38 weeks - Baby #2

How far along: 38 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain: around 38 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Yep. 

Stretch Marks: Not yet

Sleep:  Sleep has been rough since I stopped taking my Diclegis. I am pretty sure I have restless leg at night, and I wake myself up from it.

Best moment this week: CCC Sale complete! I sold a ton of Grant's clothes that he grew out of (I'd been holding on to all of his baby clothes in case we had a boy) and I got a few cute outfits for Leah.

Movement: Some days I have a ton and other days she's more subdued. She's had the hiccups for a while today already.

Food cravings: Sweets. Mexican. Craved a steak over the weekend -  haha.

Anything making you queasy: Eh, I stopped taking my Diclegis and I've been okay. Little spells of nausea, but I don't actually get sick.

Have you started to show yet:  Yep.  I'm huge. 

Gender prediction:  It's a girl! Leah Brooke.

Labor signs:  At my appointment last week I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced.  I have Braxton hicks contractions almost constantly and I have been really crampy.

Belly Button:  It's completely flat now.

Wedding Rings:  Off.

Happy or Moody:  Seriously moody. I'm awful at work.

Weekly Wisdom:  I'm driving myself crazy looking for labor signs, even though I'm a second time mom! I know that I'll know without a doubt that I am in labor (it HURTS!), but I'm still overanalyzing every little ache and pain and wondering if it's the beginning. I'm sure I'm just prolonging it by stressing.

Milestones: We have reached full term. I'm almost 39 weeks (which is when I had my son), so she can come any day now!

Looking forward to: LABOR! I'm so ready to have her. I have to admit that I'm not miserable like I was with Grant. I was super swollen and felt terrible toward the end with Grant.  This time, I feel pretty good! I get out of breath easily and I'm uncomfortable, but it's not unbearable.  I'm really thankful for that.  I really, really hated how swollen I was with baby #1.

36 Weeks - Baby #2

How far along: 36 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain: around 32 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Yep. 

Stretch Marks: Not yet

Sleep:  I'm waking up A LOT to go to the bathroom. At least 5 times, sometimes closer to 10 times.

Best moment this week: The sign I ordered for the hospital door came in :) It's adorable! I'm not posting a picture until Leah arrives though.

Movement: She seriously feels huge in my stomach.  She was moving a lot last night and was really high into my ribs. I much prefer her to hang out low.

Food cravings: Mexican food! I want nachos every day. Salsarita's is my new fav -

still the same. I seriously want to eat nachos every single day. I'm also still loving éclairs as often as I can get one.

Anything making you queasy: Nothing in particular. Just have nausea if I skip my Diclegis. I've tried skipping it a few times and the nausea really comes back strong. I'm not throwing up though when I skip a few days.

Have you started to show yet:  Yep.  I'm huge. It totally looks like there's a basketball in there. I'm carrying far out front this time. I am LOVING how I am carrying with #2.  No swelling, minimal weight gain in my face, etc.  Even my maternity shirts are too short for me now though.

Gender prediction:  It's a girl! Leah Brooke.

Labor signs:  At my appointment last week I as 1/4 of a centimeter dilated (so nothing haha). Some cramps, but nothing to make me think labor is imminent. I'm thinking she will be close to 40 weeks. 

Belly Button:  It's completely flat now.

Wedding Rings:  Off. I could probably get away with wearing it some days since I'm barely swelling, but it's just easier not to have to worry about keeping up with it if my fingers start swelling.

Happy or Moody:  Seriously moody. I'm awful at work.

Weekly Wisdom:  Pack your bags early! You never know what will happen in the 3rd trimester.

Milestones: The room is 100% done. Her closet and drawers are stocked full of clothes. I have the hospital bag packed for me and baby and the hospital door sign is ready to go. I washed all of the car seat parts and will install it this week. I got confirmation last week that she is head down (yay!) Now just to cross my fingers and hope she isn't posterior once she drops during labor.

Looking forward to: Finished up with work so that I can comfortably go into labor and maternity leave with no work stress. We are in the middle of our financial audit and I REALLY need to get that finished before labor starts.

32 Weeks - Baby #2

How far along: 32 weeks, 0 days

Total weight gain: around 27 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Yep. 

Stretch Marks: Not yet

Sleep:  It's pretty bad right now. I wake up 4+ times to go to the bathroom and I have an awful cold. I cough and have a hard time breathing at night.

