The Story of Tyler

Since it is terribly hard to respond to every email I've received with the details of Tyler's birth, I thought I would write something here to update you. So... here we go.

On the morning of Thursday, October 29th, we had a doctor appointment. I was two days overdue and more than ready to have the baby. Dr. M said the baby was really low, but my body just wasn't ready for him to arrive yet. I wasn't experiencing bad contractions or anything painful... some cramps here and there was all. She stripped my membranes (Ouch!!)and ordered a gel treatment to be done starting that night at the hospital. I would go back Friday, Saturday and Sunday to get it done again (keep in mind, it would take 2 hours every time! yuck.). If that didn't work, I would be induced Monday morning. The absolute last thing I wanted was to be induced, so I was counting on the gel treatments working. We went to work after the morning appointment and I decided that I would take Friday off. If I was going to spend 2 hours at the hospital anyway during the day, why not just take the day off, right?! I knew that day was my last day of work since I'd be induced Monday no matter what. I packed up my stuff (ok, I got excited and packed up the week before so my cube was already empty and the only way you knew who sat there was by the name plate on the wall). I said my goodbyes and was done... for 3 months!!!

That night, I made spaghetti for dinner around 6. The hospital gave me about 30 minutes warning and wanted me there for the treatment at 7. We ate quickly and headed to United Hospital. They got me all set up for the treatment, but monitored the baby and myself for 20 minutes first. The nurse came back in and said I was having contractions 3-4 minutes apart. She was stunned I couldn't feel them, but thought it was my body reacting to the membrane trama from earlier in the day. Unfortunately, they don't give the gel treatments if you are contracting that much, so I was told to come back and try again the next day. We stopped by Trader Joe's on our way home to grab some treats since I was disappointed. I got some awesome chocolate ice cream and Brian got apple juice and vanilla cookies. Weird combo. At home, I ate some ice cream and just relaxed before heading to bed... still feeling disappointed.

1:27 AM: Hellooooo contractions!!!! I woke up out of a dead sleep with painful contractions. The first one I timed was 8 minutes, then 7 minutes, then a couple at 6 and within that hour, I was having them at 5 minutes apart. At that point, I woke up Brian. We waited through a few more to see if they kept up at 5 minutes apart. They sure did. We took showers just in case it was the real deal... yes, I was still in denial. I called the hospital and they suggested we come down. Brian drove so fast. He is typically a drive-the-speed-limit kind of guy, so driving down the Montreal Ave hill at super speed felt like we were riding a roller coaster when I'm used to driving it at 35 mph.

4:00 AM: Admitted to hospital. I put on that beautiful gown, got in bed and had no idea what to expect. I was scared, excited, anxious and still a little bit in denial. My contractions were getting stronger, longer and closer together. It was pretty much the worst thing ever. I wasn't sure if I was going to throw up, cry, or pass out. Thankfully, I only cried out of those three :)

The next few hours are a blurr. I took a pill that was supposed to make me feel drowsy and that did not work at all. At about 7, I think, the nurses changed over and Nicole was my new nurse. She was so amazing. I was very much ready for the epidural at this point and she was on top of it. Dr. Lee showed up quickly, got that huge needle in my back and relief was on its way. Oh how I love Dr. Lee. They started me on some Pitocin to keep my contractions strong since the epidural weakened them a bit, but hey, I couldn't feel them, so bring on the Pitocin! I slept a bit, tried to smile while Brian took some pictures and talked to my mom on the phone once. Brian curled up on a tiny chair and slept a bit himself.

1:18 PM: 10 centimeters and here we go! I did not expect to be to 10 already, but I was and now the show was really going to start. My fear returned, but I was also really excited because I knew within a couple hours, we would FINALLY meet our son! Pushing the baby out was pretty much the most awkward moments of my life. I'm not even going to say why. It was just so weird. I'm sure many of you can relate. About a half hour in, I didn't think I could take it any longer. I was tired and I felt like my head was going to explode. Brian motivated me and kept encouraging me. I am SO thankful for a husband like him. I literally could not have done this without him next to me... holding my hand, holding my head, and talking me through it. He is such a great man. Still pushing. Pushing some more. It was nearing the end and I started getting an awful pain in my left hip. It was almost intolerable. I didn't know what was going on. How was it my hip was hurting when everything else was happening? The nurse thought the baby came down crooked or else he was coming with a hand next to his head. When she could clearly see that I couldn't take it any longer, she went to find the doctor. Dr. O came in within a minute from another delivery, saw what was going on and in two more pushes, baby Tyler was born. I'm not sure what she did, but what a relief.

