Grayson's Birth Story

I had the best birth story ever. Usually when you talk to someone they have these birth stories that make you say "There is NO WAY I'm having a baby!"

My best friend had her little girl three weeks before Grayson was born- 22 hours of labor, 4 hours of pushing and an emergency c-section later she told me "It was horrible!! I don't know if I can do that ever again!"

So here I was, terrified of giving birth to the kung-fu panda in my belly.

I was terrified of a few things- needles, blood, pain, my water breaking while I was teaching a room full of 9th graders, not being able to get pain meds, the whole birthing process- I was a nervous wreck.

But ya'll, I had the best labor and delivery anyone could ask for. I felt absolutely no pain at all. The worst part was getting the IV put in my hand- no lie.

At the end of the work day on Thursday, which happened to be school picture day- lucky me, I dropped my keys off and said "See you tomorrow, there is no way I'm having this baby tonight."

Life went on as usual. I came home, made dinner, ate with hubs and we watched some t.v. I graded some papers, and made a key for the test I was giving the next day. Totally normal night. We went to bed around 11 after watching an episode of CSI. Everyone kept asking if the baby was still moving, because when he settled down that meant he was ready to come out. Well, during CSI he gave me my usual beating; kicking, rolling, punching, wiggling. He was quite an active little buggar. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

At 1:03 AM I woke up to pee, a normal thing when you have a wiggling watermelon on your bladder. As I hit the hallway I felt a warm liquid seep out of me and soak my pj pants half way to the knees. My first reaction was that I had peed my pants, but I realized that wasn't me I had no control over that- my water had just broken. Uh-0h. I changed my pants and went to wake up the hubs. I said "Babe, you need to wake up my water broke." His response "Ill fix it in the morning". My husband is not a person who likes to wake up. I shook him again and repeated my statement and this time he heard me loud and clear and proceeded to leap out of bed.

We called the doctor, and got to the hospital a little after 2 AM. I had two complaints about the hospital- the first was when we went to check in they left us sitting there for 30 minutes before the lady came out of the back room. Hello??! I'm in labor here- I'm not checking in for a flight and got there an hour early. The second was the fact that there was zippo water pressure and hot water was hard to come by, which made for some cold post baby showers.

When we got to the labor/delivery room they confirmed that my water had in fact broken (yay for not peeing myself!), and hooked me up to the monitors. The little bean's heart rate went from 80-160 and was bouncing all over the place. I was also not contracting, at all. The doctor arrived, and checked me and couldn't tell much from the vaginal exam, so in came the ultrasound machine. After looking at everything they told me my cervix was behind his head. So that right there put me on bed rest, because they didn't want the cord to prolapse. After wheeling the machine out, they came back and the doctor told me they could try drug A to soften the cervix, then start pitocin..or they could do a C-section.

Now kiddos, when they say the word c-section within 30 minutes of you getting to the hospital- they pretty much know that we're going to end up in the OR at some point. I asked the doctor, who was also pregnant, what she would do. She told me she would take him now if it was her- so I told them to go for it.

Yes, the woman who usually needs bribed with presents to get a flu shot was electing to have major surgery.

My husband nearly fell off the chair. He said later he didn't know what was more shocking, how calm I was or the fact that I opted to be cut open.

Twenty minutes later they were walking me down to the OR and giving me the spinal. Now, I have to be honest- it didn't hurt at all. The local anesthetic felt like a small burn for 5 seconds, then the next thing I knew my foot was twitching because the needle was in my spine and I didn't feel a thing. I then told the anesthesiologist that I loved him, because at that moment he was my favorite person in the room.

They had already started cutting when the let Patrick into the room, and my loving husband took one look at me and said "Ya dead, mon?"

(I guess I did kind of look dead, but come on, I was giving birth to his child- a little sensitivity would have been nice!)

At this point, I felt like a disembodied head, and even when they said Id feel alot of pressure it didn't hurt at all.

Then at 6:11 AM they walked the most beautiful little nugget around the curtain and said, "Meet your little boy!"

And then my sweet little boy proceeded to pee on his Daddy. It was official, I was in love.

