Harper's Birth Story

Harper is a month old TOMORROW!!!

I know I am a little late on her birth story, but better late than never, I suppose!

**Okay-I could give you the version that I wrote in her baby book, but that may take more time than I have before she wakes from her slumber...SO, here is a short and sweet, condensed version.

We had our 40 week appointment on Tuesday, September 27th. After Dr. Shanbour checked me, much to our dismay, he told us that I was still not dilated, but was about 85% effaced. Since we had an induction scheduled for the next morning and I had no progress (as far as dilation goes), he wanted us to check in to the hospital that night. GULP!! What? Really? We really weren't prepared for that! He told us to go home, finish packing our hospital bags, go to a nice dinner, and come back around 8 pm.

We did. Here is how it went: Left Dr. office. Squealed all the way down on the elevator. Called parents. Freaked out. Called a few more people. Starting sweating profusely (OK-enough of all that, you get the point). Got home. Dealt with Roscoe. Showered. Finished packing bags. Ate at Olive Garden (we had great coupons!). Got done eating way before time to go to the hospital because we were so excited. Went to Barnes and Noble to kill time. Checked in at Mercy at 7:59 pm.

The nurses started me on an I.V., drew blood, and started the Cirvadil (to help me dilate). After a long night, Dr. Shanbour came in at about 9 am and said that the Cirvadil had worked and he broke my water. Zach and I were both very tired from the lack of sleep we got. We tried to get some more rest, but soon the pain started to set in. Not too bad though.

Around noon, things really started to pick up. I used some great breathing techniques that we learned in birthing class. They actually helped quite a bit! I knew that with each contraction, there was only about 30 seconds of REALLY strong pain. Contractions were getting stronger and closer. I didn't think I needed an epidural yet, so they gave me some pain medicine (I know, I'm a whimp). I was thinking it would just take the edge off of the pain...boy, was I wrong! I really couldn't feel hardly any pain for about an hour and a half. According to Zach and my mom, I guess I said some pretty funny things when I got the pain medicine.

**Funny things: Something about a great idea I had to make doll lawn chairs out of the old school metal flyswatters?? I also said that my stomach felt like it had "one of those things in it that held up tents"...yes, a pole.

The nurses were all sooo sweet and made sure I was as comfortable as possible at all times!

Later, probably around 3 or 4 I got my epidural. It was nothing. I got so nervous about it for nothing. Zach helped me to focus on him and not think about the ginormous thing going in my back. He was such a great support through the entire delivery, well through the entire pregnancy, for that matter!

EXCITEMENT BUILDING....

Finally, around 6:30 pm, the nurses said I was a 10 and ready to push!! Before I knew it, there were about 5 nursing students and a handful of other nurses in the room watching me push. OH JOY! No, I actually didn't really mind...it was the last thing on my mind at the time. Just looking back on it, you think...hmm, the "pushing face" is not anyones best look, haha!

When one of the nurses said they could see her head, I asked "Does she have hair?? Is it partable??" Everyone laughed and the nurse told me that she did have hair and she did, in fact, think it was partable!!

At about 7 Dr. Shanbour came in, just as casual as ever (I like that about him), drinking a bottle of water and said "How we doing Stace?" I really don't remember what I said in response, I just remember thinking how casual he walked in. That goes to show that the way you see it in movies and TV shows is always wrong. Anyways, he scrubbed in, put on his blue paper scrub things, arranged a few things how he preferred them, and then sat down.

He coached me through pushing for about 10-15 more minutes. Dr. Shanbour and all the nurses were so encouraging! It was such an exciting experience that I really truly enjoyed!....Then, with all the love in the world, Zach and I welcomed our blessing, our heaven sent, little Harper Jo into the world!! I don't think I can even try to explain all the joy, warmth, love, and grattitude I had in that moment. Zach cut the cord (which I didn't even see/don't remember) :( because I was busy kissing our sweet little girl. I guess I kept saying "baby girl, oh baby girl, hi sweet girl." That is what Zach says anyway.

Born September 28, 2011 at 7:16 pm. 7 lbs, 12 oz. 20.5 inches long.

