Hey all,
Here's a quick update on us:
We had a fun Sunday! Carrie woke me up around 7 AM and said she was pretty sure she was in labor. I, being the loving and perfect husband that I am, rolled over and went back to sleep. She, being the loving and perfect wife that she is, didn't wake me up again and let me sleep another hour.
About 8:00 I rolled out and guiltily walked into the front room where she was sitting with the huge kitchen wall clock in her lap and was timing contractions. At that point I decided I better start to play the role of good "support" person so I sat down and took over the clock duty. She would say when to start and when to stop and I timed those suckers perfectly. How could I be wrong with such a huge clock? If anyone ever needs some help doing that, just let me know... They started about 10 minutes apart and weren't too intense but after a while they were about 5 minutes apart and getting stronger.
I still hadn't packed my bag because I was still in denial that anything was ever going to happen so I hurried and threw some stuff together and we grabbed the car seat, bags, and jumped in the car. While I didn't doubt Carrie at all, everything felt so unreal and I thought for sure there was no way she was actually in labor yet. So in the back of my mind I was planning the rest of the day and thinking about how I was going to comfort her if she found out that those contractions weren't really contractions.
Well, they turned out to be real and they got stronger as the first few hours at the hospital passed. She was admitted after proving herself worthy to be there by changing (though not a ton initially). The changing then started to happen fast so it's a good thing they didn't send us home. There was a bit of a scare when the baby's heartbeat dropped because of some strong, close together, contractions (thanks to a bit of Pitocin). They had to give Carrie a shot that stopped the labor and then it was a bit of a slow process getting them started again. We got in at 11:30 in the morning and by about 7:45 Carrie made me go downstairs and grab some food for myself. They had just checked her and she wasn't really progressing much and they were actually thinking about a potential c-section if things didn't start moving before midnight or so. I ran down real quick and got back fifteen minutes later and she was feeling like the baby was ready! We called the nurse and she came in and sure enough, to everyone's surprise, the baby was right there and ready. They called up the doctor and Carrie took about 45 minutes to do what they call "rest and descend" where the mom can rest, and nature can work on the baby for a little longer before pushing. She did such an awesome job and the baby was here after not too much pushing and the rest is history!
She was born at 9:35 PM, weighs 7 pounds 1 ounce, and is 19 inches long...
After checking out the little one for a while, we decided to name her Shayla Riis Laudie. Shayla because it's a perfect name for her, and Riis, which is a family name. It is was Carrie's Grandpa Francis' middle name and after hanging up our family history pedigree chart from my Aunt Marilyn, we realized that it's a name on my side also. My Grandpa Dalton's great grandma was a Riis. I think we'll have to do some research and see if there are any connections in our family lines way back there.
We like her name a lot and most importantly it fits this little angel perfectly.
She's perfect.
Not too much else to tell except that as of last night we are home and enjoying having her with us! She's in the middle of a nap right now that is going on 4 hours. If she could only plan those during the middle of the night it'd be awesome!
Lots of Love,
Jon, Carrie, and Shayla
July 29, 2009
July 17, 2009
Harry Potter 6
Well, I went on an awesome day date with Carrie this morning.
We went to the first showing of Harry Potter this morning at 9.50 over in Orem at the University Mall Cinemark. We got there a bit late and were planning on catching the second showing but decided that the previews would have probably just finished for the first showing and they told us it wasn't sold out so we decided to give it a try. It was pretty full when we walked in but Carrie found the perfect 2 seats. The handicap ones right at the perfect height and smack dab in the middle. Score for us walking in late, eh? I leaned over to her and said of anyone in the room she was probably the most qualified to be sitting there in those seats. As for me, it was just another benefit of having a pregnant wife.
The movie was awesome! I think it was very well done, though it skipped a lot from the books. Because I read it I was able to fill in the gaps and I think it was great. It seems like the actors dig a little deeper into their characters each movie and they keep getting better and better. There were definitely a few spots that made us jump and I was hoping it'd spur labor or something. No such luck....
Still no baby.
Still not to the due date though, so no complaints yet.
Anyway, we give the movie 4 and a half stars and definitely recommend!
We went to the first showing of Harry Potter this morning at 9.50 over in Orem at the University Mall Cinemark. We got there a bit late and were planning on catching the second showing but decided that the previews would have probably just finished for the first showing and they told us it wasn't sold out so we decided to give it a try. It was pretty full when we walked in but Carrie found the perfect 2 seats. The handicap ones right at the perfect height and smack dab in the middle. Score for us walking in late, eh? I leaned over to her and said of anyone in the room she was probably the most qualified to be sitting there in those seats. As for me, it was just another benefit of having a pregnant wife.
The movie was awesome! I think it was very well done, though it skipped a lot from the books. Because I read it I was able to fill in the gaps and I think it was great. It seems like the actors dig a little deeper into their characters each movie and they keep getting better and better. There were definitely a few spots that made us jump and I was hoping it'd spur labor or something. No such luck....
