How It All Began
Kyle and I had decided early in our engagement that we would try to conceive starting on our wedding night. We had recognized that we were both getting older and that if we wanted 2-3 children that were decently spaced apart we were running out of time before it got risky and increased the chances of complications. I had began the planning process with my doctor and started prenatal vitamins a couple months before the wedding to make sure my body was in tip-top shape. I was concerned with my ability to conceive since my mother had had a difficult time, hence the age gap between Wayne and I.
Well, Kyle and I have learned that fertility is our forte. Within a month of our wedding we were pregnant! First Response Pregnancy tests are not that accurate! They claim to be able to tell you a week before your missed period. Well, I followed the directions to a T and got a negative response...sooo...that next weekend I was at my good friends Ben and Hilary's wedding whooping it up and having quite a few alcoholic drinks only to learn the next day that I was pregnant. Ooopsie....Sorry Nixon! Mommy Fail #1. Actually, technically #2 since the weekend before Kyle and I went camping and I may or may not have consumed large amounts of Summer Shandy and wine.
When I took the test I was home alone - Kyle was at work, I know you're shocked! I was supposed to have my friend visit that day, but by 5:00p.m. she still hadn't visited, so I thought...hmm...just maybe? So I took another test and it was instantly positive! I danced a happy dance with Fred, checked and re-checked the test, hooted and hollered and then I stood there in a daze. Holy Crap. I was going to be someone's mom. A million thoughts raced through my head: Are we ready? Can we afford it? How can we juggle this new life? Is it too soon? And then I thought - well, there's no turning back so let's do this!
I couldn't wait for Kyle to get home from work. I quickly ran to Barnes and Noble where I picked up What to Expect and Goodnight Moon. I wrapped Goodnight Moon and my plan was to give it to Kyle to tell him. Well, when he got home and opened it he stared at it blankly...he didn't know what it was. With all the wind taken out of my sails I threw the test at him. Then he smiled and immediately went online to research Recaro Car Seats. Yep, that's my husband!
We found out we were due on April 30th, my 30th Birthday. What are the odds of that? Pregnancy was very easy for me. I never got morning sickness, and my main food cravings was for anything fruity. That was not limited to actual fruit, it also included fruit snacks, gummy bears (I found a 3lb bag at World Market!) and fruit juice. I worked out up until 2 weeks before I had him, going 5 days a week, still taking my Abs class, Body Pump Class, and then walking and doing the elliptical. I also took a beginners swimming class, but never signed up for intermediate since I would have been SUPER preggo in a swimsuit...no thanks.
I am so blessed to have a husband who was completely there for me throughout the whole pregnancy. He attended every single Dr.'s Appointment with me except one because he had to work overtime. The nurses at the office were shocked when I came in alone that day! It was so cute. Kyle stepped up and did more around the house, even cooking me his specialties for dinner when I didn't have the energy to cook. That man can make some delicious Ramen Noodles and MacNcheese! He did a wonderful job on our nursery, painting it and assembling all of the furniture. Without him I couldn't have achieved my dream of having the room featured on OhDeeDoh!! Check it out! The Wamlet's Room on OhDeeDoh!
Fast forward through the nearly 10 months of pregnancy to April 24th, 2011 at midnight. I had woken up to use the restroom for the 8th time that night and I felt some light cramps that seemed to come in waves. I thought it was strange but I had had them about 2 weeks before and just thought it was my body getting ready for D Day. A couple hours later at about 3:00 a.m. Jack had woken us up to go outside and when Kyle got back into bed I mentioned the cramps. He asked how far apart they were and I said I didn't know because I was sleeping, not to be bothered, so we both rolled over and went back to bed. At 7:00 a.m. when we got up to start our day they were still there so we started timing them. They were about 10 minutes apart. Well, it was Easter Sunday and since we didn't have plans we went out for a classy breakfast at Johnny V's in West Allica, then we came home, watched the Brewers Game on TV, I took Jack for a walk, did some things around the house, and we watched a movie.
