My boys...

Why didn't I think of that?

The cutest idea...

Click the picture to see the blogpost.

Max's Story...

First, I need to backtrack a little. At my 37 week doctor appointment I was dilated to 2 cm. At my 38 week appointment, I was at a 3 and at 39 weeks I was at a 4. We were progressing, but not very quickly. My doctor stripped my membranes, but cautioned me that it could do nothing at all and I could end up having Max late. This happened on Monday, April 11^th.

That night I put Cooper down for bed while Cody was giving a blessing at a nearby hospital. I began having contractions around 7:30pm, but they were inconsistent and varied in intensity. I thought for sure it was just pre-labor due to my earlier doctor appointment. At 10pm Cody and I began to get ready for bed; I still thought it was just pre-labor pains. By 10:30 the contractions became more consistent and we decided to drop Cooper off at Cody’s parents and go to the hospital.

We checked in at 11pm and thought ourselves very lucky since there was no one in the waiting room or triage. We ended up spending two hours in triage as they repeatedly told us it would be just another 15 minutes. They checked me and I was at 5cm, but immediately the contractions began to intensify and get closer together. Finally, at 1am I was moved to the labor and delivery floor.

As soon as I reached the delivery room I had a contraction and really felt the need to push. I told my nurse and she checked me. I was at 10 cm. The anesthesiologist was already there, but there was no time to do the drip epidural. He gave me a big shot instead to help with the pain. The nurse began calling to page the 3^rd year resident since my doctor was still another 5 minutes out and they didn’t think he would make it in time. Luckily, he showed up just a minute or two later. He said we would wait through a contraction or two so the epidural shot could take effect. On the next contraction I told them that Max wasn’t waiting. My water sack had already begun to come out in tack. The doctor broke the water and I began pushing. I pushed through two contractions and Max was born at 1:36am; just two and a half hours after checking in to the hospital.

Interesting fact: my doctor said it is supposed to be good luck when the water sack emerges without breaking. Also, Max was born facing up (sunny side up) rather than the usual way of facing down.

Introducing...

Max Charles Riding

April 12, 2011

1:36 am

7 pounds 8 ounces

20 inches

37 Weeks...

37 weeks and counting...

Time to Play Catch Up...

Yet again I am forced to play catch up because of my lack of attention to the blog. So, here it goes...

January

25-28 weeks

I'm not quite sure what happened to January. I got back into and fell out of the routine of hiking Squaw Peak. Work filled up a lot of my spare time and doctors appointments and Cooper filled up the rest. I tested negative on the one hour glucose test for gestational diabetes which I was excited about (I had to do the 3 hour test last time).

February

29-32 weeks

Cooper turned three and although his birthday party had to be rearranged at the last minute due to rain, we still had a great time. Turns out it is a big advantage to have connections to the Bishop. Cody had a huge career change and went back to teaching in the Alhambra School District. He teaches 6th grade and is much appreciated by the other teachers and staff. His Spanish comes in handy considering 75% of his class speaks Spanish as their primary language.

Decorating cupcakes.

The adults.

The lunch bags, snacks & cupcakes.

March

33-36 weeks

Feeling big now and ready for Max to come. Cody and I celebrated our six year anniversary (crazy) in style by doing absolutely nothing. It has actually been a busy month so it was relaxing just to be with each other and rent a movie. Cody had Spring Break which was a lot of fun for Cooper and me. It completely threw us off our schedule, but it was a welcome reprieve from life. Cody promised Cooper to build a fort with him and spend the night in it. Besides Cooper taking forever to fall asleep, the night went well. We also took advantage of the zoo pass and spent a few hours there.

Cooper loves the elephants.

Can you see the tiger just to the right of them?

He was much more active than the last few times we've seen him.

The fort that Cody and Cooper built and spent the night in.

They actually slept fairly well and I enjoyed sleeping on my bed all by myself. :)

Hanging out inside the fort.

And now you're all caught up.

My Menu Board

I am not a crafty person by any means. This pregnancy has really driven me to organize and clean out just about every nook and cranny in my home. This is due mostly to the fact that we live in a home built in the early 1950's when they didn't believe in having storage space...or closets that fit more than ten items of clothing...or bathrooms with any type of elbow room. I was cleaning out one of my miscellaneous drawers when I found this:

My sister, Erin, bought this standing magnet board for me from Crate & Barrell when I was in high school after I admired hers. I have loved this board, but now that I don't have an office and there is no room on my computer table, I didn't have anywhere to put it. I was way too attached to D.I. the board so I let it sit on my kitchen counter for a few days while I stewed about its new purpose. Finally, I was passing by it for the hundreth time and thought, "How about a menu board?". So, that's what I did. I used only items that I already had and created this.

Like I said at the beginning of this post, I am not a crafty person, so I was just dying to share.

About Time...

I guess it's about time I share this information on the blog. I'm pregnant. Hooray! This picture is taken at 16 weeks. I'm 18 now and my belly feels twice as big.

PS It's a boy