The first month

What a whirlwind the past month has been! Growing up I always said that my dream profession was to be a mom, and thank goodness it turns out that I was right. I feel so fulfilled.

My physical recovery for the first couple weeks was rough. When my milk came in 3 days after delivery was probably the hardest day for me. But Max made it all worth it. The older he gets the more interactive he is and it is fun to discover his personality.

Max is a pretty easy baby so far. He really only fusses if he is hungry, needs to pass gas, or tired (or if he gets the "scary hiccups" as Mitch calls them). He now routinely does a 5 hour stretch at night which is awesome. During the day he takes most of his naps on my chest. I don't get as much done that way, but I just love it too much to give it up. He is not a fan of his car seat, and he doesn't care for shopping either (typical boy). He loves to stretch and stare at new lights. At nighttime when he is swaddled, he loves to burrow himself in his blanket. Therefore, we only use our stiff blankets to make sure he will always be able to breathe when he is down in his burrow. Sometimes Max just enjoys chilling by himself in his crib (a McClellan trait of liking his own space) but he also puts on an awesome face at parties (a Hunsaker trait).  We are so anxious to see who he becomes as he grows. He is getting so big!

 Smiling in his sleep

 I love his naps on my chest

 First bedtime stories

Our Little Man

Garth Maxwell McClellan was born Oct. 19th at 10:21 am. He was 7 lbs 2 oz and 20 inches long.

On Monday Oct. 28th I went to the doctor for a 40 1/2 week check up. My doctor said I was still dilated 3 cm (I had been for over 3 weeks at that point) and said we could try to strip my membranes (for the second time) but if that didn't help that he most likely wouldn't come till my induction date on Nov 1st. I could already tell that stripping my membranes that time seemed more effective but I wasn't sure if it was just cause I was so far along at that point. I continued my day by striping wall paper at my sister-in-law's house for 3 hours. I could feel contractions throughout it but was skeptical because I usually got contractions when I would do exercise. But after I went home and showered I noticed that I could time my contractions. So starting around 4 pm I started timing my contractions. They were about 15 minutes apart and pretty subtle. Mitch and I decided to keep busy so I wouldn't go crazy and we went out to dinner, went on a walk, etc. Around 10 that night they were still 15 minutes apart though noticeably more painful. I figured we should try and get some rest so we went to bed. But that lasted a whole 30 minutes because my contractions were speeding up (now about 8-10 min apart) and way painful.
By 11 I was crying with each contraction. They still weren't 3-5 min apart though so we were nervous about going to the hospital and being turned away. Since the pain was so bad we decided just to go. And by the time we got to the hospital at midnight, they were 3 min apart. The nurse checked me and I was dilated to a 4 so the doctor gave the okay for me to go get my epidural. At 1:30 my epidural was placed, and holy cow it made all the difference for me. I was finally able to relax for a little while. My mom and Mitch's mom stayed the whole night with Mitch and I. At about 2:30 the doctor broke my water and gave me some pitocin to speed up the labor. Well, it sped it up really really fast so they took me off it and let me continue dilating on my own. At 8:00 am on the 29th we started pushing. Mitch was my rock through pushing. He did the counting and held one leg while my mom held the other.
After 2 1/2 hours of pushing the doctor came in and saw that while I was really close, I just needed some more room and I was losing strength really fast. He gave me an episiotomy and sure enough, two pushes later our son was out. He just needed a little extra room to get out. I was so relieved because I didn't know how I was going to get him out. I thought for sure they would have to do a c-section.
The first thing he did when he got out was pee, which was really funny, and then they put him onto my chest to get skin to skin contact. He was so wide eyed and calm, it was the most surreal experience.

But then they had to whisk him away because he was really pale and having a hard time breathing. 

Mitch left with him and I had to recover. When we met them in the recovery room baby was doing great, he pinked up and his breathing was just fine. 

Sometimes I think back and can't believe I did that. It is amazing what our bodies can do. Recovery has been the pits but I wouldn't trade baby Max for anything. Mitch and I are so in love and feel so blessed that we have the privilege to raise this precious spirit. 

Insanity

No, I'm not talking about the work out program. I'm talking about that mental state you approach as you keep thinking to yourself "any day now..." I once thought that the 1st trimester must feel the longest with all the sickness--but no, the third trimester is the longest. I guess it is amusing at work now when people ask when I'm due and I get to respond, "oh, in 3 days!" Their eyes usually bulge and then they simply encourage, "hang in there." And that is what I am trying to do. 

39 weeks

Well, we have tried pretty much everything short of castor oil to get this labor started but I guess our boy is making a statement--he will come when he wants to come. We are nervous but very much ready to meet him and love him. In the meantime while we are still waiting, I'll put in a last photo dump of pregnant pictures.

 Love these ladies to the moon and back!

 Pumpkin fest at Grandma's. 

 Conference weekend in Park City (we didn't get ready but we were comfy).

We drove the alpine loop (as one of our labor inducing activities--the elevation changes didn't work) and I look ridiculous because Mitch said I had to bend over to get the picture lighting better, but this is at about 39 weeks--woot woot! 

