tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34693361906285558192024-02-21T05:28:28.647-07:00CountryMan....and Woman!The Ends and Outs of Our Homemade Fairy TaleWhitney & Shane Countrymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16227033419055288108noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469336190628555819.post-89523715155798679202015-03-03T01:30:00.001-07:002015-03-03T12:33:44.045-07:00Introducing Ms.Charlotte Reese<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have begun (began?) writing this more than once, and the truth is it was
incredibly hard to write. In the days surrounding Charlotte’s birth, we were of
course excited. And I was eager to sit and write about this exciting roller
coaster we had finally exited. But as I sat next to her isolette in the NICU, I
couldn’t not hold her (thus I couldn’t be on the computer, writing her birth
story). I couldn’t be okay with being away from Liam, and choosing not to suck in
every moment I had with her. Then, reality set in. I realized she wouldn’t be
coming home in 10 days as Liam had, and I didn’t want to think about it. I pushed the memories of her birth out of my mind. It was
incredibly painful to rehash it all. So I didn’t, for a long time. I just focused on getting her home & now that she is here I can finally sit and write. Probably a version that is quite
distorted from it's reality, the version that my brain has allowed me to
remember…..</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How is it that someone accidentally has an<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> early</i> baby<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> at</i> home? I promise I’m not an idiot…. Let me explain….</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<b>
</b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>Telling Shane:</b><br />
<br />
It was about summer time when Shane and I decided we felt it was right to start trying for another baby. It took us longer than expected to get pregnant with Liam, so we figured we had a couple months of trying a head of us. I was shocked to find I was pregnant so quickly, but very excited to share the news with Shane. It was about fathers day, so I tried to hold off until the day but couldn't. I ran out and
bought Liam a "Big Brother" t-shirt and then I snuck off and took
a picture of him in his shirt. I played it off as an "early Father's day present" and made a photo book with Liam and himself from birth up until now. On the
2nd to last page I wrote, "You're such a great Daddy I think it's only
fair...". and on the last I put a single photo. The picture of Liam in his
t-shirt with the writing "that in 9 short months I get to share" with a
"sticker" that said "due Feb 2015". I told Shane that I wasn't pregnant, to throw him off so he had no idea and was pretty
shocked. Best part is that I caught it all on video, so we will have it
forever. <br />
<br />
<b>The pregnancy:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This pregnancy had a lot of challenges. Not the typical
pregnancy woes but different medical issues. About 17 weeks pregnant I started
to get Braxton hicks. I would have upwards of 15 an hr. This was odd for me since
I never got one Braxton hick contraction with Liam. About a week before, I
started taking progesterone shots to help avoid having another early baby.
Saturday night was a weekly ritual of me waiting until 10 at night or, as
late as I could put the shot off, and then prepping everything as I told Shane I
was ready. I’d say “okay” and breath out, and he knew to<i> quickly</i> give me my shot.
Over time the shots became much easier to recieve and I became more okay with them, though I was definitely
looking forward to reaching 36 weeks and receiving my last shot. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All was stable until about 24 weeks. I dealt
with the Braxton hicks until they became pretty painful. I would get, this
indescribable pain in my lower right back along with the tightening in my
belly. This never lasted over an hour, thus I never went into L&D for it
but I couldn’t walk or talk through them. On one occasion, I was helping my Shane run a staff meeting at work and this pain started. It was so painful
I couldn’t even stand on my own to excuse myself from the meeting. I didn't want to cause a scene so all I could
do was sit through the pain and try to appear normal. I discussed it with my
Doctor and she upped a medication that I was on to control the “contractions”.
At 28 weeks pregnant I had some bloody show and went into L&D to have it
checked out. I ended up staying in the hospital for a few days at this point.
It was always so frustrating going to L&D. There was always a different resident,
who I would have to explain my whole slew of symptoms too. They rarely knew
what uterine didelphys was, yet alone how to treat it. Literally, a nurse wrote it down once, and asked me how to spell it...and then i'm pretty sure she proceeded to google it when she left. Luckily, the resident
who was about to send me home, spoke to the on call doctor who insisted I stay,
and I was admitted. I received medication for the baby’s lungs as well as some
other medication to help my uterus to relax. These steroid shots, honestly
probably save Charlotte’s life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t
recall how dilated/effaced I was when I left the hospital. I started weekly
appointments with my doctor and was put on bed rest. Throughout this time I
continued to dilate and efface and weekly my medication was increased. I didn’t
really have Braxton hicks, unless I was up too much, in which case I knew I needed to go sit down and relax. I did my best to keep up with it all, taking care of Liam, myself, the house work and work. I would allow myself 5 minutes at a time to stand and do the dishes, and then sit/lay again. Needless to say, it took awhile but I got pretty quick at doing the dishes ;).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At my last checkup I was 80% effaced and
nearly 3 cm dilated at 32 weeks. I started to notice that I was having Braxton
hicks again, and had been for about 3 days. This concerned me so I went into
L&D for the 3<sup>rd</sup> time. I was there for about 3 hrs. I continued
to contract the whole time. They felt like light menstrual cramps, which
is how they usually felt. After the doctors watched me for an hr or two and decided
that my cervix wasn’t changing and sent me home. I asked “So, I just have
Braxton hicks?” and they said yes. I wasn’t given any medication to relax my
uterus and was told as I was discharged “come back in, for pretty much any of
the symptoms you came in for today.” …… really? You mean the ones that I am
STILL having. It was super frustrating but at that point I was being told by
the doctors that I was fine. So, I cautiously believed them. During all of this it was hard to get the doctors to take me
seriously. I most often saw a resident and because of my uterine didelphys I am
not a “typical case”. Often they would look at my cervix and say I was closed,
even though I knew I wasn’t. Until finally they would check me and realize that
I indeed was not closed, and everything was not fine. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>The delivery:</b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
(Just fair warning, this might be full of
TMI….so if you aren’t comfortable hearing about things that happen leading up
to or in labor…<b>stop reading here</b>)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fast forward 3 days… I continued to have Braxton hicks. It
was New Year’s Eve and my brother invited us up to Layton to spend the night
with him and his in-laws. We accepted the invite and spent the night eating
and playing games. That night on the way back to my brother’s house (we were staying the
night so we didn’t have to drive an hour back to our house so late at night)
Shane and I discussed how different 2015 would be and how weird it was that we
would be having a baby this year. We didn’t realize how soon into 2015 that
would be. That night we stayed up until nearly 3am chatting and joking with
Ryan and Julie (my brother & sister in law). The next morning I woke up at about 7:30 am. I laid there a
minute and realized that I was having some “Braxton hicks”. This was not
untypical. I woke up almost nightly with “contractions” just like this,
especially before I was put on the Procardia. I got up to use the bathroom,
since I knew having a full bladder usually made them worse. When I used the
bathroom I noticed the TINIEST amount of bloody show. I mean LITERALLY … a dot. The only reason I noticed this was because I seriously looked every time I
used the restroom because I was completely paranoid about having this baby early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It was such a small amount I thought maybe my cervix had just been irritated some how, and that all was fine.</span> I let Shane know, and he told me to get some rest. It was about this time that I decided I should try to time my Braxton
hicks and see
if they were close at all and if they tapered off after an hr. I hated timing Braxton hicks. I became crazy
over analyze woman and it drove me nuts. Is that one, no? did it stop
yet? Wait I think I feel one.... Again, I was in and out of sleep. I
figured it was the best way to not over analyze the situation. When
ever I would wake up from one, I would start the timer, then fall back
to sleep when it ended. My very first
thought when I woke up this time was “get up and go to the hospital now, this
is real” I thought nahhhhh. I had thoughts like this often and was constantly
in a state of paranoia of what was real and what was just “normal” for <i>my</i>
situation. Eventually, I realized it had been an
hour and my belly was still getting pretty tight and I was uncomfortable. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It felt like menstrual cramps but again I
often had Braxton hicks that felt this way. I was again in and out of the bathroom
checking to make sure I wasn’t bleeding more… I wasn’t. There was nothing. At
this point I was constantly needing to relieve my bowels. I knew this was a
sign of early labor. I came out and sat on the bed where Shane was sleeping. I
let him know how I was feeling, and asked what we should do. After some
chatting I let him know that I was mildly uncomfortable and that I REALLY felt we should go in. Ryan and Julie were still asleep and he didn’t know what to
do with Liam, who was currently sleep next to us. I said “wake them up!”.
