THE FIRST MONTH

Where did this month go?! I feel like I have been in a daze the past month. So many things have changed and I can't imagine my life any other way. Aside from maybe 3 or 4 days/nights, Sawyer has been such a happy baby! The past week he started to get fussy and one night I even worried about colic, but he's always been a bit gassy so nothing a few gas drops and gripe water can't help. From losing too much weight at the hospital, he sure has taken a liking to momma's milk. Sawyer is weighing about 8.5lbs and is still in mostly newborn clothes. This past week he did wear a few 3 month outfits with rolled up pants and sleeves. He loves his binky and being swaddled and cuddled. Sawyer does great throughout the night and usually only wakes us me up once. I know they say babies don't really smile yet, but I swear he did last night and then tonight when I was doing the same thing with him he started smiling again! Like I said, he's a pretty happy baby as of now. Because he's been so happy, it's definitely made it easier for this momma to heal from surgery and adjust to this new life. I finally stepped back on a scale today and found out I am already a few pounds less than my prepregnancy weight so that's an added bonus.

I made this video the other day of our hospital stay and I already see so many changes in our little boy.

Sawyer Lynn-Birth Announcement from Malarie Studebaker on Vimeo.

A funny fact: During the actual video of Sawyer's first bath at the hospital the nurses have the radio playing and so all you hear is Toby Keith's "Should Have Been a Cowboy" so this will now be Sawyer's song.

I could cuddle him all day long! I love staring down at that perfect little nose and precious lips!!

My favorite memory from this month: On our first outing to Joplin for one of Sawyer's doctors appointments we had to make a few stops. During one of the stops Ryan stayed in the car to watch Sawyer. When I got back he said Sawyer spit up but no big deal. Okay, well as soon as we got home we both go in to change his diaper and what Ryan thought was spit up was in deed a blow out. Ha. Ryan then leaves the room and leaves this diaper change to me. Thanks, babe! Fast forward to the one night feeding Ryan had that night... Ryan went to change Sawyer's diaper and all of a sudden he said he started feeling wet--everywhere--on him and all over Sawyer but had no idea what was happening (side note-Ryan can't really see anything without his glasses on). After he ran back in our room to get his glasses, he finally realized what was happening. HAHA! Oh the adventures of having a baby boy. So it looks like taking the blow out was the better choice.

At two weeks old, we finally got around to getting some newborn photos done. Ryan and I actually weren't going to get them done, but after some coaxing we did. The gal who did our engagement, wedding, and birth announcement video also does photos with her mom, Patty Jessee. It was our first time trying out their photography side of the studio and I couldn't be more happy with the way they turned out. See for yourself!

1 Samuel Chapter 1 (26-27) "...I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord."

Throughout the day I praise and thank God for our little miracle. Last year at this time I was starting to give up hope on having a baby on my own. After a few more months of being patient and a month before having to see a specialist, it was finally God's timing to bring Ryan and I a baby. I can't thank God enough for this gift and answered prayer and for also trusting me to raise another child of His. I pray that I am able to raise Sawyer in a way that is pleasing to our God and that he will someday choose to put on the full armor of God to live for Him.

I know of so many people having babies right now and it has been neat to talk with them about what is working for them and how it is going. Some who haven't had their babies yet have asked me to keep track of must haves and so I decided to keep track of things monthly for them, but mostly for a reminder our next go around. These are some things that have been life savers or just really nice to have this first month.

Kiinde Twist System-My cousin Ashley has been my go to for all my baby questions and so I heard of this from her. I love this because it is so SIMPLE to use and you don't have to deal with the hassle of tons of bottles accessories. These bags hook directly to my pump and then Sawyer can be fed straight from the bag. NO mess, score! Ashley said she had trouble with other brands of bags getting leaks and this brand was much better for her. So far we haven't had any, except for when I gracefully knocked one over before I could put the lid on it. Whoever said "there's no use crying over spilled milk" obviously never had to pump milk for their baby. Seriously though, if you haven't already invested in all the bottles and other stuff, check them out!!! They also work if you are formula feeding so they aren't just for breast feeding/pumping mommas. There is a video on the link that you can watch. For me, it was a no brainer.

 Kiinde Twist System

Skip Hop Chelsea Diaper Bag- When I started looking at diaper bags I knew I wanted a backpack style bag. This wasn't the original bag I drooled over, however now that I have it I absolutely love it. Even though the inside is huge, there are still organizational pockets so it's not just a giant black whole. But honestly, my favorite thing about it is probably just the way it looks. I love carrying it wherever we go!

