The Most Wonderful Day of my Life- Labor & Delivery Story

This is the Labor and Delivery story about Easton. Some may not care about these details but I'm afraid I will forget, so this is really for my memory.

It started the night before, on the 23rd, all had been as normal as it had been with my pregnancy. I went to work Monday and worked my 8 hour shift with no problems. It was a normal night at home too. We ate dinner and watched some TV. I decided I would update my blog with some overdue belly posts and nursery pictures, while Kevin went to bed. While I was updating the blog I noticed that I was having some, more intense than normal, braxton hicks contractions. I had been having these for weeks now so I didn't think much of them. I finished up blogging with just my 38 week belly post left to do. I figured I would just take my picture the next day and post about it then. We had scheduled to take our tour of the new women's facility at Brookwood and I had my 39 week appointment the next day also.
I went downstairs to head to bed (about 9:30pm) but couldn't quit focusing on how intense these "braxton hicks" were. I laid in bed and tried to sleep but those "braxton hicks" were keeping me awake. I was always nervous that I wouldn't know when I was in labor. The good thing was that I knew braxton hicks are inconsistent and sporadic with their timing. So just to make sure I pulled up the contraction timing app from my phone and started to time them. It seemed like they just happened to be every 10-12 minutes. That's funny because braxton hicks have no rhythm. I was afraid to admit to myself that this might be actual labor. It was 10 days before my due date. I also didn't want to wake Kevin up for a false alarm. I wanted to be sure. So I called the doctors office (11 pm) and it just so happened that my doctor was on-call. I told her the situation and she told me to wait at home until they were every 5-7 minutes. So back to the bedroom I went. I continued to time them and realized that by now they were every 7 minutes. I decided, this must be it! So I proceeded to wake Kevin up. I would shake him and say his name and all I got out of him was, "OK, I'm up I'm up" (with a half asleep voice). I did this for several times until he FINALLY woke up. I said to him, "I really think you need to get up! We might need to go to the hospital." I don't think it quite clicked with him. He slowly got out of bed and went to the laundry room to look for his clothes. He thought I was waking him up because it was time for him to go to work. Once he realized what was going on he kicked into overdrive. He was running around the bedroom throwing last minute things into my bag and his. (oddly enough he had just packed his bag before he went to bed). We ran out of the house with the car seat in tow. Guess we were going to be taking our own tour of the new women's center.
On the way to the hospital Kevin informed me that he had been having trouble sleeping the past few nights and that he chose THAT night to take a sleeping pill! Ha! That's why I had so much trouble waking him up! To add to it, we were caught by a train on the way to the interstate. (by the way, why do the trains pick 11:30 pm to run through Pelham?! Or anytime I'm in a hurry to get somewhere) On top of that, after calling my parents to tell them, Kevin called his parents. It just so happened that his dad had to go down to the beach for business for 1 night only. (Kaye didn't go just in case E was born) He left his phone downstairs to charge and went upstairs to sleep. Also Kevin's mom had her phone charging next to her bed, but on the floor where she couldn't hear it. So needless to say we could NOT get in touch with either of them. Kevin called probably 30 times each! He left messages for them both and we continued to the hospital.
We arrived at the hospital at about 12 am. We got checked into our L & D room. I was already 2-2 1/2 cm dilated from my doctor's appt on Jan. 17th. I was 3-4 cm when we arrived at the hospital. Once it was confirmed that I our boy was coming that day, I called the girls at work to say, "Im having a baby today and won't make it to work." haha!  We finally got in touch with Kaye and she couldnt believe that she had missed so many phone calls.  She came to the hospital and She, my mom and Kevin were with me during Labor.  Tommy, on the other hand, still wasnt answering.
I told the nurse that I didn't want to be a hero and have a drug free birth but that I wanted to see how far I could go before getting the epidural. She gave me Neubaine to take the edge off of the contractions. She told me it would feel like I had had a couple of margaritas. Well, it felt more like I had had a couple of pitchers of margaritas, and it didn't take the edge off. I was dizzy and nauseated! yuk! I was able to hold out until 6-7 cm dilated before getting the epidural. The contractions were just becoming so frequent and getting more intense. The needle for the epidural didn't bother me. I didn't even know he was poking me. The worst part was having to sit hunched over the bed while having contractions! Once the epidural was on board (and the Neubaine too) I began feeling very sedate. It was almost like I couldn't remember to breathe because I was so sedated. They had to put the O2 on me because they said my O2 stat was low, not the baby's. About an hour after giving me my epidural my water broke. Not long after that we started pushing. It only took about 5-6 pushes and our baby boy was born!! The little man who had been kicking me was finally out and on my chest! We did skin to skin for about 45 minutes. It was AMAZING! He was so alert and relaxed.  Once Easton was born, Kevin's dad still not there, Kevin sent him a text message with a picture of E that said, "Im here, Where are you??" lol!
Afterwards we headed up to our actual room where all of our family got to come and see our newest addition. Overall Pregnancy, Labor and Delivery were quick and easy for me. I hope I can say the same later in life for the second go around. =) What an AMAZING experience to say the least!! Definitely the most wonderful day of my life!

