Wordless Wednesday

On Wednesdays I am going to post a mod podge of PICTURES. You're so excited, aren't you? For anyone who knows me, knows that I am a picture FANATIC. Pictures make my heart smile. Especially pictures of my favorite little munchkin. SO here's a slew of pics for you to enjoy. Maybe they will make your heart smile too :)

Our little Family. 12/22/12

St. Patrick's Day 2012

Rehearsal Dinner on the Nantucket Lightship
Hanging with the little brothers
10/14/11

Parker Daniel hanging out in PJ's

 

Red Sox Game, September 2011

Mexico Vacation, January 2005

Easter 2012, 7 months pregnant

 

 

Rehearsal Dinner with my Bridesmaids

Non Stress Test @ Newport Hospital, 6/2/12

Fourth of July Parade, 13 days old

             

 

Baby Shower, 6//2/12

Trip to the pumpkin patch, 10/16/12

                  

chewing on Sophie!

4th of July

 

Birth Story:Part III...BABY

Part II..
Let's start with some morphine. Sounds good to me. Welp, that didn't do much. Did it calm me down and take the edge of a LITTLE bit? Yes. Did it make the contractions go away and suddenly feel like I was pain free? Not a chance. So, let's continue on with this.....

(Continued)
Fast forward a few hours. 5:50am to be exact. 5 centimeters dialated. READY for the epidural. The pain was as unbearable as I needed it to be without some serious pain control. When the nurse came in the room and told me that the Anesthesiologist would be here in about 20 minutes, my world shattered right in front of me. Wait a minute. "We have to WAIT for the Anesthesiologist to get here? As in, he/she isn't in the hospital at this very moment?" Doctors have to go home and sleep too, right? No, no, not this morning, when I AM in labor. Breathe.I.Can.Do.This. Never in my life have I EVER watched the clock tick as closely as I did during the 20 minutes I had to wait. Tick...tock...Did time stop? Sure felt like it. Baby boy, I cannot wait to meet you. Positive thoughts during this time.

The moment the Anesthesiologist walked in the room (much later than 6:10am might I add), felt magical! I was instructed to lean over the pillow and hold as still as possible, and "whatever you do, don't move." Wait. Did she just say "don't move??" She's got jokes. With Sean in front of me and a contraction coming along, all I could do was grin and bear it. "Ok, you did a great job, you should start to feel some relief in a few moments." This woman was my new best friend! Boy was she right. The nurse had me lay back down and as she covered me with a blanket, this momma was out cold.

Happy Momma after the drugs kicked in

Thumbs up for the epidural. Ready to have my BABY!!!

 

A few hours later, around 9am, I was 10 centimeters dialated and fully effaced. Best.News.Ever. During this transition I was beginning to feel very nauseaus. A normal sign that I was ready to have this baby, or so I was told. The nurse, very nonchalantly put the puke bucket over to the table near the bed. Thankfully I did not ever have to use it. I was asked if I minded a Student Nurse coming into my room and helping out during the delivery. Sure, we all have to learn somewhere, right? Bring her on in. At this point, I could have had a stranger from the side of the road come in my room and it wouldn't have mattered. Just get this baby out! "Sean, you are going to hold her left leg, and student nurse, you will hold the right." Oh boy, here we go. We asked the student nurse if she had been through a delivery before and she said "oh yes" like she was a pro at it. "We shall see," I thought to myself.

Wait, where was my doctor? In he walked, and an immediate sigh of relief came over us. He said everything looked good, and that he would be back shortly. The 3 of us watched the monitor to determine when I was having contractions so they could tell me when to push. A few pushes here and there to get things going! This wasn't so bad I thought. Then...upper leg pain. WHAT was this feeling? I had an epidural, this shouldn't be happening. Unbearable pain. I could not focus on the task at hand. Apparently the epidural didn't hit my upper left leg, and I was feeling everything. Baby boy, you are worth all of this.