They got him all cleaned up and then they brought him over to meet me, and I just remember tears running down my face and kissing his little cheek. I couldn't believe I had done it, I was a Mommy and this was the little guy who made me one.

They took him off to the nursery and my husband went with him while they stitched me up and got me ready to go to recovery. I was in and out in an hour and a half, and only spent two hours in recovery. They did bring the baby in while I was in recovery to let me see him, and to let the hubs name him. Surprisingly, it only took him a few minutes to name him...I was worried it would be a two day process.

I was up and walking the next day, and have felt almost no pain as I healed. The spinal and the morphine did make me sick to my stomach, but I had been getting sick the whole pregnancy so it wasn't too different. It was all worth it, because that little guy made us a family and from the moment he was born neither of us could imagine life without him.

(Please forgive my appearance, no sleep + c-section + morphine= drugged up momma!)

So that was it. Quick and painless. No contractions, no pushing, no Lamaze breathing (I'd like a refund for those classes, please!), no real pain. Sure it was invasive and uncomfortable at times but it could have been worse. My baby was healthy, happy, beautiful and here- what more could I have asked for?

Grayson Michael

Born Friday September 23rd, 2011

6:11 AM 7 lbs 11 oz 20.5 inches long

The love of our lives- for sure.

Nursery Reveal!

Well yesterday was my due date- apparently little man didn't get the memo, cause I'm still on the knocked up side of things and not the Mommy side. He better decide to come soon, otherwise I will have to move him from the top of my favorite kids list to spot numero uno on the children that drive me crazy list.

Annywhooo~ at least Daddy finished his nursery on time!

First- some befores:

Our house was built in 1890. Its a big old place, with 10 foot ceelings, large rooms and zippo closet space. But it's ours, and we love it. His room was a blue guest room to start, with linoleum floors and a rug from Lowes to cover the floor.

There was a beautiful hand carved fireplace here, there is one in almost every room. However, the previous owner ripped it out and sold it leaving this beauty behind. They also replaced the orignal tiles with some random 4x4 blue squares and left large gaps in the woodwork. Thanks for that, folks.

We started by painting the walls Tiggers Tummy from the Disney Line at Home Depot that we had color matched to Behr Premium Plus Ultra. The trim was looking a little wonky, and since only about 1/2 of it was orignial we decided to just paint the trim Bitter Chocolate from Behr, and it honestly doesnt look like painted trim but rather stained woodwork.

Next came the carpet, wall to wall thick wonderful shag it was, and thanks to Remanant City in Pittsburgh we got a 20x17 piece WITH padding for $279. Score!!

Daddy and Grandpa took the old tile off of the fireplace and put new tile and a new mantle on that fits with the jungle theme we have going on. The bedding is Lambs and Ivy Papagayo.

We bought his crib new from USA Baby, but I scored the rest of the furnature off of craigslist for super cheap then we painted it a really deep, rich green. Yes, there is a tv and dvd collection in his room- please don't judge me, but we have a fouton in there that will be used for guests so we decided to keep the tv in there for that purpose...not so he can watch cartoons from his crib!!

A shot of the new mantle. It may not be original to the house, but I love how it fits the theme of his room.

How cute is this bathrobe holder? This is one of my favorite parts of his room, I'll be honest.

So many books. The bins at the bottom are for his little toys and things and the basket on the top has his stuffed animals and soft toys.

Last up is little man's closet...stuffed full of clothes. Everything on the top bar is newborn-6 months, and everything on the bottom is 6-12 months all seporated out by the little dividers I made a few months ago. The diaper stacker is full of his cloth dipes, and crammed in there as well is his musical table, jeep travel stroller, a bumboo, and a play mat. Momma can cram ALOT into a tiny closet ;)

Now all thats missing is little man- come on out, Buddy!

Mommy and Daddy really want to meet you!

The girl behind the crazy

Its a long, crazy road that got me to where I am today.

Growing up I never realized that it wasn't normal to have a crazy life. Im the daughter of a single Momma who worked three jobs, who lived with my grandparents and had my dad around 24/7. (Seriously, my parents had the best divorce ever, they got along so great once they didnt live together anymore that my Dad still came for dinner every night and had a key to our house.)

