Happy Birthday Karson!

Aunt Kacy made sure to get Karson a birthday cake before he was born so that we could sing to him and celebrate his birthday! I knew there was a reason we kept her around! :)
So, I spent the evening on 8/20 with my mom and sister watching the movie August Rush... a movie Jason and I LOVED and we continuously referred to the August Rush we would be experiencing when the baby came! I secretly thought to myself... this movie is going to bring this baby!

I started having contractions around 7:30 pm... every 7 minutes (just like the night before). Then, around 11:00, they were coming every 5 minutes and Jason started keeping track on the computer. As I frantically scurried around the house puttering and cleaning in a frenzy, he was able to call out, "you're going to have another contraction in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...." and the next one would start. He was thrilled with his psychic abilities.

After about an hour and 15 minutes of this, Jason called the doctor and he said since I was a day late and the contractions were so regular for so long, it warranted a visit to the hospital even if only to get checked out.

I still felt nervous about going in and being turned away to wait a few more days. I decided I really needed a shower.... so Jason patiently waited. Then, I decided I was hungry, and that I wanted eggs over easy, scrapple, and wheat toast.... so we went to the diner. Yes, at 1:45 am.

As I sat in the booth, each contraction would distend my belly so far that I was touching the table! I was able to house the WHOLE plate (and Jason didn't eat a thing! lol! He was a little nervous I guess).... anyway, with so much room in my stomach, I knew the baby had to have dropped even further.

Here's the short version of the story... We went in. I was checked out. The baby was kicking the heartbeat monitor and it sounded like he was stuck in a tin can. It was totally cracking us up! I was still 80% effaced and 3 cm dilated but since the contractions were every 3 minutes (now that the nurse brought on stronger and more frequent contractions by whatever they heck she did to me), they told me to walk around for an hour. Jason and I started our laps at 3:30 am. He was counting for me and would call each contraction before it happened. Soon they were 2 mins apart and then 1 min apart and then just continuous and more difficult to walk through. At 4:30 am, I was checked by the doctor and he said "don't let anyone let you leave here without your baby!" After I had my epidural, he came back in to break my water before his shift was over around 7 am just to make sure that didn't happen! lol.

Around 8 cm, my epidural started wearing off.... and I was experiencing "back labor" which SUCKS, by the way! The anesthesiologist took freaking 45 minutes to get up to my room so by the time he finally came in, I was 9.5 cm.... the contractions had gotten stronger the whole time and the epidural was wearing off the whole time... it was wonderful. UGH! Probably the worst pain of my life.... although a root canal I had a year ago is a very close competitor.

Anyway, around 11:30 or so, I decided it was getting close to time to push..... I started pushing around 11:50 or so... and that whole process really wasn't bad at all! (Thanks to the new epidural)... I think people who do that without drugs are insane! Maybe it's because I was having back labor but.... wow.

And now for the grand finale!!! Drumroll please.....................................

At 12:43 pm, on August 21st, 2009, Karson James Straub squeezed his little way into this world!

Our lives will never ever be the same!

.............weighing in at a whopping 6lbs, 8oz....19 1/2 inches long! what a peanut!!!

Karson with Grandmom... (Maska)And Mom-Mom (Straub)........Pop (Maska)

.........and Pop-Pop (Straub)

Mommy admiring her little snuggle bug!One of the best moments of the day... one I will never forget... Karson grabbed my finger and pulled it to his face and he just looked SO adorable! It was melting my heart, so I told Jason to grab the camera and I made him get the picture at exactly the angle I was seeing him from... I had to move my head out of the way to accomplish this, but Daddy did such a great job! Now, I not only have it burned into my mind, but it's actually in picture form as well!
It's amazing how much you can love someone you've only known a few hours!

Waiting, planning, pregnancy, labor, delivery, etc etc etc....
IT WAS SO WORTH IT!

41 Weeks

I didn't really think I'd be writing this post! lol. 41 weeks! Wow!

My doctor told me at my due-date appointment yesterday that only 5% of babies come on their due date! about 85% of first-babies come late... and it's quite possible that he's not overdue at all because I may have ovulated late or something (but I don't think the due date was TOO far off because I DID know exactly when the first day of my last period was AND I found out all the way back in December and he was measuring like 5 or 6 weeks... and at each ultrasound, he was measuring pretty much right-on so I'm sure he'll be here soon...)

