The Once In A Lifetime Ride

(I wrote this post a while ago, but with recent events (aka the birth of Oakley) it got postponed! Enjoy.)




Chase's dad has been going on a long distance motorcycle ride for the past 10 years.
It's called the 
"Once in a Lifetime Ride"
Ironic.


This year the stars aligned and Chase got to go with his dad 
and the rest of the men that attend.

Chase is in the middle/back.

Everyday was planned out to the smallest details. They knew exactly where they needed to be and at what time. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Hotel Reservations were all pre-planned.

With me not working, Chase gone all day and night, and being 9 months pregnant made for some pretty long days and nights for me. I kept myself busy crafting and sewing, and playing with sisters.
It's not like i could text him while he was riding. 
So i was left to just wonder if he was dead or alive and wait for him to call me. 
And trying NOT to go into lonely stress-induced labor.

Pregnancy hormones are not my friend.

They made a giant circle to the tippy-top of Montana  (even crossing over to Canada for a few hours) and then back down to the bottom. 

Look how beautiful Montana is. I think i will live there someday.






These group shot pictures are so funny to me for some reason.

 One of the guys crashed and had to be flown home. 
So the trip was extended to get an extra, crashed bike home. 

I wasn't very happy to say the least.
i am selfish.

This picture is pretty hilarious of Chase, but it's one of the only ones he ever took of himself!

When he got home he didn't smell too good, but i was still very happy.




I never knew how dependent I am on Chase until I had to live an entire week without him! 
I am such a baby.  But what can i say? 
I love my husband.

Life This Week

So, Chase went on his mission to Brazil where he lived and spoke Portuguese for 2 years. He needed some extra credit hours this semester and a chance to boost his GPA so we decided taking a portuguese class would be a good way to do that. Easy A. Except the only class that is offered is Elementary Portuguese. Like learn the ABC's and 123's. So, he decided to go and ask the instructor if he could just take the final and take that grade as his final grade.  Yesterday was his first day of class and before he left I asked if he was just going to go early, talk to the teacher and come home (since it is a 3 hour class!).  This is how our conversation went;

Chase: I think i will talk to her after everyone leaves.
Me: Why don't you just talk to her when you get there and save some time?
Chase: I don't want anyone to hear me say I am fluent. They will give me that look that people give.
Me: (confused.) What look???
Chase: You know that look like "Oh my gosh!" Like when someone poops their pants in class.

It went on from there. I was confused because he was so serious, and kept trying to explain "the look". I honestly have never had that experience of having a classmate poop their pants so I'm not sure if this is a common thing and I am just the exception. I remember a kid peed his pants in 1st grade in Mrs. Dowell's class. But i suppose my reaction would be "Oh my gosh" if that happened in college.

Funny thing is that the teacher went around asking how much everyone knew, and when they got to Chase, he said he was fluent in front of the entire class. I asked if everyone looked at him like he just pooed his pants. He said yes.

__________________________________________________________
Yesterday I forgot to add something in the birth story. As we were on our way to the hospital I was having contractions every few minutes in the car. Chase asked "Does it hurt to laugh?" I didn't know where he was going with that, but it did hurt to laugh so I said "Yes."  He then proceeded to say, "Then don't look over there to the right."
When I then of course DID look over to the right,  I saw something similar to this walking down the road.

Cut off collared shirt, cut off jean booty-shorts and the most magnificent mullet you have seen in your life.  

Following him was a little boy that looked almost identical to (what I can only assume him to be) his dad.

I laughed. It hurt. I punched Chase on the shoulder. Then I laughed some more and told him I love him.

We live in A.J. 

_________________________________________________________
On another note.
I am a mom.
I take a million pictures of the exact same pose. But every picture looks different to me.
I beg Oakley for some sleep when he wakes up to eat every 3 hours.
When he finally is finished eating and falls asleep, I stay awake for another 2 hours just watching his chest move up and down with every breath.
I have already got peed on 5 times and pooped on once while changing his diaper.
I am learning to do things one handed because I always want to hold him close in the other.
I finish changing a diaper, and as I snap his onesie on, I hear him poo again.
He rarely cries, but when he does, I can't help but smile a little cause it's so cute.
Most of his clothes are too big even though they are size newborn. All his pants go to his armpits and he look like an old man.
I forget to eat meals because I just stare at how amazing he is all day.
I ponder the idea that I made him, and Heavenly Father trusts me with this gift.
I am so blessed with such amazing friends and family and especially my wonder-woman of a mom, who have helped us out these past 11 days.
I love my amazing husband and adorable miracle of a son.
I love my little family.

Baby Mine

Oakley Ren Waters

Friday, August 13th 2010

Three Twenty-Nine P.M.

Six Pounds, Fifteen Ounces

Twenty Inches Long

The Story:

At 7 o'clock I was at my amazing baby shower thrown by my magnificent sisters and mother-in-law.  Earlier that day I was telling Chase that I kept picturing me going into labor at the shower. So when I started having contractions at the shower, it was almost comical. I mentioned a couple times that these contractions felt different than the other braxton hicks I usually have. But I just enjoyed myself and tried to ignore them. Chase picked me up and loaded the car full of gifts. We went home and i told Chase about the contractions. I couldn't hardly stand so we left the car as it was and Chase started timing the contractions with his handy-dandy Contraction Timer App on his phone. (That app really came in handy after he started to fall asleep timing.) At 5 minutes apart I called my mom and she said she would meet us down at the hospital. He wasn't due for another two weeks so we didn't have a hospital bag packed or anything ready! Chase quickly packed some things and I kept telling him to stop because i am sure the hospital will just send us home. He packed a full bag anyway, and later i was glad he did. 

We left the 4runner full of gifts from the shower in the garage and took the scion to the hospital. We finally got to the hospital at 11:30pm, but they were really backed up so we waited in the triage for a couple hours still counting. I was still sure they were going to tell me they weren't 

'real' contractions and send us home. So when the nurse came in and said "Yep! You're staying here!" i was blown away! I was going to have a baby.

My sweet mom wasn't allowed in that part so she slept in the car until we were moved to the labor and delivery room. I was so happy to have her there with me. I don't know what I would have done without her by my side helping me through every little thing. I love her so much.

I was in labor all through the night  and into the next day. I was so determined to not get an epidural and trust in my body that I could do it alone. Chase and my mom counted through the contractions with me and massaged my back. I soaked in the "Japanese Spa", which was AMAZING! I wish i could have delivered in there. (I think i will have a water birth with my second!!!!) The more tired i got, the harder the contractions got. After I hit 36 hours of being awake and 15 hours of being in labor, my body was so stressed and tired that there was no progression. After I reluctantly got an epidural, I gave my body the sleep it needed and progress came fast. A couple hours later the nurse came in and I started pushing. 

Almost exactly an hour of pushing later, Oakley was born at 3:29 PM, and was perfect. Chase cut the umbilical cord like a man and then a few minutes later nearly passed out until the nurse caught him and gave him some crackers and juice and had him sit down. 

As they laid him on my chest I couldn't even help but cry. It was my son. And what  was just as awesome to see, was my amazing husband holding our son. I don't think I have ever felt so much happiness rushing through my body in my entire life. 

Throughout my pregnancy I often wondered how ANYONE could be insane enough to go through 9 months of  being constantly sick, plagued without sleep and never being able to get remotely comfortable and then do it AGAIN for a second child. Now I know why. 

Now, here are some fun pictures to look at!

Chase's first time changing a diaper EVER!