The whole day Kyle and I were arguing if I was in labor or not. I was convinced it was false labor - I watched more than my fair share of A Baby Story and I saw Knocked Up. Labor is supposed to hurt. This was just mildly annoying. The waves kept getting closer yet I still was in denial. Finally they were about 5 minutes apart and it was to a point where we needed to know if my mom needed to make the drive down to Milwaukee or not, so she said to just go in, get checked and then at least we'd know for sure if it was real labor or false labor.
We went to St. Joe's to be checked and discovered I was 4cm dilated, 80% effaced and he was at a -1 stage! It was game time! Since I didn't believe I was in labor we didn't bring my bags, so Kyle had to go back home and get them. In the short time it took him to go take care of the dogs and get the bags I went from kinda hurting, annoying pains to OW pains. Thank goodness we were already at the hospital! Everything progressed very quickly from there. My mom arrived at 8:00 p.m. and Kyle and I had already watched Dave Chapelle's Killing 'Em Softly (classy) and we were about to start a movie when I was in terrible amounts of pain. Regardless of my desire to try and have him naturally I had to throw in the towel and get the epidural. Of course it only worked on my left side and I could still feel everything on the right side. They tried to have me roll over to have it work its way to the right, but when I laid on my right side Nixon's heartbeat got dangerously low. The Anesthesiologist came back to give me a double dose, and this took the edge off but I could still feel the contractions on the right side. At least I felt like I halfway did it naturally! Hahaha...
In addition to his heart rate dropping, Nixon wasn't getting enough oxygen so they put me on oxygen to help him out. They also had to place a heart rate monitor on his head while he was still in me to get a better reading. In addition to all that, the little stinker was facing backwards so Dr. Lovell had to reach in and try and turn him so his face was facing the right way AND he also had his first poop inside and there was meconium in the amniotic fluid so as soon as he was born they needed the NICU pediatrician to whisk him away to clean out all his airways so he didn't inhale that mess and get an infection...Good Lord, this kid was already a drama queen! Due to all of this the Doctor mentioned that she might want to use forceps to get him out quickly and I thought, Oh No You Don't! So I just pushed with everything in my body. The Positive? He was out so fast the Doctor made me stop pushing because she wasn't ready. The Negative? Making your baby come fast means mama gets 2nd degree tearing. That's not recommended. Dr. Lovell was more than impressed with my pushing skills, I'll have to thank my Body Pump and Abs instructors!
As soon as Nixon came out and they said it was a boy it was the coolest feeling ever. I felt so relaxed, happy, and in love all at once. I even joked with the doctor that we wanted to save the placenta. You should have seen her face! We didn't even save wedding cake, I'm pretty sure we don't want that...LOL. I was trying to look over all the nurses and doctors who were attending to Nixon and get a glimpse of him. My first thought was that he looked HUGE. His feet looked enormous, and the nurses were all, no way he's small! When they finally weighed him and we found out he was only 6lbs 14oz I was so surprised. I thought for sure I was having an 8+ lb baby.
Once he was finally in my arms all I could think of was that he was mine, and that this little guy was going to be my world. He was so beautiful from the second he was born. Kyle and I prepared ourselves to admit if our baby was ugly but fortunately for us Nixon was just the most perfect newborn we'd ever seen...probably because he was ours, so we might be slightly biased.
Well, Kyle and I have learned that fertility is our forte. Within a month of our wedding we were pregnant! First Response Pregnancy tests are not that accurate! They claim to be able to tell you a week before your missed period. Well, I followed the directions to a T and got a negative response...sooo...that next weekend I was at my good friends Ben and Hilary's wedding whooping it up and having quite a few alcoholic drinks only to learn the next day that I was pregnant. Ooopsie....Sorry Nixon! Mommy Fail #1. Actually, technically #2 since the weekend before Kyle and I went camping and I may or may not have consumed large amounts of Summer Shandy and wine.