2:39 PM: Tyler made his entrance... screaming!!!!! He was warm and slippery and completely full of energy. But I loved it. I held him close, we cried, Brian took some pictures and we were just in awe of what had happened. They let me hold him for a while before taking him out of my arms to be checked on, which I loved. Our son was born.

Tyler weighed 8 pounds, 1.3 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long. His head circumfrance was 14 inches, which they said was normal for his weight. Now, I was expecting a 9+ pounder since Brian was almost 10 and I was 8 1/2 or so, so I was totally happy with an 8 lb 1 ounce baby if you must know. We took more pictures, held him and then Brian called our parents. Mine had been in the waiting room since 1 PM and were just itching to see him and us.

At 4:30, we moved into the room that we'd use the remainder of our stay. It felt like a dream. This baby was ours. He is absolutely beautiful and we are so happy. We learned so much about parenting so early on. Brian changed his first diaper and held a newborn for the first time. It is so precious to watch him interact with Tyler. He is truly in love.

We were sent home Sunday afternoon and the time at home has been wonderful. Our first night was a little on the rough side. Tyler did not want to sleep unless he was sleeping in our arms. He is adorable, so how could I resist holding him? I was up most of the night and watched an episode of Little House on the Prairie to stay awake. Trust me, it was the ONLY thing on TV besides paid programming and it never occurred to me to put a movie in until right now. Ha ha. The second and third night were great. He slept in his pack 'n play right next to me and only needed to eat twice during the night. What a good baby... so far! We are learning to be flexible and patient and we are relying on each other more than we ever have. I loved my husband so much before this, but I love him on a much deeper level now. I cherish him.

So, that is the story of how Tyler entered the world. I said before and I'll say it again, we were and still are in awe of the miracle he is. God gave us a beautiful gift in Tyler and we can't wait to see how he grows and who he becomes. We are so thankful for answered prayers that he is healthy and that everything went safely for me and him. Those gel treatments and induction never had to happen. Way to go body for doing it on your own! I'm not sure I can do childbirth again, but I'm sure someday I'll forget about how awful it was and want another tiny baby to curl up on my chest and fall asleep. Precious.

Mixed Emotions

So, you can see that my due date is ONE week from TODAY! I remember when I put the ticker on my blog months and months ago when October seemed so far away. But now with one week left (possibly two if I end up going over), the days seem looooong. Far too long. Every time I feel our baby wiggle and squirm around (which is very, very often), I am reminded how strong and ready he is to enter this world. I can't get him off of my mind these days, but I know that is a good thing. It is just hard to focus on other aspects of life on a daily basis knowing he is going to arrive so soon. At the doctor's office today, I had to get an ultrasound to determine the position of the baby. For a couple weeks, the doctor said the baby was head down and suddenly today, she was unsure. Talk about freaking me out! But, the ultrasound revealed that the baby is still head down... thank goodness! Not that having a c-section is the worst thing in the world, but it isn't a road I want to go down. Tonight I'm watching The Biggest Loser and I am extremely jealous of these people killing themselves in the gym. I miss running until my face is red and splotchy. I also miss looking down and seeing my feet. I can't even see the bones in my feet anymore because they are so swollen! Thankfully, I have an awesome, supportive husband who reminds me this is temporary and in just a few short days, we will meet our son. He also gives amazing foot rubs! So, it has been a long road and these last few days are going to feel longer than the previous 8 1/2 months, but it is all worth it. Soon, I will snuggle with my baby boy and time will start to fly... but I'm not going to think about that.

Wow, this was random.... and this is why I got nothing done at work today!

