Baby Brother! Fri, Nov 28, 2008  +enlarge photo Jacob's baby brother has arrived! Nathan Joshua was born Nov 13, 2008 after 2 days of labor, 2.5hrs of pushing, and an emergency c-section. Mom and baby are doing great. Little Nathan has lots of dark hair, weighed 9lb 3.8oz and was 21.25in long, big boy! Jason and Jakey are enjoying him and being great big brothers.

Almost Halloween Mon, Oct 20, 2008 Things are going great here and Jakey is growing so much all the time. Some of his recent accomplishments are learning to count to 10 (he doesn't know what the numbers mean, but he can count them) and recognizing the colors black, red, and orange. He still talks ALL the time, and is very smart. He is understanding more about his little brother that's due next month, and he loves to hug and kiss my belly. I'm hoping that means he will do well with the baby and not be too jealous.

My 2 year old Thu, Jul 17, 2008 Oops, just realized I never posted about Jakey's birthday! We had a wonderful party for him the week before is birthday, a big barbecue with family and friends. He got lots of fun toys. He started crying when we began singing happy birthday to him, but otherwise he had a great time. On his actual birthday we had cake and ice cream with just our little family. I can't believe he is 2 years old! Time is just passing too quickly and I wish I could remember all the cute, sweet moments forever. Of course he and Jason are good at getting in trouble too lol, but they are adorable enough to make up for it. As for Jakey's new sibling, we found out we are having another baby boy, who we are naming Nathan after Daddy.

2 Year Appointment Fri, May 30, 2008 Jakey had his 2year appointment yesterday. We went to my old family doc, but I don't think he recognized us. He is growing great, still small at 24lbs, but a little taller than Jason was at 2, he's 34.5 inches. He talks so so much, everyone is always so surprised by how much he can talk. He's such a smart little guy. I'll update on his birthday party in another entry

Big Changes! Thu, Mar 6, 2008 Wow, it's been a long time since I've written on here! Jakey is now 21 months old. He talks so much and is into everything. He is a little monkey and climbs and jumps on everything. He's just so active! The big changes are that we have moved down to Salt Lake City. Nate got a new job here in January and we had to move in 2 weeks. The last 2 months we have been living with my family while we waited for our house in Idaho to sell and to get into our new one. We will finally be able to move into our new house in just a few days. The other big change is that Jakey is going to be a big brother! We just found out a few days ago that I am expecting baby #3 sometime in November. This year is turning out to be very exciting for us!

Happy Birthday Jakey!!! Fri, Jun 1, 2007  +enlarge photo Well, today Jacob turns 1. I can't believe how quickly this year has gone! This time last year I was in labor, preparing to meet our little boy. This year has sped by in a blur of laughs, milestones, and sleepless nights. Jakey is changing so fast! He walks everywhere now, has 7 teeth, loves giving slobbery kisses, and I'm pretty sure his first word is "pat-a-cake". He loves playing pat-a-cake and likes Elmo. He always wants to help or play with whatever we are doing. Jason loves to play with him though he also pushes him when they don't want to share toys. Jakey really likes buttons, he loves pushing the button on the computer to make the cd drive go in and out, and he learned which button on the vcr to push to make the video come out so he pushes that, pushes the tape back in and repeats. He's so funny. And he's such a momma's boy. He prefers me almost anytime over everybody else and wants me to hold him a lot. He's a bit jealous of the baby I babysit, and has wanted to be held more since I've started that. It's funny how he and Jason are so alike, yet so different. They look similar but have different personalities. And Jacob is a light-weight like Jason too, at only about 19lbs right now. That's ok, I love my little boys just the way they are. We are having Jakey's birthday party tomorrow, just a little one like we always do. Good thing he doesn't care what he gets because we plan to jut get him some sandals and maybe some clothes, he doesn't need anymore toys!

6 month appointment Mon, Dec 18, 2006 Jakey's 6 month appointment was Dec 11. He weighed in at 16lb 4oz and 26" long. Perfectly healthy and happy. He rolls, sits, and pushes up with his arms and toes. He's just a step away from crawling. He also had to get 2 shots which made him fussy for a few days. And, he now has 2 teeth! He got his first one 3 weeks ago and the 2nd one yesterday.  He's had a little cold the last few days, so with that and the teething again, he's not sleeping too well, but hopefully it'll be better now that those teeth are out.

