My New Year's Present

Jess Crew Baldwin
Born December 31, 2009 10:01 am
8 lbs 0 oz, 19.5 inches
American Fork, UT

Our sweet baby was born December 31, 2009 at 10:01 am! We were so lucky to have him before the new year! I was really wanting to have him New Year's Eve because seriously what a cool birthday plus it's an extra child tax credit we weren't counting on...lol. Thanks to all those who put in their input on how to get him here...some worked, some didn't ;-) At 2am that morning I started feeling some light contractions [about 5 minutes apart] then they got stronger and moved to 3 minutes apart. I really couldn't believe how fast it was all going! I woke Jess and my mom up ASAP to leave for the hospital. On the way out my water broke...ok then I knew it was REALLY happening that day--I was going to have my baby!

When we got to Labor and Delivery I was in pain, but pain I could tolerate. No joke, in like 3 minutes the pain got 10x worse and I was dying! The nurse anesthetist was not in the hospital to give me my epidural so we had to wait for him to drive here! Talk about the LONGEST 20 minutes of my life. Boy did I completely underestimate the pain associated with a baby trying to get out! When we got to the hospital I was 4cm and 90% effaced. From a 4 I went to a 6 in one hour, and then to a 9 in 17 min. I didn't get the epidural until I was 9cm....holy crap...OUCH. BUT the silver lining is...the nurse finally got there, I got the epidural, and I was all good :-)

When it cam time to push I pushed for about 1.5 hours and 8 lbs later he was here! I really could not believe I had an 8 lb baby, especially since my sister and Jess's brother had a 6 lb baby--I guess genes are were not equally distributed in this situation. He was so big for me I big time tore [4th degree] and boy am I feeling it today.

For all those who haven't had babies and are going to be having babies soon: I hope this post didn't freak you out...it is wonderful to be a mother and to have such a sweet gift be apart of your life...definitely worth the pain and stress :-)

Jess did so well--I was so proud of him! Although he didn't cut the umbilical cord, he still was there right by me cheering me on! He is such a sweet dad. My mom was also there and is here with me for the rest of the week--thank goodness she knows what she's doing!

Now the task at hand is to 1. get used to the idea of having a baby 2. actually be able to sit down after the episiotomy 3. get these rocks for breasts off of my body!! (I am bottle feeding...OUCH).

Trying to get his first suckle...I was so paranoid the whole time that he wasn't eating enough but now he sucks down his formula!

Daddy and Crew. Jess is such a sweet Dad...got to change his first diaper in the hospital which I will put in writing that he SWORE he would never do. I was in the shower and I heard the baby screaming, so I yelled through the door and asked what was going on. Low and behold, he voluntarily changed his son's poopy diaper! What a sweet daddy!

Crew and Grammy Sparks.

He's Hungry!

When he came out he had to have a little bit of extra help to breathe and to get the amniotic fluid out of his belly.

Crew and his double Aunt Whitney.

One of my very favorite pictures. I love this little boy :-) I am so lucky!

Merry Christmas!

The crew (except Dad...aren't we so beautiful in the morning?

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year!! I was so afraid that I would receive an unexpected gift (aka baby) on Christmas so I tried to take it easy all day. I REALLY did not want him to be born on Christmas (what an awful b-day...sorry to those of you who are born on Christmas). Jess and I got to host Christmas this year because my family came down from Idaho! It was a lot of fun, but I quickly realized that my apartment, which I thought was pretty spacious, in fact is not! I felt bad :-( Oh well, I guess it's a fun memory. My dad, brother, and sister left to go home yesterday, but my mom stayed behind to wait for the baby to get here. We had a lot of fun being together, watching movies, and of course watching my sweet niece Payton open up her first Christmas gifts...I love that lil munchkin.

Baby Room So Far

Although not complete, we have done some things to the baby room! Don't worry, I had the room very ventilated while I painted :-)

Pregnancy Update.

This is me at 38 weeks (last week). I am 39 weeks today and still. no. baby :-( I have been dilated to a 2cm and 80% effaced for 3 weeks now! Now that finals and Christmas is over this baby is totally free to make his grand entrance :-) I go to the doctor again tomorrow, so we will see if I any more progressed! My mom is here to help for when the baby is born, so we are just waiting....any ideas (besides castor oil) that will get him here this week???

One day I had a baby shower...

