Blessing

This past Sunday David blessed Lincoln in church. We were so lucky that both David's parents and mine were able to make the trip up. We also had some friends that were able to attend. Lincoln had been colicky all week so I was pretty nervous about how he would do during the prayer but this whole no dairy thing has really payed off and he did great!

Already?

Today Lincoln is one month old. It's hard to believe that one month ago I was still pregnant and working on getting him out. Man am I thankful that that part is over!! Terrible.

But life since then has been great! I'm loving being a Mom and spending time with my new little man. I love watching him grow and see all the changes he's going through. It seems like everyday he stays awake a little longer than the day before.

It hasn't all been bliss though. Poor little guy has been battling a cold and seems to have developed a bit of colic. So that's been interesting to say the least. So I've given up dairy in hopes that that solves the problem. Ever since I've given it up all I want is a hot fudge sundae. Yum! It's only been like a day though :/ If it helps the colic I'm all for it though. So here's hoping!

Support

We have been so lucky with all the support we have received since Lincoln was born. Both my parents were able to drive up when I went into labor. It was so nice to have them there. Then my Dad left to pick up my little sister and they came back to Spokane on the Thursday to stay for the weekend. My mom was able to stay with us the whole time and she didn't leave until yesterday. She was a huge help to us with this whole transitioning thing into being new parents. We really appreciate everything she did for us! Then this past weekend my sister and her family came up here along with my dad and little sister. It was so fun having everyone here! It's pretty quiet around here now, just us, our puppies and our new little baby. I love it. Now I'm just trying to get into a routine with him. I'm loving every second of being a Mom!



Grace and Chris holding baby Lincoln

Claire holding Lincoln

The Sisters

Our first family pic

My fam

Time has been going by so fast. Tomorrow my little boy will be two weeks! I can't believe it. I swear every day he gets bigger and bigger. It's crazy how much I love this little guy. David and I feel so blessed to have him in our lives. 

Lincoln Thomas Clukey

Here is how it all went down...

Wednesday the 11th I went in to my doctor hoping and praying that I was starting to dilate. I was in fact not dilated in the slightest. My doctor also inforrmed me that my baby is huge with a big head, I have a narrow pelvis (which will make pushing more difficult) and that my baby probably won't come on his own. My doctor decided that he wanted to induce me on the 23rd. So I left that appointment feeling pretty down and scared about how this delivery thing was going to go down.

So on Monday I'm feeling great all day, then when I lay down to go to sleep I started feeling some contractions. I didn't think much of it because most nights I got contractions. I ended up spending most of the night awake and in pain because of those pesky contractions. I still didn't think much of it. Finally my alarm went off Tuesday morning for work, I was already awake but I decided to get up and get ready. Only once I got out of bed did I realize how bad those contractions really hurt. I started hoping that I was beginning to dilate. I had been worried about getting induced when I wasn't dilated. As the morning wore on my contractions were getting worse and closer together. I wasn't sure what to do so at 530 am I called my sister who is a labor and delivery nurse to get some advice. She told me I was probably in pre labor which can last awhile, even a couple of days so not to worry and go in if my contractions got closer together. I decided to call into work cause there was no way I could work while having those contractions. So I made myself as comfortable as possible and tried to distract myself from the pain. I told David to go to school cause I didn't think they would progress into anything real.

Around 830 I was in pretty bad pain so my sister suggested that I go get checked out to see if I was in labor or not. So I texted David and headed to the hospital. Driving was interesting to say the least. Definitely not fun and very hard to concentrate. When I get there David was waiting for me and we headed in. Turns out I was 1cm dilated. The nurse called my doctor and they decided that I should go walking for an hour and see if I progress. Just what I wanted to do-go walking. Not. But I did and all I have to say is thank goodness they have handrails in all the hallways. When we went back to the nurse she hooked me up and checked me. No progress. Which meant I was getting sent home. I was livid. I was in so much pain. The nurse said before she sent me home she wanted to monitor my contractions for a little bit longer. She came in just a couple minutes later and said that she wanted me to go walk or sit in the jacuzzi for another hour and a half and then reevaluate me. I chose to sit in the jacuzzi. It felt nice at first but after an hour of that I couldn't handle it anymore. The pain was too intense so we went back. I was so scared that there would be no progress and they would just send me home. But thankfully I was at a four!! So they admitted me and got me to a room. By now I was in more pain than I thought possible but anesthesia was tied up in another room and didn't know how long they would be so a nurse gave me a little something through my IV. I don't know what it was but it took a little of the edge off and made me a little out it. Once anesthesia arrived I couldn't have been more happy and once that epidural kicked in I was great. No more pain...for awhile anyway. I was at a five now and it was only around 1:30.

Around 6 the nurse checked me and my water had already broken and I was all ready to go. They decided to let me labor down for awhile. They also wanted to hold out as long as possible so I could get all my penicillin since I tested positive for gbs.

