Josh's birthday!

We celebrated Josh's birthday last weekend! Since he had to go to Army Reserves Drill on his birthday, we decided to celebrate a little each night over 3 nights. Cyndie was in town and she helped me to decorate the apartment with banners and to make Josh a pumpkin pie. Josh requested Chinese food, which is his favorite. Hunter loves birthdays! He said, "Happy Birthday daddy!" so many times during this past week!

(Side note, we let Hunter have a small slice of pumpkin pie to celebrate daddy's birthday. He didn't finish it all so we put it in the fridge for him to have the next day. That next morning, Courtney was here helping me and she pulled Hunter's plate out of the fridge as she was looking for something else. From across the room, Hunter said, "Courtney that is my pumpkin pie. Do not eat it!")

We are thankful for you, Josh, and for all you do for our family. Happy, Happy Birthday!

Birthday Pictures!

Good Morning Hunter! Happy Birthday!

Check out your presents!

Look at how hard you are concentrating!

Party Time!


So many kids! It was such a fun party!

The Ball Pit!

Ring Around the Rosie


Cupcake Time!

Happy Birthday To Hunter!!!



Playing with Anna

2

Dear Hunter,
Your second birthday was such a fun day. When you woke up, I came in your room and sang happy birthday to you several times and you loved it! You quickly picked up on the phrase "happy birthday" and started to understand that the number two was somehow connected. I gave you a quick bath and then dressed you in your Thomas shirt for your birthday party. Then, we came out to the kitchen to have breakfast. Immediately you saw the birthday banners I had hanging up and you pointed and excitedly said, "Birthday!" I was so proud! As we ate breakfast, we talked to Grancie on Skype and you got to open a few presents from her. Every thing you got was completely fascinating to you. You spent lots of time examining everything. You loved opening the presents.

Because it was raining, we had to move your party to inside our apartment. So, mommy spent the next hour running around getting everything set up! When the time came for the party, you were thrilled. We had a ball pit that kids got to take turns playing in. We played Thomas the Tank Engine music. We gathered in circles and sang ring around the rosie. Then, we all sang you happy birthday! You looked a little confused when everyone was singing to you! Everyone ate cupcakes in the kitchen. You were adorable. Then, we had some more play time and eventually watched Thomas the Tank Engine. You got to open a few presents at the end of your party. You loved having your friends over and though at times you were a little overwhelmed, you really seemed to enjoy yourself.

I tried all day to teach you how to hold two fingers up on one hand, but it is very hard to learn how to have some fingers and down and some up. You can do it with help, but when you try on your own you get very frustrated. At your party, you were trying to figure out how to hold up two fingers and finally you just held up all your fingers and said, "five!" You were right, you do have five fingers! I am so glad you are not 5 yet, though! I am loving every minute and do not want you to grow up that fast!

After your party, Anna and her mommy stayed and had lunch with us. You really like Anna. You got in trouble for throwing a toy at her head, but you were so sweet when you apologized to her. You gave her a hug and then said, "Anna, play trucks?"

After your nap, we had lots of skype appointments! Everyone wanted to wish you a happy birthday. We talked to Nana first. She sang you happy birthday. You got to open some presents from her and by this time, you had learned the phrase, "open presents!" Next up was Uncle Josh. You enjoyed laughing at his funny faces and showing him all your toys. Somewhere in there we skyped for a minute with PaPaw and Grancie so they could sing you happy birthday.

Then we were able to skype with daddy. We told daddy all about your day and you got to open MORE presents! You were adorable as you learned to rip the wrapping paper and see what treasure was inside. Again, you examined every little thing and really tried to understand what it was. Daddy loved getting to see you and wishing you a happy birthday. He ate dinner with us and then we gave you an individual cake. Once we mentioned it to you, you could not stop screaming CAKE! So basically that is all you had for dinner. We decided that was okay because, after all, it was your birthday!

Hunter, so many people are thankful for you and love you. You were really celebrated on your birthday. I am so grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to be your mom. You are a huge blessing in my life and I love you more than I knew it was possible to love. You are my little lovebug buddy boy!

Happy Birthday to the sweetest little 2 year old boy I have ever met. I love you!
Love,
Mommy

1 year old

Decorations in our living room:My baby is one. ONE! His birthday was a great day full of fun. He woke up early and refused naps all day... guess he wanted to soak up every bit of his day! He had two baths, 1 giant cupcake, several presents, and lots of love. We sang to him all day. We had a party for him with some of our friends here in St. Louis that afternoon. The kids blew bubbles and everyone ate cupcakes the size of their heads.
First thing in the morning:
First present he opened: Thomas the Tank Engine!

