Jameston's birth: Revisited

Well, last Saturday started out like a lot of our recent Saturdays...trying to sleep in and take it easy on the weekends before our little fella arrived (and our lives completely changed forever :) This past Saturday was no different, filled with HGTV, R&R, and a lot of NESTING on my part. The last activity should have been an indication for what was to come...

Since I was feeling pretty good for almost 40 weeks pregnant, we decided to head out to Brett's brother's house in Royse City for the Tech-UT football game. Out there we enjoyed yummy food (I plan on eating BBQ and jalapenos to help bring on our next kiddo's arrival :) good company, and a pretty darn good first half of the football game .

Once home, we settled in for the night...or at least I tried to. I had a hard time sleeping (nothing unusual, right?) and was busy tossing and turning. So, I headed to the couch to allow Brett to get some good sleep (since he was in for a few surprises the next day :) I started having contractions around 1:00 in the morning, which was not surprising since I had experienced some good ones several nights last week. They weren't too strong or consistent, so I didn't think much of them and was able to doze off for about an hour. I woke up at 3:00, and boy things had changed! Not knowing what to expect (and after reading lots of literature about avoiding going to the hospital too soon), I woke up and started pacing around the house. Now the contractions were intense and constant, and I timed them at about 3 to 4 minutes apart...that's when I woke Brett up and told him it was time to have this baby!

We rounded up our bags, fed the dogs, and headed for the hospital. We arrived around 4:00, and we walked right up to the Labor and Delivery floor and desk at which I told the nurse, "I think I'm in labor." They hurried me off to a room, measured me at 2 cm and timed my contractions at about 3 minutes apart. My doctor was not on call this past weekend (go figure), so I met Dr. Behnia and had two separate sets of nurses since they changed shifts at 7 a.m. An hour later, they measured me at a 3 (about a cm per hour) and told me we were well on the way to having our son!

Pre-epidural (yeah, I know...I was going for natural, but that's a later post all in itself):

putting on a brave face!

All systems go = excitement!!

Post-epidural: Aw, much better! I received shortly before 8:00 a.m., and I was able to sleep a little from 6-9 centimeters! Our families drove in from all over early that morning after receiving phone calls, and they were all in the delivery room right before we began pushing.

After an hour of pushing, Jameston arrived at 11:40 a.m.!

Brett cutting the umbilical cord...wow, what a miracle!

His stats: 8 lbs., 2 oz. and 21 1/2 inches long (we demanded a recount on the original tally of 21 inches, because we all thought, even many of his nurses, that he looked longer :)

Seeing our little guy for the first time was the most amazing moment in my life! Even with the pain (also a later post), I was smitten right away!

Our first family picture!

My two guys...I am so in love!

Jameston Wade, sleeping soundly...he's been doing a lot of this since his birthday, but mainly during the day (he is sleeping as I type this). We are working on getting our days/nights in line...

Him holding onto Daddy's finger...melted my heart!

Picture from the nursery window...he cried only when they were giving him a hard time. He has the cutest cry, even in the middle of the night :)

And did I say that he makes the cutest little faces, too!

Brett has a good way of calming him down by singing to him...I think he feels the vibration of Brett's voice chest to chest and it settles him.

My little guy and me...I am so blessed!

Headed home!

Although not even a week old yet, Jameston has changed our lives in more ways than we could have ever expected. No matter what you do to prepare for the birth (or adoption) of a child, from getting advice from family/friends and doctors to reading books, etc., we now know that nothing can get you ready enough for the amount of love and joy you feel from seeing and holding your child for the first time!! Our cup runneth over...

He's here!

After much prayer and anticipation, Jameston Wade Winters was born on Sunday, September 20th at 11:40 a.m. He weighed in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and measured 21 1/2 inches long. Named after his great-grandfather (James Stewart), his dad (Brett Wade), and great-great uncle (Wade Turnbough), our son is a healthy little boy.

Loungin' on daddy's chest

We are still on cloud nine and feel so blessed to be his parents! More details to come on the events preceding and following his birth once we get settled in at home...

Wishin' and hopin', thinkin' and prayin'...

Dear Pregnancy,

It's been fun, but I'm ready to bid you farewell. I know, I know...in a previous post I talked about how fast you have flown by. But now I'm getting impatient...can't a girl change her mind?! Oh, and the subtitle of my note to you is "Sneezin' not snoozin', wonderin' and guessin'."