Neither of us really knew what to think since these “symptoms” happened to me pretty
often. We didn't want to cause a big situation over nothing. About this time Liam woke up. I sat and cuddled him for a bit. That's how okay I felt.... good enough to just sit and hang out with my 2 year old. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Shane SLOWLY started to pack up our bag that
we had brought since it was sprawled out on the floor along with the toys from
the kids from the night before. I was getting annoyed a bit because I didn’t
know why he was cleaning, when I told him I needed to leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was again in about out of the
bathroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went back and sat on the
bed, and realized how much pressure I had with each contraction. Shane was up
stairs, I think getting Liam some breakfast. I went to the stairs, I could see
him in the kitchen from the basement. “Shane, we really need to go” I said this calmly but with a seriousness to my voice, trying to convey the seriousness to him. I went in
the bathroom again to check on things. Still no more blood. At this point, I
recall looking myself in the mirror and becoming really scared for a moment. I
thought I was in early labor, and I didn’t know if I could do this without an epidural. If this is what early labor felt like, what did late labor feel like? (I believe this was most likely transition). Ironically, I had this EXACT
thought with Liam after my water broke. I thought I was in early labor, and
then came to realize I was ready to push. It should have dawned on me…but it
didn’t. I took a deep breath & came out of the bathroom. I was rocking through a contraction as I
held my belly. Shane walked down the stairs to wrap up our belongings. I told him that we needed to leave and that we could not go
to our hospital in Murray. It was about an hour away and I wanted the hospital
to be able to stop what was going on. I didn’t think in an hour that would be
an option, I still believed I was in EARLY labor and things could hopefully
be stopped. It was at this point, when I told Shane we would need to go to the nearby
hospital, rather than our hospital that he realized this was different than the
times before. Ryan saw me and asked if I wanted a blessing before I went in. I
did, but I wanted to leave more. Instead I said “it’d be nice”. He disappeared
upstairs to look for some oil. I was thinking to myself that I didn’t know if I
had enough time for a blessing. It is probably a good thing that he offered,
and that I agreed. I’m almost certain we would have been in the car when I had
her if I hadn’t. I couldn’t wait for Ryan to come back. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went back to the bathroom AGAIN, where I had
another contraction. At this point I believe they were about two minutes apart, I had a ton of pressure would think hypnobirthing scripts to myself just long enough to get through them. I felt a “pop” and my water burst with my next
contraction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I put my head in my hands and
sat there for a few moments taking in the reality…or what I thought was reality. I
was incredibly upset because I "knew" that this meant another Liam
scenario. I’d be bunked up in the hospital for two weeks and then induced, not
able to see Liam because of current hospital regulations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought I was JUST
starting labor, not that I was ending it. I called Shane. Nothing, no answer. I felt alone. Water
flooded my eyes. I was so scared for this baby, and upset with myself. I
screamed as loud as I could muster through my tears <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>“SHANNEEE!” He came running.... he said he
knew, even though he barely heard me…He opened the door and through my sobs I
let him know my water broke. He told me it was okay and that everything would
be alright. That we would head to the hospital. Later he told me he felt so bad
for me, that when he saw my face, I looked as if I felt like I had done something
wrong. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t remember when I realized
or what happened but I said to Shane “She’s coming out” and then immediately
yelled “CALL 911!!” He poked his head out of the bathroom and yelled to call
911 again. Shane told me later how quick my demeanor changed in the moment.
From incredibly sad to "mommy mode". I knew I had to suck it up and do what I
needed to do for this baby. I was no longer sad, just worried and knew I had to
get her out. My most distinct memory of the entire birth is this memory right
here. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember seeing the top of her
head, and that’s when I yelled to call 911, then I placed my hand on her head
and protected it as it came out with the next contraction. I vividly remember how her tiny wrinkled head felt in my hand. It's odd the things your brain chooses to recall. Shane saw her head
and ripped my pants off to help make room for her to come out. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I even believe he might have said, “well these
are coming off, or get these out of the way”… or maybe he just told me he thought that
after<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I honestly can’t remember. Julie
came into the bathroom. I remember she apologized for coming in the bathroom
(we had many previous talks about delivering babies and she knew I never wanted
other people in the “delivery room”) I remember thinking it was so funny that
she thought I would care in that situation. I told her “it's fine” but I’m not
sure if she heard me or not, but it was incredibly kind of her to think of my
wishes in that moment. This next part is all kind of a blur and I’m sure there
a billion tiny details that I am leaving out. Julie told the dispatcher “the
head is out, the head is out” Next thing I knew she was out. Shane and I were
both holding her. The cord was wrapped two times around her neck. It was so
tight, she was limp and purple. I wasn’t scared in this moment, I just knew we
had to help her. From my angle I couldn’t tell which way to move the cord in
order to get it off and I felt like my hands were in the way so I handed her to
Shane. Shane unwrapped the cord and she immediately took a big cry and then she
fell silent. He handed her back to me because Julie let us know the dispatcher
said to leave the baby with the mom. Shane and I both started to rub her chest
in order to get her to cry more. Julie told we needed a towel & yelled up to
Ryan to get one. It seemed like it was taking forever to get a towel. Shane
impatiently started to grab one out of the hamper that was a foot away from us.
“Don’t use that! It’s dirty” Julie told us. Finally we got a towel and I
wrapped her in it. Julie told us the operator wanted us to tie off the cord. During
all of this my “birth wishes” were coming into my mind, but I wasn’t in a place
to disregard medical advice and was just following everything they told us in
order to keep her alive and safe & I was more than fine with that. Julie was looking for a shoe lace in the
bathroom drawer. Open, close,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Open Close.
I distinctly remember her yelling “ I need a Shoe lace”. I can still hear her yelling those words in my head. Shane took off his
shoe and took the shoe lace out. “here, I got one” He asked how tight and how
high to tie the string. Throughout all of this I continued to just watch her
and rub her. She looked gray. I remember saying, “They need to get here”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The entire 911 call was 5 minutes. It started
seconds after yelling to call 911. It took about 2 to 3 minutes from my water
breaking, to me holding her in my arms. And only 1.5 minutes into the call. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>At some point after she was born Liam poked
his little body into the bathroom. “Baby!” he said and pointed , and was soon
pulled away by my brother who was watching him for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I was so glad he at least got to see her. </span>When the paramedics arrived the house was immediately
filled with people and about 10 men came into the bathroom. A Paramedic knelt
next to me and started asking a zillion questions. He handed me an oxygen mask
and told me to hold it up to her face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While I did this he grabbed two clamps and put them on the cord. He
stared to cut it with a disposable scalpel. I remember thinking “wait, can’t
Shane cut the cord?!” I felt so bad because he didn’t get to cut Liam’s cord
and now he wasn’t getting to cut hers either. It didn’t dawn on me that, he
just delivered his child and that was way more than cutting a cord. There was one woman paramedic who had her head poked in the bathroom, but I don’t remember
what she was saying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The paramedics had
a large paper-cloth like envelope that they put Charlotte in , and then re-wrapped
the towel around her. They then took her. At some point, I guess when they took
her, Shane left the bathroom. I remember him poking his head back in telling me
he was going to go with her. “I’m going to go with her, okay?...” He was
talking to me like a child. Trying to make sure I was okay with it. I said okay
but again I don’t think he heard me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
my head I was saying “DUH, GO”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
paramedics struggled with all of this next part. I had torn. I was in more pain at this point than I had been
during the entire birth, and they were all men…and probably didn’t deal with
early home deliveries all too often. They finally got everything situated and
me into a chair to carry me out to the ambulance. The end of the cord hung
from the chair, and dripped watered-down blood on the white carpet as they
walked me out. “uhh, you’re dripping blood” I was so concerned about their
carpet haha. I was incredibly frustrated because I was in pain, they were
taking FOREVER, no one would take the placenta and half-filled sac of
water out from between my legs and the paramedic kept trying to crack jokes.
Why yes, I would love to shoot the breeze and laugh with you while I wonder if
my premature baby is still alive. I honestly think he was trying to get me to
talk more, because I’m sure it appeared that I was in shock. I very well might
have been, though in my head I was totally coherent, I was just keeping my
mouth shut so we could speed this process along. I even recall thinking to
myself “ I should probably talk more because they all must think I’m in shock”….
But I didn’t It was too much work and I was in pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the ambulance ride, I called Shane to
check on the baby. (I guess everyone thought that was funny that I would do that?) He said she was doing just fine and breathing on her own.
They were almost to the hospital. The paramedic offered me medication, which I
refused. Then he proceeded try to put it in my IV. I again told him I didn’t
want it, and he agreed. Julie was nice enough to come with me in the ambulance
so that I wasn’t alone. It was nice to have a familiar face while I waited for
Shane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The doctor came in and FINALLY
removed the placenta. AH! It was seriously like a miracle haha. All I wanted
the whole time was for someone to take it out. Thank heavens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shane came in and brought me a video of
Charlotte.. It was great to see her cry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
I think it was at this time that I finally found out, that was was born at 10:28 am, 16.5 inches long and 3lbs 14 oz. Later we found out that she was actually 3lbs 15 oz, after (for some reason) they re weighed her. </span>The doctor came in and checked me out. Offered to stitch me up… I said
no. I think she charged me 600 bucks to pull
the placenta out. Shane and I knew we had to tell our families. We knew they
would never believe us…. It was seriously like a movie…this doesn’t happen in
real life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to wait about an hour
before they let me see Charlotte. And I only got to visit for about 15 minutes.
