Beckton's Birthday 4/29/09

April 29th 2009 we welcomed our little man ... just a few pictures of his first day of life!

"Put me back in!"

Mommy meets Beckton for the first time

Daddy holds Beckton for the first time

Grandma Kathy holding Beckton

Grandma Marilyn holding Beckton
Sweet baby boy

Beckton and Amber

Beckton and Marisa

I love this picture ...

Last Pregnant Photo at 39 weeks

I look bigger than I really am here as I have monitors around my waist!

katie at 39 weeks ... Beckton arrives!

If you want to skip the story and go right to the pictures ...

http://www.our365.com/newbornportraits/babydetail.aspx?birthid=b647d50c-bc13-4445-9f9b-172c357c1042&babyid=3d104df4-5cf9-47f1-a594-1082d76f0f81

Well on April 29th little man decided it was time to make his debut. The story .. Scott and I went to lunch at Panera on Tuesday April 28th. I said I wanted a nice relaxing lunch with him. Relaxing it was, we ate, chatted and read the paper. Scott then decided he wanted to go to the new Vitamin Shop (yes random) across the street. So we did just that. Inside I confessed that I had been feeling a little funny and so we called my doctor. I kinda had a feeling like my water might break. The doctor had us go to labor and delivery almost immediately. We checked in around 1:30PM got settled and waited. Nothing really happened and all signs appeared to point to no baby coming that day I was only dilated 1 1/2 cm. So, Scott decided to head home let out the dogs, mow the lawn and come back to pick me up. As I awaited tests results I noticed my abdomen becoming a little firmer from time to time and my Mom decided that she would come over and sit with me. The nurse walked in and said are you aware that you are having contractions that are lasting 6 minutes? I said well I knew something was going on but 6 minutes seems like a long contraction! Yes, she replied it's not the norm. Then they noticed that Mr. Beckton's heart rate was going down during these lengthy contractions and they started monitoring me a little more closely. When Dr. Komoroski arrived she checked me out and said I was dilated about 3 cm. Obviously I called Scott and he came back to the hospital but nothing much more happened. The nurses just said they would monitor me. So Scott and my Mom decided to go and grab some dinner. Just before they left the room the nurse came in with a bunch of IV's and trays and said - looks like we're going to have a baby tonight! Apparently with the dilation, long contractions and baby's heart rate the Dr. made a decision to augment me - meaning help the labor along without inducing. We were all a little shocked but Scott's (what the hell did you just say) face really made us laugh. He literally thought this was some silly false alarm. Turns out Beckton and I knew what we were doing. So they hooked me up, had me sign a bunch of forms and about 5 minutes after I was augmented (and my Mom and Scott left) my water broke on it's own. Funny thing was, Scott's parents decided to pay me a visit during that very moment! They were standing at my door as I yelled - you may not want to come in here my water is breaking all over the place! From there it was pretty much your typical labor story. Things moved much more quickly and I started dilating 1cm an hour. The pains were steady but not unbearable until I reached the back labor portion. That was pretty excruciating and I decided an epidural was necessary. The epidural was also pretty painful and a little scary as well. All in all though, it did it's job - took the pain but not the pressure away. From there I was just monitored every 45 minutes. Scott, his parents and my Mom were in the room keeping me company but when things settled down they decided to head home and wait for Scott's call. Probably a good idea because the Dr. informed us that with the risk of the baby's heart rate going low she wasn't keen on having a bunch of people in the delivery room. So, it ended up being just Scott and I which was actually very nice. The nurse Karen was too funny and she really made things memorable for us both. When she came in at 2:45AM and said ok you're at 10cm - I said what happens now? She replied - you push and have that baby! This pretty much freaked me out, knowing that just 12 hours ago I was having a nice relaxing lunch at Panera! Regardless Scott and Karen the nurse turned on some music and started dancing and singing and that lightened my spirits! Instead of "Poker Face" (a song that I truly hate) they sang "Pushin' Face." I will always remember that! Then about 5 pushes later and Mr. Beckton joined our world. He was born at 3:07AM, weighed in at 6 lbs 7oz, and was 20 in long. After his safe arrival our parents gathered in the delivery room and held him. Scott took some video of his first moments after he was all cleaned off and the two of us just gazed at our baby boy.

