introducing emmett joshua wech

our sweet boy, emmett joshua, was born two weeks late on friday, april 3rd, at 6:58pm. he was 6lbs 14 oz and was 20.5 inches long. everyone is doing well. we are happy, healthy, sleep deprived and in love.

that's the abbreviated version. if you want the long story see below. 

labor officially started on tuesday. the midwives checked me and i was only a 1/2 cm dialated after being a week and a half late. trish, our midwife and friend, gave us the option of trying a catheter to get the ball rolling. it was inserted in the morning and by 2:30pm contractions had started. they kept going until midnight. then they stopped. 

we went back to the midwives the next day. i was 3cm dialated and they gave me herbs, dieter tea and told me to pump as a way to bring about contractions. nothing happened when i was trying these methods, but contractions started on their own again around midnight and lasted until 7:30am. just long enough to not get any sleep. 

that morning the lora, one of the midwives, checked and I was 4cm dialated. she did a membrane sweep and sent me home. contractions started for the last time that thursday morning at 11:30. they continued the entire day and into the night. 

by 3am they had became so intense that my screams woke aaron up. he helped me get in the shower which helped a lot with the pain...until we ran out of hot water. he then surprised me with jelly beans he had sneakily purchased for the occasion (i couldn't have any sweets the last 14 weeks due to gestational diabetes). i suffered through another hour of contractions then got back in the shower after our hot water was replenished. soon after, the contractions got to the magical 4 minutes apart stage and we got to call the birth center. i remember as we left our house that it was incredibly weird to know that the next time i came home i would be a mother. 

when we got to the birth center it was about 6:30am on friday. friday was our two week mark, so at the end of the day we would risk out of the birth center and have to go to the hospital to be induced. i had been in labor around 33 hours total. karin, the midwife on call checked me and i was still just 4cm dialated. no progress from the day before. this news broke my spirit. i sobbed. i hadn't slept in two days, the contractions were unbearable and i was no closer than i had been the day before. i sat in a warm bath at the birth center while aaron tried to console me. 

trish, our friend and coincidentally also a midwife, arrived around 9am. she gave us our options: i could take some ambian and try to sleep, go to the hospital and try some morphine, or go to the hospital and get an epidural and get induced. aaron and i talked. i really really wanted to get an epidural and be induced, but i felt like a failure for giving up on natural childbirth. he and trish both reassured me that i gave it a solid effort for 3 days. there was no failure. i felt so relieved at that. we then headed to the hospital. 

the epidural took about an hour to get, but our nurse, jena, gave me something lovely to help me relax until then. after the epidural was in place, aaron and i both slept for about 4-5 hours. trish then came back to check on me. after a quick look, she said it was time to push - i was at 10 cm!  at this point i was in disbelief. the entire thing felt like i was in a movie.

the pushing began around 4:30pm. trish, jena, aaron and i were the only ones in the room. trish was a terrific coach. aaron held my leg, held my hand, and got me all the water i wanted. after about 2.5 hours of pushing, emmett joshua wech was born!

i was concerned right away, as he was quiet and there were no screams. also there was suddenly a team of nicu doctors in the room. they explained that emmett had meconium in his lungs, and they needed to be vacummed out. sure enough, less than a minute later, aaron was placing him on my chest. i was crying and shaking so hard. he was perfect and healthy.

he was named after my great uncle, emmett, which is also my father's middle name. and josh, aaron's brother.