I grew up in a super small town, with family on every single street. My Dad has 11 brothers and sisters- most of whom live in the town. I have more cousins than I know what to do with. We swam in the river, played on the railroad tracks, rode quads and played capture the flag. Yeah, I should have been a boy. I managed to grow up and graduate high school, then college, then I went on to get my Masters in Education. Thats right, I was going to spend 7 years in college to go back to high school.

On Sunday December 13th, 2009 Patrick changed my life. While decorating our Christmas tree he had his little cousin hand me a box and say "Here Besamy, this is for you". When I opened the box I realized- pigs were flying, he was asking me to marry him. I knew we'd get there someday, of course, but he typically avoided that subject like the plague. He wanted to have a job to support me, a house for us to live in, and life for me to join into...and once he did all of that he (cough, cough, FINALLY) put a ring on it. (Please forgive the crazy unbrushed, unkept look of me in this photo- I had no idea or I would have spiffed up a bit!)

I graduated in May and got hired to teach 9th grade science in August- which is really a miracle when you look at the job market these days. I am that teacher- the one who climbs on desks, tells horribly bad jokes, sings, dances, decorates her room (LOVE that Cricut!), and dresses up on spirit day. I have fun at work, and my kids have fun in class. We laugh, we argue, and we learn. I like to tell them that if I sneak the learning in with the fun it keeps the natives from getting restless. Do they think I'm crazy? Yes. Do they love it? Most of them, yes. As I prepare to go out for maternity leave Ive had more than one ask me not to leave because they'll miss me- from 14 year olds that's a pretty big complement.

On October 30th, 2010 there was a gorgeous boy with the most amazing blue eyes waiting for me in a tux and Nike Shoxx at the end of the aisle of the church I grew up in. He said I do, and so did I and we became husband and wife.

I DIY-ed everything I could with the wedding, and you can read more about that here- being cheap as I am. We went back to the place we met to take our pictures, and had so many personal touches that really made it our wedding. I couldn't have asked for a better day, or a better husband.

Just as we were settling into being newlyweds on January 12th, 2011 we found out we were expecting. We were not trying to have a baby...but God had another plan. I found out when the doctor called with the results of my physical and said "Why didn't you tell us you were pregnant?" and I responded "You've got someone elses blood, lady!". Well, she didn't and here I am two days from my due date with our first (non-doggie) child.

So that's my life- and to some people its not much but I think its pretty darn perfect.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my hubby's birthday- he's officially old! We're really the same age, but he gets "old" five months before me, so I rub that in every single year haha! This year is a little different, because Im also three days from my due date with our baby boy. This week when he asked what the plans were for his birthday I kept telling him "Im not going to the mall to buy you a birthday present, Im having this baby on your birthday."

Well its still early, but no signs of the bean yet. Come on baby- Momma didn't go shopping!

So Happy Birthday my Love, I can't wait to spend the rest of our birthdays together!

The VMA's

Ohhh MTV- do you even play music videos anymore?

I do not know, but I do know that I owe the VMA's alot.

In 2004 I invited a friend from college over to watch them and pig out with me- it was my tradtion back then. He had just returned from Tennessee for sophomore year of college and was hungry for real food so he came. As we sat and watched Jessica Simpson and OutKast preform and eating pizza and wings and catching up on everything that had happened over the summer, something happened. Before he left that night he asked me if I thought I was ready to date again (high school boyfriend dumped me during spring semester), and I joked back "Why, do you know any nice single guys who arent total jerks?" He said, "Give me a few days and I will." I assumed he meant he would check around on campus and find me a nice guy...I didnt realize he was going home to finally break it off with his on-again/off-again casual dating girlfriend from home and would ask me out to a movie that weekend. Where he would open my car door for the first time, pay for my dinner for the first time, and hold my hand and tell me I was the most beautiful person he had ever known before he kissed me.

This picture is from the next weekend, when he took me to my first Pirates game.

A little over six years later, I married him.

So tonight as I watch the VMA's and wonder what in the hell some of these people are on....I realize I owe a heck of alot to MTV. But goodness what I wouldn't give for some Jessica Simpson- at least I knew the words to her songs!

