Ethan's Birth Story!

I cannot believe I am sitting here about to write Ethan's birth story! What a journey this has been! I will try not to cry throughout this entry, but I cannot promise anything! :)

It all started after my 40 week appointment on Tuesday, January, 11th. My doctor checked my progress and still highly effaced but still only 1 cm. The doctor explained again how low he was and that she thought we would have him by the weekend. Since that could not be promised we went ahead and scheduled an induction date for Friday, January, 21st. I went home that day wondering when my baby will ever get here. After about 2 hours I started having frequent contractions. There were about 15 min apart but not painful. They continued throughout the day and into the night getting closer together about 5 min apart. By 12:00 a.m. they were so close together about 3 min apart, so we decided to just go to the hospital to see if anything was happening. We were so excited that this could be the day that Ethan was born that we had constant smiles on our faces and Justin was taping our every move with our new camcorder while getting packed up. The weather outside was extremely cold, one of the coldest days of the year. We arrived to the hospital about 2:00 a.m. and I was checked, and still no progress from the day before. The nurse had us walk the hall for 2 hours to see if anything would change. I was checked again about 4:00 a.m. and still no progress. We then went home a little disappointed that we would not be meeting our Son that day.

Though I rarely had a single contraction the entire pregnancy, these contractions kept coming for days! Still low in intensity, I knew they were not the real thing. I kept trying to get my mind off the fact that he was not here yet and to be patient, but the constant contractions made that very difficult. As I passed my due date I began to feel a little sad that Ethan was still not here, and although I was happy he was thriving in my belly, I just wanted to meet my little Son so badly. As the weekend passed and still no baby, on Monday the 17th I began to finally accept that induction just may be the route we have to take, every though it was not how Justin and I envisioned the birth of Ethan. The whole day I barley had any contractions, but felt calm and relaxed and just knew he would eventually arrive soon. As we no longer have cable T.V., I was so excited to watch The Bachelor that night as that has been my pregnancy guilty pleasure. I knew the episode would be full of drama and it would be a good way for me to laugh at silly women (and Justin too, but don't tell him I told you)! As I was laying on the couch 30 min into the show and Justin was sitting beside me playing his favorite game on his phone (Angry Birds.....don't ask) I felt something weird happen inside, before I knew it I had leaped off the couch like a frog (imagine 9 months pregnant and barley able to walk, let alone leap) and stood up and exclaimed, "I think my water just broke!" As I wobbled up the stairs to the bathroom, it was confirmed, my water had broken! I was thankful it was not the typical gush as you would see on the movies, but just a random trickle every now and then. But I was not experiencing any contractions.

Justin and I got just what we wished for! A spontaneous and exciting sign that labor was on it's way! We learned in our birthing class to not act anxious and excited if your water were to break at home if you have a dog, since the amniotic fluid smells like the baby, the dog could associate the smell of the baby with nervous energy. Justin and I were extremely calm and excited, but tried to act as normal as possible re-packing our bags for round #2! By 9:30 we had arrived at the hospital and waited on our labor room to open. We met our nurse named Meagan and she made us feel at ease immediately. She tested my water to make sure it was the real deal, and sure enough we were staying this time! We would be meeting our baby boy soon!!!

Meagan checked me and confirmed high effacement and -1 station, but still only a 1 cm. She explained the effacement is good as that is half the battle. We asked when would be a good time to call our family as they live 4 hours away, she said its hard to tell, but since it's my first baby most likely it will be tomorrow afternoon before he is here. So we decided not to call anyone and let them have a good night of sleep before we called them the next morning. She said she would come back around 2:00 a.m. and recheck me. Then, around 12:30 I began having contractions on my own! They were getting pretty strong, nothing like I had been experiencing from the previous week. It was all I could do to talk through them. We just knew these contractions had to be doing something so we were excited for the nurse to come back. Once I was checked, I now had dilated to 3 cm. and the baby was at a zero station. She said now would be the time to get the epidural if I wanted to get one because I could be in labor for the next 12 hours since I am not progressing real quickly and because everyone in Kansas City decided to go into the labor at the same time! The hospital was packed with every room full. I guess the old wives tales of a full moon and snow storm really can bring on labor! Since I was only at a 3 cm and the contractions were getting terribly painful I wasn't sure if I could handle 12 more hours of contractions without any meds and because they were going to start the pitocin soon which would only bring on more frequent and stronger contractions. Justin and I had hoped to go drug free, but were flexible going into labor because no one really knows what will happen. We agreed we better just get it over with. As the anesthesiologist came into the room I began to shake really hard. I was extremely nervous to get the epidural and a little disappointed in myself at the same time. As I was sitting on the edge of the bed, getting prepped, I was basically convulsing. Once it was over with I had to lay on my side unable to leave the bed, which felt a little unnatural which also made me feel like I made the wrong decision.

