19 December 2010

11.27.10

Be prepared this is a LONG post...seriously.

On Monday, November 22nd, I had a doctor's appointment. It was the first time she "checked" me to see how the baby was progressing. Jared and I about fell over when she told me that I was 2 cm, 90% effaced. Being first timers, we had no clue what that actually meant. The doctor said she thought I would have him early but, that I could also stay at 2 cm for a week or two. So, to be honest, I didn't think anything of it. I wasn't feeling any different. Jared was supposed to go to his annual "guys only" Raider game in Oakland on the upcoming weekend. The doctor suggested he stay home. I thought it would be fine for him to go. In the end, he decided to stay. Good thing he did, he would have for sure missed Caden's birth.

So, here is the edited (not so sure it would be appropriate to divulge certain details) version of the morning Caden was born.

Saturday, November 27, 2010
8:05 a.m. - I wake up to go the bathroom AGAIN! (the 4th or 5th time since I went to sleep the night before)

8:12 a.m. - go back to bed, attempt to get back into my only comfortable position.

8:15 a.m. - feel like I peed my pants (impossible since I just went) and realize that my water just broke. Immediately wake up Jared.

8:25 a.m. - call the doctor.
She asks if I am having contractions. My answer is NO. She tells us to take our time but, to definitely make our way to the hospital.

8:30 a.m. - real excitement sets in!

The hospital I chose to deliver at is 30 minutes away from our house. So, we took showers and packed our bags (which were not finished because I had thought I would have a couple of weeks to get everything together, talk about not being prepared). I also had just purchased my much desired Rebel camera on Black Friday. I planned to spend the next couple weeks learning how to use it. Instead, we took it still packaged in the box to the hospital.

8:45 a.m. - short contractions start, no pain yet.

9:00 - 9:45 a.m. - finish getting everything together. Contractions are getting stronger and closer together.

9:45 - 10:10 a.m. - quickly drive to the hospital. Contractions are hitting me full force. I can't talk. Jared is awesome during this time. He is calm, which helps me to focus.

10:10 a.m. - park the car, let a strong contraction pass. We very briskly walk into the hospital, directly to the elevator and hit the 4th floor button. I drop to the floor, in a squatting position and breath through the strongest contraction yet. Of course, the elevator stopped on every floor and each person took their time either getting on or off. My mean side felt like saying, "Do you not see a pregnant lady in pain on the floor here? Let's pick up the pace people" But, I refrained.

We get to the front desk on the labor and delivery unit and I again drop to the floor. Bless the lady at the front desk who is asking me questions about my address etc. I can barely say my name is. Jared takes over and does the talking. Then, a huge contraction hits and Jared kindly tells the lady that we called almost 2 hours ago when my water broke. She gets a panicked look and asks me if I want a wheelchair. Again, my mean side wants to say, "Are you kidding? Does it look like I can walk?" But, I refrained. I didn't want to be that pregnant lady that goes crazy on everyone.

10:15 a.m. - Next thing I know I am quickly being wheeled into a delivery room. A HUGE contraction hits while I'm in the wheelchair. As soon as it passed I got on the bed and asked if I could have an epidural. They check me and say, "Sorry honey, there is no time for it. The baby is right here." I start to panic, they give me oxygen. The contractions are non-stop at this point. The nurses are calling for the doctor.

10:25 a.m. - Mom and Jocey arrive. They are in shock that I am delivering since they just saw me 45 minutes ago at home and I was doing ok.  Jared and Mom help me compose myself and focus.

4-5 pushes......

10:35 a.m. - Caden Thomas Kennedy is born.

08 December 2010

he has arrived!

Caden Thomas Kennedy

Saturday, November 27, 2010 (2 weeks early) 
at 10:35 a.m.
6 lbs, 9 oz, 19 in


We are absolutely in love with him. 
Stay tuned for the birth story, it's a wild one!

18 November 2010

37 weeks.

Tomorrow, I will be 37 weeks and trust me, I can feel it.  I thankfully still feel great and I'm able to run around as usual. However, my belly is growing at a rapid speed and I am finding it hard to complete tasks that were once effortless.

The nervousness started to set in this week as I started to pack the hospital bag. I think the reality has finally set in completely that in plus or minus 3 weeks our little guy will be here. Wow.

I will post pictures after the baby shower on Saturday....some of them may look familiar as we plan to re-purpose our decor from the last baby shower. Why let it go to waste?

Looking forward to seeing more family and friends.

10 November 2010

baby kennedy due date pool

Maren (my sister) came up with the idea of having a baby due date pool. The idea is to guess which day you think the baby is going to arrive. Everyone put money in for the day they wanted. I (fairly) drew names out of a bowl to determine the order in which each person would select the date of their choice. It was a lot of fun. We had people on speakerphone and people playing that were not even present but, had given their picks to "trusted" family members.