Best moment this week: We took maternity pictures! I LOVE how they came out.

Here are my favorites:

 

 



Movement: So much! This girl feels HUGE.  I honestly don't know how in the world she can get any bigger because it feels like she's going to crawl through my stomach when she moves now. It's really crazy how the placenta location makes such a big difference. I barely felt Grant at 9 months and she feels like a giant at 7 months. It blows my mind I have 11 weeks to go.

Food cravings: Mexican food! I want nachos every day. Salsarita's is my new fav haha 

Anything making you queasy: Nothing in particular. Just have nausea if I skip my Diclegis.

Have you started to show yet:  Yep.  I'm huge. 

Gender prediction:  It's a girl! Leah Brooke.

Labor signs:  still having some Braxton Hicks when I walk fast, but that's it. Nothing consistent yet. 

Belly Button:  It's completely flat now.

Wedding Rings:  Off :( 

Happy or Moody:  Ugh so moody.

Weekly Wisdom:  Nothing wise this week haha

Milestones: Maternity pictures are done and Leah's room is almost finished. We have a TON of clothes that are all washed and put away so I feel pretty ready. 

Looking forward to: Finding out if she's head down and sunny side up.  I'm REALLY hoping we don't have a repeat of Grant's labor.

29 weeks - Baby #2

How far along: 29 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain: around 22 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Yep. 

Stretch Marks: Not yet

Sleep:  Eh, not too bad. My nausea medicine knocks me out.

Best moment this week: Almost finished Leah's room at this point. We have a dresser and I've washed a lot of Grant's baby clothes that we are reusing.  The crib is all done and bedding is in. The curtains I LOVE came in even though they were backordered.  We also bought a new rocking chair for her room. I still rock Grant occasionally so I didn't want to take the glider out of his room yet. We bought his glider used and have pretty much worn it out, so it was worth it to get something new this time. Now that I know how much use it will get over the next 3 years, it's worth every penny! I just have some wall decor to do and then we will be done. 

Here's a little sneak peek:

Movement: So much! This girl feels HUGE.  I honestly don't know how in the world she can get any bigger because it feels like she's going to crawl through my stomach when she moves now. It's really crazy how the placenta location makes such a big difference. I barely felt Grant at 9 months and she feels like a giant at 7 months. It blows my mind I have 11 weeks to go.

Food cravings: Sweets! 

Anything making you queasy: I'm still on Diclegis and now it controls the nausea and vomiting pretty much 99% of the time.  I've tried skipping a day of Diclegis and end up puking as soon as I wake up. 

Have you started to show yet:  Yep.  I'm huge. 

Gender prediction:  It's a girl! Leah Brooke.

Labor signs:  still having some Braxton Hicks when I walk fast, but that's it. Nothing consistent yet. 

Belly Button:  In, but getting flatter.

Wedding Rings:  Off :( 

Happy or Moody:  Ugh so moody.

Weekly Wisdom:  Don't get off the nausea meds too soon.

Milestones: Almost finished Leah's room and started packing for the hospital. 

Looking forward to: Getting some girly clothes washed and put away. I also need to finish buying some essentials that I ended up trashing of Grant's. I need new bibs, burp cloths, and pacifiers. Grant had reflux so I just trashed all of his. They were too far gone to save. I'm so ready to get stuff wrapped up at work so that I can just relax and wait on her to arrive. :)

26 Weeks - Baby #2

How far along: 25 weeks, 5 days

Total weight gain: around 18 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Yep.

Stretch Marks: Not yet

Sleep:  Eh, not too bad. My nausea medicine knocks me out.

Best moment this week:  Getting started on Leah's room!

Movement: So much! This girl goes crazy as soon as I lay down to go to sleep. She is all over the place and it feels like she's trying to escape.

Food cravings: Cereal. Sweets. Salad.

Anything making you queasy: Still throwing up.  Not every day, but a few times a week.

Have you started to show yet:  Yep.

Gender prediction:  It's a girl! Leah Brooke.

Labor signs:  I haven't had any contractions in a while, so nothing really.

Belly Button:  In, but getting flatter.

Wedding Rings:  Off :(

Happy or Moody:  Ugh so moody.

Weekly Wisdom:  Don't get off the nausea meds too soon.