The nurse decided to let me go without the pitocin as long as possible and she would come back at 5:00 a.m. and check me to see if I had progressed. Justin and I both felt holding off on the pitocin would be the best thing for the baby. The hours that passed from 3:00-5:00 went really, really slow as the contractions became more intense. I did not want to up my epidural meds as I wanted the least amount of medicine in me as possible, so I left my "magic button" alone as I breathed slowly through my contractions. At 5:00 a.m. the nurse came back with the doctor on call to check me. Yep, still at a 3. The doctor said she will be going off call at 7 a.m. and most likely I will be delivering with my doctor who would be taking over at 7 a.m. I was happy to know my doctor would be delivering Ethan, but at the same time I was just fine if it where Dr. Lombard as she made me feel very comfortable. The doctor said it is time to start the pitocin since my water broke at 7:30 p.m. the night before, they do not like to let the labor last any longer than 18 hours or the baby could be in harm. So we agreed to start the pitocin since it was our last option.

Once we started the pitocin, the contractions were coming 2 times faster and stronger than before. I could not believe how intense the contractions where. I had to give in and start pressing the magic button as I knew I had a LONG way to go before I was fully dilated. Justin was the best coach in the world and guided me through every contraction holding my hand and encouraging me through every painful second. I could not believe how intense the pain was, even with an epidural! I then and there realized it was the best decision for me to get the medication because it was so painful. I began to tell Justin I didn't know if I could take this pain anymore as the nurse walked in the room. We told her how intense the pain was and she suggested we call the anesthesiologist back in the room to up my dosage. Then the nurse said, "Before we do that, lets check to see where we are at this point." Expecting to be a mere 4 cm. the nurse looked me in the eyes and said, "You are complete!" I asked, "what do you mean by complete?" Meagan replied, "You are ready to have this baby and turned off the pitocin!!!" I looked at her with total disbelief! The nurse looked at Justin and said, now would be the time to call the family. The nurse then left to call Dr. Lombard back to the hospital who had left to go home as she never would have thought I would have progressed from 3 cm. to 10 cm. in a small hour 1/2 time frame! Justin excited as could be then called the family and told them we would start pushing shortly.

When the nurse came back into the room she said she would teach me to do some practice pushing. She began to demonstrate how to push, then she abruptly advised me to lay back down, close my legs and lay on my side as she saw Ethan's head ready to come out!!! She said it looks like he has blondish hair! We couldn't believe he was so low and he wanted to be delivered so quickly! We were so happy his head was visible, but scared because the doctor had not arrived yet. The nurse kept her cool and even though we could sense a little bit of fear as she was in charge until the doctor arrived. Justin also was the most nervous he had been through the entire process as everything was happening so fast and we had to wait almost 20 minutes before the doctor arrived.

It was time for the nurses to change shifts right at 7:00 when the doctor came into the room. We instantly loved our new nurse as well, Jamie, but didn't want to see Meagan leave so close to Ethan being born. Happily, she choose to stick around to witness his birth even though it was time for her to go home. By 7:03 a.m. all of the staff was in the room and I was ready to push! I could not believe the time had come! I pictured myself for months crying at this point being scared out of my mind, but I had an enormous sense of calmness over my body and the room was so peaceful and inviting that it was such a magical experience. Justin stayed by my side the entire time and kept encouraging me along with all the nurses and the doctor. I felt so empowered and proud of myself that I was actually giving life to my precious baby. The feelings of creating life are just indescribable.

