The Baby Story

Baby Josslyn Noelle Laursen

December 13, 2011

9:24 p.m.

6 lbs. 14 oz.

Our beautiful baby girl is here! She's actually more than a week old now, but this is the first chance I've been able to sit down and write this super long post about it. So here is our baby story!

Starting Friday night the 9th I was having contractions, but they weren't super strong and they weren't close together at all. The closest they would get was at night and they would get to about 10 minutes apart. This went on for the whole weekend but since they weren't getting closer together I couldn't go in so I spent most of the weekend laying around pretending like I wasn't having contractions every 15 minutes. Sunday night was not fun and I packed all my stuff that night for my appointment Monday morning because I was convinced that with all the contractions I was having there was no way I was going to be sent home. 

We went in to our appointment Monday morning but I wasn't progressing, and was only at 1 centimeter and about 90% effaced. But because Josslyn was sitting so low into my pelvis, the doctor was having a hard time finding her heartbeat so he put me on a non-stress test to monitor her heartbeat for a little while. Luckily the nurse decided to monitor my contractions as well since I was having so many. When my doctor saw how consistent my contractions were he told me to go get something to eat and come back in a couple of hours to check me again. When we got back I still hadn't progressed anymore, but he could tell how disappointed and uncomfortable I was so he sent me upstairs to Labor and Delivery anyway to monitor me for a couple of hours.

After a couple of hours there they checked me again but I was only a 1.5, so they couldn't keep me and sent me home. Monday was also Nate's birthday, so we decided that maybe she didn't want to steal daddy's thunder and share birthdays. Nate said he didn't really want to share birthdays but by the end of the day we were both ready for her to be here and didn't really care what day it was anymore. 

Monday night was not a fun night. Contractions got closer and harder, but still not close enough for anything to happen. The closest they got was in the middle of the night at about 6 minutes apart and I was prepared to wake Nate up and go, but they started slowing down by morning. So I got up at around 8:30 a.m. to go to the bathroom and try and do something and right as I went into the bathroom my water broke! So I didn't have to wait long to be able to go back to the hospital! I called to Nate and we gathered all our stuff and went back. 

They admitted me and gave me some generic pain medication because my contractions were so hard, but because they hadn't gotten closer together and were still about 8 minutes apart, we didn't want to slow down the progress. When they got me admitted I was only about 2 centimeters, but was fully effaced and baby had been sitting really low for about two days. Since my body had been going through contractions for the fourth day, I was having a really hard time relaxing and letting my body push itself through the contractions so I decided to get an epidural and would just get some pitocin if this slowed down the contractions. Surprisingly, this was the easiest part! The doctor was really quick and efficient and I was grateful for his help. Soon I was able to relax. We did start me on pitocin as well just to get the contractions to speed up, since they still weren't very close together.

So then the waiting began. But it was much easier to relax than it had been the last three days. By this time, my body was so worn out and I hadn't even started the hard part yet. I got to 10 centimeters at about 5:30 p.m. They then do an hour of what they call "Rest and Descend" to let me rest up and get ready to push, and for the baby to finish descending to where she needed to be. At 6:30 p.m. I started pushing, and the nurse guessed we'd be at it for a while because baby has a very round head that was having a hard time getting past my pelvis. I would push and she would come a little and I would stop and her head would slip back in. 

After pushing for two hours, the doctor is called in and determines if we should keep pushing or if the baby needs help, or if we need to consider other options. Our doctor was actually off on Tuesday's, so the on call doctor, who was awesome, was coming in, she was a little later than the two hour limit, so I kept pushing and by the time she got there, baby was almost out, so we decided to keep going. It took about another 30 minutes when the doctor got there before baby came out. She came out at 9:24 p.m. with a full head of hair! We couldn't believe all her hair, I was so sure I was going to have a bald baby!

It was so amazing to hold the little bundle in my arms finally! She is a master pouter and her little lip sticking out just made me fall absolutely in love with her. Nate, of course, was obsessed with her as soon as he saw her. After getting us both cleaned up they moved us upstairs to the mother baby rooms and it was about 11 p.m. so we just went to sleep. 

