Feeling loved already

Tyler has already had many visitors! Thank you to everyone for making him feel so loved!

Grandma

Grandpa

Uncle Darrin

Maritza

Howard

Robin

Vickie

Casey

Jennifer Vertican

Melissa Adams

One of Tyler's future snowboarding buddies, Jacob Bear.

Joe

Julie

Jessica

Megan Morales

Those of you who know Julio, know that he isn't the most baby crazy guy....

But he made an exception for Tyler!

Katie Gielow

Ann & Daniel

Funny

This photo was taken by my doula Laurel. I was trying to burp Tyler and this is the face he came up with.

Tyler's birth story

Tyler's entrance into the world was quite a dramatic one. I never imagined that it would have all happened the way it did. Last Tuesday, July 28th, Scott and I went to see my doctor for a checkup. They told me that my amniotic fluid was low so they had to induce me. They immediately admitted me to the hospital for induction. Of course we were unprepared for this news so we didn't have any of our things with us. Scott had to go back home and grab our bags which luckily were mostly packed. We ended up being in the hospital for over 3 days while I was being induced. It was a long process because we tried to do it slowly with the use of as few drugs as possible. It ended up that Tyler was "sunny side up" which means that he was face up instead of face down for delivery. (Not breach, his head was just facing front instead of back.) His head was stuck on my sacrum at the bottom of my spine. Because of this, he was not dropping low enough to put enough pressure on my cervix for it to fully dilate to 10. Of course though at that time we did not know all of this, we only knew that my cervix was not dilating past 7cm and it had been stuck at 7cm for 7 hours. (Normally I should have been dilating 1 cm every hour or two.) After 3.5 days of labor, I had to make the decision to have a cesarean. It was pretty clear at that point that the baby needed to come out since my water had broken the day before. My doctor came in to the hospital to do the delivery which I was happy about and grateful for. In the end, although it was not what I had planned for, I am just happy that Tyler is here and that he is healthy!

Our new family.

Me with Tyler and my doula Laurel right after they wheeled me into recovery. Scott and I are eternally grateful to have had Laurel with us through the long birth process. She was a great support for us and helped us through each step of the way.

The wait is over!

Finally we got to meet baby Tyler yesterday! He arrived at 7:16am on Friday July 31st. He weighed 6 lbs. 9 oz. and was 20" long. We are so happy that he is here and so far everything is going great! Here are a few photos from yesterday and today.

Update

I went to the doctor this morning. She told me that I am dilated 1/2 a centimeter. It's not much but to me it is better than nothing! At least I know that my body is doing what it is supposed to on its own so that hopefully I won't have to be induced. I don't mind that Tyler is staying in there a little longer than planned other than the knowledge that the longer he is in there, the bigger he gets. Scarry!

40 weeks

I had my doctors appointment yesterday. Not a whole lot had changed since last week. So it looks like baby Tyler will be born late. It's just a question of how late! I am enjoying these last few days before he comes though, taking advantage of sleeping in a little and relaxing as much as possible. Scott and I have been trying to go out to dinner and savor these last days together before the baby comes. Today is Chloe's birthday! I guess she won't have to share her birthday with Tyler after all. I got her a doggie cupcake to celebrate!

Your pregnancy: 40 weeks

How your baby's growing:It's hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it's a snug fit through the birth canal during labor. This so-called "molding" is the reason your baby's noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it's normal and temporary.

(Almost) 39 weeks

I usually post the weekly updates on Wednesdays so it is actually on the start of each new week, but I am excited to report some new information! I had an ultrasound this morning to estimate the baby's weight. As of today they say he is 6 lbs 7 oz and that he will probably be about 7lbs at birth. That is great news for me! I was really hoping not to have to give birth to a 9 lb baby! Also, Tyler's head has definitely dropped. It was so far down that they were not able to see his face at all in the ultrasound. Also the unbilical cord is NOT wrapped around his neck which is great news! Other than that, everything looks good and healthy with the baby based on what they can see with the ultrasound so that is a huge relief too! I am going to be walking around a lot this week to try to get active labor started!

Your pregnancy: 39 weeks

How your baby's growing:Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

38 weeks

I really am feeling like the countdown is on now. Only 2 more weeks to go! Although I have a feeling Tyler will be making his appearance on or after his due date. So far there are no signs of him coming early. Next week the doctor will do an ultrasound to estimate his size although these estimations are not always so accurate so I am going to take it with a grain of salt if she tells me I have a 10 lb baby in there!

Your pregnancy: 38 weeks

How your baby's growing:Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

Tyler's room!

I finally had time this past weekend to clean and organize Tyler's room. It was quite a task to wash all of his many clothes and blankets! I finally feel like if he came tomorrow everything is ready for him to come home and explore his new room. He definitely has plenty of toys, books, clothes, shoes, and stuffed animals to last a while. Now that his room is ready all that's missing is baby Tyler!

I LOVE this chair & footstool! It is unbelievably comfy. I will probably be spending many hours in it. The chair is a glider and it also reclines so I can even sleep in it if I need to...

I just love this airplane chandelier! I saw it and couldn't resist! It perfectly matches the theme of Tyler's room and it is just so adorable! I love the colors and that each airplane on it is a different color!

Piles of clothes as I was trying to organize them to put them away according to size.

Tyler's shoe collection. He already takes after his mama!