I can’t recall why, I think because they needed to check me out again… But I
was able to go back down later. </div>
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Later Shane and I of course discussed the events of the day
and replayed it again and again in our conversations. Analyzing every sign and
everything that was said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt
incredibly guilty. I previously had the thought, that if I were to go to Ryan’s
house on NYE, that the baby would be born and stuck in MCkay dee.. I didn’t
feel like I shouldn’t go… I just thought it as a fact. I wish I would have
listened. I wish I would have listened when I had the thought to the hospital
that morning…but I didn’t. But things happen for a reason. Shane even thinks,
maybe being born saved her life. I’m not sure how it all works exactly, but the
cord was wrapped so tightly around her neck, that if that is how it was in the womb
she would not have made it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
comforting to think… maybe it did happen for a reason, rather than to just
think my body failed her.. </div>
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This has been such an interesting experience. I felt so
incredibly blessed and looked after, yet so bitter at the same time. It’s an
interesting combination to feel, but Shane says he felt that way too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were very very hard days. Some days I
would just repeat to myself over and over “ I am blessed, I am blessed, I am
blessed” I knew I was blessed. My baby girl was alive… what more could I ask
for. I was so terrified of God thinking I was ungrateful. I pleaded that he
would know the true feelings of my heart, and have patience and understanding with me as I was still upset and bitter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still suffer
with a TON of guilt. Because of the way my body is made, because maybe I didn’t
eat good enough with my gestational diabetes, because maybe I did too much on
bed rest, because I sometimes forgot to take my medication on time….It's hard to
not feel responsible. But, I just try my best to soak in every moment I have
with this precious tiny baby, and to be grateful that at least I have two babies….when
some can’t. At this point, Shane and I don’t know if we will have more
children. Which is incredibly hard to swallow. But in moments when I feel
slighted or alone, I just again think “ I am blessed, I am blessed, I am blessed”.
…Because I am. </div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Shane and I actually both really enjoyed the experience of having him deliver her. I feel that regarding the circumstances, we were both pretty dang calm and handled that situation with ease. If we were ever to have future children I would love to some how repeat this, in a PLANNED manner...though i'm not sure that will happen. The reason we WERE fearful in this instance, was because of her 32+5 week gestation. ( I actually thought I was 33 weeks the day I delivered her, but I guess my calculations were off) </span>On the 29th of January, at about 9 pm....After 4 weeks of two
hours of daily commuting, and endless hours sitting in the NICU we got to bring
Ms.Charlotte home. Liam is a fantastic older brother and loves her so much. She
was on oxygen for a few more weeks, but today we got to send the oxygen tanks
away.
It was a good day :) So many miracles have touched our lives over the past few
weeks. I am so indebted to the Lord and grateful that everything has worked out
as it has.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPyHeAttgqS30uA6ceTiEBgehh6s8_RRKWTM6sj6ChQ8bNj6QV3deuywE-UpC0ihRtZn0pmWNEzqowJ-7XT6rGS62o4H7DZWtyI_cN1JEc43-hK4KfqkvPtsWM1Ye2oJi9pZFk00TRzs/s1600/Charlotte1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPyHeAttgqS30uA6ceTiEBgehh6s8_RRKWTM6sj6ChQ8bNj6QV3deuywE-UpC0ihRtZn0pmWNEzqowJ-7XT6rGS62o4H7DZWtyI_cN1JEc43-hK4KfqkvPtsWM1Ye2oJi9pZFk00TRzs/s1600/Charlotte1.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Here is Charlotte just a few minutes after the paramedics arrived and before she left the house. You can see see the pale yellow "envelope" they put her in, and the blue towel we wrapped her in (which we saved) I'm so glad someone thought to take a picture. She was 3lbs.15oz here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TX8rnheB15yOzMxXOdyur_7SU7HzmkBhsYoonc9AmCp0-Mav-2laKsFYiKMNFhSU3wYXnr_9pBSbUwp1TjOpZDgsZ7jNIKdLB7BeprEF7yhQ6bkZiOuP69HGt5hfxXb-ZVq7u3EQdok/s1600/Charlotte+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TX8rnheB15yOzMxXOdyur_7SU7HzmkBhsYoonc9AmCp0-Mav-2laKsFYiKMNFhSU3wYXnr_9pBSbUwp1TjOpZDgsZ7jNIKdLB7BeprEF7yhQ6bkZiOuP69HGt5hfxXb-ZVq7u3EQdok/s1600/Charlotte+2.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
This is Charlotte just a few days after we brought her home from the Nicu at 1 month, heading to her first doctors appointment. She weighed 5 lbs 10 oz here.<br />
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And here is Charlotte on her due date, a week and a half ago when she weighed 6.11. 4 days ago she was 6 lbs 15 oz... so I'm sure she is about 7.1 or 7.2 by now! Crazy how she has grown! </div>
Whitney & Shane Countrymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16227033419055288108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469336190628555819.post-47402118231831194662013-06-16T17:07:00.001-06:002013-06-16T17:07:10.250-06:009 months big!Wow, I can't believe how time flies. Liam is 9 1/2 months old. I don't know what happened to my little boy - I feel like my baby is gone and has been replaced with a little man. He is SUCH a busy boy , just like his daddy! He has changed so much in the just the past few weeks. For about a month he has been army crawling. He started scooting around maybe two weeks before that but it took him a little while to get going a little faster. Now he crawls on his knees. He would always push up and rock on his knees but lay back down to get around, until one day about a week ago he just decided to use his knees! Ever since then he has been pulling up on anything he can get his hands on. most of the time he will just get to his knees but likes to get up on his feet and he tries to cruise along whatever he is standing on...which can be scary because he is still pretty wobbly. He isn't scared of a dang thing and will just reach and go for anything. Keeps me SO busy just making sure he isn't busting his head open! He loves anything that mommy and daddy use and as long as it isn't a toy or made for babies he WANTS IT!<br />
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Liam LOVES his daddy. Right now Shane has a pretty crazy school schedule. Wednesdays are the tougher days. Shane leaves for school around 9 and doesn't get back until 9 pm then he has to work the night shift at our job from 9:30 til 7:30 am... and then he sleeps for most of the day - So I don't typically see him for 36 hours straight. It's so interesting to see how Liam realizes when Shane isn't around. When Shane walks in the door after a being gone for so long Liam just grins from ear to ear and gets so excited. He flaps his arms and squeals in excitement. If he is down playing he will bolt off as fast as his little arms can move in Shane's direction! It is so fun to see how much he loves his daddy!<br />
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He loves to clap and if he wants to give you a special treat will give you a high five or wave but he most often claps especially when he is getting food! (we are confused if this is sometimes him signing "more" or just being excited to eat...)<br />
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We have taught Liam sign language for a while now, and other than what we think is "more" he isn't signing back to us yet but it is so awesome to see that he understands what we are saying to him. When ever it is time for him to eat, we will do the sign and he will grunt and smack his lips and get excited or upset until we give him food. Or, if I am going to feed him I will sign to him "milk" and he will do the same thing and get so excited! Anytime we do signs having to do with food, or he sees any kind of food, he will spit his paci right out getting ready. It is the cutest thing and so funny to watch. Sometimes when I'm about to feed him I will put his pacifier in just so I can see him spit it out... haha. Really though, it's that cute!<br />
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Speaking of food, still no teeth for little man. Which is such a bummer since he loves it so much and it really limits what he can eat...<br />
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He also loves bath time and slaps and slashes the water. If we are giving him a shower he will put his head completely in the stream. He hasn't been to keen on swimming. We have gone a few times now and he will do it but just doesn't seem to enjoy it as much as bath time.... We hope he will start to enjoy it more as he gets older!<br />
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I can't believe in less than 3 months it will have been a year since little man joined our family! Time just goes so quickly. Every stage is SO much fun and we love watching him change and grow...even though he keeps us...SO BUSY! <br />
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Even though he is so curious and loves to crawl around and play, he still loves to cuddle and be held which I LOVE!! He never goes too long without wanting some mamma time!<br />
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On Friday, Liam had his very first day at theme park. We went to Lagoon and had a family day. He watched his dad ride all the rollercoasters and waited with mom. But he did ride the carrousel and thought that was pretty exciting! <br />
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Last month we took our first trip to Yellowstone! Shane and I had never been before. It we was a quick two day trip but it was so fun! Liam was a great little traveler and slept almost the whole way to Jackson hole. We spent the night there in a hotel and ventured around the main street square! Such a cute little town. We really enjoyed all the shops and had a yummy dinner and a cute little restaurant called the.....something? I can't remember. haha. The next day we went through the grand Tetons and up to Yellowstone. We soon realized that Liam couldn't care less about any of it haha but he was still a trooper for all of the hustling and bustling. Shane and I were so excited to see Ole faithful! we timed our lunch just right so we could make it over, and we waited in anticipation for this "big explosion". Lucky us, we chose the exact seat where all the steam drift.. completely covering or view of the geyser. We had a good laugh about it at least. Liam really loved Shane carrying him around in a baby back pack that our co-worker let us barrow. He thought we was pretty cool sitting up there so high with his daddy! That night we decided to test our survival skills and camp out in Yellowstone park. We had fun making popcorn and baked potatoes and spam sandwiches on the fire. We were pretty proud of our selves . There were bear warning signs EVERYWHERE and we were so scared we would do something wrong and get eaten in our sleep... fortunately that didn't happen because unfortunately it was a little early for camping up here and was freakin' freezing...soooo we ended up sleeping in the car with our nice heated seats most of the night. haha. Some campers we are. On the way home we stopped at bear world.....kind of a waste of time. But Liam enjoyed driving in the front seat through the park.<br />
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Other than Liam, we are pretty lame haha! Shane stays busy with school and is loving going to the U. We hopefully only have one more year until graduation and then we can start looking for dental schools. We get so excited when we think of our future and how short a years time is...we realize that as we look back on this past one. We know it will just fly by! And I am just a mommy and stay busy taking care of my boys and working full time!<br />
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Hopefully... my next post wont be a year out haha!<br />