He also told me it's a mystery what actually "starts" labor... that it's thought to be completely up to the baby... when his brain sets off a relay of chemical messages that set of a chain reaction of hormones in mommy and off we go! What's been sort of confusing for me is that I've had "sessions," so to speak, of regular contractions.... happening every 7-10 minutes for several hours but there are usually only a handful of contractions that are hard to breathe through.

I had another "session" last night... they always happen at night... but I was eventually able to fall asleep and then nothing came of it. They usually go back to being a little more sporadic by morning and continue that way throughout the day.

So, now that I've been through this a couple times (charting the times, etc) I'm nervous that when I ACTUALLY go into labor, it will be like the boy who cried wolf! lol. I'll be like "yeah yeah, they're every 5 minutes whatever..... this happened before" lol

Come on, baby.... this HAS to be at least as uncomfortable for you as it is for mommy!!! We want to see you and hold you and love you! :)

"Come out, come out.... wherever you are........ and Candace she said was the name of her star...." lol.... that's what Daddy was singing and we cracked up when he said Candace (as in Aunt Candace) instead of Kansas, where Dorothy was actually from! It really doesn't take much to get us cracking up...

The Due Date Is Here!

Aunt Kacy came over last night and we took some "due date" pictures...

This is why Mommy can't sleep.............Mommy & Daddy can't wait to meet you!!!

This started out as a pregnancy blog.......

So, even though I've talked about some other random things going on in life, this started out as a pregnancy blog... a place for me to document when things were happening and how I/we felt about those things, etc... Well, the problem is that pregnancy can be a little "gross" to the average Joe/Jane. Talking about dilation and cervix effacement may make some people go... "why on earth are you posting this online?" Well, BECAUSE IT'S A PREGNANCY BLOG! lol. At least it started out that way......

So, without further ado..... I lost my mucous plug... or at least a good portion of it! All this to say, grossed out as you may or may not be.... this is a process that brought us all into the world! And baby Karson is almost here!!!!!!

All the gloves are off at this point. Jason's mom called him this morning and told him we should have sex a lot so the baby comes soon. That's it. This is just a process of preparing me for 10 people staring at my naked behind while I push a human being out of my body!..... and quite possibly some other things as well.... :)

YAY PREGNANCY! YAY LABOR! YAY LIFE! Ready or not, here we go!

Week 40

Okay... so, we're officially in week 40 now! This week marks the official end of the pregnancy. We had another appointment today and the doctor said that over half of all pregnancies go past the 40-week mark, many first-time babies coming about 5-8 days late, but that we seem like we'll be right on time or maybe even a couple days early! I'm still about 80% effaced, but the endless Braxton-Hicks contractions last night served to dilate me to 3 cm! This doctor also commented on the consistency or whatever of my cervix and how it's exceptionally good for a first-time pregnancy... and that it should help the labor to go very smoothly and much faster than many first time-mommys. (Yes, yes.... good things, keep telling me good things! Even if you're lying to me!). It was interesting how both doctors commented on that this week. She also said his head was very low and reiterated that it shouldn't be long now...

I tell ya, those exams really suck!

A REAL update!

Okay, so here's a decent update: I just got back from the doctor's... they did the exam and the doc said I was 2 cm dialated and that my cervix is thinned to 80%!!! He said the baby's head was "nice & low" and that that was actually making the exam more difficult for him to do... (it hurt like a bugger!) but that the baby was in an excellent position. He commented on how great a position he was in, given that it was my first delivery... not really sure why, but I also didn't ask. My blood pressure was a little high again (122/90 and then later 130/90... which is actually very high for me) so they want to see me again on Friday morning (instead of in a week). He said at this point, I really could go any day and he went over with me again what the procedure was about when to call, etc.

He said he felt like a "nice sized baby"... I asked about how big and he said "about 8 pounds!" I was like WHAT? Really? He said, yeah I wouldn't be surprised, he feels like a nice sized baby! I was just like.... everyone just keeps telling me how small I am and how he's going to be such a small baby... but he said, "well, it's not a science... give or take 5 lbs!" and then he said "no, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was close to 8 lbs! He's a nice size!"

It made me a little nervous that he said this shortly after feeling his head! Ugh.... I hope he doesn't have the Stinger head! aye aye aye!

What if he comes early!???

just a random post...

