Nolan's Birth Story

Leading up to Nolan's due date I was freaking out because alot of my friends were having almost perfect deliveries, quick & easy, so I figured mine would be long and drawn out. I though I would have to be induced and and push forever then go in for a c-section. And I was not smart and looked at Greg's anesthesiology books at how big the epidural needle is and how far they have to put it into your spine. So I was also freaking out about that, and possibly having an uncontrollable contraction in the middle of it and causing complications for me and the baby.

Man was I wrong! If all of my pregnancies and births went the way it did with Nolan then Greg is in BIG trouble because I'll have as many babies as my body would allow :)

It all started Thursday October 18th. I was having contractions throughout the day, nothing big and not consistent. I was tracking them and would have them every 5-7 minutes for 30 minutes then would get one 15+ minutes later. After sitting at my parents (they didn't want me home alone, just in case) and tracking them all day my mom wanted me to call the doctor just to see what I should do. I called around 5pm and she said to continue tracking and if they get 5 min apart for 1 hour then call her again. I knew that.

So my parents took me home around 9pm. I was tired of answering questions about how far apart my contractions were, but on the way home they began to get 5 minutes apart consistently. But I didn't say anything. I got home and hung out with Greg for a few minutes. I laid down and read my book, all the while continuing to track my contractions. I decided that at 11:30 I would call the doctor again and see what she recommended since at that point I would have had more intense contractions for over an hour. But at 11:23 I felt a pop and knew that was my water breaking. I ran (cross legged) to the bathroom, as to not leak on the couch or carpet. As Im running by Greg, asleep in bed, I firmly told him to get up because it was time since I was positive my water just broke.

He made a quick hospital bag (I told him to do it days before) and we got in the car and drove the 30 minutes to the hospital. I brought a towel to sit on, as to not ruin the seats. And man were people right, contractions DEFINITELY intensify once your water breaks. We arrived to the hospital at 12:15. I told Greg I didn't want to get there before 12, because we would be charged for an entire day.

I was wheeled into one of the last available LDR (Labor Delivery Recovery) rooms available. They were packed that night. My room was the closest to the NICU, where my mom works. My nurse came in and I was checked, only 3 cm still!

I received my epidural at 1:45. I had been saying that I was not going let them have Greg leave the room because I wanted to hold his hand, since I was nervous. But I was in so much pain by the time the anesthesiologist came that I didn't say a thing about Greg staying in the room. Greg said apparently I received a combined spinal epidural. That's the goooood kind. I was always told that the numbing shot hurts like a bee sting. I've never been stung by a bee so I thought it was going to really hurt. It actually felt like a minor pinch! Then I felt a warm sensation into my legs and almost immediately felt a release of comfort.

I was checked again right after my epidural was set and I had progressed already to 6-7 centimeters, and man did I ever feel every bit of that stretching.

After an hour of progressing with the epidural, the nurse had to tell me when I was contracting because I never felt it, they called the doctor to head our way. The nurse started me pushing and prepped everything for the doctor. It wasn't my doctor who came in but Dr. Davis. I really like her too so I wasn't too upset. However, I do wish Patolia could have been there. I pushed for a total of 1 hour 15 minutes and Nolan was out!

Nolan Thomas Lawler arrived at 5:27 AM weighing 6 lbs 11.4 ounces and measuring 20.75 inches long!

My mom was impressed at how well I did with pushing. And they were surprised at how I could move my legs with the epidural but still felt no pain! All in all it was a perfect delivery. It was so perfect that even before holding my little man I said "I could do this again."

Bump Along the Way

Here are my weekly bump pictures. See how Nolan grew inside because soon Ill be posting the pics of his monthly growth outside! Man this is going by fast!

 12 weeks

19 weeks 

Nolan arrived the day before his expected due date :)

We have a set date!