I pushed through 3 contractions, however in the beginning I was not sure exactly where I needed to push so I believe it could have gone even faster had I known what I knew by the end. The doctor said, we can see his little ears, keep pushing and that gave me so much strength. Then the Doctor said, "look at your baby, Mommy" as his head was completely visible and I could still feel him kicking inside of my body! He had already started crying even before his whole body came out! I gave it one more push and he was free! Ethan was born at 7:19 a.m. on January, 18th 2011. He was so big I thought to myself! I instantly saw Justin in Ethan as I saw my baby for the first time. I had always wanted a mini version of my amazing husband and now I had it. Ethan came out very feisty, more of my trait we believe! He first grabbed onto Dr. Lombard's scrubs with a tight grip, begging "please don't drop me!" Then as she was toweling him off, he would not let go of the towel! Justin was then able to cut the umbilical cord, which he did a fantastic job! As they laid Ethan on my chest, the life that had been created and been with me for over 9 months, I was in love with him so much it hurt as well as Justin.

Ethan was soon taken away to be checked out to make sure he was he was healthy and Daddy followed him taking lots of pictures as I was being worked on. All I remember was staring at my baby and being so thankful he was healthy, not even paying any attention as to what was going on with me. Ethan weighed 7. lb. 13 oz. and measured 19 1/2 inches. He was a big and strong alert precious baby boy! He was eventually brought back to me and I began to feed him. Ethan latched like a champion on the first try and I could not have been more proud! Soon, our pediatrician came to visit us which we didn't expect, but were very thankful. He wanted to make sure Ethan was healthy from his perspective to give us peace of mind which he did. Then our original OBGYN came in to get a peek at Ethan and said, "if only he would have waited one more hour I could have delivered him!" It was great to see her as well. We felt very supported and encouraged by the hospital staff and the doctors, it could not have gone any better than it did. We were told we were the talk of the labor wing with our awesome delivery story!

We are so thankful our baby boy is here and Justin and I are so proud to be parents! We could not be more in love with Ethan than we already are. We are now a family, it's now the 3 of us (4 including Miley)! We look forward to an amazing journey with this little boy that we love so much and know we are going to create so many amazing memories together. Ethan is just perfect.

The LAST and FINAL week?! Only time will tell!

Well, here we are, less than a week until our due date! What an incredible journey this has been! Justin and I have shared so many wonderful moments though this experience and we will forever have everlasting memories of our first pregnancy! After more than 10 years together, it seemed impossible to grow any closer than we already were, but through this experience we are even more respectful and dedicated to each other than ever before. We have shared so many things together like sharing our Sr. year of High School, growing out of our teenage years, going through college, traveling to 13 different countries, getting married, getting our first real jobs, moving away from home, and adopting Miley together. Now we get to experience the most beautiful roles in life, becoming parents together! I can only imagine how amazing things will be when our little lovie arrives and impacts our lives every day! We are so thankful!

We had our appointment earlier this week and we had made more progress! I am now 90% effaced and dilated to 1 centimeter. The doctor thinks I will have an easy labor since we have been so healthy thus far and progressing nicely. She is happy with my effacement as she said that can be the longest part of early labor, just getting to 100% effaced. We found that very encouraging! The baby is at a -1 station and is considered as low as possible before being considered in labor! When searching for his heartbeat she also noticed that he had now perfectly aligned himself for labor whereas before his body was a little off center! I am so happy he is in position and extremely low, hopefully less pushing time! After the exam, the doctor was pleased to see "things are preparing for labor" and since then I have had some additional "indications" (will leave out, TMI!) that labor is right around the corner!

So now its just a waiting game! Dr. Grounds said he could come anytime and to have my "bags packed" but it is impossible for anyone to predict when this baby will decide to come. Since I am progressing well and he is already incredibly low, she doesn't think I would go post due. However, she said if he is not here by next week, she would induce me on my due date if I wanted to. As desperately as I want to hold my baby and start our new lives together, induction is not something we had even considered as we wanted everything to happen as naturally as possible. With Induction rates skyrocketing, I wasn't surprised to hear the offer as most Mom's are very excited about. We are not completely opposed to having to do it, but will avoid it as much as possible since induction increases more drugs being needed, they have typically longer labors and a higher rate of needing a c-section if you do not progress fast enough. And with 1/3 of all deliveries ending in c-section these days, we really do not want to be induced. So needless to say, if baby boy does not arrive by next week, we will try to wait it out as long as possible to let him come on his own until medical intervention is necessary.

On a funny note, Justin and I have barely been sleeping at all this week and have been having insane dreams! Being pregnant, my dreams has been wacko since the beginning, but now I am actually having labor dreams and so is Justin! My first dream was great! I had an easy labor and had our beautiful baby boy and everything was perfect.

