Sunday, July 29, 2012

The search for 'Shaw'

If we are 'friends' on Facebook, then you know that finding our baby boy's name was quite the challenge. We were taking the decision seriously but were having a truly difficult time. Here is a bit about our name search and how we landed on 'Shaw'.

Throughout my pregnancy Corey and I were pretty laxed when it came to preparing. This was our second baby so it wasn't as 'new' as it was with Emma. His room was done later, I didn't garage sale looking for items, his bag wasn't packed, and his name was definitely not decided.

We would discuss names........for like a minute and then move on to a different topic. We knew we had to make a decision but we also knew we had time.

As of Monday, July 23rd we had the following names:
- Deven (Corey's choice)- Corey met a guy named Deven a few months ago and decided that he really liked the name
- Riley (mutual liking)- I mentioned it one night and he agreed he liked it
- Noah (my choice) - Not sure where I got it, but like it

When we took Emma to the lake on Monday, there was a little boy named Noah and his mom just kept yelling for him 'Noah, Noah' and I had enough. I told Corey right there- Noah is off my list.

Walking in to to the hospital on Wednesday, July 25 we had the following names on our mind:
- Deven
- Hank-- a name that we liked for a while
- Riley

About 3 hours in to the day, Corey decided to add "Jackson" to our list. This was interesting since I mentioned Jackson months ago and it was a name he turned down instantly. Here we were with our new list:
-Deven
-Hank
-Riley
-Jackson

I gave birth and we were so focused on other things that we just called him 'baby' 'little guy' 'buddy' and 'dude'. We decided that we would take a family vote that night. Corey's mom and sister came up to visit and so we asked them, I also texted my mom, sister, and a good friend of mine- Sarah Fischer. Somewhere we decided against Hank because we thought it might lose the 'cute' factor once he got to a certain age. We were voting on:
- Deven
- Riley
- Jackson

Our vote turned out to be 'Jackson'. Some family mentioned spelling it Jaxon and nicknaming him Jax rather than Jack. We liked it but it was obvious that our search wasn't done. Either way the vote eliminated Riley.

When his family left we flipped a coin between Deven and Jackson. The flip concluded with Jackson and, again, we weren't sold.

Thursday came -- and still no name. The birth registrar called us in the morning asking for information to fill out the birth certificate and we told her she would have to call back the next day. We had family coming that night and we knew we were going to get pressured to make a decision--apparently that wasn't enough motivation for us because the evening came and no name was decided. My mom and step-dad (Jim) came up as well as Todd, Bryn, Carson, Morgan (the wonderful Muehlbauer clan that Emma is always with). Once they left Katie Sabraski was up with Brae and we were talking names and she said something about 'Shaw'. Corey got a big smile on his face. Shaw is a name Corey thought of back when I was pregnant with Emma. If she was a boy, it was our top running name; however when he mentioned it sometime during this pregnancy I had turned it down right away...probably mainly because he turned down all my boy names instantly. Now, with it being brought up, this began the discussion again- I agreed that I liked the name as well. It is unique, yet not completely crazy. We also had Chris Studanski and Christina Wollak up, who agreed that Shaw was a great name. Now, let's not ignore the obvious.....'Shaw' is a popular name in the racing community. In fact, Corey drives a Larry SHAW midwest modified. This is originally where the name came up. These 3 friends who loved the name are all racing friends--however I am sure there is no correlation between the two :) My objection was that 'Shaw Donald' did not flow. Since Corey had decided years ago (literally) that our son would have the middle name 'Donald' it was a non-negotiable topic and I wasn't sure if I liked it.

