9 lbs.+ Frequently Asked Questions

Having a 9 lbs. 6 oz. baby sparks a couple questions- so I’ve made a special FAQ post J

How big was your other child?

Traejan was 8lbs. 11 oz. and he was born 6 days early! At that weight, he was technically LGA (large for gestational age) too but I don’t remember them having to check his blood sugars in the hospital like they did Alana’s.

How big were you and your husband?

I was 9lbs even when I was born and we think Tyson was about the same or maybe a little less so it must be in the genes!

Was she overdue?

Only by a day.

Any complications delivering?

I had a small 2^nd degree tear but other than that I would say it was a textbook delivery.

Did you have gestational diabetes or any other complications while you were pregnant?

No, my blood sugar was great when they tested me at 20 weeks and so was Alana’s every time they checked her in the hospital. My blood pressures were fabulous usually 115/60 give or take, my feet and ankles never got swollen and I don’t even have stretch marks to report. My iron was a little low but that would most likely have the opposite effect on her birth weight. And other than some insomnia and the expected discomfort that comes with pregnancy, I felt great the whole time.  I walked a lot and tried to eat healthy (I think there is always room for improvement for me on the eating healthy part-serious sugar and sushi addiction!) I had a very healthy pregnancy overall.

**Sidenote** Because she is was so big I do have an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes when I’m older  but according to my doctor that is not an “absolute”. Plus type 2 diabetes is the preventable type of diabetes so as long as I exercise and eat healthy it won’t be an issue.

Even though we joke about Alana being able to live off of the fat stores in her cheeks we think she is pretty amazing and perfect.  We love her and we are so grateful she has come to join our family. She makes our hearts full and brings our family so much happiness. 

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Alana's Birth Story

To induce or not to induce? I think every pregnant woman gets super anxious for their baby to arrive and I had a lot of reasons that made sense for me to get an early induction with this pregnancy. My OB who knew me and my case would be available (he was going out of town the next week), Tyson's family was visiting that week (they would be able to help watch Traejan and they really wanted to meet the new baby before they went back to AZ), and week and a half before my due date, I got an ultrasound and this baby was measuring about 8 lbs. 11 oz. and I don't know about you, but at that size, I would say that this bun was pretty much done cooking!  So I scheduled an induction on March 25th (4 days before her due date). However, the night before I was to go in the hospital, Tyson was not feeling good about me going through with the induction.  We talked and I decided to wait. It was a tough decision but waiting for her to come naturally actually worked out the best for all of us!

A little before 8 AM Sunday morning, Traejan came in to wake me up like he usually does.  He put his face right next to mine, told me very loudly that it’s day time, and then pulled on my arm till I reluctantly got out of bed.  He told me that he has to go potty and so I followed him into the bathroom. He struggled to get his jammies off and ultimately got a little bit of potty on his underwear. He was upset and while I tried to console him, I realized that I suddenly and urgently had to go potty too! Me, being 10 months pregnant and having the bladder the size of a peanut had just wet my pants too! So I tell my son, “It’s ok, see mommy just wet her pants too!” But then it just keeps coming out… I know I’ve lost some control (have to cross my knees when I sneeze type thing) but I kept thinking, this isn’t normal…then it dawned, “Hey I think my water just broke! I must be in labor! Halleluja, it’s time!”

So many good thoughts running through my mind: I didn’t have to wait any longer for this baby to come! I didn’t have to sleep pregnant again! And I didn’t have to go to church where people would make comments about me still being pregnant. i.e.  “When’s your due date again?” “Why are you here, shouldn’t you be in the hospital?” “When are you due? Yesterday!?” HAhahahahahaha NOT! It didn’t matter how well-meaning some of them were, I found them all annoying at that point.

We woke up Tyson and told him that I was in labor. He was excited. He actually jumped out of bed (I don’t think I had ever seen him that eager to get out of bed in the morning in all our 5 years of marriage.)  We both showered, I packed up a few last minute things, I called my good friend and neighbor, Amber, to come get Traejan and then we headed off to the hospital. 

We arrived at the hospital between 9:30 and ten and they got me all checked in. They weren’t too busy which was nice. My nurse was great, nice bedside manner, and did a fantastic job on the I.V. (I’m much more particular about that now.) They gave me my first round of penicillin because I was GBS positive this time (I wasn’t with Traejan) and then we just hung out.  Tyson watched a movie and I emailed my brother, Devin.  Not many contractions at that point.