The next day we had visits from lots of excited people! Nate left for a little bit to go to Tom and Nicole's sealing at the Logan Temple. I was sad I couldn't be there, but I was glad that Nate still got to go. And later Tom and Nicole came to visit us! They were all dressed up and the nurses were all wondering who they were here for.

You guys are amazing! I'm so glad you came to see us on your wedding day. We also got visits from Nate's parents, his brother Jason and family (Zoe and D'Jayden had to stay behind the glass), Dave and Hayley, Tim and Tara, and Nate's grandpa. We are so glad you all are just as excited about our little one as we are! 

After a week with baby Josslyn we can't imagine what we ever did without her. Our home is so much fuller and incredibly joyful. She already has smiles that she saves just for mom and dad, and I haven't been able to catch her at it yet! She is a champion sleeper and I usually only have to get up once or twice a night to feed her and still get good stretches of sleep. Nate is a good fetcher. Bring me baby, bring me a diaper, take baby back to bed. He couldn't be more amazing to his two girls and does everything for us. He is an awesome dad and loves her like crazy and I love seeing them together.

We are excited for my parents to come this weekend and meet their new granddaughter. I know my dad will LOVE snuggling her just as much as I do!

Thank you everyone for your love and support bringing this amazing little person home.

Full Term Baby!

By looking at our little countdown to the side, you can see that the baby is officially FULL TERM! Any time now baby!

Here is a pic of me at 37 weeks yesterday. I'm getting SUPER tired of being pregnant. Good news is the doctor confirmed today that the baby has dropped, but since it's my first, this can happen anywhere up to 4 weeks before I actually go into labor. Shoot.

Baby's room is not ready at all, it doesn't have anything on the walls, and looks very sad. I also don't have a chair, and the box with the stroller and car seat in it is holding the spot so I know what it looks like, but I'm ready for it to happen. If nothing else just so I can take a deep breath and walk without waddling again!

We are officially on alert! Come on out baby!

A Little Update

Just wanted to give the people a little update out there. Last weekend we moved from Millville to Hyrum. Not the most wanted move, but the house we were renting in Millville got sold and the people that bought it kind of wanted to move in, so we didn't really have a choice. But now that we are moved in and a little more settled, I think it will be okay. Plus, I finally got to decorate my house for something! We moved during the holidays last year and we were out of town for a lot of December and January, so I never decorated my house for the holidays. I forgot how cute my Thanksgiving decorations were! They made me so happy!

(For those of you wondering, I don't really decorate for Halloween. Don't have any decorations, plus I don't like Halloween...maybe next year when I have a 10 month old to dress up...)

Another plus for the new place is that we are in our own house, not sharing with anyone and so we celebrated by rocking out to 80's pop music while hanging things on the walls in our house. Yeah, we're cool. (Also, Nate would probably like me to also note that our new house has a two car garage that we can park the car in the very middle of.)

I don't have any pictures of the new place, but once I put the nursery together, maybe I'll take some pictures of everything else too.

As of today we only have 8 weeks to go! Woohoo! I'm so excited to meet our little girl, and Nate would like her to stay in as long as possible. I can tell she's getting squished in there by the little feet that she sticks in my ribs when she tries to stretch out. I think she's going to be a tall girl!

And just so you have ONE picture to look at, my latest belly photo, a week ago.

This is 31 weeks, 7 months! Only 2 more to go.

Trip to Maine

A couple of weeks ago Nate's boss invited the employees (meaning the other two besides her and her husband) and their families to visit their home in Topsham, Maine. For those of you who don't know where this is, because I sure didn't, it's at the southeast end of Maine, the biggest town nearby that you might be able to find on a map is Portland. Maine is beautiful in the summer, and the air is very clean, which is one of the reason's Nate's boss lives there.

Day 1: We went to Popham Beach and the forts nearby that were built during the Revolutionary War and used again during the Civil War.

 The view of the bay from the fort. There is a lot of water in Main, and lots of little islands.

 The fort behind us walking up to it from the beach. It was never really finished all the way, and there isn't really much to protect in Maine, but it's there and we saw a Coast Guard ship come past while we were there, but it was too fast for us to take any good pictures of it.

 Nate in the courtyard of the fort.

The view of the fort from across the water where the other fort is located.

