Jack's Birth Story

Ben wore this same outfit home from the hospital.

[Aug 06th, 5am]

I finally started feeling something different. I felt a shooting pain in my lower back and then what felt like a mild cramp in my stomach that lasted for about a minute. The pain came back just about every 10 minutes. I called Ben and told him that I thought contractions were starting and that I was going to try to get some rest. I slept for a few hours and the contractions had stopped when I woke up.

[10pm]
I started feeling contractions again as Ben and I were going to sleep. I thought I would be able to sleep through them, but they felt a lot stronger than the ones in the morning. Ben woke up around 2am to go to the bathroom and I told him I hadn't been able to fall asleep. He started timing the contractions and they were coming about every 7-8 minutes. Ben rubbed my lower back and I was able to fall asleep in between each contraction, waking every time one hit.

[Aug 07th, 2pm]
We had eaten breakfast and started slowly getting things ready earlier that morning. Contractions started hitting about every 5-6 minutes, lasting 1- 1 1/2 minutes long. I had been rocking back and forth on my yoga ball to try and ease the lower back pain. One hit that brought tears to my eyes and I realized it was only going to get more difficult. We decided to call the birth center and they told us to come in since we live an hour away. We waited a little while longer, had lunch, and got on the road.

[4pm]
 We arrived at the birth center and I was only 2 1/2 cm dilated, 90% thinned. Great. They told us we could probably go back home--but there was no way I was going to sit in a car for another hour and then have to drive back when labor would only be more intense. We opted for plan b--get a hotel room 10 minutes away. We walked around outside for about an hour, stopping every 5 minutes or so to work through a contraction. I would squeeze Ben's arm, bury my face in his shoulder, and breathe--a few people stopped us to see if I was okay, and Ben would respond, "This is good! She's in labor!" We were both very hot so we decided to do more walking back at the hotel. We walked the hallways for another hour and contractions were finally hitting every 3-4 minutes and lasting about 90 seconds.

[7pm]
We decided to go back to the birth center so I could get checked again. 3 cm dilated. I think the midwife saw the panic in my face so she said that we could stay. She encouraged me to try to rest (with the help of an ambien) because she was worried that my body was going to shut down soon from exhaustion. I felt three hard contractions right on top of each other right after I took the ambien. I remember thinking that there was no way I would be able to fall asleep--and then I passed out for 4.5 hours.

[Aug 08th, 2am]
Ben and I walked the halls of the birth center until I felt like I couldn't walk anymore. The nurse recommended that I try using the water pressure from the shower on my lower back. It helped a lot, but I started feeling really weak and asked if they could check my progress.

"Are you ready to hear the good news??"
I was 6 cm and I could get in the jacuzzi as long as I would let them break my water, which I didn't even feel. The jacuzzi jets and the heat felt amazing on my back, and Ben was going back and forth from the sink with ice chips and cold rags for my forehead. I tried hard to focus on relaxing and breathing through the contractions-and about an hour in I felt the urge to push.

[5:30am]

Ben sat on the ledge behind me in the jacuzzi and held my hands while I pushed. I tried to push 3 times with each contraction. Every push brought me closer to meeting Jack, but it also brought me more intense pain. Ben, the nurse, and the midwife encouraged me and told me to just continue working with my body.

[6:02am]

Ben helped pull Jack out of the water and put him on my chest. I remember looking at Jack, realizing that he was my son, he was the boy I had waited 10 months to meet, the boy whose ultrasound pictures I looked at, whose hiccups I felt, who I prayed for every night...and feeling like everything was right in the world.

How Jack's story began

2011 engagement pictures Okinawa, Japan-Ally Wiseman Photography

Hedo Misaki (Cape Hedo) Okinawa, Japan 2010

My mode of transportation while I lived there

This whole waiting period that I'm stuck in patiently enjoying has offered a lot of opportunities for reflection. I've been re-reading entries from my journal, and I stumbled across the one below from my move to Okinawa. I packed my bags just a few days after my college graduation party and hopped on a plane to move across the globe. May and June of 2009 held so many big moments: finishing student teaching, graduating from college, moving to Japan. I was extremely busy in those last few weeks before I left, I remember everything really hitting me while I was sitting on the plane. By myself. Moving to a country where I didn't know the language. Starting a job where I had only skyped with my new boss just the month before. Leaving behind my family, friends, Chicago pizza, comfort zone, and so much more. Yet if it wasn't for this decision, there is a chance that I wouldn't be in the situation I am in now--married to my best friend and waiting to meet our little boy. 
I found myself on a beautiful island filled with some of the kindest, humblest, most gracious people I have ever met. It was also an island filled with military bases, and I had no access to them (without Ben). It was filled with military spouses, and I was not one of them. Ben spent more time in the Philippines, Thailand, and Iraq than he did in Okinawa during those two years. Even when he was on the island, we lived an hour apart and had opposite work schedules. This gave me the opportunity to really get the experience I was searching for, one that holds the place as the beginning of our love story; thus, the beginning of Jack's story.

