A note for Moms

I absolutely love being a mom. I love the new noises, the sleepy eye-rubs, every moment with Aspen brings me so much joy. I wouldn't give this up for anything, even a full night of sleep!

I am humbled (and overwhelmed!) at the responsibility of being a mom.

But I am surrounded by so many women in my life who inspire me to be a better mother. My own beautiful mom, grandmothers, friends and extended family... Thank you all for everything you have ever done.

Tattoos

Chris got an AMAZING tattoo, it was my anniversary present to him. Despite the obviously tender location (back of his calf) he is still the toughest guy I know!

Mine was much MUCH smaller and in a tender spot as well, but the entire thing took all of 5 min to do so it was not so bad! Obviously it's an Aspen leaf ;-)

First Week as Mama

Sigh-

The first week Aspen was home has come and gone, and looking back it was harder than I thought it would be. She has been a VERY good baby from day 1, little fussing (as long as you don't try to swaddle her or cover her hands) and sleeping 3-4 hour stretches at a time. Christophers family was here for a total of 9 days right after we got home and it was nice to have meals cooked (that I was too sick to eat, but enjoyed the smell of) and housework done... I felt bad I had let it go so much being HUGE pregnant in the hottest part of summer! Uncle Chad left us with amazing meatloaf and other frozen dishes we lived on for weeks after, and carrot cake that is seriously to DIE for... It was also a relief to get our house back to ourselves, and I don't think it was until then that we really started to settle into a routine as a family and everything started to calm down and I felt like I could settle into motherhood.

Chris's Chevelle also came in that week and it was fun to watch him start working on the engine and all.

Aspens first appointment went SO great! She was back up to her birth weight at 5 days, instead of the standard 2 weeks! She is eating VERY well and is a super alert, super content little lady.

So all in all we survived the first week and lived to tell about it

:-)

Birth of an Angel

She is finally here!

So, at 3:33 am on Saturday, August 8 2009 my water broke all over our bed and Aspen had decided it was time to make her (dramatic) debut. I woke Chris up and we luckily had the bags already packed and in the car so we threw the dogs outside and started the 30 min. drive to Memorial hospital. We got there around 4am and the doors were LOCKED so Chris left me (dripping wet) at the doors to get the car to drive to the ER entrance, not knowing it was literally 6 feet from where we stood :-) when we made it to the 2nd floor my family was already waiting there for us and they stayed until she was born at 5:10 that evening. Labor was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, even though my epidural had worn off and it was then too late to get a boost of pain killers... She weighed 6lbs 15oz and was 20 inches long. There were so many wonderful people at the hospital to welcome Aspen into our lives- Mom, Dan, Devin, Aaron, Lynda, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Kim, Bob, Trevor, Dana.......... Friends and family continued to visit us in the hospital for the next 3 days......... sorry if I'm forgetting anyone, but the point is from the very beginning she has been so loved and welcomed and is truly blessed to have such an amazing group of people in her life!

36 Weeks

Here we are, almost full term!

At 36 weeks Aspen is tipping the scales at over 6lbs and about 20" long (same length as my arm!). We are both so excited to meet our belly-dweller, and the plan is to be induced August 4th. THREE more weeks till we are parents forever! I am SO over pregnancy, and can't wait to get this child out of me... Definitely staying positive about the whole situation, and Chris has been very supportive which helps. I plan to work until I pop, then have 4 weeks with Aspen before resuming the night-shifts. I've heard the last month is the hardest, but it's almost over... maybe the next post will be about labor and delivery!

Baby ShowerS

So, we had a whole weekend of baby shower maddness! We were both seriously overwhelmed at how amazingly giving everyone was, and how many people came.

Rhonda (Grandma) and LaVada (great-grandma) both threw great showers and we recieved more things that we hadn't even thought of, but definantly need!

Now that we have all of the basics and a few frills (such as picture frames, burp cloths, swing, high chair, tons of clothes NEW CARPET) we feel even more prepared for the rapidly-approaching parenthood. Aspen will be the best dressed baby on the block- and we can't thank everone enough for all that they have done to support our growing family and help make it a little easier to bring this little lady into the world!

MANY MANY THANKS TO ALL~ (expect cards soon hehe)

Chris, Jes and Aspen Caton

30 Weeks and counting

So we have reached the 30 week mark and that is pretty exciting! Just over 2 months to go and the home-stretch (pun intended) is exciting so far. I've become very involved in silly little things like matching headbands and girly accessories... my theory on that is it helps to distract from how big, hot and tired I feel now. So, I'm going to write a pregnant book titled "Hemorrhoids and Headbands", a guide to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! Some women totally rock the pregnant world and I am struggling to be one of them. Found out at the last appt I am anemic, and nobody told me about vericose veins... but everyone keeps saying it all goes back to normal and really ive been blessed to not have stretch marks or gain a lot of weight. Furthermore, I truly believe these are all small sacrifices for the end goal- a happy and healthy baby girl! Can't wait for all the excitement of this next weekend!