Hudson's Baby Blessing

We blessed Hudson on Sunday, August 19th, at Todd's home in Libertyville, IL. It was such an amazing day. Sherrie had come home the Tuesday prior to the blessing and it meant a lot to Todd and I that she could witness it. She has come so far and to be home with us was so nice. Introducing her to Hudson for the first time brought us to tears. It was such a special moment that I will never forget. The love that she has for him, although hard to express, is still very apparent. Todd gave Hudson such a beautiful blessing. There was no denying the spirit that we felt. We love Hudson more than anything. Words can't describe how truly blessed we feel to have him as our son.

He sure is a cutie!!

Baby Announcement

Better late than never...

Hudson Michael Labrum - Birth Story

We are so happy to have welcomed our little baby boy! We are now officially a family of three!! On Monday, May 14th at 7:52pm, Hudson was born. It was a long 15 hour labor, but worth every minute. On Sunday, May13th, exactly a week before my due date, Todd and I decided to go for a long walk. I had purposely not been trying any tricks to put me into labor because the week before that Todd had finals. I was still working full time and my last Thursday Friday and Saturday at the salon were SO busy. By the time I was off work, I never felt up to doing anything. So Sunday (Mother's Day) was the first day I felt up to a long walk. We walked about 2 miles around a golf course that we live by.  That must have done the trick!

Last picture I have of me pregnant. 38 Weeks. One week before I went into labor!

At 11pm I started having contractions. This wasn't the first time because I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions for a few months now. After a few hours they were coming every 5 minutes and felt stronger than my regular BH. Todd called the hospital to ask if we should come in and they told us to wait until they were every 3-4 minutes apart. Around 4am they were coming closer together so we decided to load up the car and head in. By the time we reached the hospital I was having contractions every 2 1/2 minutes and I was thinking, "Great, this is going to go fast!" I was way off.

After a few hours my contractions became pretty strong so I told my nurse I wanted an epidural. They started my IV at 8:45am and I got my epidural an hour later. 15 minutes later, 10am, my doctor came in and told me they were going to break my water. I was amazed at how easy it was and how I couldn't feel anything. I was so happy to not feel my contractions anymore and thought I would get some sleep. Then the back labor started! I had heard women talking about back labor, but I never considered that I would have it. At first it just felt like pressure in my lower back and bottom, but after time it became strong and I felt like I was having contractions all over again! I explained to the nurse what I was feeling and she told me that an epidural doesn't help that kind of pain. Bummer. After that I faithfully squeezed Todd's hand about every 2 minutes until around 7:30pm. He was a trooper too :) Its amazing what your body can tell you. I knew when it was time to push and I told the nurses who then called for the doctor. Unfortunately, because it was my first birth, the doctor thought I would take a while to push and she took her sweet time responding to the call. I had multiple contractions where I was told I would have to wait and I felt like I was going to die! I kept telling Todd, "She better hurry!! I can't keep doing this!" After the doctor arrived I pushed twice and wa la! My baby was here!!

Hudson Michael Labrum was born at 7:52pm on May 14, 2012. He weighed 8lbs 4oz, was 20 3/4 inches long, and perfect. It's amazing how quickly you can fall in love with someone you just met. Unfortunately for Hudson, he had a major cone head. I blame the doctor who made me wait so long to push :) When we took him into the pediatrician a few days later he had lost an inch. I told you he had a bad cone head! 

Todd and I could not be more proud or in love! We feel extremely blessed and continue to thank our Father in Heaven for our beautiful baby boy. 

Baby Boy is here!!!!

Introducing Hudson Michael Labrum!
8lbs 4oz 20 3/4 in
Born on Monday, May 14th at 7:52pm

More info to come but for now we are too busy loving our little man!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's day to our wonderful moms and all the other moms out there! I've already had a great day thanks to my awesome husband and little man!

Check out the cutest candy poster EVER!!

Ebelskivers!! Yum!

Crazy Baby

This is just a little taste of what he's like all the time.

Ready, Set, Go...but after finals please!