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Scoping out the ladies at a friends wedding</div>
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Growing some hair!</div>
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cousin Ryder and Liam and cousin Addysons baseball game!</div>
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I will add a few more pictures a little later todayd</div>
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Whitney & Shane Countrymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16227033419055288108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469336190628555819.post-50622675779584883972012-10-03T11:20:00.001-06:002012-10-05T00:11:59.447-06:00Liam Cayde<br />
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Oh my goodness...The past three and a half weeks have been some of the craziest and hardest days of my life. Little Liam got a little overzealous and tried to come visit us 7 weeks early. We have been so blessed and so lucky that he was able to stay in utero for as long as he did, and come to us so healthy. I've wanted to write down this story for quite some time, but I barely had a moment to breathe amongst all this - let alone write a blog post. But now that he is home and I can finally sit down I actually have a minute to write down my thoughts and Liam's little tale.. Its excessively long...it does span out over a whole week after all.<br />
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August 29th is pretty much one of the only time marks I can remember from all this. It was a typical Wednesday, nothing too special except for the fact that I had my 33 week doctors appointment for Liam. This time we were going to do a sonogram to make sure that little boy was head down and that we weren't needing to schedule a c-section. I was a little nervous because of this... I did NOT want a c-section. I was pretty sure his little bottom was what was sticking me in the ribs all the time, and that he was head down because I always felt his hiccups,the ones that he got daily, low in my pelvis...But you can never be too sure. It would be just my luck for him to have been head up. Long story short she did the sono and his head was nice and low in my pelvis... I was so relieved. Shane's mother, Denise, was in town and heading out that day - she was so happy she got to be here for the appointment. After, we had lunch and then I took her to the airport to head back to Texas. Then I headed home and started on a few little projects until Shane got home. It was 4pm and we were both pretty exhausted from the previous week and Shane just starting school, so we took a nap until it was time for work. 5pm rolls around- Shane headed up to get the girls, And I told him I would be up in a second.. Moments after he left I was a little shocked when I thought I peed my pants...Oh the woes of pregnancy.. But I KNEW I didn't pee..what the heck was this. I thought maybe it was just some crazy pregnancy thing that I would of course be googling later. But I was in a hurry, so ignored it for the moment, quickly changed and headed up to get the girls... <br />
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One of the girls asked to use the restroom, so I took her... while I was waiting by the door I realized I was getting soaked...At that moment I knew exactly what was going on, but still slightly in denial I ran into one of the stalls just to double check that I wasn't somehow spontaneous peeing my self with no control. Once I had somewhat taken in what was going on I went and poked my head through the door where Shane and all the girls were... "Shane!" I called his name..I was trying to stay calm and not alert all the girls. Of course he didn't hear me so I had to yell louder. Finally he looked over after some of the girls told him I was calling him from the door... I motioned him over. Apparently when he saw this, having no idea of anything that had transpired and completely joking, he said "it's go time!" ...well It really was go time.<br />
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I pulled him into one of the stalls and said "LOOK...This is not PEE!" Seriously this whole time I thought I was a little bit crazy. We came back to the house and Shane immediately jumped on google (haha...oh google) to see what Amniotic fluid was like and instructed me to walk around and see if it kept leaking.. (of course it was going to, but in moments like this you sometimes have false hope) So as I'm walking around with fluid dripping down my legs Shane is reading to me "it is clear and odorless ".. umm.. check and check. Of course I didn't have the doctor's number on hand, so I told him to call Kelly. Kelly is my cousin who lives near by and who referred me to the OBGYN I was using. So he calls Kelly as he tells me to lay down to keep the fluid from leaking out... (our logic in the moment was just ...a little lost.) Kelly answers, "hey" I can hear her on the other end... " Hey kelly..." Shane responds.. "uh oh, Whats wrong" She knew the second she heard Shane's voice and not mine that something wasn't right. He explained to her that we needed the doctors number and didn't answer her question "Shane, Whats wrong" Then he told her I was leaking fluid. "Go to the hospital, Her water broke... Don't call..just go" <br />
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We hung up and I just lost it. It finally hit me that My water did indeed break, and I was terrified for our son. Shane knelt down beside me and told me he was going to give me a blessing. I couldn't tell you one word that It said but afterwards I felt much more at peace and was finally able to think straight.<br />
<br />
Or maybe It went blessing and then calling kelly? because I remember after the blessing knowing that going to the hospital was the right decision and that I wasn't just crazy..this was actually my water. <br />
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So, Of course my hospital bag was only halfway packed... I didn't think I needed It for AT LEAST<br />
4 more weeks, and I had taken September 5th and 6th off of work to finalize all the things we needed to get done before the baby came. <br />
Shane was running around trying to finish packing, when I told him it didn't matter and that we needed to leave. I grabbed a towel for the ride, and we headed out the door. We called our parents on the way to the hospital to let them know...just incase we had a baby that night. Shane's mom was in Colorado, waiting for her next flight - She didn't believe Shane. She thought it was a joke. Finally she realized we were serious and started on booking a return flight to Utah.<br />
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So, of course the parking lot is packed - Shane dropped me off at the front door. Well labor and delivery is behind a locked door and you need the receptionist to open it for you...of course ...the one and single time I needed to speak to the receptionist there was a line, and she was on the phone.<br />
<br />
Shane came in before it was my turn to talk to her, and we both just had to laugh. I was <br />
standing in a line, waiting to tell the receptionist my water broke. the irony.<br />
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She let us in, where I went to the next reception area..."my water broke".<br />
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Totally taking their sweet time got the paperwork...we filled it out, no one was in hurry at all.<br />
They admitted me to triage and instructed me to put on a gown..then we waited... haha. the nurse came in and asked me a million unrelated questions for about 30 minutes. Finally the resident came in to check me... I was only 1 cm and not effaced at all. they had to run a test and make sure it was really amniotic fluid...reallyyyyy? They told me If the test came back positive that we would not be leaving the hospital and I would be admitted.<br />
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well. Minutes later, there I was in labor and delivery hooked up to belly monitors, being poked and prodded like crazy, I was given a catheter for a urine sample, an IV, and a shot for steroids for his lungs and a pill to stop uterine contractions all in about 10 minutes time all while being over loaded with information from a few different doctors... of course I wasn't listening...How could I?<br />
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I just needed a SECOND! we both did, it was very overwhelming.<br />
They told me that if he came they wouldn't do anything more to stop him, but if he didn't I would be there until at least 34 weeks - which luckily for me was only another week. I stayed in labor and delivery all night as they watched my "contractions" They didn't like the "irritability" that my uterus was showing on the monitor<br />
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I kept having mini contractions all night but nothing painful - I don't remember what time of day it was but the next day, Thursday, sometime they took me up to...oh I don't know what its called, where you go usually after you have your baby. I got a room... and to make a very long story short, there I sat..all week haha.<br />
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Being in the hospital for a week was probably one of the most frustrating things, simply because every time I talked to someone they told me something completely different. "We will take you on Sunday", "we will take you monday", "you can walk around", "no you cant walk around"..everything was jumbled. Well, It was labor day weekend and m doctor was of course on vacation. She told me we would shoot for Wednesday (when she got back - convenient)<br />
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I was permitted one wheelchair ride a day -the highlight of my day. So, Shane and I would drag them out as long as possible and venture off to parts of the hospital that for sure felt like we weren't supposed to be in. Most of the time when he could be there, he would just cuddle up in my hospital bed with me and we would just relax and talk or watch a little TV. We went through a lot that week, but I think our relationship about double in strength<br />
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Well, Tuesday night finally rolls around - The nurses informed me that between 8-10 pm they would take me down to labor and delivery and start cervadel to start opening my cervix.... 10 pm came and went, about 11 pm my new nurse came in and told me around midnight they would take me down - that labor and delivery was SWAMPED. Midnight came and went....nothing. 1, 2, 3...finally at exactly 3:50 am nurses came to my room and said "labor and delivery is ready for you"...oh cool thanks.<br />
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I was wheeled down and given a room, (labor and delivery was as quite and stagnant looking as could be though..but remember they were "swamped") they checked me - I was 4 cm dilated and 100% effaced and he was at negative 1 station. Because I was already dilating that meant I didn't need cervadil and that I was getting exactly what I didn't want- hooked up to pitocin right away . They started me off with pitocin at a level 4...nothing. about every 30 minutes the nurse came back in and upped the machine up another 4. 2 hours later my pitocin was up to 16 and I still wasn't contracting. About 6 am (or so... my times are all screwed up) the nurse brought the resident in to check me. She told me that there was possibly part of the bag in front of my baby's head. The resident checked me again and agreed with the nurse that there was water in front of his head and she wanted to break it. Literally, a minute later I was contracting. The contractions were soon only minutes apart and I was having to work through them - Thinking this was only the beginning of what labor felt like and knowing my doctor wanted me to get an epidural anyways I asked the nurse to send the anesthesiologist in.. thinking it would take him a while to arrive. Minutes later he was in the room - and it was a good thing too because my contractions were booming. I was really having to breath through it. <br />
