My first day back...

Today was my first day back to work and I was surprisingly strong.  I have been dreading this day for 8 weeks.  Mrs. Pam kept him and I knew he would be in good hands,but it is still hard - I only worked from 8:30-1, but it felt like an eternity. While I was gone I received these photos:

At his first feeding:

At the office sleeping - Mrs. Pam works on Monday's, so he went with her today: 

After his first outfit change and three diaper changes: 

His first business meeting with Papaw:

All in all, he didn't even know I was gone and he did great!  He was taken care of and I had no reason for worrying...even mom did ok today, but thankfully it's over and I'm back home with him!

Tuesday Nights

The last few Tuesday nights we have been taking a Financial Peace University class that is offered by Dave Ramsey and his team. We have done this previously online, but never in a classroom setting.  We are going to Bellevue Arlington and there are 13 couples in the class.  I really look forward to Tuesday nights and what we are going to learn. We have really started trying to follow a detailed budget and get in tune with where we are supposed to be financially.  We have paid off several things since we have started and hope to have everything paid off when the class ends on May 24th. It is a 12 week class and it's so worth the effort. We are going to really focus on paying off our debt (Car, flooring, and house) and moving towards baby step three.  It's amazing how quickly you can pay off things when you are on a budget and really eliminating extra spending. It makes me feel like we really have control over our money and that it's not controlling us. 

There are 7 baby steps:
1. Save $1,000
2. Eliminate all debt - Debt snow ball
3. Save 3-6 months worth of expenses
4. Save 15% of income for Retirement
5. Start a college fund
6. Pay the house off early
7. Build Wealth and Give

The world as a new mom

 

I never knew just how much becoming a mom was going to rock my world!  I am amazed at the small things in life that have changed before my very eyes...such as my driving - I'm so aware of the people around me, and I now watch people fly past me because I'm just mosying along with him in the car (except for the other day when he was hungry and I was trying to get home to him so he could eat).  I don't want to be away for him for any given amount of time. 

My in-laws gave us a gift card for valentines day with the stipulation that when we used it that they could babysit. They called the other day and asked if we wanted to go out that night and they would take care of him...we decided that we should go - I needed some tennis shoes and we could run to eat and get shoes all in a 2 hour span (getting back before he was hungry).  We got to the restaurant and the waitress asked if we were celebrating anything special - Jonathan whips out his phone and says, "Well our baby is three weeks old today - want to see a picture?" I asked him when she left if he had been showing it to other people and he said "Yes! Anyone I talk to I show them a picture of him!" 

Isn't it so funny how our life can change so quickly? Without even knowing it, I became more aware of our lifestyle, ways to try and make it better, and wanting to do anything to protect our sweet new addition...words just can't explain how I feel about him.  I just feel so responsible for everything to do with him - if he cries I just want to sweep him up and make everything better, and when his tummy hurts, I try to figure out what I ate to bother it so it doesn't happen again (thankfully chocolate doesn't seem to affect him yet), and I just find myself staring at him for hours, watching him sleep and smile and coo.  He's forming such a sweet little personality more every day!

I'm going back to work in such a short time and I just don't know how I'm going to do it...I hate the thought of leaving this little guy for more than an hour, much less 10 or more a day!  How do you do it?  How can you leave this precious gift? I'm really struggling with the thought of it - crying every time I think about it. I haven't left him for over 3 hours anywhere yet, and I know I'm so not ready to...I hope I get brave soon!

Our First Doctor's Appointment

On Tuesday, February 15th, we had our first doctor's appointment with Tucker.  Jonathan took off in order to go with us.  The nurse had us take off all his clothes and take him out to be weighed and measured, so we wrapped him in a blanket and went ahead with it.  He was unhappy to say the least - this was a picture we took when we got him back in the room - completely annoyed with us for bothering him!

We had a great report - he was in the 50th percentile for weight and76th percentile in height, he was also 7 lbs, 6 oz (so he lost 10 oz from the hospital), but he was still 21 inches (duh), and was just a little jaundice.  When testing for Jaundice, a 5 on the scale is normal, and anything above this is considered jaundice, but sever is in the high teens.  Tucker was an 8, so they told me to put him in the sun and it would go away, and thankfully it has.  They had to stick his heel, and I cried when they did - it's just so sad to see your little one in pain - I would so do it for him if I could - This is going to be such a learning and growing experience - for us all!

Tucker Wiley Golding has arrived!

On February 11, 2011 at 2:18 pm we welcomed our sweet bundle of joy to the world.  It has been such an amazing month! I went in at 4am (we got up at 2am in order to get into town and get to the hospital in time).  I was induced because he just didn't want to come on!  By 4:30 I was hooked up to the IV's and my petosin had begun.  We were just waiting for everything to really get started then...I was struggling a little with the contractions, but nothing that I couldn't handle, so I was hoping to maybe go natural....then they broke my water (at 9am).  After my first contraction it was so intense, I knew there was no doing it, so I said "hook me up!" I had complete relief within 30 minutes and couldn't really even feel pressure until I was dilated to 9 cm.  It took from 4:30 until noon for me to become fully dilated, but my OB was at Methodist Germantown delivering another baby, so I was pretty much on hold until she arrived - 45 minutes later we started pushing.