Around noon, because I still wasn’t having many contractions (about 1 every hour! Kinda nice J), they decided to get the ball rolling and give me some Pitocin. That was not so much fun.  Contractions every two minutes and very painful! I toughened it out for about an hour then went with an epidural. The anesthesiologist was great, very good bedside manner too and he came right away. Around two, I got my second round of antibiotics, then they checked me and she was ready to rock and roll.  They contacted my doctor (who was luckily on call that day-it was the day before he was to go on vacation) and the NICU staff in case the baby had swallowed some of the amniotic fluid. (When my water broke it was a light yellow color, meaning the baby probably pooped a little while she was in there.  The NICU team was there to suction her out to help prevent any risk of infection from the meconium or I guess perform life-saving measures if need be.) They arrived and told me to push.  I pushed about 6 times and 2 ½ contractions and then out she came! It was pretty amazing and it didn’t quite seem real.  They suctioned her and took her vitals, then placed her in my arms. She was beautiful and healthy. All my fears of the million things that could’ve gone wrong disappeared when I looked at her perfect little face.

Just before Alana was born.

Pleased to meet you!

Seeing Tyson with our new little baby makes me love him so much more! I love this softer side of him.

Daddy with his little girl.

My brother Jeffrey and his wife, Kelsey were able to make it for the birth too. It was a very sweet experience and I'm glad they could be there to share it with us.

Tyson's cousin, Heather, also came to birth. She is so sweet and took all of these hospital pictures.  I'm so grateful she could be there.

A little comparison between my two babies' births:

I had a hard time believing that I actually gave birth, it went so fast and was too easy (especially when I compare it to Traejan’s birth.) I only had a 2^nd degree tear with Alana.  With Traejan I had little worse perineal tear but I also tore my cervix during his delivery.  I had to go into the operating room where they put 14 stitches in my cervix! I bled A LOT. And it took me forever to heal- 2 months to stop bleeding.   I had a good night’s sleep the night before I delivered Alana and I felt great afterwards, wasn’t even tired.  With Traejan I labored all night long and I don’t think I got more than 2 consecutive hours of sleep for the next 3 days. There was quite a difference between having a baby at 3 am VS. 3 pm. Alana’s whole delivery was like clockwork, Traejan's had a little more complications but I've heard that's pretty normal with your first and second.

One Lucky 2 Year Old!

Traejan is two years old now- I can't believe it! I also can't believe that it's been over a year since I have written anything on this blog... eek! Time sure flies when you're a mommy and you're having fun.  

Traejan got spoiled with two birthday parties this year.  The first one was a "Thomas the Train" party in Mesa at a park over by my sister in law's house.  We did not plan much but it was still a good time just hanging out with family and friends.  I was most proud of my invitations and the cake.

The "Thomas" Cake

Needless to say, Traejan liked his cake!

Happy Birthday to You!

I was so proud- he actually blew out his candle.

Opening presents.  Traejan didn't really care for it-
 but his older cousins sure enjoyed helping him unwrap them :)

We were so happy to see my sweet beautiful sister and my nephew, Grady, show up for the party as well.
Thank you Auntie Rachel!

My roommate and good friend, Natalie, brought her two cute little kids.
 (This invite was more for me than Traejan... Love this girl :)

I think Devin coming was Traejan's favorite present.  He was so happy with the special attention  he  got from  his very fun and loving uncle.

Traejan sure loves his Grandpa!

Grandma, Grandpa, and uncle Devin made a special trip down here for the party as well.   A 3 hr drive can be quite taxing but no one was more excited to see these three than Traejan.

Traejan really looks up to Tripp and loves to follow him around the playground.  Thanks Kaylee and Tripp for coming to the party!

And a big thanks to my wonderful sister n law for all of her help in making the party a success!

Party #2 was up in show low.  We unexpectedly went up to the White Mountains to visit family on Traejan's actual birthday so we threw him another party there- this one in particular where his other grandparents (Tyson's parents) could attend.  (They had to work in the temple the day we had Traejan's first party.) This party was "Elmo" themed- we had a fry party with egg rolls and mozarella sticks and then for dessert, the Elmo cake, of course.