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I told them I reallllllly need to use the bathroom before he gave me the epidural. They told me no, if i did that I would end up having a baby on the toilet...I told them. "you JUST checked me. I'm a 4, I really need to use the bathroom." They insisted that I couldn't use the restroom. So...the anesthesiologist instructed me to lay down on my side and curl up in a ball... through my contractions...haha. Shane came to my side and held my hand, and I just remember breathing through the pain and squeezing his hands with my eyes closed tight. After the doctor left the nurse check me again.. I was a 9 and ready to push any minute...okay so they were right, I didn't need to use the bathroom. I waited there about 20 minutes for the epidural to take effect- and then we just hung out for a bit because my doctor wasn't in yet..<br />
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Because Liam was coming so early they wanted him to go straight to NICU - This meant I would deliver in the Operating Room because it had a pass through window to the NICU. This way he would be assessed immediately. Finally they wheeled me down the hall and into this cluttered stark white room.. Then I waited some more because my doctor <em>still </em>was not in yet. About 20 minutes later my doctor walks in. She had tons of tools ready because of my uterine didelphys - she actually had to do a lot of snipping and sewing before I even began to push. Finally she looked at me and they instructed me on what to do, they told Shane every time I had a contraction to hold my leg for me. Well, 3 pushes later at 8:21 am out came a tiny gorgeous baby boy. - which now that I think about it I didn't even double check that he was a boy. The image is frozen in my mind- his arms flailing in the air, pink as could be and crying at the top of this lungs. I reached out and touched his little head with the tip of my fingers before they whisked him away through the window - he was gone and the room was quite again. It was the best and worst moment of my life all at the same time. <br />
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My doctor finished stitching me up and they wheeled me back into the labor and delivery room. "Do you need anything?" they asked me... "just to see my baby" I told them.<br />
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Nurses came in and out and it was in the few minutes we were alone that Shane and I decided his name would be Liam Cayde Countryman<br />
<br />
Shane went to see Liam, and brought me back pictures to see.<br />
I'm not sure what time it was but they finally told me I could go see him- They wheeled me down and from across the room I could see this tiny little baby, under heat lamps and hooked up to monitors and wires. I couldn't get closer than probably a foot or two because of the bed I was in. I just touched his little toes and took pictures. They only let me stay about 10 minutes until I was taken back to my original room up stairs. I had to wait for my legs to come back before they would let me down to see him again. - which took forever. <br />
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The next day they finally let me hold him. He felt so little- but he was perfect. We were so blessed because he was breathing on his own.<br />
<br />
People have told me over and over again how lucky I am and was to have such a short labor, that I had it "easy".. I sat in the hospital for a week, felt labor up to a 9, and had my baby whisked away from me before I even met him. I missed out on so much time with him in his first 10 days, and no one can tell you what it feels like to leave the hospital without your child. Yes, we were so very blessed that I was able to keep him in for the extra week that I did, That I was able to take in two doses of the steroid for his lungs, and that he was as healthy as he was..And I was blessed to have quick labor and to be able to deliver vaginally... I've counted my blessing and still continue to count them daily and I know that they are plentiful. But let me tell you and I think all of the moms out there understand when I say that I would have gone through a 12 hr.. 24, 48 hour labor if needed in turn for him not being taken away and poked and prodded with needles and IVs just moments after birth, and to have been able to hold my baby and have that moment of your child being handed to you for the first time as hes crying for the first time... literally I do would anything.<br />
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My labor definitely wasn't what I had planned at all. I wanted to walk, and use the tub and a birthing balls. But I still had a really great experience in the end. I wouldn't change it because it got me a healthy little boy.<br />
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Liam was in the NICU for 10 days, He came home weighing 4 pounds 13 oz...and now weighs an incredible 6 pounds. He is growing like a weed right before our eyes and becomes chunkier and chunkier every single day...He is such a good boy and already has so many quirks about him. he is 4 weeks today...and will be a month in just two days...where has the time gone?<br />
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What I did to keep my self occupied- Ate, and painted my nails</div>
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one of our walks</div>
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Dinner!</div>
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Waiting for the doctors to come get me</div>
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Heart rate</div>
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Just told her I was ready to push</div>
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Ready to go...<br />
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Liam Cayde - About an hr or so after birth<br />
4 lbs 10 oz, 18 inches<br />
born at 8:21 am</div>
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will post more photos later... </div>
Whitney & Shane Countrymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16227033419055288108noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469336190628555819.post-70835565896961094112012-05-20T19:47:00.000-06:002012-05-20T21:57:14.436-06:00Doctor News!May has been such an exciting month! We have learned so much about myself and our baby!<br />
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This last month has been filled with doctors appointments. May 2nd was the first of them. Just a week before that I had gone and had my MRI done -I was at my OBGYNS office to find out the results and just for a normal monthly appointment. We were so excited because I was 16 weeks, and though this was still early, we were hoping our doctor would want to take a look at my crazy wacked out body so that we would "just so happen" to find out the babies gender. Well, we left disappointed. My doctor did nothing but read me my MRI results and give me a good feelskie. - <em>super</em><br />
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But we were able to find out good news. They were able to get a good look at my uterus during the MRI and determined that I have uterus didelphys. Just a bunch of mumbo jumbo to most of you I'm sure. So, pretty much this means that when I was growing as a fetus my uterus did not fuse completely together (it starts as two separate sides) and because of that my uterus is completely separted by a septum which gives me "two" uteri. It's like two half uteri pretty much side by side. This septum that divides my uterus also divides my cervix - giving me two of those as well. Crazy sounding I know. What this means is pretty much the same as if I had a bicornuate uterus. Women who have either typically have fertility problems, and are higher risk for miscarrages in the second trimester, Preterm labor, uterian rupture, and have more pain associated with pregnancy and delivery due to more stretching during growth and dilation... sounds fun doesn't it? But we have been so blessed and just plain lucky - other than getting pains quite often I have been relatively symptom free and the baby is growing healthy and strong. On another high note, the MRI revealed that I have two healthy working kidneys that are totally normal and in the correct location - so definitely another blessing!<br />
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Well, like I said we left that doctors appointment bummed out but I knew that next week I had an ultrasound scheduled with the specialists. So I figured I could be patient and wait a few more days! May 7th finally rolled around and Shane and I were just so ecstatic. We arrived for our appointment anxious. I was scheduled for my fetal well-being appointment at 17 weeks - as requested by my obgyn. So were waiting, and waiting... I'm sure it was only 10 minutes but I was being super impatient. I wasn't even sure if they would tell us ( I know some doctors are stingy about not telling before 18-20 weeks) So finally "Whitney!" They called my name and our ultasound tech showed us our room. Our energy was running so high with excitement in the hopes that they would be willing and able to tell us the gender.<br />
"So, what is your appointment for today" <br />
"fetal well being"<br />
"nu uh, NOPE, I'm not doing that.. NOT at 17 weeks"<br />
"....." - I'm sure my mouth hit the floor. I couldn't believe the audacity of this woman. " Well, that's what my doctor had me schedule this appointment for- They wanted to get get me in because of my uterus"<br />
"Nope, 17 weeks is just too early. That's ridiculous, I'll do some but not all"<br />
Our excitement plumetted and hit the floor.... Honestly, who says that? Aren't you a tech... I didn't order this just because I felt like it, a doctor did. <br />
Anyways, to say the least the whole first half of the appointment I was pretty bitter and couldn't even enjoy seeing our baby up on the screen.<br />
She rushed around taking measurements, barely mentioning or taking time to tell us what we were looking at.<br />
But then she said "so, do you know the sex?"<br />
"NO!!"<br />
"Would you like to find out"<br />
"YES!!"<br />
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Our excitement was back! Shane came over to my side as she rolled the probe around on my belly. I swear I had already seen a little boy part when she showed us the leg, but I didn't dare say that to this tech.... <em>waiting.. waiting.. waiting</em>, She jostled around a lot and finally steadied our view. On the screen she typed out... leg, leg, bottom.... labeling all the body parts.. .and then came I'M A BOY!! <br />
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Even with her hostility and the bitterness at the beginning of the appointment, It was still such a fun moment to share with Shane. We finally could stop calling this baby "it" ( I felt so guilty calling him "it") and say HE! We were so excited! Just after, she stepped out and we got to share a few happy moments together talking about our SON!<br />
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We were soo excited to tell our families, but we wanted to tell them all together and in a special way. If we lived closer I would have done a fun party or something, but with the distance this is obviously impossible... soooo we came up with a little video. We sent cards out inviting them to join us online at a specific time and date. Then we posted this...<br />
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I'm sure no one thought it was half as funny as Shane and I did. But we had so much fun making it - so that's all that matters.<br />
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We have done so much in the past two weeks since we found out we were having a little boy! We almost have his nursery complete. Minus a crib and rocker.. Pictures just need to be hung and a little organization. I even have fabric on its way to make his bedding! YAY! <br />
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I had been searching for a while and came across this cute website. I started searching for fabric knowing that the bedding was just too expensive for us to buy and found the exact fabric of the bedding I was trying to replicate. I am stoked! By making it I will save us about $200. Score!!<br />