The next night I must have lost my mind! I dreamed I went through labor and everything was great except the fact that we were on an Indian Reservation and all of the Native American women were trying to give me all these herbal supplements for this and that, little strange but I went with it. Then out of nowhere the baby was here! Yay, exciting right?! Well, not exactly. The baby was a miniature ZEBRA!!!!!!!!!!! That's right, a ZEBRA! Everyone keep oohing and aweing over this little equine related bundle of joy and I kept telling everyone, this is NOT my baby Ethan! Everyone keep looking at me like I was crazy and telling me that it was my baby. They even tried to make me breastfeed this non-domesticated striped horse! I woke up in a panic drenched in sweat and was VERY thankful it was just a dream!

Justin rarely remembers his dreams and one night this week he had his first labor and delivery dream ever! He didn't remember too much about it, just that it was odd for him to be dreaming at all. It's clearly constantly on our minds and this baby better get here soon before his parents go insane! :)

Thank you to everyone who have been so encouraging and supportive to us throughout this pregnancy! We are so blessed to have such an amazing support system! Please be thinking about us over the next few days! This will be by far the most challenging and scary moment of this whole experience and will also be the most happiest as well. Please wish us to have a healthy and safe delivery of our baby boy!

With love,

Jessica and Justin

The Countdown is ON!!!!!

We are 38 weeks today!!!! I never thought the day would come when we would be only 2 weeks away from our due date! This is so surreal! It seems like just yesterday when Justin and I found out we were going to be parents that rainy Spring evening on May 13th 2010! The emotions were so strong that night and they have yet to calm since then! We are beyond happy, excited, anxious, nervous, and thrilled to be parents to this little boy of ours! It will be any day now that we will be able to hold our little Ethan and start sharing wonderful memories as a family!

We feel 100% ready for Baby Ethan now! Such a great feeling! Everything on our "To Do" list is now checked off and our hospital bags are packed with the car seat installed! It is such a big relief knowing we are now ready! We are obviously feeling a lot of anticipation for the labor and delivery, but we are keeping our focus on little Ethan and wishing him to be a healthy baby boy! That is our only concern at this time and please keep us in your thoughts as we approach this special day!

A week ago I had a doctor's appointment and I had not started progressing yet. I was 0% effaced with no dilation. However, it was confirmed the baby has been officially dropped for a while and the doctor could even feel his head. At our appointment 2 days ago we had progressed quite a bit! I was 80% effaced and 1 cm dilated! We are very excited that the progression has begun! It is just a waiting game now! The doctor thinks he could arrive a little early since he has been so low, but we are hoping he stays put until at least this time next week!

I have had such a great pregnancy so far! I received negative results on all my tests, my blood pressure has been great, and my weight gain has been very healthy. Sure there have been some side effects I could have done without, but in all an easy pregnancy! In every ultrasound Ethan has been right on target as well! I am still measuring small, but the doctor is not worried at all! But, this last month has been very hard on my body! I cannot believe the difference I feel from just a few weeks ago! I am usually fine during the day, just an achy body, but by night time my body hurts so bad that I cannot sit, stand, or even lay down without being terribly uncomfortable! I have had have so much pressure on my lower abdomen and into my pubic bone for about 2 weeks now that it is almost unbearable at times. My hips and lower back hurt quite a bit and sometimes my legs don't even feel like they are attached to my body! I guess it's just all the pressure from the baby being so low. Thank goodness for my amazing husband! He has seen my activity level drop a lot the past few days and has been helping me out tremendously! I know I can get through anything with his love and support! I am so lucky! :) I understand that these uncomfortable days will soon be a thing of the past, so I am trying to appreciate every last moment of being pregnant with my little Ethan! It won't be long now!

Here are some updated photos of Ethan's room! It is pretty much finished, just need to hang some pictures. We plan to put a big newborn picture of him over the changing table when he arrives! We cannot wait to start taking pictures of our little guy!!!!

This is a painting my sweet and talented friend Robin made for baby Ethan! The painting is so precious and we LOVE it so much!




Ethan has lots of toys in his Toy Tote!




We just love all the books! Justin reads to baby Ethan already and his favorite book is, "I love you Daddy!"

Less than a month to go!

Today we are 36 weeks! Baby will be considered full term this time next week! It seems impossible! Soon, Justin and I will be holding our little boy and will officially be our own little family!

