One Month Old

Boston is one month old!

He loves music, with his favorite artists being Katy Perry, Ke$ha, John Mayer, and Jack Johnson.
He is constantly grunting, even in his sleep.
He loves having his feet rubbed by Grammy and when Grandpa does his special whistle.
He HATES having his bottle taken away, even if he is finished.
He is making tooting noises with his mouth. He is a power pooper!
He loves Christmas lights (or any lights).
He doesn't like having his arms swaddled when he is awake.
He looks confused and scowls the majority of the time.
He loves taking showers.

Our little guy is growing up too fast!

A Few Thoughts

I just wanted to write about a couple things I've learned since little Bos has been home and write about a few experiences. The first thing is that little boys will pee on you every time you change their diaper. There have only been a couple times where I have changed Boston that he hasn't peed all over me. The first couple times I couldn't grab anything to cover him fast enough and pee went spraying across the room, hitting walls and Boston's face while I frantically try to grab a diaper or wipe to change him. We have been through so many outfits it's insane. So my mom taught me a little trick. She puts the clean diaper under the dirty one, lifts the dirty diaper off from the back, wipes him while still covering him with the dirty diaper, then hurry as fast as you can to fasten the clean one. That is the most successful method so far.

The second thing is that laundry feels like it's a daily thing. From having to wash wet onesies, dirty breast pads, my own clothes, and milk covered burp cloths it feels never ending. It does end, you just have to stay on top of it.

The third things is that sometimes babies start to fuss and they don't need anything. They just want to fuss for a minute and they are okay again. I learned this fast after we brought him home. He would start crying all the time at night and I would be waking up every ten minutes to see what he needed. I learned to just let him cry and if he didn't stop, then I would get up to help him.

He has been the sweetest thing. I love having him around. It's so hard not to just cuddle him all the time. He doesn't like sleeping in his bassinet and would only sleep in his swing for a while. I think it was because he was so used to being held. He is just so precious. I was watching Cody hold him the other night and they were both asleep. It was a little bizarre to see how similar they acted. It's just a miracle to have a little baby that is a mixture of Cody and I both. I am amazed that we created someone so special.

Cody and I went out with Tacy, Enoch and Emily on Saturday to see Catching Fire and we left Boston with Grammy while we went. It was fun, but I was so excited to get back and hold my boy. I got sick somehow after though. Yesterday morning I got really bad diarrhea and was throwing up. I didn't have a fever but had chills so I thought maybe I just had food poisoning. Today I felt fine until about 10:30. I got such bad shivers and couldn't get warm. I showered and was still cold. I took my temperature and it was 101.3. Luckily, Boston didn't have a fever. I was told to take Tylenol, sleep and drink a lot and just be very careful around Boston. That's hard being a stay at home mom and I'm the one who takes care of him the majority of the time, so my father-in-law came over and watched Bos until Cody got home. I got to sleep and sweat it out.

I'm so grateful everyday for the amazing people I have in my life that help me everyday. I feel like I should be better at being a mom, but since I'm not and need the help I'm so glad I have the family I do! My sweet husband is so great too. He cleans up the house when I sleep and just loves Boston to death and will play with him all the time. I couldn't have been blessed with a better family.

Boston's Birth Story

So I've briefly written Boston's birth story in his baby journal, but I wanted to write more detail on here. Everything started at 7:45 on November 16, 2013. I had to use the restroom and as I was walking to the bathroom I felt like I wet my pants. I thought that was weird so I just went to the bathroom and there was a gush of water. I knew it was my water that broke so I went and got my phone and had a text from Cody that said, "You should just go into labor right now." It made me laugh and I texted him back and said, "Actually I think my water just broke." I called my mom and asked her what I was supposed to do. She had me call the doctor and Cody rushed home from work. We got everything packed up and left for the hospital.

When we got there I got checked and sure enough I was in labor. I was a little over one centimeter dilated and 80% effaced. I couldn't feel any of my contractions still, so around 10:00 they had Cody and I walk for an hour. I was almost 2 cm after that but wasn't progressing fast enough so they started me on a Pitocin drip. I started feeling my contractions after that. They were about 3 minutes apart and started out lasting about 30 seconds. After a few hours they lasted a minute to a minute and a half. After 12 hours of Pitocin and some awful contractions I was only at 4 cm. My midwife was concerned because if your water breaks they want the baby out within 24 hours (preferable 18 hours). I was in so much pain so I told them I wanted some Fentanyl (a pain killer given through the IV). I got 1 1/2 doses of that and finally told my mom I wanted an epidural right now. I don't remember this, but Cody said she asked if I wanted her to leave the room so Cody and I could talk about it first. I just said, "I know how Cody feels about it. I want one." So they gave me an epidural and I felt great!