They took her away and I watched as they cleaned her up and Zach took lots of pictures. She had a bit of respiratory distress, so they had her lay on my chest for skin to skin contact to regulate it. I was more than okay with that, however, Zach didn't get to hold her for about an hour and a half. He was about to go crazy! After we had some time, just the 3 of us (and after Zach held her for a while), we told the nurses to let the family in.

**I was told by the nurse to not let it get too loud...hmm, that was nearly impossible with all the family we had up there!! Luckily, the nurse said she would let us know if we were being too loud. She never did. :)

It was so nice of everyone to wait so patiently to see Harper! I think it was both of our parents, Ryan and Shayna, Tiffany and her 3 kids (Nate was out of town), and Ashlee and Molly. (Sorry if I left anyone out!)

Everyone "ohhed" and "awwed" and passed her around. She also had a constant poparazzi, of course. Ryan and Shayna went to get us Panera...ahh, food! It was so tasty, especially since I hadn't had any food since Olive Garden the night before!!

After everyone left, the nurse took Harper to bathe her. When she brought her back Zach and I could not believe her hair!!! It was adorable!! Zach took a picture and it is still (out of about 1500+ pictures) one of our very favorites. Oh, the joy that we had as we loved on our newborn babe. We will never forget it. She was finally here.

Well, that is the "short and sweet" version...which still turned out to be way longer than I had planned. If you stayed with me, thanks!!!

We're ready!!!

Tomorrow I will be 39 weeks...39 WEEKS!!! That means this baby is almost here!!! Zach and I are antsy and anxious as we await the arrival of our first born, however, we are trying to enjoy these last few days of just us. We have gone to the movies, gone to dinner, enjoyed lazy weekends, and we have enjoyed preparing/nesting for Harper! He has been such a big help!

Here are a few pictures of her room. We have a few more decorative items to hang, but I'd say its about 95 % done!!!

Silent night...for now.

It's 1:16 AM and I'm in what may become my new early morning spot....the couch. As I sit here in silence, I'm trying to perceive what it may be like in a few weeks at 1:16 in the morning, here, on the couch. Although there may not be much silence, I burst with excitement knowing that in a few weeks, I won't be sitting solo on this couch! I hope Harper likes to snuggle!

Tonight, what brings me here is a VERY active little girl (that I am so thankful for)...which leads me to take many jaunts to the bathroom, tums, tossing and turning, and restless legs. Zach hasn't been able to get a great nights sleep in a while, mostly due to my latest situation...I just lay there as still as I can be until I can take it no longer, putting off changing positions or getting up to go to the bathroom, or making what seems like the loudest noise ever when I get a few tums out of their container. Why is it that when you need to be still, you can't?

Anyways, as of today (or I guess yesterday)...I'm 36 weeks along. I'm getting tired easy (but can't sleep at night), I'm having quite a few Braxton-Hicks everyday, and in the past 3-4 days I've have mild cramping down low. I go to the Dr. tomorrow, so I hope he can tell me something...anything, as to what he thinks about whether she'll be early, on time, or late. I know there is no real way of knowing, but just hearing some explanation will give me something to look forward to.

Our hospital bag is half packed, the car seat will be installed any day now, her room is 80% done, and there are still about 15 things left on my deep cleaning list that I need to do before she gets here; however, I'm trying to wait until closer till time so the house is in it's cleanest condition!

Well, I feel a hint of tiredness coming on...maybe this is my ticket to sleep.

Beyond Blessed

Last Saturday, Shayna (my soon to be Sister-in-law) and I were given a double shower by some sweet women at my parent's church. It was perfect. From the beautiful flowers and colorful lanterns to the exquisite food, they worked very hard to make sure everything was in place.

The hostesses...Ada, Kim, Vicki, and Linda.

It is a good thing Zach was not able to come down for the weekend because he certainly would not have had a place to sit on the way back...my car was PACKED!! God has provided SO much for us through this shower...Harper is set!

Here are a few pictures to recap the day...

Vicki, Kim, Ada, and Linda-thank you again for hosting such a wonderful shower!! I hope Harper has such Godly woman in her life like you 4-as I have had.