Skip Hop Chelsea Diaper Bag

Boppy Newborn Lounger-One of my coworkers raved on and on about this. I never ended up putting it on my registry and just figured I could make due without it. WRONG! Thank goodness she ended up getting it for me. Thanks Loren! It has been such a lifesaver. And the elephant pattern is pretty cute. Of course all I want to do is cuddle my baby boy, but lets face it, our arms get tired and there are tons of stuff I have to get done. This is when the lounger comes in. My parents even swear by this already. Do yourself a favor and add this to your registry NOW. Or come borrow mine after a few more months. You can thank me later.

Boppy Newborn Lounger

Starting Out Pajamas- Our cousin, Jennifer, from Wichita sent us the absolute cutest baby package the week we got home from the hospital filled with goodies and lots of pajamas/lounge outfits. Although all the outfits quickly became my favorite, I fell in love with the several ones she sent that were this brand. They are SO soft and adorable! Any time I have had him lounging around in these outfits and others have seen him, they have always said how cute they were. I may be sending her a check to go buy more. I love that they are open at the bottom with elastic. That makes diaper changes so much easier than messing with the buttons and making sure they are lined up correctly at 2am when you are still half asleep. Plus, these pj's elastic is more giving than some of the other brands we have with elastic at the bottom.

Starting Out Pajamas

Carter's Swaddle Blankets- We got these two blankets as a gift from family and I absolutely love them. They are so soft and cozy. We have quite a few options for swaddle blankets but every time Sawyer is swaddled by his daddy it is always in one of these blankets. Ryan is the swaddle master! These blankets are pretty big, super soft, and even though they are pretty lightweight, they are still warm.

Carter's 2-Pack Babysoft Swaddle Blankets

Honest Diaper Wipes- Okay so I have heard many different reviews on the Honest Company, but so far I love them! Of course I like them because they are all natural, organic, and yadda yadda, but the reason they are listed as a favorite is because of their smell. Sounds silly, but a few weeks ago I opened up a package of another popular brand and I couldn't tell if the stinky diaper or the smell of the wipes was going to make me gag more. EW! That right there was enough to make me a fan of the Honest wipes for life. If you do want to try them, they will send you a free sample and use this link if you do so>>>Refer a friend

 Honest Diaper Wipes

Now, for one more picture...I am so happy Abby and Sawyer get along. Abby has always been super protective of me, but she has quickly figured out Sawyer is pretty important as well and so she doesn't leave his side for long. When she goes to lay down next to Sawyer, he often just stares back at her as if he is comforted. It's the cutest thing! Well, that and the Denver Bronco's attire. Obviously Daddy wasn't around to dress him Saturday morning.

40 Weeks

Baby Stu is here!!!

A little late post..but I'm sure those with babies understand.
My LAST chalkboard photo on week 40 (February 16th) and Sawyer was a week old! Sawyer decided to make bless us a week earlier, which means a week more of our life to love on him.

Thursday, February 9th I woke up early because like I had been saying--sleep was already nonexistent. I decided to take a shower, shave my legs, actually fix my hair somewhat, and put on a full face of makeup-including my faithful Lipsense. My mom walked in our house (we moved in just 2 days prior!) and announced it would be baby day. Ha! I laughed her off and said it wouldn't be because I actually got ready and baby day would probably come when I hadn't showered and wasn't ready at all. She insisted it would be that day because in the ultrasound we had done just a week before it measured Baby Stu and gave him the due date of the 9th. I still laughed her off. My mom even snuck this photo of our precious Abby girl that morning.

After I got around to work I was talking with a coworker about how to speed up the process and ways to get labor started. This led to her bringing in an exercise ball for me to sit on during the day. Haha, it was quite comical. Well throughout the morning I had been feeling a little off, but I wasn't exactly sure why so I decided to call my doctor's office at lunch and planned on going over after school just to get checked out. They told me to be there by 1:30, which required me to leave work early. I snuck out and didn't make a big deal about it because I just knew I would be back for work on Friday.

Flash forward to 1:30...I drove myself over with my mom with me (she planned on going to get her nails done afterwards) and told Ryan not to worry about coming. My doctor was actually on call at the hospital and the doctor in the office said I was dilated to a 4 but thought I was in active labor so I should head to the hospital for my actual doctor to make the call if I should stay or not. I was still not getting my hopes up and was still planning on being at work the next day.

