Introducing... Jordan Dennis

He's here!  He arrived Friday March 2nd at 3:19 am.  7 lbs, 2 oz and 20 inches long.  We're so happy he's here!

The "birth story" is pretty uncomplicated, which was just what we wanted.  My midwife had given me until March 6th before she insisted that I be induced (I was due on the 2nd, so he came on his due date... way to be prompt, little guy).  I really didn't want to be induced, so on Thursday morning, I had a prayer and a heart-to-heart with 'baby'.  I told him I wanted him to come on his own time and in his own way... but that he only had until the next Tuesday to do so.  Apparently our conversation, or my prayer - or both - worked.  I woke up that night (which technically was Friday morning) around 12:50 am to go to the bathroom.  I noticed my contractions had changed - stronger and closer together. I woke Cory up at 1:00 am.  After only 10 or so minutes, we decided we'd best get to the hospital.  I called my parents at 1:13 am and my dad drove here to be with Spencer, while my mom met us at the hospital.  The roads were crappy due to the recent snow storm, but since it was 1:30 in the morning, we didn't have any traffic.  Contractions were only 1-2 minutes apart.  Cory ran 2 red lights (after checking to see the coast was clear!)  By 2:05 we were admitted.  I changed into a gown, and of course, threw up.  The nurse checked me, said I was dilated to a 5 and 90% effaced.  After checking baby with the monitors, I got on my birthing ball.  I bounced, breathed, counted, and visualized meeting my new baby, and when contractions got really intense, I squeezed my poor mother's hand.  Cory pressed on my back and hips, easing the pain a bit.  Contractions got more intense and I got a big urge to push.  No one was in the room but me, Cory and mom.  I was yelling, and a nurse came running in.  I told her I needed to push.  I managed to get on the bed, the nurse checked me, and said I was at a 10.  She pushed some button, and like 5 more people appeared, including a doctor who was in jeans and polo shirt.  A few pushes, and out came Jordan.  All in all, labor was only about 2.5 hours.  My midwife didn't make it, since I progressed too fast and it was the middle of the night.  I was happy to finally meet Jordan and NOT be pregnant anymore.  We snuggled and enjoyed our time together.

We came home from the hospital on Saturday night.  Jordan is healthy, and I am healing great.  I had no tearing, no severe bleeding, no complications.  It really was the birth that we had all hoped for.  Fast and intervention-free!

7 lbs. 2 oz.

Celebratory meal 

Going home 

Spencer's already such a good big brother

I love my boys!  All 3 of them!

Conversation with Spencer

Me, talking to Spencer: Do you love mommy?

Spencer: No

Me: Do you love daddy?

Spencer: No

Me: Do you love baby brother?

Spencer: No

Cory: Do you want to live here by yourself and be king?

Spencer: Yes

Lol.  He cracks me up.

Nostalgia

I'm feeling a little bit nostalgic and wanted to get some things down in writing.  If the ramblings of an 8 1/2 months pregnant woman isn't your thing, feel free to skip reading this post :)

I realized I haven't blogged much about this second pregnancy.  I didn't make the "big" announcement on here (though I believe I was intending to do so) and I didn't announce the gender, or anything.  No "belly pictures" (take my word for it- I'm getting big) or anything like that.  I've concluded that, in some ways, I've been quite the slacker.  Now that I'm reaching the end (finally!) I wanted to get a few things down.

I'm not one of those people who love being pregnant, and who have glowing, fabulous things to say.  I try not to complain too much, since I know how blessed I am that I can conceive and carry a healthy baby to term.  I'm grateful that my body knows what to do to bring this precious infant into the world.  But months of feeling nauseous take their toll and make me happy for the end of pregnancy (you'll never hear me exclaim that I want to be pregnant forever!)  I'm at 34.5 weeks and still sick, every single morning.  Some are worse than others, and some days it's inevitable that I'll throw up (even though I focus all my energy on trying not to throw up).  By now, it usually lets up some by the afternoon, but some days it sticks around all day long.  Sometimes it goes away and then makes a reappearance when I'm supposed to be making dinner.  Add in the heartburn (wicked this time around!) and the fact that I still have a yeast infection in my mouth that coats my tongue in this gross, white film, making food taste different than it's supposed to... all in all, I'll be happy to be done.

