1 Year Ago

One year ago today, we found out that we were going to be blessed with this little guy.

It was truly an amazing day. We had been trying to conceive for about nine months. I was beginning to think that something was wrong. I had an OBGYN appointment scheduled for September and was going to talk to the doctor about our trouble then.

I had been charting for most of my cycles since coming off birth control. I actually thought we were out this cycle due to what I thought was poor timing. I had started a new job that week so even though I was sad that we probably did not conceive, I thought it was probably for the best.

A couple days before, I had mentioned that the onions on my salad must be very strong because they smelled more than usual. I also noticed that I could smell my yogurt but did not think much of it. One of the girls in my training class jokingly asked if I was pregnant because of my super smell. I denied it but she got my wheels turning. I did not want to get my hopes up due to the disappointment of previous months. My previous luteal phases were usually 11-13 days long so when I got to be 15 DPO, I decided to take a test for the heck of it. The comment from the girl in my training class kept nagging at me but I still fully expected the test to be negative. When David got up at 5AM for work, I decided to take a test. I took the test while he was in the shower. David went about his morning routine and while he was eating, I went back to check on the test.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw the two lines. I immediately took it out to show David who was eating his peanut butter toast. I did not say anything. I just showed him the test. He looked up at me with a smile on his face and asked, "Really?" I nodded yes and we hugged and kissed. It was not the creative reveal that I had imagined; however, I would not trade it for the world. I am so glad that David was home when I took the test. It would have killed me to sit through training all day without telling him.

And that my friends is the story of the day we found out that we were going to be the parents of a sweet bundle of joy.

(I will add a few more photos later. I am on my mom's computer so I do not have all of the pictures that I would like.)

Owen's birth story- Part 1

I have decided that it’s time to sit down and write out Owen’s birth story. I enjoyed reading birth stories near the end of my pregnancy so hopefully others will benefit from this. I also want to make sure that I do not forget the details of that day. I had a slightly traumatic experience but it brought my beautiful baby boy into my life so it is something I never want to forget.

Warning: If you are squeamish about bodily fluids, needles, or birth related grossness you may want to skip this post.

Owen’s birth story actually begins on April 28, one day after he was due and two days before he actually arrived. Sometime in the afternoon (I’m not really sure when because I thought I was imagining things), I felt like there was a little more moisture than usual when I would wipe after going to the bathroom. I had read that women often experience increased discharge near the end of pregnancy so I continued about my day. I had my doctor take me out of work the week before due to some blood pressure issues so I just kind of relaxed and talked to my little guy trying to convince him that it was time to come out.  At my appointment just the day before my doctor had done an internal and said that she would probably be seeing me for an appointment the next week. As the afternoon became the evening I was not feeling very well so I decided to lie on the couch while David and I watched TV. I was starting to think that the wetness might have something to do with leaking amniotic fluid because every time I would stand up there would be a little gush. However, I was still not 100% convinced. I had googled my symptoms and found the suggestion to wear a pad for an hour. If it was soaked, my amniotic fluid was leaking. If not, it was probably just discharge. I was not soaking a pad an hour. It only happened when I went from laying down to standing up so David and I decided that we should go to bed and see how things were in the morning.

I did not sleep very well that night. I kept having this nagging feeling that I was leaking so I woke up every hour or two to go to the bathroom and check. Around 2 AM, I noticed a little blood when I wiped. I got a little excited knowing this was probably bloody show but I also knew that it could still be a while. I debated calling into the doctor but I was afraid that they would tell me to get checked out and I would be sent home. I really didn’t want to subject my husband to that since it was the middle of the night and could possibly he last night of good sleep for a while. So, I decided that I would call the doctor as soon as they opened in the morning. At that point I tried to go back to sleep.