So, here we are in the final days (I hope), and I am feeling every bit of 39+ weeks...my back and feet ache, and my allergies are back in full force (blame it on the rain). By the way: allergies + full-term pregnancy + sleeplessness (see prior posts) = agony and deliriousness. Oh well, I'll try and tough it out! But when you can't breathe, you can't sleep very well (and sometimes you snore when you do finally get some zzzz's :) I think God better prepares you for a newborn in a funny way, especially during the last weeks of pregnancy, since sleep seems to be such an unattainable goal at this point. I know all my worries and complaints will be forgotten when we get to hold Jameston for the first time!

Last week's sonogram picture when they guessed his weight.

Come on little guy, we are ready to meet you!

At my doctor's appointment on Monday, she was happy with the progress I had made in a week...woohoo! And I was happy because it put off the induction discussion for at least another week. As we anticipate his arrival (any day/minute/second now :) I thought I'd post one more (hopefully the last!) belly update picture. One can see why my back hurts because of the belly I'm lugging around!

39 weeks and still counting!

Also, this Wednesday was like Christmas at our house because of all the sweet gifts we received from family and friends either in the mail or at work (all nice surprises, especially since I was feeling under the weather). One of my patients gave us a children's book, my Memmaw gave us a scrapbook, and my sweet friend, Kristi, sent us the cutest little camouflage backpack for when Jameston heads to daycare. I also received some monogrammed burp cloths in the mail from a seller on Etsy (have I mentioned I LOVE that website?!).

I love monogrammed goodies!

As I bid farewell to my first pregnancy, I want to leave you with the following: FYI, LABOR: I. AM. READY. BRING. IT. ON! I just hope I can breathe easier by that time!

Yours truly,

Courtney Winters

P.S. Oh, and if our son is still not here by his due date, don't be surprised to see the cute due-date countdown ticker removed from our blog. I don't like the term "overdue." It should not be used in pregnancies, but only in regards to library books and bills.

Dog days of summer, Part Deux

As our last post said, we can see the light at the end of this 40-week pregnancy tunnel...with that in mind, I thought I'd post about our dogs again before our baby boy gets here. I feel the need to do this because I know, once our little fella makes his debut, he's going to be the topic of a majority of our posts!

A quick update on him: he's not as large as they were guessing (phew!), so we are waiting it out since my doctor feels there is no reason to induce now for weight concerns. I don't want to be induced (for several reasons). Don't get me wrong, if there is a medical issue, I'm all for it (and so are our families, since they would know when to make the trip :) But if he can come on his own terms, that is what we would prefer. So, as I was saying about our current "kids"...

They like to sleep by us, if we let them, but definitely by each other, too :)

Heck, Boomer even uses Marlie as a headrest some nights!

Marlie is quirky, and likes to sleep under things...tables, the bed, you name it. She has been this way ever since we adopted her.

As you can see from the above pictures, Boomer and Marlie like to lounge. We recently felt the urge to splurge and purchased our dogs their own pillows. You see, they sleep on the floor in our room at night (and in the living room during the day when we are home), as Boomer has definitely rubbed off on Marlie in the laziness ("I need my beauty sleep") department. Although we may have to navigate around them in the middle of the night (since they are larger than most children and even some small-framed, petite women), we have broken them of their desire to climb up on the couch/ottoman in preparation for baby. While out and about this past weekend, Brett had the great idea to get them pillows, and I viewed it as a way to somewhat spoil them before their sleep routines get totally interrupted. We, too, have been trying to take it easy ourselves, storing up energy for when Jameston arrives.

Soak it up, dogs...the Winters' household will not be getting the luxury of sleeping through the night in the very near future!

Now if we can only find a larger pillow!

The home stretch

So, we have officially arrived at the last month of pregnancy! I have heard time and time again that the last several weeks drag on (I can see how that may be, since you are more uncomfortable, sleeping less, etc.), but with all the excitement and busy-ness that has surrounded us lately, this pregnancy has flown by! If all goes as planned, we'll be welcoming our little boy into the world during the second or third week of September. We cannot wait until he's here!

Whoa, belly! At 37 weeks, I have gained about 30 lbs...right on track for a big baby boy!

As we have entered the home stretch, Brett has revealed to me some facts about myself that pregnancy has uncovered. Firstly, he has been a saint to put up with my snoring...yes, my snoring! I guess with all the added weight around my mid-section coupled with congestion (my allergies have lightened up, but I still have trouble breathing at times), I am supposedly snoring like Yogi Bear....poor guy. I've read that snoring goes hand in hand with pregnancy, but I hope I stop snoring after the baby is here, or else he's really not going to get much sleep!

