Elliot Brooke Hendrickson

Our little girl arrived the day after her due date - March 4, 2015.  She came at 10:53 AM, weighing in at 7 lbs. 2 oz. and measuring 19 in. long.  She is perfect in every way - from the tip of her smooshed, crooked nose to the tips of her tiny toes! 

Just a few minutes old.

Right after her birth she was having some trouble breathing so she was put on a CPAP for about 5 minutes.  It was hard not to be able to hold and snuggle her right away, but I am grateful she didn't have any other real serious issues.

We had lots of family come visit us while we were in the hospital (and over the next few days).  I am glad Ellie is so cute and took most of the attention because I was looking pretty grubby for those first couple days... or weeks. Ha. 

We were only in the hospital one more night after she was born.  We were all very anxious to get out of there.  After all the usual tests and checks and a quick sponge bath, we were free to go! 

She did NOT like her bath...

But she LOVED when daddy washed her hair. 

She is so tiny! And I love it when she opens up her little peepers!  Can't believe how much she has changed our lives already.  

Labor Story

My official due date was March 3, 2015.  We woke up excited and anxious, but not too hopeful.  My last checkups and shown no signs of labor, and how many babies actually come on their due dates?  It was one of two snowy days we had had all winter.  Something I think will be neat to remember.  I started my day like normal -  shower, breakfast, etc.  It was about 10:00 before I realized that I hadn't felt any movement from my usually super active jelly bean.  Being a hormonal, tired, crazy soon-to-be momma, I instantly began to think the worst.  I tried to calm myself down by telling myself that she was just probably taking a morning siesta.  I went about my business, but tried to pay closer attention to the bump so I wouldn't miss any jitters.  After about another hour without feeling anything, I was really starting to get worried.  I tried drinking orange juice (something that always made her wiggly), walking around, etc - still no movement.  I called my sister and asked her what she would do.  I was hesitant to go to the doc/hospital because I didn't want to be one of those pregnant women who ends up going to the hospital four or five times before they're actually admitted.  She basically told me to stop being stupid and that it was better to be safe than sorry.  So I called my doctor.  He wasn't in the clinic that day, but his PA, Brooke, told me to come in and they would do some monitoring (since I refused to go straight to the hospital).

When I got to the doctors, they strapped the monitors to my belly and began tracking baby's movements - they were doing what they called a "stress test."  We sat there for about 30 minutes listening to the baby and watching the machine make squiggly lines on the paper.  Brooke came in and said that she needed to call and discuss the results with Dr. Burgette and then we could decide what to do from there.  After the phone call, she came back in and said that Dr. Burgette wanted us to go to the hospital for more monitoring.  As we were leaving she said, "I don't think you'll need to rush home for your hospital bags or anything."

Since Brooke had made it seem like we shouldn't be in a hurry to get to the hospital we decided to stop at Arby's on our way there.  We had a nice little lunch watching the snow fall and stuffing our faces (this pregnant girl can eat!).  After lunch, we headed over to the hospital.  When we got there at about 3:30 they immediately took us to a room and had me change into a gown.  Soon a nurse came in and started preparing an IV.  This confused me.  I thought I was just there for monitoring?  So I asked her... "What are the chances of us going home?" She responded, "Oh, you're not going anywhere.  You're having a baby." What a crazy feeling!  We were going to have our baby!  FINALLY! The nurse explained that because I was so far along in my pregnancy and the baby was obviously under some sort of stress that was causing decreased movement, it was just better to be safe at this point and induce my labor.  She finished my IV, hooked my belly up to the monitors, and gave me Cytocec - a pill that would "ripen my cervix" (isn't that lovely?).  A while later (8:00) they started my Pitocin and we were on our way to parenthood!