4 month appointment Thu, Oct 26, 2006  +enlarge photo Well, Jakey is almost 5 months old now and just had his 4 month appointment a few days ago. He weighs 15lbs and is 25 1/4 inches long. Around 50% for both so he's just perfect. He had to get some shots that made him really fussy for a few days, but he's better now. He still eats all the time and lately he's been waking up a lot at night. Hopefully it's just a phase and he'll grow out of it soon. He rolls back to front now, but won't roll front to back anymore. He loves playing with his feet and sucking his hands, and he now reaches for toys and shakes them and puts them in his mouth. He also likes his Johnny Jump-Up. And now he's hungry again so I better go save him from his swing

Loving life Thu, Sep 21, 2006 Jacob is 3.5 months already, I can't believe how fast he's growing! He doesn't have his 4 month appointment for over a month still (he'll be almost 5 months by then) but I think he weighs about 14 lbs now. He's so smiley and cute. Lately he's been more fussy and eating nonstop, I think he's having a growth spurt. I hope it's over soon cuz he's been waking up a lot at night and I want him to go back to sleeping good. He loves playing with his feet now, it's so adorable! He also got a new cousin today, his uncle Blake has a new baby girl named Lily. I'm glad he has a cousin close to his age now

Rollin, rollin, rollin! Wed, Sep 6, 2006  +enlarge photo Well, we have a roller! Well kinda lol On August 20th Jacob rolled tummy to back 3 times! He's only done it once or twice since then but it's so exciting! I've tried to get it on camera but of course he never does it when the camera's going lol.

2 Month Appointment Tue, Aug 15, 2006  +enlarge photo Jacob had his 2 month appointment August 8th. He weighed 12lbs even and was 23" long. He's healthy and doing great. He had to get shots, poor little guy, and was not happy with us. He's such a cute boy. He smiles more and is trying to roll over from his back to tummy, but hasn't quite got it yet. Still eats a lot and sleeps good at night. I can't believe how big he's gotten, baby's grow so quickly.

2 Week Checkup and Moving Update Mon, Jun 19, 2006 Jacob had his 2 week checkup on 6-14-06. He was 9lbs 4 oz, which was a gain of 6oz since his 4day checkup where he was at his birthweight of 8lbs 14oz. He also gained 1/4in so was 20 1/4ins. Everything looked good He is eating all the time and still sleeping pretty good at night. His cord stump finally fell off last night (6-18) and he has a perfect little belly button. He's so cute and chubby. He is in size 1 diapers, newborns never even fit him. Jason is being such a good big brother and it's so sweet to see him come give Jacob kisses and rub his head We moved on the 14th as well, to Pocatello, ID. It has been exhausting getting everything packed, unpacked, and setting up the new house. Our new ward is really nice and we are doing pretty good in our new place.

