Happenings (with pictures never seen before!)

Howdy y'all! It's been too long since I've updated!

Things are going great around these parts--graduation is nigh and Grant is growing (albeit slowly...more on that later...)! I only have 15 days of school left and Brandon is down to 12. We are so excited to be graduating!! We have not yet decided where we will be moving to for law school, but we should be making that decision shortly. We are still waiting to hear back from a couple schools.

Grant is doing great! We have had a bit of an issue with weight gain, though. At his four month appointment, we found out that he had only gained half a pound since his 2 month appointment. His length was fine as well as his head circumference. But since he hadn't put on the pounds, we had to change the way we were doing things. I have been losing weight pretty consistently since I had Grant, so I upped my fat intake. We were also instructed to add a little bit of formula powder to a bottle of milk (which I was a little reluctant to do, but I agreed...) and the good news is, is that he gained another half a pound in the next two weeks! We had him checked a week and a half later (3/27) and he had gained a little more than half a pound. Luckily we don't have to go back until May for his 6 month check up. I surely hope he has gained a lot of weight by then...

Grant is smiling and giggling a lot for us now. He is so fun to play with and he has such a fun personality. I have decided to switch over to cloth diapers with him. We started yesterday, and so far so good. Obviously I only do it when I'm home, because I'm pretty sure the babysitters won't want to deal with it. We'll see how it goes--I'm hoping it will help save a little bit of money. In reality, it's really not as bad as you might think.

My senior recital went wonderfully! I couldn't have asked for a better performance. I'll post some videos later for those of you wanting to see some of it.

 We just got him a tray and some blocks yesterday!

He loves knocking them down.

 Cute curly toes!

 Here are some smiles!

He is too cute for his own good.

My little burrito is getting old!!

My cute little baby will be 3 months old this week! Everyone always says that time flies, but honestly...I think it has crawled by slowly. I'm glad I have been able to enjoy what I can and not feel like it's rushing by. It's been a very rough 3 months, but I am happy to say I am all the way healed from my surgery and I am back to exclusively breastfeeding, which is awesome!! It was so difficult, especially since about 90% of the people I talked to thought I was crazy for trying to nurse again. But I did it! Yay for me! I am really hoping Grant starts sleeping through the night (or at least for 5 hours at a time) consistently that way I can start to function on a somewhat-normal level. I feel so out of it sometimes!
Grant has started smiling and laughing this past week! Every time he does, I keep telling him what a cute boy he is over and over again. He is!! He is so adorable!! I just can't believe how cute he is. He has also started swatting his toys when we dangle them in front of him and he can stand up on his legs for a few seconds at a time. He can sit in the bumbo for a few minutes and then he'll start to slouch over, but I can tell he is getting a lot stronger. It's so fun to see him discover things! He loves it when we take him around the house and tell him what everything is.
We also think he might be teething. That or some growth spurt has made him cry a lot. Poor baby! It breaks my heart to see him cry. But overall, he is a very happy baby. Being a mom is so much fun! I just wish I could stay home all day with him. I just have to remember I only have about 3 months left and then we will have all day every day together!
We are so excited to be moving in a few short months! We still haven't made a final decision yet, but we are leaning towards Baylor in Texas or Kentucky. There are a couple more options and we're still waiting to hear from a few more schools, so we'll let you know when we decide. But until then, please enjoy some cute pictures of my baby!

He he!

Post-surgery

Warning:
Please do not read if you have a weak stomach.