Labor is painfully slow - especially when you're so anxious!  I started getting steady, consistent contractions rather quickly, but was very slow to dilate.  After 4 hours I was only at about a 1.5.  Adam and I watched Leverage on Netflix to help pass the time.  My parents came to visit that evening just a little before 9.  At this point my contractions were pretty painful.  I was happy to have them there and have my dad and Adam give me a blessing, but I was also pretty excited for them to leave so I could get my epidural.  I wanted the juice!  The epidural process wasn't fun, but I definitely think it was worth it.  It was a silly feeling being completely numb.  After the epidural, Adam and I tried to get some sleep while I labored through the night.  It was hard to sleep with the monitors on my belly and the stupid blood pressure cuff digging into my arms.  I had a chronic cough that caused the monitors to slip and lose the babies heartbeat so they had to be adjusted about every 30 minutes.  Between the monitor issues and dilation checks it felt like there were always people coming in and out of the room. Needless to say, it was a very restless night.

That morning when I had finally dilated all the way, we knew we were getting close.  The only issue now was getting the baby to drop lower into the birthing canal.  They tried putting me in all sorts of positions in order to help move her down.  This was the most painful part of labor - they called it "rest and descend."  I felt so much pressure and wanted to push so badly.  It was also probably pretty painful because my epidural medicine was wearing off right at the same time.  I tried not to give myself more because I wanted to be able to feel enough to push.  After she had finally moved far enough down, it was time to push.  I pushed for about 3 minutes and then they told me I needed to wait for the doctor to get there - she was coming to fast.  We waited for the doctor to drive from the clinic to the hospital (15ish minutes that felt like 15 years!).  Once Dr. Burgette got there, I pushed about 4 more times and she was out! She was here! Totally worth every minute!

Pregnancy

This will be a post that I will periodically update to help myself remember all the fun things that one experiences during their first pregnancy...

Week 8:  First doctor's appointment
After having multiple dreams/nightmares (pregnancy dreams are trippy!) that we were having twins, it was nice to confirm that there is just one little bean growing in there.  It was so neat hearing the little heartbeat for the first time!  Official due date has been set for March 3rd, 2015.

Week 11:  First ultrasound - 8/14/2014
First time actually seeing our little human!  Ultrasounds are officially my favorite.  I wish I could get one everyday.  Baby is measuring about 2 weeks behind what the doc originally said according to the ultrasound-tech.   She was putting my due date at March 17th - St. Patrick's Day.

Week 12: Announcement
We finally announced on social media that we were expecting.  The majority of our family already knew, but we wanted to wait for the first ultrasound (just in case) before we went completely public with the happy news.  Of course I had to include our fur babies in the picture...

Week 15: Second ultrasound - 9/16/2014
We were hoping to find out gender during this ultrasound, but the little bean was being very uncooperative.  The little legs were completely crossed and tucked up tight under the bum so we have to wait until next time.  Doc is ok leaving my due date March 3rd.

Week 16:  No more nausea
Noticed that I'm not feeling sick anymore!  So happy!  I've also started to get my appetite back!

Week 18: Third ultrasound - 10/9/2014 (measurements)
It's a GIRL! I have had "a feeling" that it was a girl the entire pregnancy, but Adam was voting for a boy.  It was so exciting to find out gender!  It makes the whole thing seem so much more real.  I am excited to start buying little girl stuff and decorating her nursery.
They also took most of her measurements during this ultrasound to make sure everything was developing correctly and she was healthy.  She was being stubborn again though and wouldn't get into good positions.  We will need to do another ultrasound to finish measuring her heart, her right foot, her spleen and a few other body parts she was too modest too show off.  We got to see her wiggle and suck on her thumb.

Week 22:  Fourth ultrasound - 11/6/2014 (measurements)
Finished getting all her measurements - everything looked great!  We feel so blessed that she is healthy and we haven't had any complications.

Week 24:  Movement
Finally starting to feel little flutters and movement.  What an amazing feeling!

Week 29:  Not one for belly pics, but I know it's something I'm going to want to remember.

Week 30:  Christmas bump

Week 35:  Hiccups!
One of my favorite sensations ever - feeling the baby's hiccups!  She gets them pretty often, but I love it.  She also loves to poke her little foot out right under my rib cage.
Louie is still determined to find room on my lap!  He doesn't seem to mind getting kicked every now and then.  I have also started to experience some pretty severe swelling.  NONE of my shoes fit and my ankles are nonexistent.  Getting ready to be done...