June 18th, 2009

I move to Okinawa today. I left behind my family, friends and dog. It is finally starting to sink in...I might not step back onto U.S. soil for at least a year...that thought is scary, exciting, uncomfortable, and REALLY hard to imagine. Why am I leaving everything I've ever known behind and moving to Japan? There are so many factors that seemed to align perfectly that pointed me in this direction--the first being God. I have grown closer to Him this past year than I ever have before. I have learned so much about Him and yet so little at the same time. I have prayed long and hard about this decision and God has somehow managed to give me the means I need to make this experience seem almost practical. He made it possible for me to move there providing me with not only a job, but also a place to live, and this job just happens to be something that is capable of changing/sculpting my career choice.

The other factors that have fallen into place and as a result have made me consider this path are the series of events that took place after last New Years. I met the most amazing man, fell in love, he moved to Okinawa, and I graduated college. At this point in my life, I am ready for a drastic change. I cannot imagine starting a teaching job right after I graduated and being content in some suburban school--I need something else. I want to travel first, I want to experience life outside of my comfort zone, I am ready to really learn about myself.

Ben could not have come at a more perfect time. I had no idea what I was getting myself into that one New Year's, but I immediately understood that guys like Ben do not come around often. I wasn't sure if Ben and I were really compatible--we seemed so different. However, the more time I spent with him the more I craved for more time with him. We had a few short months to get to know each other before he left for Japan. Those months really challenged my misconception that we may be too different and I began falling in love with someone who was moving across the world for 2 years. As it turns out, Ben is someone I can see spending the rest of my life with--I would be lucky to. He trusts in God, is kind, handsome, generous, loving, faithful, and so much more..

So there you have it, I am currently departing Tokyo to head to Fukuoka and finally to land in Okinawa. This has been quite the trip already--Chicago>Toronto>Tokyo>Fukuoka>Okinawa-and I can hardly wait to start my new life as an English Language Instructor who is also dating the man of her dreams. Wish me luck!

To read some of my posts during that time, click here.

What 40 weeks really looks like...and what our kids will *never* do....

Sure, sometimes I get dressed and do my hair. Sometimes I even put on make-up. But let's get serious...this usually only happens on Sundays.
Since Jack's due date has come and gone, I thought I'd share how I usually look...
Let's just say that Ben's boxers and skivvies have become my best friends. Oh, and it's really hard to find shirts that cover the whole belly. 

As if that wasn't enough belly exposure...I have something really exciting for ya'll to see.
So I know that this whole *parenthood* thing is going to be filled with all of my "I will never" or "Our kids will never" mantras getting thrown back in my face...here's a few I've already said that I know I probably won't be able to maintain:
-Our kids will never eat in the car.
-I will never yell at my kids in public.
-Our kids will never eat anything with hfcs, artificial dyes, preservatives, hormones, antibiotics....they will only eat kale. All day every day. Kale smoothies, kale juice, kale-pops, kale chips. You really can do a lot with kale!!! 
-I will never let my house turn into a Toy's-R-Us. Christmas will not be about who got the most toys. We will be serving meals to homeless people at a food shelter. Or handing out clean drinking water and hugs to kids in third world countries. Jack won't even know what a toy is unless he is at his grandparents house. 

Haha ok, so you get the point. I'm a little crazy. And most of those are slight exaggerations, but really I'm just crazy. 
I already know what you're thinking, "Her poor kids, they will never be able to just be 'kids'..." Welp, let me tell you--America's definition of letting 'kids be kids' has me perfectly fine with that. 

Anyways.
As soon as I got pregnant, I told Ben "If I start posting bare pregnant belly shots on the internet, please deactivate my facebook and don't let me anywhere near the computer." So I thought it would be fitting to start off this whole parenthood thing doing the thing I said I would *never* do...because I know as well as you do that one day I am going to find myself in Walmart, yelling at Jack while bribing him with toys and simultaneously bribing his sister with pop and M&M's. And then we are going to drive home in a car that has goldfish and french fries buried in the seats. *cringe*

40 week belly

What were some of your "I will never's" that went flying out the window??

