Otto Ryan Stewart

Finally he arrives! Just 3 days over due!

We went to the hospital to get started Sunday night at 6pm.

When we got there i still was barely dialated.

They gave me a cervidil and Ryan and I started a long night of neither of us being able to get comfortable enough to sleep.

By morning i was finally dialated to like a 1! Wahoo! NOT!

It was pretty discouraging. The only thing to keep me motivated was I was having what the nurse told me were pretty regular and good size contractions but I couldn't even tell.  I had to keep asking her or checking the monitor to tell if i was contracting.

They put me on pitocin around 8:30 Monday morning.

At 11:30 my water broke but i was still only dialated to a 2 :( 

By 2 hours later I hadn't dialated anymore but could really feel the contractions!  So I decided to get my epidural.

I know I know... At a 2?  But that was the best decision I made!

Finally my back stop hurting and went I back to not being able to feel the contractions!  I was finally relaxed enough to get some rest and I started progressing a lot faster.  By 7:15 I was at 10cm they got the Dr there.
We started delivery at 7:30 and Otto was born at 7:58!

It was so wonderful.  I was really nervous about delivery but man them Epidurals are AMAZING!!  I didn't even feel pressure let alone pain!

Of course the pain set in the next morning since I had to get a 4th degree episiotomy.

But this cute little guy is SOOO worth it!

 First Family Photo!

We spent Tuesday at the Hospital and Otto got lots of visitors! (Even more than we got pictures of!)

  Oh and he is SOOOO stinkin' adorable!

Wednesday Morning we finally got to take him home!

 

Peanut Butter Bars

My cousin Joqell brought peanut butter bars to dinner the other night and Ryan LOVED them so he wanted to make a batch for us.  Like I was gonna complain right? So i got Joqell's recipe and sat back while Ry made us a treat.  He called me the "recipe manager".  All I had to do was read out the recipe to him.

It made me giggle pretty hard when he grabbed the box of baking soda.  It had pictures of clothes on it, and on the back was a bunch of things you could do with baking soda.  Well none of them had to do with food.  So he wasn't too sure about cooking with it.  He was like "Why does this only have pictures of clothes and not food.  Are you sure this stuff is for baking Alese?" When i stopped laughing i said "it is called baking soda!"

 

He spent like 10 minutes just making sure the bars were spread perfectly even, and perfectly smooth.

 

 

 I laughed pretty hard when I told him he was gonna have to wash the kitchen aid to make the frosting!  He was like "are you kidding me?"  These things just aren't worth this much work!"

But he did it and finished the job.  So he only put in a tsp of baking soda instead of a Tbl spoon, but they are still edible.  And I think it is awesome that he would even make them!  Thanks Ry!

You can tell he was real excited about getting his picture taken for the blog...

Here is the recipe we used...

Peanut Butter Bars

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbl baking soda

1 cup flour

2 cups oatmeal

Bake @ 350 for 20 -25 min.

Frosting

1 stick melted butter

2/3 cup Hershey coca powder

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

39 Weeks

Let's have this stinkin baby already!

Blood pressure a little high this time 132/83

Swelling got worse.  Can't wear most of my shoes anymore :(

50-60% effaced.

Barley dilated.  Not even to 1cm :(

I guess he is gonna come when he is good and ready but i was really hoping he would come like a week early!

ONE WORD New Years Resolution

I found this idea last year, and i just think it is such a cool idea I really wanted to share it.

There is something about a new year that gives us hope and makes us believe that we can actually be a better person tomorrow than we are today. As the calendar changes, we hope we can too.

So, we make a promise to improve our ways by tackling our bad habits, destructive behaviors and negative thoughts. With all the gusto in the world, we pledge to lose weight, become a better spouse, devote more time to family, clean up our language, cut back on spending and get organized. These vows sound good, and look perfect on paper, but there is a problem; they seldom work.

Researchers say only 12% of people who make a New Year’s Resolution actually achieve their goals. Even worse, 75% give up on them within the first two weeks of January. The running shoes stay in the closet while the credit card comes out more often. New priorities quickly get replaced with the old. Circumstances and feelings once again dictate and determine our actions. The voices of “it’s too hard” and “it will never work” become louder and louder until we finally wave the white flag in surrender. We start with the best intentions, but end up getting nowhere.

With such a predictable cycle playing out year after year, one has no choice but to wonder if transformation can truly occur. We want to reassure you that change is indeed possible. There is a better way and it comes in the form of a single word. The key is to get rid of the list of things you hate about yourself and replace it with a vision.

The challenge is simple: lose the long list of resolutions you want to make this year and instead pick ONE WORD. This process provides clarity by taking all of your big plans for life change and narrowing them down into a single thing. One word focuses on your character and creates a vision for your future.(this and a little more can be read at this website.)

You can find examples of other's words HERE.

I picked a word last year but didn't quite have the results I wanted so I am picking the same word again this year. 

Last year as I thought about New Years Resolutions (which is not something I ever really do) I considered things like:  loose some weight, not be so quick to judge people, be better at wearing my make-up and looking good for my husband, treat others with respect and kindness regaurdless of how they treat me.

I came up with a word that I thought encompassed all of that.  BEAUTY

Last year I feel like I did an ok job at the inner beauty but I have a long way to go, but outer beauty... well I got pregnant and the months when I was still skinny I was puking my guts out and didn't feel like looking good, and lets just say by the end of the year I was quite a bit heavier instead of lost some weight! :)

I have posted my word where I will see it all the time on my monitor at work.  I recommend the same or something similar so you don't forget!

I hope you like this idea as much as I did. 

So my one word for 2011 is BEAUTY! 

What's yours?

38 weeks Prego!

38 weeks! Here we go... We are just about there. HOLY CRAP!

I do have a little swelling in my legs, but I am happy i still haven't gotten an outie belly button yet!  It's just level.  Ryan is bummed. I think he was looking forward to making fun of my outie belly button.

The Dr. checked me and said I am 30% effaced. My cervix is midway between lined up and posterior.  And I am not dialated at all.  So for now it seems as though I will go full term.

I have been really nervous about Labor and Delivery and being a mom. So everytime Ryan has said "just go into labor"  I have thought "No!  I'm not ready." But now I am finally getting to the point where I am just ready to get it over with!

Baby's heartbeat was 145. 

Blood Pressure was 123/72. Good.

Measuring 38 cm. 

In one week I went from measureing 33cm to 38cm?  I guess he was just up on all fours this time or something.  I dunno.

Baby center describes a 34 week fetus as:

Your baby has really plumped up. He weighs about 6.8 pounds and he's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). He has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold his hand for the first time! His organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.