Yosemite

Early in June was our last trip up to Mammoth until after Tyler comes. We decided to take a day trip to Yosemite while we were up there. We saw some of the giant sequoia trees, and they really are huge! Here are a few photos from the trip.

El Capitan

Belly photos

A few weeks ago Scott and I had some photos taken by our friend Will Lewis who is a professional photographer. He does all sorts of photos, from weddings to headshots to his own creative shoots that he puts together for fun. I wasn't totally sure what to expect though, because I had never seen any pregnancy photos that he had done before. I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw the results! They look like a work of art... We got very lucky because we shot the photos the week early in June when it was raining and overcast every single day. We happened to pick the one day that was sunny and not rainy down at the beach! In fact, it was so sunny that Scott and I were having a hard time not squinting in the photos. Here are my favorites below, I love the way they turned out, and I am so happy to have such a beautiful docuentation of my pregnancy.

37 weeks

I am finally feeling like I am in the home stretch! Now I am counting down weeks instead of months... I have been busy trying to finish getting Tyler's room ready, as well as stocking up on things such as toilet paper so that I won't have to worry about it once he arrives. I have been trying to walk around as much as possible because it is supposed to help the baby "drop" which is one of the things that has to happen before labor begins. I have had a few of those Braxton Hicks contractons, which are fake contractions where the uterus is basically practicing for labor. I actually didn't realize what they were until someone explained them better to me and then I realized that I had been having them here and there. They don't hurt at all so I have to stop and think about what is happening when they do come.

Your pregnancy: 37 weeks

How your baby's growing:Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

34 weeks

In the past week or so I really have noticed a change in my belly. The top part really is getting rounder now, which is making it harder for me to move around as easily. It is very hard to bend over while sitting down. Click this link (http://obgyn.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=237&oTopID=237) to see a chart that shows how the uterus takes up more and more space inside the body cavity during pregnancy. When you go to the link, click on the "9 month miracle" section and then click the little picture where it says "Your baby's growth over 40 weeks." The "Fetal Development" chart will show the change as the weeks progess as you slide the little button at the bottom of the chart. It shows how much the other organs get cramped for space which is part of why things such as heartburn and constipation often occur during pregnancy. I went to my new doctor again yesterday. She told me that the baby is already in the right position for birth as of right now. I was able to feel where his tail bone was resting against the top part of my belly. She said that most of the time around now the baby will start to settle into his final position and most of the time they do not change positions drastically although it can still happen. I also learned that she does not do cesarians based on the baby being breach so even if he does turn, she will physically turn the baby for a regular birth. I was very happy to hear this! I really like my new doctor and am very comfortable with her.

Your pregnancy: 34 weeks

How your baby's growing:Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

4D Ultrasound

I went back today for a second try on the 4D ultrasound since the last time they didn't come out very well because Tyler had a hand, foot and the umbilical cord all in front of his face. Today he still had a hand and arm in front of his face, but we were still able to make out most of his face! Here are a few of the images that we were able to capture. The images are a little more defined in some areas than others, so use your imagination to fill in the rest!

On the right side of this one is his arm, so it distorted that half of the image.

During the ultrasound I was able to see Tyler open his mouth a few times. He also yawned and opened his eyes briefly!

His hand is in front of his face again...

Cheese?

Yup, that's brie, and I ate it!

Many of you know that there are a few things I have been deprived of during the pregnancy. Basically, the list in no particular order is:

1. Snowboarding
2. Champagne
3. Sangria
4. Cheese
5. Sushi
6. Sleeping on my stomach

So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I discovered brie cheese made with pasteurized milk! The reason they say you can't eat brie is that cheeses and any dairy products made of unpasteurized milk can harbor a bacteria that can make a fetus very sick and possibly can cause death.

Last baby shower

Yesterday was my third and final baby shower. It was hosted by three of my good friends, Jennifer, Katie & Megan (Morales). They had it at Jennifer's house in Huntington Beach because she has a huge back yard with a perfect patio area. They did such an amazing job planning and setting up everything, and didn't leave out any details. I got a ton of cute gifts and now Tyler officially has everything! He has enough clothes to last years, although since he will probably grow out of them in the first several months, he will definitely have a cute outfit every single day! As I was starting to put things away last night, I was thinking of all the fun Tyler will have with all of those fun gifts he received! Thanks Katie, Jen & Megan for all of the thoughtful hard work you put into the shower! It was a day I will never forget!

Sorry to everyone who is not pictured somewhere below in the photos. Some of the photos I don't have on my camera so please don't take it personally if you aren't in any of them!

This is where we sat to eat, they hung a clothes line with baby boy clothes for part of the decor, it was adorable! There were really pretty flower arrangements on the tables too, but I took this photo before they got set on the tables... They had my favorite flowers in them, hydrangeas!

This is me with (from left) Katie Gielow, Jennifer and Megan Morales, the three party hosts.

Megan Davies, Katie Gielow, Me, Megan Morales and Megan Read.

This is me sitting with my Mom while I open her present. They had each guest sit with me while I opened their gift. The puzzled look on my face is because in my hand is a roll of the new gold $1 coins. At this point I wasn't sure why exactly she was giving this to me...

This airplane piggy bank is why I got that roll of coins for Tyler! It goes with the theme of his room which is cars, trucks and airplanes. The propeller on the front spins! I love it!

Katie Woolworth, Mendy, me & Devon.

Melissa, me & Julie.

Taylor, me & Jessica.