2 Weeks Old

Tomorrow Mason will officially be 2 weeks old and today we went to the doctor for his checkup. He is one healthy boy!

He weighed 7lbs 14oz (26%)

He measured 21" Long (68%)

His head is 14.5" around (completely average)

These last two weeks have flown by so quickly! I love every minute of Mason being here and wouldn't trade it for the world. He religiously eats every two hours during the day and then at night he will sleep for 4-6 hours between eating. He is so mellow (just like daddy) and not much upsets him which makes for a generally happy baby!!

Mason Likes:

Snuggles

His hands

Lounging on dad's chest

Being swaddled (except his arms)

Rocking

Staring out the windows

Staring at the picture of Christ on the wall

Being warm

His swing

The sound of my hairdryer or the vacuum

Being held constantly
His carseat

Sleeping on his side

Listening to "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" on my ipod

Mason Dislikes:

Bath time (getting better though)

Getting naked

Diaper changes

Cold wipes

His cradle
The hiccups

Being put down for even 10 minutes

 This is his favorite way to sleep. Even if I lay him on his back he turns right to his side and his hands are always by his face!

 Lounging on daddy

The dreaded bath time!

 Happy as can be as soon as he is out of the bath and wrapped up in a warm towel!

 Snuggles from his Great Grandpa Bowles!

Tummy time at our house generally turns into nap time...

He loves his hands and ALWAYS has them by his face. These three pictures were taken in a matter of 10 minutes!



Newborn Pictures

Today I went and had Mason's newborn pictures taken and I LOVE LOVE LOVE them all! He was so good to let them pose him and didn't even pee while he was a naked little man!

Brad's parents gave us the BYU hat and socks and I couldn't resist having his picture taken in them! I also had them take his picture with his Winnie the Pooh stuffed bear and his silky blanket that my mom made for him. The lady taking the pictures asked me if I would give her a copyright release so she could print some and hang them in the studio. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks Mason is a cutie pie!

 (Hands down, my favorite picture!)

 (Sucking on his index finger because we took the binky out of his mouth - so cute!)

 (Spitting image of his daddy)

Mason Bradly 7-26-12

Now that Mason is only a few hours away from being a week old I figured it is about time I put his birth story up on the blog.

Monday July 23rd I went to my scheduled doctor appointment because I was STILL pregnant. I was not happy about it one bit because I was nearly a week overdue and just so anxious for Mason to be here. My doctor checked me and nothing had changed...again, so he told me that he would induce me on Wednesday July 25th. I was OVER THE MOON excited! I finally knew when he would be here!

That night Bradly and I went out to dinner (our last supper) because it was his birthday. Earlier that day I had decorated the house and baked him a birthday cake. I had to do something to keep my mind off of being pregnant still! Tuesday rolled around and we got everything tidied up around the house knowing that the next morning our lives would change. Wednesday is where the real fun began...

Wednesday, July 25, 2012:

We arrived at Riverton Hospital at 7:15am and checked in to the labor and delivery unit. It was a little surreal knowing that this was it, I was going to finally meet my son! We got settled in and Brad found the slushy machine real quick! :) By 9:00am the nurses had hooked me up to pitocin and Dr. Merrell (we call him Dr. Monte because there are two Merrell's in his office) came in to break my water. After he thought he broke my water he told me that the next time he came to check on me that I would probably be feeling very uncomfortable. My plan was to go completely natural so I was bracing myself for contractions to really begin. A few hours later (and by a few I mean two movies later) I was still not feeling uncomfortable...for heavens sake, we watched Grown Ups and I was laughing through the entire movie! At 12:00pm Dr. Monte came back in and gave me a puzzled look. He told me that I should definitely be feeling the contractions because I was on the highest dose of pitocin allowed. He decided to try and break a bigger hole in my water and that certainly did the trick. Within seconds of him breaking my water I could feel the contractions getting more intense and thought to myself, "Oh boy...here we go."