Week 37: Fifth ultrasound - 2/11/2015
Baby girl is head down!  She is getting ready to finally make her big debut.  She has grown so much, but is still measuring about a week and a half behind (although I won't complain about the doc not wanting to move my due date!).

Week 38:  Surprise (Sixth) Ultrasound - 2/18/2015
Got a call from the doctor's saying that my week 37 ultrasound showed I had low amniotic fluid.  They wanted to do a repeat ultrasound just in case.  I was very nervous when I went in for the appointment, but the new ultrasound showed that the fluid and baby were just fine and everything was normal!  Doctor also checked for dilation and effacement... Nothing happening down there yet!

Week 39:  Checking up... 2/25/2015
Just a quick trip to the doctor's this week to make sure everything is still going ok and check for signs of labor.  NOTHING.  Not even dilated a teeny bit.  Looks like this girl is comfy where she is.  We are hoping she decides to come soon so I won't need to be induced... And because we are tired of waiting!  I am really starting to feel uncomfortable and impatient.  Also, this week brought weird cravings for sushi and chocolate.

Nursery Renovation

Overall, Adam and I both really love our new house, but the people who lived here before us had done some pretty quirky things.  For starters, there are (were) holes ALL over EVERY wall!  Not giant holes from someone's fist or anything, but they had used heavy duty anchors to hang everything. The anchors left tons of dime-sized holes throughout the house that needed patched and then painted.  We have been trying to keep the mentality of tackling "one room at a time," and now that we have a baby coming there was no better excuse for us to tackle one of the basement bedrooms and turn it into a nursery.

I wish I had gotten before pictures, but you get the idea... The room was a really gross light Pepto Bismol pink when we started and the baseboards hadn't even been caulked.  We patched holes, painted (one accent wall of coral and the rest grey), and put in new craftsman style baseboards.  We also gave the carpets a good shampoo and vacuum.  I had so much fun fixing up this room!  Adam and I like to joke that it is now the nicest room in the house.  I am grateful that I have such a handy husband that was willing to help me conquer the project.

                     

The wall looks a lot more orange in the pictures, but it really is super cute.  

We worked on the room for about 2 weeks total, but I love how everything turned out!  I feel so much better knowing the baby will have a space of her own when she finally comes.  

TA-DA! Here are some pictures of the finished product!  HUGE shoutout to my sisters for making so many of the decorations and blankets.  

We're Pregnant!

Adam and I had been suspecting that I was pregnant for about a week and a half before I finally got a positive test result.  I had taken at least 7 tests from the drug store (and those babies ain't cheap!) before the test my sister got me from Dollar Tree finally revealed that I was in fact pregnant.  We got the happy news on July 9th, 2014.

I took the test very early in the morning right after Adam had left for work.  I wanted to tell him in a unique/fun way so I sent him a link to a popular World Cup commercial that had been playing all summer, along with a beautiful picture of the pee-pee stick with the hashtag from the commercial #BecauseFutbol.  The commercial indicates that lots of babies had been conceived during the excitement of the World Cup - I knew that he would find it funny (and frankly, so did I).  Watch the commercial... it will make you laugh too.

#BecauseFutbol Commercial

And here's the classic positive pregnancy test picture.  Now I know that if I want an accurate test I just need to go to the dollar store!  No more spending money on those expensive ones at Walgreen's!

Our First House

On June 23rd, 2014 Adam and I closed on our FIRST house! YAY!  The pictures included in this post will be from the home's listing - none of the furniture and decor is ours (wait for later posts to see that).  We fell in love with the cute yard and the unique layout.  We didn't love that the kitchen wasn't updated, but it will make a fun project in the future.  There is a park just across the street with a playground that will be perfect for the dogs and future kids.  We love how open the floorpan is!  Can't wait to make this place our own!

First of all... buying a house is NOT fun.  I don't think I have ever been so stressed or discouraged in my life.  It was a difficult process, but we are so incredibly happy and blessed.  We love the house and are excited to start creating memories here.

Funny side note:  When we started moving in, I was SUUUUPER grumpy.  I don't think I have ever been so sassy or impatient with poor Adam... At the time we just blamed it on moving stress, but we would soon find out that it was actually due to all the new pregnancy hormones racing through my body.  We like to laugh about how unreasonable I was now, but at the time I'm sure he was quite miserable.