When I took the test I was home alone - Kyle was at work, I know you're shocked! I was supposed to have my friend visit that day, but by 5:00p.m. she still hadn't visited, so I thought...hmm...just maybe? So I took another test and it was instantly positive! I danced a happy dance with Fred, checked and re-checked the test, hooted and hollered and then I stood there in a daze. Holy Crap. I was going to be someone's mom. A million thoughts raced through my head: Are we ready? Can we afford it? How can we juggle this new life? Is it too soon? And then I thought - well, there's no turning back so let's do this!
I couldn't wait for Kyle to get home from work. I quickly ran to Barnes and Noble where I picked up What to Expect and Goodnight Moon. I wrapped Goodnight Moon and my plan was to give it to Kyle to tell him. Well, when he got home and opened it he stared at it blankly...he didn't know what it was. With all the wind taken out of my sails I threw the test at him. Then he smiled and immediately went online to research Recaro Car Seats. Yep, that's my husband!
We found out we were due on April 30th, my 30th Birthday. What are the odds of that? Pregnancy was very easy for me. I never got morning sickness, and my main food cravings was for anything fruity. That was not limited to actual fruit, it also included fruit snacks, gummy bears (I found a 3lb bag at World Market!) and fruit juice. I worked out up until 2 weeks before I had him, going 5 days a week, still taking my Abs class, Body Pump Class, and then walking and doing the elliptical. I also took a beginners swimming class, but never signed up for intermediate since I would have been SUPER preggo in a swimsuit...no thanks.
6 Weeks
Nixon was already quite the little traveler before he was even born. He went to Michigan for my cousin Melissa's wedding (4 weeks pregnant), New York for 2 weeks while I dog sat for his Uncles Bryan and Chad (6 and 7 weeks pregnant), he went to Madison for the UW vs Ohio State Game (12 weeks pregnant), back to New York for our Annual Girls Trip to see the Jets play the Texans (17 weeks pregnant) and then Tampa Bay for a work trip (31 weeks pregnant). Kyle came with to Tampa and we stayed longer and made it an pre-baby vacation. Let's hope he travels as well now that he's outside my belly!
I absolutely loved being pregnant with the exception of the 3rd trimester. I never actually felt pregnant until my last month, it seemed like something that happened to other people, not me. I just felt normal with the exception of having difficulty bending down or getting in and out of my car. I loved feeling him kick me, which was like clockwork. Every morning at 8:00, 10:30, 2:30 p.m. and then around bedtime. He was so predictable. He hated it when I would jiggle my belly to wake him up, responding with punches and kicks. I loved poking his heels and he'd push back. Nixon also had the hiccups nearly every time I ate which was the most annoying feeling ever.
I absolutely loved being pregnant with the exception of the 3rd trimester. I never actually felt pregnant until my last month, it seemed like something that happened to other people, not me. I just felt normal with the exception of having difficulty bending down or getting in and out of my car. I loved feeling him kick me, which was like clockwork. Every morning at 8:00, 10:30, 2:30 p.m. and then around bedtime. He was so predictable. He hated it when I would jiggle my belly to wake him up, responding with punches and kicks. I loved poking his heels and he'd push back. Nixon also had the hiccups nearly every time I ate which was the most annoying feeling ever.
I am so blessed to have a husband who was completely there for me throughout the whole pregnancy. He attended every single Dr.'s Appointment with me except one because he had to work overtime. The nurses at the office were shocked when I came in alone that day! It was so cute. Kyle stepped up and did more around the house, even cooking me his specialties for dinner when I didn't have the energy to cook. That man can make some delicious Ramen Noodles and MacNcheese! He did a wonderful job on our nursery, painting it and assembling all of the furniture. Without him I couldn't have achieved my dream of having the room featured on OhDeeDoh!! Check it out! The Wamlet's Room on OhDeeDoh!