25 weeks and then some...

**WARNING: Go ahead and start laughing, this is the best I could get the spacing!! I need to get a new blog...I'm not a fan of blogger!!

This whole pregnancy is turning into a whirlwind!!! Only 15ish weeks left, really? Where did it all go? Here is a tired looking, hair needs to be washed, just cleaned up dinner...me at 25 weeks.

And here are a few things we've been up to lately:

-We officially picked her name!! Dun dun dun...

HARPER JO SCHNORRENBERG

I.LOVE.IT.

-We ordered and put together Harper's sweet new ride...

-I painted her dresser...

BEFORE and AFTER

-I refashioned some clearance onesies ($0.75 each)!!

Both of these onesies had ugly Halloween prints on them.

Believe it or not, this is her first OSU onesie.


And of course, "h" for Harper!

Baby Bedding

I have been looking and looking for bedding that I like, scratch that, I mean love AND doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Nothing was really grabbing me.

SO...I decided to make it! I was thinking I could make it all for around $100, which is great, but it actually ended up costing just under $60. (I found a white twin bed skirt at target that I fashioned into a crib skirt for only $3.50!) SCORE!

Colors: turquoise, coral pink, marigolds, and creamsicle orange

A little something extra for fun on the skirt.

From the looks of it, you can't see much coral pink, but hopefully when we paint her dresser it will pop out!

I'll have to get a better picture later...but for a quick post, this will have to do.

Settin' Up Shop

I have dreamt about this day for what seems like

F-O-R-E-V-E-R.

And now, it is here.

Thank you, God, for this opportunity and blessing that you have given us.

I couldn't imagine doing it with anyone else.

In true excitement, we made a classic mistake.

This picture (above) was taken after we pushed the completed crib down the hall.

This picture was taken as Zach was reassembling the cute little crib that did not fit through the doorway...all during the Thunder game. Thanks baby!

And the finished (in a way) product!!

We love that it is so simple, plain, and petite.

Our Dallas Trip

Last weekend we were able to get away for a little bit for some relaxation and to get some things for our girl. We filled out bellies with good food, went to a Ranger's game, and did more shopping than Zach wanted to (joking, he was a wonderful shopper)!!! Really, I was VERY impressed!

Before we left, he surprised me with some new sunglasses from Banana for Mother's day (even though, techinically, I'm not really a mother yet). He did great!! He picks things out for me better than I do myself! Thanks Zach!

First stop: IKEA

Here, we got a crib, a bumper pad for me to cover, an organizer for her dresser drawers, a stuffed bunny, and some picture frames for her room.

Although she already has quite the collection of clothes, we had to check out the outlets. Outlets don't seem to have as good of prices as they used to. We did find a couple great deals, but mostly, we just enjoyed the nice weather and ewwing and awwing over the cuteness of such little things.

Here is Zach's favorite find. He LOVED this dress!!

Here is my favorite find. It will be perfect for the lake/beach next year!!
We had such a great time. Memories were made and will be cherished forever. Love you, Zach.

I'm SooOOoo Behind!!

Baby girl is growing!!

20 weeks...on Mother's day, with a wrinkled dress...I never want a linen dress again!!

21 weeks on my 25th birthday

BABY UPDATE!!!

Well, I didn't get around to doing an 18 week post...and I'm just getting around to my "It's a GIRL!" post...and it's past time for the 19 week post...SO, it's going to be a 3-for-1 post! :)

So, this is baby at 18 weeks (before we knew LBS was a SHE)!

For the longest time, I had really suspected a little boy was growing inside me. Zach, on the other hand was leaning toward LBS being a baby girl. Come to find out on April 26th at 10:30 in the morning...we are having a little GIRL!!! I WAS COMPLETELY SHOCKED!!! We are BEYOND excited and can't wait to meet our precious DAUGHTER!! Wow! Praise God! Everything looks good...here is Zach holding her pictures. He is already such a proud daddy. I can't wait to see him hold her! It melts me just thinking about it!