Milestones: Started on Leah's room!

Looking forward to: Getting her room finished. I am nesting so hard right now and feel like I'm running out of time to get everything done. I just had the realization that I have ZERO clothes for her, so I started trying to get a few things so she won't be naked in a few months. For some reason I keep thinking she will be early and that I won't have everything ready for her. Grant was right on time, so I don't know why I'm feeling this way! Hopefully we can get everything done in the next 2 months so we aren't rushing at the end.

23 weeks - Baby #2

How far along: 23 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain: 18 lbs. This is accurate. I wish it wasn't this high already, but it is what it is :( I've been STARVING the past week, so I know it's only going to get worse from here.

Maternity Clothes: Yep. All maternity now for the most part. Every now and then I squeeze into a regular shirt, but they are too short and I have to wear something underneath.

Stretch Marks: Not yet

Sleep:  Eh, not too bad. My nausea medicine knocks me out.

Best moment this week:  Christmas!

Movement: So much!

Food cravings: Mexican. Water. Lucky Charms.

Anything making you queasy: Still throwing up.  I had a stomach virus Christmas Eve too. :( Guess I'm just going to be sick this whole pregnancy.

Have you started to show yet:  Yep. I showed much faster with baby #2! 

Gender prediction:  It's a girl! Leah Brooke.

Labor signs:  I've started having Braxton Hicks contractions. It totally caught me off guard since I never had those with Grant. They aren't consistent though and just 1-3 throughout the day.

Belly Button:  In, but getting flatter.

Wedding Rings:  Off :(

Happy or Moody:  Ugh so moody.

Weekly Wisdom:  Don't get off the nausea meds too soon.

Milestones: Enjoyed Christmas with our toddler and dreamed about next year when we have our whole family here :)

Looking forward to:  Starting her nursery. We wanted to wait until after Christmas, so now I can start ordering things for Leah's room. :)

21 Weeks - Baby #2

How far along: 21 weeks, 3 days

Total weight gain: I haven't weighed in a while. I'd guess 8-10 lbs by now.

Maternity Clothes: Yep. All maternity now for the most part. Every now and then I squeeze into a regular shirt, but they are too short and I have to wear something underneath.

Stretch Marks: Not yet

Sleep:  Eh, not too bad. My nausea medicine knocks me out.

Best moment this week:  We chose a name! Leah Brooke Martinez

Movement: Lots of movement. Feeling more every day.

Food cravings: Salad. Tabasco. Spaghetti. Queso. Mexican.

Anything making you queasy: Still throwing up.  I had a couple of days where I didn't get sick and took a gamble and skipped my nightly dose of Diclegis. I woke up puking the next morning.  I've been sick almost every day still.  I have gone a couple of days this week without being sick, so maybe it's lessening? I'm scared to skip my meds again!

Have you started to show yet:  Yep. I showed much faster with baby #2! 

Gender prediction:  It's a girl! Leah Brooke.

Labor signs:  Too soon!

Belly Button:  In, but getting flatter.

Wedding Rings:  Off :( It has been getting tight during the day since I type a lot, so I just started leaving it off a couple of days ago.

Happy or Moody:  Ugh so moody.

Weekly Wisdom:  Don't get off the nausea meds too soon.

Milestones: Past the halfway point! And we chose a name for baby sister!

Looking forward to:  Starting her nursery.  I bought the Christian Siriano sketches that the room will be decorated around, but we are waiting until after Christmas to really start getting the room done.  Luckily we only have to buy some décor since we get to reuse all of the baby gear we had with Grant. :)

18 weeks - Baby #2





How far along: 18 weeks, 2 days

Total weight gain: About 5 lbs. Not too bad.

Maternity Clothes: Yep. All maternity now for the most part. Every now and then I squeeze into a regular shirt, but they are too short and I have to wear something underneath.

Stretch Marks: Not yet

Sleep:  Horrible. Ugh. 

Best moment this week:  I love feeling baby girl move a lot now. I also had a bonus ultrasound yesterday due to some pain I was having. :)

Movement: Lots of little jabs and kicks.

