water baby

it doesn't matter how good or bad the day has gone, when we put jake in the tub before bed he becomes the happiest baby... i look forward to bath time every night because i know he'll be in a good mood the whole time.  its not that jake is a cranky baby, but usually by the evening, he's about had it for the day.  i hope he continues to love the water.  i can't wait for swim lessons at the y once he's old enough-- and really that time is coming up quickly!  he is already 3 months old.... all of the sudden he's such a big boy!  he rolled over for the first time two days ago and i can't get over the fact that the time is going so quickly.  now i really know what people mean when they say how fast kids grow up.

Seabrook

we just got back from a quick little getaway to the coast for our 4th anniversary.  for years i've seen the sign for "seabrook" on the side of the freeway in fife and i have been wanting to go for a long time.  we finally booked the trip a few weeks ago.  the cottage we stayed in was incredibly cute, and we had such a good time.  i think we would have had an even better time if jake wasn't so fussy... it was probably my mistake eating broccoli for dinner.  gassy baby = cranky baby.  i'm still learning, obviously.  here are some pictures from our trip.

boston did a lot of relaxing and absolutely loved the beach.

this is one of jakes finer moments of the trip (ie he is not crying)

picnic out of the back of the car.

4 years and still going strong :)  love this man!

smiley boy!

He's Here!!

Jacob Scott Langlow has arrived and he is absolutely precious!!  i couldn't feel more blessed to have him here and out of my belly, phew.  it is such a relief to be done with pregnancy.  i am sure that in the future i will be missing the feeling, but honestly, right now i am so happy to have my body back, even if it is sore, stitched, and swollen.

i am always interested in other's birth stories, and before Jacob got here i was reading them by the hundreds on pregnancy boards, anticipating what it would be like for me.  throughout my pregnancy i had many braxton hicks (painless contractions), so when the began to actually become uncomfortable, i was hoping the time was near.  they began to feel painful on wednesday, the 21st, and although i slept, i woke up periodically throughout the entire night.  the contractions at this point were not really time-able.  thursday the contractions continued throughout the day, but i didn't really time them.  i was able to handle them, so i assumed this was just the beginning stages.  thursday night the contractions got worse, and i was not able to sleep (unless it was for the 5-10 minutes between the contractions) and i woke every time i had one.  in the morning they were anywhere between 4-7 minutes apart, and i was incredibly uncomfortable.  we decided to go into the hospital to see what was going on.  once at the hospital the contractions slowed down and the nurses had me walk around for an hour to see if there was any progress from the 3-4cm dilation and 80% effacement i had.  nick and i found a stairwell and got busy... climbing stairs that is.  when the hour was up we learned that there was no significant change, so then sent us home, or to our appointments we had previously scheduled with ultrasound and my doctor.

the ultrasound proclaimed that this baby was big. i mean BIG.  the estimate was that he would be 9 lbs 15 oz... my doctor said that in this case it is probably better that the baby comes soon, so we scheduled an induction for monday (mind you, this is friday) if the baby had not arrived yet.  by this time (of course) my contractions had returned so i was in a lot more pain than i had been at the hospital earlier that morning.  we left the doc and got breakfast, spent the rest of the day at home.  another night passed with me moaning in pain at my contractions on the couch while nick slept in the bed.  (its not really like he could do much for me anyways).  at about 6 we called the doctor and told him how much pain i was in.  he said we should go to the hospital, but no promises we'll have a baby today.  i decided i didnt want to get sent home again, so i would tough it out a little longer at home.  at about 9am we were preparing to go walking in hopes of getting the still inconsistent, but very intense contractions to become more consistent. my doctor called our house wondering why i wasnt at the hospital.  i told him i didn't want to be sent home, and he said that the nurses weren't the ones who decided if i would go home, he was.  he was prepared to induce me or give me a cesarean if necessary when i gave the word, and the nurses should have talked to me about that when i was last at the hospital... they hadn't.  so apparently i could have had this baby on friday instead, but there was some miscommunications...

we left for the hospital and arrived at about 10 or 10:30am.  nurses said i had made no progress from the previous morning, but the admitted me anyways on my doctors orders.  my doctor arrived in an hour or so and broke my water and ordered pitocen to increase my labor.  then we played the waiting game.  at 6 cm i got an epidural (which was great)  and at 10 cm (9pm-ish?) i started pushing... my epidural had begun to wear off and my nurse would not let me have any more meds for fear i would not be able to feel when to push.. over the course of the next 2 1/2 hours i definitely could feel when to push.  because thats how long i had to push for... two. and a half. hours.  by the time the doctor arrived (when i was crowning) i really couldn't feel any of the epidural anymore.  because the doc was worried (even still at this point) that the baby's shoulders would not fit through the birth canal and out of me, he gave me an episiotomy.  within 10 minutes of the doctors arrival baby Jake was out and screaming ferociously, but all i could do was cry that i didn't have to push any longer (i was happy he was there too i suppose...)