Went to the doctor again today :) Since our last visit last week I/we have been trying EVERYTHING to get Nolan to come out, from walking, to jumps, to bouncing on a ball...I mean EVERYTHING! So I was hoping, even though Nolan wasn't here yet, but that he at least made some progress. Went to the doctor today, and NO progress!!! Oh My Gosh!!! I couldn't believe we had made no progress in the entire week. So the doctor swept my membranes again and stretched me from 2 cm to 3 cm. That was not fun at all! It was very painful but hopefully it helps Nolan come on his own.

If Nolan does not come on his own we have set a date for an induction, Monday October 22nd!!! So no matter what we will be able to hold our little boy within a week! I am so excited to know I will have my baby at most in a week!

So mark your calendars :) No one guessed October 22, but he still could come before then too. So excited!!! Everyone get ready, its FINALLY here!!!

Hospital Bag...ready, set, go!

Yeah for weekly OBGYN visits! Had another visit today. As I have been saying, a bunch, I want Nolan to come by the end of this weekend :) So the doctor checked me out today and I am 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced. She stripped my membranes. Who knows if that will help or not. I have heard stories from friends who went into labor within 24 hours after having their membranes stripped all the way to others who had to have them stripped again. My mom had hers stripped with Brad on a Thursday and she had him by that Saturday. If I am like her then he will arrive 10-11-12, just like she wants ;)

The membrane stripping was definitely uncomfortable and the doctor said thats the pain I will feel when going into labor. My response "ok so Ill come into the hospital asking for an epidural then." She said I may have a bit of a bloody show but thats ok and not to worry. I need to focus on timing contractions if they get intense and watch for a possible water break. If your water breaks you must get to the hospital and have the baby within 24 hours.

Brad and Lauren come in town this Thursday and leave Sunday, so he needs to get here by Sunday. I really want them to be able to see him here this trip! I am doing all I can to make sure he is.

Now is the time to make sure all is set and ready to go. I have the hospital bag ready to go. I didn't know but the doctor gives you a file of paperwork that is notes on all your OBGYN visits that you MUST have when you check in to the hospital. So that goes with me everywhere. Here is what I have packed in my bag:
 - Comfy blanket
 - Plush robe
 - Pillows
 - toiletries (face products, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, hair ties, headbands, shampoo, conditioner, soap, body firming lotion).
 - Hair dryer & straightner
 - Breast pads
 - Nursing bras & tops
 - 2 comfy pj/day outfits
 - My going home outfit
Nolan's bag
 - Boppy pillow
 - breast pump
 - 2 newborn size outfits, with caps
 - going home outfit, with cap & booties
 - Mittens
 - Receiving blanket
 - Going home blanket
 - Car seat
Other
 - Baby book: so they can put his footprints in it
 - Visitor Bubbles: for people to sign when they visit. I will make it into a picture I got from etsy

His nursery is ready, clothes are washed, we are ready. Come on down Nolan!

T minus ?, and Counting

We are officially 37 weeks! If Nolan comes when I am hoping he will we have 10 days left. 10 DAYS!!! That's almost in the single digits! This is getting crazy!

All the showers are done, and I am so thankful to have such great friends and family supporting us at this major time in our lives! We have literally everything we could need for Nolan. Anything we did not get in a shower we were able to purchase with gift cards! I feel so blessed and so thankful that Nolan gets to come into this world with so many people loving on him!

Here are some wonderful pictures from the Resiterns shower (the doctor's wives group).

The AMAZING buldog cake Bethannie made :) 

Such adorable onesies for Nolan! And the bowties can come off to go on bigger onesies as he grows!

 I LOVE the bulldog theme!

My favorite book growing up, I'll Love you Forever! I have a copy in Nolan's room but its all torn up. So glad he gets a new pretty copy!

I LOVE smocked outfits! Nolan will be styling in this outfit!

His personalized boppy cover. It has the swanky blanket fabric on the back. I LOVE the way it feels :)

The sweet girls who hosted the shower, JoAnna, Bethannie & Ericca. 

