Two Months Young

LIFE WITH REED:
Reed has been with us for two months now and I can't believe it still.
Half of me seems amazed at how time has flown and at how much he has grown since November...four inches! It makes me sad each time he grows out of a pair of p.j.'s or cute outfit but I am happy he is still fitting into the newborn sized diapers. I admit I am not good with change and want to freeze time sometimes!
The other half of me, though, thinks that his birth last November seems like AGES ago. Being pregnant seems like years ago, really! It is as if someone re-programmed my brain the day he was born and my life before Reed seems so very distant. Our lives now with him in our family, I will say, is better than anything I have known.
People told us that it is amazing how much you love something so much from the very second your baby arrives. For us, we were kind of stupefied those first few days. Thought Reed was great and cute, but everything seemed a bit surreal. Each day since, though, our love grows and we can't imagine loving anything more than we do him. When he falls asleep on my chest (which he can maintain for hours...I love it!), I tell myself I could stay like that for the rest of my life and be happy. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to be Reed's mommy!!!

"THE STATS":
Reed weighed in at almost twelve pounds at measured 24inches (two feet tall...crazy!) at his two month appt.. He is in the 94th percentile for height and 50th for weight...a Gugat! He looks just like the Gugats, too, and since he looks like mom, Steve is hoping at least his athletic skills will take after dad!

MATERNITY LEAVE:
The turn of the new year meant no more money for me :). I knew this when I picked my return date just after Reed was born and, for me, it is well worth the time I spend with him in these first few months of life. I will be going back to work at the end of February and am going to like the "adult contact" and being busy again but am not looking forward to leaving the little guy behind. Brooke is going to watch him for those first few days and we have yet to decide who does after that, though have a few centers...one near Steve's work and another at-home childcare near our home...in mind. If any of you want to cuddle with this cute bundle full-time for two and a half months (until I have summer break), please add yourself to our interview list :)

SKI SEASON:
Steve is skiing as much as possible, per usual, as the snow is better than it has been in years (so he says). We have some weekend trips to Vail planned in the next months which we are all looking forward to.

Happy Valentine's Day coming up!

Happy 2008!!!

Our first New Year's Eve with baby and we actually managed to go out for a little adult fun...Steve and I took "shifts". Reed rang the new year in with his mom and Aunt B.. Everyday life at home is going super as well...many kisses and photo sessions fill our days!

Updated pictures and journaling coming as soon as I organize my post-holiday life :). I have included some holiday photos...he met SO many cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends. What a lucky little man to be so loved!

Hope your early '08 has been great! So far, ours has with an AWESOME Jayhawk Orange Bowl win...and basketball is still ahead (hence the Jayhawk outfit shot). Go KU!!!!

Home for the Holidays...

Well, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas and we are excited to be spending our first with Mr. Reed. He is the daily love of our lives and so perfect and cute in every way (really, we aren't bias at all :)).
I am "home for the holidays"....on maternity leave until February. Around here, eating, sleeping, and dirtying diapers are what Reed does best. We are getting better at breastfeeding every day and he lets us sleep for hours at a time each night....usually more than a four hour stretch...which we are VERY thankful for.
Looking forward to spending time with Cara's family in Rapid City and the "Havenar Christmas" in Colorado Springs for the upcoming holidays. Aunt Paige will be meeting Reed for the first time then, as will many of his cousins from Texas, Utah, and South Dakota.
Can't wait to hear your updates in those cards coming soon...Happy December!

Just in time for the holidays...Happy Thanksgiving coming soon!
Reed Richard Havenar joined us just before midnight on November 12th. He is doing great and we were so excited to finally meet him!

Labor and Delivery...oh my!