Send some good vibes our way so we can get this baby here!

August

August came and went by in a blur!  Mitch's physical presence in my life has made me feel complete again. Among other fun things, we celebrated my 24th birthday and our 4 year anniversary. We went to  La Jolla Groves for dinner, and then did a dessert crawl instead of a pub crawl. (Mitch's idea)  We started at The Chocolate,

Proceded to the Sweet Tooth Fairy,

Then concluded at Gloria's Little Italy for some Gelato! It was delicious and a super fun date. Thanks babe!

My Mom also threw me a baby shower for family members.  She did an amazing job putting it together. The theme was nursery books and she made darling banners and the food table was unreal.

I'm so grateful for my family. Thanks to my sisters for helping with the yummy food. And thanks to my nieces for putting together the games--they did a great job. My family made me some amazing things like blankets, a perfect quilt, and the most amazing car seat cover you will ever lay eyes on. And he has a great library of books for us to read him (Mitch is super happy about that). Our baby boy is going to be one lucky dude!

On another note, Mitch has started his last year of law school and I am over 32 weeks along! Let's pray the next 6-8 weeks go by super fast because I am super uncomfortable. :)

Pregnant and Alone

Mitch has been in Houston doing an internship the past couple months. I stayed behind to continue working and be close to my OB. (Okay and to avoid the Houston summer heat). I'm glad he is getting back this week because we are never doing this again. Being pregnant and alone is tough. But there have been some fabulous things that have happened despite the loneliness the past few weeks. One of those things was that I got to go down to Houston and visit Mitch! (thanks Dad!) The sweet mother of the family he has been staying with took these pictures of me and baby on a Sunday afternoon. (I had no time to prep but at least I still had my dress on from church!)

Those pictures were taken at about 26 weeks. Since then I just keep getting bigger and bigger! My dearest friends Danika and Katie also threw me a baby shower with our childhood friends.  Now we actually have some cute clothes to start our baby's wardrobe. We won't have to bring him home from the hospital in just a diaper. :)

I can't believe how much we have grown up. I had to laugh looking at this picture cause I feel like we all look just like we did in high school--now some of us just have a baby in hand (or belly). Thank you so much girls for a wonderful time! I love you all so much!

24 weeks

My life is counted in weeks lately. How many weeks along I am, how many weeks Mitch has been gone, how many more weeks till I see him, and how many more weeks till the baby comes.

Pregnancy has gotten much more manageable for me after I hit week 18. The heart burn has kicked in now so I sleep with a bunch of pillows to keep me propped up, but I'd take that over the continuous nausea.

Lessons I've learned lately:
-Having your husband gone while you are pregnant makes you overly emotional.
-Everyone seems to have a vocalized opinion about you and your baby, regardless of if they know you or whether that opinion is very nice or not.
-Your brain dives into further mush as pregnancy continues. I really miss my old brain.
-Feeling your baby move frequently is fascinating and reassuring.

The last 24 weeks have been quite the journey. I am grateful for all that I have learned.

Road Trip

I'm driving down to Houston with Mitch this week. He is going to be doing an internship there for the rest of the summer. I'll fly back on Sunday and then be one lonely gal while he is gone! Good thing my little sister is moving in with me while he is gone. We will be stretching the drive across the whole week so we can take a detour to Bentonville, Arkansas and see Mitch's sister. I'm pretty lucky to get a long drive with Mitch to myself, even if we will have to stop every two hours when my legs go numb under my belly.

P.S. We are having a BOY!!! Or as my mom would say, "a little Mitch man." We cannot wait!

Image here

Pregnancy Journal

Pregnancy has been quite a challenge for me so far. In fact I feel like the marathon I ran last year was a piece of cake now. I don't intend to make this a complaint in any form about being pregnant--on the contrary, I know by the end it will be the most rewarding thing I have done. I am so blessed to be a woman and to be able to carry this child, and my heart aches for those who may not be able to experience pregnancy in this life. But I wanted to document things that I have experienced thus far in my pregnancy. And to be honest, most of it has been really bad, but some small bits of it are so amazing that it makes it all worth it. (A marathon was that way too--a lot of pain but rewarding.)

When I first started getting really sick, I kept asking "how do women do this more than once?" Many moms would respond to me, "you will forget by the next child and that is why you keep having them."  And I can see how it is true, I'm starting to forget some things I experienced in my first few weeks. I think God blessed us with the ability to forget so that we can keep doing hard things. But as a keepsake to look back on when my little sister goes through pregnancy and asks what mine was like, or when my children ask me, I want to be able to write down some things for them to know. So for the next 4.5 months I'll try and post different stories so that I don't forget them. I hope you enjoy them as well, but if not--well, tough beans.