  Around 9:45am things were getting serious. I was pushing as hard as I could and was definitely making progress. The doctor was prepared to get suited up at any moment, and more and more nurses were in and out of the room. All of a sudden, one of the nurses asked me if it was okay if my mom came into the room. Wait, what?! We had previously decided that she wouldn't be there for the delivery. So amidst a contraction and trying to push my baby out, I had to decide if my mother could come in. Of course I wanted her to, but did SHE want to? As I was about to say "yes, of course," our Doctor told Sean "you better say yes, or else you will regret this for the next 25 years." Myself full of sweat and absolutely exhausted, in walked my mom. Ready to help her daughter who was five days overdue. Ready to give pure encouragement and watch her first grandson be born into this world. Couldn't get any better than this. No sooner than she walked in, was a nurse moving a chair beside her, in case she were to pass out. You see, the door she walked in was across the room from me, so walking in 15 minutes before the baby was born, she got a straight shot of labor, right there. I'm not even sure if I said hello. I guess I had a good excuse? Just.keep.on.pushing. That I did.

 I was starting to feel defeated. THEN...the Doctor said he could see Baby Boy's head. No way. I didn't believe it. "Chase, you are doing a great job. A few more pushes, and he will be here, in your arms." Still.didn't.believe.them. They must say this to everyone, I thought. Then, the next thing out of my Doctor's mouth stunned me and I realized, this is it! "Chase, give me your hand. You can feel the baby's head." Unbelievable. He really is about to be here. Oh my goodness. I am about to be a MOM.

10:29am. Baby boy is here. Best moment of my life. Welcome to the world Parker Daniel Stalls. 7lbs. 3.2oz. 19in.long.

Welcome to the world Baby Boy!

Meeting my Daddy

 

So loved!!! With my mom and grandparents :)

Just a momma staring at her new baby boy; soaking in the moment

Hanging out under the heat lamp because I got a little chilly; wide awake and so alert!

My first bath! Was not a huge fan of that!

My Heart <3 This face!

Family of 3 :)

Birth Story: Part II

From Part I:

...Doctor directed me to "Head on into the Hospital." Best.Words.I.Could.Ever.Receive. Pure joy and excitement....Anxious...Elated.... But, how long would it take for this baby to be here, and in my arms?....

(continued) After stuffing the last bit of baby goods into our bags and getting my very pregnant self into the car, we realized how long this night just might be. Sleep? Wasn't on the agenda. Although I got about an hour ish of sleep before my water broke, the hubby did not even get a wink of shuteye. So.. a quick stop for coffee was definitely in the cards for us before we got to the hospital. This "in labor" momma stood in Ma's donuts (a local coffee shop) while the husband got a coffee and donut. Our last little coffee date as just husband and wife, at 12:30 in the morning. If that doesn't spell romantic, I don't know what does. And 3 college aged very burly boys in line ahead of us, ordering every breakfast sandwich on the menu. HELLO PEOPLE. This girl is IN LABOR. Move it along.

Upon arriving at the hospital we quickly remembered learning in Childbirth Class that we would have to enter through the Emergency Room, since it was so late. The woman at the desk questioned if I had yet spoken to a nurse or if someone told me to come to the hospital. "Yes ma'am, I have. I am IN labor. Now could I please go up to the 7th floor?" was all I could mutter. A very silly ride in a wheelchair "per hospital protocol" and we were there. The beloved birthing center.

12:50am. "Well, you're definitely in LABOR." Best news ever, from the overnight nurse. The same nurse who led our 6 week Birthing Class. The same nurse who told us that she would not allow any women to have their baby in the toilet. Why thank you. I was really worried about that. Soon after officially being admitted, I was moved into what would be MY room. #703. The room I would labor in, deliver my baby boy in, recover in, and spend the next 48 hours in. Did I mention I could not be happier at this very moment? It's true. The moment I had been waiting for, for the past 9 months, was going to be here before we knew it.

 

Due to the extreme heat wave we were experiencing outside and the very pregnant woman that I was, I decided that room #703 would be the icebox of the hospital. I demanded that the husband turn the AC on full blast, and not above 60 degrees. Pretty sure the nurses only came in our room when they desperately needed to. Cold, it was. Just what the Doctor ordered!

A very cold hubby wearing my bath robe!
 

Now it was time for the IV. "Chase, you're about to deliver a baby, it won't be that bad." Yes, I thought this would be the hardest part for me. IV's..yuck! Took 2 seconds and it was done. Phew, got through that. No sooner than recovering from my IV stick, I was being asked if I had a birth plan. Yes, yes I do. Number ONE and most important, baby boy on my chest right after he is delivered, so that he could feed asap. Height and weight can wait a few minutes. Number 2, no epidural until I am at LEAST 5 centimeters dialated (I was told that the epidural could slow down labor. That would be horrible). Number 3, baby will stay with us in our room for the duration of our hospital stay. Also, we decided that it would just be me and the hubs in the room during labor and delivery. We didn't think it was necessary for anyone else to be there. We made the baby, we can deliver the baby. Very simple. Let's do this!



