The Birth of Cooper Ryan Jones

Cooper had an estimated due date of the first week in March.  On Friday night (March 1st) I started feeling contractions. I didn't think much of them, because with Hunter I had intense contractions for 2 days before he was born. The contractions kept getting stronger and stronger, but I had a feeling there was a long way to go before the end. After a long hot shower the contractions went away completely and I managed to fall asleep.

I woke up Saturday morning with more contractions and realized that I had so much to do before I had a  baby. Ignoring the contractions I waddled around the house all day getting all of the last minute things done. By the afternoon I was exhausted, but had finished my to-do list. I then decided to go get a manicure/pedicure. It was so relaxing I almost forgot I was about to have a baby, except for every five minutes, when I had a huge contraction. These contractions continued off and on again, all night long. By early Sunday morning I was ready. I called our doula to meet us at the hospital and our next door neighbor to come over and watch Hunter.

Jared and I got to the hospital around eight in the morning and I was admitted, being dilated to six centimeters. My body decided to stop all contractions the moment I was hooked up to the monitor. This had happened with Hunter, so I had prepared for the worst - a long drawn out labor. Every hour, when the midwife hooked me up to the monitor the contractions would stop and then immediately pick up again once the monitoring was done. Eventually my midwife decided it was a waste of time monitoring me, because it was impeding progress and I truly was in labor. Our amazing doula knew all these tricks to keep labor going, stretches to help bring Cooper down, and the right places to massage me to reduce the pains of labor and help me breath through each contraction.  Jared was there to support me with limitless amounts of ice chips and apple juice. It felt empowering to have the strength and support to breath through each contraction and the incredible burst of pain it brought.

After walking the halls, bouncing on the birthing ball and relaxing in the whirlpool bath  I was ready to push by 2:00 pm. My water hadn't broken yet, so my midwife suggested I push a couple times over the toilet. Two pushes later we heard a pop and heard a huge splash as my water bag broke. It was time. I squatted on the back of the bed and pushed. Ten minutes later Cooper slid out ready to take on the world at 10 pounds, 7 ounces. I then laid down on the bed and held my perfect little angel. Once the cord stopped pulsing, Jared cut it and I just held that huge little baby. Things then got a little crazy because I wouldn't stop bleeding, but my midwife took care of things down there while I nursed Cooper. It was beautiful. I finally got the natural birth I had always wanted. I owe it all the my amazing doula, midwife and especially to Jared.

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Our celebration dinner, courtesy of the hospital

Recovering from birth in a hospital was hard. Sleep is impossible with the steady stream of people who wanted to take my vitals, or check up on Cooper. The only thing I looked forward to was the food. Every meal was great. Partly because I didn't make it myself, but mostly because they gave me a piece of strawberry cheesecake every time they brought me food.

By the time I left the hospital I was eager to see Hunter and to begin the adventure of having two crazy little boys. I still do wish someone would bring me cheesecake with every meal.

Fingernails

 www.howtobeadad.com

As I have been a mother for approximately 8 months, three weeks and three days I have faced plenty of challenges; but the worst of all are fingernails. If ever asked what I hate most about motherhood I will use this eleven letter word without even thinking a second thought. Hunter has this thing where he likes to grab what little skin I have under my neck, twist and pull it with his razor sharp nails while smiling at me. I recently came across this chart on deadliest edged weapons from a blog I read. It fully describes the power of the fingernail.

www.amazon.com

This would not be such an issue in my life if Hunter would let me trim his nails, but he doesn't. I try to get him to fall asleep in my arms to cut his nails, but then it's too dark. I then turn on the light to see, but then he wakes up. It has been a never ending battle. But then, one glorious day I was looking on Amazon baby and came across the world's best invention: fingernail clippers with a built-in led light. I can now trim Hunter's nails in the dark and he has no idea what is even happening! The last couple weeks of my life have been heaven. His fingernail weapons have been detonated. The world can now sleep in peace once more.

A Hunter Update: 8 Months Already

 Today Hunter turned 8 months and five days old. I can't believe it's been that long since my little baby was born. He is such a happy little boy who:

1. Loves to army crawl into spaces that I had no idea he could fit into
2. Hates it when we don't let him eat electrical cords
3. Is finally realizing he doesn't need to get constantly eat all night long
4. Sprouted his first tooth
5. Loves to sit outside and watch birds flap around the backyard
   
6. Hates baby food with a passion
7. Growls before he attacks his toys or the closest foot
8. Saves all his smiles for when dad gets home from work
9. Loves to flirt with little old ladies
10. Best of all, loves his mama!

Look close, Hunter is showing off his first tooth. It is a sharp little bugger.

Chomping on a refreshing piece of celery

Hunter refuses to eat baby food, but he loves crepes!

Tackling his buddy Kayson. He loves to make other kids cry.

Remember this Little Peanut....

Happy Halloween

We Love Black Grapes

Jared and I have an deep love for black seedless grapes. With a "tender skin and a fantastic blend of just the right amount of sweet-tart balance" they are the only grapes for us. If you have never sampled a black grape it is not too late to start. I did a little background research on the wonderfulness of these grapes and here are a few facts.