41 weeks and a few days

the last preggo shot

41 weeks and 4 days and i'm still pregnant. this doesn't really alarm or bother aaron or i, but we are in the minority. everyday there are emails and texts from concerned family, friends, and coworkers. i understand that people are concerned. but we are not, not until the midwives are. they assure us that things are perfectly healthy and normal. they conducted a non-stress test to make sure there is enough water, and the placenta is healthy. a-ok on both fronts. 

he has a few more days to make his way out on his own, otherwise we will be induced by saturday. it's so weird to think that in a few days we will be meeting him and our lives will change forever. i can't really imagine what such a life changing event will be like. 

can i tell you that the absolute worst thing about pregancy has been? at 41 weeks, going to work and dealing with comments from absolutely everybody. the boss, co-workers, other offices..."what are you still doing here?" "no baby, what's wrong?" "you should do this, this or this" "how far dialated are you?" blarg. please just let me work. i know the intentions are good. but every. single. day. so annoying.

in other, non-baby news, aaron and i had a great date night last night. we saw kumiko: the treasure hunter at the bear's tooth last night and had a yummy dinner. the movie was excellent - the last time we went out to see a movie, just the two of us was well over a year ago. not something we do routinely, but it was a nice way to spend one of our last nights as just a family of 2. 

39 weeks

i can not believe it has been 39 weeks already. time has flown. but the proof is in the photo.

people tell me everyday how ready i must be and how done i must feel. but it really hasn't been that bad, which is why i feel sort of in denial that he will be here any day now. i keep thinking it will be a few weeks away, but it could be anywhere from today to 10 days or so. 

to pass the time, aaron and i are just relaxing on the weekends and evenings. this is our last time as a family of 2 and though we are excited for our new "wechlet" (thanks theresa and mark!) who knows when we will have quiet time as a couple again. and sleep. really cherishing the sleep. 

last weekend was our first weekend in a long time, where we haven't been out crazily buying things, or putting things together. the cold prevented us from going outside much (1 degree). it was almost boring, but so nice. we watched basketball, and napped. 

i'm not sure how fast i will update the blog once our lil man comes. but i will update it eventually, with photos. cut me some slack.

week 36

it's been awhile since my last update. that's because there hasn't been too much going on over here. at least not things that make for interesting reading.

we've been going to child birth classes. i've heard many people say that that's a good idea, and others seem to think that child birth is the most natural thing in the world and no one should need a class for it. i like to be as knowledgable as possible when my world is about to change. so i say why not? i have learned some things and it has helped me to feel more prepared.

we have now had 2 baby showers, and have had many packages arrived in the mail that were total surprises. we are so incredibly lucky to have the friends that we do. and we both thank you all for your love and support. i feel a lot like a child a christmas when a package arrives.

last weekend we buckled down and bought most of the things that were on our list of essentials that hadn't been purchased yet (car seat being the most critical) but also dresser, diapers, etc. those things will officially arrive this week. this has drastically reduced my anxiety. i still don't really know how to be a mom, but at least i will have tools that will help me.

each weekend, i've been trying to make a few freezer meals that we can wipe out in the first few weeks after. this has been making the weekends be a bit fuller than normal (purchasing things, throwing 3 extra meals together, etc) but i think it will help pay off in the end. currently we have lasagna roll-ups, italian moose stew, cilantro lime chicken, chili, and black bean & lentil stew.

i'm still not as uncomfortable as i expected to be. i don't sleep as well as i usually do, and the evenings/nights i sometimes get some hip pain. but the very worst i would call it would be mild discomfort. pregnancy comfort level is probably a luck of the draw type deal, for which i have been incredibly lucky. i do the that maintaining a usual exercise routine helps as well. i haven't been running or doing anything really hardcore, but walking during all lunch breaks and doing prenatal exercise videos 4-5 days a week.

i have been fairly surprised at how talkative and nice complete strangers are to you when you are pregnant. people who would never talk to me make random conversations regarding wee baby seamus. asking how far along, gender, etc. and making really sweet comments towards me. (you don't look that far along! be careful out there dear, it's icy! congratulations, honey! - were all said to me be three different people this weekend at REI). fortunately, i haven't had any strangers want to touch my belly, because i wouldn't take too kindly to that.

nice post will hopefully be more crafty .... are you ready? i'm making burp cloths! crazy, right?