...and it was so much fun!!! This post is about two weeks behind, but on Dec. 5th my sister Whitney threw me a baby shower. It was a lot of fun, and because of my most excellent family and friends, we were able to get a lot of things for the baby. Thank you ALL who came and celebrated with me! There are a TON of pictures mostly for those to see who could not attend :-) *The culprit behind all the photos is Kirsten Rehak...I didn't get any pictures of the sneak, but she was such a big help in making my shower so successful :-)

*Thanks to Haley for making my (Crew's) cute sign*

My mil LaReesa Baldwin made this cute quilt for Crew's bed.

Some cute gifts....

Apparently there were a lot of funny moments at the shower...

Me and my good friend Sami. We are due a week apart :-) Check out my belly at 36 weeks! It's huge!

So happy that my Aunt Karine and Cousin Becky could come :-)

Friends. Friends.

Baby-bottle game...Dani is the master...she gets her skillz from her daughter.

Tray game

Friends. Friends.

Dad Practice

My mom bought us a stroller this last weekend. We got such a good deal: Graco stroller and car seat combo for only 150.00! Jess had fun putting it together and getting in a little "dad practice". Now all we need is a baby to put inside. Mom, here are some pics of the stroller. Thank You!

Giving Thanks

I am thankful for...

1. Knowing for myself that there is a God in heaven who watches over me.
2. My Savior Jesus Christ who has made it possible for me to mess up in life, learn from my mistakes, and be a better person.
3. A wonderful, caring husband Jess who loves and takes care of me every day.
4. My healthy son (knock on wood) who I will have the pleasure of meeting in just about 1 month.
5. My dad whom I look up to so much. He is one of the reasons why I work so hard--to make him proud.
6. My most generous, giving mother who teaches me that life isn't always about yourself--it's about helping others around you.
7. My sister Whitney who has become one of my closest friends--I still can't believe she can put up with me in BOTH of her families ;-)
8. My brother Tommy for letting me feel like his mother while growing up and for letting me be so excited for him to start college.
9. My youngest sister Olivia who reminds me of myself so much and who will be my best baby sitter EVER (if she ever moves to Utah that is).
10. All of my in-laws (and there are too many to name) who take me into their family every Sunday and make me feel that I have a family away from my own.
11. My little niece Payton who is just the cutest ever--I hope she and her double cousin get along!
12. My other nieces and nephews who I "married into" who like me more than their Uncle Jess...haha.
13. Belonging to the true Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
14. My great opportunity to be in nursing school and learning soooo much that my brain would explode if you put a pin to it.
15. That Jess has a job that provides for our family the necessities of life.
16. That Jess has adopted a "school is good for me" attitude.
17. That Jess cooks me dinner when I don't feel like it.
18. That I have learn to at least stand ESPN because it's on all day.
19. That my KIA is almost paid off.
20. That I own the series Anne of Green Gables and still watch it faithfully.
21. That my couch is more comfortable than my bed (at least I have SOMEWHERE to sleep).
22. Wonderful friends who I can hang out with after months of not seeing them and still being able to crack up laughing at a memory.
23. Not getting a stretch mark yet during my pregnancy (a HUGE knock on wood).
24. My favorite meal at IHOP: Nutella crepes and scrambled eggs...I don't think I will EVER get sick of that.
25. To be almost finished with nursing school and to be able to finally get a job that pays more than minimum wage.
26. For the many years I have been able to work for the BYU Bookstore--I have met so many wonderful people there who will be my friends for life.
27. To live in a duplex that has brown 70's carpet: you really can't see a THING when something spills.
28. That my husband loves candles and good-smelling scents.
29. That I get to set up my Christmas decorations tomorrow (or today if I get to it).
30. That I only have 2 weeks of school left before finals.
31. That I only have 1 more clinical at the hospital next Friday night.
32. That our cousin Mark lets us into so many free movies.
33. That it only costs 1$ to buy popcorn at the movie theater
34. That Harry Potter 6 is coming out on DVD on December 8th.
35. That I am NOT going shopping on Black Friday.
36. That my cell phone plan lets me call my mom for FREE.
37. That our church building is only a 5 minute drive.
38. Chocolate
39. For the beautiful weather this Thanksgiving Day.
40. For good doctors that know just how to take care of me.
41. DVR
42. That my family gets to come down to visit me around the holidays.
43. That we got a free Christmas tree from Jess's old roommate.
44. Having a dishwasher.
45. An awesome landlord who lives far away.
46. Baby kicks that let me know my little fetus is still "kicking".
47. New neighbors that are a lot more quiet than our last ones.
48. The seasons (yes, even winter).
49. That I have had the chance to live in many places during my childhood (including overseas).
50. That I have health insurance.

I could go on and on...what are you thankful for?