Thank you girls! Yall are the best!!!

The after this fun soiree Greg and I quickly went to Galveston for our bump pictures on the beach. It had been raining all weekend but was clearing up just in time for us to get pictures done! However, as you know, rain usually brings in a cold front...and boy was it cold. We got a lot of shots done and I can't wait to see them. 

But unfortunately I paid the price for the a wonderful picture on the beach, I woke up Monday feeling horrible! I have a runny nose, sore throat and body aches. But thankfully no fever! Just been hanging out at home, as usual, drinking lots of fluids and trying to rest. But its hard when the "nesting" urge keeps tapping at my shoulder. Thanks to mom for coming down for a bit and helping me tidy up and organize Nolan's closet. 

I was sad that when I was feeling horrible that my husband was on call so I wouldn't see him all day. But he switched his calls so he could be home today for our doctor appointment. He hasn't been able to attend one since June! After a full call night he still came home bearing gifts of lotion enhanced tissues (because my nose was raw) and flowers! Such a wonderful hubby. 

I am so excited because we get an ultrasound today! So we went and Nolan is measuring about 6 pounds even. His head is far down the doctor said and he is facing my back. That is the perfect delivering position! Hopefully he stays that way. So with that position he seems to be on my track to possibly coming earlier than his due date. However, he is only measuring 35 weeks 6 days, and he is 37 weeks 3 days. But that is ok because he has always measured small. This can either mean he is coming after his due date or he is just a small baby. And I told the doctor he is moving a bunch still. She was surprised he hasn't slowed down, because that usually means they are getting ready to come. So just like when we were trying to figure out his gender he was doing things to keep us guessing both genders. Now when we are trying to guess his arrival he is doing things to keep us guessing again. Oh child!

All I am waiting for now is to get over my cold so I am better when he arrives. If all this blowing my nose doesn't send me into labor, which I hope it doesn't, then I start my long walks and bouncing on a ball to help get him to come out next week!!! We are ready, my hospital bag list is ready and Nolan's bag is completely packed! Nolan, come any time now!!!

So much stuff, so little time left

Wow, I didn't realize how long it has been since my last post. Well, alot has happened in almost the past month.

First, I have been to the doctor and starting next week will begin weekly visits :) That means it is getting REALLY close! I am hoping at this next visit that I will get to see Nolan in an ultrasound, it has been awhile. And we haven't had measurements done since I was 30 weeks and he was 3 lbs 7 oz approximately but now we are 36 weeks, so I am very curious how big he has gotten. At my last doctor's appointment I had gained 5 pounds in 2 weeks! That's almost as much weight as I gained my first trimester as a whole...haha!

That night after the doctors appointment I started having pains about 6pm. They started at the top of my stomach and moved down towards my belly button. I started to worry when the pain started in my back. I called the doctor and she called back and said it sounded like stretching rather than contractions, braxton or real. The doctor told me to take a warm bath and if that didn't hurt then to call back but it did help, so nice to relax. These pains had me in tears at one point. So I told Greg if this was only belly stretching then I am DEFINITELY getting the epidural during the delivery :)

Then, I got to look forward to last weekend, as it was my first shower! I had a blast making the thank you gifts for Emily, Erin & Heidi from pinterest! I was getting ready on Sunday and carrying the boxes to the car to take to the shower. I misjudged the step down from the curb and took a hard fall. Thankfully I was holding the boxes because that stopped me from falling directly onto my belly. But my knees definitely got the brunt of the fall. They are still all scabbed almost a week later.

So at the shower I was all dressed up with band-aids covering my knees and I had cried my make up off. So I didn't have that pretty pregnancy glow in those pics :/ But other than that it was such an enjoyable day! The shower had a baseball theme. Greg was wondering if the baseball theme was because his name is Nolan like Nolan Ryan. I said yes, and because Greg played baseball all the way through high school and I played baseball too, granted it was only until machine pitch. He laughed!