week 33

i'm struggling a bit with the posts. i would like to write something other than baby/pregancy posts, lest you think this blog is going to become all about baby and not about us. not that there is anything wrong with that, but it has always bothered me when people have a baby and they no longer write about there lives, you never even see them in their own christmas cards. don't get me wrong, i love getting baby updates, but i also want to get updates about them as well.

the thing is, is that right now, pretty much most of the time is spent getting ready for the little babe to make an appearance. for instance, today, we have a total of 3 appointments (midwife, pediatrician, and birthing class - and yes, these are on top of work schedules).

yes, the cutsie dress is gone

my friend, lauren, threw us a baby shower last thursday at the glacier brewhouse. it was perfect. no games, or decorations. just people and food (and gifts). it was a nice, low key way to celebrate. just our style.

in non-baby related news, we threw a superball party last night. lots of friends came over. no one seemed to care much who one - everyone pretty much disliked both teams, myself included. but a fun way to spend the afternoon.

baby registration

i wasn't going to create a baby registry. it seems a bit weird to ask for things because you are having a baby. especially for us, we married in our backyard, no showers, no presents. that's how we roll.

but i was asked several times about it. and i get it, people genuinely want to help and buy something nice for baby. so i did it... i finally created a registry.

you can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/baby-reg/ref=cm_wl_search_1?ie=UTF8&lid=3ONPLVGBRRU8P

please do not feel obligated to get us a gift, but if you were going to and wanted some guidance as to what would be the most useful, there you go. i'll be adding a bit more to it as i go on.

i do want to thank the friends that have already been so generous. we have had many things gifted to us already (a beautiful sleep sack, moby, baby bjorn, cute outfits, the list goes on). thank you, it really means a lot - and it's so fun envisioning using them.

week 28

technically, week 28 was last week. we were busy with christmas, having company, going to a yurt. all the normal christmasy things.

but, i didn't want to skip this week, because it had our first minor bump (pardon the pun) in the road. 

at 28 weeks i was given the glucose screening, which measures your blood sugar. it involved drinking a super sweet beverage and having my blood drawn once. the cut off was 140, and mine came back 149. 

this isn't a big deal, and it turns out lots of people fail the screening. those people are given a test. a much more sugary drink, and 4 blood draws (1 fasting, and then 1 per hour, for 3 hours). i was given this test as well. my numbers came back and i failed 2 out of 4. this means i have gestational diabetes.

i found out the day after christmas. we were all planning to go to powerline pass to look around and take pictures (aaron, his brother, paul, and paul's girlfriend, sara). paul and sara were in the car, and aaron and i were heading out when i got the call from the nurse. i think i took the news pretty well while we were on the phone, but immediately started crying when i got off. i couldn't help feeling like i had let our little guy down in some way. this, of course, isn't rational - but pregnant ladies are not always inclined to be rational. i quickly dried my tears and went to powerline pass as though nothing was wrong. in fact, i don't think paul or sara ever realized i even got this diagnosis.

i went to a dietician, who assured me that i did absolutely nothing wrong. gestational diabetes just happens. if left unchecked, gd can lead to much larger babies, and therefor c-sections, premature labor, and other complications. however, we caught it so all we have to do to avoid complications is to keep my blood sugar in check.

this surprisingly doesn't effect my diet too much. i don't drink sodas, juice, or eat fast food anyway. and i already exercise.  basically i have to eat three meals and three snacks spaced out throughout the day. i also have to measure how many carbs i eat in one sitting (1-2 for breakfast and snacks, and 2-3 for lunch and dinner) and be sure to balance the carbs with protein. this requires a little thinking at times, and is sometimes inconvenient, but a small price to pay.

the other part of this is the actual measuring of the blood sugar. i was given a diabetes testing kit. i have to prick my finger 4 times a day until the end of my pregnancy (1 fasting in the morning, and 1 time after each meal) and using the test strips measure my blood sugar. i had heard horror stories on the internet about how bad the finger pricks were, but in my experience it was nothing. not bad at all. 

