our first family picture! The purple dress Prestyn wore first is one made by her Nonna. So sweet! Ryan's Godparents, Uncle Danny & Aunt Kathy, also got Prestyn an Easter dress so being the diva she is she did a wardrobe change!

I can't wait until next year when she can hunt Easter eggs! :)

Prestyn's 1st Week

Since I had a c-section I had to stay at least 3 nights, but insurance pays for 4...so we stayed 4! Not including the night we spent in the hospital before Prestyn was born...staying at Dallas Presby was more like a mini-vacay, and we were there 5 nights! Sure there was some pain meds, but there was room service & we left home with a souvenir so it really was like a mini-vacay!

We were thankful to have many visitors during Prestyn's first days. Her very first visitor was Missy Pooh! And she brought Tiff's Treats...yum! I had been craving Whataburger so when Prestyn's Grammies, Steve, and Nanny came to visit they brought me just what the doctor ordered!...Literally...the doctor said whoever brought me what I wanted could hold the baby so they did just that!

Prestyn had her first bath given by the nurse while I watched...I was still in some pain so I tried sitting on the edge of my bed to watch. :) Prestyn also got to get dressed in the gown and hat I ordered for her before she was here. You might notice an old Care Bears blanket in some of the early pictures...this was one of my receiving blankets...we wrapped Prestyn up in it so her Nonna & Papa could take it to Puppy. :)

I won't go through all the visitors we had, but we were truly thankful for all of them! And the gifts they brought!! My goodness! I had no idea Little Miss Priss could be EVEN more spoiled than she was before she arrived. Boy was I wrong! She got tons of stuff! And Mommy & Daddy did too! That was nice! I sure am glad we upgraded to the Delux Suite so our guests could have room to sit and visit.

Day by day went on in the hospital, and each day I felt like maybe I knew what I was doing. Prestyn came out nursing and latching on like a pro! With awesome nurses and Lactation Consultant she was doing well! She was still losing some weight (which is normal) but never lost more than 9% so there was no concern!

Everything says not to give babies a paci until breastfeeding is well established...well...by day 4 I couldn't take it anymore! And neither could Prestyn! haha! So once we got her in the carseat to go home...she got a paci! And the drive home was a quiet one. :)

The days in the hospital and the first couple of days home are kind of a blur...we had wonderful friends bring us dinner that first week which really helped out!

We tried to do Prestyn's newborn pictures this first week...she was not cooperating...go figure! The child who came a week late then had to be delivered via c-section wouldn't cooperate for newborn pictures...no surprise! We still love her! We did get some family pictures though...even though I was still swollen & puffy :( I hope they turned out ok! Our photographer was gracious enough to reschedule to next week...which takes us into week 2 :)

 

Prestyn's Birth Story

First of all...I think it's time I (ahem...BFF) update the layout of the blog...

Second of all...As I always say...I want to blog more! Especially now that our little one is here, and I want to document EVERYTHING!

Third of all...I'll quit with my outloud thinking & tell you Prestyn's Birth Story!

Fourth of all...this is going to be a long post! Prestyn's baby book has a section for her birth story which I will summarize there, but hopefully one day she'll be able to go back & read this post! :)

From the moment we found out we were pregnant we started thinking about what would we do if I went into labor while Ryan was at work...so we had a plan A, B, C, and D! We had our bags packed at 30 weeks...we were ready!

I really wanted her to be on time or late, and prayed for this so that I wouldn't have miss anymore school than necessary. Prestyn was due during Spring Break...on the Friday that we got out for Spring Break I literally started trying EVERYTHING to bring on labor!

When I say EVERYTHING I mean EVERYTHING! It was funny to me how I would post about ready to meet the baby, and people would tell me tips and tricks to try...I would have already tried it, and it didn't work! Prestyn just wasn't ready...

It actually got a little depressing...We had gotten to the week she was due, and she wasn't here...I didn't know what to do with myself...I was out of school, and was just ready & waiting for this baby! Everybody would ask me each day how things were and each day I had to sadly share that there wasn't any progress.

When I went for my 40 week appointment the doctor asked me if we were ready to schedule an induction, and yes we were! Since I was only dilated 1 centimeter I would need to go into the hospital the night before induction to begin cervical ripening.

An induction prior to 41 weeks is elective...at 41 weeks it becomes medically necessary...although you can go 42 weeks, but I was glad the hospital allows you to go in at 41!