The lack of sleep and no naps on the weekend caught up with me one night last week...I was out cold early this particular night!

And several of my co-workers and Brett have recently told me that I am more forthcoming with my emotions lately, i.e., "hormonal." My lovely co-workers have been cracking up at my evolution at work. Apparently I used to be more patient (to those patients who also view us as counselors), shy (to those family members who go out of their way to make my job more difficult), tolerant (to the many patients we have who insist on being seen without an appointment, etc., etc.), and now I am, in their words, more blunt and "to-the-point." No way!

Also, my sweet husband further stated that I "come out of my shell" through our blog. Really? I must use blogging as a way to take a jab at the world. Ha! No...I guess I view it as some sort of artistic expression. Apparently, I like to write :)

Showered with love...times two!

You have been forewarned: this is a long post!

Expectant sisters recently showered by friends :)

This past weekend, we gathered to shower my sister, Lynnlee, and her hubby, Thomas, for the upcoming arrival of their little GIRL. They just found out last week at their 20-week appointment they are having a daughter :) It was a wonderful shower thrown by her co-workers jam-packed with lots of good food, laughs, and great memories (and wonderful gifts for the parents-to-be).

Lynnlee getting some practice in with her "diaper baby"

Mom and Maggie

The food...scrumptious!

The goodies :) Pink and brown were popular colors

Lynnlee's friends and family gave her lots of great items, including stuffed animals, cute clothes, a diaper bag, their travel system, books, etc.

Checking out the cute jeans Aunt Courtney gave her :)

Their travel system...woohoo! (also in pink and brown)

Lynnlee and Thomas, we can't wait to meet your little girl!

On the 15th, some of my dear, dear friends from high school and college collaborated to throw us an AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL, so-very-SPECIAL (the list could go on and on) shower at our house. Even more family and friends drove in from all over the state to join in on the fun. From beginning to end, the tasty food and creative and hilarious games/door prizes to the generous and thoughtful gifts and decorations, it was one of the most touching days of our lives.

The hostesses and Me: Kim, Lindi, Becca, Maggie, Me, Lynnlee, Ryan, and Brenda. What a group!

Posing at 35 weeks...they made me do it

Here is the sweet invitation Becca made for the shower:

Becca wanted a "belly picture" with me :)

She's done this with other friends of ours, so we thought we'd continue the tradition!

It has taken me a little longer to post about the shower because my camera died during it, and I have since been bothering friends to send me pictures. At last, here is only a sampling of the fun we had:

The spread...oh so yummy and colorful :)

Mmmm, mmmm good...cupcakes with booties and pacifiers.

My lovely younger sisters, hostesses, and soon-to-be aunts, Lynnlee and Maggie

Undergrad and grad pals: Me, Brenda and 8-month-old Adam, Wendy and 3-month-old Riley, Lindi, Diana and her newest addition, Giada, 3-months-old, and Ryan

We played a game that required everyone to have balloon bellies...ask for details. As you can see, it was hysterical (Wendy and Lindi above), and my mom had a lot of fun with it :) She was the champion!

Glenda (GG), Jennifer and Adam, and Brenda

Shannon, Me, and Kim

My sister-in-law, Jessica with her girl, Ruby, and my mom, a.k.a., Mimi

My high-school friends, Clarisse, Jessica and Genese, hang out in the kitchen and admire Genese's newest addition, Kailey, who is 2-months-old...what a cutie!

Everyone hanging out in the living room

I already knew that I have the coolest friends, but I did not know they were soooo creative. My cousins made me several items, from a blanket and "snugglie" to a nursing/rocking chair pillow. Also, some of my friends monogrammed outfits, Shannon made a diaper cake (one that I thought was done by a professional, I might add), and my sister Maggie made some cute cupcakes with the initial "J" on them.

And as you can read from the invite above, they did something a little different for the shower by each person getting us their favorite children's book instead of a card. Everyone put so much thought into the selection of a book. I was surprised that, of all the books that we received, there were no duplicates! Our children's library is now officially up and running...we are set!When Brett got home and saw all the sweet and sentimental gifts, he was speechless. Words cannot describe how awesome it is to feel the great love and support during such an exciting time in our lives...we are truly blessed!

All of Jameston's goodies (Texas Tech was a recurrent theme, as was monkeys (the theme of his nursery:)

Thank you ladies for such a wonderful celebration! It was perfect and more than we ever expected...y'all are the best!

We are abundantly blessed...Stewart gals preparing for two new additions to the family!

*And if any of you shower attendees are reading this and have more pictures, please email them to me because I don't want to leave anyone out!*