The "Elmo" Cake

This kid has lightning fast hands when he wants them to be.  After a second grab at the cake- I figured I could just let him play in his cake...

Poor Elmo!

Sharing with Dad.

Traejan was dancing and swaying with the music when we sang the happy birthday song.

Both Grandmas (and Devin's very attractive photo bomb!)

Trenton with all of his crazy party hats!

With such a fun group- who wouldn't have a great time?

Happy birthday Traejan! We love You!

Stationery card

Flurry Of Snowflakes Holiday Card

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18 Months!

Traejan turned 18 months old this week (crazy how time flies!) and although nursery has been a flop so far. I still have hope that he won’t scream bloody murder for an hour next week J

In honor of this monumental half birthday, I made an original poem for the boy who has made Tyson and I’s lives complete (well for now...)

T- Table-dancin’ fool.  Traejan loves to climb on the table and strut his stuff.   He thinks he is pretty bad-A once he makes it up there so he usually does a little wiggle dance or jumps all around the top of the table out of pride in his accomplishment.

R-Rambunctious. Traejan is a boy and therefore, he is rambunctious.

A-Avid swimmer- We go swimming or play in the water just about every day and he’s a pretty good at it.  He blows bubbles, and holds his breath, we let go of him and he swims a couple feet to the steps of the pool. Of course, I cannot take credit for his swimming abilities… Tyson is the one who first dunked him under water and then let go to see what he could do.  His dad is his all-time favorite person to play with in the pool.

E- Exemplary.  Traejan loves to fold his arms and say prayers.  Although his reverence only lasts so long, we think it is so cute that we usually say at least 5 little prayers a day.

J-popsicle Junkie- or pretty much anything sweet, whether it is candy, juice, or soda, we have to hide these sugary items in our house now.

A-Active- Almost like a machine, Traejan has two different modes: OFF (which is sleeping) and SUPER Energy Boost Power On mode (which is every time he is not sleeping).  People who are around Traejan for very long usually say, “Well isn’t he busy!”  I never get anything done when he is awake because most his waking hours I spend chasing or hovering over him because the minute I turn my head it’s like he is automatically drawn to the most potentially dangerous thing or activity in the vicinity.

N- Nice.  We have been working on “nice” or “gentle” touches in our home and he’s actually gotten pretty good at it. (All of those timeouts were not in vain!) The gentle pats on my head melt my heart almost as much as his clingy big hugs when I get home from work.

Conversational Maxims (or How to Have Really Awkward Conversations)

 My husband, Tyson, the English major has adopted a kind of social experiment from one of his class lectures.  It is a very awkward yet hilarious way of responding to people in a manner they are not expecting. There are unspoken rules of conversation called the conversational or Gricean maxims.  I am sure you’ve all had exchanges at one point in your life that have just been completely uncomfortable (I think I have them daily when I ride the light rail…) But those conversations you’ve had were probably because these rules of speech were broken.  Tyson’s favorite victims are Wal-mart cashiers.  Anyways, the conversational maxims are:

1)      The maxim of quantity- giving more information than anticipating. For example, one person may ask something like, “Hey, how’s it goin?” And the expected response would be an equally simple answer like, “It’s going great. How are you?” To break this maxim, one would say something like, “Well, I am doing ok. I woke up early this morning and I was just really tired but I couldn’t go back to sleep so I got up and played on the internet for a little while. I saw a couple good youtube videos and some that were just ok.  I am really not much of a morning person.  When I was little my mom told me I was a morning person, but that all changed when I hit puberty…” 

2)      The maxim of revelance- giving totally random answers.  For example, “How are you doing today, sir? Did you find everything ok?” “I am going to get a new hamster. A brown and white one that doesn’t bite…”

3)      The maxim of manner- a clear, unambiguous, brief and orderly response.  Example, “Will you take out the trash?” “Well, it is probable that I would take out the trash more often if someone weren't flagrantly wasteful, such that the majority of trash weren't always coming from that person.”

