Jackson's Birth

Even though it has been a year..I still remember it like it was yesterday. And it is time to get it down on paper so I remember it forever!

My due date was June 28th. I told everyone June 27th because that was my sister's birthday and easy to remember. And it made for good conversation with all the random strangers that talk to you just because you are giant pregnant!

On Saturday June 25th I went to work at 6:30am for our all store meeting. I got to present my favorite part: Recognition! A few people made jokes about all the yelling and cheering would put me into labor and I kept my same joke of "I HOPE I don't see you tomorrow!" (Because I am in labor!) I half followed the doctors orders..I did not follow his orders because I was still working, I did follow his orders and walk walk walk! I figured if I was going to be walking, I would just get paid to walk and sales lead at work! Around 4:30pm I decided it was time to go home because I was exhausted!

Mike got home shortly after me and I was already laying down for a nap, we both slept for an hour or so and then I decided to get up. I went into the hallway bathroom because I felt something on my chin and I wanted to see what it was. As I leaned to look in the mirror....I thought I had peed my pants. That was the first time anything like that had happened during my pregnancy and I was totally caught off guard! I remember people saying that if its your water breaking it just keeps dripping but if you pee your pants it stops, so I decided to take my pants off and just stand there. Drip, drip, drip, sure enough it was my water breaking! I called for Mike who was still sleeping and he finally heard me,
"What!?"
"Umm I think my water just broke..."
"Are you sure?"
As he walks into the bathroom and sees the puddle of water on the bamboo floor mat in the bathroom.
"Ohhhhhh...." He says.
Hmmm what were we supposed to do we discussed. I could not remember. I still had not had any contractions. We decided Mike would take a shower and I would go find a baby book and look up how soon you go to the hospital when your water breaks. :)

About an hour later the contractions were slowly starting so we decided to head in. We went down to Providence in Everett and waiting in the waiting area for Labor and Delivery check in for 30 minutes of so. Once we got called back they checked to make sure I was actually in labor. During that time I felt like it was 1 million degrees!  I was sweating like a pig and really starting to feel the contractions. I went from not really caring about an epidural as a laid on that bed to riding the elevator up to my room 2 hours later to be checked in, saying "Yes Please!"

At that point I let Mike start sending the texts that I was in labor! Soon enough, my Dad and my sister showed up as well as Mike's mom and Karen. I was in quite a bit of pain when the anesthesiologist came in. Every time I have seen someone get an epidural in movies or a Baby Story or whatever its like a few minute process. Well, after they got me sat up, my back all sanitized and he started the needles, 1 1/2 hours later he was STILL trying. He would take breaks and have small talk, which I was not into. I am sorry, I can barely open my eyes because of the pain and you want to talk about the post office in Marysville!?
(For the record, I hate the post office in Marysville. Everyone that goes there is too lazy to park on the side of the building so they also wait for parking spots and end up blocking State Street and then people are honking or rear ending each other. And IF I end up going there anyway, there is always some smelly person that stands way to close to me in the long line. Ugh!)

So needless to say, that is the last thing I want to hear about at this point. He decides he would like to let the other anesthesiologist take a try to getting the epidural in since he was not successful. It was a great idea, except for the fact she was in a C-section down the hall and I had to stay sitting up off the bed until she was done since my back was all ready and sanitized. Anyways an hour or so later she comes in with a halo over her head, rubs my shoulders for a minute and gets the needle in on the first try!

At that point my eyes were barely opening and I was not even speaking during the contractions. Mike asked if the family could come in the room and I just rolled my eyes, gave him a dirty look and shook my head no. They were going to check my dilation since I could lay down again so Mike went out to update the family. By the time Mike came back I was feeling GOOD!! He walked in and I waved and said "Hiiii!!" He stopped and quietly said "Do you think the family could come in now?" This time I said "SURE!"

I heart the epidural. I found out that I was already 8 cm dilated and fully effaced. Just hanging out....

After a little while they decided to let me start pushing. After an hour or so of pushing they said I could "labor down." I did not know what that was but it turned out to be the best thing ever. I could just lay on my side and sleep. Wahooo! It was pretty much my favorite thing ever.

After an hour or so of that I got to push again. After pushing for quite awhile the doctor asked me if I wanted to rest and I said NO! And pushed that baby right out!

The first thing I heard besides Jack's scream was the doctor and nurses saying "WOW look at those feet! And those hands! You are going to be a big boy!!"

I was right...

My original plan was to write something everyday...and that has not happened. Life is just SO busy. I barely have time to keep up on the laundry and dishes.

So this week is interesting since Mike is going to be in Minnesota! Ahh single mom life again! (Only for a week at a time!)

The week has been fun! It started on Sunday with a 6-2:30 shift. My LAST week training. I came home to an empty house because Mike was looking at a boat with his dad. The best part is that they were looking at a boat that his dad might want to buy and might want to store it at our house, it turned into a boat that Mike and his dad bought together! I am exciting that Mike finally has his fishing boat that he has wanted for so long! They came home just long enough for me to run outside and jump in the truck. Jack was so excited to see me, he was smiling and cheering and flapping his arms! I looked back and said "How was your day?" and he said "Good!" Mike and I just burst out laughing! Did he just say Good!?! I looked back and he was smiling and playing with his bare foot...uh my baby is growing up!

We then headed to Jen and Mike's for a BBQ. SO FUN!! We had beer brats, oysters and delicious salads. Jack ate so much that he spit up on his shirt. Then he pooped and he was just a hot mess. We are so lucky to have such great friends! Good times!