I am feeling very tried these days and just want to sleep all the time. I better stock up on the sleep now, because it will soon be very difficult to get to rest. I have been having some mild cramping, but nothing consistent. I also have been having less heartburn which is such a relief, just another sign he has dropped! My back has been hurting more and more as well.

We had another doctor's appointment this week and everything wen't great! Justin and I were able to ask Dr. Grounds her opinion's on pain medications, when to go to the hospital if we think we are in labor, and other things to expect when the big day arrives. Being first time parents, we both are feeling pretty prepared and I know taking classes really helped. We took a 5 week birthing class, breastfeeding, newborn care and just finished a CPR class this week. At the same time, there is always a sense of anxiousness and feelings of being overwhelmed every now and then. She definitely thinks he is down low because of where she had to place the heartbeat monitor. When we go back next week, we will find out the position of the baby and if any progress has taken place yet.

We have had some fun things happen this week! We finally took some maternity photos! Trying to save money, we did them ourselves and I think they turned out pretty good thanks to my talented Hubby! We plan to take some more this weekend too with Justin and I together. We also ordered our car seat and it should be here on Friday. We still need a few more big items, but may hold off on those for a while. I had some onesies made by a sweet friend a while back that arrived last week that says 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year on them! They will be great for his milestone photos! They are so cute and so personal! Definitely one of my favorites things for Ethan so far!

Everything else is going well, just trying to mark things off our To Do lists before our little guy gets here! Next item on the list......packing the hospital bag! How surreal is that?!

Happy 3 Year Wedding Anniversary today to my best friend and love of my life! I LOVE YOU!

35 weeks!

Wow! It is unbelievable! We are 35 weeks today! Only 5 weeks left to go until our due date! In 2 weeks he will be considered full term so he could come at any time! This week officially marked the beginning of my feelings of nervousness and anxiousness! I am so ready for him to be here, but at the same time feel there is still so much left to do. I guess you can never be fully prepared for the birth of your first baby, but I hope to feel a little more prepared in a few days. Justin is handling everything great and being fully supportive, but I can tell he is feeling there is no time to waste either! We are both trying to finalize everything and checking things off our To Do lists. We did order his Playard and High Chair this week. But we still need to get his car sear, stroller and extra car seat base, along with a some smaller items like Halo Sleepsacks!

I think my feelings of anxiousness are taking over even more because I can feel he has dropped. My Doctor could feel his head very low into my pelvis this week. This could mean he will be on his way very soon!

A lot has happened in the past 3 weeks, I am not even sure where to begin!

About 3 weeks ago on November 16th, I had an appointment where my doctor measured my Fundal Height (where you measure in centimeters the top of the uterus to the top pubic bone to make sure the size correlates with the week of pregnancy you are in). She had measured it once before at a prior appointment and it was totally off, but assumed it was because it was too early. Although, fundal height measuring is not an accurate way to determine the size of the fetus, it is a good general procedure done at most visits. So when I went in for my 32 week appointment I was only measuring at 27 weeks, clearly measuring small compared to most women. The doctor reassured me that is most likely the way I am built and not anything wrong with the baby, however she wanted to do a Sonogram to make sure. The doctor said my weight gain had been ideal throughout the pregnancy and along with a strong heartbeat and consistent movements from Ethan, she was not concerned anything was wrong but wanted a more accurate way to measure the baby. My heart instantly dropped when I heard we needed the Sono. We had not needed an unplanned Sono at all before and even though it was just a safety precaution, I was extremely worried something was wrong with Ethan. The worst part was, we had to wait 2 weeks before we could get into an appointment. The doctor tried to explain again that if she were that concerned, then I would be in the emergency Sono right then or would send me to another hospital, but she said there is no reason to worry. So I scheduled my appointment for 2 weeks out and did exactly what she told me not to do....worry. I was very upset for the rest of the day and the next. Knowing I had to wait so long to make sure my baby was doing well made me very emotional.

I was at the appointment alone so I instantly called Justin to tell him that I was measuring small and we needed a Sono. I was clearly in tears so Justin felt the need to call the doctor later that afternoon. Once he was able to get the full story from the nurse he immediately felt better, which made me feel better. Over the next few days I was feeling Ethan move more than ever before, almost like he was telling me, "Mom, I am fine there is nothing to worry about!" My motherly instincts were also telling me that he was just fine as well. So I eventually started to trust my body more and I stopped worrying. We didn't tell our family because we both knew deep down everything was fine and didn't want to cause any unnecessary scares.