So we went into the hospital on Wednesday, March 20th at 9 PM. We were admitted into our room, and they started the cervical ripening at about 11 PM. I started having contractions about 3 AM. Ryan and I did not get any sleep this night! Which I knew was going to be hard since I was going to need energy once it was time to push!

At about 8 AM they took out the cervical ripening medicine thing, and checked me. I was 2 centimeters dilated. That's when they started the pitocin. Things started moving pretty quickly. They kept telling me to just let them know when I was ready for the epidural, but I wanted to hold out as long as I could because:

1. I was afraid of getting the epidural
2. I thought it wore off if you got it too early

Once I was to the point of tears because of the pain of the contractions I got the epidural...I was 3 cm when I got it. And boy am I glad I did! I could still feel pressure of contractions, but I was feeling good & comfortable and was able to get some naps here and there.

We had LOTS of visitors who started arriving about 7 AM. We had no idea how long labor would be so family was waiting all day! And boy was it a long day of waiting!

The doctor broke my water then things really started moving! I think it was at 6 PM that I was 10 cm dilated & 100 % effaced so it was time to start pushing!

The nurse and doctor thought the baby may have been sunny side up or sideways based on me having lots of back labor. When I started pushing they found this to be true...

I pushed for an hour then was positioned in a way to try to turn Prestyn while I slept for an hour, and tried to regain some energy...

Then the pushing started all over again. People were anxiously waiting in the waiting room, and Ryan was doing an awesome job at coaching me through pushing...

Then came the hard part... I began getting very sick, and had absolutely no energy to push. I was sleeping between contractions, and pushing when they told me to. This was hard since I needed more drugs, and couldn't tell what I was supposed to be pushing against...

I remember looking at Ryan's exhausted face, and with tears in my eyes asking him & the doctor what to do. I knew it had been a long day and night, and wasn't sure how much more I could do...they were all so patient with me. They continued to tell me that it was whatever I wanted, but I just needed somebody to tell me what to do...that was when the doctor recommended a c-section. I said, ok...let's go!

I could not have been better taken care of by #1 my husband and #2 the doctors & nurses at Dallas Presby! They were amazing at making sure I was comfortable and at ease...We went into the operating room, and by the time Ryan got his scrubs on they had already cut me open!

I was so exhausted I was sleeping or trying to most of the time, but I quickly awoke and lit up as soon as I felt the pressure of her being delivered, and hearing her cry! It was 11:24 PM. Prestyn Reese was born and weighed 7 pounds 5 ounces and was 20 inches long. And yep...she was sunny side up! Oh just typing this makes me relive it all over again...I vaguely remember them bringing her to me to show me, but then they had to take her away...

I had told Ryan prior to going to the hospital that if they had to take her for any reason that he needed to go with her, and not stay with me...that I would be fine! Well...her oxygen level was low due to fluid being in her lungs so she was taken to the nursery while they finished sewing me up!

Prestyn's grandparents and Daddy got to ride in the elevator with her in the incubator to the nursery. While I slept in recovery Prestyn was being cared for by her favorite nurse Cyndi! Once I got to my post partum room there awaiting my sweet baby with her favorite nurse Cyndi. We got to have skin to skin & she began nursing like a champ!

It was about 2 AM at this point so we were ready to sleep...the rest is a little blury, but I do think we did sleep some! :)

Stay tuned for more on Prestyn's first weeks!

Going FBO!

That stands for Facebook Official for those who don't know. ;)

We wanted to make sure that we told a few before posting to the world of Facebook. Which included my school family. :) and Ryan's brotherhood at the fire station. :)

I had started professional developments, and was needing to use the restroom quite a bit. I was also eating many snacks throughout the day to prevent nausea, and starting to get a little baby bump! So I knew it was time to tell!

By this point we had our big appointment where they drew blood, did a sonogram, and prepared us for the next couple months! So while at lunch with my team we were all sharing what we did over the summer...I said: "Look what I did this summer! Made a baby!"

We went FBO with this announcement, and received many well wishes and congratulations. :) Even though I didn't get to see all my FB friends & family members often it was a nice way to share our news with them!

Telling the Families...

The Christmas before we were married...while we were engaged & wedding planning I gave my dad Father of the Bride as a gift...this was a movie he and I always related to as far as the relationship between father & daughter so this gift was something that reminded us of that relationship while we planned for a wedding! When I made this purchase I went ahead & bought Father of the Bride Part 2 (where they are pregnant)...for the future!