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This is what my end product will HOPEFULLY look simular to!</div>
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Shane and I finally planted our little garden yesterday! We had been growing sprouts indoors for the past 4 or 5 weeks. We have peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, green beans, watermelons, cantelope, strawberries.. and a few more that I can't remember off the top of my head. We spents hours yesterday sifting the soil, adding fertilizer and planting... it took a long time but it was a lot of fun. Planting with the hubby... we are so lame! - IF and when these babies start to grow...I will have to post a picture. Cross your fingers the bugs and field mice don't eat them all up.<br />
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Speaking of which... oh...my...goodness. Today was the SECOND time a little field mouse has run STRAIGHT into the home (while we were working). We like to leave the door open with the beautiful weather and last week a little mouse ran right in through the front door. Man, the girls went crazy. Shane was a champ though. He faced his phobia and caught the dang thing... (he even admitted it was a little cute)but goodness... we thought SURELY...there is NO WAY that a mouse would run in <em>again</em>. Low and behold, this Sunday as we were enjoying the day with the girls...in runs a tiny little field mouse. Seriously, our luck. <em>Never in Texas would this happen</em>... TWICE<br />
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Our boy is definitely a product of his father and moving constantly. Shane has even been able to feel a few good kicks in the last few weeks! Every time he feels him he gasps "oh my gosh, I felt him!" It is so cute and just so awesome to feel him moving around in there!Whitney & Shane Countrymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16227033419055288108noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469336190628555819.post-69330739226332226492012-05-01T13:04:00.000-06:002012-05-01T13:15:33.884-06:00Excited!Well, let me tell you - I am just so excited! It seems like so much has gone on in our little world in just the past few days! Now, If only my poor pregnant brain can remember all of it! <br />
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Shane and I had discussed a while ago about getting a fetal doppler - For those of you that might not be aware, this is the device that the doctors use to listen to the heart beat. You can rent the better hospital grade ones from lots of places online, or you can also buy ones (that of course aren't as "good") for about the same price as renting one! So, Being the crazy lady that I am... we got one :) We ordered it late Friday night and got it mid day Monday!! We were so excited to receive it so quickly and right away I went to town listening to our baby's little heart. It is so fun - haha who would guess listening to a "thumpthump thumpthump thumpthump" could be so entertaining. <br />
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The girls we are "home parents" to are just so curious and interested in the baby - "What's going on with the baby today?". They ask hourly. Every Monday night we have "spiritual night" or better known as FHE. We have a time we call family business where anyone can share exciting news for the week or just tell what is going on with them. So, I asked them if they would all like to hear the babies heartbeat and they all went crazy! You would have thought I told them I was in labor they were so excited! Most of them have never had the opportunity to hear that before - so they were just in awe! Heck, I've heard it a million times by now and I am still in awe!<br />
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We are so happy we got our little doppler - now we can have it for all our babies to come. Talk about bang for your buck!<br />
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Yep, That's our babies heartbeat...insanity!</div>
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Alsoooo, We got a stroller this week! I know, I know - What "mom-like" news! Isn't it hilarious that these are the kind of things that make me excited - kitchen items and baby items....one happy lady!<br />
Shane and I have been looking for some time at strollers - browsing everywhere we go pretty much. We have looked so many places and I was getting pretty bummed out because for a basic, heavy, ugly stroller it's always in the $300 range. I was bummed we would have to spend so much for something we didn't really even care for. So we were at BuyBuy Baby on Saturday night (this is what we do with our Saturday nights....haha) looking at the usual - cribs and strollers. There were very few options that came with a car seat or even looked compatible with an infant. So we looked at what we <em>thought</em> were our options and found a Gracco one that we like "best". It was ugly- but not the ugliest, and weighted around 25 lbs rather than the standard 30-40 lbs. Out of all the places we looked, this was our best bet yet. I was pretty excited that we had even found one that was halfway decent. We had a man who was working that was so helpful and oddly excited about showing us strollers, who started boggling our minds with all the options we never knew we had. He showed us that these strollers, that we thought wouldn't work for a newborn, actual <strong>could</strong> work for us. I was half way listening to him, because of course this meant the price was sky rocketing by the second to a number we could never reach...We of course liked these strollers way more. We were crunching numbers, thinking of coupons we had- What could we do to get this ever so awesome stroller and car seat?? <br />
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Well, Sunday night Shane was looking online at reviews, and top baby strollers online - <strong>and the one we were in love with, was on there</strong>. So, after reading reviews and watching videos- I was convinced...this man wasn't just oddly excited about strollers - It was actually a really great stroller and a lot of other people were crazy about it too. To our great pleasure...we found this stroller and car seat as a travel system package on amazon for $150 less than it was in the store (not to mention no tax and free shipping) - this put it right back in the range of all the other strollers we were looking at. ...SO..... I BOUGHT ITTTTTTTT! This stroller is seriously amazing - So compact. Only FIFTEEN POUNDS, you can fold it up and carry it with literally one hand and it has super good safety ratings. I am STOKED. It is on its way to us, and hopefully will get here sometime next week - then I can drive it around my house and test it out haha! Luckily, It's just all black and not some hideous pattern like all the others. Yes, of course there are better strollers out there - but for us this was untouchable and like the holy grail of strollers<br />
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Here it is, in all its glory!!!</div>
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Still no crib or glider - but we are working on them. Glider will come next, and crib last. We figure we won't use it until the baby is a few months old anyways which just gives us more time to save up.<br />
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And probably the most exciting news of all... I am starting to feel the baby MOVE! Let me tell you, it is so amazing and fascinating. Last week, I would feel little flutters and I was super confused. I <em>thought</em> It was the baby. I knew it wasn't my body and I had never felt this before, so what else could it be? Well, I still wasn't convinced. But this week, probably just with in the last 2 days or so, the movements have become much more noticeable and much stronger. They are still not huge kicks, of course, but definitely undeniably the baby. It is just <em>crazy</em>. I can put my hand on my belly and literally my hand will feel the movement as well as my stomach. I have even had a few "bulges". My stomach will get really hard - and literally a little spot will poke out for just a few seconds and then slowly sink back in.<br />
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Tomorrow we head to the doctor - This is the first time I will actually be meeting <em>my </em>doctor. She has been on maternity leave so I haven't been able to see her yet, but finally she is back and we are crossing our fingers that she will do an ultrasound and we will get to see if we are having a boy or girl! I have another appointment with ultrasound specialists on the 7th for other reasons, but hopefully if I can't convince my doctor to do an ultrasound and tell us we will be able to find out on Monday! Cross your fingers the doctors aren't stingy and will look for us!!!!<br />
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Our family just recently discovered Cherie and Cory(my brother and sister-in-law) will be adding another girl to the mix! YAYY! So it will be fun to know what little baby we will be adding next!<br />
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Shannon, Shane's sister will be coming up at the end of the month - I am definitely looking forward to having a sister here to do fun baby things with!<br />
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This is a picture of me from last week - For those in Texas who are curious. I'm just barley starting to show. I mostly just look like I had a huge lunch :/<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cD6ASVDqerQ9dqjQh7oJeNOLVmEneNkePd39TAe8ERdSb1lAbj9h3zyMl3WZymFQSVzeA2oNtHLMsalSsCPW2E6UjlAX3Ytie0_t4efwVA1Hcyf1IKgj8TmHP65BqMSgXPbgb9vHi3Y/s1600/IMAG0445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_cD6ASVDqerQ9dqjQh7oJeNOLVmEneNkePd39TAe8ERdSb1lAbj9h3zyMl3WZymFQSVzeA2oNtHLMsalSsCPW2E6UjlAX3Ytie0_t4efwVA1Hcyf1IKgj8TmHP65BqMSgXPbgb9vHi3Y/s320/IMAG0445.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>texasjchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430152623640079296noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469336190628555819.post-67489482741559279242012-04-24T11:15:00.001-06:002012-04-27T12:55:12.983-06:00one year later....Oh my, it has literally been almost a year since I last posted. Every time I wanted to blog I just felt so behind that there was no possible way to recap all of it - and there is not. So we will just talk about the very most important parts! <br />
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I'm sure all of you know by now that Shane and I moved to Utah! We moved in July of last year and we absolutely love it. It is so beautiful here and the opportunities for fun are endless. The weather is beautiful and you can actually be outside for more than 30 seconds without breaking out into a full sweat. We live in West Jordan and work at West Ridge Academy. It's a residential treatment center for youth. We are "mother" and "father" to a range of girls. They are punks, but we love them. We do miss Texas though, and we miss our families - But Utah is a great place to be missing them from.<br />
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Our ONE YEAR has come and gone - haha I think the last entry I posted it wasn't even our 3 month mark yet. So, needless to say, a lot has gone on as well as gone un-mentioned - sadly. We have had a blast though. Our first year was a breeze and we loved every minute of it together. We're out here, and all we really have is each other. My brother lives an hour away and our schedules don't coincide to often, so we don't see them much. Our cousin lives about 40 minutes away and their schedules don't really work with ours too often either. We go to church where we work - so there are no adults other than us and the other staff that work here... so really... all we have had for the past 9 months- is each other. And it has just been the best thing. We can make fun out of any situation we are in, as long as we have the other by our side. We have learned so much and grown so strong - It has really just been such a blessing. We wake up every day knowing we chose the right person to spend eternity with. <br />
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On our anniversary we didn't do much unfortunately. Money isn't necessarily growing on trees around here, but we still had a great time. We spent the night in a hotel in Salt lake city and just ordered a pizza to our hotel room haha. The next day we drove out to park city and just kind of drove around. We looked at all the homes out there and drove around main street - which is so interesting by the way. Just esthetically it is rather absurd, which makes it neat. We found and little burger place out there and had lunch- which was SOOO yummy by the way - wish I could remember the dang name of it. After that we just headed home, when we got here Shane surprised me with the awesome cake ball maker I had my eye on. He is so thoughtful. But all in all we just enjoyed spending the day together. <br />
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So the most exciting news as of late... drum roll pleaseeeeeee.... This eggo is preggo. Yep, were pregnant and we are super excited! I told Shane just a few days before our Anniversary. I wanted to wait until that day but, I just couldn't wait any longer - I had already known and kept quite for too long. When we were first married, we originally wanted to wait a few years, until he was at least into dental school and we got things a little more settled, but sometimes life doesn't always go how you think, but it goes even better. We were getting more and more baby hungry every month that passed by and I kept telling my self we need to wait, we don't have enough money, Shane's still in school, we haven't been married long enough... we had a million reasons to wait. Shane was on board and so ready to be a dad, I was the one that needed convincing. We started to pray about it, and after a few months we just knew. And a few months later, I had the best news to share. We had been trying so I was testing everyday that week (with little cheapie strips I had bought off line) and then one day, as I was about to throw yet another negative strip out...I glanced at it again and saw the faintest line. I seriously thought I was making it up. I was in shock and so happy. I had seen only one line on these things for so long, I was amazed that they DID actually have two lines that could appear. haha. It was very surreal. But I bit my tongue and kept my mouth shut. I didn't want to just hand Shane the test - I wanted to tell him in a special way and it was so faint at this point I didn't even know if he would believe it. So I waited and waited, thought and thought. The idea finally came to me. One day when he was at school I went out to complete the task. I found a stretch of road that had 4 relatively close walk way bridges over Bangeter highway - you know where people always write in cups? Welcome back elder, or will you marry me - cleaver fun things like that? Well. I picked him up from school and told him we were going somewhere special. We drove down Bangeter - "Whats that?" We were at a stop light and I pointed to the big writing on the bridge. It read in big red cup letters "SHANE...." "HEY, it says my name?" I told him that was weird and that someone must have the same name as him. He knew I was lying. We continued to drive and we came to the next bridge "Happy 1 year". He read it aloud and said thank you- He thought that was the end and I was just celebrating our first anniversary. Again, We continued our drive. The next sign said "Guess what..." He continued to repeat the phrases trying to figure out what it could be.. Shane, happy one year... guess what?... over and over. Finally we reached our last bridge, we were turning on this next road to reach our final ending place. He squinted his eyes to try to read what the next sign said so far ahead "I'm pregnant"? He read it questionably."Whatt? no youre not..." He looked at me. "Yes, I am." He immediately lost it. He was so happy and over joyed. We had to pull over so we didn't wreck. It was seriously the best reaction I could have ever hoped for. This was the happiest I had ever seen him. I caught it all on my camera phone, but cut off on accident right after I told him...dang it. I would post it - But I don't think he would be too happy with me.. So I won't.:) After that we drove to babies R us just down the road and picked out a few little things to celebrate. When we got home, I showed him my stash of tests I had been taking to convince my self... he just laughed. He couldn't believe how many there were... I will be honest... I was a little excessive... But I really didn't believe it!<br />
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Since then we have had a few doctors appointments. They had to get me in early, and send me to a specialist because I was having pains. They were worried the baby was ectopic. We were so blessed to find out that our baby was in the right place and growing. What had been causing my pains was my uterus. I have kind of a weird situation. They aren't sure exactly which I have but I either have a Bicornuate uterus or Uterus Didielphys. These are both splits in the uterus the difference is, just how far does the split go. It is very rare - so not a lot of doctors have dealt with it. It is just something I was born with, and how my uterus formed when I was a fetus. But anyways, this does pose some risks toward being pregnant and toward the baby. Mostly I am considered high risk. I have an MRI scheduled for Thursday of this week so that they will know more about my uterus and know if I have one or two kidneys in case I need to have a c-section to deliver. ( most of the time the babies are breech because there isn't enough room for them to turn as they naturally would - It's like growing a baby in half a uterus) This "condition" or whatever you might call it is usually related to having only one kidney - so that is also a reason for the MRI. But so far, we have been SO blessed. Every time we have gone to the doctor the baby has been healthy and moving around- and so far the baby is staying head down (cross your fingers for me....) I am so grateful to our Heavenly Father for even allowing us the ability to even get pregnant, I pray that everything continues to go well!! <br />
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But for the fun parts I am 15 weeks and in my second trimester! Yay! We have appointments during the beginning of May so I HOPE they will be able to tell us what we are having!! My guess is a boy! but that's just a guess - so don't hold me to it if I'm wrong!<br />
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This is What I showed Shane when we got home after I told him the news! haha <br />
(this wasn't all of them either....)</div>
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This is what we sent our families to tell the them news!</div>
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One of the better pictures we got at our last ultrasound! Baby is GROWING!</div>
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This is the little blanket and lamb we bought at Babies "R" Us on the day I told Shane</div>
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We went to the Red and White Utah game this last weekend! This is us on our way to the game in our Utah gear</div>Whitney & Shane Countrymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16227033419055288108noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469336190628555819.post-7245213054249284172011-05-07T22:58:00.000-06:002011-05-07T22:58:06.814-06:00SlackerYes, You are correct, it has indeed been over a month since my last blog post... almost two actually... Fail. Epic Fail. Unfortunately for us, nothing too exciting has made it's way into our little lives and fortunately for you, I did not decide to blog about this nothingness and make it sound exciting. so, really it was out of the kindness of my heart. It's a win win!<br />
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</div><div>We are red as lobsters at the moment. Our white little bodies had no chance against today's smoldering hot Texas sun. Butttt, the blue angles sure did. That's right boys and girls, we just got back from the Air show and it was quite the show. Going into this, I will be honest, I was pretty doubt full, I didn't know what planes could do for nearly FIVE whole hours to keep you entertained. Shane had been telling me about this for a month now, him and his plane fetish would not have missed it for the world. not for the world, but for work. Sadly he was let down when he found out on Thursday that he would have to work today... So we devised a plan. this morning I got his clothes ready and met him at great wolf lodge just before twelve. Matt Jones, his best friend, co worker, and friend whom also has a plane fetish, tagged along with us. and we made it just in time.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Seriously though, It was greatness. The things these pilots can do is ridiculous. And being the wanna-be "photographer" that I am is was an amazing rush trying to capture the intensity, and the beauty they brought through there flying. I felt like legit paparazzi out there. " Click clickclickclick" haha. </div><div><br />
</div><div>I think everyone who left that show now dreams of being as cool as those pilots haha. I know Shane will be for weeks!</div><div><br />
</div><div>We had quite the easter. We decided to make eachother baskets one night for Family home evening! They turned out so great! I was soo excited to give Shane his basket I woke up at 6 am like a litle kid on christmas. I woke up and snuck out of bed and cleaned up the living room a bit to pass the time and let him sleep. Then I hid his 12 special eggs in the back yard. Each egg had yummy candy inside and a letter on each. When he finally found them all he had to figure out what they spelled. "flight lesson" was his big easter gift! <br />
Shane also had special plans for me and got me a gorgeous locket from zales :) he knows me so well. sweet boy.<br />
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Now we are working on our latest project and redoing My mother in laws bath room! It is quite the project but turning out really well and i cant wait to see the finished project! Its been really fun working and painting together! <br />
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Our three months is just around the corner! I can't believe time has passed so quickly! But every moment of it has been a blast! </div>Whitney & Shane Countrymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16227033419055288108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469336190628555819.post-79391313407534425672011-03-12T12:19:00.000-07:002011-03-12T12:37:44.091-07:00Happy one month, and a day to us!So right by where Shane & I live is the corner of Northgate and MacArther. Now at this corner is a quite handy Tom thumb. We go there pretty often on the account that we haven't really established a stocked pantry. Anyways, on one of these fine evenings we were there making a quick run and, for those of you who don't know- tom thumb actually has some really pretty flowers so I always look and wish because they are actually relatively expensive and lets faces it we're newlyweds. weekly fresh flowers isn't really in the cards.. so anyways, like I was saying we were making our quick run through and I happened to see a vase of red roses and as we passed them I commented on how pretty they were. This is not a rare occurrence, Shane is a very lucky man because legit... every where we go I probably comment on about 2 or 3 things that are cute, or pretty, or that I want/"need" etc. you get the idea. So shane pretty much hit the gold mind because he should never be one of those men on christmas eve searching through the mall aimlessly for something to buy for his wife- because I so graciously provide him with many ideas daily! :). Anyways, back to tom thumb... So any time now that we make our little runs, when they circulate the flowers back around and this particular vase with red roses in it is there he mentions "Hey, there's your flowers".<br />