The moment I have NOT been waiting for!
Those of you who know me know that I have been fearing labor for most of my life :). I am proud to say that I did it and it wasn't nearly as horrid as I imagined. For those of you imagining the worst like I did, you are in for a positive surprise because it can be done and even enjoyed!
For those of you wanting the details (don't worry, I won't get graphic unless you ask me to later), here is how our story goes...
SUNDAY DINNER AND BABY PREP:
I insisted Steve go on another date night with me as we were running out of "free time" pre-baby and all. We went for some pizza nearby. When we got home, I wrote my maternity sub a long list of plans, to-do's, whatnot, sent my parents information on how to get to the hospital and nearby hotels, and also inquired with some friends about day cares. Little did I know my water would break that night...I must have been "nesting" without knowing it.!
EARLY A.M....WATER BROKE?:
My water broke at 3:30 in the morning. Though, I wasn't quite sure that that was the case...I assumed it was a missed bathroom run as I was in a deep sleep and those frequent bathroom visits happen every hour it seems like towards the end of pregnancy! So, I went back to sleep and more water came at around 6am, maybe some in between that I slept through- who knows? Steve was getting ready for work and I told him I thought it could be water but still wasn't convinced. Lucky for me, it was Veteran's Day, so I had the morning to figure it out instead of having to get myself to work as I had the day off. I had a doctor's appt. that afternoon, but called to move it to the morning. I got there at 8:30am and I had two more water pocket episodes on the way there...lovely, I know!
CONFIRMED:
The doctor thought it was funny that I was so unsure about my water...it's not like I have done this before! She tested the fluid with a paper strip and it was confirmed...baby was on the way! I felt nothing as far as contractions or pain, so asked if I could go home instead of downstairs to check-in. I called Steve to meet me there and I did laundry, sub plans for the week, last minute packing, and we stopped to get some snacks all before checking in to the hospital finally around noon. Still, I felt absolutely nothing (except small water releases here and there :)).
SETTLING IN:
Checked in, gowned, and ready to have a baby...they told me the goal was 24 hours from my water breaking so I knew he or she was supposed to arrive before 3:30 am. Surprise!...My mother-in-law and parents showed up in the room just after we arrived despite us telling both of them that we would call when progress had been made. They assumed it would be super fast as their deliveries were. We let them stay for a bit, then kicked 'em out and told them we'd call when push-time came :)
"GO TIME":
Contractions...finally feeling something!...came around 1:30 and were very mild. I requested and received that epidural as soon as they hurt enough where I didn't want to talk anymore. Ahhh...so nice. We watched movies and napped once the meds kicked in. They wore off, I was given more, and then they wore off to where I was feeling my contractions again. I asked for more as I felt them pretty heavily, but they said no-go as baby's head was on it's way...."Don't PANIC" I kept saying to myself. I can honestly say that pushing through the contractions, against the pain, was easier than 'calmly' breathing through them that first part. I only pushed for 45 minutes...it was tiring, but not overwhelmingly painful.
IT'S A BOY!!!:
This is the moment we waited for. I am so, so glad we didn't find out the gender of our baby for that one second where they hold baby up and proclaimed "It's a boy!". We did it the old-fashioned way and love it. I also believe it got me through that pushing better than if I'd known! Had the parents in the family waiting room and recorded their reaction. It was so great. We had three names picked out and truely didn't chose until the moment we met him...we had been indecisive up to that point! Steve let me chose the name (I think his generosity kicked in after witnessing the labor thing I'd just gone through :)).
BABY REED:
Reed Richard (Richard is my dad's name, Steve's middle name, and his dad's middle name) arrived just before midnight. Steve's dad had his first baby (a boy) ten days after his birthday and we had Reed ten days after Steve's birthday. I pushed extra hard those last minutes to have him on the 12th instead of the 13th...it worked :). I slept maybe two hours that night and was full of energy the next day, too. Adrenain! Brooke arrived from Chicago as did other visitors...we were (and are) so excited for him to meet our family and friends!

The wait was over and our perfect little boy was now part of our family. I can't think of a happier day in all my life. The BEST!

Final entry before baby!

So this is the month that baby is due. Where did the time go? The showers, nursery prep, and baby classes have made things more realistic, but turning that calendar was really that "Ready or not, here it comes!" moment for me :)

BIRTHDAYS:
Steve and I recently celebrated our nice and relaxed birthdays together. For mine, Steve made an AMAZING dinner that took him hours to prepare. Better and more romantic than any restaurant. I was very, very impressed and loved the special night he put together. His birthday was mellow, as he always wants it to be, and we had presents and his favorite cake here before he went out for some last "boys nights" before baby comes.

BABY CLASSES:
We are done with our baby classes as a couple (Steve still had "Daddy Boot Camp" coming up which he may or may not attend if baby comes a few days early as it is close to our due date). Having always been afraid of my future labor, it was actually a relief to take these classes and I feel somewhat better (though not excited by any means!) to go through it all. The challenges of the pain, possible complications, post-partum "stuff", breastfeeding, lack of sleep, etc., will just come as they do so it was nice to receive some information and tips about it all. Also comforting to meet other couples who will be taking this 'baby thing' on for the first time, too!

THANKSGIVING EARLY:
We celebrated 4th Annual Friends Thanksgiving yesterday. I feel a sense of relief that we were able to enjoy our Turkey Day fixings as we may be in the hospital (perhaps pushing baby :)) when the holiday comes. It's all about food these days! The "three F's"...food, friends, and football (GO KU, by the way!!!), made for a perfect night. A tradition I love and am very thankful for! :)

NURSERY:
Nursery update is that all is organized, painted, and prepped with the exception of the gender specific items to come :). Wall letters and girly or boyish bedding (both picked out and ready to arrive when "it" does :)) will be added when we know what Baby Havenar will be! Can't wait for that part of it! We are really appreciating the fact that we didn't find out the sex as it is helping me get through this last bit of pregnancy and our curiosity is increasing. Send those predictions my way if you haven't already (gender and date)!

LAST NOTES UNTIL BABY IS HERE:
I am sleeping well, though not completely comfortably, and my only big complaint is the heartburn that never goes away (though medicine helps most of it). After those first months of sickness, I really have nothing to gripe about as I remind myself what a miracle this whole process is.
I already know I will miss being pregnant for some reasons...like the special kicks, rolling around, and hiccups that I can lay back and feel through my tummy. The relaxing, thinking, talking, and family-of-three time (Tuck is included, of course :)) that we know and love will also be missed.
I also know, though, that once baby does come, we won't want to imagine our lives any other way (minus the lack of sleep part, that is:)), and we really are so excited for this life change to occur.
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers (may I specifically request a "hope Cara as an easy, easy labor prayer"?...to be added to the "healthy baby" prayer, of course :)). We will contact you all as soon as he or she arrives. Until then, thanks for reading up on us along the way...whether you have wanted to or have felt obligated as a good family member or friend :).
We appreciate and love you all!