anna lizbeth: my life

Showing posts with label my life. Show all posts

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Babies Best Friend

Almost three years ago my husband and I wandered into a pet store. While there I spotted the most adorable puppy I had ever seen and decided that he needed to be ours. At the pet store we googled what a Goldendoodle would look like when he was full grown and we read a couple of facts about their temperament. We were sold. We left with the puppy, a bag of food, a toy and a kennel. My husband and I do not normally make rash decisions but in this moment we did and for the most part we have never looked back and we have loved this dog like he was our child ((seriously))

Recently though he has kept me from taking two important trips. The first trip was due to the cost of a pet sitter and the second trip was last minute and I couldn't find a pet sitter in time. It was extremely discouraging. We do not live in the same state as our families and it would have been so nice to see everyone.When these things happened I started to question whether or not this pup of ours was worth it. Not only does he require extra attention, he also costs a lot of money. The pet sitters, dog food and vet visits really add up.

After pondering the pros and cons of this pup, I quickly realized you cannot put a price on the love that he brings into this family. All he does is love us unconditionally, give us the best cuddles and in general he brightens our day. Most importantly of all, he has already become Gray's best friend. This month they both started to really interact with each other. Shakespeare can always get Gray to laugh. Shakes loves to lick his face, play with his hands and he will even bring over his toy in hopes that gray will throw it for him. ((which, at the moment, is a game that is a little too complex for a 5 month old)) Gray loves to pet ((pull)) Shakespeare's hair and is always reaching out for more kisses. I am so excited about their continued friendship as he grows up. I can already picture them playing tug a war, playing fetch and going on hikes!

Thanks Shakes for being our back up babysitter, our security guard and our babies best friend. We love you and you are here to stay!!

anna lizbeth

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Birth Story

My sweet baby boy made his way into this world 3.5 months ago.

My mind has been blown by the amount of love that I have for this little guy. He is growing up way too fast and I do not want to forget the little details that make being his mom so wonderful. With that being said.. it is time to officially come back to the blogging world and to write everything down.

The first place I would like to start is with the birth story.

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My contractions started at 4:00 am on May 1, 2014 ((exactly one week after my due date!)). I timed them for about 30 minutes before waking up Ben because I wanted to be sure that they were actual contractions. I then woke him up and told him that this could be it! The contractions kept coming for several hours. We decided to take walks around the neighborhood to try and speed things up. It was an unusually hot day in San Diego ((in the 90's!)) so between the heat and the contractions we had to stop often. I'm sure we were quite the site to our neighbors who most certainly knew what we were doing! ;)

The contractions consistently kept coming within 10 minutes of each other and were about 30 seconds long. After 5 hours of contractions we decided that what I was experiencing was definitely true labor pains and we let the rest of the family know what was happening. At this point my mom came over to our house and my MIL started to make her way to California!

At around 2:30 pm my contractions were coming every 2-5 minutes but were only lasting for about 30 seconds. I had been told to come into the hospital when my contractions were coming every 5 minutes and lasting a minute in length, so I was unsure on whether or not I should head to the hospital. Thankfully my mom convinced me that it was time for us to head in.

The car ride was so surreal. Ben and I kept looking at each other and saying, "We are having a baby!"

When we got to the hospital my contractions were 5:1 and they confirmed that I was indeed in labor and was 4 cm. They then officially checked me in and sent us up to a room. Of course once we got into the room I decided that I was starving. Thankfully there was an unlimited supply of popsicles. After about an hour the pain was getting pretty intense and it felt best when I was walking around. I could handle it at this moment but knew they were just going to continue to get stronger so I decided it was time for an epidural. ((I knew before I went in that I wanted an epidural but was nervous about timing.))

I was given the epidural very quickly (( in between a contraction.. I was amazed!)) and once it kicked in it made things a lot easier to handle. I was able to relax for a bit and take in all that was about to happen.

They checked me an hour later and I was 9 cm. It was time for them to break my water and get things started. When they broke my water they noticed that there was meconium so we had NICU personnel in our room just in case. It made me feel better that they were in there but in the back of my mind I started to panic a little. Ben was amazing during the entire process. He remained calm, held my hand and kept count. ((It wasnt until weeks alter that he talked about how nervous he was about the meconium)) While I was in labor he just kept encouraging me and telling me that everything was going to be okay!

