A peek into Baby Hop's World...

With all the craziness going on, I wanted to share something that I am super excited about...Baby Hops nursery. I've got a lot of updating to do from the past few weeks...I know...I know...but I can assure you, while I may have a very busy schedule, I will find time to update :)

But I'm more excited about his nursery than my hospital stays :)

So, ever since we found out we were having a boy, Matt and I both knew we wanted to do something outdoorsy, almost Colorado-ish. We didn't want to go totally baby. We wanted the cozy, baby feel, but something he could grow into (We really didn't want to have to redecorate after a year or two and wanted to get things we could use someday in other areas of our home if needed). We both love love LOVE Colorado,  the mountains,  etc. We even sort of picked his name after a beautiful mountain peak in Colorado (that my friends, will remain a secret until he decides to show his cute little face). Growing up, my family visited Colorado every year. It is such a beautiful, peaceful, serene place that holds many wonderful memories and makes my heart happy.

 

This is where I'm sure I will spend a lot of time with our sweet boy. I covered the lamp shade (trying to be all crafty)...just don't look too close, and we're all good :) but really, don't look at it closely. I crocheted the blanket on the chair...my first attempt at crochet. It's ok that when its unfolded, it's completely uneven and goes in then out on the sides.  He won't notice until he's 2, right? I also made the sign above the glider, with my favorite Bible verse. We found the oar at Hobby Lobby and painted it white.

 

After looking at plenty of dressers, we decided to go with a dresser/changing table combo. Once he is potty trained and into big boy undies (BTW, they make toddler boxer briefs that are SO cute), the changing part removes, and waalahh! It's a dresser. 

 

I fell in love with this print the minute I saw it. I knew it had to go in his nursery. So, here it is. Adventure Awaits baby boy :)

 

Here is his crib! Where he will hopefully sleep in sooner than later! We really liked this crib, because if Baby Hop ever has a sibling (someday!) it's gender neutral. My mom, who is way craftier than me, whipped out her sewing machine and made his crib bumper, crib skirt and curtains. I know grey chevron is everywhere, but what the heck, I love it. It needed some color, so what better than bright yellow. My mom really did amazing on everything.

 

Here's another look. No, there is not a pink heart above his crib...it's just covering up Baby H's initial :) The brown bear is probably the cutest thing. That was a Matt find...gotta give props to the hubs.

 

His bookshelf. I couldn't resist the French Bulldog piggy bank. And the "Slow Down" print we loved because it's not only 'Colorado-ish', it reminds us to cherish Every.Single.Moment. Even the tough ones. Too often I wish, "I just want to meet him! Can't he be here now?" When in reality, he will be walking, talking, driving and eventually have kids of his own! Whew...Slow.Down. Enjoy every moment.

 

 

More bookshelf...I had to have Kansas representing (with a heart over Manhattan of course). Matt's grandfather gave him the train when he was little and if our look closely, there is a book on how to be a gentleman. Half price books find. Love.

 

Baby boys closet...I'm sure this will look waaaay different once he is here. It's really hard to organize things for a baby...Im sure I will find what works best once we get settled. Plus, his dresser is full of his adorable baby clothes too :)

 

Some forest friends.

 

 

And of course, big brother to be, Mr. Sam. He is still a little confused on what this new room is for. Oh you are in for a treat Sam.

 

 

 Pete however, has made himself quite comfy testing out every single baby item/furniture so far. He is in for a surprise when he learns this is in fact, not his new room.

 

And all we need is a baby! Of course, not quite yet. Remember...Slow.Down. :)

Update: Twenty.Nine.

I have to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the prayers, thoughts and encouraging words over the past two weeks. They help SO much, lift our spirits and...they're working!

So lets update. Last Wednesday, the 2nd, I anxiously sawmy OB (the first time since we'd left Labor and Delivery). They did a non stress test, as well as the usual stuff. Thankfully Baby Hop was doing great and I had no further signs of bleeding or contractions. So...I can go back to work, right!? Wrong. I will be on bed rest until he arrives, but I was happy to hear I could venture to the couch and get up to fix quick snacks and meals. I have to admit, our bedroom was getting very old to look at. I also will be having weekly check ups and sonograms (they want to do biophysical profiles on the little guy) every week, as well as see a specialist for high risk pregnancies. I left feeling better that my thousand (ok...million) questions were answered about what to expect going forward, still scared but thankful all was well. I could finally begin to mentally prepare to be out of work for awhile ( :( I miss everyone, I really had hope they'd let me return) and do everything I can to keep him cooking, no matter what.