Fortunately my parents had planned on coming over the night we found out we were expecting. So I wrapped up the movie (along with their San Antonio souvenirs)...They thought they were opening just a bag of souvenirs, but then found the movie...it took my dad quite a while to "get" what we were trying to tell him here!

I had to remind him...I gave him part 1 when we were planning for a wedding...so now I'm giving you part 2 because...we're planning for...then my mom got it!...for a baby!! They were so ecstatic!

We planned to meet Ryan's mom & brother out for dinner in Dallas. "Just because we hadn't seen them in a while..."mmm hmmm! I stood between the both of them so Ryan could get a picture of the 3 of us...he said, "1, 2, 3, say: I'm going to be a grandma & uncle!!" They were shocked & very excited!!

We weren't able to meet up with Ryan's dad to tell him, but we were able to send him this...I had some bleeding that was a little scary so I got a picture earlier than most...so at this point "it" just looked like a blob!

We did get to see Ryan's dad & Pap Pap just a few days after & got to tell Pap Pap too! I know everybody and every website tells you not to tell anybody until you're at least 12 weeks...just in case...our thoughts were the people we told in the beginning were the people closest to us, and we knew they would be praying for us...

WE'RE PREGNANT!!!

So I know this isn't new news for y'all, but I wanted to share exactly how this day went! The day of finding out...not the day of when it happened. ;) You can read the anniversary post for that one. ;) haha!

We were ready for a baby so this was a surprise in the sense that I had taken about um...20-30 test prior to this! Exaggerating completely but for the past couple of months I was waiting...

When we got back from San Antonio we were getting ready for the reception for friends of ours. I had been helping with getting everything ready so I was busy, busy, busy! I needed to go to Target to get their wedding gift so I thought...may as well get a test...just for fun! I didn't even tell Ryan I got one until I was home for a while then told him I was going to go take it.

For the longest time I had this plan of how I was going to tell him: Thanks to Full House! I was going to make a meal with BABY back ribs, BABY carrots, BABY corn, etc...instead...I ran out of the bathroom kicking and screaming!!

I was a lot more relaxed with this one...I didn't hover over it waiting for it to say "Not Pregnant" since that's what I was so used to seeing. I just walked around the house doing stuff for the reception...THEN I went into the bathroom & saw it!!

Telling this story makes me relive it, and I love it! The excitement I feel inside is making me smile like that day was yesterday! Ryan and I were hugging & crying! I then began planning how we would tell our families! While I did that Ryan had to go out & get 5 more tests! Just to be sure!! Here's a pic of 4 of them...there were 7 of them!

Where Have We Been?!

Quite Busy!! My last post was about our 1 year anniversary so I'll pick up right where I left off!

I was hired to teach Summer School this past summer--yay! (New Floors--I'll get into that later!) Summer School started at the end of June and went through August! But we got a week off in July! So Ryan and I decided to take a mini-vacay to San Antonio!

We love going to San Antonio! It's far enough away, but close enough to get to when you want a get away. We stayed in an awesome hotel with a roof top pool. We were quick to get out to the pool! Our hotel was right on the Riverwalk so we enjoyed dinners on the Riverwalk. :) Ryan was excited to have a Beer Rita...I, on the other hand, just felt nauseous...but we really did not know why! So I stuck with water...and couldn't hardly eat my meals. hmmm...

We did all the typical touristy things & enjoyed every minute of it! We went on the Riverwalk Tour Boat & visited the Alamo. Since we were here for the 4th of July the Alamo had some neat festivities going on...We especially enjoyed the fireworks show on the rooftop of our hotel!

The last time we were in San Antonio we really wanted to go to Sea World, but thought it was too expensive, and we would save it for when we had children to take. Well thanks to our friends, The Perkins, who have season passes...we got to go to Sea World!! I've never been so excited!! We seriously had THE BEST TIME!! We went to to EVERY show & enjoyed every minute of it! It was an exhausting day, but well worth it!! We even fed the dolphins & sea lions! I think the dolphins were Ryan's favorite & the sea lions were mine!

Our last night was spent with one of Ryan's cousins & her husband...Dana & Paul. We always love spending time with them! They took us to a yumm-o restaraunt where we also had some yumm-o margaritas...when in Rome, right? Again...little did I know... ;) The smell of this fish would soon make me VERY sick! ;)

On a side note:: We have not been in San Antonio since my last post! We've been home...enjoying our last few months together of just the two of us! More to come!!