Wells' World

Hayden is 2 months old! I can't believe it has been two months since he has joined our family. In some ways seems like he's always been with us, and it's hard to remember what life was like without him. At his two month appointment he weighed 13 lbs 3 oz and was 24.5 inches long! That means in the last 6 weeks he has gained nearly 5 lbs and grown 3 inches. They seemed a little surprised, but I wasn't. Sometimes I feel like I can see a difference in how deep his little fat rolls on his legs are getting between diaper changes! He got lots of shots, and was such a sad little boy. I asked Dax to come with me to the appointment for moral support, and I'm so glad I did. As soon as Hayden started crying so did I. After Dax calmed him down and we came home he slept in his car seat for over two hours. Finally I woke him up to feed him and change him, and he cried while being changed. Then he took another nap and when he woke up he just screamed and screamed. It was so different for us to experience this, because I don't think he's ever cried for more than a couple of minutes and I can always get him to stop with milk or a diaper change. Finally after 25 minutes he calmed down, but he still whimpered on and off for the next 2 hours, and he did not want to be put down or else he would scream. He just wanted to be held tight against mom or dad. Poor boy. We gave him some Tylenol and he was much better. He even smiled for us again before bed.

In other news...I'm done with finals! I can't believe I made it through these last 9 weeks as a full-time student with a baby. I'm glad it's all over with. Now we just hope that Dax does well on his 3 finals over the next couple of days and then we get to go home!

I have to give a shout out to my sister Krystal. I can't even count how many times she has watched the baby for me this semester, whether I just needed to run and switch my laundry, or leave to class because Dax was running late, or so that we could go to the temple. Having her live below us has made our lives so much easier, and we are so grateful for her and her husband Ben! I always feel so guilty when I call her to ask her to watch Hayden, but she is always so cheerful and happy to do it. I love her so much!

Things I have experienced in the last year:

• 4 months of nausea and vomiting
• 4 months of uncomfortable sleeping
• backaches
• leg pains
• headaches
  
• stretch marks
• little feet kicking my ribs
• the pain of labor and delivery
• tearing and stitches
  
• afterpains
  
• weak abdominal muscles
• being emotional
• digestive problems
  
• being urinated on
• loss of hair
  
• sleepless nights
• thrush
• mastitis
• going through 4 diapers in 10 minutes
• more sleepless nights

The reason it is all 100% worth it:

We had a wonderful week long break for Thanksgiving, which was much appreciated! We enjoyed seeing much of our family. We blessed Hayden on Sunday the 23rd in Dax's home ward. Dax gave such a nice blessing, and we were able to have many family and friends there.

Disclaimer: This is a really long post, but I hadn't written the story of Hayden's birth anywhere, so here it is.

I was just thinking how Hayden is almost 6 weeks old, and reminiscing about what Dax and I were doing exactly 6 weeks ago. Dax and I were watching conference on t.v. in our apartment, and I was having contractions about every 20 minutes. I was trying to cope with the fact that I could be dilated to a 2 and 80% effaced for weeks without going into labor. I also wondered if I'd really know when I was in labor because I had had painful contractions for about two weeks. I was bummed that my baby hadn't come on that Friday to make it a little easier on us. I made Dax take two walks with me to see whether I had the start of real labor or if it was false labor.

At 9:30 I called my sister Kim (who has 5 kids) and started asking her questions, hoping to get a better idea of when the big event would occur. She told me it was very possible that I might be a week or more away from having the baby. As I was talking to her my contractions started coming every 12 minutes or so, and got a little more painful, but I didn't tell her that. Dax and I got in bed around 10:30, but I couldn't sleep because the contractions got steadily more painful, however, they were still not at all regular. Finally I got up at 12:30 and ate something. At 1 I decided to wake Dax up because the contractions were really starting to hurt. He asked if I thought we should go to the hospital, and I didn't know because I hated the thought of being sent home. We decided to get ready and go. On the way there I didn't have a single contraction!

In the emergency dept. (where we had to check in) they asked if I wanted a wheel chair and I said I was fine, but a nurse has to escort you up to labor and delivery (a 5 minute trip). The nurse asked me how far apart I was having contractions, and I fudged a little and told her about every 7-8 minutes, because I didn't want her to think I was going to get sent home. I didn't have a single contraction on the way up either! By this point I was worried we'd be sent home. They stuck us in the exam room and we waited there for 25 minutes before a nurse came to check me. However, when she checked me I was at a 5 so they took me to a labor and delivery room.