Honeymoon

For our fabulous honeymoon, Adam and I went on a 7-day Carnival cruise to the Mexican Riviera.  We stopped in Cabo San Lucas for 2 days and were in Puerta Vallarta for 1 day.  After the cruise, my old room mate Vanessa took us to Universal Studios so we could see the new Transformers ride.  It was a GREAT week!

First of all, I would recommend a cruise to ANYONE who is looking for a great vacation... It was so nice not having to worry about transportation or meals or activities. You will never be bored or hungry!  Adam and I took full advantage of the complimentary room service offered on the ship.  We ordered something nearly everyday.  Adam also loved the ice cream on the ship... anytime we were even close to the machine, he had to stop and get a cone.  The food was super yummy!  While we were on the ship we had steak, lobster, sushi, fillet minon, sherbet, and cheesecake.  If you know me at all, you would know that I was in HEAVEN.  We had a "spa room" which meant we had full access to the Cloud 9 Spa on board.  We would wake up in the morning at sit in the steam room and watch the waves at the front of the boat on these wonderfully warm chairs.  The spa also had a super cool hot tub with a lounger bed in it.  It was very relaxing and turned out to be a great cure for sea sickness.  The ship also had mini golf, a water slide, multiple swimming pools, and lots of shows and comedians.  

Being at shore was a blast!  Lucky for us we had many friends and family warn us not to book excursions through the cruise lines... So expensive.  On our first day in Cabo we took a glass bottom boat tour out to Land's End and Lover's Beach.  We were also able to see a sea lion colony and do some snorkeling.  The water was a bit chilly, but swimming was still a blast!  For lunch we went to this famous restaurant called Cabo Wabo.  They had the most delicious coconut shrimp I have ever tasted!  It was literally unbelievable how good it was. After lunch we explored the port a little and did a bit of shopping.  We bought a beach bag, some bracelets, and a hat for Adam to protect him from the sun. It was hard to say no to all the "vendors" walking along the beach trying to convince you to buy their merchandise... Sad! On our second day in Cabo we spent most of our time on the beach.  We lounged in some beach chairs at a restaurant called Mango Deck.  While we were there we ordered some guacamole, so yummy!  They actually mushed it right in front of you on the beach with fresh tomatoes and 2 whole avocados.  After soaking up some sun and filling our bellies, we decided to rent a jet ski.  This was probably my favorite part of the entire trip!  It was so fun riding it on the ocean and hitting the big waves.  While we were on the jet ski we got to drive around the ship and see the sea lions again.  It was a lot of fun!

                                 

Unfortunately, Puerta Vallarta wasn't as great to us as Cabo was.  It was super humid and hot, but there was also a hurricane coming in so it rained about half the day.  In Puerta we took a van tour of the city.  It was a great way to see the sites because it didn't require a ton of walking, ha. We were able to see the jungle canopies (where there is zip-lining), the board walk where they were actually filming a movie, downtown, and a tequila factory.  After the tour we were dropped off in the heart downtown.  We bought a bag full of delicious, fresh, ripe mangoes and ate them on some rocks near the beach.  The mangoes were the best part of Puerta - by far the yummiest mango I've ever had!  We had lunch at a place called Senor Frogs where we ordered fajitas that came with a tower of toppings.  After lunch it started to rain... We went for a quick dip in the ocean and enjoyed the waves, but then decided we should probably catch a taxi back to the boat... Not before a stop at McDonald's though!  Adam just couldn't resist trying the "Chicken Mac!"  So we have now eaten McDonald's in every country we have been to.

We were super sad when the cruise ended... But at least we had Universal Studios to look forward to!  This was even more exciting for us because Transformers played a BIG role in our love story and is to this day one of our all time favorite movies.  It was pretty crowded because of the holiday weekend and the new ride, but we were still able to fit all the rides in before we had to catch our flight... Thanks again for taking us Nessa!  The Transformers ride was SICK (even if we had to wait 2.5 hours for it)!

Some other random happy pictures of our adventures...