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So, Yesterday was our very first married "versary" of any kind and being the sweet husband he is, he surprised me.<br />
As I'm sitting there on the computer looking in google for " what to do for your first month wedding anniversary" at about 5 30 on, yes, the day of this "monumental" day because I'm a horrible wife and procrastinated, Shane comes in and kisses me on the head, with freshly brushed teeth and a sprits of delicious cologne, and says<br />
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"k, I'll see you later... be expecting a phone call!"<br />
"Not again?!" - this is what he did to me on our engagement night, I was worried haha.<br />
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The phone call came and he directed me to Victoria park, one of our first dating memories, into what looked like a ditch. (just fyi, platform heals and walking downward on very large hills does not mix) but really it was this amazing candle lit picnic with our favorite asian take out, pillows from our couch to sit on (how did I not notice one of our couch cushions was missing is beyond me) and yes....my tom thumb roses..:). and the night wasn't complete with out slow dancing to our favorite giffin house song spontaneously coming on pandora from my phone. I'd say it was a pretty successful 1st month celebration. I could handle this on a monthly basis :)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thank you Shane for a beautiful first month. I have enjoyed learning with you about what we want to, and what we can become together. I enjoy our talks, our cozy nights, and our nights that we fill with laughter! You are my everything. I love you! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The official Mr & Mrs. Countryman of one month</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And now I'm going to have asian left overs. I. AM. STOKED!</div>Whitney & Shane Countrymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16227033419055288108noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469336190628555819.post-56557964216185531672011-02-23T12:03:00.000-07:002011-02-23T12:03:22.800-07:00So my (our) fairy tale has finally begun, after what seems like a lifetime of waiting we are finally married! And let me tell you it is exactly that, a fairy tale. The wedding, for us anyways, was a complete blast- but a wirl wind. I honestly don't remember much, just the really important parts that stand out here and there in my mind! It feels GREAT not to have to come home and plan or make something for the wedding. All I have left is to write my much needed thank you notes to all those who came and helped us get our house looking like a home,and then the wedding will just be a perfect memory.<br />
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So, I'm sure everyone remembers their first time going to the temple... you remember the fact that you don't really remember anything at all except that you were just trying to keep up with everything that was going on- if this is not how you feel... then you my friend are just a complete genius with a ridiculously good memory.... but for all the rest of us that's all we remember. So unfortunately for me, the sealing was just the same. Being that it was my second time in the temple, and a completely different ordinance... i remember pretty much nothing- except again, trying to keep up. I remember walking in with Shane and seeing everyones faces.... and sitting down. Now I know the sealer talked to us and told us lots of things... but i remember nothing that he said... haha... It's sad cause it was my wedding but I just have to laugh, because all I remember is sitting across from Shane, looking at him (thinking how sweet it was that he was tearing up) completely not able to listen to what was going on because, I too was tearing up and for some reason that day my nose was like WATER. So again, I'm sitting there, across from shane, holding his hand trying my best to remember this moment.....and remember not to let go of this hand cause while trying to keep my nose from literally dripping all over my face, and then my SLEEVE starts falling off. So one handed I'm pulling up my sleeve... repeatedly while repeatedly wiping my nose... sleeve, nose, sleeve, nose, sleeve, nose... and then we kissed...and yes... i got snot all over his face. hot huh... perfect first kiss.... and thats all i remember... haha... but even with that.... it was still perfect and Shane didn't even mind. :) Shane, fortunately, remembers more... so I say to him "Shane, tell me about our wedding"... and he does haha!<br />
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The reception I remember much better. and It was great. We enjoyed it at least...but of course, people didn't dance. lame. It was perfect though, I wish I could re live that day over and over...Months of planning, and the days gone in a split second!<br />
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Now, the honeymoon was a different story! haha we had a wonderful time, but... I have horrible luck, so now that we are married, the luck i am so blessed with, is now a blessing to shane ...He's so happy about it too.<br />
So besides the fact that we got stranded in the ocean because of fog, and the fact that we missed a wedding and our couch people coming because of this... and besides the fact that Shane backed into a HUGE ACE CEMENT pole and made cute additions to the visual aesthetics of our car... He got a HORRIBLE rash all over his stomach and arms from something he touched in Mexico...on our HONEYMOON!!!... so from wednesday night until saturday when we got off the boat we spent a lot of time sleeping to help him feel better.... haha. Sounds like my luck huh? But finally after we got off the boat we went to a doctor and he got a shot and WOW what a difference, in two days it's almost gone and he is back to being his HOT self ;)<br />
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We haven't uploaded pictures yet, or got the wedding day photos back from our photographer but when we will add on and post a few... more updates to come soon!Whitney & Shane Countrymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16227033419055288108noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469336190628555819.post-3927552541947050212010-12-27T11:58:00.000-07:002010-12-27T11:58:54.613-07:00Countryman ChristmasSo, I would say this was a pretty fantastic Christmas. Mainly because it was the FIRST Christmas Shane & I got to spend together as well as with family, but also because... I pretty much scored big time in the gifts department! Shane is amazing, and literally, every holiday or birthday or anything...he spoils me! One of the many reasons I love him! ;) My three favorite gifts he got me are my HOT Badgley Mischka shoes, I adore them. A beautiful rosegold Michael Kors watch, My first big girl watch! And a Photoshop program! I loved everything he got me, but these indeed were my top three. see, I told you he spoils me. I kind of dropped the ball, though he wont admit it, and only got him three to my eight presents... oops! I got him this Decocandle he's been RAVING about for literally the past three months, a green rubber player Nixon, and I made him a Utes blanket that I don't think has left his side since I gave it to him. We also got lots for married life for family and best of all, a WII! His parents bought one for both of the new couples this Chirstmas, we were pretty stoked!Whitney & Shane Countrymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16227033419055288108noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469336190628555819.post-43305749616031963032010-12-15T10:55:00.000-07:002010-12-15T11:10:54.807-07:00Our First Time!When a couple experiences their first time together, it is a moment that will never be forgotten! I was much more terrifying than I thought it would be! It made my heart pound and my palms sweat! Needless to say, it was AMAZING! Yesterday, Whitney and I experienced our first time....flying together! haha! Whitney, knowing how much I love flying bought me my first two flight lessons for my birthday, yesterday I cashed one in and got to fly a sports cruiser for the first time! A Sports cruiser is a two seater airplane pretty comparable to the size of a remote control plane you see people flying in the park. Ridiculously small! Yesterday was super windy so when we got in the air... well you can probably guess how the flight was! We droped out of the sky about 100 times and I literally might have pee'd just a little....twice! It was like a rollercoaster and I loved every second of it! The instructor let me do all the flying other than take off and landing! After my flight, my brother Cory decided he wanted to have his first lesson flying in a cessna 172. It's 4 seater so Whitney & I got to rider along in the back! Whitney absolutely hates roller coaster, so it surprised me that she wanted to go, but she was a champ and jumped in the back seat like it was nothing! It was her first time to fly in a small air plane! We got to sit and enjoy the view with each other as Cory flew us around! It was a great day, and an awesome birthday present from my wifey to be!texasjchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08430152623640079296noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3469336190628555819.post-45911922766874527962010-12-13T13:43:00.000-07:002010-12-13T13:43:15.202-07:00First post!YAY!! So, in the light of the event that Shane & I are getting MARRIED (....soon! :) ) I decided I would finally let my self create one of these, to keep intouch with everyone and keep you updated on just how our amazing new life together is starting out! Who knows how long I will keep this going, because lets face it, I'm a horrible journal writer and asking me to write one more thing on top of that just might not happen! BUT, I have wantted one of these for some time now, and because the wedding date is quickly (some days more slowly) approaching, I figured I would indulge and just allow my self to do it! I'm pretty excited, and though he might not admitt it, Shane is pretty excited about the blog too! He even asked when I told him about it, "CAN I WRITE IN IT??" and yes, he sounded <em>that</em> excited! <br />
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60 days! We will be sending invites out in the next two weeks or so! So, even though I have posted this multiple times, in multiple places, if want an invitation <em>please </em>let us know! We really want everyone to have an announcement, and for everyone who can get here to come party with us! So just shoot us an email or leave us a comment with your name and address and we will be sure to get you one! <br />
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Shane is actually napping at the moment, poor kid! He had to work at 7 am this morning, meaning he had to get up at 6! Now, that might not seem early to most of you but 6 am kicks our aces! And this is where it gets worse. At about 12 AM last night he leaves my house for the 40 minute ride home. and just after 12:40 I get a call from him.... <br />
"Whitney... I am so mad right now, all I can do is laugh"<br />
"What?" I'm half asleep and confused obviously<br />
"turn on your light..." so I do... I always do what im told..haha. " Do you see anything that belongs to me on your floor?"<br />
Shane had come over, Saturday afterwork...in his work clothes, and we changed to go take engagement pictures! So at 12:50 am or so, he yet again, ventures out for the 40 minute drive back to my house to get his work clothes that he needs in just a few house. Needless to say he didn't finally get to sleep until about 2 or so and is a pretty sleepy boy! So when he wakes up, what are we doing today? What else... Wedding planning and errands! That seems like it's our life lately! Short engagements mean a lot to do in a little amount of time. It's like trying to fit an egg in a small bottle, you have to put some fire under its butt to make it all work out that way you want. And that is exactly what we are doing... fire under our butts...24/7 haha!Whitney & Shane Countrymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16227033419055288108noreply@blogger.com0