After an accomplished day off, I am feeling much more prepared for this baby to arrive. Finally did some "nesting"...

• house is clean
• hospital bag is packed
• laundry is done
• little guy flipped - no more breech baby!

Now if he could just wait until finals to be over on the 10th! 

 Can you see his face with his arm going across his mouth? I think he is so cute already!

I think he wants out!!

 Sneak peak of the baby's room! Todd and my mother-in-law did an amazing paint job!!

  

Tuesday was a crazy day here in Urbana. I experienced my first Tornado warning, sirens and all. Luckily I was at work where we have a basement, but unfortunately I wasn't with Todd who was stuck in our apartment. We have one interior bathroom with no windows so the bathtub is really the only "safe" place to go. I had just started a haircut on one of my regular clients when the sirens started to go off. I'm pretty sure my co-workers were just hoping I wasn't going to go into labor. Luckily my client is a nurse so I told her she could help me deliver my little man :) I don't know how thrilled she was about that considering she has worked with cancer patients her whole career. We were in the basement for maybe 20-30 minutes and then it was over. We later found out a tornado touched down about 6 miles from our apartment. I feel very blessed nothing happened....this time. This is one thing about the mid-west that I can honestly say I really don't care for. When I came home after work I found Todd's hideout. I love the pillow, blanket, and sweatshirt. But most of all I loved that I found cookies and crackers in there too! Haha...glad he was prepared!

35 Weeks

•How far along?: 35 Weeks

•How big is baby?: Dr. says about 5 pounds!!

•Maternity clothes?: Always and I have more winter stuff so most days I'm sweating to death. 

•Movement: All the time! Hiccups everyday too. Still hoping he flips!

•Stretch marks?: Not yet...knock on wood.

•Sleep?: Its only really bad when I get heartburn.

•Symptoms?: Heartburn, less mobile, Braxton Hicks contractions! 

•Food cravings: Always thirsty. I don't crave syrup and breakfast items as much as I once did. 

•Belly button in or out?: In, but maybe not for long...

•What I miss: Being able to bend over easily. 

•What I'm looking forward to: My sonogram in a little over a week. I can't wait to see the baby and to check on whether or not he's still breech. 

•Best Moment this week: My co-workers had a baby shower/dinner for me and made the most awesome "pancake" cake (I'll post pictures soon) They spoiled me with gifts and now we have an awesome pack and play with a bassinet! 

•Milestone: Only 5 weeks to go!

•Nursery Progress: Still need to set everything up...can you believe how much of a slacker I am? A girl at church today asked me if I have been "nesting". I had to tell her the truth...not at all!! I am so tired after working on my feet all day that I never feel like coming home and cleaning. I need to start that asap! 

My Breech Baby

I can't believe I only have 5 1/2 weeks left! I'm so close to meeting my little man. My 34 week checkup was on Tuesday and he is still sounding very healthy. He is also enjoying a very comfortable upright position... About 4 weeks ago they told me he was breech, but that he still had plenty of time to flip. I really wasn't concerned at that point. So when I went in on Tuesday I asked if they would check his position. Unfortunately my doctor thinks he still is. She said they really should be turned by 35 weeks or your chances of him doing so drastically go down. That is this Sunday. She ordered a sonogram for my next appointment and if he hasn't flipped by then she will schedule my c section at 39 weeks. Ahh!! Not what I was expecting. I told Todd that I've had such an easy pregnancy that something had to go wrong, right? I guess if this is my worst case scenario, its not a bad one to have. I have been very blessed through this whole process. If we are looking on the bright side at least he won't have a cone head when he comes out. And my Mom will be able to schedule exactly when to come. And Todd will have just finished finals the week before.

Well I'll update everyone after my next appointment. Breech or not, I already love this guy.

Guest Appearance: Lessons of a Pregnant Husband

It's lunch time here at the law school, which means I have a few minutes to do whatever I want.  So, for you reading pleasure, here are three of the lessons I have learned as a first time pregnant husband.  Despite the fact that not a single man on earth reads these girly blogs, I will press onward:

Lesson #1: Dont' buy in bulk. Buy food in the smallest quantities humanly possible.  In fact, if you figure out a way to buy a single stick of gum at a time, do it. Their favorite food today will make them gag tomorrow.