My mom came down Sunday for the week and has been AMAZING. Moms just seem to make everything better :) she has been such a huge help around the house and getting everything ready. But thats another post in itself! Tuesday, we went to see the high risk doctor, who did a level II sono. I tell ya, I was nerrrrr-vous. What would they find or see? Every possible thing ran through my head. They got a good look at every inch of our guy (organs and all) and said he looked perfect. Whew! And my placenta looked great too...whew! Sorry if this is TMI, don't read if ya don't want to!  (A little background...at 18 weeks, I had partial placenta previa, meaning part of my placenta was covering my cervix. As my uterus grew, luckily, my placenta moved up and out of the way) AND I have not dilated or began to thin...big relief! However, they did find out why I bled 2 weeks ago. My amniotic sac tore away from my uterine wall (just in a small area). This causes the bleeding. There is no explanation for why this happens. There is still a small sac of old blood (see pic) that will either absorb or make its way out. She described it as a bruise. It will eventually heal itself, but it'll take a good few weeks. I am so scared to bleed again, because I beleive thats what started the contractions. Their main concern is that with the separation, it could cause that part of my amniotic sac to become weak, which could lead to my water breaking. Hence the bed rest. I even asked her if I could lift little weights (since I'm soooo buff to begin with :) ) and she said absolutely not. Stay put.

The line above his belly is the separation.

I have learned a lot these past few weeks. Good and bad. I've learned I'm a control freak. Yep. Letting go of control has been hard. I have no control over the situation at all. I am a picky person. My lord, watching Matt load the dishwasher and fold the laundry drove me nuts! "But babe, you can fit so much more in the wash if you put the bowls like this!" "No! That shirt does not get folded! It's hung up!" Geez Kristen...chilllllll out! This is Gods way of showing me not everything has to be done right away, the way I usually do it, relax, and its ok to let others do things for you. I am definitely a Type A personality and I have certain ways of doing things, but I've got to let. it. go. And it feels kinda good! Who cares if the trash is overflowing, does it have to be taken out right now? No. I realize I sound crazy, but this is really teaching me a lot. I'm learning a lot about myself. I think this will help me so much once he is born too.

I thank God each day he is healthy, growing and has absolutely no clue any of this is even going on! I love getting to see our little guy every week now (every time we have a sono, he seriously is always eating his foot, lol.) This is such a short time frame in the scheme of things. It will be so worth it for a lifetime of memories. Thanks again for all of the thought and prayers. They truly mean so much to us! 29 weeks down!

twenty seven...

These are the times that I truly have to Let Go and Let God...and be thankful for all of our many blessings. Again, this blog is to help me remember my pregnancy, the ups AND the downs.

We had a wonderful time in Kansas for Christmas. After spending Sunday with Matt's family, we flew to Kansas City to spend the night with my Grandmom. We spent Christmas Eve in Clay Center with the Wall side of the family. As usual, it was great to see everyone. We relaxed, watched Baby Hop's 3D sono DVD and enjoyed family time Christmas day. It was a much needed visit with family. It always fills you back up when you get to see them :) And is always hard to leave!

Thursday morning came about like any other. I was getting ready for work, when I realized something was not right. I used the restroom to see every expecting mothers worst fear. Blood...and lots of it. I immediately freaked out, screamed for Matt and we ran to his car to get to the doctor. I called my OB who wanted us to come by her office first if we could. She checked me out and immediately told me I needed to get to labor and delivery. I was still bleeding...and she didn't know why. Luckily, Baby H had a strong heart beat and seemed fine. My mind was racing with every thought imaginable. He is only 27 weeks...this can't be happening. I believe everything happens for a reason, so I was really trying to hold onto this...as hard as it was.

