the skrljacs: 2011 Year in Review

Since I did not update this blog for ALL of 2011, here is a recap...

January - We kicked off the new year with a great party. Our first New Year's Eve as husband and wife...little did we know the surprise that was just around the corner!

New Years Eve 2010

It was Friday morning, January 14, Ed was away on a hunting trip. All week long I though something was different but I waited until Friday to "test" my theory. Sure enough first thing that morning I got the surprise of my life, the best surprise! I saw my doctor that afternoon and she confirmed the good news. My doctor calculated my due date to be September 18, which meant I was 5 weeks pregnant. She gave me some literature and went over all the dos and donts of being pregnant with me. I remember sitting in her office like it was an out of body experience, I was so happy and excited but also overwhelmed. To think there was a human being growing inside of me! As I left the doctor's office and walked to my car I had this feeling like I wasn't alone, I had my little baby with me now and that was the best feeling! Of course Ed wasn't home so I could only share my excitement with the dogs. He wasn't getting home until Sunday and I wanted to tell him in person and I wanted him to be the first person I told, it was so hard to keep that secret all weekend! When he did get home that Sunday night I puled him aside (his brother in law Mike and his fried Ed Miner were also at our house) and told him through tears of joy - "September 18, we're having a baby!" It's funny how I remember my exact words. He smiled and hugged me and I think he gave me a high five!

February - On February 7 we had our first ultrasound and we saw The Gremlin's (my nickname for him because that is what it felt like I had in my stomach) body, his little arms and legs and most importantly we saw his heartbeat (163 bpm)! After this ultrasound my due date was moved up to September 14. At this point we were anxioulsy awaiting the the arrival of the second trimester so we could share our news with the world!

8 Week Sonogram

8 Weeks Pregnant

March - On March 8 we had our first visit with my high risk OB, Dr. Kirshon. I was sent to see Dr. Kirshon so he could screen The Gremlin for any heart abnormalities. I was 13 weeks along and we were excited to see our baby again! I knew most couples do not usually find out the gender until around the 20 week mark...but as soon as Dr. Kirshon put the wand on my stomach I saw what I knew was a boy! Sure enough, Dr. Kirshon confirmed our Gremlin was A BOY! Most importantly he had a healthy heart and was developing perfectly!

13 Week Sonogram

April - Another exciting month as Baby Skrljac continues to grow. On April 2, we went to the Final Four Tournament in Houston! We also had another ultrasound with Dr. Kirshon. He confirmed again that baby is healthy and defidently a BOY! Time to start planning the nursery!

19 Week Sonogram

19 Weeks Pregnant

Final Four Tournament

May - May was a hectic month. We had a major remodel done to our house in order to make room for baby! Our house was a mess and covered in dust for 6 weeks. In then end the results are great, but that was a long six weeks and it really interfered with my increasing desire to nest! I also invested in a sewing/ embroidery machine and started taking classes so I can make all kinds of cute things for Baby Skrljac.

The Patio pre-construction

(The Patio) New Living Room post-construction

June - June proved to be just as busy as May. We started off the month by taking a "Babymoon" to the Four Seasons Hotel in Scottsdale, AZ. We went with our good friends Jess and Summer. The guys played golf, Summer and I had some great spa time and we enjoyed relaxing in the beautiful Arizona desert. The following weekend Ed played in a golf tournament at Horseshoe Bay, so we enjoyed another fun weekend with our friends! We also painted and began decorating the nursery in June and Ed and I took a "Life with Baby" Class at the hospital. By the middle of June I was in my 3rd trimester, time was flying by!

Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale

26 WeeksPregnant

IOGA Golf Tournament at Horseshoe Bay

Painting the nursery, our color was "Tender Twilight"

The Painting Team

Crib Construction

The Nursery

July - Another exciting month as the birth of baby Skrljac (Jack) grows closer. On July 9, my friends and family threw me a wonderful baby shower and we debuted the completed nursey! I had my final appointment with Dr. Kirshon this month and we got one more great photo of our Gremlin. Dr. Kirshon predicted I was going to have a 9lb baby! One July 20 I went to my regular OB for my 32 week appointment, this was the first time I remembered feeling like I was a little tired of being pregnant and I was ready to have this baby! My docotor laughed and told me I still had a long way to go! Let's keep in mind, the Summer of 2011 was shaping up to be the HOTTEST summer ever in Houston, and I was feeling the heat with the 30+ lbs of new weight I was carrying!