Easton is here!!!

At 6:44 am on January 24, 2012 my life changed in the most wonderful way! Kevin and I welcomed our first child, a son, into the world. This is our first (of many) family photos!

Easton Thomas Crooks

Date: January 24th, 2012

Born at: 6:44 am

Weight: 5# 13ozs

Length: 20 inches long

His First Bath

Wall Quote

Well this is the last piece of the puzzle. This is the last thing I had been waiting on for Easton's room. I was unsure, at first, about what I wanted over his bed. I liked the idea of putting his name but I also wanted to do something a little different than what you normally see. I decided to go with a quote. Once that was decided I had to pick one! Much harder than you would think. There are SO many precious baby quotes to choose from. After searching I picked this one. And I totally LOVE it!!

I wish I could say that I had the talent to paint this on the wall myself. But sadly I don't. I found a website that specializes in vinyl decals. They have everything from baby quotes to home decor quotes. Anything you can imagine, they have. You can even personalize them. It was very easy to put up too. Definitley my favorite thing in his room!

38 Weeks

Well as I'm sure you know our little miracle was about 10 days early. Because he came early I didn't get a chance to take a 38 week belly picture. I should have taken one in my hospital gown. Ha! But I wanted to complete the belly posts because I want to be able to print this out one day as a keepsake. Also I'm a little bit OCD and the thought of missing a week, especially the last one, drove me crazy. Ive been meaning to mention in one of my belly posts about how cute Kevin has been during this pregnancy. (This is mainly for me to remember) But every Tuesday, even though my "new" weeks started on Thursdays, Kevin would grab the iPad and watch a weekly pregnancy video. There is a lady called the "Pregnancy Health Guru" on Utube and she has illustream videos for people to watch. She tells you about what is going on with you and baby in your new pregnancy week. Sometimes we would watch them together, but mostly he beat me to them every time. My husband is more of an electronic gadget guy. So reading a book to get the same info wasn't as appealing. There isn't much more for me to write about in this the last week of my pregnancy. CRAZY! I cant believe this 9 1/2 month journey is over. No more belly kicks and hiccups to feel. This is a little sad to think about, but I know that the real journey is just getting started. I cant wait!






Your baby's the size of a pumpkin!
Baby is about 18.9 to 20.9 inches long and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. His head is now about the same circumference as her abdomen.
He may have about an inch or so of hair already.
He's slowly shedding that white goo on his skin (called vernix caseosa) but you might see some of it at birth.

Nursery Update

Here is a picture tour of Easton's Room:
As you are standing in the doorway.

Turning to the right there is his changing table.

Once we have some newborn photos taken, there will be one in this white frame.

Here is his crib. I still need to mount the monitor, and I have a wall quote ordered (which should be here any day) that will go above his crib! I cant wait to post about it! It will be too cute!

Continuing on the tour ;) , here is his closet door.

Everything that isn't stuffed into a drawer is hung up neatly in his closet. This boy already has alot of clothes.

This is his finished dresser! The special part is the panda stained glass picture in the background. This piece actually hung in Kevin's room when he was a baby. So when Kevin's mom, Kaye, gave it to me I thought how special it would be for Easton to have something of his dads in his room!

Standing in the corner of the room next to his closet.

Our little reading nook. For nighttime rocks and bedtime stories.

37 Weeks

Here we are at 37 weeks preggo! I went to the doctor on Tuesday (1/17/12) and the doctor said that I am still measuring right on track and his heart rate sounds great! Good news for mommy's ears! Also, she said that I am now 2-2 1/2 cm dilated and 70 % effaced! WOW! She said that when I go into labor that I could go quick. So she told me not to sit around at home when I start feeling the real contractions. So far the only thing I'm feeling are braxton hicks contractions, though they are getting more intense and frequent. I go back to the doctor tomorrow (1/24/12) so we will see if I have made any progress and what she has to tell me. (We also have our tour of the new Women's Facility at Brookwood tomorrow and I'm very excited about that) I feel I am physically ready for him to come. By that I mean his room is done and I have everything I could possibly need. Mentally I am a little nervous. There are times when I think to myself how excited I am to meet him, then that quickly turns to anxiety and worry about if I am really ready for the responsibility that lies ahead. I know all first time mothers feel this way and that everything will fall into place as it should.

Yay! Baby has reached full term. He likely measures around 18.9 to 20.9 inches and weighs about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. He's gaining about 1/2 ounce each day.

Your baby at 37 weeks
He's practicing some skills: inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping and blinking.
He's getting his first sticky poop (called meconium) ready for his first diaper.

Initials

I wanted to get some letters for Easton's room, and decided to go with just his initials instead of his whole name. My mom bought some white wooden letters and found this great picture online. This would be the inspiration:

The After:
This sure was a fun project! Cant wait to get them up on the wall. They will be going above his changing table next to a framed picture of him. (Once he gets here)

36 Weeks

36 Weeks- Month 9! WHOA BABY!! Cant believe we are almost there! I went to the doctor earlier this week (1/3/12) and she said that I am measuring right on track and that his heart rate sounded good. She also told me that I was a fingertip to 1 cm dilated. This news didn't surprise me. As far along as I am I would hope that 1 cm would be the case. Kevin, who's been really ready for Easton to get here, was the opposite of me. When I told him about the 1 cm he had a mini freak out and said, "so that means you are contracting?!?" I told him that that wasn't the case and that women can stay at 1 cm for 3-4 weeks. He calmed for a second but it was cute to hear the panic/surprise in his voice.