Finally, November 29th rolled around and it was time for the Sonogram! I was so excited for this appointment, but at the same time I felt a sense of calmness because I knew the Tech was going to tell me he was on target. She looked at everything and she measured him 3 different time to make sure it was accurate and she determined he was indeed measuring perfect! He was weighing in at 5 lb. 4 oz which was perfect for week 34!

I met with my doctor the next day and she was very happy with the results and just reiterated that due to my build and being long waisted I will just look smaller that other women pregnant. She once again said my weight gain has been perfect and that I should be very proud of myself for taking care of my body and most importantly, Ethan. Just like our Birthing Instructor said the other night, "if there is ever a time to eat healthy in your whole life, it is when you are pregnant." I definitely cannot say that I have eaten perfectly this whole pregnancy (sweets do get the best of me), but I am cautious of the amount of "bad foods" I put in my mouth as it not only effects me, but Ethan as well.

So all that to say, we had our first obstacle in this pregnancy, but everything turned out great in the end!

Not only did we have a great Thanksgiving, but we also had 2 baby showers in the past couple of weeks!

First was a smaller family shower on my side of the family! My cousin Kristin, Aunt Florence and Mom all hosted the shower and they did a great job! We got a lot of great essentials! Here are some of the highlights:









Then we had our last baby shower at Justin's parents house! It was so fun and got a lot of great stuff for Baby Ethan!

8 Months!

We are into our 8th month this week and 32 weeks along! The finish line is drawing nearer! Things are going really well and overall I am feeling great! I can feel Ethan is definitely getting longer by the vast area of activity being covered in my belly! By this week he could have all his hair and sharp fingernails! We will need to pack some nail clippers in our hospital bag for sure! Speaking of, I have already made out my hospital bag list and lets just say Justin has his work cut out for him!

Our birthing classes are still very informative and we toured the hospital this week. The hospital has been around the KC area forever and has a great reputation for advanced medical practices and high security (they have never lost a baby!). It's great because right when you check in you get your own newly renovated labor/delivery room that is spacious and full of nice conveniences. The downfall is the Mommy and Me room after delivery is not updated and very small. It's probably what a hospital room looked like when Justin and I were born! The hospital is breaking ground on a whole new Maternity ward soon so that is why they have neglected to update the recovery rooms. It is really neat because when they finish their new construction, the older Maternity ward will be the NICU section and all the NICU babies will get their own rooms! I thought that was really sweet. There is a newer hospital that we also have rights to that we may go check out after Thanksgiving.

Last weekend was my baby shower in Kansas City! I am so lucky to have met great friends in Kansas City considering we knew absolutely no one when we moved here! I was missing a few people (you know who you are!) who could not make it, but I hope I get to see them soon! My friend Kelli hosted the lovely shower and she did a great job! Our activity was to decorate little onsies with iron on animals, paints, and fabric markers. It was fun to have a project and bring out our creative side! Ethan also received some great things like:

Cute outfits
Piggy bank
Hooded towels
Blankets
Matress cover and sheet saver
Bottle warmer
Baby Einstien toy

Here are some pictures:

My sweet host Kelli!



The decoration table!



Two of my oldest friends in KC, Alicia and Neatra!





Me and Christina! Our boys are less than 3 weeks apart!

31 Weeks!

We are 31 weeks today! 63 more days until Ethan's due date! It is quickly approaching! He is estimated to be about 3.3 lb. (which is similar to carrying 4 naval oranges!) and over 16 inches long! He is gaining about a 1/2 a week now and will continue to do so for the next few weeks.

He is still very active but is taking longer naps now. He still likes to keep me up a night by moving and kicking, especially around 3-5 a.m. which makes it very hard to sleep along with the frequent bathroom breaks and heartburn that never seems to stop, but it is all worth it! This pregnancy has just been a blessing. About a week ago his movements started to feel a little different. I think he is now head down with his back towards me (at least I hope so)! He seems to be more prevalent on my right side at all times. I go to the doctor next Tuesday, so I hope she is able to tell me how he is positioned.