 This fort is really spread out, this is just one building, which looked to us like the officers quarters because it was the only one with individual rooms that had each had its own fireplace.

 The main building, you climb up like 12 flights of stairs to the turret at the top. I'm sure when it was in use it was a really good vantage point, but now the trees are too tall and you can't really see anything out of there anymore.

Day 2 was kind of a lazy day and just kind of hanging out but that night we did have lobster. And I mean each person had their own lobster. We went to this little store right on the coast that is combination gift shop and lobster store with a big tank in the middle of the store. We got a 2 pound lobster for each person and went home and cooked them and ate them.

You seriously put a bowl in the middle of the table and tear apart this lobster that was alive like 12 minutes ago and have at it. It was delicious.

I was pretty proud of my efforts.

Day 3 Nate and I got up early to catch a bus to spend the day in Boston. It was only a two hour trip each way and it awesome to not have to drive. The bus even provided a movie and snacks. Awesome.

 We spent the day on the Freedom Trail, which pretty much takes you to all the important landmarks and buildings that you would want to see if you found yourself in Boston. This is the Massachusetts State Capitol Building.

 Nate and one of his favorite Revolutionary people, Ben Franklin.

 This is the old South Meeting House where apparently a lot of meetings took place, like when and how the revolutionaries decided on the Boston Tea Party.

Nate can now say that he's been to Boston Gardens, you walk right past it to get to the USS Constitution.

 This was by far the best part of the trip for us, which is why there probably is the most pictures. This is still a naval base. We had to show ID and go through security to get in. The people that are tour guides are actual naval personnel that are stationed at the base.

 Our tour guide who hasn't been in the Navy for very long and anyone considers themselves lucky to be stationed here, even though you have to dress in the uniforms they wore during the Revolutionary War.

 For anyone who doesn't know how much Nate and I are history buffs and center any and all trips around what cool history stuff we can see while we are there, you know now. And for anyone who doesn't know the story of Old Ironsides, you should read about it. It is still a commissioned ship of the US Navy. If needed, the people stationed here could sail her out of the harbor and into battle.

 Stove where they cooked all the meat on board.

 The sailors slept on hammocks suspended from hooks on the roof, and usually ate sitting on the floor in this same room.

 Officers quarters. The doors around the room are to little private rooms the officers slept in.

 Nate being the helmsman.

I don't remember what this building is called but it used to be where all the legislatures met and the governor worked before the Revolution. The Constitution was read out of that balcony soon after it was written and signed, and is still read out the window every year. On the street below is where the Boston Massacre took place.


On Sunday we went to the local ward, and only about three people asked us if we were moving in to the area. It was fun. Later that night, Nate's boss had a "Bridge Dance." They have a bridge driveway over the creek running past their house and the neighbors lay down a wood floor with a stage at one end and line dance on the bridge. It was a lot of fun and I think they went easy on us knowing that a lot of us didn't have a clue what were were doing so we could keep up!

The last day we wandered around the local town and shopped and ate then headed to the airport where we were supposed to catch a 4 p.m. flight to New York to catch our connection at 7 p.m. to Salt Lake. Jetblue was so good to us sitting in Portland! Not only did they make sure we got onto the later flight to New York after our original was canceled (very great considering our connection was with Delta! The Delta guy at the counter was also awesome enough to change our late flight out of New York to the one the next morning) but the also went and ordered pizza and gave us airplane snacks knowning we were also starving with nothing to eat! We finally left the Portland airport at 11 p.m., got to New York and the Delta terminal at about 1 a.m. and after missing our connection at 7 the night before, took the 7 a.m. flight to Salt Lake. Worst flying experience EVER. Probably mostly because I was pregnant, tired, and hungry and there is nothing to eat at the Portland airport which is all of 10 gates long. Also, nothing is open at JFK at 1 a.m.

Overall, it was a fun trip, if a little awkward to be at Nate's boss's house where we were the youngest adults there by a good twenty years, but they were very nice and we ended up having a good time, if only the plane ride home could be forgotten...


Also a baby update...

21 weeks

I have an appointment in two weeks to HOPEFULLY find out what we are having so that I might be able to start getting ready for the baby. Note to all expectant moms out there...neutral stuff...not cute...