Our friends left and we sent baby boy down to the nursery. We decided to take a stroll down to the cafeteria and we came back and (finally) had a great discussion about names. By now we had input from our family, the nursing staff, and friends. Throughout the pregnancy, day of birth, and hospital stay it was the best name conversation we had...however we added another name: Owen. It had been a name I suggested a while back but, of course, Corey was stuck on 'Deven' at that time and wasn't fancying any other names. Our new list was like this:
- Deven
- Jackson
- Owen
- Shaw

We went through each name, talking about spelling, nicknames, pairing it with Emma, connecting it with 'Donald', looking at him and calling him by each name, and even yelling out "Emma and ______ get over here". Yep, we went to all lengths. At this point, Deven went right out the window. It was a tongue twister for me to pair it with Emma in a yelling situation. I said I would end up calling our kids 'Evan' because I would throw the two names together. Corey tried and he agreed. For the first time in months he actually said 'no' to Deven--BIG shocker! Jackson- we decided that even though we can't look at babys and come up with names, even to us the little guy did not look like a Jackson. In addition, our family vote and coin toss concluded with Jackson and we obviously hadn't chose it for a reason. Owen- we liked. It sounded good with Emma and Donald, and it wasn't a tongue twister. Lastly, Shaw. Which we both like for the unique value. There it was--
-Shaw
-Owen.

We felt very good about these two names and wrote them up on the white board so we could ponder on them through the night.

In the morning we still felt great about them, as we began discussing the registrar lady called again asking if we had come up with a name. I told her to give us an hour. Sometime in the next 30 minutes we decided that we placed more value on the 'unique' factor than the 'flow' factor. Meaning- that we liked that 'Shaw' was unique more than the fact that we disliked that it didn't flow too well with 'Donald' which was the positive of  'Owen'. Once we decided I told Corey to text our family so we couldn't change our minds. I finished feeding Shaw and published it on Facebook--which then we definitely couldn't go back :) Then, Corey had the nerve to add- if we have another boy we will name him Owen, because I really like that name" Ummmm...wait ANOTHER baby? I don't think so. I know women forget the pain but not nearly enough time has passed--hell I am still in the hospital!! Note to family who is getting a glimpse of hope- Shaw is our last child.

That is how Baby Eystad became Baby Shaw Eystad.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

DOB: July 25

Our little bundle of joy is here! He may be nameless but is definitely loved!

My induction was scheduled for 6am, we checked in about 5:45 and were admitted to the largest birthing suite at the St. Cloud hospital. It is insane and we didn't want to leave! It is a corner room with 2 full walls of floor to ceiling windows. There was so much space. They do this for people who want to make this a family experience- the Eystads did not :)



7am: They got me admitted and I was receiving pitocen by 7am. It was different to just wait for the contractions to start versus with Emma when my water broke and it was 'go' time. I was dilated to a 'stretchy 4' which they said was a good thing that my cervix was so soft.

8:45 am- Dr. Marushin came in and broke my water. I was dilated to a 5 at this time

10am- the contractions were getting stronger and I received my epidural. My nurse, Carla, called the doctor to come check me since I was feeling a lot of pressure

10:13- Dilated to a 6 and released a lot of water when she checked me so they were sure things were going to start moving quickly.

12:17pm I was dilated to 7 and 80% effaced

1:11pm- dilated to 8 with lots of pressure. My nurse called my doctor to come over from the clinic and she got stuck in some road construction. She also called a doctor that is going through her residency but she was stuck in a c-section so we called the doctor on call. Good thing because this baby was coming and I was feeling a ton of pressure.

1:58pm- gave birth to a healthy baby. The official weight was 9 lbs 2.7 ounces but they rounded it up to 3. He is 20" long. They said my doctor was running down the hallways to get to me, she came in to watch me push 1-2x and catch him. She was suprised how fast things went since I went from an 8 to basically pushing in less than an hour. She also mentioned that she was very glad that we decided to induce because she didn't want to see how big he could have gotten. I believe my first words after he was born were "I am so glad that is over" and I probably repeated it 3-4x back to back, and then 20x throughout the night. I only pushed 3-4x but it was painful, even with the epidural.

3:27pm- still in recovery, extremely glad it was over. In lots of pain.

I began losing a lot of blood and this was a bit concerning, but everything was fine, they just wanted to watch it. Usually they try to get you out of the recovery room within 2 hours of delivery; however they didnt' end up moving us until about 5-5:30. While holding the baby I got very dizzy and had Corey take him, I was very sure I was going to pass out. Shortly after they were going to transfer me to a wheel chair to try and go to the bathroom and I had another dizzy spell. Therefore, they had me lay back down and hang out in the room for a bit longer. When they decided to transfer me, they actually just pushed me down the hallway in the bed. I snacked on a donut and muffin throughout the afternoon but hadn't had a meal.