The hospital was across the street from my OB, so we got there quickly, and they got me to L&D. Another OB from my doc's office was on call there, so it was reassuring to have a familiar face. By the time I had gotten changed, the bleeding had stopped, which was a huge relief. A sonographer came to take a look at everything and all looked great. Our lil guy was happy, healthy and not even phased by anything. And he had gained 6 oz in 6 days...weighing in at 2lbs 4oz.  However, they could not find where the bleeding had come from. My OB thinks I may have had a small tear behind my placenta, but the sono didnt show any type of bleeding or the source of it. Now that the bleeding had stopped, another challenge began. I started having contractions. Two minutes apart. This definitely was not normal, especially for 27 weeks. He has so much cooking left to do!

They hooked me to an IV and gave me a pill to stop the contractions, as well as a steroid shot to mature his lungs incase he is born early. I was still in shock at this point, not sure if this was all really happening. The contractions continued, so Plan B was a shot to relax my uterus. That seemed to make them stronger. So it was about 6pm by now and my OB wanted to try one last thing, a magnesium drip. They transferred me to a private room where I could be closely monitored. That definitely scared me...but I knew I had to do what was best for our lil man. The magnesium drip to say the least was pretty awful...you were in your own personal sauna, dizzy, vision was blurred, I couldnt even form a sentance and was SO weak. Along with the mag drip, they had me on a catheter which was also uncomfortable, but they did not want me getting up at all. This will be all worth it...all worth it...I know God does not put anything in your life that you can't handle. I just wanted my contractions to stop because I knew if they didnt, it could lead to delivery.  Bring it on mag drip and catheter :)

Matt was and is so amazing and stayed by my side through it all. He slept on the little cot and was always there to make sure we were doing ok. Friday morning came, and I was in a lot of pain bc of the mag drip, but I know it could have always been much worse. They finally took me off of it at noon and my contractions had stopped! Thank goodness!!!! Now I just hoped they didnt return. The afternoon went on and I began to get my strength back and felt like myself again. Baby H was still doing great, with no clue what was even going on AND my contractions did not return :)! so they sent me home around 7pm, on bed rest.

So here I am! SO thankful our lil man is doing good and still cozy inside. Thankful to be home. Thankful for our blessings. I have Mr. Sam laying on my feet and Pete on the pillow next to me. 

My cuddle buddy

 

Bless Matt's heart...I hope I dont drive him crazy on bed rest! I know all he wants is for me to stay put and he will take care of the rest. He has a mini-freak out moment even when I get up to use the bathroom :) I am so lucky to have him, family and friends who are there and keeping us in their thoughts and prayers. I could not have made it through these past few days without you all.

And whats next...well, I go back to see my OB wednesday. I have a feeling I may be on bed rest until he arrives...he has so much growing left to do. But its out of my hands...I just have to face my biggest challenge... yes, for those of you that know me, that will be staying put in bed and relying on others to help me. Just like our lil guy, I am impatient and ancy :) But it is all so worth it. Let Go, Let God.

Thank you all for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. Updates soon!

Life Lately...that I can remember :)

So ,its pretty crazy that I am already 22 weeks along with our lil man. It seriously feels like I was just trying to convince the doctor to see me at 6 weeks because 8 weeks was way too long to wait! Then counting down the days to find out the gender...and now, 5 and a half months along? Is this real?

Yes. Very real. In fact, here are a few examples of recent experienes that remind me I am pregnant.

1. Friday at work, I was faxing a document to corporate. Faxing this document for four hours. Frustrated that I kept getting "Error" messages on the confirmation fax, I was about to give up. Then I get a phone call from the sweet lady in payroll telling me she doesn't speak fax.  I was sending it to her phone number for four hours. Oh big deal. I'm sure people do it all the time. For four hours.

2. Friday evening, Matt brought home milkshakes. My favorite milkshake, might I add, from Braums. He got the giant size, so I didnt finish all of it. So naturally, all day Saturday I was looking forward to coming home to my milkshake. I get home, open the freezer and there is no shake. No Shake! I immediately turn to Matt, "Where's my shake? You ate it, didn't you!" He looks at me, a little shocked that I am so upset, and says "Well, no...well, I tried it and it was freezer burnt so I threw it away." I have tears in my eyes by now. "What!? Why? That is for me to decide if it tastes bad! I wouldnt have cared! I would have ate it anyways! I can't believe you ate my milkshake!"