Food cravings: Salad. Weird, I know. I've never been a salad person, but lately they sound SO good! I've been having salad at least a few times a week. This is one of my healthiest cravings lol

Anything making you queasy: Still throwing up daily. I'm very irritated about this. I'm starting to worry I may throw up the entire pregnancy. *I wrote this a week ago, and now that I am 18w2d, I think I may be done throwing up! I've gone 3 days without being sick. I still have slight nausea, but I haven't actually been sick. I'm too scared to stop the Diclegis yet since I still have slight nausea. If I go a full week without throwing up, I will attempt to stop my meds.

Have you started to show yet:  Yep. I showed much faster with baby #2! 

Gender prediction:  It's a girl! 

Labor signs:  Too soon!

Belly Button:  In!

Wedding Rings:  On!

Happy or Moody:  Ugh so moody.

Weekly Wisdom:  I am so happy this will be my last pregnancy. I am just not made to carry babies. My body rebels against it. I wish I glowed and loved every second, but that's just not what happens for me.

Milestones: Well into the 2nd trimester! Hopefully I am done throwing up every day now.

Looking forward to:  Choosing a name.  This is always the hardest part. I'm so tired of being sick. I'm really looking forward to the anatomy ultrasound in a couple of weeks too.

 

14 Weeks - Baby #2

How far along: 14 weeks, 0 days

Total weight gain: Eh maybe the same 2 lbs. I weigh the same as I did at my first appointment.

Maternity Clothes: All of my regular tops are pretty short now and I think I'm fighting a losing battle with my regular jeans. Not sure how much longer I'll be able to button them.

Stretch Marks: Not yet

Sleep:  I've been so sleepy. I'm having vivid nightmares again. 

Best moment this week:  We found out the gender!

Movement: TOTALLY feeling the baby already! It's crazy.  I feel the baby flipping around and every now and then I get a sharp jab that catches me off guard. So crazy that I'm feeling baby #2 6 weeks earlier than I felt Grant. I don't think I have an anterior placenta this time.

Food cravings:  I still don't have much of an appetite.

Anything making you queasy: Still throwing up daily.

Have you started to show yet:  Yep. See above - haha. Although I was actually asked when I was buying maternity clothes if they were for me or for someone else, so I guess I'm still in the questionable stage.

Gender prediction:  We know :) Not sure when we will announce though.

Labor signs:  Too soon!

Belly Button:  In!

Wedding Rings:  On!

Happy or Moody:  Ugh so moody.

Weekly Wisdom:  The 2nd pregnancy is so much more relaxed.

Milestones: Found out the gender AND feel the baby move all of the time!

Looking forward to:  Choosing a name.  This is always the hardest part. Oh and I can't wait for the nausea/vomiting to end. I'm so tired of being sick.

Other things to note: I already have heartburn! I didn't get that until the very end with Grant. I am also experiencing eye twitches again! That was the most random pregnancy symptom with Grant and it's happening again with Baby #2. So strange! I've been really crampy the past week which has had me really worried.  After having the miscarriage prior to this pregnancy, I'm terrified something is going to happen. I've actually kept myself somewhat detached from this baby emotionally because I'm afraid I'm going to lose it too.  With the miscarriage I was so ecstatic and already planning that baby's life and how he/she would fit in with our family, so it was devastating when we lost it.  I am so ready to feel confident and comfortable in this pregnancy.  I listen to the heartbeat on the Doppler daily and keep reminding myself that everything looks great so far with this baby.  It's scary though. I miss the naïve trust I had in my first pregnancy.

12 Weeks - Baby #2!

How far along: 12 weeks, 0 days

Total weight gain: Nothing really, maybe 2lbs, but it's hard to call it because my bloating fluctuates so much during the day.

Maternity Clothes: I'm still able to wear my regular jeans (which I couldn't do with my first pregnancy at this point), but my tops are looking a little short by the end of the day due to the bloat.

Stretch Marks: Not yet

Sleep:  What is sleep? You don't sleep when you have a 2 year old! I loved the awesome naps I took when I was pregnant with Grant, but that just doesn't happen anymore.

Best moment this week:  We FINALLY got to see the baby. I didn't get to go into the doctor until 11 weeks, so this was the first time we've gotten a peek :) Thankfully there was only 1 baby in there and he/she looked great!

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings:  I had a few early on. I've been consistently craving orange juice since 9 weeks. I randomly started craving a protein shake at 10 weeks.  Now I'm at a point where nothing sounds good and I don't have much of an appetite.