Monday was uneventful. Mike flew to Minnesota. I worked 7-3:30. I almost peed my pants on the way home. One of these days I will realize that drinking coffee all day and then sitting in traffic on the way home doesn't mix. Picked up Jack from April's and missed swimming lessons. :(

Tuesday! I was supposed to be going to corporate for a training but I found out Monday that it got rescheduled for September. I went to work at 8 after dropping Jack with my sister. It was my last day with Tereasa, who I had been training with for the last 2 months. She brought me flowers and a card, Adorable! I found out my district manager was coming in to meet with me...great..I would of done my hair! (One time we had a huge visit at the store I am training at and before they got there the district manager (a different one) asked Tereasa if she was going to brush her hair! I almost died!) I had a good meeting with him, first time we had talked since my training started. AND he told me where I was going! Monroe Drive thru! Apparently it is a VERY busy store. :) Exciting! and Scary! AND finally 1 million people a day can not ask me if I know where I am going! I ended up leaving a little early that day and picked up Jack who was with my dad at my sister's house. He had a nice black eye after falling on the hardwood floors! Not the first and definitely not the last!

Wednesday was my day off! Wohooo! First Jack and I went on a secret stalking mission to check out my new store! Mainly to find out where it is...umm Monroe is waayy the hell out there! Second...as I had heard, that store is busy!! It has one of those never ending drive thru lines behind a building! There were 4 cars before me that had not ordered and 3 more behind me! I was super impressed though how fast it moved! (YAY) One thing I have realized though now that Jack is front facing in my car (Yes I know, he is not 2 yet). I can't just stop and get a snack without him seeing, and he yells!! I had to wait until he fell asleep to eat my breakfast...After a quick trip to Best Buy to drop off a baby gift, we went home for lunch. We then met up with my sister and girls at Kids-n-us in Smokey Point to tour their childcare center. I have been toying with the idea of putting Jack into daycare for a few days a week for 1. Socialization 2. My sanity of not having to find childcare every week and 3. For my family and friends that have been watching him each week. I liked the daycare and am still trying to discuss it with the husband. Then Jack had his last swimming lesson of the session. It is super fun! His little friend Isaac is in his class which means I get to chat it up with his mom, Wendy! :)

Thursday: WORK! My first full day at the Drive thru store, Cedar Plaza. I actually thought drive thru was super fun. You get to see and talk to so many different people. It makes your day go by so fast and its entertaining! After work I picked Jack up from April and we (and her mom) all went out for mexican food. Sooo good and I was starving, so I inhaled it. By the time I got home I had a full blown cold. WTF!? Awesome. Mike got home around 9:30pm and woke Jack and I up. YAY! He is HOME!!! But then I took some nyquil and went back to bed. :)

Friday: DAY OFF!! Met up with Jen at Starbucks and then we walked around Target for awhile with Jack. All I bought was a toy guitar for Jack, which is unusual for me. Then I spent the rest of the day, home sick, playing with Jack.

Saturday: My last day at the Hwy 99 and 200th Starbucks! I brought treats for them as a THANK YOU for letting me come train at their store (not that most of them had a choice!) But for being so nice and welcoming for my first Starbucks experience. Worked 6-2:30, sat in the back all day doing a food manager online certification. Boring!! That store was awesome and I am going to miss everyone there, but I am excited for what's next!! That evening we took a family trip to Cabelas to look at stuff for the new boat and picked up some propane so we could grill steaks! Yummm.

The end! :)

Maybe I will blog...

Oh hi...I decided that there are too many funny things in my brain that do not get shared. The book I am "writing" is still notes on my computer. I never update my Facebook status. I rarely return phone calls. I don't know how to listen to my voicemail. And somehow I think I will keep up on a blog. I guess we will see.

Today my life is crazy. Lets go waaayyy back...in the last 2 years I have experienced life as a "cancer caregiver," planned a wedding in 5 months, got married, got pregnant, had an adorable baby boy, changed jobs at Best Buy 3 times, quit my job at Best Buy after 11 years and started a new job as a store manager at Starbucks.

The move to Starbucks will be a good one. Much better for work life balance. I just have to get though the training schedule...2 weeks left!! The end goal is to not have to leave Jack with people for 8-10 hours a day. We have some amazing people on our life that watch him for us so he does not go to daycare but I did not have a child for someone else to raise him. This new schedule will allow me to spend more time with him, as well as my husband, Mike.

Last June, Jackson James was born. June 26th at 5:59am. He was 8lbs and 6oz. 21 in long. I could never have imagined how he would change my life. He is perfect! I will write a separate blog about his birth.

We bought our house 3 years ago and finally just put a backyard in 2 weeks ago. The first summer we spent all our money on moving expenses, a fence, furnishing our house etc, the second summer was "Cancer" summer so nothing got done and the 3rd summer we Jackson summer so nothing got done. :)

Speaking of...Mike and I met working at the Everett store back in 2005, we had some mutual friends at the store that introduced us. Mike told me that he would never live with a girl, get married or have kids. That didn't scare me. We started dating in Feb 2006, moved in together in 2008, bought our house in 2009, got married in 2010 and had our first child in 2011.

Blog writing is going to be hard for me because I have rapid thought patterns. My roommates and I diagnosed this back in college...I had rapid thought patterns because I could not stay on a topic long enough to make sense and I always changed the subject. Katie had rapid body movements because she would move all the time and karate chop and just be weird and Deidre had rapid something that I can't remember.

Well I should go to bed...I was up at 5:30am for work but I close tomorrow so I am still up. Jack has been asleep since 8:30pm so he will spare me no mercy and wake up at the butt crack of dawn regardless of what time I go to sleep. OH and I have to finish my laundry AND watch Hell's Kitchen and Master Chef AND eat some ice cream cake. You know, the important things.