I got hooked up to all the monitors and they started an IV. The nurse asked if I was planning on an epidural, and I told her I hoped not. My contractions were really starting to get painful though. I was checked at 4 a.m. and was dilated to a 6.5-7. They put me on oxygen because the baby wasn't doing so well through the contractions. I was so worried that they were going to come in, look at the monitor and tell me I had to get a C-section. I had to lie on my side a lot because they said he did better that way. Even when he was doing better they made me stay in the bed. My contractions were really making my lower back hurt; I was so grateful that Dax massaged it during contractions. They did bring me a snow cone though, which I was so happy about!

At 5 I asked to be checked again...and I was still at a 7. I was so disappointed, and I knew if I had my water broken I would progress to a 10 quickly. I asked the nurse if the doctor would come and break my water, and she said he was making rounds (there were 6 other women there that night) and that when he came by he would. Well he didn't come by until after 6:30. After he broke my water he told me it would probably be another 2 1/2 hours until I was at a 10 and then another 1 1/2 of pushing. I remember thinking, "if I have another 4 hours of this I am going to die." After about an hour the nurse told me that I would feel the need to bear down and push when it was time, and she told me I probably had another hour until I was ready. So I asked to get out of the bed onto a birthing ball, and she said ok. One contraction later I told her I really needed to push NOW, so she got me back in the bed and I started pushing. The baby was still having a hard time, so I pushed on my side most of the time. I was surprised that they were having me push without the doctor there, but I guess it can be a long process.

The nurse said the baby was coming out pretty fast, so she went and got the doctor, and he was there for the last 5 minutes of the 25 minutes that I pushed. I was surprised to find that during a contraction it hurt more not to push than it did to push. His head came out and he started crying, which surprised everyone. One more push (where I happened to tear-2nd degree-he must have big shoulders) and he was here just before 8 o'clock on the 6th of October, 2 days before his due date. I was so surprised at how pink he was when they put him on my stomach, I was thinking he'd be more white or blue or something. He was perfect and healthy.

There you have it...what Dax and I were doing 6 weeks ago.

We haven't had too much fun around our house the last couple of days. Hayden and I both still have thrush, and yesterday was supposed to be the last day for medicine, so I had to have my uncle call me in another prescription. We've been sterilizing bottle nipples and pacifiers like crazy, so if you have any ideas I'm open to suggestions. I also now have mastitis. We're hoping to get over everything soon so that we can actually enjoy our Thanksgiving break!

However, Dax and I were able to go to the temple today for the first time in a long time (thank you so much Krystal and Ben). While we were waiting for the session to start I was reading in the Book of Mormon, and I just happened to come upon a passage that talked about how all of our afflictions here are temporary and will have an end. I know that we are so blessed in all areas of our life, and our trials are VERY minimal. I know that Heavenly Father does strengthen us and help us to bear with patience our afflictions for however long they endure, whether it is a few days or until this life is over. How grateful I am for the peace that that gospel brings.

Just a few of our many recent blessings:

• Hayden is growing well and eating well (he's starting to get the hang of latching on to me...he only slips off when the milk breaks the suction)
• I did well on an exam that I had almost no time to study for
• I felt an impression to stop for the garbage truck in case he didn't look...and he didn't...I would be dead
• We can afford medicine for our infections
• Dax and I haven't gotten a cold or the flu although we run on little sleep
• We were worthy and able to go to the temple today

Just a funny picture...after I snapped about 15 of him on his tummy he decided that it was time for mommy to stop.

I was feeding Hayden the other day and I was looking over at some of the blankets and quilts that were made for him and I felt so blessed to have so many people who care about us. I decided I needed to take a picture with him and the blankets/quilts to have for the future. Excuse the fact that I couldn't make them look cute around him, I was in a little bit of a hurry.

Dax did the Slam Dunk contest on Friday night. I wasn't going to go because I didn't want to take the baby, but my sister volunteered to watch him while we went. I worried about him the whole time and was on the verge of tears a couple of times (not that I don't trust my sister, it's just hard to leave him with anyone besides Dax). We had a good time though...I'm always so proud of Dax when he does it because I would be terrified, and Dax is always such a good sport.

