1st Valentine's Day with baby...

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

TONIGHT:
Since Steve LOVES this holiday and is forever romancing me, we are headed out for a 'real date' tonight...sans Reeders. My generous friend Caroline has offered to watch the little man...and she has twins of her own, too! She is super woman and can handle it, though, so we are granting her the honor of being Reed's first (non-family) sitter. Hope he is perfecto!

GRADUATIONS:
They say the first three months of life is considered "the fourth trimester". We are proud to have made it through with as much ease as could ever be expected, thanks to our 'easy' baby. Heading into his 4th month now, Reed has officially graduated from two 'baby things' as of late...

1. His small, portable bed that he slept by us in no longer fits his long legs. So, last night was his VERY FIRST night in his 'big boy crib' and I was kind of sad to have him across the hall instead of by my side (I admit to not liking change, being much attached and what am I going to do when I go back to work...yikes :)?!). He passed the change with flying colors...perfect baby!
2. Newborn diapers. Steve being the frugal (not cheap, no :)) man that he is, and with my hating to waste, we were determined to use all our newborn diapers before moving on to "Size 1". They were still fitting okay, though a bit short, so we had some "poop outs" (ah, all the little details new parents feel they must share). We didn't waste a one and the tall man is now in that next size...

bigger diapers, bigger bed, and still a' growin'...as is our love for him every day.
We adore our little Valentine...happy February 14th!

(More oh-so-thrilling changes coming soon. ;))

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!