29 Weeks Pregnant

Baby Shower Cake

Baby Shower

The Loot :)

Jack's first portraits

My mom made all of the bedding and window valances. The fabrics used were denim, seersucker and red bandana.

Perfect Room for my little cowboy!

Glider from PBK, artwork from Dimples and Dandelions and red shag rug from Overstock.com

32 Weeks Pregnant

Our last sonogram with Dr. Kirshon. He's flexing for the camera!

August - The month of August was filled with all the last minute preparations for the arrival of Jack. For the most part I was organized and ready well in advance, but I still managed to find things that needed to be done (packing our hospital bag, washing all the baby clothes, getting the car seat installed and inspected etc.)

35 Weeks Pregnant

Temperature gauge in my car in August and 9 months pregnant!

September - Here it is, the night Jack was born in my own words...

Thursday Sept. 1, 2011 – I went to the doctor for her 38 week appointment. Dr. Dimino said I was dilated 3cm and she thought the baby would come sometime during the Labor Day weekend!

Friday Sept. 2, 2011 – We go to Aunt Kylie and Aunt Katie’s first varsity football game (Cy Ridge vs. Cinco Ranch). Cy Ridge lost, but the girls did great!

Saturday Sept. 3, 2011 – Ed and I spent the day hanging around the house. I actually spent most of the day cleaning the house! Around 6pm we were ready to eat dinner. I took a quick shower because Ed and I had decided to go to Boston Market to pick up dinner. I was sitting (bouncing) on the exercise ball (wondering if that might help me go into labor) and Ed was doing something with the TV remote while we were discussing what we would buy at Boston Market (rotisserie chicken, macaroni and creamed spinach.) All of a sudden I felt warm wet water all over my pants, my water had broken, just like Dr. Dimino had predicted. I stood up and told Ed my water had broken, and I was sure of it! We stood in the living room for a moment realizing what was happening. We smiled and felt a rush of excitement because we knew it was finally time! Ed calmly said, “OK, let’s go have a baby.” My water continued to run down my leg (it was messy and there was A LOT of water) so I decided to go stand in the bath tub until it stopped (it never stopped). As I stood in the bath tub Ed packed his bag and gathered up everything I told him I needed. We were very calm, but very excited. I called my doctor and she told me to come into the hospital. I told her I had just taken a shower and said we would leave as soon as I finished blow drying my hair.

By 7:30 PM we were on our way to the hospital. We called our parents and a few close friends to let them know what was going on. We never went to Boston Market and I never got to eat dinner! We got to the hospital about 8 PM, my water was still flowing, but otherwise I felt great! It was actually nice to get rid of all the water, I felt like I lost 10 pounds of water weight instantly! When we got to the hospital they were already waiting for us. We went straight to our labor room and met our nurse Alyse. I changed into a hospital gown and climbed into the hospital bed so Alyse could put monitors on me to monitor me and the baby. At this point I was 4cm dilated but I wasn’t feeling any pain or contractions. Dr. Dimino told Alyse to start me on Pitocin to help my labor progress. For several hours we just hung out in the labor room, chatting with Alyse, and waiting for something to happen. I was very hungry and thirsty but I was only allowed to have ice chips. We also had a lot of visitors, Nanny and Paw Paw, Pops and NeNe, Aunt Kylie and Aunt Katie, Grandma Rose and Uncle Scott all came by that night while I was in labor. Pops and Nene and Kylie and Katie actually didn’t get to the hospital until close to midnight because they had been camping in Canyon Lake and had to drive back! Alyse kept asking me when I wanted the epidural, but I couldn’t feel the contractions yet so I kept telling her “not yet.” I wanted to at least feel a little contraction before I got the epidural.

Sometime after midnight Alyse went on her break and a different nurse came in. I don’t remember her name, but she was very nice! I told Alyse when she got back from her break I would go ahead and get the epidural (although I still wasn’t really feeling any pain.) With the new nurse in the room I asked if I could get up and go the bathroom, she said sure and helped me get into the bathroom. Almost as soon as I got back into bed the contractions seem to hit me like a truck. I went from not really to feeling anything to feeling the most incredible total body pain! I told the new nurse I wanted the epidural NOW! I couldn’t wait for Alyse. She called the anesthesiologist, but he was with another patient so it would be a little while. For the next 30 minutes (while we waited for the epidural) I had intense, painful contractions every minute. Ed, my mom and my dad were in the room with me and they were trying to help me get through the pain, but I can honestly say it was the most intense, terrible pain I have ever felt! Finally the anesthesiologist came in to give me the epidural. He was very quick and methodical, which I appreciated and I instantly felt relief. It was a great feeling! The pain was gone and my whole lower body felt tingly. After the epidural was in place, Alyse checked me again, I was dilated to 8cm, it was almost time!!