This week Hayden and I have had (and still have) thrush...not fun. Luckily my uncle is a doctor and called us in prescriptions so that we didn't have to go to the doctor. Hayden has also been really congested this week, which has made feeding him even harder than it normally is. Sometimes he won't even eat from me, he just wants to eat from a bottle because he can breathe better. Hopefully he gets over it soon. Considering he's had such a bad week with his infection and congestion he is still surprisingly happy and only had one bad night. The hardest time we had was when Dax and I had to shoot some saline up his nose to clear it out. It was an emotional time for all of us. We think the worst of it is over and hopefully we'll keep getting better!

We were out at my aunt's house last night, and she just happened to have a baby scale (her biggest baby was just over 5 lbs, and she had 8 kids so a scale came in handy for all the weigh-ins she had to do), so we decided to weigh Hayden to see how he was doing. To our great surprise, he weighed 9 lbs 6.5 oz! This is amazing for 2 reasons. First, at his 3 day appointment he had dropped to 6 lbs 15 oz, so he's gained quite a bit of weight. Second, he's had troubles latching on because he sucks on his tongue which pulls in his lower lip. It looks so cute, but because of it we're still using a nipple shield, which usually makes it harder for the baby to get enough milk (so they say). Needless to say his weight was something that I've been worried about, but we were grateful that he's gaining so well. The funny thing is, he'll be 4 weeks on Monday, and he weighs about what I weighed at birth (I was 9 lbs 6 oz).


My aunt was also gracious enough to loan me her double breast pump. I had a manual pump that I had been using, and I guess I just assumed that pumping had to be painful, but the electric is so nice! I'm really only ever gone for 1 1/2-2 hours, but Hayden has been eating every hour and a half during the day. By the time I take 30-40 minutes to feed him, I have to start all over again in 40 minutes. I won't complain as long as he's healthy though. He does really well through the night if I get him fed by 9-9:30. If we're lucky he'll start sleeping through the night on his own soon!

Well...we made it through the first week on our own and we are still alive! Actually, we have nothing to complain about. Hayden is such a good baby. He sleeps 4-5 hours at night, wakes up around 2-3, eats, and then sleeps until about 5:30 or 6. So yes I'm sleep deprived, but I'm sure it could be much worse. I think Heavenly Father knew that we needed a sweet baby, because Dax and I are both full time students right now (spare me the "you are crazy" comments...I've heard it a million times). Our mornings are always hectic, as Dax and I run from class to home to switch off so the other person can go to class, but besides mornings it's usually just Hayden and I at home so Dax and get some studying done. He is frustrated that his grades are worse than mine right now, and I keep telling him I don't know what to do...I'm the one who is home all day. :)




Dax is such a good Dad. I love to see him interact with Hayden, and it's fun to see him be so gentle. I can't complain about the help he's been either. He changes at least 2 diapers a day. After I feed the baby at 5:30 or 6 Dax will take him for an hour so I can get some sleep, it's so nice. I am so thankful for Dax and his willingness to help take care of the baby!

I didn't realize that having a little boy would be so tricky! When I take his diaper off, it's like his cue to have a bowel movement and urinate! After changing his clothes 4 times the other day I finally told him that he was stuck in a diaper and blanket until Dad got home to give him a bath. We're working on trying to put a blanket in the way so that he doesn't get his clothes wet, but most of the time he manages to do it anyway. He has a bowel movement 90% of the time when I change him, which is why I'm sure I deal with more "accidents" because I can't put the new diaper on him until he's clean (hence why I've tried a blanket). All you moms with boys, I'd love to hear any advice! Jodi told me they outgrow it quickly, hopefully that is true for him.

Our little boy isn't even quite three weeks old, but life without him is starting to seem so far away. It already seems like we've had him much longer. He is becoming much more alert to us and to things around him, it is so cute to watch. Sometimes we just sit and stare at him and think about how cute he is and how much we love him.

Well it's official...we are on our own. We were lucky enough to have my mom here for the first week, and Dax's mom just left yesterday after being here for several days. Hayden had been doing so good, he was sleeping 4-5 hours at night, but he must have decided that after his grandma's left that he was going to turn off the good behavior. :) He's still a lot of fun and we love him so much.