I started pushing at 8:00. What an experience. I didn't know what to expect going into it. It was an interesting feeling. I ended up pushing for THREE hours. Talk about exhausting. David held my leg like a champ. I was so tired by the end. When he finally came I couldn't believe it. One second everyone is yelling "Push! Harder!" then it's all "Ok not so hard" and then there is something crying at the other end of you. I was so happy when they stuck the little guy on my chest. I couldn't believe he was finally here. Unfortunately he was only on me for like 30 seconds before they took him away. He was working really hard to breathe so they took him up to the NICU where he stayed until Friday morning.

When I was finally able to go up and see him, it just about broke my heart seeing him all hooked up. I felt so helpless. Luckily everything else checked out fine for him and he was getting enough oxygen but he was just working too hard and needed some help.

He is now home with us and healthy as ever. He had his first doctor appointment on Monday and he has continued to gain weight since leaving the hospital. The doctor said that he is a very healthy baby. Today he is a week old and I'm the happiest person ever. I never imagined that something so small could bring me so much joy. I love my little family so much. I'm the happiest I've ever been :)

Happy now that I've had the epidural

Poor baby :(

Getting his hair washed for the first time

Proud new Daddy

Grandma

Aunty Kee

Grandpa and Lincoln rockin' the fohawk

Getting ready to go home

First bath

Love that hair!!

April Happenings

April is a big month for us. First there is Easter. We were lucky enough to spend it with some friends and have a delicious dinner! It was great.

This past Tuesday, the 10th, was our two year anniversary. Wow. I can't believe that two years ago David and I were married in the temple for time and all eternity. I love it. These past two years have really flown by. This past year of our marriage has included a TON of life changing decisions and events. David graduated from BYU-I, he accepted an internship for the summer in San Diego, we got TWO puppies, we bought our first car, decided which law school to go to and got pregnant. I have loved every bit of it and I'm so excited to see what the future has in store for us.

To celebrate our anniversary David bought me so beautiful flowers and took me to breakfast at our favorite breakfast place, Frank's Diner. Soo yummy! That evening we went to dinner at an Italian place which was delicious as well. We were able to find a bench tucked away overlooking a nice part of Spokane and reminisced about these past two years. And of course we had to end the night with dessert so we got some frozen yogurt (my latest obsession). It was such a great day. I love David so much and am so thankful that our paths crossed just about three years ago and brought us to where we are today.

This Sunday, the 15th is our other puppy Blake's birthday. He is turning one. Finally both our puppies will be one, unfortunately they are still puppies though :) He is the biggest cuddle bug ever and LOVES David. Like basically obsessed with him. It's cute.

The last big April event is the much anticipated and hopefully reletively soon birth of our son. He is due this Friday the 20th. We are so excited for him to come into the world! He just needs to hurry up and do it :)

Updates

Life has been pretty crazy lately. We finally moved!! We are now out of felony flats! We found a great apartment for a reasonable price, so we ditched our other place and moved in. It all happened so fast. Oh, did I mention that it's brand new? I love knowing that we are the first ones to live here. It's great. I don't have to worry about the carpet being gross or anything like that.

We moved during David's spring break. It was perfect. He was able to do most of the packing and with the help of a few friends, the moving too. He is such a champ. We've been here almost two weeks now and still love it. We do have a few smoking neighbors, but you'll get that most places. This past weekend we finally finished unpacking everything. This place feels so much more like a home than the last. Plus we don't have the gross mystery smell, disgusting carpets, mice, creepy people and the constant sound of sirens in the background. We finally have a bedroom door plus another room! And laundry! We are loving life right now.

 For the first time in our marriage we live somewhere that has room for a table!!

David's new love.

In other news I turned 25 yesterday. Crazy. Can't believe I'm so old! Unfortunately I had to work and it was a really long day but David came home and made me lunch and bought me flowers. Then we went to dinner at a place called Twigs and had some frozen yogurt for dessert. Yum! He also got me a gift cert for a mani and pedi. I can't wait to use them!

This week I'll be 37 weeks. That's pretty crazy too. It is getting so close to being time!

So basically I'm huge. Still trying to get used to it. My feet and ankles look like they're broken cause they are so swollen. They hurt all the time. David has to help me get out of bed cause I sink so far down, makes it kind of painful to get out alone :) still have killer heartburn (I hope that is the first thing to go once I have Lincoln), and my ribs and back hurt all the time. More frequent bathroom trips are also required. So basically all the "normal" pregnancy stuff going on for me. I can't wait to have him!



Maggs Turns One

Our little puppy Maggs turned one on Thursday. We got her last year for our anniversary present to each other. Well lets be honest...she was my present. I was the one who had been begging David for a puppy. He has a hard time saying no :) She was by far the most impulsive and probably irresponsible purchase we have ever made :) We had like no money after we got her but she was worth it. We love her and love having her. She is the most active pug I've ever seen.

So tiny!

3 lbs of fury

3 lbs vs 150+lbs

First time at the beach and lovin life

Getting bigger

Her today happy as ever

Happy Birthday Maggs!