Anything making you queasy: Ugh. I've been sick since FIVE WEEKS! I have thrown up EVERY DAY since I was FIVE WEEKS. Seriously. Every. Day. I have a mental catalog of the nastiest things to throw up.  Salad and milkshakes if you're wondering what tops that mental list. Spaghetti was pretty bad too.

Have you started to show yet:  Not really, just bloated.

Gender prediction:  I think boy! We did the panorama test, so we will know next week though. We haven't decided if we will share the news or if we will make everyone wait and be surprised.

Labor signs:  Too soon!

Belly Button:  In!

Wedding Rings:  On!

Happy or Moody:  Ugh so moody.

Weekly Wisdom:  Diclegis is great. I still throw up on it, but it really keeps the constant nausea at a minimum.

Milestones: Saw the baby for the first time and announced on Facebook.

Looking forward to:  Finding out the gender next week and choosing a name.

Grant - 1 Month & What I've Learned

 

Grant is already 1 month old! Where did the time go?  I couldn't believe it was already time to start the "monthly pictures" process.

Things to note about Grant:

LOVES:

Being Swaddled (loves, loves, LOVES!)

Going outside

Putting on his PJs

Rocking

Looking at Mommy and Daddy

HATES:

Taking a bath (he's warming up to this now)

Being naked

Changing clothes/diaper

Getting the hiccups

The carseat

 He's weighing in at almost 10 lbs based on my weighing with and without him on the scale at home.

Can we take a second to just appreciate how adorable sleep smiles are?  They are so hard to catch on camera, but I managed to get this one! I can't wait for his social smiles to start, but I love seeing this little smirk when he's sleeping.

Now here is my rundown of what I've learned in the first month and my advice to new/expectant parents.

1. Buy gas drops and Gripe Water before you go into labor to have ready when you come home.  I wish I had it at the hospital! Grant had major gas pain at the hospital and when we came home.  I didn't find out about these two products until we were a week in.  They will save your life! Trust me on this.  I just bought 3 bottles so I could have one in the diaper bag, one in the nursery, and a spare.

2. SWADDLE! I cannot stress this one enough. It calms him down and will double his sleep time.  Grant is a wiggle worm and always has his arms flapping around.  The swaddle keeps him from waking himself up.

3.  Wear your baby! Grant loves it! I thought it looked ridiculous, but it makes him happy and it leaves my hands free. 

4. Schedule and Track! I downloaded an app that helps you track feedings, diapers, naps, etc.  I'm so tired that I can't remember when I fed him last and it helps me know when he is crying out of hunger.

5.  Get ready to do laundry.  I do laundry at least once a day.  It's smaller loads, but you can't make it through a day with clean clothes (mom or baby).

6.  If your baby won't stop crying, walk outside.  This has calmed Grant down every time.

7.  Breastfeeding is hard.  I BF for about 3 weeks before I broke down and started pumping and using bottles.  I could never get Grant to get a deep latch and I was in so much pain that it hurt to carry him against my chest.  Don't feel bad if you have to bottle feed.  It actually speeds up feed times and gives you more time to play with the baby or it's quicker to put them back to sleep at night. 

8.  Try to keep the baby on a schedule.  I read Baby Wise and used it as a basis to plan our day.  The book says to feed every 3 hours, but Grant eats every 2 so I just modified it to fit our needs.  I feed Grant (15 mins), have a little bit of awake time to talk and "play" (about 30 minutes), and then put him down to sleep (his naps range from 45 mins-1.5 hrs). This repeats all day except at night (after 8pm) there is no awake time and he goes right back to bed after eating.

9.  Another tip I found online is to skip diaper changes at night.  This has drastically improved my sleep situation.  Grant hates having his diaper changed and would completely wake up and scream during this process.  By skipping it at night, he stays drowsy and falls right back to sleep (most of the time anyway!) I always change his diaper first thing in the morning though, even before feeding him.  

10. Enjoy your baby! The time goes by so fast. It seems like I just had him yesterday, but he's already a month old.  Cherish all the snuggles and sleep with him on your chest.  Don't worry about spoiling your baby, just give him lots of love and affection and soak in every second.

He's Here!

 

 

This post is very late, but Grant made his debut 12 days ago on May 29, 2014 at 6:33 pm.  

