Ginger

I just may have a ginger son. He is definitely red right now but who knows if it'll stay. I think it's so cute. :)

Things You Learn

So I just learned that if I don't change the seemingly boring text my drafts appear to be, it will turn out as this cute font. I also learned that I can change the other posts to said font. I didn't think I could. I learned that blogger has some issues putting up videos. If anyone has any insight or tips on posting videos, let me know so I can continue to learn. Thanks friends. :)

P.S. Another thing I'd like to learn is how to make the "contributors" section on the left of my blog be the "about me" section it's supposed to be. On the previews of posts, it's "about me" so what is going on?

Oakley's New Trick

Look what Oakley can do now:

Oakley has been smiling for two and a bit weeks. These are the real deal smiles.  Matt and I are loving it. My heart melts every time he does it. 

Calaway Park

Matt and I decided that we were going to join his family at Calaway Park on Victoria Day. Now, their plan was to drive down Monday and come back Monday. Six hours in a car with a baby in one day didn't sound like fun to me so it was suggested that we head down Sunday night after the family dinner. BEST. CHOICE.EVER. As Oakley is eating around every three hours right now, I fed him before we left and then part way into the trip, he was hungry again. I nursed him in the car at a rest area. Then, by the time our trip was nearing the end, his poor little body wanted out of his car seat so there was lots of crying.  My cousin Josh and his wife Jenny let us stay at their house and they even made a special bed for Oakley. As the play pen was in Saskatchewan with their kids on a camping trip, they emptied out a drawer, lined it with lots and lots of blankets for padding and voila!  

One condition for the trip was that we needed to purchase a baby carrier before we went. After asking some friends and doing research, we invested in a Boba. 

Getting the baby in the Boba

We both really like it and Oakley falls asleep almost as soon as he is put in it. 

I had never been to Calaway Park before. Matt was pretty excited to take me and show me all the cool rides. Here's Oakley and I on the tower. 

We went to the park with Matt's three brothers, his sister, his parents and three of Justin's friends. All of the young'uns went off on adventures quite quickly but with Oakley, we could only go on a few rides so we stayed with the grandparents. Oakley's first ride ever was the balloon ride. I'm just going to say right now West Ed's balloon ride is way better than Calaway's but it was still enjoyable.

Here we are!

We tried to get a picture of us with the mountains in the background, but you can't really see them.

 Without us in the picture and maybe zoomed in a little you can see them. What a beautiful view! The mountains are one good thing about Calgary.

 Matt's dad was the designated stroller watcher while we rode the balloons. Strollers are good and bad to take to places like these. Good because you can load them up with all of your stuff and when you have a baby, you have lots of stuff, bad because someone has to stay with it to watch the stuff.

After our exciting balloon ride, we started setting up for lunch. It was great. Picnics are a wonderful thing! After, I handed Oakley off to his grandma and Matt and I left. ALONE. For the first time since Oakley was born! It was like a real date, but I kept fretting about our baby. :) But really, I did love it. We went on a storm trooper or something ride where we sat in a little cage and it spun us around on a big wheel while slowly moving the wheel vertical and then back down. The best part? We got to sit in the cage together. Then we went to the bumper cars. Matt t-boned my car really well twice. I might have gotten him once or twice but I'm blaming my lack of awesome hits on the other cars getting in my way. Then we went on the roller coaster. We were in the very back. Scary place to be. I will fully admit to screaming during the first drop both times we went.

While we were there, I had to feed Oakley a few times. You know, get him chunked up a little. Calaway Park lets nursing mothers use their first aid room so you can be comfortable and have some privacy. That is wonderful and every place should do it. After our little date, we met up with Matt's mom and my baby boy to go on the train. He was fussing and I was trying to figure out what was wrong when I suddenly realized he was hungry. I felt pretty silly after I figured it out. Anyways, we're in line, far away from the first aid station so I got out my trusty cover (thanks Mama!) and nursed him standing in line. There was a bench later on in the line that I used. I love those moments where as a mother, you do something that just makes you feel like super-mom. This was one of them. 

 As juvenile as it may be, I love the train rides at amusement parks. Maybe it's because I've always wanted to go on a legitimate train ride or maybe it's because trains seem to take you back to an earlier time but I really do. I loved that I got to go on the train with my little family. 