We love him so much!!!!!!!!

Katie at 38 weeks (Maybe this nice weather will do the trick!)

Love this little summer dress my sister sent me!

Well, nothing too exciting to report except for the beautiful weather. I hope Beckton was just waiting for a break in the weather to join us. He's got to be enjoying himself in his Cabo like atmosphere and I can't imagine he would want to leave that to come to 33 degree weather like we've been having in Dayton! Luckily we've had some incredible 80 days just like I like 'em and I'm sure he's running out of space in there because I am getting big! Today at work everyone who has seen me says and I quote "Wow, you are HUGE!"

I'm having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions - and I still feel like he's going to make an appearance at any minute, but so far no such luck.

Scott and I are starting to get anxious and nervous at the same time. We keep saying we are ready and then we ask each other "Are we really ready?" We are though, we have to be! I swear I have packed and re-packed that hospital bag 5 times now!

We are also reading a chapter of Baby Wise every night in anticipation of being good parents and having a pleasant baby!

Beckton's Room is complete! I am obsessed!

Beckton's Blankie

How it looked first .. How it looks now! (Not as yellow as the picture portrays - walls are actually ivory) Where our little man will sleep
The monkey really makes the room
This bookshelf has been in our family for years!
Changing Table

My favorite picture frame with the sweetest wording everShelves
Wall Art

LOVES IT!

Katie at 37 weeks (Beckton are you coming soon?)

(No I didn't ride on this just posed for a picture on Tommy's Harley!)

I'm full-term! I'm exhausted, I'm nesting like crazy and I can't keep myself out of the bathroom. He is literally sitting on my bladder. It's weird because I can feel him moving down all the time. Especially at night. Then I think this is it! And it's not! Week 37 was filled with more accomplishments ...

We finished all of our classes! Childbirth, CPR etc. we are trained and ready to roll.

We finished the nursery!! It's DONE! We love it and can't wait to post more pictures!

We prepared the house ... everything is clean thanks to my nesting phase last weekend. We cleaned grout, toilets, baseboards, windows, the gardens, sprayed for bugs, packed un-packed and re-packed my hospital bag, filed documents, power-washed the deck, I mean we got serious!
So the big question is when will you come little guy? We would love to hear your predictions ... you can leave comments at the bottom of this post!

Katie at 36 weeks (Happy Easter!)

Wow time is finally flying by! It's funny how in the early stages I felt like I would never get this far. 30 weeks seemed unimaginable ... now here I am at 36 weeks and Beckton could literally come any day! I find myself feeling these little bursts of excitement. I started out so excited I couldn't stand it, then I got so sick that it was hard to focus on anything else, and now it's almost time! Between feeling a little overwhelmed and nervous I just keep smiling thinking that soon we'll have this little guy who will depend on us and learn from us. It's going to be so much fun.

This past weekend we did some maternity photos. THANK YOU TO MARISA for taking the time to take over 300 photos like a total pro! They turned out awesome and here are just a few!

Nursery Sneak Peak..Love ..

Just us ..

Blooming ..

Our last few moments of serenity

36 weeks!

The whole family

Katie at 35 weeks (Spring has sprung but with snowflakes)

At Miami University with the Upham Arches behind me - while visiting with Scott

Snow in April? Note the tulips mixed with snow on the ground and blowing in the air!

Week 35 means we have 5 weeks to go until 40 weeks! Week 35 was a little crazy as I started having some contractions. Luckily they subsided but were actually pretty painful. Thank God my Mom was able to stay with me since Scott was out of town. If those were any indication of what labor is like ... all I can say is epidural.

The childbirth classes are over but we still have some parenting classes to finish up through April. We also have to attend a Baptismal class for Beckton's baptism after he is born. It's a lot of learning, but I think it will all come in handy.