I remember my midwife talking to me and I could hardly keep my eyes open. She told me to take a nap and she would be back to check on me in a little bit. I slept for about an hour and then could tell my contractions were coming on stronger. I kept having Cody push my drip button for me. They checked me again and I was finally at 8 cm dilated. Just a little after that I was 9 cm and felt the urge to push. My midwife came back and she told me that I would probably be pushing for an hour to an hour or two. I remember thinking, "If I have to push for 2 hours I am going to kill someone." I spiked a fever of 100.4 degrees after I started pushing so they put a strong Tylenol like medicine in my IV and it went back down quickly but they were worried I had an infection, which meant Boston might have an infection too. I pushed as hard as I could and my sweet baby came out about 20 minutes later.

The first thing I asked my midwife was if he had a cone head. Who knows why I was worried about that! She said no, but when she held him up he definitely did. I just cried and cried. I guess the cord was wrapped around his neck when he came out, but he was okay. One of the nurses was trying to get him to cry, but he would only let out two little cries at a time. He finally stuck the booger sucker thing way up his nose and he started screaming. It made me so sad seeing them trying to get him to scream. Cody and a nurse gave him his first bath after I held him for a minute, but then they had to get the rest of everything out of me and stitch me up because I tore on the inside. It seemed like forever before I got to hold him again. He was a perfect 7 lbs 5 oz and 20 inches long. Those long 15 hours of labor were so worth it to see my little man.

They were worried he had an infection though so they started an IV on him in his ankle. They taped it up like a little cast so it would stay there. The first night was a little rough, but it was good. Then Sunday night we sent him to the nursery so we could get some sleep and they would bring him back for feedings. Well we were the only patients in the labor and delivery unit and around 4:00 in the morning we hear an alarm go off saying Code Pink. That means a baby is missing. We knew it was for Boston so we both shot out of bed. Cody went up to the front to find out what was up and I was so nervous I hobbled to the door and a lady wearing black came walking by me. She asked if I needed help and I said, "No I just heard Code Pink." She said, "Okay!" and kept going... I was so mad. Cody came back and said everything was fine, he just had a sensor on his foot that if it wasn't touching his skin it would set off the alarm. They were doing blood work and it set it off. After that we got Boston back and didn't want him in the nursery anymore.

We were supposed to get discharged on Monday, but some of his blood work needed to be looked at after 48 hours and it had only been 30. So I got discharged and could room in. Basically I wasn't a patient anymore, but I could stay until Boston was discharged. We sent Bos to the nursery again that night and I woke up around 11:45 and thought he should be back to eat by now. I tried going back to sleep but couldn't so I got up and was walking around. A nurse asked if I wanted to see him and I did. I went to the nursery and there were two nurses trying to insert an IV into his head. It was so sad! Apparently, the IV in his ankle was bad so they needed a new one. The hospital got ridiculously busy so one nurse left to go help another patient and the nurse still working on him asked if I would come hold his head so he wouldn't move. It was really upsetting to see him like that. So he got the IV in his head and the did the antibiotics.

Tuesday morning Boston's doctor finally came and discharged him. Cody and I were so excited! We got everything ready and booked it out of there as fast as we could. Having him home has been one heck of an adventure. Cody and I are so in love with him already and family on both sides adore having him around. It's tough being a mom but I'll get the hang of it eventually.

Week 37

Well, I am hitting my 38 week mark on Sunday. On Monday when I saw my doctor, I was a definite 1 cm. dilated and 50% effaced. She said that was really good for a first baby. I am starting to get very, very uncomfortable though. I'm anxious to get this sweet boy out and to have him join our family.