In the tunnel! 

                

Here we are at the entrance to the park just before heading home.

Thanks for the wonderful time Calaway! We'll be back.

A Name and A Blessing

This May long weekend was a special one for our little family. Matt had the opportunity to bless Oakley on Sunday. It was Oakley's first Priesthood blessing of his life and our Heavenly Father promised him many wonderful things. As I sat there listening to the inspired words my husband spoke, I was made very aware of how special this little boy is and of his divine potential. I am sharing my home, my time, my love with one of God's choice spirits. He knows Oakley and loves him more than even I do. I am very grateful to have him as my son. I am also grateful to have a worthy Priesthood holder in my home. How wonderful it is to know that whenever our children or I need a blessing from our Father in Heaven, Matt can be His voice through Priesthood blessings. Many of our family and friends were there to share in Oakley's day. Most of the crew headed out to Tofield after and we had a dinner at the church. It was wonderful to eat and visit with everyone. There was also lots of baby-passing going on. I sure do love my family, especially my husband and son.

Our little boy was tuckered out after a long day

Bath time

After we came home from the hospital, I will admit, there was a feeling of dread surrounding the moment when we would have to give Oakley his first bath at home. There's water and a slippery newborn. What if he drown? What if he screamed, which would rip my heart out? What if we made the water too hot? Too cold? It was a little nerve-wracking. I got up the courage to do it though, so we do have a clean baby. On that first day, Matt was really hesitant about letting me bathe him. He thought Oakley would hate it. It was actually really sweet to see his concern for his son. But Oakley loved it! It's the getting out part that he struggles with. He didn't drown and hasn't even gulped down any bath water yet. He did however pee and spit up in one of his baths. Oh dear. Matt snapped a few pictures during one of his baths and because I am super mom, I was able to successfully cover him up in each picture even though I'm pretty sure Matt was trying to see how quick I was at reacting to him snapping pictures.

All sprawled out. Check out that cute, round belly!

Notice my hand placement in the next few pictures. This is proof of my fast reflexes. ;)

Six, thirteen,fifty-five

My son is SIX weeks old! How did that happen? How did he go from this:

to this:

Note: The second picture is taken from a further distance so he looks about the same size, but he's not really. ;)

So, people think I'm crazy but he has gotten so much bigger! Yes, I know that there are people who give birth to babies his size but my little baby is growing and growing.

Yesterday we went to his 6 week check up and he gained THIRTEEN ounces (NOT pounds ;) Thanks Tonnia!) in the last six days! He is now 8 lb 13 oz. But, that still puts him in the 10th percentile for weight. Oh, my skinny boy. :) He is now FIFTY-FIVE cm which moves him down to the 25th percentile and his head circumference is still in the 25th percentile. He is healthy and happy.

The Whirlwind Month of April

They were not lying when they said time goes by faster when you have kids. Somehow, I had days that dragged on (ok, really, they were the nights, not so much the days) but those four weeks in April raced by at an alarming rate. My baby is already FIVE weeks old. How did that happen?? Here is our month:

From the first day home from the hospital, Matt has been teaching Oakley how to stick his tongue out. He has now started mimicking Matt when he sticks his tongue out at him.


I didn't have to pull out any of my freezer meals for the first two weeks after our babe was born. We had so many wonderful people from our ward and family that brought us meals. Thanks all!


We got family pictures taken four days after Oakley was born. It was a great time where we got to oogle and awe over our son. I think it was the first photo session that Matt actually enjoyed. :) Thanks Kamry! Here are some favourites.

Oakley had his first check up two weeks after he was born. He had gone from 6 lb 5 oz to 6 lb 13 oz in those two weeks and I'm not sure how much weight he lost after birth either. The doctor told him that he still needed to get some fat on his bum. I don't know if that will ever happen. He was 10th percentile for weight, 25th for head circumference and 50th for height - kind of all over the place. :)


We made it to church 3 of the five Sundays in April. We still haven't figured out how to get to church on time though. :) That will come with practice, right? Matt (ok, me too) has loved showing Oakley off to everyone we know. It is so fun to do when your baby is as cute and content as ours is. Love, love, love that little boy.