All Star Baby Shower

Wow- so I've totally managed to suck at blogging. I figured I have a bit of an excuse, with a baby bump that has reduced me to having to hold onto something to put on pants, a renovation on Mr. Man's room, and trying to prep to go back to school only to leave again after 3 weeks- its a bit hectic over here. So tonight as the hubs is out of town for work (3 weeks before I deliver, thanks boss man...not. This year for Christmas, you get nothing.) I figured Id sit down and relax and share some images from the baby shower.

I knew I wanted my husband to be there- he's so beyond excited for his little man it wouldn't be right if it was just my shower. Don't tell him I told you this, but he talks to my belly every night and sleeps with his hand on my bump to feel the baby moving as much as he can...which is super cute and WAY un-expected for this tough guy. So, knowing I wanted to have him there we decided that we were going to go with a co-ed All Star Sports theme- think 'babys first party' rather than 'cutesy baby shower'.

We went with a red, white and blue baseball, basketball and football All-Star theme- because the plates, napkins and the like were 75% off at the party store- score!! Food was what you would find at a tailgate party...hot dogs, nachos, hot sausage, friend chicken, salads, fruit salad, pasta, chips, cookies, iced tea, pop, and even some beer for the men folk who braved the party. The invites encouraged sports attire and we had paper footballs and baseballs hanging from the ceiling. The corn hole boards were set up outside in the parking lot, giving the guys a place to retreat to with their beer and food. Games were not the norm either. I came up with two games the first was called Famous Sons a matching game that had people matching the names of famous TV sons with the shows they were on (that was a good hour of Google time to come up with shows from all eras, but it was a huge hit) and Mommy, Daddy or Both where I had facts listed and the guests had to figure out who we were talking about. I.E. Who had more cravings during the pregnancy? (Daddy, totally), or Who had to bring a bucket on any car ride until age 10 because they suffered from horrible motion sickness? (that'd be the mama- and that outgrown habit re-reared its ugly head in pregnancy too!). Our favors were sugar cookie baseballs on a stick, and we had napkin diapers filled with things like sour patch kids and chocolate covered raisins on the tables along with the wish cards for the little man that allowed people to recall favorite memories with mommy and daddy as well as give predictions for the bean and their well wishes.

I was a little worried that inviting 70+ women and 20 some men to a shower like this would result in strange looks- but ya'll they LOVED it. People told me it was the best baby shower they had been to in a long, long time. Even the men had a good time (but the beer probably really helped them out!) Sure we had some traditional baby shower things, like the pictures of Mommy and Daddy and a coming soon shot of our little guy. Check out Daddy's FAB comb over and Mommy's cue ball....hopefully this kid pops out somewhere in the middle lol.

Quick shot of the food table...drool.

My sweet friend Julie made the cake- shes not a professional baker, but goodness she could be!

This was my single favorite part of the shower, I cried when I saw it...and drool whenever I think of how good it tasted. It was a vanilla cake with fresh strawberry and butter cream filling. And no, I know what you all are thinking- we didnt eat the baby...I couldn't bare to cut into him (he even had a belly button for goodness sakes!). I left him for my dad and his poker buddies to cut into later that night- but even they couldn't do it.

We had so many generous gifts...it was insane to us how much this little man is loved. It seriously took two of us over an hour to open them all. I couldn't believe how generous and amazing all of our friends and family were. We even ended up with 15 BumGenius cloth diapers that people brought instead of cases of disposables....I have no words for how grateful we were.

Me and the hubs, hes so cute, if this kid looks like him I'm screwed. He was sweet enough to help plan this shower with my Mom and his cousin to make sure it was exactly what he wanted for his little guy and to make sure it was a fun party. We totally didnt try to match, it just worked out that way. Actually, when I tried the dress on at the store my darling Momma said 'Holy Cow, you're huge!'...I so hope her grandson pees on her the first chance he gets for that one.

I think my other favorite part of the shower was taking this picture with my childhood best friend. We always did everything together growing up, and even though we were not trying we both wound up being pregnant at the same time. Seriously, shes due today-three weeks apart- with her little girl, Marley.

Call me crazy, but I'm sensing an arranged marriage in my little guy's future ;)