I got to the hospital and when my doctor came in to assess me she said I was now dilated to a 5 and my blood pressure was high (mine has always been low). That's when she decided to keep me. Was this seriously happening?! I called Ryan and said he better head over because it was the real deal. I was still in disbelief. This was probably about 2:30?

Not long after they started getting me hooked up to monitors and the dreaded...IV. I have horrible veins and many of you will probably not believe me, but 21 POKES later I finally had an IV in my arm. That was honestly the worst part of my experience. On the 12th poke they said if it didn't work they were going to do a Picc Line. Well the 12th poke worked (that eventually changed). Side note-the nurses were so sweet and were feeling pretty terrible. They called in everyone they could think of and get to try. At that time the nurse said it would be best to go ahead and get my epidural since I was now at a 6 with contractions 2-3 minutes apart...I still felt nothing really. After the epidural, things moved so fast and were kind of a blur. That's when my doctor came in and suggested a C-Section due to a few things that could cause complications.

They quickly took me back about 6:00 for the surgery and it wasn't long after that my dreaded IV stopped working. At this point they had already started the surgery so they had 2 people poking my arms at the same time rushing to get another IV started. My poor veins!!! 21 pokes (altogether) later they quickly got Ryan and Baby Stu was born at 7:05.

I can't say enough nice things about my doctor, labor and delivery, and recovery nurses. Some of them even came back to visit me the next day to check on how we were doing. They all made the process seem like a breeze and were so caring. I had premade some baskets of goodies for those that helped care for us while in the hospital as well as those that came to visit and celebrate our little peanut! Our nurses definitely deserved more than peanuts and M & M's.

Now onto a picture overload of Sawyer's first week of life...

 

I can't believe how much hair Sawyer was born with. He will be rocking a mohawk for awhile. 

 

Abby has done so well with Sawyer. The other day when I had Sawyer laying in front of me Abby snuck in a big lickin' on the side of Sawyer's face and then laid down next to us.

Sawyer's FIRST holiday! Happy Valentine's day! He got to meet one of his friends, Amyx, who is just a month older than him. As you can see, they got along great. Amyx reached over and made it look like they were holding hands.

Ryan thinks Sawyer sleeps just like me. He takes 5 minutes to stretch and has the biggest yawn.

I know babies technically don't smile yet, but these grins we get every once in awhile makes my heart melt!

I could never of asked for a better Daddy to Sawyer! For the 24 hours after Sawyer was born, my IV arm was strapped down to a board so it wouldn't mess up which made it nearly impossible for me to change Sawyer's diaper or nurse him on my own without Ryan's help. For someone who has never held a baby or changed a baby's diaper, he was a natural.

...and so our greatest adventure begins!!

38 Weeks

IT'S BABY MONTH!!!

So back at my 36 week appointment we got some crazy news. I was measuring 40 WEEKS! It was exciting but kind of scary because our house still had several things to be finished to be able to move in. My doctor definitely didn't have a poker face when she was measuring and checking me out. I think she looked more surprised than I did. That appointment she stressed all the signs to be looking for and she told me either I would be having a very large baby (whole new level of scared) or it looks like baby will be coming early! I called my nail girl that day and moved up my pedicure appointment just to be safe that my toes would be pretty for the day. Wouldn't you?!

Well, here we are 2 weeks later and still no baby. I am pretty patient and I still feel really great, so I am okay if Baby Stu decides to cook a little longer. However, the whole 10 pound baby thought kind of scares the daylights out of me! After my appointment this Monday my doctor wanted to do another ultrasound to check up on some things and give me a piece of mind with the size of baby even though the weight measurement can be a little off. We found out that Baby Stu was measuring at around 7lbs 4oz but was still measuring a week or two ahead of my due date-2/16. We also found out he has HAIR and we still never got a good face shot because he was sucking his thumb. The ultrasound tech was so amazed at how he was so focused on his thumb. It was precious!! So now we play the waiting game.

I seriously can't believe it's February already and that he could be here any day! Just hopefully not tonight because I scored a couple Eric Church concert tickets for Ryan for his early birthday present since we will be pretty busy with baby on his birthday at the end of this month. He will come back home tomorrow and so Baby Stu can come anytime once he is home! Or if he wants to wait until after Saturday, that would be great too because we are finally getting to move in our home!!

 I love celebrating all holidays so I am kind of hoping he will decide to come before Valentine's Day!

How far along? 38 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 20 lbs.