So, I'm sort of feeling like I should give some sort of update... but nothing is really going on! Haha. I have 8 days left till the due date and other than getting up... oh about 85 times a night to pee, nothing feels all that different. I never ever imagined I would feel so normal a week before I was about to deliver a human into this world! I thought I'd be HUUUUUGE and SOOOOO uncomfortable and just ready to do whatever it took to get him out! I don't feel all that desperate!

I have to say, though... packing our bag for the hospital was pretty exciting. Picking out a little outfit to bring him home in was fun and made me get really excited to have him here! It's just weird to try to think about the next couple weeks and just all of the unknowns! I wonder when his birthday will be! It becomes such a special day.... but it's weird to wonder what it will be and to know that I'll know soon enough. It must be fun to be God and see the future when no one else can! :)

Baby Pool !!!

So, we've been asked to create an online baby pool on Expect.Net! Click the picture or link below the picture to enter your guess (and be sure to leave your name!) and we'll figure out some sort of fun prize for the winner!

Enter A Guess!!!

Week 39

Coming down to the wire now, we're into week 39! Yikes! The baby could weigh anywhere from 6-8 lbs and may measure anywhere from 17-21 inches (I'm so curious!). Those measurements won't change too much from now on, but his brain is still growing at an astonishing rate, a pace that will continue for the first three years of life. His pink skin has now turned whitish and his head may have dropped into my pelvis by now, which (based on what I've read) makes breathing easier but walking harder... sounds about right! But the end (and a whole new beginning!) is in sight. As Mama Minter so kindly reminded me, I'm in that "two weeks either way" period now! That sort of freaked me out a little, I have to say! I just don't know that I feel like I'm really going to GIVE BIRTH in like 11 days! I just don't feel like it's "time" yet or something! I'm really excited to finally get to see him (obviously) but for some reason it just doesn't quite feel like it's actually happening "any day now." Maybe that means he'll be a little late? Who knows!

So, now begins my task of paying extra-close attention to my body... watching for any and all signs of labor! Crazy......I can't believe we're this far along already! I'm really having a hard time believing it's happening this soon!

The Nursery is DONE!

Aside from a couple small things (like hanging a curtain in the window and painting the door), the nursery is DONE! I'll give you a quick overview and then I'll show you some details!

Okay, now for some of the fun little stuff!...

Here's a front shot of the crib...

And a little closer...

This is his special embroidered monkey stuffed animal/blanket!And his mobile (compliments of Nana Minter!)and the wall hanging, compliments of Aunt Shannon!And his super-soft monkey chillin' in the crib!and some other monkeys chillin' in the crib, compliments of Aunt Tara (left) and mommy & daddy (right)... the one on the right is the Build-A-Bear monkey with his heartbeat in the arm!Renee had the coolest thing made! I have to ask her again for the website of the woman who makes things like these but she gave her the baby's initials and told her the theme and she made her these and shipped them! So cool!Here's a close-up of his closet/changing station...

note the adorable little wall decals! (thanks to Mandy.......

...and Rachel.... and Kristen

....and Jenna!and his little lamp that goes with the whole theme!

So... to re-cap... we'll do a few fun before & after shots!

We'll start with the crib...

BEFORE
AFTER
Aunt Kacy wants to paint a mural or something on this... so whenever she has time, she'll go for it! It will be pretty stinkin' cute, but until then, it's just plain old brown.

BEFORE
AFTERI should take a shot of this without the blanket draped over so you can see the spindles and how they're all the different colors of the room...

... and now for the furniture...

Tall Dresser - BEFORE
Tall Dresser - AFTERLong Dresser - BEFORE
Long Dresser - AFTER
I didn't catch this in any random "before" shots... but this is the little night stand "after" with some cut-outs from extra border we had that didn't make it on the wall... :)and here is our shamelessly trash-picked lamp BEFORE
... and AFTER, thanks to Jason's crazy spray-painting skills and our cheap Target lamp shade!

SO, just in case you need one last re-fresher.... (and because it's so fun for us to see this!) Here are some before & after shots of the whole room from different angles!

Corner #1
Corner #2
Corner #3
Corner #4
It's amazing what a little paint and a vision can do! (And of course a baby shower or three...)

WHEW! We feel much better about going into labor at any minute now! (we just have to make sure we paint that door and get a curtain in that window!). But other than that, the nursery is DONE!

Special thanks to Dad (Straub) and Mommy (Maska) for all your help finishing the room! We (quite literally) couldn't have made this happen without your help! Thanks to you, baby Karson will come home to a really cool room that can grow with him! Love you!