Still no baby.
Still not to the due date though, so no complaints yet.
Anyway, we give the movie 4 and a half stars and definitely recommend!
July 15, 2009
The Humble Abode
This post is for Liz (and everyone else who hasn't seen our new apartment)
The best part of course is the baby's room. We're really excited for her! She'll be here any day!
What not to say to your wife when she's pregnant
So we had dinner tonight with friends and I told them some of the amusing mistakes Jon has made this pregnancy. I told them I was tempted to write about it on the blog and they asked me to.
Lisa this one is for you.
This post is intended to help husbands out there from making the same mistakes. These comments from Jon were usually met with raised eyebrows, and a questioning look. If he didn't realize at that point the mistake he had made then I would make one of two statements: "Would you like to rethink that" or "What are you trying to say". At that point he had fair warning that he was on dangerous ground.
Here are some rules to follow:
1. The word "bigger" or any words like it are never good in ANY stage of pregnancy. Never, never, never, never, never.
For instance : "You're WAY bigger than so and so". Yes, unfortunately, this comment did happen. Twice. Poor Jon. Somehow it was meant as a compliment. Somewhere in this pregnancy he got confused with the idea that I wanted to be "bigger" than I was.
2. This brings me to my second point: When comparing her to another pregnant woman she always looks SO much better than any other woman does!
3. To clarify Jon's confusion on the "bigger" thing. Early in pregnancy I would often ask him if he could see my "baby bump" (This is a phrase that is good for all men to learn) The reason behind this was not a desire to be bigger but to clarify whether I looked fat or pregnant.
Trust me she knows more than you do that she is getting bigger. Using that word or any like it will have one of two side effects. She will either dissolve into a puddle of tears, or be angry, and you may find yourself on the couch for a very long time.
I am fully aware of the fact that every part of my body is bigger. From my face to my hands to my feet, and everything in between. I do not need anyone else to point it out to me. Unless there is a health concern related to the comment, it is probably best to just keep it to yourself.
Every girls hope is for the stomach to grow and nothing else. In fact, I would be perfectly happy if somehow the baby would grow without ME having to grow.
4. Don't make plans to go out of town the last month of her pregnancy. Jon and I agreed early on that come July we would stick around Utah county since I am a ticking time bomb. Sometime in June he made the mistake of telling his family that he thought it would be a great idea for the boys to go on a camping trip without consulting me. Suddenly I was put on the spot and he missed the fire in my eyes when I said, "Whatever. But if you miss the birth of your child it's your own fault."
Later we had a "discussion" that was our closest to getting in a fight ever. It ended with a nearly hysterical pregnant woman on the verge of tears saying: "I'm sorry that this pregnancy is so inconvenient for you." (If this isn't an obvious one the pregnancy is never more inconvenient for the man than the woman.)
Just avoid making plans and if you want to do something discuss it with her in private. This is a good rule to follow in marriage as well, not just pregnancy.
5. Never assume you know what she is going through, or that you could do it better. Her body is changing in so many ways so rapidly that there is no way that you have any understanding of what she is going through. Jon made the mistake of saying this to me in jest in front of his mother... For those who know Shannon you know that he escaped within an inch of his life.
A few nights later after overeating Jon made the comment something to the effect of how bloated and uncomfortable he felt. My response was "Welcome to my life"
6. Let her nest. Yes nesting is real. Don't think she can put it off until the last minute. First of all who knows when that last minute will be. Second I couldn't imagine trying to shop for everything the week before I'm due. Walking is excruciating at times. The pain I would feel from standing would have taken all of the fun out of shopping for little girl outfits.
This was another time when at between 7 and 8 months pregnant he once again had a nearly hysterical wife on his hands because every time I tried to buy something for the baby he told me to wait. In his brain we had more than enough time and he wanted to wait and see what we needed after the baby shower. In my mind she was coming and I had almost nothing.
7. Don't make fun of her early in pregnancy for standing in front of the mirror sideways and looking at her belly. By the end of pregnancy she'll be avoiding standing sideways in front of mirrors. She is excited for this new little thing and it's usually at this time that you may here her ask if you can tell she's pregnant. You will win big points if you look at her and say something like, "What a CUTE, LITTLE, baby bump." Before she asks.
8. Jon and I are near the same height. At some time late in pregnancy I started weighing more than him. (We aren't going to say when it happened just that it happened late in pregnancy) Trust me it was traumatic. Don't make fun of her. She already feels like an unattractive whale. If anything now is the time to put on the sympathy weight.
** one thing he did right was the next doctors visit when I was weighed I just looked at him and said "You don't want to know" He scored big points with me and the nurse when he said "I don't care. I think you're beautiful." Under her breath we heard her say "good answer". And it was.