When we moved in to our post-delivery room, baby boy got his first bath right inside the room. It was very neat and he did a great job. He also did a good job eating.

We ordered Pizza Ranch and ate dinner with Corey's mom and sister. Around 830 they let me try to get up, which I was able to do just fine. I am sure my body just needed a meal.

Denis and Lora came up around 830 to bring Corey a blanket (THANK YOU!) and so we got to hang out with them a bit. Then we hit the hay about 9:30pm. Bleeding became fine and I felt good as well.

Now today- the goal is to decide on a name, little guy will get his circumcision, and I want to get in the nice jetted tubs that they have.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Dear Mr. Junior Eystad

Hello my dear child. Tomorrow is the day your father and I have been waiting for for quite some time, beyond the 9 months that I was pregnant with you. We have talked about a family like this for years, even years before our marriage. Tomorrow, when you are born, our family will be complete. Your sister Emma is a sweetheart; she melts our heart every day and we know you will too. At times I am sure you will find her to be your friend, ally, and even your scapegoat, but no matter what she is your family. Sweetheart, there is nothing more important than family. I pray your father and I will raise you to believe and live this throughout all your years.

The fact that I am getting induced tells me that you are going to be stubborn, which is a trait both your mom and dad have. I hope you are a spitting image of your dad including his down to earth personality and his humor. I can't wait to watch your personality form and watch how you form in to the world around you. As you form, don't conform. Instead, be you. Be confident in yourself and know that no matter what, you are enough. God made you special and unique for a reason, embrace it. I know that we will, every day of our lives.

I love you already and am so excited to meet you.

Mom

Thursday, July 19, 2012

History has not repeated itself...

Doctor's appointment yesterday--she asked if I had thought anymore about getting induced. I said I had and would schedule it for next week but really wanted to try and get him to come on his own to prevent a potential c-section. She agreed. So I asked if she would strip my membranes..which she easily agreed to. With Emma, I got contractions immediately and 24 hours later my water broke. Well, my appointment was yesterday at 9:30, I have felt only a few contractions but no major discomfort. I do not see my water breaking in the next 3 hours. Huge bummer! In hindsight, I was almost 40 weeks with E and hadn't progressed at all; whereas I am already a 3 (even if I have been for 2 weeks) and I am at 38 weeks. I guess he is just not ready to join us yet. I will be doing lots of walking thru the week-end to try and persuade him to come out and meet us.

If you are on Facebook, you probably have noticed the maternity pictures we took last week. We went to Jennings Distinct Images out of St. Cloud (she actually lives closer to St. Joe). The few pictures on Facebook are just a sneak peak of what is to come, I am hoping to see them in the next 2 weeks or so. Emma wasn't smiling a whole lot for us so I was happy to have one good family pic, and I love the pic of her laying on my belly.

That's about it....I can only hope that my next post will be highlighting baby E's birth rather than my feelings prior to induction--but only time will tell.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Contractions

I had lots of contractions last night. They weren't consistent..and to be honest some of them may have been 'fake' and it could be he was moving and hitting things that caused cramping...either way it made me go in to nesting a bit further. Saturday's goal: pack our bags, take maternity photos, and put the infant car seat in the Edge. Then I think I would feel more prepared. Then when my mom visits on Sunday we can clean out baby's room and the misc other things..and I may feel better. I am hoping she can find more storage space somewhere because I feel like every place I look has baby stuff we need to hang on to for the little guy...

Corey was a sweetheart and spent his Friday off doing all kinds of things around the house....and the race car stayed in the trailer. I am sure it was a temptation but there are so many things that are now done and look/feel great. The 'damn daily's as I like to call them (and I believe I stole that from Dr. Phil) just seem to get worse and worse if you don't take care of them..simple things like picking up toys, dishes, laundry, etc..and I was at a point where I was just overwhelmed. In reality it really wasn't bad, but it felt like everything needed to be done and with me hardly being able to bend down to pick things up..it seemed like an impossible feat.