We have cleaned our whole apartment, set up the Christmas tree, bought everything for Boston, and are just anxiously waiting now. Now that he is full term, it's harder to wait patiently. So we decided to start trying some of the natural ways to induce labor. We have walked, had me bounce on an exercise ball, and just bought a bunch of things from Target and WalMart. We got castor oil (yuck!), evening primrose oil, raspberry leaf tea, and pineapple. I am attempting to eat the whole pineapple, have downed a cup of the tea, and just took some castor oil. I mixed half a cup of Coca-Cola with 2 TBS of the castor oil and honestly that wasn't too bad at all. I drank it easily, but you still get the castor oil after taste which is really, really gross.

I'm pretty much scared to death of what may come next with the oil, but if it brings our son into the world I'm all for it! Cody has bought the songs I need for my labor playlist, my bag is packed, baby's bag is packed, and the car seat is in the car. I have trained my replacement at work and this is the first night I haven't been extremely nervous of if I go into labor. Maybe it's a sign, maybe I'm just done being pregnant. Who knows! Either way, let's get this process moving! I'll blog later about if any of this worked.

Week 34

Well, only 3 more weeks until I am technically full term. I can't even express how excited I am!

I feel like Boston is getting much bigger. He doesn't grow outward now though. Like my doctor predicted, he is now growing out the sides. It makes me a little self-conscious but it's okay. I just have to remember that it's mostly baby. I have stretch marks all the way around and they reach just above my belly button now. Boston is starting to keep me up at night. When I lay close to Cody's back Boston will kick up and down Code's back and bum. It's funny. I think he knows it's his daddy and wants to play. His kicks are getting harder and it gets harder not to pee my pants when he punches my bladder. The Braxton Hicks are getting a little more painful everyday.

I finally switched doctors. Cody and my mom convinced me. I now have Eve Blair at Lone Peak Hospital. I feel SO much better about labor and everything now. She is so sweet and explains everything perfectly. Instead of just saying, "No you don't have toxemia" she explains why I don't. So I can get rid of that worry. I did find out, however, that my platelets are low. They like to have them between 140-200 and the first time I was tested, I was at 146. The second time I was in the 120's somewhere. Eve told me that if I wanted an epidural and my platelets were low during labor, I wouldn't be able to have one because of risk of bleeding. I'm grateful I haven't been planning on getting an epidural because I would be livid if I went into labor planning on that pain relief and being refused. That's something Dr. Nippert "forgot" to tell me I guess.

I have been having very severe anxiety about labor and after meeting with Eve I feel much better. I am glad Cody's schooling is almost over. I don't do very well alone. I find myself not wanting to do anything and feeling really sad. Since I have a history of depression I have tried to be careful not to fall back into it. I feel happy most days, but when I can't be with him it's really hard.

Last thing! Cody was such a sweetheart and moved the apartment around so we have a studio type apartment. Our bed is out by the fireplace now and what was the master bedroom is going to be the nursery now. I feel so much better! It's still heck trying to keep the place clean but I am getting better at it.

That's all I have this time!

Week 32

I wish I had more informative things to write today, but mostly all I have are thoughts. Cody is at school again, like usual when I blog. It's been harder for me when he is at school because I honestly don't have any friends. I spend most of the time he is gone attempting to clean the house, reading Catching Fire, or watching Grey's Anatomy. This isn't the most productive and I usually don't get very far cleaning the house because I get tired and achy. So today I am going to write my thoughts and do something a little new.

I have my last two week appointment on Oct. 21 with my doctor. Yesterday I went and my doctor had been called to a delivery so I got to see a registered nurse. I actually liked her better than my doctor. My doctor's obsessions with the gas in my stomach is getting obnoxious and she talks about it like it's a huge concern. It's not. She also has been telling me to watch for my mucus plug (sorry if that's too gross) and when I mentioned it to the RN she said that it's not a big deal and only to be concerned if I am having patterned contractions, bleeding, or the baby isn't moving. She was so informative and nice! I am going to find a new doctor for future babies. I also passed my glucose test. I had to be under 130 and I was at 100. Yay! I still get sugar.

Boston is moving like a champ. His legs are getting strong and I'm pretty sure my ribs are getting weaker. He's starting to wake me up at night. Maybe I'm more tired because of that or maybe I'm getting too lonely, but either way I think I am becoming more sensitive. I have been stressing too much about the baby weight that is now attaching at every curve. I stress about losing my insurance after he's here. I stress about my job because I hate working there and the 7 hours I'm there is miserable for me with the exception of a good day here and there.