Wow, what a week! For a few months now, I have really been looking forward to Thanksgiving Break so I can relax, knit, drink hot cocoa, and listen to Christmas music. At least I have been able to listen to Christmas music...
So here's what happened to me...
About a week and a half after Grant was born, I got what felt like a plugged milk duct. Well, I massaged it, kept nursing, and it never got any better. On the 4th I came down with my first fever. It only lasted a day, so we didn't think much of it. I kind of self-diagnosed myself with mastitis since the pain was getting worse, it was turning red, and nursing wasn't helping. I nursed, pumped, massaged, put heat on it, and it didn't get any better. I developed another fever the night of the 11th. By this point I would burst out in tears when I nursed because it was so painful. On the 12th I finally called the doctor and they had me start on an antibiotic right away. They didn't want to see me, they just called in the prescription, because of course it was mastitis, right? Well a week went by and there was absolutely no improvement--in fact, I'm positive it got worse. The pain was so much that I felt like screaming all day. The thought of nursing the baby would make me cringe because now, it felt like the baby had bruised me and that on top of the swelling was no bueno. I called the doctor again on the night of the 25th and he told me I should have called if the antibiotic didn't work after a few days. Well, I learned my lesson. He told me to go to the emergency room, so that's what we did. The doctor there told me it was mastitis and gave me stronger pain medicine and a different antibiotic. They also gave me a shot of something heavenly and I was on top of the world Sunday night. I was feeling really good. Well, my fever came and went and came back on Monday so I just stayed in bed all day. Monday during the night I started puking up all the water I drank during the day. (Ew!) Tuesday came and I had a high fever still. The antibiotic wasn't helping at all. I called the doctor yet again and they said to go back to the emergency room because they thought I might have an abscess since the antibiotics weren't working. So we went at about 4 in the afternoon back to the ER. I was scared for my life...and, well, it hurt so bad I thought I was dying. They did an ultrasound on my chest and sure enough found a big abscess that was fairly deep under the skin. For small abscesses, they can usually just poke you with a needle and get the pus out, but this was too big and too deep for that. They called a surgeon while we stayed in the room for over an hour. The surgeon came in and took a look and his reaction scared me just a little. He was surprised it was so red and swollen. He says he sees these types of abscesses only once or twice a year. So they prepped me for surgery. By this time I was so scared I didn't know what to think. I've never had a surgery before, let alone a surgery where I've been put to sleep. Well I don't remember a lot after that. I woke up in the recovery room and was very cold and I remember asking the anesthesiologist a ton of questions but I don't remember what they were. I eventually got moved up to a regular room and stayed there overnight. I was very sad that we had to start feeding the baby formula. Who knew there could be so many complications from breastfeeding!? I now have a drainage tube sticking out of my chest connected to a bulb with blood, pus, and milk in it. Yeah, you think that's gross? You have no idea!! It's coming out of me!! I think it is extremely gross and I have to clean it out. Anyway, I go back to the surgeon on Monday, when he hopefully will take the tube out so I can feel normal again. I'm not sure if I'll be able to continue breastfeeding at this point. I am still pumping a little bit for the baby right now.
On a happier note, please enjoy this picture of Grant :)