After two hours of pushing and still no signs of my little man coming out the Doctor told me that I either needed to use the vacuum or we were going to have to have a c-section.

We decided that the vacuum was the best option for us and one push later.. our baby boy came into the world! ((at 10:13 pm))

He weighed 7.09 lb and was 19.5 inches long.

I will never forget the moment that they put him on my chest. It was so surreal. I just couldn't believe that he was finally here and that he was ours.

anna lizbeth

Monday, March 3, 2014

Little Adventurer

The women in my family threw us an adorable Baby shower in Texas a couple of weekends ago. It was so nice to be able to celebrate baby Gray with our dear friends and family.

The theme for the shower was Welcome to our World and I loved all of the little details. They filled the room with maps, antique suitcases, binoculars and other cute items that a little adventurer would need in order to explore.

For the guest book they had the guests sign in the book Oh the Places You will Go by Dr. Seus. It will be so much fun to read this book to Grayson one day and to be able to show him the names of all of the people who love him.

The food was delicious. I especially loved the world cake pops and airplane cookies. I found the airplanes to be very fitting considering the fact that Ben is a pilot :)

The baby shower had such a great turnout. I knew that I wanted the shower to be coed. There are so many important men in our lives and it was special for us to have them there as well.

This was definitely a day that Ben and I will never forget! Thanks so much to the friends and family that came out to celebrate and the women in my family that made this day possible. Grayson is going to be one loved little boy!

anna lizbeth

Our little Miracle

Dear Baby Gray,

You have been in my belly now for 32 weeks. Its hard to believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by. I feel like it was just yesterday when your dad and I discovered that we were pregnant! It took three pregnancy tests to convince us. We just couldn't believe that this little miracle was already forming inside of me. From the second we found out we were overjoyed.

At 5 weeks we told our families about you. We couldn't keep it in. Right after we found out we were pregnant we hopped on a plane to Texas. The first couple of days we tried to be sneaky. I thought your grandparents were going to catch on right away when I turned down red wine. After a couple of days we let them all in on our little secret. We definitely caught them off guard but they too were thrilled when they heard the news!

At 12 weeks we let the rest of the world know!! It felt so good to fill everyone else in. They all needed to know about you.

At 15 weeks we found out that you were a BOY! It was my 26th birthday and it was such a special day. We woke up and headed straight to the ultrasound appointment. In the appointment you were being shy and had your legs crossed. Thankfully the technician was feeling generous that day, and let your dad and I go out to lunch and come back a couple hours later to give it another try. The second time around she was able to see your gender. She wrote it down in an envelope and we headed off to our favorite park so that we could open it together. It was there, at the park in Dana Point overlooking the ocean, that we found out we were expecting you.. a sweet baby boy.

At 16 weeks we both felt your first kicks. I will never forget your

dad's reaction when he first felt you. His eyes were huge and a smile lit up his face. From that day on you have not stopped moving. At every doctors appointment they mention how active you are. We have a feeling that you are going to be a rambunctious one.

At 22 weeks we headed home for Christmas. The family could not believe how big my bump had already gotten. They also all wanted to feel you kick. Several hands on my belly at once.. was a very common occurrence. You were a big hit!

At 30 weeks we had a baby shower in order to celebrate your upcoming arrival. Your dad and I felt very loved by our family and friends. During the shower we prayed for my pregnancy and delivery but we also prayed over you and your life. We prayed over your early years, teenage years and all the way up to the woman you are going to marry someday!

These past 32 weeks have been quite the journey. This pregnancy hasn't always been easy on me due to morning sickness but you, my sweet boy, are worth it! There are also many more good days than there are bad days.

My favorite moments are the ones spent with your dad. There are so many moments where we will look at it each other and say, " We are going to be parents!" We love walking on the beach and dreaming about what you will look like, what your interests will be and what our lives will be like after you get here. Nights in bed are also pretty great. That is the time where your dad gets to feel your kicks and talk to you.

We still have 8 more weeks to go but we are already anxiously awaiting your arrival and cannot wait to experience life with you.

anna lizbeth