 I was still having trouble sleeping so I decided that I would get up when David did since it also happened to be the day of the royal wedding. Under any other circumstances I probably wouldn’t have watched; however, it was exciting to know that this could also be the day that my baby was born.  I was able to doze off for a little while after the wedding. When I woke up, I called the doctor’s office and as I had suspected, they wanted me to come in. My appointment was at 10:45 so I showered, put my bags in the car, and ate some breakfast on the way in. I also called David (who was at work) to tell him that I was going in so that he would keep his phone on him. When I got to the doctor they used a little swab to see if I was indeed leaking amniotic fluid. If it stays yellow there is no amniotic fluid. If it turns blue, there is amniotic fluid.

 It turned blue.

My doctor was not the doctor on call so she wanted to talk to the one who was before telling me what to do. The other doctor was in with another patient so my doctor finally told me that she thought I should go over to the hospital which is right across the parking lot. She asked me if I wanted to call my husband but instead I asked if I could go get him. Her jaw pretty much dropped to the floor. Looking back it does seem kind of crazy but I was not having strong contractions, was only about a centimeter dilated, and David only works five minutes down the road. She laughed and told me to go ahead but said that I should not make any more stops. The nurses all congratulated me on my way out and I started to get excited. I called David and told him I was on my way. I then called my mom to let her know that I was going to be admitted to the hospital. She knew that we did not want anyone else there but told me to call if I changed my mind. I quickly (but carefully) drove down the street to pick David up and then we turned back to go to the hospital.

We checked into the hospital at 11:59 AM on April 29. 

Here we go again...

I am pretty sure I could be one of the worst bloggers ever. You see, I have had two other blogs. The first was when my husband was deployed in 2008. It was a great place to share and vent but then he came home. The second was a general blog but mostly focused on fashion and beauty. I think that failed for a few reasons but it was mostly a time factor.

 I hope this does not discourage you from reading. What makes this time different?  I certainly don’t have much more time as I have a 12 week old baby. However, I do have a true passion. I am truly passionate about being the best wife and mommy possible. I plan to do this by finding a balance of family, fitness, and fun (hence the blog title).

I intentionally listed family first as I believe that is the most important part of my life. My husband, son, and dog mean everything to me. David (the husband) and I were married on December 8, 2007. I never thought I would have a winter wedding. Now I wouldn’t change it for the world. On that perfect day I married the love of my life. About a month after our wedding, David had to leave for deployment training. In March 2008, he deployed to Afghanistan. He was gone until the following January. That was by far the most difficult year of my life. I would have never gotten through it had it not been for Charlie (the dog). Charlie entertained, loved, and cuddled me while David was gone.  Once David returned it was business as usual. We worked, we played, we occasionally argued. We hit a bit of a rough patch but after many discussions, arguments, and a little more effort things were better than ever. In September 2009, we decided that it was time for our family to get bigger. The next month I went off the birth control pill and we started trying to conceive (TTC). It took a little longer than normal but nine months later we found out that we were going to be parents. On April 30, 2011, Owen David entered our lives. He has been the biggest blessing in our lives.

Owen is one of the biggest reasons that fitness is so important for me. I have not always enjoyed fitness. In fact, as I child I would walk the mile in gym class because of my severe asthma. As I have gotten older, fitness has started to play a bigger role in my life. Last summer I began the Couch to 5k program and was planning to run a local 5k in September. That was until I found out I was pregnant at the end of August. I did not continue running during my pregnancy but I was fully committed to resume after Owen is born. It is extremely important to me that Owen realizes the benefits of an active lifestyle. I know that it is not enough to simply tell him, I must show him.

Finally, we all need to have fun. Just because I am a mommy doesn’t mean I can’t have fun. I get so frustrated when I see friends on Facebook only talking about their children and nothing else. I hate to see people give up the things they love just because they have a baby. Owen is amazing but I did have a life before him. I do not want to lose my sense of self just because I have a child. I don’t think that is healthy for me or for him. Because of this, my goal is to balance being Mommy and being Becky. Hopefully this will become apparent through this blog.  So, I hope you will stick around and see what I have to offer despite my track record with blogs.