He's still in the 17.2- to 18.7-inch and 4.2- to 5.8-pound range and continues to beef up. He's getting closer and closer to being able to breathe on his own.
His skin is getting smooth and soft and his gums are rigid.
His liver and kidneys are in working order.
Circulation and immune systems are basically good to go, too.

Girls Swap Party 2011

Well I cant believe its that time of year again. Our girls Christmas swap party was actually in 2012 (1/2/2012) but it was for Christmas 2011. It was held at Allison's house this year and we were all suppose to bring yard signs for our annual dirty Santa game.

The Before:

As usual our dirty Santa game got pretty dirty. Poor Nikki ALWAYS seems to be on the wrong end of it. Her gifts are always stolen from her and she never leaves with the first thing she chose. (Maybe next year you will draw a high number Nik.)

Our group picture with all of our signs! Someone, at least one, always seems to be pregnant at our girls swap party. This year it was me and Allison. Its tradition to take your picture in front of the Christmas tree together. (Me at 35 weeks and Allison at 19 weeks) Wonder who it will be next year? ;)

The ADORABLE sign that I walked away with! Cute huh? Cant wait to put it out next year.

I cant believe I have known some of these girls for 15 years!! That's crazy! I absolutely love getting to spend time with them and enjoy the crazy wonderful times we have! Love you girls to pieces!

Sol Vista, Colorado!

My in-laws were gracious enough to take us to Colorado this year to enjoy some snow skiing. We left on December 26th and returned home on December 30th. It has been about 6 years since we had been. I, of course, did not ski. I was ok with that because I was 35 weeks pregnant AND for Christmas, just a few days before, had gotten a nice new DSLR Canon Camera from my in-laws! This was my big item on my Christmas list! I'm going to need it to shoot some good pictures of this upcoming baby boy! So, never the less, I was excited to go to Colorado because I was going to be learning how to use my new camera and taking scenic pictures! I was a little nervous about having to sit on the plane for those few hours and being so far along. But I read up on a few things before leaving and was just fine. Travel day was HARD but well worth it. (Luckily baby Easton stayed where it was nice and warm)

Here are just a few of the scenic pictures I took:

Along with Kevin, me, and his mom and dad, was also Kevin's brother Jeff, his wife April, and their 2 kids Jake-7 and Caroline-3. The kids had a blast learning to ski for the first time!

These were a few of the pictures I could get Kevin to smile and take with me. Well almost smile.

On the lifts: (and yes that is my goofy husband showing off his guns!) haha!

On the way back down the mountain is the best time to take pictures because the scenery is just amazing! These are a few of the ones I snapped. They are a little fuzzy because we were moving and there were smudges on the car window.

35 Weeks

Here are 2, 35 week, pictures! They were taken in Colorado when my in-laws took the whole family snow skiing (I didn't ski of course). They just have different views of the beautiful mountain sides and so I thought I would just share them both. Our Colorado trip will be posted next so stay tuned!

He's about 17.2 to 18.7 inches. From here on out, he won't get much longer, but he's plumping up. He's now about 4.2 to 5.8 pounds, and he'll put on a pound or more of baby fat before birth.

Now, his hearing is fully developed, and he responds best to high-pitched noises.
If it's a boy, his testes have probably fully descended.

34 Weeks- MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

34 Weeks- Merry Christmas everyone! I had my 34 week doctors appointment earlier this week and they said that we are measuring good and that his heart rate was 145! What a great sound to hear! I am anxiously excited about the arrival of our boy. Lets just hope that he stays in a little while longer because we are leaving for beautiful Colorado in the morning, and will be there for about a week.

At less than two months to go, he weighs in at about 4.2 pounds to 5.8 pounds and measures about 17.2 to 18.7 inches.

He's recognizing and reacting to simple songs, if you're singing them. (If you're not, start! He may find them soothing after birth.)
He's also urinating about a pint a day.

33 Weeks

Sorry about the no makeup picture, it was kinda last minute. =)



Your baby's the size of a honeydew!
He weighs about 4.2 to 5.8 pounds and measures about 17.2 to 18.7 inches. And he may grow up to a full inch this week -- Amazing!
He's keeping his eyes open while awake.
He's also starting to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing.
His bones are hardening.
And he going through (more) major brain development -- that's one smart baby!

32 Weeks

32 Weeks (Month 8)- Its Christmas time! So my pictures for the next couple of weeks will be in front of all the beautiful decorations! I LOVE this time of year!

Still growing, your baby weighs in at about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds and measures about 15.2 to 16.7 inches.
He's getting ready for his descent -- he's likely in the head-down position now.
And he's probably feeling a even more cramped.