8 months and counting

It is no surprise that our lives revolve around little North. He is 8 1/2 months old and so amazing. Jared and I look at him everyday and feel so lucky to have such a sweet, fun, curious and wonderful little boy. Everyone always says that time goes by so fast. . . . well, it does. We really try to cherish everyday with North. Here are a few of my favorite pictures over the past few months. North has been on two weekend vacations, done a lot of swimming and spent lots of time with his loving family. 

Sisters

"Sisters, sisters

There were never such devoted sisters

Never had to have a chaperone, no sir

I'm here to keep my eye on her"

What would I do without my sisters? They are my best friends, my biggest support and my strongest examples of great mothers. Growing up with Kimberly and Katie there was never a dull moment. We would always be riding big wheels, having pillow fights, dressing up, playing atari and always making a mess of the house. Now we talk on the phone every morning, have lunch dates, discuss hot topics, watch our kids play, shop, vacation and try and fix each other. They both have so many strong qualities that I try to follow now that I am a new mother. Kimberly and Katie are both nurturing and generous. They also babysit North once a week. He is so lucky to have such loving Aunts. I don't know what I would do without my sisters!

Other great sister Trios:

Kathryn, Susan & Janet

Fro, Emma & Ali

Jaden, Sienna & Macy

Laura, Mindi & Me

Part 2- The Delivery

 Oct. 12th, my due date, came and went. Fortunately my sisters had prepared me that I would most likely be overdue. I think that saved me from disappointment. About 5 days after my due date we were having dinner at my in-laws. I decided that I would go and lightly bounce on the trampoline. I was hoping it would get things rolling. That night I went into bed at 11:45pm. About 15 mins. later at midnight things started rolling. I started to have contractions. It felt so different than I expected. I would describe it as a tightening. Around 3am I decided to wake up Jared and tell him the news. He was sleeping in the living room because I had been snoring so badly the past few months. Poor thing! I thought that they felt very strong. We timed them together, breathed together and I took a bath. They jumped from 5 mins to 15 mins. It was very inconsistent. The only thing that helped me to feel better was to walk around. I was up all night and happened to have a doctors appointment at noon. Dr. Froerer told me that I was only dilated to a 2 and would probably have the baby in the next 24 to 48 hours. That felt like eternity. We went home and between contractions we cleaned the house. By midnight that night the contractions got stronger, but were still very inconsistent. Around 2am, Jared made the decision that we were going to the hospital. I didn't argue. We checked in and got a room and a gown. My nurse checked me out and I was dilated to a 4. She told me that I would probably be able to stay. What??? I wasn't leaving. I had just been walking around with no sleep having contractions for over 24 hours. I was exhausted. I lasted until 5am and broke down and got the epidural. Relief!!! I could finally sleep and regain some energy for a few hours. My Uncle Kimball came in and checked on me around 7am. He is such a sweetie. Dr. Froerer then came in a broke my water. That sped up my labor. Katie showed up around 8:30am. Jared and I invited her to be in the delivery and to record it. She was an awesome support. Right at noon I felt like the baby was coming out. We contacted the nurse and she told me that we would start pushing. Jared and Katie held my legs and I started pushing. Dr. Froerer came in about 12:30 and took over for nurse Jill. Katie pulled out the camera and Jared coached me. He was awesome!!! North arrived at 12:57pm. Holy "ring of fire". I guess the epidural wore off. They placed him right on my stomach and started to clean him off. It was a surreal experience. Jared cut the cord and we just cried. It was the most amazing moment of our lives. North and I had skin to skin time and tried nursing. The next 24 hours were a blur. Kimberly and Mindi showed up to meet North. We also had the nurse pack up the placenta. We want to plant it with a tree for North this spring.

Part 1- The Pregnancy

Pregnancy was one of the greatest times of my life. I loved being pregnant! I felt beautiful, I loved the attention and I especially loved feeling North growing inside of me. There were a few hiccups, like being tired in the beginning, having restless leg syndrome towards the end and a touch of anxiety. My sister Katie would tell me that we come from sturdy pioneer stock and that is why we feel so great. I'd have to agree. My great great grandmother, Suzanna Stone, was a pioneer woman who had 14 babies. I don't think i'll achieve that feat, but I hope to be pregnant one more time. Here are a few picture highlights and stayed tuned for Part 2- The Delivery.

From then till now

Jared and I were married in the fall of 2006. About 7 months after we were married we decided to start tying to have a baby. I was not expecting the long road ahead. After countless tests, a small surgery, 7 IUI's, and much disappointment, we decided to do IVF. That was an expensive and scary decision, but it had been almost 3 years of trying and no other options. We started the process in fall of 2009, but had to stop because I was not growing enough follicles. After more tests and positive results we started IVF again in Jan. 2010. I was growing many follicles and we implanted 3 embryos at 3pm on my 33rd birthday. Wow! I think those were the longest 2 weeks of life waiting to know if we were successful. We found out on Feb. 5th that I was pregnant. It was one of the best days of my life. Now we have our beautiful boy, North. He is the center of our world and the greatest kid ever. I feel so lucky to have North and Jared for my family. I must have done something right in my 34 years of life to have such a wonderful family. Jared and I have been fortunate that we have been able to travel, live in Texas and Rhode Island and now own a home. I wanted to start this blog to share some of our new adventures as The Little Family That Could . . .