From 12:00pm to 4:00pm I was having awful contractions. They were no more than a minute apart and each one lasted for a good two minutes. I felt like I couldn't catch my breath before the next one started. At 4:00pm I finally gave in, I sternly told Bradly that I wanted the epidural because I couldn't take one more minute of contractions. He went and got the nurse and she got the anesthesiologist. After I got the epidural it took awhile for it to kick in, then only the left side of me was numb so he had to give me another dose in my IV...such fun. The nurse decided to check me and I was expecting her to tell me I had only dilated to a 4 or a 5, but she told me I had made it to a 7! Holy cow, I was kind of proud of myself for at least making it that far, but I was so relieved to be comfortable again! The nurse told me that she thought by 9:00pm we would have a baby here - so of course I was so excited! By 7:00pm I was dilated to a 10, 100% effaced and Mason's head was pretty low so the nurse told me that we would start pushing with each contraction. I pushed and I pushed and I pushed some more but for some reason Mason's head wasn't moving down any further. The nurse was a little concerned because she could feel (and see) his head and had a feeling that he was posterior (meaning his head was facing upward instead of downward and it would be very difficult for him to come out). She tried for a couple of hours to turn Mason's head every time I pushed but he just wouldn't move. Around 11:00pm Dr. Monte came in and tried turning him as well but he was stuck. When he tried turning him around Mason's heart rate dropped quite a bit for about two minutes. Dr. Monte was getting very concerned and didn't want to leave Mason in there much longer so he gave me my options. We could wait another twenty minutes to see if Mason would turn on his own or prep the OR and get him out right away via C-Section. He gave me the pros and cons of each situation and I knew that my plans of a vaginal delivery were no longer possible, Mason was going to be delivered via C-Section.

After Dr. Monte left the room I had a breakdown. A C-Section? It had never even crossed my mind as a possibility and now it was reality. Brad was so sweet and calmed me down and told me everything would be ok. I took a deep breath and pulled myself together. The anesthesiologist came in and gave me a dose of something 10x stronger to numb me from the chest down. Such a weird feeling being that numb! I was ready to be wheeled to the OR...don't mind my puffiness, I had been pumped full of fluids ALL DAY LONG!

 Brad's awesome outfit for the OR

 At 11:54pm I was in the OR and they were prepping me for surgery and I was anxious and nervous beyond all reason.

Thursday, July 26, 2012:

12:04am Mason Bradly was born weighing 7lbs 7oz and measured 20.5" long with a full head of brown hair!!

I was completely overjoyed and so in love immediately and simply cried as I looked over at the nurses cleaning him off. I couldn't believe that he was finally here! He cried for only a few seconds before Brad walked over and began talking to him. He quieted down and just listened to his voice. It made me melt.

 Mason found his fingers the second his hands were free and they have been either in his mouth or by his face ever since!

 First family picture

 And another

 At 1:30am my mom came to the hopsital to see her new grandson. I was so happy to have her there and she gave me the biggest hug! Nothing beats a hug from mom. She brought me a huge thermos of water because I couldn't bring myself to drink the nasty Riverton water (yes, I am that picky). I was so exhausted so I drank a huge glass of water and by 3:00am I was wheeled into the Mom & Baby unit and ready to get some rest.

 Mason slept on my chest the entire night and I loved every minute of those snuggles!

Brad LOVES snuggling with Mason and I couldn't help but snap a few pictures of it!

 Mason was having a hard time breastfeeding for the first couple of days so they suggested we use the soothie binky instead of any others so he didn't get confused on different nipple shapes. He held onto that thing like a steering wheel!

On a side note: a couple of the nurses/lactation specialists had me wanting to cry because I was so frustrated with breastfeeding. They were trying to demand that I use the football hold to get him to breastfeed and I told that that I just didn't want to hold him that way. One lady even shoved my poor baby's crying face onto my chest and tried to force him to breastfeed. I could have killed the woman! After that I told Brad that I didn't want any other "help" from them and that I just wanted to be left alone to figure out breastfeeding - just me and Mason. I couldn't handle being in the hospital anymore. I cried that day simply because I was on a hormonal roller coaster and didn't know how to deal with it! (FYI: The day we got home Mason took to breastfeeding like it was no big deal and has been a nursing champ ever since! Take that lactation specialists!!)