So, of course, I have been favoriting ideas for both boy and girl on Etsy. The first thing on my "girl" list were headbands and bows!! How fun! This little girl already has about 25 homemade bows/headbands!! I have been having so much fun making them!

Here is one of my favorites...a hydrangea headband.

And, of course, here is little baby girl at 19ish weeks!!

And last, but CERTAINLY not least, Zach felt her kick for the first time Monday night!! (5/2/11..which is at 19 weeks exactly)

The biggest smile lit up his face...I'll never forget it...and I'm sure he won't either. ;)

**pet peeve: the spacing on each post is ALWAYS messed up...no matter what I do. sorry.

16 weeks!!

**First of all, please forgive me that this is one big paragraph!! No matter how I space it, it keeps clumping it all together...sorry! Ahh...I am LOVING this 2nd trimester thing!! I pretty much feel like my normal self...with just a little bit of tightness in my belly - the way you feel after you've eaten a ton, and with that, of course, a bigger belly! (which I am okay with!) I'm having a hard time getting used to sleeping on my side...but it is getting easier! Other than that, I feel great! This past week I was able to plant some begonias, an azalea, and hydrangeas!!!! I can't wait until they take over my front flowerbed!!! Also, tomorrow I am starting some herbs and peppers from seed. I LOVE this time of year! This weekend my mom, her best friend, grandma, Aunt Teri, Aunt Amy, and a few of my cousins are all going to a women's bible conference here in OKC!! I can't wait!! Some of them will stay with us so I am, of course, trying to get together a few fun recipes for them to enjoy during their stay!! It will be so nice to spend some time with these wonderful Godly women that I look up to...I have learned so much from them and I am excited to continue to do so. In other news....the countdown is beginning with just 15 days until we get to (hopefully) find out whether we are having a sweet baby boy or a sweet baby girl!!! AHHhhhHHhh!! I can hardly contain myself!! Please pray that lil baby S cooperates!! ;)

14 weeks!!

I'm officially in my 2nd trimester!.....I thought it would never come!!

This week I was able to hit up the Just Between Friends sale!! I got a few books for the baby, one for me, some maternity clothes, a toy, a big foam puzzle and a crib mattress saver...all for only $27!! I was overwhelmed at how much there was to look through....and I went towards the end of the week!!! I plan on hitting up the fall JBF sale on the first day! Mom was also able to get a few things at the Owasso JBF sale that would stay at grandma's house (we haven't come up with a name for her yet)!

A few of my findings at the Just Between Friends sale!

Earlier in the week, I got the itch to make something for the baby....

So, to etsy I went! Of course, it is a great place to buy handmade lovelies and other unique items...but I also enjoy it to get ideas!! Since we don't know the sex of the baby yet, I was having a hard time deciding what to make. I decided to make a highchair/grocery cart cover!!! My next roadblock was fabric!! Oh my, there is so much to choose from (even just at Hobby Lobby)!! I had to pick a fabric that would go for a boy or a girl...and make sure it was something I could live with for a while as well (hoping it lasts through all (?) of our children). I found a good (easy) pattern on etsy for $4.50...I ordered it right away. Saturday morning I picked up the needed supplies and cut out the fabric according to the pattern that night. Today, after church, I spent most of the afternoon sewing it all together!! It was really easy...and fun!! I kept telling Zach that I LOVE making things...especially for our baby!! It makes me so happy!

So...here is the finished product, complete with a seatbelt and a toy holder. I put it over a box in order to simulate what it would look like in use! It will be a while before I can use it...but then again, I will probably be using it before I know it! (and yes, it does have pink in it...but that is for me (and a baby girl, of course)...I think it has enough "boyish" colors in it to offset the pink)

Quick update on how I'm feeling:

-Great! Zach and I just discussed on the way to church this morning that even when I felt my worse...it was nothing in comparrison to what I know some women go through. I have been EXTREMELY blessed!!

-I can't button any of my jeans, so I am in the awkward stage between wearing the Bella Band and maternity pants.

-I can still (pretty much) eat just about anything!

-I'm only tired at the end of the day...like really tired. The good thing is I have pretty good energy during the day!!