Hi is here!!! Sat, Jun 3, 2006 OK, so after my appt Wed where dr stripped my membranes I had some random cntrx but didn't think anything was going to happen that soon. Well around 9:30pm they started getting a bit more painful and somewhat regular. I still didn't want to get up my hopes cuz I was scared they would just go away. Around 12:30am they were getting consistently about 3 mins apart so I started letting myself believe this would be it. I couldn't sleep because of the cntrx so I stayed up all night cleaning up and making sure everything was packed and ready to go to the hospital. Around 7am they slowed down to around 10mins apart and I was able to nap a little between them, guess my body needed a break. After an hour they picked up again. I labored at home as they got stronger. They were around 3-5 mins apart. I was having to concentrate through them, but didn't want to head to the hospital yet. Around 9:30 we called our families to let them know the baby was coming that day and my mom started on her way up. Nate's mom had some school work and things to do and told us to call her when we got to the hospital. I continued to labor at home until my mom and sisters showed up around noon. We left for the hospital and had to wait 1/2hr for a room to be cleared for us. So around 12:30 we get settled in and they check me. I was already 7+ cm and fully effaced! That made me feel so much better that all those cntrx had gotten me that far already. The dr asked if I wanted her to break my water, but I said I'd like to wait just a little longer and see if it broke on it's own. After this point I don't know exact times cuz I was having lots of pain from the cntrx. I tried changing positions and walking but it was getting hard no matter what I did. Probably around 2:30 they checked me again and I hadn't made much progress but the bag of waters was really bulging. I was in a lot of pain and told them to go ahead and break my water. Things continued to get more and more painful and I was moaning through the cntrx while squeezing my moms hand and Nate was putting pressure on my back. I got a little snippy with Nate a few times and told him to shut up once lol. But he was being great and they were telling me how good I was doing. (I had my mom, sis, sil and Nate with me). My nurse was very wonderful. I think around 4:30 she checked me and told me there was just a little cervix and had my try to push the baby's head past it. I was in so much pain that they had to help me with my breathing and I was starting to get pretty load and yelling. I was able to get baby's head moved down a bit and past the cervix so they started setting up the room. I wasn't paying attention to much going on around me because I was hurting so bad and the cntrx were only giving me a few breaths in between them. I started pushing I think around 4:45 and then suddenly they were telling me to get on my side and were putting oxygen on me because baby's heartrate was staying around the 90s and not going back up. Every time they asked me to do anything I was shaking my head or saying no or I can't do it, but I had to anyway lol. I pushed for a while on my side until they got the bed all ready and then I was on my back holding my legs and they told me I needed to get the baby out quick. Everything seemed to be so blurry to me from all the pain but I knew I needed to push as hard as I could. I did not want to have another c/s and I knew pushing was the only way to get him out. Pushing hurt a lot too but at least I knew it was getting somewhere, I could feel as his head slowly made it's way down. They had the mirror there so I could watch, it was so weird to see. I pushed harder than I thought I could and slowly I could see more and more of his head. Finally I gave a huge push and his head came out. They quickly suctioned him and told me to push hard again to get out his shoulders. They were stuck because he had one hand up by his shoulder, but my wonderful OB was able to pull out his arm and had me push one more time and out came his shoulders and one more small push and he slipped out. They laid him on my chest and I was able to touch him. I think my first words when he came out where "Oh my gosh!" and "I did it!" Nate cut his cord and they had to quickly take him to the warmer to get his oxygen because he was having a little trouble, but he pinked up quickly. They wiped him down a bit and then weighed and measured him, 8lbs 14oz and 20in long. I was surprised cuz he didn't look that big to me, and he was only an ounce smaller than Jason had been. He was born at 5:15 pm. Then, while they were doing this, I delivered the placenta and my OB started stitching me up cuz I had a 2nd degree tear. Then they brought him back to me and I got to hold him and I was so happy to have my beautiful little boy. I kept telling everyone "I did it!" I let some of my family members hold him a bit. (Oh yeah, my dad had showed up while I was trying to push him out, I was so happy to see him, he is able to calm me pretty good) Anyway, then I got to breastfeed him for the first time. It took him a few minutes to get latched on but then he got it and I nursed about 15 mins, and then let family hold him some more while dr finished sewing me up. After that they took him to the nursery with Nate and bathed him and all the newborn stuff. I was taken to my postpartum room and had dinner and was able to get a little rest until about 8 when they brought him back. I nursed again and more family visited and then finally we were alone. The first night went well. I didn't sleep much but Jacob slept a lot. Everything has been looking really good and he is just perfect. His bilirubin was a bit high so we have to go back to get checked but I'm sure it'll be fine. We were discharged at 7pm today, just one day after he was born. I am so happy to be able to be home so soon with my baby! I can't believe I had an all natural VBAC! I had very few interventions. Nursing is going good. I'm so sore and tired and I really don't know if I could do it without meds again, but I'm so proud of myself.

Labor! Thu, Jun 1, 2006 Holy cow, I'm pretty sure I'm in labor! I've been having contractions all night and they are pretty painful. I can't believe my little boy is going to be here soon! I am so excited but also nervous, I hope everything goes well and I don't need a c-section again. It's so weird to think that this is my last night with only 1 kid. Everything is going to change soon! I feel so ready, but at times not ready at all! I can't wait to meet my little guy and see what he looks like and everything This is all so exciting!!!