4)      The maxim of quality- people naturally assume that you are going to tell them the truth.  For example, when people enquire after your name, you usually don’t tell them, “Jose Luis” if your name is Tyson Adams.  Also, you wouldn’t give your new home teachers in the ward you just moved into the run around that you’re inactive and afraid to go to church because of the Russian Mafia or something equally ridiculous…

If you know Tyson, I am sure you can picture him breaking all these maxims on purpose just to make people squirm and having a ball with it! Don’t worry though, he usually tells them he is kidding before too long. So whether I am playing along with him or rolling my eyes the whole time, going to Wal-mart is always an adventure with Tyson.

 

My Nursing Baby

I have had a lot of people ask me how nursing school was pregnant and with a newborn.  And I usually just say, “It was hard…” because if I explained any further, as Tyson would put it, I would be breaking one of the 5 conversational maxims (Which is: giving more information than people would want to hear by their simple question [for more on the other maxims, I will do another post at the bottom or something…) But I have more to say than it just being hard!  It was the most challenging thing I have ever done in my life.

I found out I was pregnant the same month I found out I was accepted into ASU’s nursing program.  Getting into the program was a feat all in itself because I spent the last 2 years trying to finish up all the prerequisite courses and ASU’s program is very competitive. 

Going to school and being PG. I was four months when I started nursing school in August.  It was great because I was past the really sick stage and I wasn’t huge and totally uncomfortable.  I felt really good.  The only thing that was kind of hard was the clinicals in the nursing home and having to lift a bunch of old people.

The BIRTH story

As much as I tried to go into labor before school started, it unfortunately was not meant to be.  I walked and curb-walked, and jogged and tried to talk my doctor into inducing me two weeks early but no, I started the Spring semester 9 months pregnant.  It was awful to have people staring at you, knowing you look like you’re going to explode, and getting comments like, “Wow, you haven’t had him yet…” and “What are you doing here, shouldn’t you be in the hospital?”

I had a doctor’s appointment on Thursday, January 20^th. I was so excited because I thought I might be at least a little bit dilated this time… but nope.  I was 0% effaced and 0% dilated.  I was so discouraged! The doctor even had me go in for an ultrasound to see if anything was wrong.  Luckily nothing was wrong; Traejan was just happily floating around in the womb.  It was actually neat to see him so developed and see what he was doing in there.  Funny how the little things were so incredible to me- Traejan opening and closing his mouth was really exciting!

I started having really hard contractions Friday, the 21^st of January (right after my first test of the semester). And went into the hospital that evening around 5 or 6 PM. 

My whole family (except Jeffrey) came into visit me in the hospital around 11 PM- which was really fun. It was literally a party! And I felt great and social after the epidural.

I started pushing at probably around 2:30 AM. And Traejan Walter Adams came into the world at 2:53 AM 8lbs. 11 oz.  I can’t describe how amazing this event was or how much love I could feel for such a little person.

Right after he was born I was taken into surgery because my broad-shouldered little boy tore my cervix on his way out.  This surgery is a story in and of itself because I was awake and completely upside down while they stitched up my woman parts. Awkward.

A New Mommy

It has always been a top priority of mine to finish my Bachelor’s degree, but being a new mom made me want to quit more than anything.  I felt torn… I couldn’t give 100% to anything and it was really difficult for me. 

I felt my heart breaking when I left this perfect, so dependent, 5 day old baby in the arms of someone else.

SLEEP- I didn’t really get any.  I would try to be in bed by midnight or one after I finished homework, studying and getting ready for the next day.  And then I was up a couple times a night to feed and back at school or clinical as early as 6 AM. I don’t think I ever got more than 3-4 hours of sleep a night. I was running mostly on adrenaline I think.

There was about 10 out of 60 in our nursing group that failed this last semester.  And I was NOT one of them!! I actually did pretty well.  It wasn’t my best GPA.  My lowest grade for the whole semester was a 84% (which is technically a C by nursing school standards- ah, wretched grading scale!!)

There was always something that gave me the will to keep going (like support from my husband, my mom, my mother-in-law, and my friends in the nursing program- concern and a hug usually did the trick!) …I was pushed to the edge but never over it. 

I was aching physically and emotionally every day but I would just take deep breaths, look at the clock, and coax myself, “I made it through one hour, I can make through the next.” Eventually, my hours turned into days and my days turned into weeks. I slowly made it through each day and accomplished things I didn’t think I could.