July Favorites

 

[one]
Family and friends came to visit (this was actually in June...shhhh!). The nice thing about moving every few years in the military is that family/friends can plan their vacations around where you are stationed. The not nice thing is that you only get to see them a few times a year.

my mom, Ben's mom, Ben's sister

my sisters and brother

bf4l

[two]
My coworkers. Love and miss them. We went to a baseball game and saw fireworks for the 4th. Only in the South can you see the Sand Gnats play the Crawdads. It may not be Cubs vs. White Sox, but I'll take what I can get.

[three]
Babies.
Two family members had babies this month. The holidays are going to be very exhausting exciting!!

[four]
You may think this is a picture of my mantle...but if you look closely, you will see that yes-that is a mistletoe, and yes-that is Ben waiting impatiently under it. While packing up our Christmas decorations, he decided that we will keep out the mistletoe year round.  I guess he didn't want to miss any opportunities! 
I find him like this a lot, with that same expression on his face...How dare I not notice him waiting...

*My January faves.

6 things you might not know about me...

1.// What is one of your silly quirks?

I have an irrational fear of leaving the shower curtains closed in my house.

2.// What's your favorite beauty secret or product?

Favorite product is definitely coconut oil--it is by far the best make-up remover I have ever tried (my eyes get extremely swollen if I go to sleep with even the smallest bit of eye-liner or mascara left on...and this has never happened since switching to coconut oil). I also use it as a moisturizer, shaving cream, hair serum, cooking oil..the list goes on and on!

3.// What's your favorite or go-to outfit? 

As you can see from the side-view above, dresses are about the only thing covering up that bump.

4.// What's the coolest thing you've made?

I am the opposite of crafty--I try to be sometimes (only when able to follow a step-by-step tutorial of course), but it always takes me 10x the time/effort as it would take the average person. So I am very proud of this ladder that I spruced up. Ben spotted it at our favorite brunch spot and immediately wanted it...something about it encompassing the 'American Dream'...anyways, I decided that if we were going to have it in our home, I would figure out some way to make it cute. And I did!

5.// Share one of your favorite pics. Tell us why it's your favorite.

I love this picture of us because it was taken before 'Ben & Nicole'...after all, I was only at Ben's house to hang out with his sister. We thought this prom pose was very funny...and then later that year (2008) I made this my facebook profile picture to really make things official.

6.// What's your favorite part about marriage? 

There are so many favorites about marriage...but one that comes to mind right now is having someone that is always on your side supporting you. It's nice to know that when I am busting out moves to this song (that Ben has never heard before!!), there's at least one person who won't think I'm crazy. Right Ben?!

Thanks Ilene for the tag!

I tag Kayla , Nicole, Denise, Darci, Jessica, Beth, Becca, and whoever else wants to join in!  All you have to do is answer 6 of the following questions:

1.// What is one of your silly quirks? Or something silly that you get excited about.
2.// Favorite movie, song, or tv show?
3.// Any funny stories to share that has happened recently?
4.// Tell us something we don't know about you.
5.// What's your favorite beauty secret or product?
6.// What's your favorite or go-to outfit? (pics please)
7.// What's a personal trial you had to overcome?
8.// What's a current dream that you are hoping to achieve?
9.// What's the coolest thing you've made? (food, craft, anything)
10.// Who or what inspires you?
11.// Share one of your favorite pics. Tell us why it's your favorite
12.// What's your favorite part about marriage? Or what have you learned since becoming married?

Let me know if you do join in so I can read your post!

5 baby things

Today I decided to join the good life blog and talk about 5 things--any random 5 things that are on my mind! So let's talk baby--here are 5 different ways we have prepared our home for Jack's arrival!

[one] sleep

We have a pack 'n play with a built in bassinet set up in our room for the beginning stage, and then will transition him to his crib.

Isn't that baby blanket so sweet?? Check out my friend's etsy shop for the cutest children's clothes: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ItsyBitsySilhouettes

[two] diaper changing

Jack's changing table is organized and ready to go! We have pacifiers in the small bag hanging on the left of the table.  

In the crate on the left are cloth diapers. I am hoping to cloth diaper once Jack is out of the 'newborn' diaper stage. Believe me, these aren't the same cloth diapers that your mom or grandma may have used--check out how cute they are here! There are so many different kinds and styles that it has been a little overwhelming, but we have just decided to get a couple of a few different styles that have been popular among people we've talked to and then go from there.
The middle crate has 'peepee teepees'--a gift from Ben's mom that will hopefully keep us dry during diaper changes! :) There's also wipes, a spray bottle, and coconut oil to keep Jack's bum nice and soft. On the right are adorable burp clothes made by my friend--check out her shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/HollyMadeGifts

Ok--so this is kind of gross and probably TMI for some of you...but if you've been reading my blog for a while--you know I keep it real on here. When you choose to cloth diaper, you have to figure out how you want to manage the 'mess'. There are two classes of people: the swishers and the sprayers. To give myself the best shot at being successful, we decided to join the 'sprayers' club...the good/kind-of-weird thing about breastfed babies is that the diapers don't need to be swooshed or sprayed until they start on solid foods. They can just go straight in the washer.
   