Saturday, July 28, 2012: 

Saturday morning rolled around and the nurse came in to check my vitals as usual. Dr. Monte suggested that I stay in the hospital until Sunday so he could remove the staples from my belly (so painful), but I so badly wanted to go home. I begged the nurse to let me go home and she said she would start the discharge papers and if everything checked out good on Mason's end then we would be allowed to go. I hopped up and got dressed so quick! We packed our bags (which was a lot because my mom brought us groceries to last a week so we didn't have to eat hospital food) and waited for the "ok" to leave. Mason's pediatrician checked on him and said that all was well. His heart and lungs sound great, his circumcision was looking good, he hadn't lost too much weight and we were given the go ahead to take him home. I was SO happy to be leaving with my little family.

Since I had a C-Section my body was so sore (who am I kidding, I was in so much flipping pain)! Brad and I live in a townhome with a steep flight of stairs and he and my mom knew it was going to be a bad idea for me to be anywhere near stairs. My mom offered to let us stay at her house for the first few days until my body began to heal so that I didn't have to lift a finger. What a blessing she is in our lives because without her this last week would have been so hard and so painful. Brad had to go back to work first thing Monday morning but my mom was willing to take care of me and Mason while he was gone during the day. My mom literally bent over backwards to make our stay at her house completely stress free. I am not allowed to lift anything heavier than Mason for 6 weeks and my stomach muscles are literally in stitches so she did everything for me. She brought me three meals a day, she did my laundry, she changed Mason's diapers in the middle of the night when I couldn't get out of bed without help, she gave us her bedroom to stay in, she slept on the couch next to me every night so that I was never alone. I honestly can't thank her enough. She is absolutely incredible and I didn't deserve everything she did for me this past week. Tonight when Brad came home from work we packed up and officially came home. It was bittersweet because I am a little nervous to do this all by myself - thank goodness I have my Bradly!!!

 This is the, "Mom, I just woke up, why are you taking a picture of me" face. Love him!

 Side Note: Mason's billirubin levels kept creeping up (all the way to 17.3) so I had to take him in to the doctor three days in a row to get his foot pricked for more testing. Thankfully we received the good news yesterday that his levels had gone down and we didn't have to put him under any lights! Instead, we just lay him in the sun - I love my little naked BYU fan!

40 Weeks

Today is officially my due date and I am still pregnant as can be! This last week has been a long one for me simply because I am anxious for Mason to join our family. I had my doctor appointment on Monday and had a feeling that nothing had changed - I was right. I am still dilated to 3cm and 75% effaced. Mason's head is another centimeter lower and his heartbeat sounded fantastic! I was kind of hoping that my blood pressure would be shooting through the roof so they would have to induce me, but it was still totally normal and I had lost a pound since last week. After my doctor checked me he told me things were looking good, but stripping my membranes probably didn't do anything because I am already at a 3...he also said that he expects to see me on Monday at my next appointment. After he left the room I had to try so hard to keep it together. I said I was going to be just fine waiting for Mason, but I think I have reached the end of my rope. I made it just outside the hospital before I had a complete breakdown and called my mom (Brad was at work and I was not about to call and bawl like a baby while he couldn't really talk). I'm not sure if my mom understood anything I said because of how hard I was crying, but it was nice to just be able to let it all out. I sincerely hope that I don't make it to my next appointment on Monday because at that point I might seriously punch someone in the face, or just cry again.

I have never felt so ready for something in my life - people keep telling me to enjoy my time without having a child, but in all honesty it is what I can't wait for! I have wanted to be a mom my whole life and I realize that things will NEVER be the same once Mason is here, but I can't wait and welcome the change. His room is ready, bags are packed and both mine and Brad's patience is wearing thin...we are ready to meet our little Mason and hope he decides to come join our family soon! Bring on the dirty diapers, the blowouts, the sleepless nights and all the snuggling with a baby I could ever hope for! I can't wait to finally have my baby boy here and in my arms - the official countdown is over, we are now on Mason's time.

