The Big Day! (The Birth Story of Nixon!)

The day was finally here!  On June 28th we woke up feeling very excited and anxious.  Aaron had the day off since the induction was scheduled for 3 PM at Ogden Regional Medical Center and it's a minimum of a 30 minute drive.  He went to the gym with Ryan and Ashley to kill some time while I spent some last one-on-one time with Berkley. 

I was feeling more than anxious so I called the hospital around 10:30 AM (10:24 AM to be exact...I was supposed to wait and call at 2 PM) to find out if there was going to be enough room for me to be induced or not.  I felt crushed when they informed me that they had been admitting a lot of walk-ins and that they would have to postpone my induction until later that night. 

Aaron was feeling pretty let-down and discouraged too when I called to tell him.  After he came home from the gym and got ready we walked around the neighborhood a little bit (trying to push things along...unsuccessfully!) and spent some time watching movies from Redbox to try to keep our minds off of being frustrated and anxious.  Just as we were getting ready to start another movie (at 1:58 PM) my phone rang.  It was the hospital!  They said to head in and they had room to induce me!  We ran around frantically gathering all of our last minute stuff for the hospital, jumped in the car, and drove as fast as legally possible to the hospital! 

On our way!!!

We got there at 2:45 PM and checked in. 

Berkley waiting...reading a magazine!

Thanks to some problems in the admissions office we didn't get put in a room until 3:30 PM so things got started a little bit later than we had anticipated...at that point we didn't care anymore though.  We knew that we were really going to have our baby!  What else matters when you're that excited, right?! 

Me outside of my room...you should look up the picture of me wearing this same outfit outside of my room when we went to have Berkley...it's a good laugh!

After answering questions, peeing in a cup, and putting on my super cute (NOT!) hospital gown and getting situated in my bed they got me started!  They put me on Pitocin, running at 4, at 4:25 PM.  The contractions stayed regular (FINALLY!  It was a nice change from the past week of off and on false labor!) and we were on our way! 

Hanging out in my bed!  Yeah, I was still comfortable at this point!  :)

Ice chips...the not so yummy only food choice during labor.

At 5:10 PM my midwife came in and broke my water and checked me.  I was still at a 4 and 90-100% effaced (same as what I had been at his office two days earlier) and I was handling the contractions just fine so they increased the flow rate of the Pitocin to 8. 

My cute hubby!  He's so awesome!

Berkley hanging out with mommy before the pain set in!

Playing games on my phone to help kill time!

By 7:05 PM I was dilated to a 6 and starting to feel slightly uncomfortable.  For those of you who don't know, I did go completely natural...no epidural, no IV pain meds, NOTHING!  As the pain got worse I got more and more nauseated!  It was horrible to feel so nauseous but not want to puke!  I held strong and never did throw up!

By 7:56 PM I was getting pretty darn uncomfortable and a little bit snippy with the people in my room!  Originally Aaron and I had discussed things that I wanted him to say to me while I was hurting to help encourage me but by the time I was hurting as badly as I was all I wanted was for EVERYONE to SHUT UP! I did say please most times that I asked people to stop talking to me though! :) Aaron was cute and asked if I wanted him to just throw our previous discussion about him encouraging me verbally out the window and I quickly said "YES!" 

34 minutes before Nixon was born...I don't look too bad for being way uncomfortable and going 100% natural, right?!

The next thing I knew my midwife, Guy Cox, came into the room and checked everything.  I, being the curious person I am, asked for a mirror so I could see what was going on.  Honestly, it helps to see what's going on, at least for me it does!  Shortly after getting the mirror I was told to start pushing...WHAT?!  I didn't realize that the end was so close!  PUSH?!?!  Seriously?!  Okay!!! 

One push and Nixon's perfect little head (actually big according to the nurse...35 cm OFC) was out!  Push again...he was all the way out!  Holy crap that went fast!  TWO PUSHES?!  I never would have thought that he would come out so quickly and easily!  P.S. Pushing without an epidural is a million times easier and I didn't feel like my head was exploding at all!  I did feel my legs and feet get really warm right as he was coming out and then they quickly went back to normal...weird!  Oh, and holy burning sensation when the little guy had crowned!  So weird! 

4 hours and 25 minutes after being started, at 8:50 PM on June 28th, 2012 our baby boy, Nixon Ryan Evans, made his way into the world weighing 7 lb 2 oz (just like Berkley!) and measuring 19 inches long!  We instantly loved him and we are absolutely enjoying having him in our lives! 

I love this little man SO much!

Berkley got to meet her baby brother just 26 minutes after he was born and she instantly loved him! She loves to rub his head and say "Wow!" and she can't get enough of giving him kisses...even without being prompted to! I couldn't ask for a more perfect little family!

Our first family picture with Nixon!

He completes our family for now and we love his sweet personality and enjoy snuggling him as much as he enjoys snuggling us!

Oh yeah, don't you worry!  I got my chocolate at the end! 

Here are a few more pictures from the big day!

The proud grandparents!

Our family of 4!

The Final Moments Before We Became FOUR!

At the very end of my pregnancy with Nixon we went on walks around the neighborhood...very frequently!  I was so anxious to have him that I did everything I could to try to have him sooner.  EVERYTHING!  That includes eating nasty black licorice candy, jumping up and down the stairs (sorry to my neighbors!), playing Just Dance on the Wii, using oils, doing the obvious..., eating spicy food and fresh pineapple, doing squats during contractions, and having my cervical membranes stripped (TWICE!) and he was stubborn and held out on us still! 