I need a hobby and I'm pretty sure I need a friend to chat with. I feel bad if I get one though because I'm sure I'll talk their ears off. It's a good thing I only have just over 50 days now because I'm getting tired of being pregnant! I just want my baby now. I want to be a mommy doing real mommy jobs like changing diapers and feeding him and rocking him to sleep. I cramp all the time and can't see my toes or bend over hardly at all anymore. I have stretch marks up past my belly button and down the back of my thighs, rear end and chest. I would love to do things with more energy and get a body that can tie a shoe on it's own.

I know that Boston is worth it and I wouldn't trade him for anything! I just am tired of waiting. Cody will be out of EMT school soon enough and I can hopefully get a grip on things a little better when I have my best friend back with me more often. Sorry for the jumbled blog post, but there's the update!

Week 29

I'm getting closer and closer to my 7 month mark! I can hardly wait. But with that, each day gets more and more uncomfortable. When I was trying to get pregnant and before I told people I was pregnant, people would tell me how much fun it was to be pregnant. They said it was the best feeling in the world and that I would just love it and they wished they could be pregnant all the time! Well, much to my dismay, it isn't as fun as they made it sound. Just a warning to anyone who may come to me for pregnancy advice in the future: I will tell you the truth and it might make pregnancy a little scary, but at least you won't expect only fun and games until labor.

Since my torso is so little, my sweet Boston is finally growing out my sides. Today was really the first day it was really noticeable. Yesterday, he was sitting low finally but tying my tennis shoes was an impossible task. Cody is the best husband and helped me. Today my muscle cramped and I looked at my tummy and sure enough it was wider than I remember it being. I feel like I complain a lot on my blog about this pregnancy. I apologize for that! I really am so grateful that I am pregnant but this is one way I get my feelings out.

Other than the muscle cramp and the growing restlessness, I really am so grateful for this little boy that my Heavenly Father has trusted Cody and I with. It's been a testimony builder honestly. It has helped me realize that I finally get to be a mommy and that's what I have wanted almost more than anything else. It shows me how much my Father in Heaven loves me. And on the nights where I am so sick or have leg cramps or just can't sleep, I find myself praying harder than ever. My little son is teaching me so much already. Mostly how I desperately need the Gospel in my life. I knew that already, but I tend to forget my prayers and scripture study. Boston is a reminder, especially lately, to never forget to include Heavenly Father in my life.

I found a song a little while back and I may have mentioned it on the blog already, but if not here it is. It's called "I Get To Be The One" by JJ Heller. I found it on Pandora I think and just knew this was mine and my little boy's song. This is the only good version I could find on YouTube so I'm sorry it's not an exciting music video or anything, but enjoy!

Week 28

Well not too much is new. I had my last 4 week doctor's appointment. I see her every two weeks from here on out. My next ultrasound is at either 32 or 34 weeks but was told I don't see much because he is so squishy. I have my gestational diabetes test next appointment. Poor Cody has his birthday that day. We had already taken the day off so it just worked, but I hope we can get in and out of there quick (that's what she said... haha sorry, couldn't help myself). The thought of drinking that glucola or whatever it is makes me sick to my stomach. I just hope it comes back negative.

Apparently, since my torso is so short Boston is going to start growing out horizontally since almost all the room vertically has been taken up. People have told me I don't look pregnant from the back, but I guess that'll change here soon enough! As for symptoms/cravings, I just want ice cream and sweets all the time. I have heartburn like you wouldn't believe after everything I eat. I have my muscle cramp, which is also because I have such a tiny torso according to the doctor. I'm just being pulled in all directions and that muscle can't take it so it hurts. I am swollen and have back pain but that's normal. It's the best when I can feel my little boy roll across my stomach. It almost feels like when you get butterflies going down the hill of a rollercoaster. It's amazing though. I am absolutely petrified for labor. I have the Braxton Hicks contractions that aren't even that intense yet and it hurts. We'll see how I do when it comes down to the real thing. Let's see the other things are the stretchmarks continue to spread and I am developing red freckles like my mom. She says just to blame Boston but that might just be hereditary.

I love being a mommy so far. I look forward to holding my son in just a few weeks (11-ish now). Despite all the things that you can complain about with pregnancy it's really an amazing thing. I feel so blessed every time I feel the little man kick or hiccup. He is such a blessing!