Justin and I recently started childbirth classes. We will attend them once a week for 5 weeks. Last night was night two, and we really focused on relaxation techniques and ways to stay positive during labor. We are currently deciding on a birth plan. We both have a lot more research and discussions ahead of us, but for now we are hoping to go drug free for as long as possible during labor. It all of course will depend on the situation when the time comes and if we are healthy enough to make our own decisions, but we plan to have as less interventions as possible. We learned last night how important it is to spend the first two hours after delivery bonding with baby with just Mommy and Daddy. I know it will be hard to keep the visitors waiting, but it is such a crucial time to spend with baby.

Justin and I also just celebrated our 10 year anniversary on November 9th! It's hard to believe I met him when I was only 17 years old! We were just kids! This anniversary has always meant so much to us, even more than our wedding anniversary and it always will. These have been the best 10 years of our lives and we are so thankful that we cannot even put into words!

Justin's parents recently took us to Chicago for a short weekend getaway. It was mainly for a business trip with Justin's Father's company, but it was also a great time to spend away before Ethan is born. It was our last trip just the two of us and the last time we will not have to lug around baby gear for a while! Oh, the fun that lies ahead! Ha!





Justin and I did not buy anything for ourselves, all we wanted to do was shop for little Ethan which is way more fun! Here are a few of the things we got:

Here are some Kicky Pant outfits for Ethan! Kicky Pants are made from bamboo and are so soft and comfy! I know Ethan will just love being in his Kicky Pants!



A couple outfits from H & M and Baby Gap. I absolutely loved H & M Baby! There were so many cute basics to choose from.



These are also so soft and sweet made of organic cotton from Egypt a line called "Under the Nile." Very cute and affordable!



Justin's Mom found these funny little things! They are basically little teepees you place on baby boy's "wee wee" during diaper changes so that he does not pee in your face, all over the wall, on himself or anywhere else! Haha!



I was so excited to go to the Land of Nod store in Chicago which was just outside of the city. I was hoping for it to have lots of organic clothes and things, but it mainly sold nursery and kids room decor. We did find this cute wooden bamboo airplane that we bought. Ethan will not be able to play with it for a while, but it looks cute in his nursery for now!




Justin and I wanted to make some personalized things for baby Ethan. We borrowed a sewing machine and gathered materials to make burpies and baby blankets! Justin is way more talented than me with a sewing machine so he has actually been making them. It is really funny to see him sitting behind a sewing machine making burp cloths! He usually drinks a nice dark beer while he sews which makes it all seem a little more "manly!" Here are a few burpies so far!

4D Video

Halloween and 3/4D Ultrasound!

We had my Mom's Birthday/Halloween party this past weekend! I went as a Bump Sign! Justin was a blonde cowboy! Pretty funny!

We had our 3/4D Ultrasound yesterday! We were so excited to see our baby boy again, since we had not seen him in almost 11 weeks! We knew we would not be able to get perfect pictures, since it is very hard to get good pictures in the short 20 minute visit, but the visit far exceeded our expectations! Now, when we think about our baby boy we can actually visualize his precious face! I do not think it has left my mind for more than 5 seconds since the appointment!

Not only did we get to see some of his sweet little features, but best of all we got to watch him move and play the whole time! It is incredible how Ethan is already acting like a baby! We got to see him play with his feet in his hands, rub his eyes, yawn, suck his thumb and best of all smile over and over again! Even our ultrasound tech could not believe how much he was smiling! He must be one happy baby! Maybe he felt his Mommy smiling at him. :) He even has lots of hair on his head!

He weighed 2 pounds and 12 oz.! Most babies at his gestational age are only a little over 2 lb. so we could be in for a big boy! Even though my belly is not real big, we had a feeling he would be on the bigger side. He kept placing his arm over his face so we could not get a perfect shot of him. The tech kept shaking him and I even tried laying on my side and it didn't help. It actually made him move closer to me which is why on some of he pictures there is a lot of fuzziness. We could however see his nose and his lips pretty well and they look just like Justin! Even his facial expressions were just like his Daddy's! I saw a short glimpse of his chin and I think it looked a little more like mine, but it was only for a second. We saw his precious little ear! We also saw his boy parts, so no surprises there!

Here are some pictures. The video is even more amazing which Justin will be uploading sometime tonight! Enjoy! :)

Sweet little face:

This is a total Justin expression:

Chubby little fingers:

Precious little footprint:

Sucking his thumb:

Smiling:

Smiling again:

Hands:

Feet again: