After a few months w are back on!

I now it has been a loooong time since I've updated the blog; I want to be better about it and I will try. Lucas is growing fast and getting more and more fun every day. I love looking into his eyes and see how he's exploring the world around him. He has been sleeping through the night for a few months now and we love it! He can now roll over from his belly to his back. We have also introduced solids; he loves oatmeal cereal, green beans, sweet potatoes, and carrots. We tried sweet peas but that didn't go too well... he gagged, threw up, and cried bloody murder... Needless to say we haven't tried it again; but we will.

I have gone back to work; I am working part time which is nice, but I do wish I could spend all day long with my baby boy. While I'm at work Lucas goes to Marcus Pointe Daycare. We are very happy with the place. The teachers are very sweet and experienced. After I pick him up we come home and hang out. Now, since the weather has cooled down we are jogging in the afternoons before dinner time. I think we both have a good while exercising.

I have taken a bunch of pictures of Lucas (as you can imagine) so I put a slide show together with pictures from birth to now. Just a few of them...

Enjoy it.... 'till next time!

Greetings from Costa Rica!

I finally have some time to get online and check emails... I have been so busy! My mom took some time off and went to the beach with her husband so I am left alone to care for Lucas and Victoria, my 1 year and 7 months old niece. Thank the Lord my dad took this week off of work and is helping me with Victoria. She is a wonderful, full of energy little girl.

Few things have happened that I want to write about, however, Lucas just woke up and I have to go now. I do want to post a picture of Victoria meeting Lucas for the first time. It was early in the morning and he was asleep but she could not wait to give him a kiss... too sweet.

1 month old later...

So it has been a while since I update the blog and I know I keep saying that I'll be better about it but the truth is my days go by so fast and I feel like I'm so busy that I just forgot. It's funny that I feel so tired at the end of the day and all I do is care for a 7 week old all day and night.

Lucas is now 7 and 1/2 weeks old; he is growing very fast (13 lbs) and everyday a little bit cuter... ok, maybe I see it that way cause he's my son. He is a very good baby; stays in his crib even when he's awake and loves loves loves his swing. He can sleep in that swing for hours! He loves to look at the ducks on top and "talk" to them. He is very much into paying attention at his surroundings and smiles when we talk to him. I just love that smile so I figure I'd share it with you guys here in the blog's main picture.

Our daily routine is pretty much the same everyday and I have enjoyed having my mom here. She has been a wonderful help...specially the first few weeks and then when I got sick. Yes, I got sick and it was bad; I got mastitis which is an infection in the breast when you're breastfeeding. It's all flu-like symptoms plus really bad pain in one breast. I had 102 temperature and could not even hold Lucas since the pain went all the way down my arm. Tyler and my mom were a huge help; my mom even cared for Lucas one night so I could get a whole night of sleep. Like that was not bad enough I got mastitis a second time about 2 weeks ago. Apparently when you get it once it's very likely you get it again. TMI??? Sorry!

The good news is that Lucas and I are going to Costa Rica!!!! YAY!! I am so excited! My dad could not wait to meet his grandson so he's paying for our tickets to go down there the whole month of July! GLORY!!!! I was able to push back my return-to-work-date and my mom and I are flying together on July 07. I am a bit nervous about flying back with him; mainly cause I have to come back by myself. Also, I don't know how he'll do in the plain. I hope he's as good as he's at home; but you never know... Babies are full of surprises! Besides that, I am super excited cause my aunt and family from California will be in CR as well and we are going to have all kinds of family get-togethers.

I want to take Lucas to get some pictures taken at a studio and take my niece Victoria to take a picture with him and give it as a present to my parents... they would love that! My sister cannot wait to hold sweet Lucas and even mentioned "trading babies" for a little while hahaha she's so funny! I think now that she has a toddler she misses the baby stage.

Sine I mentioned that Lucas loves to smile, here is a video so you can see him and smile with him. I will take a bunch of pictures while in CR and share the best ones once we get back.

I have to say that I love motherhood! It's not easy, it's very tiring, and it's something new every day; but I won't change it for anything. Some days I feel like I got nothing done around the house and that my day went by and at 4pm I haven't even shower... But then I think about my sweet Lucas and how he takes all of my energy and time, and how it all goes away when I see him smile or sleep like an angel.

By the way!! Now that I said sleep like an angel; my sweet little angel is now sleeping 6 hours at night. It is SO NICE! It's a big step; the first week he was waking up every hour or so to eat; then every 2 or 3 hours that that was nice; then 4 hours and that was even nicer! But 6 hours?! Whooo hoooo!!! The first night I freaked out; I got up and checked that he was breathing; it scared me to death; but there he was snoring. The only down side to that is that he wakes up starving and therefore screaming his head off. But he eats and goes right back to sleep... I love that little boy!!

We have to see the pediatrician and get shots before we leave the country. I am so NOT looking forward to that appointment. It's going to be very bad for me to see him cry in pain; I'll have to write about that then.

Oh! There's my cue!! I hear crying!! 'Till next time...

...And Baby Makes Three!

I know it has been a month or so since I updated the blog and a lot has happened. The most important event: Lucas Tyler Kepner is here!!! He was born via emergency C-Section on May 1st at 5:10 pm; weighed 8 lbs 6.4 oz and was 20 3/4" long.  

About the delivery... since Lucas decided to hang out in mommy's belly up until my due date we decided to induce labor on May 1st. I was always told that he was a big baby so I really did not want to go past my due date. I was admitted to Sacred Heart Hospital at midnight on Friday; at about 1 am I was set up in a room with an IV, full hospital gown, oxygen, and ice chips. Tyler and my mom were there to support me but at this time we all decided to sleep. At 3:00 am my water broke (yes, on its own) so I thought this was going to be a nice and quick process. Oh the wishful thinking! After that, things started progressing pretty fast except for Lucas not dropping where he needed to be so I could push him out. I believe it was around noon time when I was finally 10 cm dilated and the contractions were so close together that it seemed like one big contraction that never stopped and I was ready to push him out! Well, Lucas was not ready; he was too comfy in there and was not any lower than what he was 6 hours before. At that moment We knew we had to sit and wait on the baby for a bit longer so I decided to call in for the epidural! After that I was able to rest and sleep for a little while.

Finally the nurse decided to let me push and see if baby had moved down; so I did. I pushed for about an hour and nothing! Then I rested some more and at about 3:30 pm started to push again with not much happening. The doctor finally made it to my room at about 4:00 pm and by this time I was worried that Lucas had been there for 13 hours without the amniotic fluid; also if I pushed some more and his head does come out - what about his shoulders? Are they going to "fit"? Also, I was exhausted; I did not have a drop of energy left in me. To make matters worse; I had nothing to eat since dinner the night before and ice chips were not doing it for me anymore. The doctor offer to use the forceps or "the vacuum" to help the baby come out. At this time I knew he was not coming out; something in me just felt it; I had been pushing for a total of 1 hour and 45 min approximately and he hadn't come out! I DID NOT want to use the "help" so I asked for a C-Section. Very quickly they prepared me for surgery and after signing some paper work I was on my way to the O.R.

Being in the OR was surreal - it was a totally different experience.  I guess cause I had never been in an OR before I could not help but looking around and try to figure out what they were going to do to me. However, I had a bad case of "the shakes"... Oh yes! I was shaking uncontrollably. It was pretty bad; my arms would shake so bad that kind of freak Tyler out. Everybody kept asking me if I was cold but I wasn't. They kept bringing warm blankets -which was nice- but nothing helped. Finally Tyler was able to come in and the surgery started. It was weird to lay there knowing they are cutting you open and getting the baby out and not feeling anything. Tyler was watching the whole thing - he was fascinated with the process. He also took some pretty graphic pictures when only the head was out, baby out, etc. He also got to cut the umbilical cord and was able to see the cleaning process. 

After surgery the doctor gave me some kind of drug to stop the shakes which made me very drowsy -let's just say that I was not making sense and speaking to Tyler in Spanish- I felt asleep and woke up in the recovery room where my mom was waiting on me. Tyler's family had the chance of meeting Lucas right after he was born. Even before they saw me they were able to meet him; They were all there waiting to meet him... Mom, Jenny and Ella had been there since the morning so I am sure they were super excited that he finally arrived!

We stayed in the hospital until Monday at 11:00 am. I was so ready to be back at home and eat some good food. You have to understand that I was on a liquid diet for two days at the hospital and it was getting very old very quick! We got home and my mom had made a delicious chicken and vegetable soup (unlike the broth I was having at the hospital). The first few days of recovery were hard. I needed help for everything. Could not get up or down by myself; could not sit or stand without help; and the list goes on. Tyler took a week off of work and that was very helpful. He would get up at night and change Lucas then handed him to me so I could feed him. 

Lucas is now 4 weeks old! Crazy fast!!! he is a very healthy baby boy. We are very happy and everyday we learn something new. He eats a lot and very often so I feel like that's all I do in my day. We thank our Lord Jesus everyday for the blessing Lucas is in our lives and the lives of our families. Here are few pictures now so you can enjoy him...

40 Weeks and still waiting

So here we are at 40 weeks and we are still waiting to meet our sweet baby Lucas. What can I say? Being uncomfortable is now part of my daily life and the fact that everyday I wake up expecting contraction is driving me crazy. I mean, who wakes up or goes to sleep praying for contractions?!?! 

We went to see the doctor yesterday and she asked me what I wanted to do. I am not a fan of keeping the baby in my belly any longer that the established time. Here is the thing; in the last 2 ultrasounds (28 and 35 weeks) Lucas' gestational age has been 2 weeks ahead of his time. Meaning he measured 30 and 37 respectively when he was only 28 and 35 weeks. I don't want him to be "overdone" lol! So, after much thought and consideration we decided on inducing labor on Friday, May 1st. We will be "checking in" at Sacred Heart Hospital at midnight and sometime that morning start having contractions...and hopefully later on have a baby. I know it can be a slow process and I have been trying to get myself ready. 

Tyler and my mom will be with me the whole time and then as soon as things start moving forward we will be making the call to Tyler's family. Once baby arrives then they (Tyler and family) will be calling and texting our long list of people. We are very excited about finally meeting sweet Lucas and about calling you and letting you know.  Please be praying for us.

We are hoping for a natural delivery... don't get me wrong; if medication is needed it will be requested soon; I think what I mean is that I would like to avoid the C-Section. HOWEVER, if that's what God has planned for us and the doctor recommends it then bring it on! Lucas seems to be a big baby but since I am not "narrow" then is hard to tell if he's going to "fit." In fact, we won't know until we try it. We are as ready as we can be - although I don't know if you can ever be completely ready - but I do know that I cannot wait to hold Lucas in my harms.

OK, so that's all I got for now... we will be blogging soon hopefully with baby pictures. Thank you all for your prayers.

Let the fun begin.... 

These are a few of my favorite things...

Since I've been home "nesting" since last week I've had time to think back on my pregnancy experience. Now that I am in the "home stretch" it is hard to imagine a time when I was pregnant and had energy, and these last few days have been very rough on me. However, I really cannot complain about a month or so of pain and discomfort given the fact that I never had any other pregnancy symptoms. I have been thinking about things that I've really enjoyed while being pregnant and decided I'd share with you. Here they are not in a particular order:

1. Feeling my baby move: YES!! I love to feel sweet baby Lucas move and kick. Especially at the beginning when it was very new and exciting every time. Now it is very cool to see my belly take a certain shape and know exactly where my baby is. At times he gets ninja on me and kicks the air out of my lungs, or gets in my ribcage, or punches my bladder; but all in all it has to be one of my favorite feelings. You just stay still and feel that baby move and think wow!!! God really is creating a baby inside me... cool!!!

2. Food: Everything has a much reacher flavor. It's like all of the sudden everything is super yummy (or not good at all). I have been eating very normal as far as no crazy cravings, no 2:00 am run to the store, etc. Actually, there is nothing that I am eating now that I was not eating when I wasn't pregnant or viceversa. However, everything tastes a lot better; I guess I want to say that I enjoy food a little bit more than before... and you can probably tell by the roundness of my face and body... which leads me to point #3.

3. Pregnancy is a great excuse to eat what you want: I've been trying not to go crazy with food. However, everytime I want to eat something people say "enjoy it while you can" or " you are pregnant; you can eat what you want!" and that sort of thing. So I have! hahaha I don't eat mountains of stuff but I eat what I want to eat just not as much as I want to eat. I mean, I have to lose all this weight after the baby so a few more pounds won't kill me! lol!! I just don't feel ashamed of eating  what I want when I want... and that is an awesome feeling!

4. Foot massages: Let me just tell you that my husband has been great about rubbing my feet when I am tired or if I had a long day. This last month of pregnancy has been hard on my feet. I have little narrow feet that have to hold all the extra weight. Also, this last month is when I've noticed my feet swelling more and more often. It is a great excuse to get to feet rubbed and massaged few times a week without having to pay for a pedicure. I love it!! I also love how accommodating everyone is around you; and how my husband is always trying to make sure I am comfy. "Is you back okay? Do you need your wedge pillow? Put you feet up? It's cold in here but are you hot? I'll get it so you don't have to get up" are just a few of the daily questions in our house. I love love love the way Tyler has stepped up to the plate and help me beyond what I expected.  

5. People's reactions: I just love how people react so differently about a big pregnancy belly. Some people can't help it and HAVE to touch it; which does not bother me one bit. Other people talk to the belly and greet the baby. Others touch it with one finger like is going to bite them or something, I even had a baby leaning forward and kissing my belly (ok, that was a bit weird but funny) LIke I've said before, people in Latin America have no problem being touchy anyways (in a good way) we greet by kissing and hugging each other so when you are pregnant this is very common. Here in the US of A people ask you if they can touch your belly to make sure that's okay (and probably avoid a law suit hahaha) I know there are people who don't like it and that is personal preference. I also read a great quote in a magazine that says "when you are pregnant people think you are public property"...and it's true! Everyone comments about your belly, how big or little you are. The oh so common "girl! you are about to pop!" or the usual "anyday now" when you are only 7 months pregnant, and I can go on and on about this issue. Anyways, you gotta love people!... or NOT! hahaha

So, that is a small list of some of my favorite things while pregnant. I could give you a list of my not so favorite things but who wants to read about that, right! So; I would like to know what were/are a few of your favorite things while you were/are pregnant. Come on! I know you want to share!!!!

More Updates!

We are now 37 1/2 weeks and I have a lot to share with you...

First let me back up and tell you about the awesome Baby Shower that Christi, Jen, Jaime, and Tobi hosted for me. We had a great time and I got a bunch of cute presents. We played some games and had some good food. I really enjoyed the time to spend with friends and family.  Here are a few pictures of the shower:

Also, we were very much surprised by the awesome Music MInistry of our church (OBC). We normally go to choir practice on Wednesday nights; however this past Wednesday we were going to skip because I am no longer singing in choir and Tyler is taking a break from it (Yes, even Praise Team). Leo -our music minister- called Tyler and asked him to please show up for choir cause him and his wife had a present for us... or something other. We felt like we could not say no so we showed up. Well, Jenny and Paul had asked us to go to eat with them and we did so we were a little late to choir (all part of the plan I learned later) When we showed up for choir we were very surprised. The choir sang "Happy Bottom Wiping to You" (to the tune of Hapy B-day) and had bags and boxes of diapers... many many many diapers and baby wipes! It was the best present they could have given us. We are so thankful and blessed to have such an awesome choir family at church.

After all that excitement we had our Dr.'s appointment on Friday and got more great news. Our sweet Lucas is doing great and looks wonderful. We had an ultrasound and were able to see him. After many different measurements taking the machine calculated an estimated weight of 7 lbs 15 oz... The Dr.'s exact words were: WOW! You have a big baby inside there." HIs " Gestational Age was 39 wks 1 day... That Friday I was 37 wks 1 day so yes he is big and we are praying that he does NOT wait until April 30th to come out!

On that same note; my mom is flying in from Costa Rica on Monday, April 13th, so I am ready to have this baby anytime after that! LOL! So yes, my mom is coming to town and I cannot wait to see her! She is going to be such a great help to me; and just knowing that she will be here tomorrow makes me feel better already. I have been so tired and uncomfortable... my mom has already helped my sister during her pregnancy so she knows exactly what to do.

On a separate note... we had a little scared on Saturday. We were running errands getting last minute things ready (like blinds in the baby's room, and other shopping) and at about 10:30am I told Tyler that I had not felt Lucas move since I woke up. He normally moves a good bit after I have breakfast; but I thought maybe he was just being a sleepy head and didn't think much of it. Well... we ran errands and I was being very aware of any movement and nothing. We had lunch and I had a coke for the sugar/caffeine intake and still nothing. We came back home so I could lay down and maybe see if we felt the baby. We shook my belly; talk to Lucas, called his name, tap two coins against my belly, put on some loud music and nothing, He would not move. I'd read some on this subject but could not remember it all so I got online and started researching in different websites about it. A found out that a healthy baby has to move at least 10 times in a 2 hour period; if not then the next thing every website tell you to do is "Call your doctor IMMEDIATELY." I called the doctor and got a call back within 2 minutes; she asked me: Have you eaten? I said, Yes. "Try to lay down and talk to the baby, even shake your belly a little" I said, I've been doing that for 30 minutes now. "Drink something with sugar" I said, I had a coke for lunch. Doctor's final words: "I need you to go to the hospital right now to be monitored." I can't lie, I was very scared and worried; I was just praying and in silence... I was not talking (and if you know me that is not normal.) We got to the Triage at the hospital and they asked me the same stuff the doctor did and in 5 minutes had me in a hospital gown hooked to two different monitors. The moment the nurse put the monitor in my belly we were able to hear baby's heartbeat loud and clear... I was finally able to breath at peace and so did the nurse. We stayed there and the baby was monitored for about 40 minutes. TYler was there with me the whole time and he was a great support; he held my hand the whole time and we just sat there listening to Lucas' heartbeat without saying a word for a little while. 

Now I have to do daily "kick counts" and drink plenty of fluids until my next appointment on Friday morning.  I keep thanking God for his mercy and protection over us and our sweet Lucas. We are now very near to the end of this journey and ready to start trying the whole parenting thing hahaha. I want to thank each and everyone of you who have prayed for us and our baby.  We can't wait to meet him and for you to meet him as well!