Opening presents:
Our little family:
The birthday boy:

Cupcakes are yummy:

The day after his birthday he had his 1-year-old well check. He had to get 3 shots and his blood taken. Here is a picture from when we got home. He was NOT happy. Notice all the band aids!
Hunter's 1 year old stats:
Weight: 21 lbs 7 ounces
Height: 30 inches
Head circumference: 47 cm

6.13.09 vs. 6.13.10

Today one year ago started off with me finally giving in and saying YES to an epidural. I asked for it and within 15 minutes the anesthesiologist was there and had his work done. At this point I had progressed to a 6. I was excited but still a little angry that was as far as I had progressed after a full days worth of work. I got the epidural at 2 a.m. and within 30 minutes I was able to sleep-- deep, real sleep for the first time since Wednesday night.

They woke me up around 5:30, I think, to check my progress. I felt so much better after having some rest but I was unable to feel my left leg AT ALL. I had limited feeling in my right leg. It was a weird sensation but in comparison to what I would have been feeling, it was like heaven! They said I was a 10 and ready to push. WOAH. Talk about a crazy wake up call. "Okay now it is time to have a baby!" I didn't expect that. I guess part of me had lost hope after how long the day before had been. By 6 a.m. I was pushing with the nurse. It took me a while to get the hang of it since I couldn't feel anything. They had to tell me each time a contraction was coming. Shortly after I started pushing, my epidural FELL OUT of my back.. seriously, I was starting to feel the pain more and asked if they had turned off my meds... they quickly realized the needle had fallen out! They had the anesthesiologist come back to fix it. Then Hunter's heart rate started to go crazy. It was way too low in between contractions and way too high during them. The nurses were shoving oxygen on my face in between every push... It was so stressful and I was so scared. I had no time to take a break at all. I would push and then have to deep breathe so Hunter could get oxygen. This still wasn't working, so they used the vacuum on Hunter to try to help him out. One try. Two tries. Three tries. Four tries. None successful. At this point they were VERY CONCERNED about Hunter's health. The doctor came to me with papers to sign saying that I needed to have a C-section and that they needed to get me in there fast.

By 8:10 I was in the operating room getting set up. Josh was able to come in with me and stand by my head. They didn't allow either one of us to see anything. It was so cold and I was soooo thirsty. I hadn't been allowed to drink anything all morning. I remember shivering all over-- I think it was a side effect of the medicine as well as me being so nervous. Josh held my arm (since both my hands were strapped down with medical gear) and was comforting. All we could do now was wait.

Then, we heard the cry. I knew my baby was alive and in the world! He was born at 8:22 a.m. The rushed him off to a side room and I could see the doctors, but not the baby. They did all their checks on him and said he looked healthy. Then they allowed Josh to go meet him. Oh, the jealousy! Serious, serious jealousy! They did let me see Hunter before they took him to the nursery... I couldn't touch him yet, but I saw his beautiful face. They fixed me up and then took me to a recovery room where I had to be monitored for about 45 minutes. I was dying of thirst. I thought my tongue was going to fall out of my dry mouth. The nurse wouldn't let me have anything at all. About 30 minutes into it, my doula snuck me a piece of ice and that was sooooo awesome.

I was still really out of it when they wheeled me back to my room. I couldn't feel anything below my chest. FINALLY Josh brought Hunter to me. I was finally able to greet my son and hold him and feed him.

He was so precious. Such distinct features! His little face was so huggable and he was so tiny he just fit right on one arm. He was very sleepy and cuddly. Oh I immediately loved him!!!
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Today Hunter woke up at 3 a.m. Josh thinks he was having a bad dream because he called out "DA DA" and when Josh went in there he was trying to get out of the back of his crib, which is the part facing the wall. He was all turned around. We tried everything to comfort him and finally at about 4 we gave up and brought him into our bed. He tossed and turned and pulled my hair... But no resting!

We decided since it was his birthday and he loves baths so much that we would give him 2 baths, so we ran one early for him. He had so much fun. Then we let him explore his presents and open one before we left for church. During church he fell asleep in my arms for about 20 minutes. Then he was up and ready to go again! We put him in his crib for his normal nap and he would have none of that! After about an hour of him talking to himself, we got him up and let him crawl around. Then we opened presents. He got a little tikes piano, maracas, and an alphabet bus. He also got a card with money from his great grandpa Ray and a stuffed animal turtle from great grandpa Jack and greatnana Bev.

We had a cupcake party for him with neighbors and friends at Covenant. It was so special to celebrate him with people we have met here. He devoured his cupcake and loved every bit of it!!!

I feel so grateful that we have been parents to Hunter for a whole year now! What a blessing it is to love that little guy! He has changed me for the better. I told him tonight that I am a better person because of him.

6.11.09 vs. 6.11.10

One year ago today I had an ultrasound and non-stress test appointment. I was officially 6 days overdue and the doctors just wanted to make sure everything looked good with the baby (who was still nameless at this point).

The non-stress test went very well-- he was obviously very active. We really struggled keeping the heart rate monitor on him because he was moving so much! It was evident from this test that the baby was doing fine. During the ultrasound, the technician became very quiet and it was clear to me that something was not right. She wouldn't show me the baby's face and she quickly took the picture off the screen. She said, "The picture is showing some things that I think I need to show Dr. Talraja." Off she went and thus started my tears flowing.