The contractions continued to progress (although I felt no pain.) Around 3:30 AM it was almost time to push. Several additional nurses came into the room. They brought in a table with all of the “Labor” tools, I did not see what was on it. I could tell things were about to start happening because people were coming in and shuffling around and setting up. About 4:00 AM Alyse told me it was time to start pushing. Dr. Dimino wasn’t even in the room yet when I started pushing. Alyse held one of my legs, my mom held my other leg and Ed stood by my head. Alyse would tell me when to start pushing and she would count to 10 for me. I can honestly say, it didn’t really hurt, the epidural was doing a great job! Soon after I started pushing Dr. Dimino came into the room to take over, everyone else was following her instructions. She was very calm and would quietly tell me when to push and when to stop. The room was dim and calm, and the atmosphere in the labor room was actually very peaceful, just the way I hoped it would be. The whole experience of pushing really wasn’t painful, it was just so exciting because I knew I would be holding my son soon and I was so excited to see him! I continued to follow the instructions of Dr. Dimino and the Alyse, and at 4:53 AM I felt an overwhelming rush of adrenaline, excitement and relief and Dr. Dimino placed my precious baby on my chest. I immediately started crying! Jack was so perfect and beautiful, even when he was slimy and covered in mucus! Jack let out his first cry and I cried some more, I was so happy to hear that sound! I just kept looking at him and crying and then he lifted his little head and raised his eyebrows and opened his big eyes and looked right into my eyes! It was like he was saying “Hi Mom!” I held him and he was calm and content while the nurses cleaned us both up. Alyse and Dr. Dimino also helped me nurse Jack right after he was born, we didn’t need much help though, Jack knew exactly what to do. It was truly amazing how natural and instinctive it all was for both of us! Once I held Jack for a bit, Ed held him too and the nurses checked him out and weighed him. I finally got to drink the sprite I had been craving all night, I was so thirsty! Everyone came in the room to see Jack before they took him back to the nursery. It was a wonderful end to a long night. Once Jack went back to the nursery we got ready to switch to the post-partum room. It was about 7 AM at this time. Everyone that had stayed at the hospital all night went home to get some rest. Once we got to our room Ed fell asleep on the couch as well, he was exhausted from being up all night. I knew I needed to sleep, and I wanted to sleep, but I was wired, I could not sleep at all (I don’t think I slept until we had been home from the hospital for a few days – my adrenaline was keeping me awake until I guess my body gave in, I finally slept a little around Tuesday or Wednesday!)

Overall the experience was wonderful and beautiful and I wouldn’t change a thing…Although next time I will not wait until I “feel” the contraction to get the epidural!

On September 25, when Jack was just 3 weeks old, we celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary. What a crazy year!!

Checking in to the delivery room

Happy to be having a baby!

He's here!

Our L&D nurse Alyse

My wonderful family who spent the night in the hospital waiting room!

Jack Alexander Skrljac, born Septmeber 4, 2011 at 4:53 AM, 8lbs, 19 3/4" long.

Going Home!

The early days snuggling with my newborn

Daddy and Jack!

A few of Jack's newborn pictures (Gilgen Photography), taken Septmeber 17, 2011

October - Not much goes one when there is a newborn in the house. The days and nights all run together and everything is kind of foggy...I did take lots of pictures of our little Jack, we also celebrated his 1 month birthday and his first Halloween!

Baby in a pumpkin patch

One month old!

November - The exciting news for November was Jack slept throght the night (8 hours) for the first time. The not so exciting news was, I turned 30! However, Ed helped me get through the painful transition out of my twenties by buying me a new car! Thank you Babe!! We also celebrated Baby's first Thanksgiving and took family photos.

Two months old - he started smiling!

Family pictures (Kristin King Photography)

Mommy and Jack

Daddy and Jack

My happy little baby

Daddy & Mommy

Thanksgiving Day - 4 Generations

Baby's First Thanksgiving

December - We kicked off the month by celebrating Jack's 3 month birthday, followed by Christmas decorating, Christmas shopping, Christmas cooking and Christmas itself! Ed's family drove down from Kansas City to stay with us and it was great having them here to meet Jack and celebrate his first Christmas with us. It was truly a memorable holiday!