I have to say that giving birth was NOTHING like I had expected.  The nurses and staff at Baptist were amazing and so encouraging.  They answered all my questions and really helped me through the whole birthing process.  I really had a great experience.

We visited with our parents, and a few others before everything got under way.  I pushed for about an hour and a half, and he arrived at 2:18pm - so perfect! 10 fingers, 10 toes, with a set of pipes!  Tucker started crying the second he was out into the world - and didn't stop until they were completely finished with checking him and handed him back to us.

What a miracle...I just cannot even explain what an amazing gift children are.  I knew when I was pregnant that I was going to love this little thing more than I could ever imagine, and man was I right.  I cannot even put into words...I finally get the saying "You will never know until you have your own."

This was right after arriving at 4am and being hooked up to everything - ready for all the excitement of the day.

Right after he arrived - getting checked out - 8 lbs, 0 oz, and 21 inches long.

Our first family photo

The next morning - the outfit swallowed him!

Headed home - we look exhausted...had no idea that we weren't even close to being as tired as we would in the days to come :)

My amazing nurse, Leslee - she was so great.

Proud Mimi holding her first grandson

Grammy and Papaw holding their first grandson - the first grand baby on both sides

Popa came to visit again the next morning before heading to work - they can't get enough of this little guy!

Sweet Tucker in his going home outfit - right before we left the hospital the next day.

I can't even remember what we used to do to fill up our time before he arrived - we are so blessed!

My almost final visit to the doctor…

I was so hoping for a “you’re dilated 5 cm and 90% effaced” message yesterday when I went for my 39 week check up – or even a little more dilated than 2cm, but unfortunately what I got instead was “Everything is still the same” – What?? Are you kidding me? Is he EVER going to come out? I’m going to be pregnant this time next week is what you are telling me?

I wasn’t really very happy – and then I got less happy – she decided she wanted to do an ultrasound – which would normally be awesome, but J hadn’t come, and she seemed to be hiding something – I didn’t like the sound of this. So I questioned her about it – Why are we doing this? Her response was because she thought I was “hiding” the baby really well and that he was a lot larger than she had thought he was going to be – so off to the ultrasound tech for seeing how big our little man was…and was he big! Currently, he is measuring in the 80th percentile of newborn babies – he is a whopping 8 lbs, 7 oz, and still has a week of baking left! They said the fact that he is so low means he “fits”, so I should hopefully have no problem with delivery, but that I’m going to be laboring a lot longer than I would if he was the original 7 lbs, 5 oz that she had assumed he would be three weeks ago – yes, just three weeks ago!

I really want him to come naturally and not have to induce, so I have started really trying to get him ready – we walked almost three miles yesterday at the track, I had spicy food, and did stairs when I got home. All of this to no avail – I was really tight with Braxton Hicks contractions all night last night, but no real progress that I can tell.
I have had severe pelvic pains this morning, but I don’t know if he’s on a nerve, or if he’s so large that he’s sitting on it, or maybe, just maybe I’m in the really early stages of labor – I’m not holding my breath though. We’ll see what this weekend holds – I’m sure ready to meet our little Tucker Wiley – I just can’t wait!
We are ready – Bags packed. Check. Camera Ready. Check. Camcorder Charged (My parents just bought us one for the hospital!). Check.
All we need is little Tucker – I’m sorry if I’m driving all of you crazy with my concentration only on one thing the past few weeks, but really, there is not much more that I can even think about – other than just getting him here!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Baby Tucker's Arrival...or planned arrival

I am ready for this baby!  I don't know about all the other ladies who have been pregnant, but the anticipation of when this little man is going to enter our lives is about to kill me.  Tucker is due on Sunday, February 6th (A Superbowl baby), but if he has not arrived by February 11th, then we will be arriving at Baptist Women's at 4am for them to induce - he will arrive that day! I had really thought he would already be here, and since he's not, I'm stuck on the thoughts of when he will arrive, will I know I'm in labor, will I have time to get to the hospital, can I really endure labor, and all those other things that run through your mind as a huge pregnant woman with crazy hormones!

I go back to the doctor tomorrow for another check up, and I'm sure she'll say the same thing - no change, and I'm going to be so sad!!  I'm just ready for him to make his appearance and change our lives forever.  We were laying in bed this morning and I asked J what our plans were for Saturday - his response was "coming home from the hospital," which I'm sure won't be the case - but this weekend (if Tucker hasn't arrived), will be the last weekend of being married - just the two of us - FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES...what a crazy thought.  We'll be sharing our house with little people for the next 20-30 years!  I'm so excited about this new journey we are embarking on, but I just wonder where the time has gone.  We have been married three years, but I don't feel like it's been enough time of just the two of us - and yet, it will have to be. 

I can't wait to hold little Tucker in my arms and see how much he looks like his daddy - and the resemblances he has of me, and to think that he's a product of us, that we are going to raise this little boy to become a Man of God.  I just can't even imagine how amazing it's really all going to be.

I can't believe I'm posting this photo, but here's me at 39 weeks and 2 days...no make up and just woke up!

Come on Tucker Wiley!