In all fairness I haven't given my husband enough credit. Other than a few misplaced comments and a male mindset on money he really has been wonderful and supportive. What I'm not telling about are the countless back rubs and compliments he has made along the way. Along with so many simple acts of love and service that make him wonderful. A few mistakes here and there really aren't a big deal. Plus he lets me make fun of him on a blog.
Lisa this one is for you.
This post is intended to help husbands out there from making the same mistakes. These comments from Jon were usually met with raised eyebrows, and a questioning look. If he didn't realize at that point the mistake he had made then I would make one of two statements: "Would you like to rethink that" or "What are you trying to say". At that point he had fair warning that he was on dangerous ground.
Here are some rules to follow:
1. The word "bigger" or any words like it are never good in ANY stage of pregnancy. Never, never, never, never, never.
For instance : "You're WAY bigger than so and so". Yes, unfortunately, this comment did happen. Twice. Poor Jon. Somehow it was meant as a compliment. Somewhere in this pregnancy he got confused with the idea that I wanted to be "bigger" than I was.
2. This brings me to my second point: When comparing her to another pregnant woman she always looks SO much better than any other woman does!
3. To clarify Jon's confusion on the "bigger" thing. Early in pregnancy I would often ask him if he could see my "baby bump" (This is a phrase that is good for all men to learn) The reason behind this was not a desire to be bigger but to clarify whether I looked fat or pregnant.
Trust me she knows more than you do that she is getting bigger. Using that word or any like it will have one of two side effects. She will either dissolve into a puddle of tears, or be angry, and you may find yourself on the couch for a very long time.
I am fully aware of the fact that every part of my body is bigger. From my face to my hands to my feet, and everything in between. I do not need anyone else to point it out to me. Unless there is a health concern related to the comment, it is probably best to just keep it to yourself.
Every girls hope is for the stomach to grow and nothing else. In fact, I would be perfectly happy if somehow the baby would grow without ME having to grow.
4. Don't make plans to go out of town the last month of her pregnancy. Jon and I agreed early on that come July we would stick around Utah county since I am a ticking time bomb. Sometime in June he made the mistake of telling his family that he thought it would be a great idea for the boys to go on a camping trip without consulting me. Suddenly I was put on the spot and he missed the fire in my eyes when I said, "Whatever. But if you miss the birth of your child it's your own fault."
Later we had a "discussion" that was our closest to getting in a fight ever. It ended with a nearly hysterical pregnant woman on the verge of tears saying: "I'm sorry that this pregnancy is so inconvenient for you." (If this isn't an obvious one the pregnancy is never more inconvenient for the man than the woman.)
Just avoid making plans and if you want to do something discuss it with her in private. This is a good rule to follow in marriage as well, not just pregnancy.
5. Never assume you know what she is going through, or that you could do it better. Her body is changing in so many ways so rapidly that there is no way that you have any understanding of what she is going through. Jon made the mistake of saying this to me in jest in front of his mother... For those who know Shannon you know that he escaped within an inch of his life.
A few nights later after overeating Jon made the comment something to the effect of how bloated and uncomfortable he felt. My response was "Welcome to my life"
6. Let her nest. Yes nesting is real. Don't think she can put it off until the last minute. First of all who knows when that last minute will be. Second I couldn't imagine trying to shop for everything the week before I'm due. Walking is excruciating at times. The pain I would feel from standing would have taken all of the fun out of shopping for little girl outfits.
This was another time when at between 7 and 8 months pregnant he once again had a nearly hysterical wife on his hands because every time I tried to buy something for the baby he told me to wait. In his brain we had more than enough time and he wanted to wait and see what we needed after the baby shower. In my mind she was coming and I had almost nothing.
7. Don't make fun of her early in pregnancy for standing in front of the mirror sideways and looking at her belly. By the end of pregnancy she'll be avoiding standing sideways in front of mirrors. She is excited for this new little thing and it's usually at this time that you may here her ask if you can tell she's pregnant. You will win big points if you look at her and say something like, "What a CUTE, LITTLE, baby bump." Before she asks.
8. Jon and I are near the same height. At some time late in pregnancy I started weighing more than him. (We aren't going to say when it happened just that it happened late in pregnancy) Trust me it was traumatic. Don't make fun of her. She already feels like an unattractive whale. If anything now is the time to put on the sympathy weight.
** one thing he did right was the next doctors visit when I was weighed I just looked at him and said "You don't want to know" He scored big points with me and the nurse when he said "I don't care. I think you're beautiful." Under her breath we heard her say "good answer". And it was.
In all fairness I haven't given my husband enough credit. Other than a few misplaced comments and a male mindset on money he really has been wonderful and supportive. What I'm not telling about are the countless back rubs and compliments he has made along the way. Along with so many simple acts of love and service that make him wonderful. A few mistakes here and there really aren't a big deal. Plus he lets me make fun of him on a blog.
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