Here are some more pictures of our little guy. At his 3 days appointment they measured him at 20 1/2 inches, so maybe they measured him wrong at the hospital, because I doubt he grew an inch in 3 days. :)

Our little boy decided to grace us with his presence Monday morning at 7:57 a.m!! He's so wonderful and we love him more and more each minute. We went in at 2:00 Monday morning and I was dilated to a 5, and 6 hours later he was here. My labor would have been about 2 hours shorter, but there were lots of laboring women there that night (6 besides myself) and so it took the doctor a while to come and break my water. Labor and delivery are quite the experience, and I gained a whole new appreciation for my mother after having gone through it all myself. Our little man is healthy and strong, and we're grateful for that.

I just have to start by saying that one of the things that I love about Dax is he always tries to take note of things and make special occasions just that, special. Friday was my birthday, and although the big present was the glider that we bought, Dax made sure to get me some special things that I wasn't expecting. For example, my sister and I were talking the other day about how the most divine candle we have ever smelled is the pomegranate scent. I didn't even think twice about it after that, but Dax surprised me with a pomegranate candle for my birthday. Another example is when Dax was getting dressed one morning he put on his zip-up hoodie and I commented on how it would be nice to have one of those instead of having to pull them over my head and mess up my hair. After I made the comment I completely forgot about it, but he got me a zip-up hoodie for my birthday as well (I have to get a different size, but the thought was sweet). The thing is, this isn't the first time that Dax has done this; every single birthday, Christmas, or other special occasion he always gets me exactly what I want, although I don't realize it because when he really does ask me what I'd like I can never think of anything. Anyway, if he reads this he is going to be so embarrassed, but I just had to write about how thoughtful he is and how much I love him.


My yummy birthday cake (we forgot to take a picture until everyone already had some, but you get the idea)

The top 3 comments I get from people these days, in no particular order, are:

1) When are you due? (Followed by, "you can't be due so soon," "do you think you'll go early or late," etc)

2) Do you have a name? (We have some names, but let's just say I need to see the little guy before I go making any major decisions)

3)Are you ready? (How ready can you be for your first child?!? I suppose I'm ready with all of the essentials, but there is no way I'm going to say that I'll ever be "ready" for labor, sleep deprivation, constant care, and motherhood in general. However, we are very excited.)

I have mixed feelings about whether I'd rather have the baby come early, on time, or late. Obviously it would be nice to get rid of this belly and I'm so excited to see our little man, which is a plus for the early side. If he came on his due date that would be the middle of the week, which wouldn't be the most convenient, but we'd be grateful to have him come. If he comes late that means a couple more weeks of getting bigger, increased anticipation, and a bigger baby, but it also means that Dax and I don't have to juggle our schedules for a little longer. I'm sure he'll come when he's ready, and we'll just be glad if he comes safe and healthy.

This is a picture of one of the flowers Dax picked for me on the way home from work one day. Wild miniature sunflowers grew along the road in many parts of Flagstaff and they were so pretty. It was so sweet of Dax to bring me home some beautiful flowers! I meant to write about this sooner because it happened over a month ago, but between moving and school starting I have only just barely downloaded the pictures. :)

I've decided that the reason everyone wants to see pictures of pregnant women is to see how fat they are getting! Oh well, I wish my mom had taken pictures throughout her pregnancy with me, so maybe my kids will appreciate it someday. At the doctor today they said the baby might have dropped, which I believe because I have to go to the bathroom all the time all of the sudden. However, I don't have that "overwhelming pressure" that people talk about. I do have lots of contractions though! The baby loves to stick his little feet out my right side or up into my ribs. Here is me at 36 weeks, and growing.

Before school started my sister and I made some yummy strawberry jam. I love freezer jam, it is my favorite (although I usually only eat jam on bran muffins). We ended up with tons of leftover strawberries, so my sister made a pie with her part, and I enjoyed mine the best way you can eat strawberries...as is.

Dax was supposed to drive up on Saturday morning, but ended up coming Friday evening and surprised me! This was the first time we have been apart for a week, and I was a little more emotional without him around. It's so nice to be back together again.

Monday morning we left Herriman for Rexburg. We had a smooth trip, besides the fact that Dax let the blazer run out of gas on the highway! He always gets too close to empty just to see how far he can really go, and this time he found out. Luckily we have 2 cars and he was able to take the other to get some gas while I waited in the blazer. When we got here our friend Kenny and his brother helped move all of the big things into the apartment, and I have spent the last couple of days unpacking. We're excited to be back and we're excited for what lies ahead for us in the near future. This semester will be hard, but we hope that we're able to handle everything. I'm about a month away from my due date...hopefully things go smoothly for the rest of the time!