The Story!

The main characters in the story.

On April 30th, I had my 36 week appointment (although I was only 35-1/2 weeks). I felt pretty good because I was 1.5 cm and 70% effaced. I knew that my body was progressing and that was what mattered in my head. I still hadn't really started preparing for a new baby. I had stopped babysitting the week before and was still bugging Richard to finish the project in the loft so I could put my house back together. Every day that week, I had slowly started putting books on the new bookshelf. I talked about my plans of what I wanted done in the boys' room. I made lists but got little done on them because the weather was nice and I wanted to have some fun with Nelson. We went to Farm Country one day and to the Dinosaur Museum another. We also went to story time at the library and played with friends here and there. That Saturday I went to a friend's baby shower down in Provo and finally got out the space bags with the baby clothes. I went to church on Sunday and talked to some friends in the hallway about how I hoped my water would break again with this baby. I had said multiple times that week that I was going to go early (positive thinking), but I always followed that statement with "But, not this week because I'm not ready for him yet.". Everything leading up to Monday seemed like normal life. I had been extra emotional and my feet were huge on Sunday - things that could have hinted towards what happened the next day...

Monday started out like normal. I said family prayer with Richard at 5:30 before he left for work and then went back to sleep in my loyal recliner (I slept in the recliner the last four months because of hip and sleeping problems). At 7:00, Nelson woke up and I went into his room to get him. I started having a conversation with him when I realized liquid was going down my leg. My water broke with Nelson also in the morning, but I still had the same thought, "I have no bladder control - I'm peeing my pants!". I told Nelson that I needed to go to the bathroom and then we would get him his milk. I cleaned myself up, got his milk, and turned on Curious George. After Nelson was situated, I grabbed my phone and headed back to the bathroom. I started bleeding then and knew that my water broke! I tried calling Richard and got no answer on his cell or work phone. That's when I panicked! Not only was I going into labor four weeks early, but I could not get a hold of my husband! I called my Mom in tears. She told me to call my neighbor, throw a bag together, and get to the hospital. Within minutes my sisters were calling me telling me that they would take over calling Richard - something I knew would not result in anything. Richard had two huge projects due at work in the next couple of weeks. He had worked 15 hours overtime the week before and still felt panicked about work. When he works on the projects, he goes into a lab where phones are not allowed. I sent him an email hoping he would be by a computer. I had no idea what else to do, but I knew I needed to get to the hospital.

Nelson and I walked across the street at about 7:40. I had packed a bag quickly for myself and grabbed some clothes and diapers for Nelson. Nelson was so happy to go to Lucy's house so early in the morning and happily greeted Spencer at the door. Brittany had hopped in the shower after I called and speedily came down the stairs when she heard my knock. She put on her shoes, and we were out the door (without her putting on her make-up first, that's how I know she loves me).

On the drive there, my sister called and I recommended to her that she should look up Richard's work number online and talk to a receptionist or someone. I remember talking non-stop on the way to the hospital - I was nervous about having the baby early and not knowing if someone could get a hold of Richard in time. I was starting to have some contractions.

We hadn't registered at the hospital yet. I was going to do the early registration that Friday after my doctor's appointment. They told me to just go upstairs and register later. (Brittany ended up taking my insurance card and ID downstairs and registering me while I got checked.) The first person I saw when I walked into the labor and delivery area was my doctor! What a great sight! They checked me and confirmed my water had broken and I was at a 3. They took me to a labor and delivery room to start hooking me up to everything. Right after we got into the room, Richard FINALLY called! A security guard had found which lab he had last gone into and went there to tell him his wife was in labor. (He admitted later that he didn't really think I was in true labor until he called my phone and Brittany answered it and told him I was already in a L&D room!) He was on his way! It was about 8:30 when he called, and he got to the hospital at 9:15. Brittany left to relieve her husband from kid duty, and I got my epidural. An hour after I got the epidural, I was at a 9 and the nurse started prepping for the delivery. I couldn't believe how fast everything was happening! (It was a good thing, though, because my doctor was leaving at 11:00 to go home for the day, so I would have had a different doctor for the delivery.) My doctor came in at about 11:00 and ten minutes later, we had our little boy! They had a team of specialists in the room that they took him to immediately. Within a few minutes, they brought him to me and said he seemed great and that they thought he looked like me! They still took him downstairs for some testing after I held him for a couple of minutes! Like a wrote in the previous post, he was borderline on some of the tests. He took to eating right away and that helped him pull through without any extra help.

We feel very blessed that he was so healthy! At his first doctor's appointment, he is continuing to grow and doing great! I am also very thankful for wonderful friends who helped me when I wasn't quite prepared for what was happening! And, lastly, I am so thankful Richard got there in time! You would think that Richard learned his lesson and would give me the lab's phone number or he would check his email more often. Nope! Still just as hard to get a hold of at work this week! Hopefully Brittany will still live across the street in a couple of years...

AMAZING Mother's Day Present!