Momma and Baby's Heartrate and Contractions!

Around 2am the contractions started. And boy, did they ever. I can do this. Just BREATHE. After a while of contracting, a nurse asked me if I wanted to get in the bathtub. Hmm..something I had not given any thought about. It couldn't hurt, right? (no pun intended) So, in the tub I went, with lots of hands helping me. All I could do was shiver and focus on how cold the water was, that I couldn't really get through my contractions very easily. Trying to breathe when your entire body is freezing, was not working out very well. Time to dry off and get back on the bed. Next question, did I want to try laboring on the birthing ball? I'm not extremely coordinated, but sure. So bounce and ROCK I did. That is what my comfy spot was. Bent over rocking back and forth. Unfortunately every time I leaned forward in fetal position, the baby's monitor that was on my stomach stopped reading his heartrate. This was not okay for the nurses. Per their request, or maybe it was demand, I needed to stay laying back in the bed. Worst position ever. It made the contractions feel 50 times worse. Ok, they are becoming a bit unbearable I thought. No sooner than thinking that, did the nurse ask if I wanted some pain relief. Yes. Please. Let's start with some morphine. Sounds good to me. Welp, that didn't do much. Did it calm me down and take the edge of a LITTLE bit? Yes. Did it make the contractions go away and suddenly feel like I was pain free? Not a chance. So, let's continue on with this.....

Part III: BABY

Coming later this week... Stay tuned :)

 

All ready for Baby Boy
 

A very uncomfortable momma. Soon to have a baby!!!!!!

Birth Story: Part I

Disclaimer: DETAILED post. If you are squeamish or grossed out by labor, you might want to think twice about reading. Don't say I didn't warn you :)

June 16th, 2012...my due date. That day went by faster than you could imagine. Ok, maybe he would be a Father's Day baby... June 17th. Nope, little man had other plans! Although my last day of work was supposed to be Friday, June 15th, I now had to decide if I wanted to continue working. I had a Doctor's appointment on Monday, June 18th, so I figured I would get an answer then, about when this baby would join us! At our Doctor appointment the Nurse asked if I was having any "signs of labor." I didn't really know what to say, but I told her that I was feeling a little pain..at most. Our Doctor came in and gave us the good news that he was going to "check me" to check for any possible signs of progress. Well that wasn't the most comfortable feeling! But the good news was that I was 1/2 a centimeter dialated! I'll take that! I decided to go into work for a short day on Tuesday, June 19th, but wasn't at all productive. All I could think about was this baby and kept wondering when he would join us! That night (June 19th) when I went to the bathroom I lost my mucus plug! YAY! Progress! Maybe tonight is the night! No matter what happens, I would be done working. Sure enough I woke up on Wednesday, June 20th, with no baby in my arms. I started my day with a walk around the neighborhood bright and early to hopefully jumpstart labor just a little more. The day was set for a heat wave in Newport. Awesome, just what a very pregnant, 40 week 4 days woman wants...to be sitting in a hot house with no air conditioning, yearning to meet her baby boy. No sooner did I sit down from my walk than to get a phone call from a very adorable 9 year old brother asking to be brought to the Newport Athletic Club pool for a swim. Perfect plan for my day! Jack knew that his days were very limited for his older sister to just drop everything and act as his taxi cab. I put on my shorts and tank top (no one wants to see me in a bathing suit at this point, so I'll save them and myself from all the points and stares) and headed to Portsmouth to pick up the munchkin. That dip in the pool was the most relaxing and refreshing feeling; just what I needed...but not as much as I needed my baby boy. That night when Sean got home from work, we were both miserable. The heat was unbearable. We took it upon ourselves and headed to Home Depot for an AC unit. We were there along with about 4 other families who had the same idea, except they weren't expecting a new baby 5 days ago, and looking like the size of a beached whale. Home we went with our AC in tow. An AC unit that we found out shortly later.... didn't work. All I could do at this point was go to bed, and be miserably hot. So that's what I did....