(40 week belly in all it's glory - toothbrush and all!)

P.S. I won't be posting again until I can post pictures of my little man!!

39 Weeks

39 Weeks...I didn't want to make it to this point, I'd rather be changing poopy diapers right now.

Yesterday I went to my doctor appointment and all went well. I still haven't gained any weight, blood pressure is normal and Mason's heartbeat sounded so good! Mason's head is in the -1 position, I am 75% effaced, but still only dilated to 3cm. He stripped my membranes and said that usually within 24 to 48 hours labor will kick in...well, it has officially been 24 hours and I've just had the same old contractions. Last night my mom and I went on a long walk to try and help things along and then this morning I woke up at 6am because the contractions were hurting pretty bad, but they were about 10 minutes apart for a couple of hours and then stopped.

I now have two options: 1. Be completely miserable and wish this baby was here already or 2. Realize that Mason will come when he is ready and simply enjoy my last few moments of a quiet home. I choose option #2, but I'm still hoping that Mason will make his appearance sooner rather than later! Here's to hoping I don't make it to my next appointment on Monday!
39 Week Belly
(Don't mind the crappy picture, I just got done swimming)

38 Weeks

I think my body is done being pregnant just as much as I am mentally done! I have been having contractions since last Friday, they haven't been consistent so I know it isn't actual labor, but they do NOT feel good. It hurts to laugh, sneeze, cough, stand up, sit down, roll over...well these days being comfortable doesn't really exist. I went to the doctor on Tuesday and found out that my contractions have at least done something! I am now dilated to 3cm, 50% effaced and Mason's head is even lower (if that is possible). I still haven't gained any weight (whoo hoo!), I am measuring 36.5cm (still small) and Mason's heartbeat sounded so strong and healthy! Thankfully my doctor told me that if I am still pregnant on Tuesday that he will strip my membranes to get things moving along. Hopefully my body will just go into labor before then! 

Today is my last day at work because I can't function anymore during all of these contractions! I will miss some of the people I work with, but it will be nice to be able to focus on having this baby.

Hopefully next time I post I won't be pregnant anymore and instead I will be happily snuggling with my little Mason. I have done everything in my power to induce my own labor and nothing has worked (go figure). I know that Mason will come when he is ready, but I am still going to do my best to get things going! As much as it hurts I am going to be going on a lot of long walks, swimming, squatting, etc. to encourage him to come out! Wish me luck...

37 Weeks

FULL TERM! I am so happy that I am finally full term - if I go into labor today there wouldn't be a problem! WHOO HOOOOO!

This week has been a rough one...I am so uncomfortable and ready to be done. My back hurts constantly (especially since I sit in an office chair 8 hours a day), my feet swell if I stand up to make dinner (not joking, I looked like Shrek from the calf down the other day) and I am still having Braxton Hicks contractions all day long. Mason has definitely dropped because I feel SO much pressure down low. Every time he pushes his little foot against my side I can feel his head pushing down on me. NOT comfortable. Sleeping is dang near impossible simply because I can't turn from side to side without a big "heave ho" and then I realize I have to pee...again. LOL Besides that, things are peachy!

I went to the doctor yesterday and found out that I am dilated 1cm and 20% effaced. My doctor was also quite surprised at how far down Mason's head was. He said chances of me going into labor this week are slim, but never say never! My belly is measuring 35cm (2cm small), but he told me not to expect my belly to get much bigger. I was told to take it easy so my feet don't keep swelling, but since my blood pressure is still so low he isn't too worried. I didn't gain any weight in these last two weeks either so I was thrilled! I still love listening to Mason's heartbeat and he always pushes back against the doppler - such the little mover! All in all, a great appointment!