My Labor Experience

First off, let me just say that I am thoroughly enjoying being a mom and I think it's the most wonderful thing I have ever experienced. I have loved every second if it!
Ok so here's what happened:
Tuesday, October 16th
We had our weekly checkup in the morning. I was dilated to a 2 and about 80% effaced with the baby at a 0 station. My doctor told us that since my cervix was ripe enough, he could induce me on the coming Thursday. I had a little panic attack when he said that, but Brandon got really excited. We talked about it between the 2 of us for a few minutes and decided to go for it! I had already been to the hospital a few days prior for some serious stomach pain so I was ready to have the baby come out. We had them schedule the induction for Thursday morning.
Wednesday, October 17th
I freaked out pretty much all day.
Thursday, October 18th
7:00am-We both woke up before our alarms went off because we were so anxious.
8:00-Brandon left for his volleyball class and I was left to freak out at home.
8:10-Brandon was back from his volleyball class because his teacher told him to go have a baby.
8:30-We left for the hospital. Let me tell you, that was the LONGEST ride to Orem I have ever experienced. We listened to pandora on the way there and the song "Don't worry 'bout a thing" came on. How appropriate.
8:50-We arrived at the hospital.
9:00-The nurse came in the room to get me all hooked up. She first put the IV in my left arm, but she didn't get it in my vein so my arm started hurting really bad. So she ripped it off and changed arms. The ripping off of the tape was the worst part of the morning. She eventually got it all right and we were left to be. By this time it was 10:00. (Oh, and now I have a huge bruise where she put the first IV...it is about 5 inches long on my arm. She really didn't have it in the right place.)
10:00-She started the oxytocin on a very small dose so I wouldn't get intense contractions right away. When we started the oxytocin, I was dilated to a 3 and still about 80-90% effaced. I decided that I didn't want the epidural until I was feeling pain, so I could still move at this point. The nurse came in every half hour to up the dose of oxytocin and to check my progress.
2:00-We were watching the Lord of the Rings and playing Phase 10 when she came to check me again. I hadn't progressed hardly at all so she decided to call the doctor to see what he would like to do. The contractions at this point were strong but not painful.
3:00-My doctor comes strutting in and says that he's come to break my water. I wasn't really prepared for that but we probably would have been there all day since nothing was happening.
3:10-My water was broken (what a weird feeling!) and everything was fine and dandy. I was expecting it to hurt when he broke my water but I surprisingly didn't feel anything except the gush of liquid. Almost immediately after my doctor walked out of the room, the contractions were very near unbearable. I told the nurse to get the anesthesiologist in there to give me the epidural as soon as possible. I only had to writhe in pain for about 10 minutes and he was all set up and ready to go. I was surprised how long it took for him to get everything set up and working, but I'm sure that's because I was in a lot of pain.
A few minutes later-My blood pressure dropped as well as the baby's. The alarm for code red was going off and a ton of nurses came running in the room. I couldn't breathe, I started shaking, and I got very light headed. My blood pressure was already very low during my whole pregnancy and epidurals lower your blood pressure even more, so that caused some problems. I think it got down to something like 70/40. The baby's heartbeat got down below 80 as well. I was put on oxygen and they gave me something to make my heart rate increase. This whole ordeal lasted about 30 minutes and then things were, for the most part, under control. Every time I had a contraction the baby's heart rate would drop alarmingly low. Because my water had been broken, we assumed that the cord was around the baby's neck so they went ahead and pumped me full of liquid. That helped a ton! By this point, both Brandon and I were scared and nervous. Brandon was glued to the monitors after the blood pressure fiasco and I was just praying everything would be ok.
6:00 pm-The nurse checked me and I was at a 6.
6:20-Dilated to an 8.
6:30-Ready to push!!
6:35-Doctor was ready, so we started pushing.
6:56-Baby was out and crying very loudly.
I did have to have an episiotomy, but other than that I am very happy with how the pushing went. I was very surprised that it was so easy. I was expecting the pushing part to hurt, but it was completely pain free. The baby didn't have the cord around his neck and other than just being a little small, he is absolutely perfect in every way.
The epidural took a long time to wear off. I wasn't able to move my right leg until a couple hours later, but the feeling in my left leg came back a little faster.
We stayed up pretty much all night just watching and gawking at the amazingly beautiful child that came to join our little family. We feel so blessed that he is healthy. We had a nurse come in and tell us that we were the only one of her patients that got to keep the baby in our room with us--all of the others were in the NICU. The only time the baby left was when the pediatricians had to check him out.
We stayed in the hospital until Saturday afternoon. I was feeling awesome (probably from the Percocet) so we went ahead and left. I am still pretty sore, but I feel much better than I did a few days ago. The baby is eating very well (which kind of surprised me because I've heard so many horror stories about breastfeeding) and we'll see tomorrow at the doctor's appointment if he's gained back any of the 6 ounces he lost during the hospital stay.
We absolutely love and adore Grant and we are excited for the years ahead. Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers in our behalf. We are so happy to finally have our rainbow baby after the long struggle with miscarriages. We know that the Lord truly blesses those who continue to be faithful even in times of discouragement and grief. We have definitely learned all about patience over the past 2 1/2 years and that things happen for a reason and when the Lord sees fit.

Only 2 1/2 weeks away!!

As I sit here bouncing on my yoga ball trying to induce labor, I figured it was the perfect time to update the blog since I've slacked off lately.
Things have been really great the past few months. I really can't complain because I know so many women have things far worse off than I do. Everyone keeps telling me I'm so small, but I am measuring exactly where I should be so I have no idea what they're talking about. I feel huge and that's what really matters, right? We finally have everything we need for the baby (except a stroller.....) and we are just getting excited for the day to finally be here! We made our predictions for when we think he'll come a few weeks ago. Brandon says this Thursday (which would be cool because it's 10/11/12) and he will weigh 6 lbs 4 oz. I said the 15th (which I promise has nothing to do with the fact that I have a midterm that day..........) and he'll weigh 6 lbs 10 oz. We will see who is right! (I secretly hope Brandon is right because that means we will see him this week!)
We have been taking long walks lately and I have been bouncing on my ball in hopes that it will speed things up a little, but to no avail. We also went out for Chinese food the other night and that didn't work, either. I guess we just need to be patient.
I've been reflecting a lot lately on our journey to have a baby, and I'm extremely grateful that Heavenly Father decided it was time for us to raise a child. We thank Him every night for the baby and are aware that this is a special opportunity for us to learn and grow. Thank you so much for your support and love through this long journey--the prayers and thoughts have been much appreciated.
Anyway, until next time...(we will have a baby next time!!)