Maternity Clothes? A mixture of everything--maternity, large shirts, Ryan's clothes, and lots of leggings.

Stretch marks? This past month a few have shown up. Darn!

Sleep: Let's just say I feel like a zombie walking around most of the time since I lack so much.

Best moment this week: Tuesday I had an impromptu ultrasound! 

Miss anything? Sleep and being comfy in bed.

Movement: I still feel quite a bit of movement from our little guy. 

Food cravings: Sonic ice and chocolate shakes. 

Anything making you queasy or sick: BBQ

Have you started to show yet: Yes, and most of my students now jump at the chance to pick things up on the floor for me--SCORE!

Labor signs: I've noticed a contractions/BH the past two weeks.

Belly button in or out: It is still pretty flush with my belly, but not popping out just yet.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on, yay! Luckily I am really not too swollen except when I wear my flats all day and then my ankles swell. Otherwise, all is great!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but I have my moments. I think that's due to lack of sleep. 

Looking forward to: Moving in our house this weekend!!!

36 Weeks

So on my 34 week post I said that something I was looking forward to was a friend having her baby any day and that my other friend was due at the end of the month. Well....both babies are here and healthy!! On January 12th Taylor had her beautiful baby girl, Amyx, after a rough 38 hours of labor and on January 14th by BFF Carly had her handsome baby boy, Luke, after having her water break the night before. She had such a quick delivery thankfully. Both babies are doing great as well as the new mommies and daddies. Now...I have to wait 4 more weeks! Seeing these two babies here makes me that much more excited!! However, I don't feel miserable at all. I actually feel pretty great aside from being exhausted so I am not too anxious for Baby Stu to get here. Although I wouldn't object to him coming to meet us a little early, I'm okay with him cooking a little longer.

35w1d    35w5d

I seriously feel like I have a basketball pumpkin inside of me! And I am supposed to continue to grow for 4 more weeks?! Oh Baby Stu, I am just not sure how your momma's belly is supposed to get any bigger!

Now that I officially announced that we bought a fixer upper in my post earlier this week (Babymoon), I can start sharing all of the exciting news with that. I haven't been able to help out as much as I hoped since much of the stuff I can't be around, to heavy to lift, or just too difficult with a basketball belly, but Ryan has worked so hard on getting the house ready and perfect to bring home Sawyer to. Ryan and I's dads have also put in so much hard work. This fixer upper would not be possible or able to be fixed up so fast if it weren't for these 3 amazing men. Like I said, Sawyer Lynn will carry the name of some of the most incredible men I know and love. While these boys have been hard at work along with some other helpers we have had along the way, my mom has helped me make countless Home Depot and Lowes trips. I am just about sick of those places so I am glad I have a sidekick to go with me!

How far along? 36 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 18 lbs.

Maternity Clothes? A mixture of everything--maternity, large shirts, Ryan's clothes, and lots of leggings.

Stretch marks? Ugh..I think a few have shown up this past week. Oh well, I am certain Sawyer is worth it!!

Sleep: Sleep? What is that? I sure hope I can get some good sleep soon because I know it will be even more nonexistent once Sawyer arrives.

Best moment this week: Last weekend when I got to meet baby Amyx and Luke!!!!

Miss anything? Currently, sleep!

Movement: Sooooo much! I honestly don't know what is going on in there sometimes. 

Food cravings: Milk and Sonic ice still.

Anything making you queasy or sick: BBQ and last night Ryan wanted to eat Chinese and that sounded pretty gross.

Have you started to show yet: Yes. My students aren't sure how I haven't had my baby yet. They ask just about daily when the baby is coming.

Labor signs: Still not sure. I have a ton cramping on my side but it isn't really anything you can time like BH or contractions. Once the pain starts, it continues for awhile. Other than that I have noticed that I have started to drop a little bit more.

Belly button in or out: It is pretty flush with my belly so I am sure in the next week or two it will officially pop out.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on, yay!

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy, but I have had my moments this past week. 

Looking forward to: My doctor appointment Monday. I am curious if I have progressed at all. 

Babymoon

After rescheduling and planning a vacation about 5 times, Ryan and I finally just took off for an adventure. This was originally supposed to be our 1st anniversary trip then 2nd anniversary trip and with other things that kept popping up, it never happened. We knew if we didn't just pack up and go, we would never get to take a much needed trip. Especially once Baby Stu arrived. We chose to go to one of my favorite places, Savannah, Georgia. It is such a quaint town with tons of historic charm. A perfect place to relax and unwind. Just what we needed before the hustle and bustle of the holidays. I hadn't realized how busy and stressed I was until we got there and I shut off my email and ignored my calendar that basically decides my every move. It was such a nice getaway where many sweet memories were made.