40 Week Appointment Wed, May 31, 2006 Well, I am due tomorrow and still no baby. I had an appointment today and have made a little more progress. I am 2cm dialated and 70% effaced, but his head's still high. Everything else is good. I'm now at 150lbs which makes for a total gain of 31 lbs. It's just perfect, I wanted to not get over 150 so I better have the baby before I gain more weight lol! Jacob's heartbeat was around 135 and my belly measured 39 weeks. My dr stripped my membranes to try to get labor started, we will see if it helps. I'm very uncomfortable and just want the little guy to come out already! Maybe he'll decide to come on his due date

38 Week Appointment Mon, May 22, 2006 Today's appointment went well. I'm 38 weeks 4 days, only 10 days until I'm due! I've finally made some progress. I'm 1cm dialated and 60% effaced. Everything is looking great. Jacob's hearbeat was 142, my belly measured 38 weeks like it should, and I haven't gained any more weight! (well, maybe 1/2lb but since they round to the nearest lb I'm still at 148). I'm getting anxious to meet my little boy and have my body back, but I know I'll miss being pregnant once he's out. I can't believe it's almost time and I could go into labor any day now!

37 Week Appointment Fri, May 19, 2006 I forgot to mention I had my 37 week appointment on Monday. Not much to report, still no dialation or effacement. Gained another 2 lbs. Everything is still measuring right and looking good. My next appt is next Monday. I'm hoping little Jacob decides to come out soon.

36 Week Appointment Mon, May 8, 2006 I'm 36.5 weeks today and had an appointment this morning. Everything is still looking good Belly measured 37 weeks and baby's heartbeat sounded good. I'm up 2 more lbs to 146, which is pretty good considering how poorly I've been eating. Less than a cm dialated, not effaced, -2 station. This baby could come at any time now and they wouldn't stop it I still need to get my hospital bag packed and also need to have a list of stuff to pack for Jason. I'm pretty sure we have everything we need ready. I washed all the baby clothes and picked up a few items I still needed last week. I'm getting very excited! In just a few weeks I'll be holding my little boy!

34 Week Appointment Mon, Apr 24, 2006 Had an appointment today and everything is still looking perfectly! Jacob's heartrate was 150, my belly measured 34 weeks like it should. I've gained 4 lbs since my last appointment, for a total of 25 so far and I now weigh 144. My blood pressure was a little higher than usual but still normal 124/67. So everything is going great! My next appointment is in 2 weeks then it'll be every week after that until baby comes!

32 Week Appointment Mon, Apr 10, 2006 I had my 32 week appointment last Thursday. Everything is looking great. Measuring right on track. I've gained another 5 lbs so I'm now 140, for a total of 21 lbs gained. I'm still feeling pretty good, just really tired from not sleeping well. Getting harder to roll over in bed. Jacob is kicking stronger so my ribs get sore Less than 8 weeks left to go! I have some belly pictures I need to put on here and will get around to eventually lol.

28 Week Appointment Sun, Mar 19, 2006 I had my 28 weeks appointment on March 7th. Things are still looking great! I gained 6lbs in one month but since I've only gained 16 so far my OB says it's fine. Jacob's heartbeat was 148 and my belly measured 27 weeks. I had to take the glucose test and that came out normal. My next appointment is March 30th.

24 Week Appointment Fri, Feb 10, 2006 My 24 week appointment went very well. Jacob's heartbeat was 150 and my belly measured at 25 weeks. I gained about 3 lbs since my last appointment, which puts me at a total gain of 10 lbs so far. Everything was very routine and looking great. I've been having a hard time sleeping and my OB said I can try taking Tylenol PM. Jacob's been kicking a lot and it's so fun to feel and watch my belly move.

Everyone was wrong!!! Thu, Jan 12, 2006  +enlarge photo Today we had the 20wk ultrasound and appointment. The baby looks perfect and measured exactly on for his due date! And he is a BOY!!! Everyone, including me, was so sure it was a girl, but we were wrong! We are very excited to have another boy, and Jason will have a little brother to play with. We are going to name him Jacob Allen Andrus. The rest of the appointment went well too. My weight is 126, so I've gained about 7 lbs total. Jacob's heartrate was 152, which is perfect. Everything is going great!

Nate felt the baby move! Thu, Dec 29, 2005 Today Nate was able to feel the baby kick for the first time! It's so exciting that now I can kind of share that with him. The baby is starting to move more but still not too hard.

3rd Appointment Sat, Dec 24, 2005 I had my 3rd appointment on Dec 15th, at 16 weeks. I went back to the OB who delivered Jason and she was very happy to see us. My weight was at 122, so I'm not sure how much I've gained since I think her scale is different from the midwife's. I started out somewhere between 115 and 120 so I've gained 2-7lbs. Baby's heartrate was 160, nice and strong. My next appointment will be Jan 12th, when we get to have the ultrasound to see the gender!