22 Years and 29 Weeks

Yay for being a year older! Now I'm feeling really old since both my mom and Brandon's mom had their first child when they were 19 and here I am at 22 having my first one. Oh well! Let's just say we hit about 5 road blocks on our journey to start a family. Anyway, the past few weeks have been good for the most part. Sleeping has really gotten quite uncomfortable, but what can you do? We took our summer vacation this past week to Oregon. Neither of us had been there before, so it was quite the experience. The humidity was a very nice break for us. It almost felt like home, except for the extreme amounts of cloud cover we experienced. We had fun traveling around the city and going to Todd and Jessica's wedding at the Portland temple. The baby kicked me pretty much the entire time and I had quite a few braxton hicks contractions which made me a little nervous. 

My birthday was pretty awesome. We stayed in a little town called Astoria in Oregon which is really close to the beach. We traveled up to Long Beach, Washington and Brandon actually thought it was a good idea to stick his feet in the water. We were wearing pants and coats, so I don't know what made him think that would be at all fun, but hey, boys will be boys. Needless to say, his feet were very cold once he got wet. It was fun to see the ocean, though. We had some seafood for lunch and then headed back to Astoria for the evening. We went to a really nice restaurant for dinner that was sitting right on the big river there (I think it was the Columbia River) and had a delicious steak dinner. Then, Brandon surprised me and got us a room at a bed and breakfast for the night. It was pretty cool! I definitely think we'll stay in another one. On our way home, we got to stop by Brandon's grandparents house and stay with them. It's always fun visiting with them. We played games and ate lots of food and watched the Olympics. Nothing too terribly bad happened on our trip and we had lots of fun so we're calling it a successful summer vacation! We do think, however, it was a little too much driving...especially with how uncomfortable I am these days. 

Enjoy some vacation baby bump pictures!

25 Weeks!

Holy cow! I'm 6 months pregnant...and people still can't tell. Hmm. Not so sure what to do about that. Maybe I should walk around intentionally pushing out my belly. I may not look huge, but I really do feel huge. I am now fitting snugly into the pants I normally wear not pregnant. (I really don't like wearing tight clothes, so my family always makes fun of my "saggy butt" pants). How funny. Anyway, we had a checkup last week and it seemed as though everything was normal. I'm just a little underweight, but my doctor didn't seem concerned at all. He said I should consider myself lucky I don't have to deal with extra weight during the hot summer. The heartbeat was good--I can't remember the exact number, but I remember it was in the 140s. I went in today to get my blood drawn to see if I have gestational diabetes. Whatever it was that I had to drink before made me a little sick and the baby was kicking pretty hard.
For the most part, things have been really great. I have felt really good and been able to do a lot of things. However, on Sunday, something really strange happened, and I still don't know what it was. We were at the garden and I was just minding my own business weeding. I suddenly got a shooting pain in my right side so I got up and out of the garden. In just a few seconds it was near unbearable pain. I couldn't bend over and I felt like I couldn't move. Soon enough, it had spread into my neck and my right arm. Oh, and by this point I was crying because it hurt so bad. So I painfully walked over to the picnic table and sat down for a while. I seriously have never been in so much pain. It was terrible. But you know us Rodmans, we never go to the doctor--even if we're dying. After about 20-30 minutes, Brandon and his brother were done watering the garden so it was time to leave. While I was sitting there, I had managed to stop crying, but as soon as I stood up the pain was back, as were the tears. On the way home, things calmed down a bit and the pain eased up. I think maybe the baby kicked a nerve or something and laying down in the car helped on the way home. By the time we got home, the pain was completely gone and everything was back to normal. Now I know my parents would say that I just made that all up to get out of weeding the garden, but seriously...I thought I was going to die. So I plan on asking the doctor next time I see him about it. Everything has been normal since then, other than the occasional foot cramps, so I'm not too worried. I still feel the baby move (and might I add, A LOT!) so I know he's doing just fine.
Other than that, there hasn't been too much excitement. We watch the baby do somersaults every night, which is extremely weird to feel and see, but it's really fun. He kicks me really hard sometimes and my whole body will jerk. Those ones are always fun. My baby app says he's 13 1/2 inches long and the size of a rutabaga. Whatever the heck that is. I've never heard of a rutabaga.

As far as other news goes...
We bought a piano! Yes, a real acoustic one. It's a pretty old junker, but it works! The lady who tuned it said it was the 2nd flattest piano she's ever tuned (for you music people, it was a whole step flat in the high register). But now it sounds great. Ok, not great, but bearable.

Brandon took the LSAT and got his score back. He's starting applications now for law school. Hopefully the wait won't be too bad to see if he gets accepted to the ones he wants.