Jacob Scott Langlow was born June 25th  at 11:12 pm weighing 9 pounds 11 ounces and measuring 20 inches.

we are in love <3

THERE! i finally finished this!  its taken me 7 1/2 weeks, but here ya go!

little stinker

i've been horrible about posting... i've got a half written post about the birth story and i just cant get it together enough to finish... i'm working on our birth announcements right now, and thought i'd post these little faces of my new main man jacob!  love him to bits :) hopefully in the near future i will have time to start posting more often!

39 Week Appointment!

this is just a quick post to update on how things are progressing.  today i am 39 weeks and we had our 39 week appointment this afternoon.  the doc said he was surprised and pleased to find i was dilated to 2 cm and 80% effaced!  (i was quite pleased myself!)  he said this was very good for a first-timer, and because of the progress he asked me to reschedule our ultrasound and next appointment to friday (as in 3 days from now) so we could see what the baby's size is like, see if he is doing alright, etc.  we'll also talk about induction for the following week if the baby hasn't already arrived.  normally we probably wouldn't talk about induction until i was at least a week overdue, but because of my gestational diabetes, and because the baby is a healthy size, he doesn't see why we shouldn't get the baby out sooner than later.  his size is definitely a factor, as the longer he's inside me, the bigger he gets, and the bigger he gets, the more likely i would be to have a c-section (because i may not be able to push him out).  we'd definitely like to avoid induction AND c-section, so we're hoping labor starts spontaneously in the next few days.  with the progress i've made so far, it isn't unlikely.

today we also got our carseat installed/inspected at the fire station.  we wanted to be sure everything was in and correctly in place.  a lot of people don't get the inspection, but i would highly recommend it.  if the seat isn't properly installed, you never know what could happen (obviously).  we like to err on the side of caution, and because it is a free service, we went ahead and did it.  baby'll be ridin' safely in the Tahoe.

The Home Stretch...

i've been horrible about blogging here, but i've been sort of busy... and by busy i mean i couldn't really tell you what i've been doing other than trying to prepare for this baby to get here.  i stopped working on the 10th, so that is one less thing i've had to worry about and it is really nice to be able to take my time cleaning and organizing.  i've found that i really only have the energy for one project a day.  that said, the baby room is done and i personally think it turned out exactly how i had envisioned, and i love it :)

the sailor theme turned out just how i wanted, thanks to that fabulous craigslist find of bedding, and the glider and ottoman, which i also found on craigslist (for only $60!!!!! amazing find! thanks mary!).  

i am beginning to get really uncomfortable.  getting out of a chair has become a chore, and forget reaching anything near the ground- i don't bend in half too easily anymore.  my belly is itchy and i (unfortunately) got stretch marks all over the middle of my belly... dangit, i really thought i might avoid those!  i suppose it comes with the territory.  i just keep telling myself this baby is going to be totally worth it.  

a few weeks ago my brother took some maternity photos for us and i absolutely love them :)  here are a couple:

if you are interested in the whole labor process and all the messy details that come along with it, continue reading, if not, skip to the next paragraph, this might get a little graphic...

as far as actual internal progress, i had an internal exam at 37 weeks where i had not dilation, but some thinning and softening of my cervix.  at 38 weeks there was no exam, and this week tuesday (39 weeks) i'll have another internal.  i'm pretty sure i have at least a little dilation at this point because i lost my mucus plug two mornings ago... never thought i'd be excited to see a giant loogie on a piece of toilet paper, but alas, these are the things that get things going, and anything that puts me closer to meeting this little man is a definite plus in my mind.  the mucus plug is a, um, for lack of a better word, mucussy glob that sits plugging the cervix while you are pregnant.  when the cervix begins to dilate, the glob sometimes comes out.  it doesn't always come out at once, and sometimes doesn't come out until actual labor has started.  it also doesn't necessarily mean labor is on your doorstep, but it does mean things are going in the right direction.  so.  i got very excited when i saw it.  

well, for now we're playing the waiting game.  i get painless contractions (called Braxton Hicks) often, and sometimes i am even able to time them, but they do not stay consistent over long periods of time, and, well, they don't hurt.  this might be weird to say, but i am looking forward to the painful ones, because it will mean that its probably time for this babe to meet his excited parents!  we'll see if i get around to blogging any more before he gets here, but if not, when he does, i'll post the whole birth story :)

here is my 38 week picture: