Welcome Harper Lynne Harris

Warning: PIC OVERLOAD!!!
Our sweet little girl, Harper Lynne Harris was born Sunday Jan 6, 2013 at 1:04 am. She weighed 6 lbs 3 oz and was 19.5 inches long. She didn't end up being IUGR. She had an apgar of 9/10 and was just the cutest thing Jeff and I have ever seen. I was just ecstatic that she had a full head of dark hair (I was bald until I was 18 months old so I didn't want my poor little girl taking after me ;) I don't know what more to say except that I have waited so long to become a mom and Jeff and I sure had our patience tested to get this sweet angel here.

So I just want to take a moment to express my love to Jeff. Everyone kept telling me their labor stories how they punched their husbands, or yelled at them and one friend even said that during her labor she bit her husband in the stomach during a contraction while he was leaning over holding her. Well I said sorry numerous times in advance to Jeff for the way I may or may not treat him during labor (cuz sorry in advance totally works, ha ha) Well NOT ONCE did Jeff bother me and not once did I yell or scream. He was the sweetest I have ever seen. He did stroke my cheek with his finger once and I kindly moved me face away and that was all he needed to get the hint. :) Other than that he held me hand, let me squeeze has hard as I wanted ( and I actually kept apologizing and all he said was, "It's ok, it helps me to feel a little of your pain.") He kept cheering me on, telling me how amazing I was doing. The look on his face was priceless... he really didn't want to watch the delivery but he watched the whole time and loved the experience. He told me over and over how proud he was of me and how much he loved me. He brought me so much comfort that I fell deeper in love with him. It was at that moment that I was glad no one else was in our labor room except for me and him (and all the medical personel) It was such a neat experience for both of us. And to top it off his love for me didn't stop. Every person he talked to on the phone he kept telling them how proud he was of me and how incredible I did. I'm so thankful for him and his love for me and that he lets everyone know through his actions and his words how much I mean to him.

Just 5 hrs old... oh my heavens I'm completely in love with you little Harper.

Already sick of pictures... trying to pull her hat down over her eyes :)

 

Monday, January 7, 2013

Delievering early in the morning sure has it's draw backs. Luckily I only labored for 5 hrs and pushed 15 min so I wasn't overly tired from delievery but being we checked into the hospital YESTERDAY morning at 7 am and then got sent home, I didn't get a nap or time to rest before little Harp came so I was exhausted. Right after delievery my epidural was d/c'd and after about an hour I was given the option to shower. Of course I felt like getting out of bed and cleaning up. The nurse helped me up to the side of the bed, I dangled my feet and felt great. She helped me walk to the bathroom and I had no problems walking (just felt the awful pains and aches of delievery) So I get into the bathroom, hot water running and the nurse leaves me. I don't know if it was the combination of hot steamy bathroom or what (I'll spare you the graphics) but I immediately became dizzy and knew I was going to pass out. I tried to take a deep breath but was unable to. I tried to call my nurses name for help but couldn't think. I remember her telling me to pull the cord if I needed assistance and at first I saw it but right then I had no clue where it was. I knew I was going down so I just yelled. I tried to grab the arm rails to lower myself to the seat but I couldn't. All I remember was my nurse grabbing me before I hit the ground. Luckily I wasn't injured. She called for Jeff to come hold me while she straightened up my room and changed the bed sheets. I was so embarrassed. I hated that my husband was having to hold me and I couldn't do anything for myself but I'm so grateful he was there and was so understanding and loving. They both helped me back to bed where I continued to feel dizzy. so I was hooked up to vital signs every 10 min.  I wasn't allowed to be send to the mother baby unit for at least an hour after I was stable. I ended up asking for juice and crackers and just rested for 2 hrs and then I finally felt somewhat better. But at this point they said they had no rooms available upstairs (here we go again) and that I would just stay in the labor room until discharge. I honestly didn't care, the rooms were large and very nice... I just hope that if I did have to stay here I wouldn't have to hear other mom's delievering while I was trying to sleep. Well then my nurse came back and said never mind they had a room (probably more of a staffing issue again) so upstairs we went. I wish I would've taken pics of our labor room and the mom/baby unit cuz they were both newly built and were super super nice. So by the time we got upstairs it was 6 am. At this point I had been up for 24 hrs straight and was ready to crash. Luckily I did get 4 hrs of sleep. I sent Jeff home at 9 to go get some sleep so he could function and come back to help me. He said he would only sleep a few hrs, which I was totally ok with but poor guy crashed and didn't get back to the hospital until 3 pm. But again, I didn't care, I wanted him to get his sleep.

I had a busy morning with Harper between the pediatrician, nurses, lactation specialist, hearing specialist and skyping with all our family members. Jeff kindly screened ALL guests so I could relax and sleep, but sadly I got no sleep. Once he was back we just visited, stared at our daughter, and had dinner together. I still hadn't slept all but 4 hrs total in 36 hrs so I figured I would sleep good that night. I sent Jeff home at 11 pm and told him to be back by 7 am so he didn't miss any doctors (he had a bunch of questions for the Dr. and on very little sleep my brain wasn't functioning to remember everything) Well sadly I was nieve and didn't realize how little sleep I would be getting. Again another night had come and gone and I got all but 4 more hours of sleep total. The nurses were fantastic and only came in when I called. But between feeding, getting up to the bathroom and being in pain and of course staring for hours on end at my little girl, I just was restless and had too much adrenaline in me I guess so I couldn't really sleep.

 This was the first night (of many to come I'm sure) that me and Harp cuddled and sleep togther in bed. I loved sleeping cheek to cheek with this little princess.

 

Tuesday January 8, 2013

Jeff came back at 6:30 am and was just in time for the pediatrician. My OB dr. rounded at 8 am and I told him I wanted to go home (he was shocked) but they prepared my discharge and all though I was discharged at 10 am, we hung around to have lunch and let me shower and take my time. Jeff's cousin Cathie and her mom Iva came to visit us in the mean time and we were so excited to see them, especially his Aunt Iva how just happened to be in town for a baptism. We ended up checking out at noon to head home. Jeff continued to screen visitors until the following day (wednesday) so that I could hopefully try to rest and get some adequate sleep, especially since we were home and I had my own bed. I'm so glad he was thinking of me. As hard as it was not to have visitors I'm thankful for the time we had together and for the rest I was getting. Sadly Jeff had to work half a day on Wednesday but Harp and I survived and I finally got some sleep.... 3 days after delivering :)

 

We had 2 different outfits picked out to bring Harper home in, 1 premie and 1 newborn... well she was between sizes so needless to say nothing fit her but she still looked cute. 

This little girl has loved her binkie since day 1 and I love how she holds it, as if someone is going to take it out of her mouth. 

 First family photo before leaving the hospital.

 The dogs sure were interested in Harper and were quit cute licking her to death. It's definately going to be a change for them cuz they aren't momma's babies anymore.

 

 

GOING PRIVATE

Well I've battled the thought of whether or not to go private and I know I have lots of people that view our blog (thanks to my tracker). I don't care if you view my blog (as long as I know you) but I am now going private before I post pics of Harper. please leave you email if you want to continue to follow.

Induction day, Jan 5, 2013

Well the day to walk into the hospital to have our baby has come. Everyone kept telling me to take a sleeping pill the night before but I decided to forgo my afternoon nap the day before so I actually slept 7 hrs that night and I felt great. I actually woke up before my alarm went off. I enjoyed a nice hot bath, ate a large breakfast and totally just relaxed until 7 am when we left the house. It was so surreal to leave the house knowing the last time I would walk in the doors I would have a baby with me. Before we left, Jeff gave me an amazing blessing which I was so grateful for... especially since it was the first blessing he has ever given me. I'm so proud of him and that is holds and honors his priesthood and I look forward to having our little girl born under the covenant and into a home lead by the priesthood.
Well prior to leaving the house, I got a call from the hospital that there were no beds available in labor and delivery but to still come in and they would put me in a bed in triage. We get there, get all checked in and they said the Dr. wanted me to do a NST and another ultrasound to check another biophysical profile... FOR REAL! This is why we opted to do an early induction to avoid all the testing. NST came back non-reactive (normal) and the biophysical profile came back 10/10. So baby was doing just fine. The nurse then proceeds to tell us, "Ok the Dr. wants you to go get some breakfast and call back around 11. She is in doing surgeries and since everything came back fine she feels comfortable with letting you go" Oh my gosh, Jeff was FURIOUS. She was the one that scheduled this induction and now they are sending us away. At first we were told they had no beds available, then they said the Dr. was busy with surgery. I knew better because I work at the hospital and it really was a staffing issue. Not enough flipping nurses.
Well we headed home. IT SUCKED, being home with no baby! So 11 came, I called the charge nurse and they STILL weren't ready for me. She took my number and said she would call me. So now I have to wait for who knows how long. Jeff took a nap on the couch and I tried to relax in bed and finally fell asleep but only for an hour or so. I waited as long as I could and I finally called them back to see the status of things. It was 2:30 and I got the same old "still not ready but I will call as soon as we have a bed" She proceeded to tell me they had 4 walk-ins and the Dr had multiple surgeries. I tried to be understanding because you can't control walk-ins or unplanned surgeries but you can control a scheduled induction. I just hate that I got all mentally prepared and now I'm on hold. So we decided to have lunch and right in the middle of preparing it I get the phone call to check in at 4 (it was 3:30 now) So we hurried and ate and back to the hospital we went... and this time for sure we weren't coming back home without a baby ;)
We get all set up in the room (5:00 pm) and from there the ball started rolling. The Dr. asked if I wanted an epidural and I said yes so she paged the anesthesiologist. I was excited because it was Dr. Stream, the only anesthesiologist I know in the hospital and he has only been in Alaska for 6 months. He came from U of U and gave a presentation at our last staff meeting just a week prior. I was so impressed with him, his respect for nurses and his knowledge and love for his he shared. So when I saw him walk in the room I felt so comfortable (and again I was glad he came from Utah) He started the epidural (6:10 pm) and I immediately screamed and swore up a storm. I felt the most immense pain shoot down my right side to my hip. Jeff was squeezing my hands and I was trying my hardest not to move and screw up the placement. The Dr. stopped immediately, asked what happened, where does it hurt, what does it feel like... I couldn't even explain the pain. He withdrew the catheter and said he wanted to try a little lower. He didn't know what happened and neither did I but it wasn't enjoyable. So he numbed another area and placed the catheter without a problem at all.  Just as he was finishing a midwife walked in to check on me since the Dr was in surgery. She introduced herself and then said "Well you don't look like your in labor, why are you getting an epidural. You do know that your just increasing your chance for a c-section and other complications." WHAT THE HECK, the poor anesthesiologist had just finished the epidural and here we all were shocked and didn't know what to say. I just looked at Jeff and was at a lose for words. The nurse then piped up, "The Dr. said she is very favorable since she was a 4 on admit she offered the epidural." Well the midwife immediately stepped back and just had no idea I was already in labor. She thought I was at a zero and was just wanting an epidural. Ha Ha. Apparently I mask being in labor well. So all was well. She then asked if I felt comfortable with her delivering for me and I just said I didn't really care. She asked if I had had any complication during pregnancy and I told her placenta previa and she said, "Oh I'll just let the Dr. do your delivery."
So I get back into bed and all tucked in. At this point I was naturally contracting every 2 min so they held off on starting the pitocin. The Dr came and broke my water at 7:15 pm and checked me. I was still a 4 and station of -2. So I still had a ways to go. By 9:30 pm I hadn't progressed so they started the pitocin slowly at 1 ml/hr. The nurse told me to rest and she would recheck me in 2 hrs. I tried to sleep but started breaking out in hives and itching everywhere. The nurse thought it was from the pitocin (although she'd never heard of it) but I told her I'm sensitive to narcotics and I knew it was the epidural. Unfortunately at this point I hadn't had to push the PCA and all I was receiving was the basal rate. I could feel the contractions ever so often (more like cramps really) and kept checking the monitor. They really weren't very strong but I tried not to get discouraged. At midnight I was hit with 4 very strong contractions. Jeff was sleeping and I didn't want to wake him up... so I just breathed through them and clung to the bed rails. They only lasted a few seconds but they sure were painful (can't imagine what they felt like without an epidural) Jeff ended up waking up and all I wanted was a popsicle. So he went to go ask the nurse for one. She came back and said she was going to place the internal monitors to see how strong the contractions really were, and she said she would check me as well. So its' 12:30 am and she says "Your complete" Jeff said what does that mean and she said "Your going to have this baby. Now just start pushing when you feel a contraction and I'll call the Dr." Holy cow, I went from a 4 just 3 hrs prior to now I can start pushing. The nurse comes back at 12:50 am with the Dr (who was on her way to a c-section) but said "OK lets hurry and deliver this baby" The midwife also came in to assist, which in the end I was soooo glad she was there. She helped me with some breathing techniques and was the biggest cheer leader EVER. I pushed through 5 contractions, laughing and talking in between each one. The Dr. then said she is coming out on the next one, do you want to pull her out. I said yes and sure enough on my next contraction I reached down, felt her head and as I pushed I grabbed her arms and pulled her up on top of me. It was one of the most amazing experiences ever. I pushed a total of 15 min. Harper Lynne Harris was born at 1:04 am on January 6, 2012. I just kept laughing and said, "Did I really just push out a baby, that was the easiest thing ever." I truly loved it and was in heaven. It was so relaxing and chill and really, our Midwife was hilarious. It was so hard not to laugh in between contractions. I honestly can't wait to have another baby.
Bless Jeff's heart, he ran all over our labor room taking as many pics as he could. It was hard not having family in the room to capture this moment but Jeff did a fantastic job and the midwife even offered to take some pics (although none of her pics she took can be posted anywhere... lets just say she didn't care to crop anything out... ha ha)

39 Weeks

Where has this pregnancy gone? I swear it was just May when I sent a pic to all our family and close friends of my positive pregnancy test. Now here I am about ready to have this baby any day now. Jeff and I had what I would hope was our last Dr. appt. Last week I was dilated to a 3 and 70% effaced. I had also lost weight over the week so the Dr. ordered an ultrasound to follow-up with babies growth and to make sure my fluid levels were ok.  I had been cramping/contracting alot this past week and was still working full time at the hospital so I was hoping this meant I would have progressed some. Well sadly at our appt I was still 3+ and 80% effaced, so not much change. The ultrasound showed that baby girl was less than 10% in weight, approx. 5 lb 11 oz. (My last ultrasound showed she was 40%, so this was quite a drop) My fluid levels were normal though. They also did a biophysical profile where they watch for breathing and your baby should breath at least once every 30 minutes. Well I had just got done working so baby girl was sound asleep. I told the tech this but it didn't matter, 28 min had passed and no breathing. If she didn't breath by the 30 min mark they would take me straight to the OR for emergency c-section. Well the little stink took a breath at 29 min, but they gave us a score of 6/10 (They factored in other things as well)

So because of all this the Dr. asked, "So do you want to be induced?" I was shocked. I didn't come into this appt expecting to walk away with an induction date. The other option if we chose not to be induced was to do NST's twice next week and another ultrasound. Well out of pocket expenses were adding up and I didn't want to pay any more so we opted for the induction.So we chose Saturday, Jan 5 @ 730 am. (which was 2 days away from my dr. visit) When the dr called down to labor and delivery she said I was a scheduled induction due to IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction, meaning baby stopped growing) My little sister had a baby IUGR and all my mom's babies were pretty small too so I wasn't really shocked. I just felt guilty like it was my fault, that maybe I wasn't eating enough (which seemed hard to imagine because I was always eating)  But all I wanted was a healthy baby.

So Jeff and I left the office with so many mixed emotions. It made for a long 2 days. I immediately went grocery shopping to stock up the house. Made some freezer meals, cleaned everything I could and just tried to pass the time while Jeff was working. I called both my jobs and told them to officially start my maternity leave. Throughout my whole pregnancy, having placenta previa, I was expecting a scheduled c-section. Well then I got cleared of the previa so I could now deliver on my own, which I was excited for. I went to work everyday wondering if today would be the day my water would break. Now all that has changed, my water wouldn't spontaneously break... I was going in to be induced. It was such a weird feeling and frankly the anticipation was too much. Not sure if I ever want to do a scheduled induction again.
So here are my stats one last time before baby arrives...

How far along: 39 weeks

Total weight gain: 25 lbs... all baby weight :)

Names: As of last week we finally decided on Harper Lynne Harris. But then a few days ago I was in the tub and didn't feel like we were going to come home with a Harper. Oddly, that same day Jeff came home from work and said he didn't feel like she was a Harper either. So back to square one, still undecided. Other options are Piper and Saylor.

Maternity clothes: NO!! Still wearing all my normal clothes, although some are more snug than others. I'm down to only 2 pairs of scrubs that still fit and I can still wear all my normal jeans... if I undo the button :) But to be honest if I'm not in scrubs for work, I'm in sweats at home. Just more comfy!

Stretch marks: Still no stretch marks, I have some lucky genes (Thanks Mom)

Sleep: I get very restless and uncomfortable but after a nights work I have no problems sleeping 7 or 8 hrs straight (minus waking up for a pee break) And baby girl sleeps with me since she is awake the whole night when I work.


Movement: Since I'm so thin and all baby weight I feel EVERYTHING. She still hasn't slowed down and doesn't even act like it's getting crowded :)

Food cravings: Still no cravings. I'll eat pretty much anything but since the start of pregnancy I lost my sweet tooth and can't stand the taste of chicken. Hope both these come back after delivery.

Heartburn: NONE!!!

Belly Button in or out: It's definately an outie now!

I haven't had the best pregnancy but from week 30-38 I have felt incredible. My ligament pains are gone, and I can now walk without feeling pelvic pressure. This past week though... I'm ready to have a baby in my arms. Thank heavens I just started feeling this way. I feel bad for the pregnant mom's who feel like this their whole 3rd trimester.

Good bye 2012

I sure has been an incredible year... probably the best year of my life!!! It started out with Jeff and I getting sealed in the Mt. Timpanogos temple. We started the IUI process to get pregnant after trying for 2 years and found out in May we were expecting our first little one in January 2013. Jeff got accepted as an Air Traffic Controller and has just been waiting for his Oklahoma date to finish off his training before he actually starts here in Anchorage. We moved to a new apartment that although has had it's up's and downs, we did gain a 3rd bedroom and are saving on rent since Jeff is the leasing manager. We had my family come up to visit and had a great 2 weeks with them. We went to Vegas to celebrate our 3 year Anniversary and even got to see Jeff's family in St. George. We've both been working hard to save money so I can stay home with our little girl. It sure has been a great year and I look forward to the start of 2013 with the birth of our little miracle.
Some random photos to end off the year...

 

 

 

Christmas 2012

Last Christmas Jeff and I swore we would never miss a Christmas in Utah again. It was so hard to be away from family and although it was nice just to spend time alone together, the holidays are really all about family and friends. Our family was in Utah and all our friends were out of town so it made for a long day. And not to mention when we did go home in January it was hard to meet up with everyone because work and school had already started so it was hard to juggle time between 2 families.