I got mastitis twice before Oakley was three weeks old. That was miserable. Thank goodness for my wonderful mom, who took me to her home and let me get lots of rest while taking care of both me and the babe. 


Oakley has peed on me twice in his short life. He also peed all over his face and arm. What a mess! Both times it happened, I got peed on because I was trying to stop the pee from getting everywhere. Messy, messy. Good thing he's so cute.


We went on our first walk together on the 29th. It was a beautiful day with just a slight breeze so we pulled up the car seat cover so Oakley could see the world. He mostly just slept. Life is quite exciting for a newborn. 


We also had LOTS and LOTS of naps with Oakley in April. I love sleeping with a baby. Their rhythmic breathing is one of my favourite sounds. Plus, it's more cuddling time. 

I love seeing Matt with our son. It melts my heart how much he loves Oakley. What a good guy I have. OH! And on that note, Matt is already making plans for our next child. He would have me be a baby making/feeding machine for the next ten years if he could. 


Well, that pretty much sums up our month. We are both so grateful for the wonderful acts of service that people having been doing for us since Oakley came into our lives from meals, doing my dishes, just coming to visit, sending flowers all the way from Regina, and many kind words. We love you all! Now, to see what adventures lie in store for May...

Imprints

In prenatal classes and at the hospital, they tell you about skin-to-skin and how important it is. The baby hears your heartbeat and feels warm and secure against you. It encourages bonding. I was sold on the idea just because I love cuddles. In the first week after Oakley was born, I got some pretty interesting photos of the effects of skin-to-skin cuddling.

So, yes, this is my freaky belly button post-delivery when it was still all stretched out but if you look to the left, you can see a footprint on my belly

Here's another imprint. This time it's an ear.

Little baby parts are so cute. :)