So far April has been a month of getting things done! From the classes to decorating the baby room, making sure my claims for maternity leave are ready, securing a pediatrician, de-cluttering our house, making space in our house for new baby things, buying items we didn't get from showers like bottles and diaper bags, working on a transition plan for the new person to cover my responsibilities at work ... I think we will be prepared!!

I'm still feeling exhausted because of the bathroom visits in the middle of the night but all in all doing well. Beckton is all over the place and we're all very excited for what's to come.

Katie at 34 weeks (Baby Room is making progress and Beckton is a Canteloupe)

34 weeks and we're moving right along! Beckton is about the size of a canteloupe! This weekend another milestone ... baby furniture arrived, we put it together and the room is almost done. I was so emotional this weekend while we were arranging the room. I guess I just couldn't really believe how one minute it looked like a storage unit and the next it was the room where Scott and I will bring Beckton home to for the first time. It's a pretty cool/strange feeling. Obviously anyone who has done this before gets it but I swear until you go through it once you just can't know how the emotions will take over. It's exhilarating. I'm starting to get really excited and really nervous at the same time. I cannot wait until the room is 100% complete and I can just sit back in the rocker and await Beckton's arrival.

This weekend (March 27th) we also celebrated Scott's 28th Birthday ! This was his last before becoming a Dad so we wanted to make it count! We headed to his favorite restaurant El Toro for dinner with family and friends and then topped off the night with a few rounds of bowling! Everyone had a blast and I think we sent Scott off well into fatherhood.

We also had a doctor appointment and Beckton appears to be doing well! Strong heartbeat and measuring right on target. No signs of any issues which is THRILLING!!! We should learn more next week at our next appointment ...

Katie at 33 Weeks (Another baby shower and a new car!)

Standing outside my new car!

I swear I must have the best friends, family and husband in the world! This week was a little crazy as we've been car shopping. I love my little Saturn but two-door coupes aren't user-friendly for car seats and babies! So Scott and I kept searching and found nothing we really liked. Then we test drove this really cool fully loaded black Nissan Altima and we loved it! After discussing it a little further we decided it was probably a little much for us and we didn't need all those options. Turns out Scott must think I deserve something nice after what I've been through and he went back and bought the car the next day and totally surprised the heck out of me! He lied and told me he was going to the Saturn dealership to see how much they would give us and instead he went and got a great deal on the Nissan, drove it right to the front door of my office and called me to come down. It was so awesome. I was shocked to say the least. I literally started crying! I absolutely adore the car! THANK YOU SCOTT!!!!

Then, as if that weren't enough to give someone a great week ... the Kenney Family threw me a shower! THANK YOU Michelle, Michelle, Melinda, Marilyn and Mom for an awesome day! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME AND BROUGHT OR SENT SUCH ADORABLE GIFTS! WE ARE SO GRATEFUL!

The shower was so much fun, had the best food and cute decorations. It was so nice to spend time with the family! THANK YOU KENNEY'S!

I am definitely feeling the aches and pains of pregnancy but with so many people to celebrate with and such great gifts, you won't find me complaining! Beckton is moving around a lot in there. He doesn't kick all that often he just seems to change position a lot. Most of the time it's fine but every once and a while it's uncomfortable. Hopefully he is enjoying his time in there because he doesn't have much time left!

Katie at 32 Weeks (My first baby shower!)

Oh yeah, I'm getting big now!

Mom and Me

Miami girls (minus Jamie) LYMYMYED


Small CHS reunion (everyone is either married, engaged, has kids or expecting! Crazy!)

Kristin, Andrea, Katie & Kathryn (the old HDC gang)

Katie & Marisa

So cute, Beckton's little shoes (Mom is a great photographer)

Scott and I with our new stroller and car seat compliments of my Mom and Sister!

He came after the shower - the Bud Light can is his!

Well, Birthing Classes are underway and going well. I'm feeling alright, pretty tired due to my getting up to go to the restroom every hour on the hour (even during the night!)