Just a warning to everyone, I may be blogging more frequently. Cody has started EMT school and is gone at school 16 hours a week in addition to 40 hours of work a week. That doesn't include the hours of homework he has afterwards. I may be really bored and writing helps me be distracted a little. It's only his second day of school tonight and I feel a little lonely and bored. I can handle 7 more weeks of this right? Anyways, that's about all the update I have for now!

Week 27

Cody and I went down to St. George this last weekend with my Aunt Ingrid, my mom and my sister. It was such a good weekend. We needed a break after the last little stressor we had. Over the weekend we went shopping and got a 3-D ultrasound at Baby Breath Studios. Cody was so good to me and let me get whatever I wanted and took me on a date. He was so cute too when we looked at baby things. He found a little sock set that are Air Jordans for Boston. We also got a cute little monster blanket. I love seeing him get all excited over our little boy.

Saturday we went to the studio and had the ultrasound done. I was told to have orange or apple juice before the appointment so he would be awake. Well we were running a little late for the appointment and all we could find in the car was a Redbull. I had a sip or two thinking that could take place of the juice (I know, I'm horrible for drinking caffeine). Well Boston wasn't just awake, he would NOT stop moving. The woman doing the ultrasound was so funny trying to coax Boston into holding still. She kept telling me I had REALLY good fluid too. Haha I don't know what that means but apparently it makes Boston a very clean baby. She told me this about 50 times. Also, she says he is a really big baby for 27 weeks. Still hoping he comes a little early!

Since we couldn't get very good pictures from our jittery baby, she set an appointment for Sunday so we could have our free second appointment before we went home. I followed the instructions this time and she told me to only have water, no sugary drinks. Well this time Boston was sleeping. He had his legs up by his ears and wouldn't move. Since he is a boy his little man parts were covering some of his face with the position he was in. The woman kept telling me, "He is very confident with what he has. Girls like that." All I could think is this boy is going to be trouble! Haha he better be a little less confident later in life so we don't have issues. We did get some cute pictures though. Here are a few of them.

His hand up by his face

Front of his face

A cute 2-D profile shot

Sucking his thumb

My favorite 3-D picture we got

Everything has gone pretty well though. No serious pains. I am starting to sleep less with his movements in the night but I'm just grateful I can feel him. The one thing that concerns me is I am still really swollen and on the right side of my stomach it feels like I have one ab muscle trying to hold everything up. It wasn't so bad before, but now it'll start pulsing and just ache throughout the day. I have my appointment soon (with insurance!! WOO!) and I'll ask the doctor then. He seems like a happy, healthy boy though!

Week 26

The past couple weeks have been a little scary and exciting at the same time. We found out we didn't actually have maternity coverage when we were told we did. So for the first 6 months of my pregnancy I haven't been covered. Cody and I just keep praying for Sept. 1 to come quicker so I will have coverage.

Little Boston has been such a joy but continues to give us scares every now and then. I was walking on the treadmill and got very sharp pains so I stopped for a little bit and they went away. I got back on and walked slower and they came back and didn't go away. I went to work but a couple hours in it still hurt to stand and walk. I came home and luckily the pains went away that night. I probably should have called my doctor about it, but due to the problem mentioned earlier I didn't want to. He hasn't given us a problem since!

He does all sorts of flips and rolls in my tummy. It's been so much fun to feel him. I have even seen my stomach move as he does sometimes! Of course I'm still the only one because he won't let anyone else see. He does let his daddy feel him move more often though. I also got my first stretch mark on my stomach (where I believe stretch marks belong... not on my thighs...) and was really excited to have one where it was supposed to go!

I am so grateful for this little baby my Heavenly Father has blessed Cody and I with. Even though I am getting to the point where it's more uncomfortable than ever, this is such a miracle to experience. We are so excited to meet our little boy! We want him to be healthy, but can't help but make wishes for him to come early!

Week 23

This week has been great so far! Boston is finally moving more again. I can feel him kicking inside hard. It doesn't feel like the little flicks anymore. Now it feels like there is a thumping in my stomach when he kicks instead. I could feel Boston kick my hand, but every time I would have Cody feel, Boston would stop. The second Cody moved his hand Boston started kicking again. Yesterday we were helping my grandparents move and Boston must have been mad or something because he was kicking really hard. I put Cody's hand where he was kicking and FINALLY Boston kicked for him. The smile on his face was priceless. He looked so happy and his eyes lit up. I love my two boys. I am the luckiest mommy and wife in the world. I can't believe God has blessed me with such a wonderful life and the greatest people to live with.