I thought for Mother's Day this year I was getting my Thanksgiving Point membership renewed. Well, I did get my new membership card inside of a nice card this morning from Richard, but my best present came this past Monday! It caught me way off guard as it came a little over four weeks early, but I am more than proud to present my second handsome son, Clive James Burrows!

Although he came early, he weighed in at 6 lbs. 5 oz. with an length of 19 inches long! He was borderline on a few of the tests, but we pumped up the "Mommy time" and made it through without any extra IV's, bilibeds, or medications. We feel very blessed and lucky to have this little guy in our family!

As for me, the Mom, I feel great! I think it definitely helped that the labor and delivery were so fast (4 hours total from the time my water broke to when Clive was born - a story that deserves its own post, another day). It also helps that I have so much great help around!

My Mom drove up on Monday after I told her that Clive was on his way. She will stay with me for a couple of weeks! I feel lucky to get to have her here on Mother's Day! She has always been the best Mom ever, and I hope to someday be at least a little like her. She is having a great time holding Clive and reading stories to Nelson.

Nelson is also being a pretty good helper! He got pretty sick on Thursday and struggled on Friday, but he was pretty much back to his happy self yesterday. With a little extra attention here and there from Mom, he is being a good big brother. He even started calling his brother "Clive" today instead of "baby" or "brother". Occasionally, he wants a turn holding him and always tells me when Clive is crying. Only once did we have a meltdown because he wanted Clive to be in the cradle not in Mom's arms. I think his biggest adjustment is not being on the go or outside all the time. The past two days he has begged us to take him in the car or for walks. Now that he is better, I am sure he will have a few play dates this week with his favorite friends!

On a side note, Richard finally finished his "baby" this week! He has been working on this bookcase/desk in our loft for the past month. He designed it over a year ago, so I told him two months ago that if he wanted to build it to do it now before the baby was born. With the help of our brother-in-law, Adam, and a few neighbors, he finished his masterpiece. I think it looks awesome! He told me the other day when he put the last cabinet door on that him finishing it was another Mother's Day present to me. I told him that it being finished was a wonderful present, but the bookcase itself is his early Father's Day present. I got my baby as my early present, and he gets his "baby" as his early present as well!

Baby Bits

First of all, yes, I know I am a complete Blog slacker. This pregnancy thing totally drains me and add mothering, wife-ing, friend-ing, sister-ing, daughter-ing, home maker-ing, and babysitting on top of it; and I'm worthless on the creative blogging side of things.

Yesterday, I did have a cool experience, though, that helped me get excited about baby #2 to come. My good friend, Lindsey, had her baby - a boy! Her husband is in the National Guard and at a training camp until July in Georgia, so, obviously, he wasn't there. Our other friend stayed the night at the hospital with her while she was in labor and then came and got me the next morning. We actually missed the birth by minutes (thanks to blasted road construction and a super fast delivery), but I stayed with Lindsey for the next few hours after the birth. It was really cool to see her hold her baby for the first time, analyze his little features, and just be totally in love with this new child of hers. You see, I have a hard time imagining my life any different than what it is at that moment (I can't even remember what it's like to wear my regular clothes). When people ask me if I am excited or nervous to have a second child, I can't answer them because I don't know how it will be - I can't even imagine it. I'm sure I will magically love my little boy, just like I did with Nelson. I'm sure he will just squeeze his way into our lives and in three months, I'll feel like life didn't exist without him. I just can't imagine it right now. But, Lindsey did help me get a glimpse of the love and excitement I will have when I have my own newborn. Thank you, Lindsey, for letting me be a part of that experience with you!

People have also been asking me about how I think Nelson will do. I really don't think he has any idea about what's going on. He kisses my stomach and has said the baby's name before, but that doesn't mean he knows there really is a baby in there. As for how I think he will do, I think he'll do just fine. He may have moments, but I don't really expect anything but kindness and love coming from him. His whole life I have just kind of expected him to be kind and loving. I try to show him those qualities and expected him to show them to me and others in return. He definitely is not perfect (especially when Cars toys are in the picture), but overall I think he's turning out to be a pretty great kid! I know he loves me more than anything in the world and tries to act in a way to show me that love. Having high expectations and teaching good values is the only way I know how to mother because that was my example growing up. So, once again, I think he will do just fine.

I am slowly starting to do things to get ready for the baby. I'm only at 32 weeks, I got time, right? It seriously, though, has been hard to find the time to get ready for this baby. Within the past two weeks; I have bought new sheets, some diapers, and a sit-n-stand stroller (thanks, KSL). I want to paint a race car track on the boys' room wall and rearrange the furniture in there. We'll see if it happens before the baby is born. I have been pushing Richard to finish his projects for the year before May. He is in the middle of building a built in bookcase/desk across one of the walls in our loft. Hopefully he and my brother-in-law will finish it this weekend. Then, I can get him to work on my projects!

Anyway, just some little thoughts I've had about the arrival of boy #2 in our house!

Don't Feel Too Bad...

... that you missed this much fun at shamROCK 2010! There's always next year.

(Thanks, Britt & Wendi, for letting me steal these pictures off of your blogs. We aren't very good at taking pictures lately.)