[three] the swing
This bad boy doubles as a swing and a bouncer.

[four] the chair

It rocks and reclines.

[five] dual stations

We have a 'diaper changing station' for downstairs--wipes, newborn diapers, changing pad, coconut oil.

We've also stashed some burp cloths (another sweet friend made these), receiving blankets, and bigger play blankets downstairs.

As you can see, we are ready for Jack's arrival whenever he is ready to join us! 

Want to know how I can tell that Ben is extra ready? He'll sometimes talk about Jack like he's already here....we'll be walking out the door and he'll say, "Don't forget to grab Jack out of the swing!" Or we'll be sitting on the couch and he'll show me his phone, which is the live video feed coming from our baby monitor...staring at an empty crib.

Cute? Creepy? Yea, I still haven't decided either...

100th post--something very special for my readers!!

For my 100th post, I would like to share something very special with all of you....these belly to belly pics! 

We have taken a few "baby boot camp" classes and the instructors had all the papa's-to-be try on sympathy bellies. These bellies had weights in each pocket and something that simulated pressure on the guys' bladder...and then the instructors had the guys clean up around the house, sit down, stand up, pretend to shave their legs, and try to get comfortable lying down. Once they finally got comfortable with pillows all around them and were exhausted from all of the tasks, she said "Ok, now your spouse wants to [go to funky town]".....it was pretty hilarious!!!

Doesn't it look like Ben is having a great time?!

Just wanted to share..

Just wanted to share some pictures taken by my friend, Starla, on a cold, windy, rainy day at the beach.

How to keep a pregnant woman out past 10 pm..

Humongous belly @ 38 weeks

Midnight. I stayed out until MIDNIGHT Friday night. Staying awake past 10pm has become a rarity around here...but if there is one thing (other than the really fun group of people we were with) that will motivate me to *restaurant hop* at such late hours of the night, it's definitely a very delicious warm molten chocolate cake...the kind with the chocolate sauce ooozing out of it... served with a side of vanilla ice-cream at one of our favorite local spots.
Ben loves it. I love it. Jack definitely loves it. No-brainer.

Friday Love List Link Up!

Today I am joining Britt's Friday Love List Link Up! I figured for my first link up we better keep it simple, and all I have to do with this one is post about what I'm currently loving and then give a shout-out to another blog I'm really enjoying! Here goes.....

• Range week is over!! If there are any military wives reading this, you know what I mean! There have been way too many 3am mornings this week when I haven't been able to fall back asleep after Ben leaves for the range. It has been an exhausting week for both of us, but especially for Ben who has been in the HOT sun all day everyday.

• Dinner plans. I know it is going to be much more difficult to have date nights with friends once Jack arrives, so I am excited to go out to dinner with an awesome duo tonight and head over to a friend's for dinner tomorrow night.

• Being home. It has been so nice being home these last two weeks. When I decided to quit a month before my due date, I wasn't sure if I was going to wish I would have worked longer to avoid getting stir crazy. Let me tell you, it has been the exact opposite! I have really reaaaaaally enjoyed checking off boxes from my 'baby to-do' list and preparing for Jack's arrival. Even more, I've enjoyed having a slower, more relaxed set of pace. Starting my day with red raspberry leaf tea, the Bible, and my two favorite furry companions has been by far the best part.

• Friday=appointment day! I love hearing updates on Jack and getting to hear his heartbeat. I also love hearing "You're going to push this baby out just fine! That long torso and those long legs--you are built like a birthing machine!" She says it every time. A girl can dream, right?!

• Ben. I don't know if it's the pregnancy hormones or what (haha--not going down that road, I know what you were thinking....), but lately I have just been so grateful that Ben chose me to be his wife, and that God chose him to be my husband. His heart for God, for this family, and for being a Marine that truly stands apart from the crowd inspires me. 

And now for my blogging buddy shout-out: Jessica from Nerd and Healthnut. Definitely check out her blog for yummy recipes and as of July 4th--sweet updates on her adorable baby boy!

Happy Friday and hope everyone has a great weekend!