The shower was beautiful! You could tell every last detail was thought through! It was so nice to have friends and family there to show support for our first little one. But we did miss those who could not make it in, but your support was felt.

It was fun seeing all the creative gifts everyone bought for Nolan, but some of them definitely stood out. Greg's aunt Diane got him a monogrammed blanket with a bulldog on it. She use to breed bulldogs so she gets our obsession :)

My great aunt Hilda got us a necessity that we will use a few years down the road, a training potty. It is called the Cheer for me Potty! And the best part is that is talks to you in English AND Spanish.

But the most sentimental of all is the blanket knitted by my aunt Martha. It is not only beautiful but holds a lot of meaning as well. The yarn give 20% of the proceeds to families who have lost a child. Nolan has an older brother or sister watching over him, along side with his cousin Lane. We will always miss those babies but are thankful for them to be there for Nolan when he needs guidance. He is one lucky boy.

Then two days later I got to see many of my work friends at my work shower. We kept having to change the date for different reasons so we had a happy hour at Escalante's. It was perfect to just hang out and be with them. I was so happy to see all who were able to come since I was so use to seeing them everyday these past 4 years but now I rarely get to hang out with them. Amber made the cutest gift of all, she knit him a bulldog cap! It is adorable and we can't wait to put him in it!

Other than all that I have just been trying to stay rested and calm here at home. But it has definitely been fun finding a place for all of Nolan's things in our humble abode. I especially love looking at all his clothes. I have separated his clothes by size and then realized I have to wash all of them before putting him in them, so I'll get to organize it all over again, hehe. But I have also done, maybe my last, DIY project for his room. I made curtains. I don't have a sewing machine so I looked up what to do on pinterest...glue gun! But I think they turned out great! I even added a lining to make them black out curtains. The next time I make them I will definitely use a sewing machine (martha might need some guidance). And I am such a perfectionist that I will definitely want to use a more exact dewing measurement tool to make sure we have perfectly straight lines. Erin says I can try and make them curtains for their new house :) She must have a lot of trust in my ability ;)

I am definitely getting to the point that all my friends who have had babies said would happen, ready for him to GET OUT and be here! I know he needs to stay in for a few more weeks but I am to the point of not really sleeping in our bed. I have the egg crate cushion on the bed but my hips still hurt when I wake up because I need to lay on my side. So I have moved to sleeping on the couch because my legs and body are supported but my hips can fall between the cushions and not have any pressure on them. And I don't wake Greg with my constant flipping sides. I am getting some swelling but its not too bad. My back hurts quicker when I am up and about than usual. All this extra front side weight is making it hard to get through spaces and I am definitely waddling :)

But the main thing getting me to this point of just wanting my little man here, is all of my friends who have had their babies recently. From Sarah's darling Ellie, to Michelle's sweet Chris, Lindsay's cute Grey, Allison's precious Grayson and Julie's adorable Walker. Nolan has so many friends waiting for him to arrive, just as we are.

Now we are in the home stretch. We have most everything we need, thanks to all our family and friends, the house is clean, car seat is installed, all we are waiting on is Nolan to arrive. I am so thankful for everyone's support through this time in our lives and we know our lives are about to change dramatically.

I do need to include that Greg has been WONDERFUL through this. I am not going to lie that I was kinda worried because he has such a demanding job that he would be so tired when he came home that he would do just what was asked of him. But Greg has already proved me wrong. He switched sides of the bed with me to see if that would help my hips. I never thought this would happen because he LOVES the right side of the bed. But he is ok with switching and likes the other side, which is great because I can now be on the right side, closer to the best spot in our room for the bassinet. He has gone on walks with me and Lacey to help relieve any pain I may have. And when I had the scare of pain a week ago, he immediately got online and pre-registered us at he hospital while doing anything he could to bring me comfort. I knew I married the best man, but he is just making me even more excited for our future together. I know he will be a wonderful father on top of the wonderful husband he already is. I can't wait to see him interact with his son.