About an hour later at 11:44pm I woke up suddenly with what felt like a little pain in the old belly. I stood up to go to the bathroom and my WATER BROKE!! The time has come! I went into the hallway and yelled downstairs for Sean who was still up watching TV. A very nervous but loud and excited "MY WATER BROKE" came out. Who do we call? What do we do? Are the bags packed? (They had been packed for at least 2 weeks at this point!) So Sean called the Birthing Center at the Hospital and was directed to call our Doctor. (Didn't we know this?) So I called Dr. Wilson and a very sleepy Doctor directed me to "Head on into the Hospital." Best.Words.I.Could.Ever.Receive. Pure joy and excitement....Anxious...Elated.... But, how long would it take for this baby to be here, and in my arms?....

Stay tuned for Birth Story: Part II coming this week!

 

 

A VERY EXCITED overdue (by 5 days) Momma who's water just broke!

 

 

At the Hospital! Being evaluated to find out if I was indeed in labor! About 12:50am on June 21st

 

Parker Daniel, Months 1-6

Since I started this blog when Parker was 6 months, I wanted to do a kind of "backwards" post that included pictures from months 1-6. So here you go! Enjoy :)

The day I was born..
 June 21, 2012
10:29am
7 lbs 3.2 oz
19 inches

Helloooo World!

 

Nice and warm and very content :)

 

I couldn't be ANY happier. Total BLISS.

 

My little peanut fitting nice and snug in the boppy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

One Month Old!

 

*******************************************************************************

2 months! 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3 months! 

 

 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

4 months old!

  

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

5 Months

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

And here we are...6 months old, little man. Half of a year. Unbelievable. How the time is flying. Parker, you are getting cuter and cuter every single day. You are so interested in everything that life has to offer; always trying to figure out how things work. You explore everything with your hands and mouth. Such an interested little mind you have. You are sitting up and rolling all over the place. You aren't yet crawling, but when in the sitting position, you will lunge forward into the crawl position. It will be soon, and how mommy's life will be over! You are eating solids for breakfast, lunch (just started 1/11) and dinner. You have eaten apples, pears, blueberries, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, peas and green beans. You love to munch on cheerios and organic O's. Your favorite thing to eat after dinner is the Organic Vanilla Teether Biscuit that momma found. Man, you tear that thing apart! Must feel so good on your gums. Speaking of gums..no teeth yet, but I think one will pop any day! You are in Size 3 diapers and you wear anything from 6 Month clothing to 6-9 or 6-12 months. You are the joy of our lives, Parker Daniel!!

 

 

 

 

 

Our Breastfeeding Journey

I am going to start this off by saying that I am not putting down anyone who chooses to bottle feed formula, but what I am doing is supporting breastfeeding ONE.HUNDRED.PERCENT (completely, opinion). Since before I even thought about having a baby, I knew I was going to breastfeed. I mean, it's what I grew up with. I was a breastfed baby and I watched all my aunts breastfeed their babies.. So.. It's what I was going to do. Little did I know just HOW time consuming and all encompasing it was going to be.

 As soon as Parker was born, he was placed on my chest (because that's what they do these days! Forget the vitals and weight/length!) and it's what was written in my birth plan for when he was born. Love at first sight and right to momma's chest. Soon after, he fed like a champ; latching on like he was meant to breastfeed.

6 months later... and we are still going strong. I would not trade for the world the bond that baby boy and I have from this breastfeeding journey. I am a true believer that throwing a child in a carseat or chair and propping up a bottle is just not intimate (what are you teaching your baby from this?) Feeding a baby and looking straight into their eyes creates a lifetime of trust between baby and momma. Breastfeeding is more than just providing food for your baby. It is a time to comfort and nurture. It can soothe a baby who has a booboo and calm them down when they are overstimulated. There are so many benefits of breastfeeding, besides just providing nutrition for your baby.

 

I am so fortunate that I didn't have any problems breastfeeding. The first few months can be pure torture for some mothers. Parker and I have been attending a Breastfeeding Support Group at our local Hospital every week since he was born. It is a way to be supported through this journey, especially when you feel defeated. There are days that I think how much easier making a bottle of formula would be, instead of feeling like the 24/7 milk lady (sometimes I feel like this, for real.) but then I think of all of the benefits of breastfeeding and I know that what I am doing is right. I would definitely say that with everything when it comes to having a newborn, the first 3 months were the hardest. Baby boy would eat every hour. Around.the.clock. I'm not kidding people. It happened. And it was hard. But we got through it. I don't think people tell you just how hard and time consuming it can be. I did hear from a multitude of people before I had Parker, when I told them I was planning to breastfeed to "just stick with it." And that we did. And for that, I am thankful.