I dont know if I was more upset that the shake was gone or the fact that I had gotten so upset about a milkshake.

3. I may have had to turn around on my way to work more than once to go back home and let Mr. Sam back inside...

All I have to say, this boy better be a genious because he has seriously soaked up my brain...mostly the memory part though...I think.

We haven't started the nursery quite yet, but we do have some ideas for it that I love. We are going with a Colorado theme. I LOVE COLORADO. It is so beautiful and peacful. I have so many great memories of Colorado growing up and a fun little fact, when we visited Colorado this past summer, I was 2 weeks pregnant with the lil guy and didn't know it. I've made a few crafty things for his room so far, dont' judge, they looked better on pinterest :)

 

 

We wanted to get everything done in our house, or as much as we could, before we started the nursery. Once we start on that, the rest is history! We finally cleaned out the room (before it was home to tools, our ladder, random boxes of stuff...) so I think that's a good sign we will start on it soon! That makes me happy. And Matt too, because it means he will stop hearing me talk about it :)

 



baby boy hopkins

Well ya'll, it's a BOY! A sweet baby boy! My gut was right...and most of those silly tests were wrong.

Thursday, October 25 finally rolls around. Our appointment was scheduled for 9:20am. I had to get the earliest available! I was off work and Matt took the day off so he could come along. Of course I didn't sleep much the night before, it was like when you're a kid on Christmas Eve waiting to see what Santa brings you! Ironically, we did have a present waiting for us. Mr. Sam had left us a little gift over night...Yep, a big 'ole pile of poo in the hallway. He never does his business in the house. He knows something is up.

While we were driving to the OB, Matt mentioned he was nervous, but a good nervous. I can't imagine the feelings we will have 5 months from now when we are driving to the hospital to meet the lil guy! So we arrive at 9:10, took our seat in the waiting area and anxiously waited for my name to be called. 9:20 comes...and goes...9:30...9:50....What is going on! Just as I was about to ask, the sweet pregnant lady next to us mentioned the sonographer had gotten stuck in traffic and was running late. Of course she did. I've waited 18 weeks, I can wait a little longer. So 10:15 comes and it's finally our turn! Here we go.

Now the last time we saw the lil guy was when he was 8 weeks old, looking very similar to a blob. What we saw on the screen this time was an amazing, beautiful, precious, perfect baby. My heart was instantly his (or it's, we didn't know what it was yet).  I can't even explain the emotions I felt looking at the life inside me, wiggling and dancing around. Pure LOVE. Such a miracle.

So she begins measuring the length, the head, the arms, the legs...and bam. There it was. His boy parts. There was no mistaking it. He is not a shy boy. I instantly grabbed Matt's hand when she said "It's a boy! Congratulations!" and we both had tears and goofy grins on our faces.

There it is folks. He will be so embarassed I put this up someday.

 

 

 

I had to be that girl and ask, so he has 2 arms, 2 legs, his hearts working correctly, brain is developing, he's growing on track, etc etc etc. I even had to throw in there that I'm kind of a picture freak, so the more she wants to print out for us, the better.  He is half a pound and measuring right on track. We are so blessed...a HEALTHY baby boy. The deep love and emotions I felt during this appointment are so unreal. I can't even imagine the range of emotions I will feel when I hear you, hold you, see you...I can't wait.

 

We already have a name picked, but the world will have to wait until you are here to find out.  And I promise we will do as much as we can to prepare Mr. Sam...

 

 

See how excited he is?!

 

 



Lil Mr. or Miss?