"We could have this baby now" - Greg

I love my husband but he scared the crud out of me when he said this. My response was one of pure panic. No we couldn't! We haven't taken any classes, the nursery is only almost finished, we barely have clothes, nothing to feed him with! Alot was going through my head that we have NOT done and how we are so not ready for him yet. But as calm as Greg is he pointed out that he merely meant that at 32 weeks Nolan's lungs are developed and it wouldn't be 100% scary if we had him right now.

Of course we want him to stay in and bake awhile longer, but we are also very excited to meet him. What will he look like? Who will he resemble? Basically, whose genes will be more dominant/stronger, as we like to put it :) We think he will have skin in between our colors (tan and transparent), we think he might have curly hair, light eyes, and an adorably large tukus (butt). The last part I have just learned will most likely be true when I went to the doctor yesterday. I keep feeling my little man push but I have not been able to tell what part of him I was feeling. Come to find out its his butt, and man does that span a large surface ;) Greg calls it his Lawler butt, because we know it wouldn't come from me. And I love that my man will be blessed with not having a boney butt like me.

So we did go to the doctor yesterday and learned that Nolan has taken his final turn into the head down position! What a good little boy. The doctor said he must have known she was going to give him a stern talking to if he had not. It was a quick visit but that's because everything looked great! I'm gaining weight right on track, blood pressure is normal, his heart beat is strong, and his positioning is terrific! Here is to hoping this all stays the same.

So now on to what I have been up to. I am finally in the nesting stage. I know we were married OVER a year ago but I still had some presents that needed to be returned not only at my house but from my parents as well! I want to clear our rooms of all boxes and I need to do the same at my parents, because in November we will be living with them! Greg has a rotation at Methodist, located in the medical center in Houston. So to cut down on him having to drive to and from in traffic (as I did for a year) we decided to live at my parents house, less than 5 miles from the med center. This will be awesome, because we will have my parents to help. But it will also be an adventure for everyone. We will be getting use to having a new baby in our lives and my parents will go from empty nesters to having a married couple with a newborn living under their roof. Good thing my mom has ear plugs to sleep with ;) But I am very excited to have their help and we are extremely thankful that they are letting us stay with them for the month!

Now back to returning the gifts. I took only about 5 items back to Bed Bath & Beyond and received over $200 in store credit, which I learned we will be able to use at the soon to be opened Buy Buy Baby! What perfect timing! I knew procrastination would come in handy at least once in my life ;) So I decided to return to other stores as well.

Felt like I was really earning Greg and me some money so I decided to go and spend a little. There is a Carter's very close to our house and I have been dying to go in there, but have stopped myself as I knew I would go crazy. As I pulled up the windows were covered in posters advertising their Labor Day Sale, every 50% off!!! Are you kidding me, PERFECT!!! So I dared to enter, and what is the first theme of clothes that I see, Bulldog theme! I couldn't resist all the little adorable outfits for our little man! So I might have bought a "few" things. But Greg couldn't get mad because 1-it was bulldog theme, too cute to get mad at 2-it was all 50% off 3-I was using the credit card that gives us points. He says thats how I justify spending money to him, earning points. Thank you Venture card.

So here are pictures of Nolan's growing bulldog theme wardrobe!

 A zip up jacket with a onesie and pants

 Best Buddies onesie

 Button down polo shirt with Best Buddies onesie and corduroy pants

 Collared onesie and sweatpants

 Coverall, perfect halloween color

 I LOVE the footies on these coveralls

 He has to have a little prep in his wardrobe

Velour coverall, in case its cold in Houston ever

Can't wait to meet our little guy, and put him in all his adorable outfits! He will rock the bulldog look almost daily :) Thank you Carter's! 