 

 

 I've been a little busy taking care of the little guy, so I'm just getting around to recording his birth story.  I wanted to write it all down before I forget everything that happened.

 

So on Tuesday, May 27 I went in for my 39 week appointment and my doctor stripped my membranes.  I was only 1.5 cm dilated at this point.  The plan was that if I didn't go into labor myself by Monday June 2, that he would break my water after my 40 week appointment. 

 

All Tuesday afternoon I anxiously waited to feel contractions or some sign that I would go into labor, but nothing happened.  Wednesday rolled around and I started to feel a little crampy and lost my mucus plug that morning.  I went to work like normal, but was feeling pretty tired and left around 3pm.  At this point work was really a chore.  The chair hurt my back, my feet were so incredibly swollen, and I had to take a million bathroom breaks.  Anyway, so I left work a little early and came home and tried to take a nap.  My lower back was bothering me too much to sleep though and I gave up after a fitful 30 minutes of in and out sleep. 

 

David and I decided to go eat Jalapeno Tree for dinner where they sat us in a booth that my belly was too big for.  I ate a delicious dinner however even though I was still feeling kind of crampy.  We came home and did our nightly ritual of walking around the neighborhood to get my dilation going.  After walking I bounced on my exercise ball and noticed that I seemed to be having small contractions (feeling like period cramps) all throughout Catfish (we love that show!) As soon as bedtime rolled around though I noticed that they had stopped and I was disappointed that once again I was going to go another day pregnant.

 

However, as soon as I got in bed at 11pm, my lower back started really aching off and on consistently and that the pain was 10 minutes apart.  I tried to sleep, but I was just too uncomfortable laying down.  I tried sleeping in the recliner and after a while the pain was coming 7 minutes apart lasting about 30 seconds each contraction.  David was asleep during all of this since there was nothing he could do to help at this point and I figured at least one of us needed to be rested if this was actually labor!

 

I had already decided I wanted to labor at home as long as I could, but once my contractions were coming 2-5 minutes apart and lasting 45 seconds, I was in some PAIN.  These contractions HURT.  No sooner had one ended, another one started and I ended up throwing up from the pain.  At 3:00 am I decided that this must actually be labor and let David know we needed to head to the hospital.  The drive there was awful (you think that at 3am there wouldn't be any traffic) because we hit road construction where it was down to one lane.  The whole drive I was having constant contractions and doing my best to stay relatively calm so I didn't freak David out.

 

We finally made it to the hospital around 3:30 am and my worst nightmare came true.  I was only 2.5cm dilated.  I knew you had to be 3cm to be admitted and I did not want to be sent home only to turn around and drive right back.  They called my doctor and they told me to walk around for 2 hours and they would check me again.  Walking while having contractions is horrible.  They are so much more painful when you have gravity pushing the baby down too.  I kept having to take breaks and sit in the waiting room.  The whole time I was wondering how women go through this without an epidural!  At 6:00am they checked me again and I was at 3cm which meant I was in active labor and progressing so they admitted me and at 7:00 am gave me and IV with some pain meds to take the edge off a little.

 

At 8:00 am I was 4cm dilated and they gave me the epidural!  20 minutes after the epidural was administered I was still feeling the contractions so they upped my dose, which turned out to completely paralyze me from the waist down for the next 8 hours - but at least I wasn't in pain anymore!

 

At 11:30 am I was 8cm and I was able to start pushing at 3:00 pm.  The pushing was near impossible because I was completely numb and couldn't move my legs.  David and the nurse had to actually hold my legs with each contraction.  After pushing for 2 hours the epidural had worn off enough that I could hold my legs myself and I felt like I started to make more progress.  However when the doctor came in and checked me, he told me that Grant was posterior and hadn't moved down at all in the 2 hours I had been pushing.  He said a C-Section was more than likely at this point, but I really didn't want to do that after laboring so hard for so long!  He told me I could push for 30 more minutes to see if I made any progress.  Well after another hour of pushing (3.5 hrs total!) Grant was born!

 

I had been running a low temp the entire time I was pushing (around 100), and after he was born they checked and my temp was 103.  My temperature caused Grant to be born with a fever, and this meant more testing for him to make sure everything was fine.  Luckily everything came back perfect and we were able to come home 48 hours later.

 

It definitely wasn't an easy labor or how I imagined it would go, but we are both so happy that he is here and healthy!