Well guess what... here we were AGAIN stuck in Alaska on Christmas, and this time not by choice. Being 37 weeks pregnant and the no flying rule kept us home. I was already feeling the blues since I had to work Christmas Eve and our 3 foot tree was still leaning against the wall un-lit, no stockings hung and I just felt no christmas spirit this year. Jeff had even asked me a few days before christmas if there was anything we could do to salvage christmas and the scrooge in me said "No". Jeff also had to work until 7 pm on Christmas Eve so I didn't even get to see him before I left for work. (Luckily he came to visit me later in the night and spent a good amount of time chilling with me at work.) So christmas eve came and went, no traditions were done and I was just angry I had to work, knowing I was either going to sleep most of Christmas day or I would be onery and short from the lack of sleep if I decided to stay awake.

Well Jeff was up bright and early at 7 am, texting me, wondering when I was going to be home from work. He said he slept on the couch cuz he was so excited for Christmas (he really is a kid at heart still). So I got home as quickly as i could and on the front door was a sign that said "Hopefully after today you will believe in Christmas miracles" I had no idea what that meant. I opened the door to a dark living room with bright lights from the corner. Low and behold Jeff had brought home a HUGE REAL Christmas tree the night before, spent the whole night decorating it and wanted it to feel festive for me. I was shocked. It was so beautiful and the house smelled incredible of fresh pine. Believe it or not just having a lite tree in the house made it feel like Christmas. And it was such a simple gesture but the sweetest thing my husband could have done for me. He also moved our little 4 foot tree into the babies room and decorated it. It was so sweet. (The tree was so big and heavy that Jeff had to tie it to our wall, hence the string you see :)

 Being 8 am here, it was 10 am in Utah so we skyped with Jeff's family for quite some time... opening their gifts to us and just visiting. Then we briefly skyped my family (we skyped them again later once both my sisters were over at my parents house) and then we opened gifts from each other. We were both spoiled and felt so loved.

 

 Ever since I was a little girl and danced in the Nutcracker my mom always got me a Nutcracker for Christmas. Well needless to say I have a nice collection at my parents house and can't wait to have a place of my own to display them all. Jeff continued this tradition and this year I got a Fishing Nutcracker. It is so appropriate for Alaska and I love that he took the time to find it.

 It was about 11 am and I was beat so I wanted to lay down for a quick nap. I asked Jeff if he was tired and he said no, but I asked if he would come cuddle with me and rub my back until I fell asleep. well guess what, we both slept until 3 pm... Wow, where did the time go. We both didn't care cuz it just felt nice to relax at home together. We got a hold of some friends and they came over to visit with us and then we wanted to all go out to eat. (Jeff didn't want me cooking a huge dinner that would stress me or make me not relax so we opted to go eat out instead and have Christmas dinner the following Sunday) Well we drove to denny's, called Golden Coral, and Village Inn, Ihop and even attempted to order Pizza but NOTHING was open. Are you kidding me! So we ended up at the only place in town willing to serve christmas dinner... McDonalds. Ha ha ha. I didn't even care, at this point I was starving and it made for a fun night and good memories with friends. We were going to try and go the Les Miserables that evening but we were both still so tired. So we ended the night relaxing together and crashed fairly early.

 

The next day (Jeff was suppose to work but got it off) we went shopping, returned a few things and just spend the whole day together. Jeff had tried buying me an Ipad mini for christmas but they were sold out everywhere. Well sure enough the day after christmas Apple had them in stock so we decided with the money from Jeff's parents for christmas we would buy one and we love it. We've had an ipad before but ended up returning it and so i'm glad we have the new mini. We both are on it alot and I can't wait to start traveling or have kids to share it with. Later that evening we went to Les Miserables with friends.

So it may not sound like we had a very exciting Christmas away from home and with a 4 hr nap that took up the whole afternoon, but we loved everything about Christmas this year... and to be honest it all started with my husband decorating a tree for me. I'm amazed everyday at what an incredible guy I married. He truly wants what's best for me and will do anything to make me smile and spoil me. although we weren't home with family we loved every minute of our Christmas. And we know the only reason we stayed home was because we are expecting our little girl and what a blessing and miracle it is to have her come to us. We SOOOOOO can't wait to meet her and pray the next 3 weeks go by quickly.