Love for Lake Harriet

Over Labor Day weekend, the Johnson family came together from all over the United States to celebrate their mother's birthday! There is a strong love for the lakes in this family, so what better place to shoot than Lake Harriet!? It was a beautiful, warm September morning and I had a great time capturing many special moments between these family members!

Not even 24 hours

At around 21 hours old, Sophia had her first photo shoot! My friend, Beth, gave birth to this precious baby girl, so I went to the hospital to take some pictures of the baby and new little family. I've been exploring ways to try some new types of shoots and this idea came to mind about a week before Sophia was born! Good timing! Congratulations on your daughter, Dan and Beth!

Not-So-Rainy Day

Last fall, I did a shoot for these two girls and I remember them being so silly and making the craziest faces almost the entire time we were together. Well, they've grown a bit, but their personalities are still quite goofy! S and E's mom bought these adorable matching rain boots and umbrellas to use as props for the pictures. I'm so glad it didn't actually rain! I had a really fun time with this family and wish them well on their big move coming up.

This was the first time I'd seen a 3 year old girl bribed with a worm! I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cringe at the thought of her holding this and being very, very happy.

So, it has been busy

There's just a few things going on right now. My day job is forcing overtime, which is no fun in the summer! We've had a couple extended cabin weekends. We celebrated our 4th anniversary not too long ago. And... I'm 28 weeks pregnant today! But I feel like I've neglected this blog, so here are a few photos just for fun. I have a few more shoots before I call it quits until Baby Gray arrives, so be on the lookout for those too!

The last Gray family photo before Baby Gray arrives!

I know these last three photos aren't anything special, but I was practicing manual settings at the cabin and felt like taking some down by the dock.

Also, the new Write Away website is up and running. Check it out! The site turned out great!

That's about it for now! More to come soon... I promise!

Daddy's Girl

Back in May, I helped a friend out with a Mother's Day surprise for his wife, who is one of my good friends. They have the most darling little girl... as you can see below. I took some shots of E and her daddy and he gave one of them framed to my friend on Mother's Day. So cute if you ask me!

Write Away

Write Away is a great personalized stationery company based right here in Minneapolis. Co-owners and neighbors, Meredith and Sarah, are in the process of updating the company's website and needed some new images of their products. So, over the weekend, I took a bunch of shots and we had a great time together! We're doing some more this weekend and their improved website should be ready to go in no time! Check out their website and maybe you'll just find something you'd like to order! Here are a couple shots.

a CUTE family

Welcome to blog post 3 from the sculpture gardens! I love this family. The littlest of the bunch has changed so much since I last photographed her last fall. We had a great time together even though it was so hot! I could have photographed these two kids all day... gorgeous eyes and hilarious expressions! And an adorable puffy pink skirt (good taste, Katie!).

21 Weeks... Repeat!

So, my ticker has been backed up a week or so... I am no longer 23 and some weeks... I am 21 weeks and one day! Ahhh! At my latest appointment, the doctor decided to move my due date back to October 27th. In all honesty, it really isn't too big of a deal. At least this way, if the baby is late, he won't be as overdue as he would've been had my date stayed the 14th. Makes sense to me.

Baby boy Gray (whose first initial starts with the letter T) is growing and kicking and having a grand time. I hope he is anyway. I feel good. The weather is getting warm. This could get interesting.

Another wonderful sculpture gardens shoot to come soon! I'm doing a stationery shoot this weekend... yes, a shoot for paper. It'll be fun!

Ben and Jerry's Phish Food and I have a date on the couch. Goodnight.

Cherry + Spoon #2

The Mpls Sculpture Garden is a hot spot! This shoot with Eli and his parents took place there and my next shoot this weekend takes place there! Three in a row! I don't mind one bit. The grounds are beautiful and there is a ton of stuff for little eyes and fingers to see and touch! Trouble is... getting them to look at me! As I was editing Eli's photos, I kept thinking to myself, "Oh, he is so stinkin' cute!" He's a great client... as are his parents! It was fun to see him again since I hadn't seen him since his one-year photos last fall.