Plus I miss my little Spencer.  I'm more grateful than I can articulate for my family, my mom in particular.  I think Spencer or I would have starved to death in the beginning (no, I'm not joking).  She's given up almost every (weekday) morning for the past 7 months, to come over and take care of Spencer (and me).  Cory's been wonderful about feeding him lunch, dinner, bathing him and putting him to bed.  Spencer and I would not have survived without all the help.

It's just that I miss him.  I know it sounds dumb, since it's not like I've gone anywhere... but my activities with Spencer have been severely limited.  He's been my constant little buddy for almost 3 years.  I grew him for 10 months... I birthed him... I nursed him (for 15 months!)  We snuggled, napped, made dinner together, read books together, took walks together, ran errands together.  All the fabulous summer plans I had for me and Spencer didn't happen.  Most days I was too sick to leave the couch.  I feel like I've been cheated out of precious time with him.  I should have had 10 months to enjoy him, to savor the time left of just me and him, and I feel like I didn't do enough savoring.

And now I'm looking at a few more weeks, and life is going to be very different.  No more being pregnant (yea!) but adjusting to having 2 kids.  No longer will it be just me and Spencer.  Don't get me wrong... I already love this second one, and I really am excited to meet him.  I know my love for Spencer isn't going to change.  It's just that a small part of me is grieving over lost time with my buddy.  I was never very good with change, and this is going to be a big change.  One day these feelings will be just a memory and I won't be able to imagine life without child #2.  I know I'll adjust.  I know I'll still be able to do stuff with Spencer.  And I know I'll be happy no longer being pregnant.  I'll have an adorable (and hilarious) toddler and a new little baby boy.  Life will be good.  As long as I keep focusing on the positive, I think we'll be ok :)

Christmas 2011

We had a great Christmas.  It was fairly low-key, since Spencer was sick, Cory & I were fighting colds, and oh yeah... I'm still pregnant.  I decided I'm a fan of low-key... it was nice to be at home and spend time as a family.

Spencer helping Cory put the lights on the tree

The Christmas tree was Spencer's favorite thing about Christmas - he loves the lights

Temple Square with Cory's parents

Temple Square (Spencer was in heaven with all the lights and water!)

Cooking Christmas breakfast

Presents!  He loved unwrapping them... even if they weren't for him

Fall Fun

Spencer's all about helping... he's a little copycat lately

Lighting ceremony at the Gateway

What's more fun than raking leaves?  Throwing them in the air...

He can "dance" -- it's moments like this when being a parent is the best thing in the world!

Tell Me How... To Buy a Car Seat

These "tell me how posts" haven't been quite as frequent as I originally intended... but I could really use some opinions on this one.  I know how to buy a car seat... but advice on which one to buy would be appreciated.

Spencer's current car seat is rated to 35 lbs. and 35 inches.  Given that, and the most current recommendation that babies should stay rear-facing 'til they're 2... and he's still in a rear-facing car seat (and no, it's not a convertible car seat- strictly rear-facing).  He's nowhere near 35 lbs (haha, thank you 5th weight percentile) but he's about 34 inches tall... meaning we need a new car seat.  Soooo... what to buy?

When we got Spencer's, we just got a rear-facing one, figuring that by the time he out-grew it, it would be used for the next kid (and yeah, baby #2 will make his appearance in less than 4 months).  But now I'm not sure what to get for Spencer.  We don't technically need a convertible one... so it seems to me that it would be best to just get a booster seat.  It's just that some of the booster seats seem so big (most are rated 30-100 lbs) and Spencer's not quite there yet.  So do we get a convertible seat?  All he needs is 5 more lbs and he'll be big enough for a booster seat.  I dunno.  So many choices...

So tell me... what have you done for your kids?  Any recommendations?  Ones you've bought that you loved?  Hated?  I'm all ears :)

Halloween

Halloween was really fun this year.  Spencer got the hang of trick-or-treating really quick -- he'd knock on the door and hold up his pumpkin.  He loved it.  We dressed him up as a little Jedi and of course, we think he was totally adorable.

Wearing the Halloween shirt he picked out.

He loved carving pumpkins.  Or rather, he loved cleaning out the guts.

 The finished products.

We took advantage of the really nice weather in October and took Spencer to Tracy Aviary.  He loved walking around, seeing the birds and chasing the peacocks.  His favorite part was feeding the ducks.