Titan Broc Parker

Well our little guy is now 2 weeks old..we still can't believe he is ours! I keep thinking we are going to have to give him back to someone. Like, we are just babysitting him or nannying him for a bit and soon he will have to go back. We feel so lucky to have such a sweet and fantastic baby boy!!!

To begin, the "Hospital/Birth Story" -

The day after my due date (Oct. 26th) I went in for my Dr's appointment and expected to hear that I would be induced within the week...no such luck. My doctor set the inducement day for 10 DAYS after my due date. Walking out of the office I thought...there is no way I will go another 10 days!

Then on Oct. 30 I thought I felt a leak...I thought possibly my water was leaking. So after dinner at Olive Garden, we swung by the Hospital and checked in. 2-3 hours later, it was confirmed...my water was not leaking. It was just false hope on my part. So it was back home to wait some more.

9 days overdue and I go to my last dr's appointment where everything is confirmed for me to be induced the next morning...sort of. Everyone kept asking me what time we had to be at the hospital at and I couldn't tell them, because someone calls you the night before between 5:30-8:30 pm to give you the time in the morning, then when that person calls they tell you that someone will call you the next morning between 5:00-9:00 am and you are expected to be at the hospital within an hour or so...and if you don't get a call by 9:00...please call them at the hospital! Really? They can't come up with a better way of doing all this?

So the next morning at 6:30 we got the call. I told them we could be to the hospital by 7:30 am. I had been up since 3:00 am...showering, packing, whatever I could to fill the time since I couldn't sleep, so I figured it wouldn't take us much time to get there...but then I looked out the to see SNOW!!! Lots of snow!!! Of course! Of course, I am induced on the one day it decides to snow in forever.

After driving through rush hour traffic and snowy roads...we arrived at the hospital around 8:20...by 9:00 we were all checked in, my water was broke, and the petocin was going.

Around 9:45, the doctor decided I looked too comfortable and upped the petocin. Around 10:30 I decided I wanted to be comfortable again and went for the epidural. My contractions had gotten somewhat strong and everyone kept telling me it was only the beginning...that I would be having them until at least 5:00 pm although maybe longer.

A little after the epidural, the Doctor checked me and I was to a 5. Hooray!!! Finally something different than the 2 I was at for over a month.

At around 11:30 the nurse checked me again and I was to an 8 and 100%. Broc told me though, "Don't get your hopes up!" If the doctor was checking he would probably say a 6 or 7...My doctor was a very conservative measurer! We joked I would probably stay at an 8 for the next 6-8 hours.

Then at around 12:45 the doctor came in and checked and I was at a 10!!! He said we would maybe have a baby by 2:30 pm as most people usually have to push for atleast an hour!!! So we started making the phone calls, telling everyone to hurry and come.

At 1:15, the nurse had me start pushing. A few minutes after, the doctor came in, said he was concerned about the baby's oxygen and had me start pushing closer together, he wanted to get the baby out. Finally, he resorted to using a vaccuum to help the process along and at 1:45...Titan Broc Parker was born!!!

Little did I know at the time, that the reason they wanted him out so quick was because the cord was wrapped around his neck. I found out this fact 2 days later! My doctor was so calm, I just thought they wanted him out because of some small reason...I didn't not realize at the time how serious the problem was!!! Kudos to my doctor and nurse for being so calm and for keeping me calm!!!

So that is the story, labor was less than 5 hours, pushing was less than 30 min, and in the end Titan was a healthy little boy!!! 7 lbs 15 oz & 20 in. long.

If all my labors are like that one (minus the wrapped cord) I can totally have 5-10 kids. Especially since my pregnancy was so easy as well. My doctor actually advised me that if/when I have more kids, as I get close to or after my due date I shouldn't stray to far from a hospital because had I gone into labor on my own with Titan he probably would have come much sooner. Hooray for a labor that was so quick!!! Truthfully, had I known Titan would come so quick and that the contractions I was feeling around 10:30 were actually pretty strong (not the weak early ones), I may have opted out of the epidural. As it was though, the epidural was fabulous and made for a super easy almost pain free experience. The aftermath (clean up) was actually the most uncomfortable part.

So there it is the story of how Titan came to join our family! He is now awake...so I will have to blog more later! :)

We are DONE moving!!!

It's official...we are done moving...at least for 8-10 months any way. As of last night we are moved out of the home we have been house sitting for the last year and a half. Where did the time go?

A couple lessons learned over the 18 months:

1. We are not outdoor people in the sense of yardwork, mowing lawns, planting flowers, etc. We enjoy the outdoors...just not cultivating and taking care of them. When we officially ever have a home of our own it will be one with astro turf and some flower baskets from Cactus and Tropicals...or we will be hiring a landscaper and yard crew to do the work and upkeep of a yard.

2. Bigger is not always better.

3. The art of caulking.

4. To keep a well stocked cupboard of light bulbs. In the last 18 months we replaced every light bulb in the house at least twice...some more. We also blew an electrical line/outlet...and continuously had problems with other electrical outlets within the home. We have our theories as to why we are replacing so many light bulbs...but are waiting to live in another location to see if any of them continue or follow us.