Savannah has 22 historic and beautiful squares. Ryan and I walked through a few one morning while sipping on our hot (decaf) coffee. It was the perfect fall day. I am pretty sure if we had Baby Stu with us in a stroller he would have loved it. So charming! Forsyth Park is probably one of my favorite places just because of how big it is and the beautiful water fountain.

One day we had planned to make the short drive to Tybee Island to see the lighthouse and eat breakfast. As we left we found out the bridge was closed. Talk about a let down. Instead we decided to be spontaneous and headed out to Nashville for the last 24 hours of our trip.

Although we only spent 24 hours in Nashville, we made every minute count. We hit up yummy places to eat, saw beautiful murals, visited historic attractions, and did I mention places to eat?! I can't wait to go again some day to go to all the food places we didn't make it to!

The first stop we made when arriving in Nashville was The Pharmacy.  I am not a huge burger person, but the burger and fries were delish! I had a yummy root beer to drink that I am sure would have made for one amazing root beer float.

For supper we ate at a place downtown just off the strip. It was a place that we just kind of ran into and for the life of me I can't remember the name. Ryan and I ended up ordering the same thing, mac-n-cheese with spicy chicken. YUM! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Whenever we get the chance to go back to Nashville, we will be finding this place again.

After supper we headed over to Bobbie's Dairy Dip to feed my ice cream craving. We heard it was the best and it most certainly was!! Ryan enjoyed watching me attempt eating the ginormous dipped cone. I ate every bite!

The next morning we stopped quickly by the famous Bluebird Cafe for a snapshot in the dark before heading to The Pancake Pantry for breakfast. Next time we are that way, I hope to stop by the Bluebird while it is actually open. For those that love the show Nashville as much as I do, I know you understand! Now back to food....at The Pancake Pantry I had pancakes with a pecan butter and syrup. Oh my did it hit the spot. Once again, this Nashville eatery did not disappoint and is another highly recommended place to stop by.

After breakfast we made the long trek home. Nashville, we will be back for you!!!

EXCITING NEWS!!!

We bought a house! This actually happened during the car ride home from this Babymoon adventure. It was very spur of the moment and spontaneous because we had just started the building process on our forever home on our land in the country. Ryan and I have always wanted to build our home in the country and our dream was just about to take root, but God had other plans. For now, the building is put on hold for the next couple years. We decided with having Baby Stu in short while, building a house would just be too stressful for the time being. On the way home my dad called us with a crazy idea of purchasing a home as a fixer upper that wouldn't take as long as a new build and honestly, the deal was just too good to pass up. I know God had a hand in bringing this opportunity towards us because the house we bought wasn't even for sale and everything has worked out perfectly in my eyes.

This house had been setting vacant for awhile in my parents quiet neighborhood (that happens to be a perfect place for a little family) because of a house fire. The house had always been a rental and since the fire, the owners hadn't done anything yet. Come to find out, when we called to ask about purchasing the home, they had plans to start fixing it up in a few weeks! Thankfully for us, they were willing to sell the home and make the process super smooth. Since the first week of December we have been doing renovations in the house just about daily. However, we officially signed on the home TODAY! So that is one reason I have been waiting to post this entry. I wanted it to be official, although in a small town like ours word gets around rather quickly and most people already know that we bought the house.

Some of the people that have found out have kind of acted like we were crazy to purchase a home that had a fire, but honestly it hasn't been too bad. Also, Ryan and my dad both work construction so they knew the what we were taking on when starting the process. The fire mainly took place in the garage with minimal smoke damage throughout the house, which made it easier to repair. But....if you are a HGTV and Fixer Upper fan like me, you would redo more than the minimal damage.  Ryan did put a halt to tearing down any walls (haha!), but I did get him to put a hole in the wall for a built in  cabinet! Even though we just signed the papers to make it official today, we have done a lot of work. Our original goal was to be in by February 1st, but it may be the next week. Ultimately, before Sawyer gets here so hopefully he cooks just a bit longer! Things are going really fast though and I can't wait to post some awesome before and after photos when everything is done. For now..a sneak peek because I LOVE our flooring! They haven't even put in the grout yet, but I couldn't resist snapping a picture.