I'll be 20 weeks on Thursday, and we are finding out the gender on Friday--just before Mitch leaves for Houston. I cannot wait. But the last few weeks have been really busy and rushed and when people started asking me if I had felt the baby yet, I sadly realized I hadn't. The doctor warned me it would be so light at first, maybe gas bubbles or tiny nudges. And I was worried that maybe I'd been to busy to sit and feel. But this morning was amazing. I usually get up at 6:20 now so I can hurry and get ready and eat something, and then have about 45 min- 1 hour of rest before I go to work. (Mornings are tough with nausea so I need the rest). This morning as I rested on the couch, I kept thinking "aw man, I'm having little gas bubbles in my stomach that make it hard for me to fall asleep." And then I realized--wait..these gas bubbles feel a little different! And then I noticed just to the left of my belly button these tiny little nudges. In that moment I had the most overwhelming feeling of love. What a miracle it is to be experiencing the gift of creating life. This moment is one of those small moments that makes months of throwing up and aching all worth it. (Mitch--I hope you are reading this so you can remind me of it when times get tough again!)

Daddy Knows Best

In light of Father's Day coming up and the fact that my dad's birthday is just a few days away, I thought I'd relay a good pregnancy story.

A common anti-nausea pill that doctors give to pregnant women dealing with morning sickness is Zofran. The doctor warned me of the side effects, one of which is headaches. I've learned that in pregnancy, you often get rid of one symptom by receiving something else. You just have to decide what you can live with that day.  While the Zofran tended to settle my stomach, I could expect bad headaches for the next day or two. So I chose to take the Zofran only when I really needed to be sick-free for the day. Naturally on a vacation in Hawaii, I had a few days of wanting to be sick-free so I could enjoy our vacation. One night, I went to bed with a minor headache. I hoped that it would fade away while I slept but to my dismay it got worse and worse. Combine the headache (at this point a migraine) with the nausea and I was up all night throwing up and grimacing at the pain in my head every time I had to move. I would try to eat something so I could take some Tylenol but I couldn't keep anything down. Poor Mitch was desperate to help me but we both didn't know what to do. He went out of the room to tell family we wouldn't be going to the morning activities and my dad told him to go straight down to the little convenience store and get me some diet coke (we had to settle for pepsi). Miraculously, the soda was able to settle my stomach and the caffeine helped soften the edge of my migraine so that I was able to fall asleep.

It was something simple and though I felt at the edge of death that night--I really wasn't. It is just one small example of the numerous occasions that my dad has known what is best. He is a generous caretaker and I am so blessed to call him Dad.

Happy Birthday Daddy! I love you!

(P.S. As you can probably tell from the story, the other hero in my life is Mitch. I'll save him for another day though.)

Growing

I know I'm not super big yet, but I'm obviously pregnant at this point which is fun. I've been really bad at taking pictures of myself --mostly because being nauseous all the time makes you feel less than pretty most of the time. But I'm almost 18 weeks and its been a week since I've thrown up (I still feel like throwing up a lot--but its a step in the right direction!) so I'm thinking I need to start putting the make-up on again and accept the picture taking! (I won't post a picture for every single week though)

We find out baby's gender on June 7th! What will it be?

Ko Olina

Mitch and I just got back from Hawaii with both our parents, and my sister and her friend. It was a much needed trip after rough finals for Mitch and months of sickness for me. I was really nervous about being too sick while I was there. But as a tender mercy I was able to do mostly everything we had planned (which isn't a whole lot more than relaxing anyway). I only had a couple really rough nights there and the sickness piled up again as soon as we headed back home. Hawaii is just plain good for the soul. I cannot wait to go back someday! 

B. McClellan

Pardon my long absence from posting. My best friends lately have been the couch and the bathroom. 

Mitch needs an award for being the best husband. He has taken the best care of me while I've been so sick. But I'm happy to finally announce, after a 12-week check-up and a healthy heart beat, that Baby McClellan will be making an entrance around Oct. 25!!

Weekend Getaway

Truly one of the happiest places on earth! 

A Companion

I've been reading a lot of teen fiction lately. I would say it is a guilty pleasure but I don't feel that guilty about it. Anyway, I'm a sucker for the love stories in them. I feel my heart get a little faster when the girl talks about her skin burning wherever the special man brushed against her. And sometimes I have to remind myself, wait--this whole story spans about a month and by the end they are in love? Really? But who cares, it's just a story.

So on Sunday, Mitch and I got released from the singles ward bishopric. I never thought I would be so heart broken to leave a singles ward. But there is one point of that meeting that I hope to remember always, which is why I'm putting it here. As Mitch is up giving his "farewell speech" he makes the comment that he has felt a little guilty about leaving me alone for so long on Sundays and Tuesday evenings. And then he looks straight at me with a grin and says "well Heather, you got me back." I can only imagine what I looked like at that moment: puffy-eyed from crying, sniffing, and since my nose is stuffy my giggle comes out more as a snort. And even though he didn't touch me or brush against me, I felt a surge go through all my nerve endings. Mitch and I don't have a relationship like these post-apocalyptic, love in the face of death stories--but what we have is real and deep. I'm so glad to have you as my companion, Mitch.

Happy Valentine's Day.