• An exceptionally attractive variety, black seedless grapes offer a very juicy delicate flavor. Picked at their peak of sweetness measured by the Brix scale of sugar content, the average size is medium to large.
• Sodium free, grapes contain 85 calories per one-and-one-half cup, 24 grams carbohydrates, and 9 per cent of the RDA for vitamin C
• Delicious eaten out of hand, black seedless grapes make delicious jam, jelly and fine wine.
• Requiring cold conditions for a dormant period, black seedless grapes flourish in the spring when the climate warms to 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Loving California, the fertile San Joaquin Valley provides this grape's optimum growing conditions. Popular especially with chefs, black seedless grapes were introduced into the United States in the 1800s.

The last couple weeks these grapes have been on sale for $0.78 lb. Quite the steal. One of our favorite ways to eat these grapes is frozen. It is like eating a mini-Popsicle that our dentist will approve of. I was so excited about the grapes this season I bought about ten pounds worth of them. My only regret is that I didn't buy more.

Black grapes are truly black. The only real grape in this
picture is the one in the middle. The two on each side are
really black olives.

Black grapes come in a variety of shapes. These are a
samplingof the unusual ones found in this season's crop.

Our stash of black grapes, ready to be frozen into grape
popsicles. (The middle bag is already frozen.)

*Information from http://www.specialtyproduce.com

My Struggles With Rice

Many of you know that I am proficient in the kitchen. I can bake mouthwatering pies, throw together a tantalizing salad, create a layered lasagna that would made Garfield go crazy and put together many many more amazing meals with ease. Surprisingly I have always struggled with the simple things.

When Jared and I first got married I attempted to make a box of macaroni & cheese. He took his first bite and could hardly finish it. He then informed me from now on he was in charge of cooking the macaroni & cheese. He had perfected the art of macaroni and cheese in his years as a bachelor. I should have felt offended, but truthfully I knew that I always lacked these simple skills.

Well, rice has always been something else that I struggle with. My mom makes the best rice ever. She sautes it first with a little butter and garlic and then cooks the rice. It comes out perfect every time. I have attempted cooking rice many times in the year and five months we have been married. Every time it comes out disgusting. It would be either too hard, too soft, too garlicy or too salty. I blame the 7,000 feet of elevation for my horrible rice, but Jared has informed me that elevation does not effect taste.

Last night I decided that I really wanted to eat rice with the kabobs that we had been marinating. I took a deep breath and started the rice. I did every thing my mom would have done and then I crossed my fingers. Finally the timer went off and both the rice and the kabobs were ready. I put our dinner on our plates, prayed for the best and took my first bite. The rice was amazing. It actually had just the right proportions of salt and garlic. I was so excited. I inhaled the rest of the rice and went back for seconds. My life is completely changed. I can now cook rice!

The Attack of the Rouge Brownie

In my last post I briefly mentioned how we didn't have any clean dishes left. You might have assumed this is because we were too busy to wash the dishes or the fact that I hate doing dishes. This is entirely not true. The truth is that lately our humble apartment has been under attack by a rouge brownie.

For those of who are unfamiliar with brownies and their folklore let me explain a little. (I give credit to Wikipedia for this scholarly information.) A brownie is a legendary kind of creature popular in folklore around Scotland and England. Brownies are said to inhabit houses and aid in tasks around the house. However, they don't like to be seen and will only work at night, traditionally in exchange for small gifts or food. They take quite a delight in porridge and honey. They seldom are seen by humans and live in the unused portion of the house in which work in. House elves, as depicted in Harry Potter, have several characteristics of Brownies.

I believe that we have a Brownie living in our apartment. This Brownie doesn't eat porridge, but pies. Our brownie used to live in our office, in the little extra space that we had there. Recently we filled up every nook and cranny of our apartment with furniture. I believe that our Brownie turned rouge in protest to losing its home. Our rouge Brownie now dirties all our dishes, sprinkles crumbs on the floor and scatters our belongings throughout the apartment. Lately the attacks have gotten worse. I don't know what to do. Jared and I have tried everything. If anyone reading this blog has information on how to neutralize our rouge Brownie, we could really use it.

A possible depiction of what a Brownie could look like. Hopefully ours wears more clothing.

We survived!!!

After two weeks of sleep deprivation, a huge zit, Blue Bell ice cream, and using every clean dish in our apartment I am happy to announce that Jared and I have survived our finals and are done for the semester. Summer adventures here we come!!!

The Power of Fruit Snacks

As many of you know my life is quite hectic. In between trying to succeed in school, being an amazing wife and working a full time job my weeks are continually packed with to-do lists. Most of the time I check off what needs to be done, but at times I avoid the dishes. I personally feel this is a healthy way to balance life. In addition to avoiding dishes at times I have found another way to fight for my sanity.

The only way I am able to make it through my everyday activities is a little hint of sunshine in the middle of each day. This semester my little ray of sunshine is fruit snacks. Every day I make my lunch and include a package of Welch's Fruit Snacks. (They have 100% vitamin C per serving.) At about 10:30-10:45 a.m. I open up the package and slowly eat each fruit snack savoring each fruit flavored delicacy. I make the package last about 28 minutes by enjoying every last fruit snack. When the fruit snacks are gone the only thing I have left to look forward to is coming home to Jared. I invite everyone of you to find your own personal fruit snack in life and soak in your own little piece of sunshine. It has changed my life and I know it can change yours.