Big news this week ... we had our ultrasound and they say Beckton is doing great! We've had some scares in the past but this time everything measured up accurately. Our little guy is currently 3.8 pounds and in the 25th percentile, they say he won't get very big. Fine by me! As long as he is big enough right? We got another DVD of the ultrasound and this time we got to see his mouth moving all around as he shoved his fist inside. It was too cute!

More big news from the week obvious from the pictures, my first baby shower!

THANK YOU TO MARISA, RACHEL, LAURA, & AMBER for hosting such a fun shower! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO COULD COME SPEND THE DAY WITH US ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT TRAVELED FROM AFAR LIKE MY MIAMI GIRLS!
THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THE WONDERFUL GIFTS!

EVEN IF YOU COULDN'T MAKE THE SHOWER WE KNOW YOU WERE

THERE IN SPIRIT BY ALL OF THE WELL WISHES AND

WONDERFUL THINGS WE RECEIVED!

The final big news from the week ... the baby room is finished being painted! My wonderful husband did the first 4 coats and my wonderful Mom finished the last one! The color is just what we were hoping for and it's a relief to have it done! THANK YOU SCOTT AND MOM!

Katie at 31 weeks (Birthing Classes, Showers, Bachelorette parties)

Katie looking a little exhausted

Amber, Katie (Beckton) and Carla

Above are a few pictures of me at a Bar in Columbus. I ventured out with some friends for my our friend Stephanie's Bridal Shower and Bachelorette Party. Let me just point out that party buses are not as exciting when you drink water. However Beckton really seemed to enjoy himself as he was moving all over the place the whole night! He must have been dancing to the loud music! Guess he likes the same music as Mom!

Last week our friends and co-workers at LexisNexis through Scott and I a little baby shower! We had cake, told some funny stories, and they gave us an adorable card and very generous gift! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

Beckton is starting to get lots of things! - THANK YOU to my sister and my Mom - who boxed up AJ's things from 0 - 12 months and sent to Beckton and I to enjoy! Thanks sis for all of the adorable things! All I had to do was separate and wash! It's very exciting to have things for him already! We continue to receive little gifts here and there from family and friends and it's just so nice.

The other major event from last week was that we actually started our Childbirth classes. Not much to be told, except that after some introductions, diagrams and watching some birthing videos Scott announced that he will most certainly be out of town the week I go into labor.! His exact quote? "Nothing should be that hard for anyone ever. It's completely ridiculous." I'm just glad he agrees with me! Needless to say we've paid for the classes and we did learn some things, so we will be going back weekly. Next week we're hoping we don't have to watch any horror movies though.

Beckton seems to be doing well (we're looking forward to our next appointment on March 11th when we get to see him again!)

Katie at 30 weeks (Binkies and Boppies and Bumbos oh my!)

I am officially 30 weeks. 10 weeks to go! The pictures above were taken just 4 days apart!

So I'm getting bigger! Scott and I both think that I will go early, for a few reasons...

1. We just have a funny feeling.

2. Sometimes babies with two-vessel cords are delivered earlier.

3. We think Beckton has been through enough and might decide he's ready to join us soon!

I'm feeling alright. I'm hardly sleeping at all (not that much has changed) but either I cannot get comfortable or I'm going to the bathroom. Either way I'm up every hour which makes it tough to feel refreshed in the morning! Beckton is definitely getting bigger. My belly is bigger and his movements are much more pronounced. In fact, the books say that if a friend puts their ear up to my stomach they can actually hear the heartbeat. So, Scott decided to try this for himself. We got everything all quiet and Scott pressed his ear up against the baby ... he didn't get to hear the heartbeat because instead Beckton gave him a swift kick right in the ear! It was too funny.

We're still trying to find the time to get the nursery painted but we're just both so busy. We've also updated our registry and though we're a little overwhelmed about how much stuff something so small will need, it feels good to have that done! A big thanks to my friend Jenn for going with me to register! She had all kinds of tips and tricks for me that I would have otherwise not known! Scott is still wondering what on earth, binkies, boppies, and bumbos are but I guess he'll get it soon enough since we have showers coming up! We've also started to receive some fun gifts from friends, family and co-workers. My sister boxed up maternity and baby clothes for us and we're so thankful for that! Thank you to everyone who has wished us well with cards, gifts, hugs etc! I also seem to be finding bargains on baby clothes that I "have to have". I am a sucker for little boys outfits.