Torrential Downpour

The final piece of furniture has arrived. However, it was an adventure trying to get it in the house :) I went last Saturday when Greg was post call to pick up the hutch from the distribution center in Sugarland. I needed his car and then needed him to be home to unload it. As I approached League City I saw very dark clouds and kept praying that it was south of us and the rain would not fall on my new hutch in the uncovered back of the truck. I almost made it. As I exited the freeway the clouds parted and a torrential downpour started. I started freaking out because Greg was still sleeping, I could not move the box, and we had no covered parking! I pulled into our driveway and constructed my amazing plan. I put flattened, used boxes covering the hutch box so they would absorb the rain. Then I cut open trash bags to cover those boxes because I didn't know how much it was going to rain. As I finished my master plan I noticed the rain that had already accumulated in the bed of the truck was seeping up the bottom of the box. So I HAD to wake Greg. I definitely don't like waking my hibernating bear when he is post call. But he was so wonderful and came out immediately and brought the box inside! I felt so bad waking him up early. He thought all my efforts were awesome but silly too.

Long story short, we got the hutch inside! And now I can show you pictures of it all put together!

Here it is...the final major piece of furniture...the hutch!

The right side of the room

The left side of the room, with a few new pieces

Notice the bulldog mobile mom bought! 

As well as the bulldog decal on the wall :)

I am so excited to see it all coming together! Now to just hang the bookshelves, curtains and fan. I'll keep you posted!

And, while on our anniversary vacation time Greg & I went to his family lake house. We were driving in to town to grab lunch and saw a road sign, Nolan Rd! We had to stop and take a picture. Then I got to thinking. Lauren had given me a picture frame that we wanted to put a picture of Lane and Nolan together in. So I had my friend Corey touch the picture up and I am so excited with how it came out. Our boys together, even if its just their names. 

We are in the final stretch

We have hit the final leg of this race we call pregnancy. I am now 30 weeks and I get to go see the doctor every 2 weeks. Its so nice because by the time I get around to telling everyone I know all the good news from one doctor appointment it's time for the next appointment with more updates! It is so fun!

We went to the doctor on Tuesday. His heart rate was great, 155 bpm, I am finally on the weight gain track and am averaging the normal 1 pound a week. We also got to have a measurement ultrasound to see an approximation of how big he is. Based on the measurements he is measuring 30 weeks 2 days, and I was 30 weeks 3 days, so perfectly on track. He is measuring about 3 pounds 7 ounces. Greg looked up online how this could possibly predict where he will be at birth. Nolan should double weight by full term, 37 weeks, and that would put him at 6 pounds 14 ounces. I can definitely do that. However, he will probably come later and we estimate if he comes at 40 weeks then he could be at around 7 pounds 7 ounces. I am thinking I can do that, as long as he doesn't go much bigger. I canNOT do a 8 plus pound baby. So we shall see how nice my little boy will be to me, his mommy. I want him to be tall like his daddy, but am all for him growing once he is out of my uterus :)

We have decided to get a pool going on multiple things concerning Nolan. You can guess as to date of birth, time of birth, weight and height. Just post your guesses and we will see who wins! I am guessing he will be born October 12th at 10:17 pm weighing 7lbs 1oz and being 20.5 inches long. I don't know why I feel those numbers but I do. Let's see how good my mother's intuition is already. No matter what he will come out being he must fit into this...

Greg and I decided before getting pregnant even the first time that He gets to "brainwash" the boys towards UT and I got the girls for Baylor and/or TCU :) Nolan better start practicing putting his horns up now!

Now on to the nursery. We have added some bulldog touches. Here are some pictures!

I purchased the prints from etsy and bought the frames from Aaron Brothers. 

I painted the trim grey to match other grey accents. 

I ordered the bulldog print from etsy and again the frame is from Aaron Brothers. 

I cut the print too short so I had to add ribbon to cover the extra space. Oops. 

Now we are just waiting on the hutch! I can't wait. I love sitting in the room and admiring where our little boy will sleep. I can't wait to see him and be able to hold him and rock him to sleep in the room, change his diaper and just play with him in there.