I'm trying my best, really, to not think about our gender appointment coming up. The more I think about it, the sloooower it will get here, right? Matt always tells  me, "Kristen, just enjoy this time. You don't want to rush it by." He is so right. SO right. Like I said before, I am truly loving being pregnant and experiencing this amazing miracle. But I just want to know...Lil Mr. or Miss? And c'mon, I know Matt thinks about it all the time too. :)

So, whats a girl to do while she waits patiently (or not so patiently) to find out? Do some gender tests of course! I really don't believe in this stuff, but it's kinda fun. Truthfully, before I got pregnant I thought the myths and tests were stupid (Yes, thank you for letting me know there is a 50/50 chance of the test being correct...duh.) But I cant afford a sonogram machine, so this is all I got people. 

So we tried the over-priced Gender Intellegence Test from Walgreens when I was 12 weeks.

It's pretty simple. It's some sort of powdery substance that you mix with your pee and wa-lah! It either turns a brownish/greenish color if its a boy or a yellow/orangish if its a girl. Mine turned brown/green...We're having a Boy! Not so fast...remember, in fine print, it nicely reminds us that there is 50/50 chance of being correct. Thanks.

 

So I took a few quizzes online. Are you craving sweets or salty? Salty. Are you carrying high or low? Low...I think. How is your skin? Clear or Breaking out? Clear, with a few here and there. Are you moody? Yes, dumb question (hehe, jk I'm not too bad). And so on...well whatta know. Mixed results. Half say GIRL, the rest say BOY.

 

On to the ring test. This was accurate for both Kourteny Kardashian's children, so it has to be right. You take your wedding ring and loop it onto a piece of string. You hold it above your belly...if it sways back and forth, its a lil boy. If it swings in a circle, its a lil girl. You can also try holding it about your wrist as well. Both my wrist and belly swung in a circle. This test goes to Team Pink.

 

And last, the Baking Soda test. This one involves using a disposable, I repeat, disposable, cup, adding a spoon of baking soda with a little of your urine. If it fizzes, you're having a boy and if it doesn't, its a girl. Well, I got nothing. No fizz.  Another point for the girls.

 

Now, I believe in the sayings "Go with your gut instinct", "Trust your gut, it's usually right." Throughout my whole pregnancy, I have had a gut feeling it's a boy. Even before I got pregnant, I always thought my first child will be a boy. I still think it's a boy. Either way, we are so in love with you, every little inch of you. And can't wait to learn more about you!

 



 

You are now the size of a sweet potato, you sweet lil tater tot!

 

(my sense of humor is a bit off too...)

 

 



Fifteen

15 weeks. I feel like I am at that point in my pregnancy where I am anxiously waiting. Your little bones are still too soft to feel you dancing around, you're not quite big enough for me to look pregnant (I call this stage, the 'Doughy' stage...my belly reminds me a bit of Pilsbury dough) and I don't know if you are a lil boy or a lil girl yet. The 12 week-16 week phase is well...kinda boring? Don't get me wrong, I am love love LOVING every little second of being pregnant. I just kind of wish I could feel you (sometimes I even lay real still and concentrate real hard), wish I could have that cute bump and finally know if we are going to be buying footballs and fishing poles or bows and ballet shoes. I am just so stinkin' excited, I cant STAND it.

At least I still have my doppler so I can hear the best sound ever. You will never know how each time I hear your heart, my heart absolutely melts and I can't wipe that big ole cheesy grin off my face. Lately though, its more like wipe those tears from my eyes. I can NOT hold them back. A song on the radio, a TV show, a sweet text, a picture, a memory...everything. And as if it were on cue...here they come right now! Sheesh. What a softy I am turning into.

So, the BIG appointment. I may or may not have a countdown. OCOTBER 25th is the day. We will know whether you are a sweet boy or girl. I have a confession...I kind of fibbed a little to the doctor. They wanted to schedule your BIG appt on November 7th. Seriously? No. So I told them that your dad had a football game and wouldnt be able to get off of work that day (hehe, sneaky huh?) so I told them October 25th would work best. Really, I just can't wait to find out. I will be 18 weeks, so it should be just fine. Lets just hope you cooperate and show us the goods :)

I have to say, your Dad and I finally agreeded on a name and I am so excited. We have two picked out if you are a girl and one if you are a boy. I LOVE THEM. I am going to do my best to keep them a secret until you are here :) But we all know how I am with secrets...

 

Dont let this photo fool you. Your big brother, Mr. Sam is very excited.