Week 22

Once again, it's been a little bit. I'm not the best blogger in the world. But here is an update on little Boston. I am pretty sure he is doing well. We had our 20 week appointment and he is definitely a boy. He was moving like crazy. I could feel him move all the time but once I started telling people I could feel him move, he got shy. He doesn't like to kick hard anymore so I can feel him.

He is about 11 inches long and 1 pound. He is measuring from head to toes a little further than my original due date, but not enough to change it. My tummy measured 21 weeks when I was 20 so hopefully he keeps growing fast and we'll get a November baby! He didn't want us to see his hands at the appointment either. He was too busy relaxing with his hands behind his head. He is going to be such a cute kid though.

I've been getting a little sick again, but nothing too bad. I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow because I've been having some cramping and my hands are really swollen. Hopefully nothing is wrong! I'll get another update going after that and post pictures once I scan them in. We got a lot! For now here is a picture of how my tummy has been improved.This is from the first week we found out to about 21 weeks.

Same shirt and everything! It's crazy people still say sometimes that I don't look pregnant. Haha I guess they didn't know me in the first picture. This little boy is growing quickly! We can't wait for him to get here.

***UPDATE***

So I went to the doctor and the cramping is probably just my ligaments stretching and they aren't worried about that. As for the swelling, they think it's my sodium to water intake. So now I have to really watch what I eat and only have about 2 grams of sodium (2000 mg) a day and drink more water. That should make the swelling go down and if it doesn't, then I guess we take it from there! Boston's heart is beating like a champ and I'm starting to feel him move a little more again.

***20 Week Ultrasound Pictures***

Some may look like duplicates but they are all the pictures that were printed for us.

Week 16

I have finally reached four months! Our last appointment went well. She only did a heartbeat check though so I was a little disappointed. We wanted to find out the gender. We were supposed to go up to Kamas with the Caldwell's right after our appointment so we were a little bummed. We called Fetal Studios at the mall and they didn't have an appointment until later and we couldn't wait. We found somewhere in Provo that would do it so we drove up there and found out what we are having.

We get a little baby boy! We are naming him Boston Kay Caldwell. I thought it was a girl and was kind of hoping it was so I was surprised how excited I was that we are having a boy. I was almost in tears. It was so fun to see him kick on the screen. I can't feel anything inside me yet, but I know he's there. He's making me get rounder too instead of just looking "a little thick."

I don't have any strange cravings so far. The biggest one was the strawberry rhubarb pie. I still can't eat salad though and smells make me so nauseous. I still get sick about every other night right after dinner and before bedtime. I am back in the office for work though so that's good. We are almost halfway there. Cody and I are both so excited. Cody is just ecstatic it's a boy and can teach him sports and go fishing and do guy things like that. It's going to be really fun. I am so anxious to see our little boy!

Here are the pictures from the ultrasound at 15 weeks when we found out the gender.

Week 12

Cody and I found out we are having baby number one in late March (I think it was the 26th). I had my first ultrasound last Friday, the 17th, and I am now nearing the end of week 12. My doctor gave me the due date of December 1, 2013. I was sick since week 5 but am finally starting to feel better I think. I crave any fruit (but especially rhubarb) and most vegetables that aren't included in a basic salad. My sense of smell is off the charts. I still have to hold my breath to open a spice cabinet or the refrigerator. I think I'm starting to get a bump, as my pants don't button any more, but it's not noticeable to most people yet.

As for the ultrasound, we got to see our little baby for a few minutes. He/she moves a lot! When our doctor was showing us the baby it would flail it's arms and legs the whole time. It was hard to get a heartbeat because my doctor would find it and we could hear it for a couple seconds, but then the baby would flip over and we would have to find the heartbeat again. I joke and say we have our little ADHD baby. I don't feel any movement yet inside me, only little cramps. Cody and I can't wait to have our little baby here in a little over six months!

Here are the pictures from the ultrasound. Some look pretty similar so I'm sorry if it looks like there are repeats.

11 Weeks and 5 Days