Jared and I are not allowed to participate because my competitive family thinks we could cheat by having info from the doctor, choosing a date (if a c-section happens), or "someone" even mentioned that I could hold out (which is impossible, if the baby is coming, I don't think there is much I can do to stop him). However, if the baby is born on a date that was not selected then we get the pot. So, here's to having the baby early!

LA baby shower.

I was spoiled to have another baby shower in LA this past weekend. My mom, Auntie Dolly, Trisha (my cousin) and Maren (my sister) hosted the shower. Trisha and I made the decorations and the rest of the family facilitated all the set up, food, drinks, cake, games etc. It was a total success and everything went so well. The weather even cooperated, as it was supposed to rain.

I enjoyed seeing my good friends who I do not get to visit with often, especially since moving to Temecula. I miss everyone. A couple hours just wasn't enough. Nevertheless, I had a great time catching up and having some laughs. Good times.

A HUGE thank you to all my family who helped make this day wonderful! xo





Amy, Laura, Me & Heidi

Sarah, Me & Ashley - my Waterleaf girls

funny wrap job by Rhizi (yes, that is santa paper)
car seat from Maren


Me, Maren, Rhizi, Jocey & Mom
Andrea & I

Sophie (my boss at Sherwood), Me & Carol (co-worker from Sherwood)
Sisters

Auntie Cathy (my dad's sister) & I
Trisha (creative genius and cousin) & I

Me & Dinita
Me & Genie
Me, Kristi & Fredrick


Me & Nicole

utah baby shower.

Jared's mom and sister had a baby shower for me in Utah. It was great to see Jared's side of the family. We usually get to see them once a year at Christmas time. So, any extra visits are a treat. I was also able to see some old friends, a few of which I have not seen in years. It was great to quickly catch up.

Thank you to everyone (especially Robin & Kimmy) who helped kick off the upcoming arrival of our little guy!

Here are a few pics....there are more to come but, I have not collected them from everyone yet. Sorry. 

Dori (Jared's cousin), Me, Kimmy (my sis in-law) & Shaunie (my niece)

Auntie Dolly, Auntie Carol, Mom, Me & Trisha


Me & Lu
Domi (my niece), Me & Shaunie

04 November 2010

i know i promised utah baby shower pics.....they are coming but, probably not until next week. 
i have been busy getting ready for the baby shower this weekend in LA and my niece's 1st b-day party. i still have SO much to do in the next 2 days. so, there is no time for a meaningful post this week. 

hope everyone had a great halloween. we didn't even dress up this year (so not like us) and to be honest weren't very festive. we were both disappointed in ourselves since halloween is one of our favorite holidays. 

side note: we got engaged on halloween 3 years ago.


26 October 2010

childbirth class.




We luckily were able to make it to a childbirth class before this baby arrives. The classes typically run over a 5-6 week period. There was no chance we would have ever been able to make it to weekday classes. So, I was able to find a series that packed it all into one weekend. The days were long but, we learned a lot. I'm glad we went. I feel a little bit better about what to expect. 
(me = 33 weeks)

utah baby shower pics coming next...


11 October 2010

Bitter
  • leaving my awesome co-workers, who have become great friends
  • leaving Manhattan Beach for good (no more daily ocean views)
  • being away from my sister, cousin and aunt
  • not working, i don't know what its like to not work (fear of the unknown)
Sweet
  • Thursday is my last day at work
  • I get to see Jared everyday now, instead of in 3 day increments
  • I can begin preparing for our little guy
  • I can organize, cook and enjoy the upcoming holidays
So, here's to my next adventure.....MOTHERHOOD.


Off to Utah on Friday for my 1st Baby Shower....so excited to see family and friends.




mom.

October 8th is my Mom's birthday. We celebrated this past weekend...
family + friends + mexican food + marble bundt cake = perfect birthday celebration

Happy Birthday Mom!!





07 October 2010

the name game.


maybe this baby won't have a name after all....
choosing a name is the hardest thing to do, so far.
lots of names have been thrown on the table and then almost immediately are thrown to the trash.

the middle name is set in stone.
it will be thomas, after my father.
there is a 90% chance that this baby will have a second middle name as well.
everyone in my family has a hawaiian middle name and i don't want to break that tradition.
i have gone back and forth about this because i fear that it will be complicated for him in the future.
what does he use for his middle initial? both? pick one?
we'll see.

we both have our favorites for the first name.
i think we are secretly hoping the other person will cave in at the end.
keep hoping honey :)

so, i think our current plan is to wait until we meet him and then hope that the perfect name comes to us.
wish us luck.
i can pretty much guarantee that they will be begging us to write something on the birth certificate at the very last minute.

we had our favorite girls names ready to go.........maybe next time.