5. We are not so sure we want to live in another neighborhood that has a HOA.

As far as other life news...

I had another Doctor's appointment yesterday and so far so good. Baby Parker aka Croc (for now) is developing normally and everything else, according to my doctor, looks "just perfect". Perfect blood pressure, weight, etc. I'm getting to the point where sleep is proving to be somewhat difficult...but we are back to using the pillow top mattress we bought when we first got married which is HEAVEN. I LOVE our bed!

I've been asked if I've started nesting and truthfully, I'm not sure? I've always been a fanatic for home decor, organization, and redecorating. Plus with the move doing all the typical "nesting" things has sort of been required??? I am super excited to get everything in it's place at my mom's and to finish decorating our bedroom. That is one thing I have missed greatly while house sitting...our OWN stuff!!!

Broc is staying busy working at Wells and going to school. He is in his 2nd to last semester at BYU in the Marriott Business School Program. He has sent in all of the initial applications for medical school and is now working on the secondary applications that most schools require. Right now his Top 2 picks for medical school are either Creighton (Omaha, Nebraska) or The Uniformed Services (a military medical school somewhere in Maryland I believe).

Baby's 2nd Photo Shoot

A couple weeks ago (August 6th) Croc had his 2nd photo shoot. With the first ultrasound they were unable to get a "clear" shot of his entire heart, so we got to have another ultrasound where they looked at everything again. I'm certainly not complaining! :) The best part of the ultrasound was when they panned in on his profile and he was "yawning"...like "Come on guys, are we done yet?"

In the end, everything checked out wonderful! Ten toes, ten fingers, 1 good looking heart, 2 arms....all is healthy and well in Croc's world!!! At the time of the ultrasound he was 2 weeks ahead of schedule and 3 pounds...a big boy as they put it!

As of my last appointment (August 25th) I have gained 14 pounds and am apparently carrying much lower than average...thus my frequent trips to the restroom! Apparently carrying low is good though? Does that mean he will come out quicker??? LOL.

From behind you really can't tell I'm pregnant, but from the front, I have a BELLY!!! I am actually very happy that other than added weight around my center the rest of my body has stayed fairly the same. So far, no foot growth or massive water retainage! Hip hip hooray for that. I have found that vacation (ie St. Kitts or Cherry Hills) where I am out in the heat all day does tend to make my ankles swell, but then they return to normal within a day or 2 of returning home.

Other side effects of pregoness have included: charlie horses, some tiredness, minor lower back pain, and some off balance moments. Not too shabby! If this is as bad as pregoness gets for me...I'll take it! I'd have to say my biggest complaint is the charlie horses that I get in my calves while I am sleeping...Broc though is the most fabulous husband ever because when they hit at 2:00 am...he is always patiently there to rub them out and ease the pain the 2nd I start to whimper (yes...I do whimper...they HURT!!!)

As far as food cravings, I haven't had any super INTENSE cravings but some foods have become a trend: Pancakes, Pickles, Pot Stickers, Lemonade, Dove Almond and Milk Chocolate Ice Cream Bars & Starburst Candy. So really, not a whole lot different from my normal diet! Funny enough, chocolate things haven't sounded as good as they once did (other than the ice cream bars). The first part of my pregnancy (first 3-4 months) a bag of Dove Chocolates literally sat on my counter untouched...now that is just not normal.

All in all, I cannot believe that I am in the last 2 months!!! In 6-8 weeks our baby will be here! Broc and I will be parents. I am so excited to meet this little guy! :)
Broc is definitely very excited as well.

As far as other details of our life. We are in the process of moving out of the Brown's (where we have been house sitting) and up the street to the house I grew up in. As of Sept 10th, We will be living with my mom and sister and Grandparents in their home for the next 8-10 months. At first we will have one room...then when Uncle Conner goes on his mission (in 3 weeks)...we will take over his bedroom for Croc. On Labor Day we packed up most our stuff and sent it to storage. So many cute things going unused yet again. All well. Moving in with family will be nice...especially since Broc has family right next door! The Ross/Kimball/Trost/Parker/Stoedter bunch is taking over High Mountain Drive.

Croc's future room...

Great Grandma Ross to Croc, or Grandma Ross to Broc and I, got Croc an early gift....everything to decorate his room/nursery!!! It came in the mail yesterday and now I am so excited to set it up when we get into our apartment in a month or two!!! Of course...that would require furniture...but details details! I'm sure we will have the furniture soon enough. Thanks Great Grandma Ross! (I think she is a little excited about her great grandson...what do you think???)

She got us everything but the wallpaper & furniture!

Bean's Pool Party

Last Saturday my niece, Lily had her birthday party at a pool in Orem. Broc had to work so no pool fun for him that day. Gotta love maternity swim suits...the last week my baby bump has gotten a little bigger each day! At the B-day party I was 22 weeks along.