Here's a cute picture of Berkley in her car on one of our many walks!

She's a cute little driver!

Left: 39 weeks with Berkley

Right: 38 weeks and 6 days with Nixon

Same shirt!  HUGE difference! (Pun not intended but LOL anyways!)  Literally a 20+ pound difference though!

The end of my pregnancy with Nixon was SO much more comfortable than the end of my pregnancy with Berkley!  CRAZY how different the two pregnancies were in some aspects!

Aaron and Berkley watching TV.  We tried to distract ourselves to make time pass more quickly!

Berkley and I went to the zoo with my cousins and their kiddos!  It was a fun group and we would love to go again sometime!  Especially now that Nixon's here too!  I thought for sure that climbing the huge hill on the backside of the zoo while pushing a stroller with Berkley in it without stopping would put me into labor...I'm sure Nixon got a good laugh out of that one!

39 weeks...emotional...tired...anxious...stressed...and so much more!  Dang hormones anyhow!

I finally gave into my craving for chocolate chip cookies (at 11 PM on the 26th) and I made some cookies!  They were AMAZING!!!  We love the recipe on the back of the Blue Bonnet box.  YUM!  Don't even ask how many I ate though!  You might die!

Aaron and Berkley watching TV...again!  She LOVES watching sports on TV!  She DEFINITELY does NOT get that from me!  Gridiron Gang is pretty dang awesome though!

Berkley LOVES to wear shoes around the house!  Especially flip flops!  She makes me laugh!

This was taken on the 28th (induction day) and I can't be more proud that I was wearing my Silver capris from last summer and they were still buttoned all the way without help!  It was nice to fit into cute pants throughout my whole pregnancy but I never wore the maternity pants that I was sure I would be too big for by the end of winter!  Good thing we plan on having more babies!!!

Next update on the list...the birth story!  Wish me luck!  :)

Maternity Pics and Family Pics!

These beautiful pictures were taken by my friend, Sarah Miller, and I'm excited to share them!  Check her out at https://www.facebook.com/#!/sarahmillerphotos!  She does a fantastic job!

Here are some of my favorites! 

Thanks again, Sarah!  I can't thank you enough!

More Fun Times in June!

The clock is ticking quickly so I am hurrying to catch up again because who knows how often I will post once Nixon is here!  These are just a few of my favorite moments lately.  Enjoy!

Berkley asleep in her crib...so precious!  I seriously adore this little princess!

Playing at the splash pad in North Salt Lake!  Berkley wasn't a huge fan of playing in the water but she LOVED running around the water and watching her very pregnant mommy chase her!  Little stinker!

A water activity requiring much less chasing (YAY!)...playing in the pool in the back yard with Zander while mommy and Sarah visit and enjoy frozen treats!  It was much more relaxing (despite the heat) than chasing Berkley around the splash pad!

Berkley was pretty worn out after playing in her pool!  I love that she still holds her ear when she's tired!  When she holds both ears, you KNOW she's exhausted!

Holding hands!  Berkley has been super clingy lately (I think she can sense that things are changing) and she INSISTED on holding my hand while we watched TV one day!  It was so precious!  I love that she loves me!

Eating cereal in her pool...silly girl!  She refused to sit anywhere else to eat that day!

I found her like this one morning.  I'm still not sure how she got that arm out...

Yummy graham crackers and beautiful eyes!

Giving daddy his Father's Day presents!  We got him 2 T-shirts, a movie (the new Sherlock Holmes), and an outfit for Nixon that says "Handsome Like Daddy" on it!  SO TRUE!  I have no doubt that our little man will be super handsome like his daddy!

She loves to climb onto the ottoman and watch TV!  I love how cute she is!

Very sleepy girl all snuggled up in mommy's baby blanket!  I love that she can use and love it now too!

Daddy and Berkley on our walk around the neighborhood!  She loves this guy just a little bit...okay, a LOT!

Today she climbed up on  the ottoman and laid down like this and I about died!  She's seriously so cute!  I love how much she has grown and learned lately!

This is me at 38 weeks and 3 days pregnant!  I am wearing pre-pregnancy clothes (pants buttoned all the way even) AND my rings!  With Berkley I couldn't wear pre-pregnancy clothes early on (I started wearing maternity clothes when I was only 9 weeks pregnant!) and I couldn't get my rings on or off at 30 weeks along so this is SUPER exciting for me!  I love that I don't have to feel quite as frumpy as I did with Berkley!

36, 37, and 38 weeks along!  Time is flying!

At our appointment with my midwife yesterday we found out that I am 3 cm dilated and 90% effaced (I was 2 and 80% last week) and Nixon's face was so far down that we couldn't even see it.  He is measuring at approximately 7 lb 2 oz (Berkley's birth weight) and we're super excited to meet him and hold him and have his sweet spirit in our home!  We scheduled my induction for next Thursday (the 28th) at 3 PM.  The way my midwife said it was, "I'll see you next Thursday unless you go into labor before then."  I think that he's planning on Nixon coming before then! 

I can't believe that the time is already nearly here!  We have everything ready to go to the hospital and we are ecstatic to be meeting our little man in less than a week!  I wish that I could enjoy some of the things about being pregnant forever but I am honestly excited to get my body back so I can get in good shape and I can't wait to have my pelvis stop cracking every morning! 

For the most part this pregnancy has been as easy as can be though.  I know that I am very blessed to be able to be pregnant and have children and I am SO thankful to my Heavenly Father for the beautiful opportunity He has given me to be a mom on Earth.  I will update when the little man is here!