39 Weeks, 2 days before I went into labor
Fast forward through the nearly 10 months of pregnancy to April 24th, 2011 at midnight. I had woken up to use the restroom for the 8th time that night and I felt some light cramps that seemed to come in waves. I thought it was strange but I had had them about 2 weeks before and just thought it was my body getting ready for D Day. A couple hours later at about 3:00 a.m. Jack had woken us up to go outside and when Kyle got back into bed I mentioned the cramps. He asked how far apart they were and I said I didn't know because I was sleeping, not to be bothered, so we both rolled over and went back to bed. At 7:00 a.m. when we got up to start our day they were still there so we started timing them. They were about 10 minutes apart. Well, it was Easter Sunday and since we didn't have plans we went out for a classy breakfast at Johnny V's in West Allica, then we came home, watched the Brewers Game on TV, I took Jack for a walk, did some things around the house, and we watched a movie.
The whole day Kyle and I were arguing if I was in labor or not. I was convinced it was false labor - I watched more than my fair share of A Baby Story and I saw Knocked Up. Labor is supposed to hurt. This was just mildly annoying. The waves kept getting closer yet I still was in denial. Finally they were about 5 minutes apart and it was to a point where we needed to know if my mom needed to make the drive down to Milwaukee or not, so she said to just go in, get checked and then at least we'd know for sure if it was real labor or false labor.
We went to St. Joe's to be checked and discovered I was 4cm dilated, 80% effaced and he was at a -1 stage! It was game time! Since I didn't believe I was in labor we didn't bring my bags, so Kyle had to go back home and get them. In the short time it took him to go take care of the dogs and get the bags I went from kinda hurting, annoying pains to OW pains. Thank goodness we were already at the hospital! Everything progressed very quickly from there. My mom arrived at 8:00 p.m. and Kyle and I had already watched Dave Chapelle's Killing 'Em Softly (classy) and we were about to start a movie when I was in terrible amounts of pain. Regardless of my desire to try and have him naturally I had to throw in the towel and get the epidural. Of course it only worked on my left side and I could still feel everything on the right side. They tried to have me roll over to have it work its way to the right, but when I laid on my right side Nixon's heartbeat got dangerously low. The Anesthesiologist came back to give me a double dose, and this took the edge off but I could still feel the contractions on the right side. At least I felt like I halfway did it naturally! Hahaha...
In addition to his heart rate dropping, Nixon wasn't getting enough oxygen so they put me on oxygen to help him out. They also had to place a heart rate monitor on his head while he was still in me to get a better reading. In addition to all that, the little stinker was facing backwards so Dr. Lovell had to reach in and try and turn him so his face was facing the right way AND he also had his first poop inside and there was meconium in the amniotic fluid so as soon as he was born they needed the NICU pediatrician to whisk him away to clean out all his airways so he didn't inhale that mess and get an infection...Good Lord, this kid was already a drama queen! Due to all of this the Doctor mentioned that she might want to use forceps to get him out quickly and I thought, Oh No You Don't! So I just pushed with everything in my body. The Positive? He was out so fast the Doctor made me stop pushing because she wasn't ready. The Negative? Making your baby come fast means mama gets 2nd degree tearing. That's not recommended. Dr. Lovell was more than impressed with my pushing skills, I'll have to thank my Body Pump and Abs instructors!
As soon as Nixon came out and they said it was a boy it was the coolest feeling ever. I felt so relaxed, happy, and in love all at once. I even joked with the doctor that we wanted to save the placenta. You should have seen her face! We didn't even save wedding cake, I'm pretty sure we don't want that...LOL. I was trying to look over all the nurses and doctors who were attending to Nixon and get a glimpse of him. My first thought was that he looked HUGE. His feet looked enormous, and the nurses were all, no way he's small! When they finally weighed him and we found out he was only 6lbs 14oz I was so surprised. I thought for sure I was having an 8+ lb baby.
Cleaning him up, removing the heart monitor from his head
6lbs 14oz
He's so loved, so perfect
1 Day Old
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