The second most life changing day of my life

As I stated in my first post, the birth of my son is the reason I made a blog. I feel the need to have an exciting occasion to document at the beginning and I took the plunge into blogging. 
In regards to this post's title, the first most life changing day in my life was January 3 2009 when I was sealed to the love of my life and we started our little family unit. The second most life changing day was April 2 2012, my sweet boy's birth day. 
I was 39 weeks and 6 days pregnant that morning. After a weekend of false labour, I was very much looking forward to my induction appointment later in the day. I woke up, made Matt's lunch and sent him off to work, not sure of how long he would remain there as we would be called into the hospital - no set appointment time. Then I waited. At 7:30, I got tired of waiting and called my mom. I like to be in control of the situations I'm in so the following conversation is very typical of my approach when I am asked to wait.  "What does 'We'll call in the morning' mean to hospital staff? Does that mean they'll call at 8:00? 10:00?" My mom suggested that I call the hospital as she had no idea what the answer was. I called the Grey Nuns Labour and Delivery unit and asked the nurse when they typically call the scheduled induction patients. She was just getting organized and would then be checking the lists. She asked for my last name and then told me to just come in. We arranged that I would be at the hospital for 9:00. I got off the phone and quickly called Matt, who had been at work for only half an hour. "Are you ready to come home?" I asked. He was on his way shortly after and I hopped in the shower so I was ready for whatever the day held in store. 
After registering, they wheeled me up to the third floor and took me straight into a labour and delivery room. Can I just say I really liked that I could go through my whole labour in a private room? Awesome. After monitoring me and the baby for awhile, the nurse, Becca, started telling me about the effects of the oxytocin they would be giving me. She said most women don't start progressing until two to four hours after the drip began. At 10:15, after two unsuccessful IV attempts, I was finally hooked up and Becca started the drip. My contractions started increasing in length and intensity in half an hour. I was taking well to the oxytocin. My intent going into labour was to try it naturally but I was not going to say no to an epidural if the pain became too much for me. At 2:00, I was getting to the point that I wanted to cry with every contraction and I had only dilated to 4 cm. My nurse had told me that I was experiencing contractions on steroids - how true is that?! She also informed me that the anesthesiologist had two c-sections to do and another woman who wanted an epidural so if I wanted it, now was the time to get it before he got too busy. I was very ready to not feel anything anymore, so in came the anesthesiologist.  What a wonderful man! Matt later commented that if he were to be a doctor, he would be an anesthesiologist because you have pretty easy work and everyone likes you. The latter part is definitely true. 
After a few hours, I started to feel the contractions again gradually. I asked for a top up which Dr. Wonderful willingly gave. I still felt the contractions and when I asked the nurse, she said I would for about three to four contractions after the top up. Three, then four, then eight contractions passed and I still felt the pain and it was getting worse. I told the nurse again and she asked if I could feel them on both sides. I thought that was weird but the next contraction, I felt my left side and sure enough, I was not feeling anything on that side, only my right side. They had me change positions, gave me another top up and I was good to go. I was so frozen that when they did the ice test to see how frozen I was, I couldn't even feel that they were putting anything on me. So awesome! I will always get an epidural if I am able to. 
Around 6:30-7:00ish, my OBGYN came in to check up on me. I had this rare cyst that he needed to drain before delivery so he did that and ruptured my membranes while he was at it. I hear that's a really gross feeling but luckily, I was frozen. :) At this point, I was 6 cm dilated. Dr. Chua came back an hour later to see how I had progressed. I thought I'd be at 7 or 8 cm, but no, I had fully dilated in just one hour. Dr. Chua said I could start pushing at any point now. I started to panic. I was not ready for this baby to come out. It had only been an hour and I couldn't possibly be ready to push. Luckily, I had a wonderful, calm husband and an understanding nurse. My nurse (whose name completely escapes me right now) said that we didn't have to start pushing right then. Some women didn't start pushing for an hour after they reached 10 cm. My job at that point was to pay attention to the pressure I was feeling. When I felt pressure that was similar to a bowel movement, then it was time. 
Around 8:20, I started to feel some pressure so I told the nurse. She suggested we do some practice pushing before the real deal. We worked on breathing and the "three push" technique (yes, I totally just made that name up) and she instructed Matt and the student nurse what they needed to do when we started pushing. At 8:40, it was time. I was quite surprised that even though I was completely frozen, I still knew when my body wanted to push. It made it so much nicer having me in control rather than having a nurse watch my contractions and telling me to push when I didn't have an urge. I had the best nurse ever! Both of my L&D nurses were fantastic but the second one was perfect for the actual delivery. She coached me so well. She pressed where she wanted me to focus my pushing, she encouraged and praised and just made it so easy to keep pushing. At 9:00, my nurse pushed the button for the doctor. Another nurse came into the room and said, "He's just stitching up another patient. Can she wait?" Do you have any idea how hard it is to have the need and urge to push and being told not to? It's way harder than pushing. No lies. But again, my wonderful nurse allowed me to have cheater pushes, just small ones when the pressure became too much. How I loved her! By 9:15, Dr. Chua was there. I should also note that along with him, there was my nurse, a student nurse, two intern doctors and a "baby nurse" (as she was called) in my delivery room. Talk about crowded but they don't lie when they say you won't care whose watching when it gets time for pushing. After a few more pushes, my son was out. 

It was 9:23 and they gave him straight to me. As I held this precious bundle, all I could do was cry. I was done. He was out. He was perfect. He was mine. They took him to be measured and weighed. My baby was 6 lb 5 oz and 21 inches long. He is the smallest baby born into the Owen Woodruff family to date and I am totally ok with that. ;) Matt was  already so in love. I was a little nervous for our baby's birth because Matt had told me that in his opinion, no newborns are cute. I knew I would think our baby was adorable but I wanted him to think so too. He did.

Matt was very much already set on a name so after things slowed down a little he asked what I thought. After looking at my son and having a talk with him about his prospective name, we finalized it - Oakley Dallin Kastendieck. 

We had a few visitors that night. Grandma Woodruff and Auntie Emily were the first to meet Oakley. After we were moved to our theme room, Grandma Kastendieck, Auntie Rachel, Uncle Zak and Uncle Tanner came to see the new babe. Throughout the next day, Oakley had met most of his aunts and uncles. We took him home on April 4th and have been thoroughly absorbed by our little man. We sure do love you Oakley and we look forward to being your parents. Heavenly Father loves us. :)

 Our first family picture

Daddy and son snuggles

Mom having some skin-to-skin cuddles