04 October 2010

30 weeks.

When I got the call from the doctor's office confirming my 30 week appointment, I thought "What 30 weeks? Aren't I only pregnant for 40 weeks total? Wait, that means only 10 weeks to go!!!" I then felt an extreme urgency to get all the little projects started that I wanted to have finished by now.....yea right! No one ever really explained to me how fast this whole pregnancy thing flies by.

I'm in a bit of a panic mode trying to wrap up work in LA, getting prepared for this baby, still finishing my registry (should have been done weeks ago) and the list goes on. Side note: I am not complaining, I love being busy. But, you know the feeling of so much to do in so little time? Plus, its not like I have control over when this baby is actually going to make his debut.



Today's appointment went well. The doc said we are in perfect shape, glucose is clear (no gestational diabetes), iron levels are high and blood pressure is right on. Baby's heartbeat is strong. She also told me that he will not be a big baby. Possibly a good thing for labor purposes? As long as he is strong and healthy, I'll be thrilled. He continues to kick/punch with force throughout the day. Every night, without fail, if I lay on my side he goes nuts in there. It's so amazing to feel and physically see the movements.

I do know one thing, I am really EXCITED to meet him and ask him why he insisted on spending most days curled up on my right side under my rib cage.


farewell.

We had to finally say goodbye to our (Jared's) beloved Jeep Wrangler last weekend.
He had the Jeep for 13 years. It had been with him all over country; Florida, Texas & Utah...just to name a few.

We knew this day was coming soon, as we were having problems with it earlier this year. We made an agreement that once the next "big" problem arose, we would say our goodbyes. That day came last week. It was sooner than we planned.

We (as in both of us) shed a tear. I never thought I would have an emotional tie to a car, especially one that I have only been around for 4 years. But, all of our road trips, summer/beach excursions, dating life etc. came to mind as we pulled away from that car that provided us with LOTS of good times. Sad.

Farewell Friend.



Now that our little guy will be joining us in less than 10 weeks (yikes!) we needed to get a "family" type car. So, here it is. Welcome Rav4.

12 September 2010

27 weeks.

I have loved being pregnant. So far, so good. 
Maybe I would feel differently if I experienced morning sickness? Who knows? I'm very thankful I did not.
I love seeing my belly grow and grasping the reality that there is an actual human in there.
My favorite part by far is feeling the constant movement. It is a miracle.
I am so in love with this little guy. 
I'm getting anxious....and we still have at least 12 weeks to go.


Belly pic coming next week...
In the mean time enjoy this oldie.

Can you believe these two crazies are going to be parents?
I can't.

(this photo was taken during our courtship, it is one of our favorites - July 2006)

chris & mack

We attended another wedding the day after A & R's. 
Jared's childhood friend Chris married Mackenzie in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in South Corona.
The bride looked stunning and the groom handsome as always.
We also had a blast with our bf's The Thrapps.
(I completely forgot that I had my camera until the end of the evening. So, I didn't even get a pic of the bride and groom together. I will have to steal one from facebook.)

Congrats to The Smiths!




A + R

My bf (Andrea) and her man (Robin) tied the knot on Labor Day weekend.
I was fortunate enough to be apart of the festivities.
They were married in Santa Ana and had their reception at the Knott's Berry Farm Resort in Buena Park.

I have known Andrea for what feels like forever but, in reality is 7 years or so. We have always been "phone friends." We have not lived in the same city or near each other for practically our whole friendship. Until now, we live about two miles apart. 

She is one of the funniest and kind hearted people I know. She is so family oriented and is always there when you need her most. I have depended on her for so many things and without fail she has been there. I love you A and I am so happy for you. You deserve all the happiness in the world. 

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Dano!!!


oh baby!


Trish, Maren & Genie (Fred (not pictured) was there too)





The O'Donnells.

My mom and Tom got married on August 7th in Manhatttan Beach.
The wedding was so sweet, combined with the perfect setting and weather.
I didn't get many pictures because I was in the wedding.
Our whole family knows how to enjoy themselves at a party. So, needless to say, we had a great time!

I am so happy for my mom. She has waited a long time to find love again and she more than deserves to have someone take care of her. It helps that we like Tom so much...he is a great man and will be a perfect addition to our crazy, predominately female family.

Congrats O'Donnells!!!

Speech

E O Mai
We danced to Island of Love....I am not going to display pictures of the actual dance to spare certain people the embarrassment (including myself).
Rhizi & Matty
Mom's work crew

 



YOU DID IT!!! - Jared Kennedy