It's a boy!!!

Tucker arrived quickly the morning of the 24th. I ended up being induced. Originally, I wasn't too excited about being induced and was a little bummed about not getting to have that "rush to the hospital" moment, but in the end, it worked out perfectly. We arrived at the hospital around 6:30 a.m. We got settled in our room and they hooked me up to an IV and we had to fill out a bunch of paperwork about plans for the birth and things like that. They started the pitocin around 7:30-8. I was feeling really good still- we took a few laps around the hospital floor and then returned to the room because the contractions were getting more intense. I leaned over a chair for a little while to relieve my back and then around 9:30 my doctor arrived to break my water and told me I was already 6 c.m. The contractions continued and got a lot more intense (it was at this time that I really considered getting an epidural for fear that this would continue for a long time). Instead what I found out was that these intense contractions meant my body was transitioning (aka- getting ready for the baby to come out!). The nurse checked me again and let me know I was 8-9 c.m. and would be pushing on the next contraction. I pushed a little, she called my doctor (who came flying in) and I pushed some more until Tucker arrived at 11:10. It was all over so fast, I couldn't even believe it! Jared and I were laugh/crying as Tucker came out. Jared announced, "It's a boy!" It was such a surreal and miraculous moment to be holding this perfect little baby who we wondered so much about over the last 9 months.

Grandma Jane and Grandpa Don arrived shortly thereafter to meet their new little grandson. Then our little family of 3 had time to bond a while before they moved us to another room. We stayed at the hospital until Saturday and enjoyed introducing Tucker to his Stanley side of the family as well as numerous friends. We feel incredibly blessed and happy to have a healthy baby!

4 Days 'til D-Day...

I'm officially due in 4 days! We are so excited and wish it would happen tonight! So far I'm 2-3 cm dialated, 50% effaced and the head is "nice and low" according to the doctor. However, I've been this way for 2+weeks, so I continue to go for long walks, eat spicy things, and hope that Baby S will make his/her arrival sooner than later! The plan with the doctor is to induce me on the 24th if I haven't gone into labor before (this would be 41 weeks). The only positive side to not having the baby until the 24th is that our hospital is opening up the brand new birthing wing on the 21st and we would get to be in one of the really nice new rooms (rumor has there are flat screens, giant whirl pools, double beds and more!). But, I would be as content going into labor naturally (and earlier) if it means having this baby sooner! I'm not that uncomfortable, just ready to hold my baby!

Here's a picture of us walking in a nature preserve last weekend trying to get things moving! And another (hopefully last) picture of the big belly!

4.5 weeks left!

Our good friend, Noelle, is a photographer and offered to take maternity photos. So we had fun yesterday morning taking pictures around the house. Here are a couple:

Good News!

We had our final ultrasound before getting meet our baby live! It was with the specialist doctor to check the fluid around the baby's heart. The doctor saw the fluid still. but it has shrunk a little bit to a point now that they're not worried about it and will probably not have to check it out when the baby's born. Yay! We were very thankful to hear this news! He also let me know that the baby is 5 lbs. already- a "good sized baby" is how the doctor described him/her. You can see the chubby cheeks in this picture. :) We'll see how accurate the approximate weight is when the baby makes his/her appearance in 6+ weeks!

In 7 weeks... (hopefully)

This bump will be no longer! Instead, I'm hoping that I'll be holding my baby in my arms! :) I'm still feeling very well. Now that we've been to childbirth class and completed 1 load of baby-related laundry, we are very excited to meet our baby!!!

Baby Shower!

This weekend was my baby shower in Appleton. It was so much fun having friends and family together in one spot! My mom came for the weekend and my dear friend, Jess, and her mom made the trip up Friday night from Chicago also! We had a great time catching up and spending time together. The shower was on Saturday afternoon. Jared's mom and sisters did an awesome job decorating, making delicious food and putting the whole thing together. Our baby is very blessed and lucky to have received so many cute and wonderful gifts! Thank you everyone!! My mom and I had fun the rest of the weekend putting together and organizing the baby's room. I'm feeling much more prepared for the baby! Here are some pictures from the weekend and of the nursery:

Christmas and New Years

We had a great week off of school for the holidays. We were in the car a lot but got to catch up with lots of family and friends which was great! We started the holidays by sharing Christmas with Jared's immediate family. Jared's mom made all the girls aprons. Here's a picture of us modeling the very cute aprons!


Next, we headed north to Minocqua to celebrate Christmas with my parents. We enjoyed delicious meals (below is a picture of my mom's beautiful table) and relaxed. My mom gave me (or should I say, the baby) the blanket she'd been working on for a long time. It's so great and comfy and I know the baby will love it! Jared gave me a sewing machine so my mom and I had fun practicing with it and ended up making another baby blanket with the scraps from the blanket she made. We also received a new flip camera to capture footage of the baby-so stay tuned in a few months for live video of the baby!




We then stopped in Appleton for one night and then went south to Chicago to visit with my high school friends for lunch at Jess's (delicious soup!) and then into the city for a baby shower for Jess Robertson and me at Megan's apartment. It was such a fun night, lots of laughs and great food! Thanks everyone for the party and the great gifts!





We ended the week by going straight to Door County for New Year's weekend with Jared's dad side of the family. It was great seeing everyone and relaxing for the weekend. We even got to witness some pretty crazy people (including Jared's cousin) take the "25th annual Polar Plunge" into Lake Michigan on New Year's Day. The wind was whipping at about 40 mph and the temperature was under 20 degrees- I froze just watching the people!





We got back Sunday and decided to de-Christmas the house. Now we're focused on finishing the baby's room and getting all ready for our bundle of joy to arrive in less than 3 months!