i have been measuring my blood sugar for 4 or 5 days now, and can say that it has been completely normal. not one high reading, in fact, they are all relatively low. which means we have this in check. if we are unable to control my blood sugar with diet alone, then i would have to give myself insulin injections. it doesn't look like i will have to do that, thankfully.

basically, i wanted to put this out there, in case some other preggo lady runs across this, while frantically googling "gestational diabetes". you and your baby will be ok. it's slightly inconvenient, but not that bad. you did nothing wrong, promise.  

week 26

week 26. it's hard to believe we are in the 6th month already. there is lots of movement from our little guy this week. particularly in the evenings while i'm sitting on the couch or lying in bed. he likes it when i'm relaxed. i like that about him.

although pregnancy has, in general, been a lot easier than i have heard about - this week some discomfort has crept into the equation. it is often hard to find a comfortable position while lying down and in the afternoon/evenings back pain is starting to kick in. boo!

week 24

the first photo with snow in it! nothing has really changed this week, although there have been a few days that end with a backache, but nothing to severe. we go in for our 24 week check up on thursday. the checkups with the midwives are great. i weigh myself, they measure me, we hear the heartbeat and we go over any questions i might have. they have only drawn blood once, and taken a urine sample once, and i've only had one sonogram. really basic, but reassuring.

baby things. between the two of us, we have determined that a lot of it looks like things that aren't really needed. is this true? obviously we will be getting the basics, crib, car seat, clothes, bottles, breast bump, etc. but are there things that may not look obvious but are essentials? for instance, a bobby pillow? help me out here...

week 22

do you know what the definition of crazy is? taking your own photo, with a timer and tripod, outside in 20 degree weather, in alaska, in a dress. that is nuts.

possibly the least flattering of the bump photos!

aaron is in austin, texas giving a seminar this week, so i had to take my own photo. notice that there is still no snow on the ground? it's weird - i really wish it would snow soon.

this week i'm really noticing the kicks. it's very reassuring that nothing is wrong with the little guy. but then again, if i don't feel any kicks for a whole day then i worry about that. i suppose that's the beginning of the parental worrying, right?

with aaron not being here, i have had a lot of time for crafting. i'm almost done with a wee cardigan. photos will follow. then i'm going to finish the quilt that has been in progress since august. i also watched the 3 hour hbo miniseries on bonnie and clyde. it was woefully inaccurate, but entertaining nonetheless.

Gender reveal

week 19

week 19

he/she is definitely getting bigger. this is our last week of not knowing the gender. which is exciting and sad. i like the possibility of having either. but it will be great to finally know and to envision our future with a new little girl or boy. this week she is 6 inches long and weighs 8.5 ounces.

week 18

he/she is officially the size of a sweet potato, about 5.6 inches. apparently, the wee baby seamus is squirming, punching, and kicking - but i have yet to feel anything.

so far, pregnancy has been a lot easier than i thought it would be. the whole first trimester, i wasn't nauseous at all. i got sick at work twice, but both times i felt fine until about 1 minute beforehand, and then felt fine later. the second trimester has been pretty devoid of symptoms as well. the only noticeable change (besides belly size) is that i get extremely dizzy when i get up. and i also hear my own heartbeat ringing in my ears in the morning and at night. aaron might also mention that am slightly more hormonal. but only slightly, right?

i think keeping up with my exercise has been hugely beneficial. i've moved my running routine indoors due to the colder temperatures. but have been running on the treadmill for 5 minutes, and then walking for 2 minutes. it does a good job of getting my heart rate up, but not too high for too long (i can still hold a conversation with someone, not that i do).

the bump

so a few of you have asked. here are some bump photos.

we decided to take them outside for better lighting and a more interesting area. this will later prove to be comical as i pose outside in 0 degree weather in a dress. stay tuned.

week 8

week 12

week 16