Lesson #2: Avert your eyes during "the video" when the placenta delivered.  The birth itself is not bad.  Watching what comes afterwards is akin to looking directly at a solar eclipse.

Lesson #3:  If you lose your job, become a doula.  Pregnant women will pay big money for someone to practice this witchcraft.  From the presentation we saw, apparently all you need to do is tell pregnant woman to contort their body in the weirdest positions possible, and then claim that this opens up the pelvis for the baby to slide down.  Throw in some moaning noises are you are a certified doula! ;)

All joking aside, Jessica has been amazing every second of her pregnancy.  I am so proud of her.  She still works full-time, giggles every time the baby kicks, and does it all with a smile.

Childbirth Class #1

Last Wednesday Todd and I went to our first childbirth class. I was very excited to start because having a baby feels much closer now. Todd had never been "in class" with me before and was surprised that I was so vocal. I tried to crack a few jokes (maybe that's my way of making myself feel better about having to push out a baby) but nobody thought I was funny. It was a very serious group of women. Lighten up people!! It's only childbirth, right? Then we saw the video. You know the one I'm talking about. Can you say T.M.I.?? I don't need to see that! I can already barely see the bottom of my belly and I'm only 27 weeks. Why do you think I'll be able to see/want to see that? No wonder those women were so sullen. Can't wait to see what's in store for this week...

New York!! Here we come!!

 We just booked flights for our Babymoon trip! Can't wait to have one last hurrah with Todd before we are a family of 3! So many things to plan and see....

 

If you have visited NYC before and can suggest things to see/do, please leave a comment!

24 Weeks

• Feeling much larger
• Started belly bumping into my clients while cutting hair - whoops
• Still enjoying breakfast food, although not craving it as frequently
• Currently into cereal - particularly Strawberry Mini Wheats
• Thirsty almost always
• Feeling my boy kick me ALL the time - I have nothing to compare it too, but I think he is a wild child
• Sleep is becoming a little more uncomfortable, but not bad
• Experiencing more heartburn - nothing a few TUMS won't fix
• Definitely getting harder to reach my toes a.k.a. put on my shoes, although not impossible
• Enjoying being pregnant and always feeling very blessed for an easy pregnancy
• Already love my little man!!

It's a BOY!!

Todd and I were very excited and surprised to find out that we are having a boy! I can't believe we thought it was a girl. Shows you how much we know! He was so wiggly during the ultrasound today and we couldn't stop smiling as we saw him kick and wave his arms around. He wouldn't turn his head just right so instead of seeing his handsome profile he was looking at us head on! I love my little man so much already!

Manly proof!

Face shot

21 Weeks - Dallas Delay

At 19 weeks I felt like not much had changed...and then week 20 hit! It was as if my belly grew overnight. Everything has been going really well. I still love carbs and sugar = waffles/pancakes/french toast and syrup. Sometimes I get heartburn, but not too bad (knock on wood). My feet blew up like ballons when we flew to CA and stayed like that for a few days, but keeping them elevated eliminated the problem, thank goodness. The most exciting new thing is feeling the baby kick!! It started at the end of week 18. It is such an amazing feeling that is indescribable. I love it!! Todd, my mom, sister, and grandma have felt it too! I really have had such an easy pregnancy and I feel suped blessed.

On another note, Todd and I missed our flight from Dallas to Champaign so I missed my gender ultrasound appointment. I was pretty bummed at first, but we turned our delay into a mini vacation in Dallas. Luckily the Labrum's have some great family friends 20 minutes from the airport so we had a comfortable place to stay. We went and saw Cowboy's Stadium and The Sixth Floor Museum which is about the JFK assassination. I had never been to Texas before and the weather was beautiful. I rescheduled my doctor appointment Tuesday at 9am! We can't wait! Boy or Girl??!!!