Finally, I am really eating more now. Mr. B is getting bigger and I have noticed an increase in my appetite. I don't necessarily eat huge meals but I seem to eat pretty frequently! Let's just hope I don't gain 20 pounds during the last two months!! It's getting closer now!

29 weeks (Dr. Altman tells us to stop worrying!)

Well, I forgot to take a week 29 picture so instead here is a picture of Scott painting the nursery. It was blue and we moved to yellow (notice his belly is flat). We had our 29 week appointment with Dr. Altman this week. When we arrived at the office we were told we would have to wait because Dr. Altman had a delivery! So I asked the nurse if we could review my chart while we waited and she said we could. After the things we've been through (2 stomach flu's, fluid around the heart and the missing vessel in the umbilical cord we wanted to see if there was anything else we were missing). We reviewed all the ultrasounds and got to read the notes written by the doctors. Unfortunately most of it looked like it was written in Japanese but it was really nice to see the word "NORMAL" in most instances.

When Dr. Altman arrived he went over the ultrasounds with us and answered our many many questions. He reassured us both that the baby has passed the major tests and that he delivers babies with 2 vessel umbilical cords all the time, so we shouldn't worry. We both feel a lot better but we still have a little bit of doubt. We'll also be seeing our little guy a bit more frequently to make sure his growth stays on track.

Other than that work is crazy for both of us and we're just trying to manage that, with house work, Scott's school work and entertaining the thought of becoming parents for the rest of our lives!

Oh - and we have some roommates. Scott's parents have moved in with us until their new house is ready! It's so nice to have some extra help and entertainment (as they are both hilarious and lots of fun to have around!)

Katie at 28 weeks (Beckton and I do not travel well)

This is a photo of Beckton and I at our friends Jodie and Joey's wedding on Valentine's Day! Thanks to Aunt Michelle for letting us borrow her outfit ... Beckton and I apologize if it's all stretched out by the time you get it back!

This year on Valentine's Day I woke up to breakfast in bed! Scott made me heart shaped waffles from scratch (literally) with fresh fruit, syrup, and the most adorable homemade card with a picture of him, Lily and Winston. It was the BEST surprise and I loved it! He was not as lucky -but I did get him a few fun gifts and a card that I had picked out weeks before because it was perfect for him.

Valentine's Day was fun - especially the wedding. The next day Scott and I headed to North Carolina for a business trip. Scott went with me just in case anything went wrong (yes I might have psychic powers). We had hoped for a little relaxation time as we had Monday off of work but we weren't so lucky. We did do a little sight-seeing though to Duke, UNC and NC States campuses which was fun but I wasn't feeling so hot. The best thing we got to do was see the Duke Chapel and I fell in love with it! It's beautiful and breathtaking and so calming. I said a little prayer for Mr. Beckton while there. Thinking I was simply tired from travel and tourist activities we headed back to the hotel for a nap. When I woke up I was vomiting pretty uncontrollably and having some contractions. Luckily there was a hospital next door to our hotel (must have been fate). They checked me in, told me I was going to have a North Carolina baby, hooked me up to monitors, IVs and did lots of tests. They couldn't figure out much except that I must have had a stomach bug and an infection on top of that because I had a rising fever and my white blood cell count was really high. They kept me overnight and although Scott did not enjoy sleeping on the world's most uncomfortable chair, he didn't leave my side. The next day they continued to monitor me and the baby and kept me until 8:00PM! I couldn't wait to get out of that hospital but I was advised that I definitely did the right thing, to get myself hydrated and medicated so now complications would arise. The trip will go down in our books as one of our worst travel experiences ever ... but that little Beckton is a fighter. We've both been through so much during this pregnancy and I swear nothing phases him!