We are ready to meet Mason...so so ready. I just want to hold him and snuggle him instead of feeling him do headstands on my bladder. Hopefully my brother Bob is right...his guess for Mason's arrival is July 6th. I wouldn't mind that at all! :)

21 days to go!!
37 Week Belly

Mason's Nursery

So Mason's nursery has been pretty much done since back in March but I haven't posted pictures because we hadn't revealed his name yet. I am excited to finally post them! We decided on a Classic Winnie the Pooh themed nursery because it could be used for a boy or a girl (we decided on the theme before we knew we were having a boy). I am glad I went with Classic Pooh because it turned out so cute, and not overdone.

His crib bedding (all of it) was made by my mom. His quilt (hanging on the back of the crib) has bumblebees and honey pots embroidered on it. His name above the bed is one of my favorite things in the nursery. I bought a curtain rod to hang the letters from and then glued cute blue and brown scrapbook paper to them. My mom painted the bumblebee line above the name and the bee itself is made from the same fabric as his bedding. It turned out so cute!! The pictures don't really do it justice!

 Here is his little bookshelf with lots of decorations from Grandma and my "Aunt Mernea." I love that he already has lots of storybooks too!

 Here is Mason's huge walk-in closet. We truly are prepared as far as diapers go...the other side of the closet (behind the door) is also lined with boxes of diapers. All sized and in order. He has lots of clothes too! I washed and folded everything that would go in his drawers up to size 3 months so there wasn't nearly as much left hanging!

 His dresser and changing table. All of the pictures above his dresser are from Grandma! Bradly sanded down each frame and painted them blue to match his room. Such a good daddy he is! :)

 Here is my version of a rocking chair! Grandma and Grandpa Bowles (Mason's Great Grandparents) gave us this chair about a month before we found out we were expecting. Little did they know we would be using it to rock their Great Grandbaby! We hung chinese lanterns above it and it turned out so good! Again, thank you Bradly for doing this!!

 Opposite the crib and rocking chair we have a twin bed set up. I wanted to leave it set up for the nights that Mason decides to be a stinker and keep me up all night. That way I won't keep Brad awake all night too. Above that bed is a shelf with Classic Pooh shaped story books on it - again, all from Grandma! His cradle is currently in his nursery but we will move that into our room soon!

 Here is the view of the entire room all put together. I love it and I can't wait to rock my sweet baby boy to sleep in there every night!

Family Baby Shower

First of all, we finally revealed our baby's name today at the shower! Mason Bradly Bowles!

Today was my big family baby shower - and by big, I mean 40 people all in the same room! I decided since I only have a few family members in Utah that it would be fun to do a big combined shower with my side of the family and Brad's side as well. It turned out great! My amazing mom threw the shower with the help of Brad's Aunt Sugar (best Aunt ever) and cousin Rachyl (best cousin ever)! My mom and I worked hard this last week to get everything ready and it turned out so cute! The theme was rubber duckies and I loved it! We decided to reveal our baby's name at the shower because Brooklynn would have spilled the beans anyway - she has been calling him by name for months! I made a cute banner (thank you Pinterest for the idea) to hang in the kitchen and we also made rice krispies treats kabobs that said his name. It took quite awhile to cut letters out of rice krispies treats, but it turned out so cute! They were blue with yellow sprinkles and had darker blue frosting drizzled over the top of them. We made lots so everyone got to take one home.

My mom made homemade cinnamon rolls (with blue frosting), fruit kabobs and mini muffins for everyone to munch on during the shower. So yummy! I found a fun idea for punch on Pinterest and she pulled that off too. It was blue punch (recipe here) with rubber duckies floating in the top. The carbonation on the sherbet made it look like a bubble bath! So cute.

I didn't take a picture of the front door, but my mom made a giant poster for everyone to sign in and guess Baby Bowles' arrival date. Only one person actually wrote on the ducky that was on the poster...my little brother. LOL

My mom also set out lots of cute scrapbooking supplies and everyone made an "Advice for Angelise" card so my mom could put them all in a binder for me. My favorite was my sister-in-law's advice...she is almost 10 and the card said the following: "Let Brad change the dippers. Love Maelynn  P.S. I think I spelled dippers wrong" I laughed so hard! Love that girl.