I am planning to breastfeed until Parker is one year old. It is our little way of life, our routine. I can't imagine stopping right now. I plan to let baby boy wean himself, so if that means that we go over a year, then so be it. He will let me know when the time is right for him. Until then, we will continue on this journey. It is like no other journey I have been on before. But the benefits and rewards are worth it. If you are debating between formula feeding and breastfeeding, I will support your decision either way, but I will HIGHLY recommend breastfeeding. I will support you and give you the resources you need to be successful. You might have trouble and hit some bumps along the way, but everyone can do it. Trust me.


I like this little idea from the book, "Baby Bond," by Dr. Linda Palmer. Some food for thought on this topic that I think so highly of!

"In your arms or snuggled alongside you, your baby is nurtured by the snuggly warmth of your body and comforted by your familiar scent (pheromones). He hears the beat of your heart and the sound of your voice. His neurons and hormones program him to desire and flourish in this environment — a means of ensuring his protection, survival and optimal development. And when allowed, your baby’s powerful imprint on your pheromonal messages is second only to his programmed need and yearning for sucking.

Science has demonstrated how a baby’s optimal development occurs through his neurological and hormonal responses to these planned inputs. Providing these stimuli for your baby means providing the advantages, as well."

Christmas 2012 {Recap}

Christmas 2012. It has quickly come and gone, just as fast as our tree went up. I had high hopes and expectations for this special Holiday that I hold so dearly in my Heart. I wanted to make it as special as possible for Parker because most of the fondest memories of my childhood come from the Christmas season. My hopes were that Parker would and will continue to experience the Christmas that I had as a child. It goes like this.. A very relaxing Christmas Eve day (clean the house, have some breakfast and prepare for Christmas Day), get dressed in your best Christmas Eve attire, spend time with family over a nice home cooked meal and attend Christmas Eve mass. Christmas day... Wake up early and wait upstairs while the adults make their morning coffee (let me enforce the WAITING upstairs part, which feels like years and years, as you are eagerly wondering if Santa came! and no peeking!), go downstairs and open presents (but first you have to find your "pile"). Christmas day is very relaxing; after opening presents comes a delicious breakfast and lounging in new PJ's while playing with all the new toys and goodies. The air is filled with giggles and excitement as everyone is just so happy. The smell of coffee and eggs and bacon fills the room with the best aroma. The clock stops ticking and time stands still. No one has to be anywhere; there is no agenda. The only thing anyone needs to do is spend time with family and enjoy each other's company. Soak. It. All. In.

So, I think it is official. Parker experienced his first Christmas that went exactly as momma planned. Happy momma. A joy filled Heart I had on Christmas. Even though Parker is too young to really understand what was going on, he will see the pictures when he gets older and know that the traditions were carried through on his very first Christmas. The feeling I had walking downstairs on Christmas morning (after Daddy made his coffee!) to see if Santa had indeed made his way to our house and fit down our...wait, we don't have a chimney! Parker didn't know what was going on but momma and dad sure made it feel like a special day. Like everyone says; "don't spend too much money, all he will need is wrapping paper and boxes", couldn't have been more true. This momma, I mean..Santa.. got Parker some new books and toys, which he can enjoy the entire year. Daddy got Parker his first "recliner," which he L.O.V.E.S. It is the epitome of the term "little King" when he is sitting in that chair. Around Noon the family arrived at our house for a late morning Christmas Day brunch. Once again, eating and relaxing with family, just what Momma ordered. Shrimp cocktail, brie cheese, crescent rolls, eggs, sausage and fruit are the smells that filled the Stalls household. Giggles and happiness were heard all around. A brisk walk to the Park in the near frigid weather; bundling up in all the new winter gear and Moby wrap.

No sooner than it all started, and Christmas was over. Parker's first Christmas in the books. Lots of pictures to show and tell when he gets older and asks what it was like. All of Momma's traditions were carried out, which makes for a happy momma.

Hope you all had a great Christmas and were able to show your children a wonderful Holiday. What are YOUR favorite traditions?

And now for the pictures...

Uncle Jameson and Cousin Lily

Parker with his Momma and Uncles (David, Jameson, Jack)

 

Hanging with my Daddy on Xmas Eve

Uncle Jack and David

beautiful Xmas Eve table

 

looks like Santa came..

Santa Baby {6 Months}

Hanging with my Grandma on Christmas Day

Relaxing in my new recliner