Friday, July 13, 2012

37 Wk Dr Appt

We had a doctor's appointment this past Monday. We got to see our 'little' guy during a growth ultrasound. The doc wanted to see how big he was and, from there, determine an induction plan. Well, baby surpasses the 90th percentile in every category and is weighing in at 7.5 lbs. However- they may be off up to 1 lb and 2 ounces, lets hope he is lighter than what they are thinking and not the other way around. They are not too concerned since Emma was big, this is my 2nd, and its a boy..but he is big. Afterwards, I went and met with my doctor. She checked me and said I am dilated to 3. The look on my face must have been of complete shock because she said, "Yep, 3, so go home and pack your bags." Considering I was hardly dilated to a 1 - 24 hours before my water broke with Emma, I was thrilled! She continued on to say that if I don't have him by next Wednesday (my 38 wk appt) we will schedule an induction for the following week.

For as much as I would love to not be pregnant anymore, if they are only going to induce me a week early, I kind of think I prefer to wait and let him come on his own. It is more natural (so hopefully that means less painful, less waiting around the hospital, etc) and then I get my 'suprise' moment like I did with Emma. We will see how I am feeling, but as of right now I am praying he comes sometime next week....then I don't have to worry about the next step. Hell, if she is thinking of inducing..maybe she can just scrape my membranes...that worked like a CHAMP with Emma. At least that would be a little more natural than pumping me full of petocin.

Since that appointment, we haven't packed or really done anything to continue to get ready. Actually, correction, we did get Emma in her toddler bed. SHE LOVES IT! However there has been one night that she woke up screaming, felt horrid for her. Other than that she loves to be able to jump in and out as she pleases. When we put her down she may get out to get a book, but then she crawls right back in and stays there.

I am definitely in a 'nesting' stage but I dont have the energy to be able to move around and clean things up. In addition, when I bend over to pick up I feel like crap and start cramping real bad. My mom is coming up on Sunday to help me--I am hoping this makes me feel more prepared and less cluttered.

There is 18 days until my due date, so whether I get induced or go on my own...he will be gracing us with his presence soon..

His name----------------------still undecided. Honestly, we do not have a #1 yet.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Happy (belated) 4th of July!

Hello!

The 4th of July has come and gone, which means we are having this baby in just over 3 weeks! It's crazy to think that its that close, yet it doesn't seem close enough. So cliche, I know.

I had my 34 week appt a few weeks ago and my doctor told me that my baby is 'a big boy' after hearing her say it pretty much 3 times in a row..with little to no words in between..I got a little worried. If you have seen me, you can see that my belly is big and it looks like it doesn't have much more room to drop..however my doctor noted "it's not because your belly is large or that its you second child...when I feel your stomach it's all baby, like he already doesn't have room to move. Yep, I know (and can feel) this! I had to skip a 36 week appt because of the holiday and my doctors weren't available, so on Monday we will be doing an ultrasound and then meeting with my OB afterwards. I am psyched to be having an ultrasound because we have only had one so far and we had 3-4 with Emma. By the sounds of it they will be scheduling an induction but as we were chatting it occurred to us that we may have my due date pegged wrong. Since we never did an ultrasound in the beginning it could be that I am farther along then we had thought..this means the baby could truly come anytime--on his own. Like I said before, I want to be done but even more than that I want him to come on his own and have the 'suprise' factor when my water breaks.

Other than the normal aches, pains, and pelvic pressure/pain, I can't really complain. He moves a lot and I enjoy it. I haven't blown up as much as I did with Emma..however I weighed mysef tonight and I weigh a couple pounds more than I did the day I gave birth to Em--swollen and full of fluids. That was kind of an eye opener...yikes!

Emma loves the belly too, she loves to lay on it or up against it. She has become quite the cuddler with me lately and I am sucking it up. She is the cutest girl ever! She still loves to play outside and around Corey as he is working on the race car. She doesn't talk a ton still but understands a lot and we keep working with her to talk rather than her 'eh eh' talk.

Hmm....not sure what else is new ..just trying to put down some notes about the pregnancy..before its all over...