The OB/GYN office I chose had 5 doctors on a team working together so each time I would go in I would see a different doctor with the knowledge that whatever day I go into labor it could be any of the 5 doctors on call. Dr. Talraja was my least favorite in the practice mostly because of her formal, non-personal style of dealing with me as her patient. When she came in to check my ultrasound, she had a completely different demeanor. She was gentle and soothing in her voice, she rubbed my arm, and had sincere care in her eyes. Though this would usually be comforting, it only made me MORE concerned about my baby.

She told me that the fluid around the baby was "cloudy" and that could be a sign of either fetal bleeding or meconium. She didn't suspect that it was blood because of how much movement the baby was doing during the non-stress test. So she was fairly certain it was meconium, or the baby's first bowel movement. This is very dangerous for the baby to start breathing in while in the womb. She also said that the baby had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. These two issues led her to the conclusion that I needed to go to the hospital ASAP. I told her I was not comfortable being induced and that I would rather wait until my labor started naturally. At this point she became very serious and said that if I choose to forego her medical advice by not going immediately to the hospital, I needed to sign papers saying that I am no longer under the care of my OB/GYN. Of course I couldn't do that!

I was so scared and also somewhat MAD that I had to be induced. This was not part of my birth plan!!! So Josh & I went home, even though we weren't supposed to, and packed our bags. I figured an extra 30 minutes wouldn't matter that much, plus I needed the time to calm down. I was sobbing and so scared. This is not how I pictured going into labor! We walked into the hospital, and the thought that went through my mind was that when I leave here I will be holding my baby. It took a while to get processed, but by 6 p.m. my induction had officially begun. I spent that night watching movies & hanging out with Josh and I tried to sleep a little, since there was little to no pain at this point.

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Today we took Hunter to Toys R Us to shop for presents for his 1st birthday. We went up and down the aisles looking at the toys and showing them to him. This was the first time Josh & I had shopped for toys for our precious little boy. Talk about FUN! We had such a grand time. We put Hunter on the ground and showed him some of the toys to see how he would interact with them. I had the best time watching his little eyes light up and then seeing his huge smile. He would go from toy to toy trying it out, banging on it, and turning it over. It was clear there were a few that were his favorites and those are the ones we got for him. We also went to Costco today to buy cupcakes & drinks for his birthday celebration.

Both of these days show great preparation and anticipation of his day of birth. But I much prefer today over last year. Toys and food vs. doctors and needles. Yea, that is a no-brainer. Plus the joy of getting to hold my baby and see his precious face is much better than the anticipation!

27!

I am 27! :)

This was my first birthday with my wonderful baby boy... You know I'm not sure if it is because it was a non-exciting number or if it is because my birthday seems so non-important in light of Hunter's 1st birthday, but I was really laid back. I enjoyed waking up with my whole family and having birthday cake for breakfast! Then I got to spend the whole day with my two boys, and even though it was in airports and on planes, I really enjoyed it. I even got free birthday tiramisu at the Macaroni Grill in the airport.

Josh is 30.

My husband just turned 30 this week. 30! I used to think that was so old!! But now I can see that we are just getting started.
In honor of his birthday, here are the top 30 things I love about Josh:

30. He loves Colorado as much as I do.
29. He looks great with facial hair.
28. He has a sensitive side—one that cries at movies and is moved by music.
27. He started a blog: http://theseminarianview.blogspot.com/ .
26. He likes to play board games with me. Our favorites are Settlers of Catan and Monopoly.
25. He is good with computers. He understands how to set them up and get them working!
24. He is a loyal friend.
23. He is creative. He is currently working on a novel with two of his best friends.
22. He is great with Hunter.
21. He knows how to drive a stick shift.
20. He is very manly and strong.
19. He gives really good back rubs. And foot rubs.
18. He is willing to help out around the house—even after a long day of work.
17. He loves the Lord and wants to reach the lost for Him.
16. He understands my need for girl time and will do whatever he can to make sure I have time for myself.
15. He is smart. Like really smart. If I have a question about pretty much anything he is like my walking google.
14. He can make Hunter laugh so easily. Hunter loves him so much!
13. He has a passion for Theology and Truth.
12. He is a hard worker. He was able to complete his Bachelor’s degree while working full-time and serving in his church.
11. He is willing to listen and work things through—an essential character trait in any marriage!
10. He cares about physical fitness and wants to stay healthy.
9. He will go shopping with me for hours if I want.
8. He loves Starbucks and will go with me anytime I want.
7. He can turn almost any moment into a celebration of some sort. (ex: let’s celebrate the fact that it is Tuesday and it is sunny.)
6. He is following his passion and calling and going back to school…even when it seems a little frightening.
5. He is adventurous. I know life will never be boring with him!
4. He always encourages me pursue my dreams, desires, wishes, and goals.
3. He is always willing to help people, whether it is a physical or emotional need, Josh will always be there.
2. He is a family man.
1. He is a man of God. I can trust him and his leadership for our family.

I love you, Josh! Happy 30! You are half way to 60 now!