Here is the cute banner I made. Totally saving this!

 I wasn't kidding when I said a lot of people showed up today...my baby boy is sure loved!

 We received LOTS of baby wipes (much appreciated) and SO many cute outfits! I'm pretty sure I won't need to do any laundry until Mason is one.

 Brad's cousin Sarah has a brand new baby girl and her mom made her this cute little stocking type blanket to put her in. I LOVED it and thought it was the best idea because then their little feet never fall out and they stay cozy and warm! Well, she gave me a blue one for Mason and I am absolutely in love with it! It is so soft and I can't wait to snuggle him in it!

 Background story for this next picture: Brad is a HUGE Peter Pan fan. He has loved that movie since he was a kid. We even have a Peter Pan hat out on display in our office! Well Brad's sister Jenni gave Mason the Peter Pan movie and an entire Peter Pan outfit - bow and arrow and all! I can't wait for him to be able to dress up as his daddy's favorite disney character!!

 Payton gave Mason yet another gift and was so cute about it. He was quite shy around the crowd of girls, but still let me give him a kiss.

 Brooklynn also gave him another gift and then became my little helper. She had a system down. Hand me a present, open it, move the opened present to the middle of the room and then hand me the next gift. Quite organized for a 3 year old! :)

 There were so many pictures that I didn't post and so many adorable gifts! We are officially ready for Mason to arrive and I can't wait!!!

Thank you to everyone who came to the baby shower today, I couldn't have asked for a better day!

My biggest thank you has to go to my mom. She put in SO much hard work to make today perfect and every minute of it was just that! Mason is SO blessed to have her as his Grandma and I truly couldn't ask for a more loving mom. She has done SO much for Mason already and continues to outdo herself. I love my mom so very much and I hope I can be half as good of a mother to Mason as she is to me. I wouldn't feel nearly as prepared to become a mother if it wasn't for my mom because everything I've learned about being a mommy has come from her. She made today unforgettable and I can't say thank you enough! LOVE YOU MOM!

36 Weeks!

One more week and I will be considered full term! Hallelujah!!! I am ready to hold my baby boy and see what he looks like! I realize that this is my first baby so my chances of going into labor early, let alone on my due date, are rather slim, but hey, a girl can dream!

This last week hasn't been all too exciting - same old Braxton Hicks contractions. Brad and I went to the zoo last Saturday and I had to stop and sit down for a little bit because my stomach would not stop contracting! I still can't sleep either. My back constantly hurts and I wake up every two hours (like clockwork) because I have to pee. My feet swell if I stand too long, but not all that bad. My poor husband has been so sweet to rub my back or my feet EVERY SINGLE DAY! He has been so patient with me and I couldn't ask for a better man to be married to!!

FUNNY STORY OF THE WEEK: I had a two hour meeting I had to go to first thing Tuesday morning at work. I left my phone on my desk and didn't think anything of it...well I should have. Every morning my mom and I talk on the phone for a little bit - it is just our daily routine and I also text Bradly to find out how is day at work is going. Well, my mom tried to call me and Brad tried texting me...and when I didn't respond they had a complete freak out! Between the two of them I had 15 missed calls (6 on my office phone and 9 on my cell phone) and 5 missed text messages. Seeing as how I am 36 weeks pregnant they were both convinced that something had happened! I felt so bad, but I had to laugh a little bit. It was just so funny how COMPLETELY freaked out they were that I didn't answer my phone. Brad gave me a new rule - from now on I am to go to anywhere without my cell phone. NOTE TO SELF: Bring cell phone everywhere or Bradly and mom will show up at my office freaking out! LOL

Anyway, I can't believe we only have 28 days left until my due date! This weekend will be my big family baby shower and I am so excited! I am so thankful that my mom, Sugar and Rachyl took the time to put it all together! I can't wait to have a fun day and celebrate my baby boy!!

36 Week Belly