December 26, 2010

Nash made his debut at 2:43a.m. on December 26, 2010!! Nathan and I still cannot believe that he is here - and at the same time, it feels like he always should have been. He is so amazing and I cannot put into words how much love I already feel for this little boy. God is so good to give us this gift!

I've had a few people ask about the story of his delivery, so I thought it would be easier to just post it here. To sum it up in one word, it was FAST. Both of our parents were in town for Christmas. We had a great day with them, and Nathan's folks left around 2:00 to head back home, since Nash did not seem to want to make an appearance. My parents were scheduled to leave the next day. After dinner, though, I felt what I thought was my water breaking. I was scared to have a false call, so I took about an hour to do some at home assessment (I'll spare you the details.) Around 8:30, though, I decided to call the hospital and talk through my symptoms. They said for us to go ahead and come on down to be assessed. We made it to the hospital around 9:15, where they confirmed that my water had indeed broken, although I was still only dilated to 2.5 cm. They admitted me by about 9:45, where they got me hooked up to all the machines and started giving me Patocin to get things moving. By about 10:45, I was in labor with an epidural administered. Praise the Lord I didn't have to feel hardly any contractions, and definitely not the hard ones. We all settled in for a long night of contractions. Nash had a different plan, though. Around 1:30am they upped my Patocin. Luckily, Nathan's folks made it back to Arkansas by 1:45 am, just in time! By 2:00, I was paging the nurse, telling her I thought it was time. Sure enough, Nash was ready! The doctor rushed back to the hospital, but was sure I'd have about an hour of pushing to do. I started pushing at 2:30 and by 2:43, we had a Nash. :) I couldn't have asked for a smoother delivery - it was a wonderful, life changing experience. The staff at Willow Creek Women's Hospital were amazing and took great care of us. Nash came out healthy and screaming!

We came home yesterday just after lunch and have slowly but surely been getting used to each other. I am exhausted, emotional, and dealing with all the joys of recovery, but Nash makes it all worth while. I am so in love with him and grateful for a healthy baby, smooth delivery, and the gift of parenthood. I'll leave you with a few of our favorite shots thus far.

Just after he arrived.


Gramps and Nana meeting Nash for the first time.


Grandma Doris and Nash


So handsome!



Headed home!

Full Term

I am officially full term - we've made it!! And I am ready for Nash to make his appearance. We're hoping for an early arrival. I keep feeling odd pains and cramps and wondering, "Is this it?!" I wish there was a firm date and time when he would arrive. This not knowing is driving me nuts! This is when the planner side of me is a bit of a nuisance. :/

My next post will most likely be an introduction to our son! Can't wait! :)

5 Weeks to Go!

We officially only have 5 weeks left until our precious son arrives. We are getting so anxious to meet him. He is moving so much these days - I can just feel him wanting to say "Get me out of here!"

What I'm most looking forward to after Nash's arrival:

1. Seeing his face.
2. Finally "getting it" and being a part of the parents' club.
3. Drinking wine - just bought a bottle of Cakebread Chardonnay for postpartum celebration.



The nesting bug is definitely full force these days as well. Today's tasks were window cleaning and sliver polishing. Just trying to get all those pesky tasks completed before our attention is turned elsewhere. :) Christmas prep is also keeping us plenty busy. We'll be hosting our family here since Nash's debut could be around that time. I'm looking forward to making my first Christmas meal and having it in our new house. The big unknown is how Nash will attend. We shall see!

AROMA

I had the great privilege of having lunch with our new COO at work this past week, and he shared some advice on raising a family. It resonated so much with Nathan and I that I thought I would post it here as well. He told me that his family philosophy is to create a good AROMA in their household. AROMA stands for:

Affection - Between Mom & Dad, towards the kids and between the kids
Respect - Everyone has a level of respect for each other
Order - There are family rules and obligations that govern the household
Merriment - Laughter, joy, and fun!
Affirmation - Everyone is accepted and celebrated just as they are


Great stuff and very inspiring as we begin to build our family. This is one of those concepts that I know will stay with Nathan and me the same way that Love & Respect has guided our marriage to date.

Quick baby update: Nash is now 32 weeks old and the size of a honeydew, weigh approximately 4.5 pounds. We are getting so anxious to meet him. He could be here as soon as 5 weeks! We decorated the house for Christmas in preparation for his arrival this past weekend. I know it's early, but we wanted to be able to enjoy it and have it ready just in case Nash makes an early arrival. :)

Count Down Begins

We've officially entered the phase of the pregnancy where we are counting down the weeks instead of up. In just 10 weeks, we will be bringing home baby Pyles. With each passing day, the excitement is building. Everything is still going smoothly. My back, legs, and feet ache all of the time, but that's to be expected! I had a wonderful pregnancy massage at Wellquest today - it was wonderful!

It has been so neat to watch Nash get more active. His movements are much more controlled and strong, making my belly move in ways that seem very unnatural. :) Nathan has finally been able to feel - and see - him moving.

Last weekend, we had our first shower here in NWA. We felt so blessed to have great friends, co-workers, and family who showered Nash will all sorts of goodies! My sister flew in from Florida to throw the shindig. Below are some of the pictures from the day.


Awesome petit fours from Chuck's Cake Shoppe!


Me with Mom & Meghan, my sister.


The great spread Meghan pulled together.


The amazing quilt my mother-in-law made.

27 Weeks: The Beginning of the End

I have officially entered the 3rd trimester. It gets more real every day, particularly when a co-worker pointed out that Nash could come as early as 10 weeks and still be full term. I don't know if we're ready for that! Nash has now grown to the size of a head of cauliflower and weighs in at 2.5 pounds.




No other updates - all is well. Mom and baby are healthy and growing rapidly (both of us!). I never thought I would look forward to a Jillian Michaels work out...can't wait to get my body back, although it hasn't been too bad sharing it with something so sweet. :)

24 Weeks

We are now at 24 weeks and Nash has graduated to the size of an eggplant. Hard to believe this is fitting inside me:


Everything is going smoothly, though. I'm able to feel him move every day, which is bizarre and wonderful all at the same time. It's especially interesting when he decides my bladder is his own personal punching bag.

We've been full-steam ahead on the nursery and it is turning out better than we could have imagined. Last weekend we embarked on installing chair railing on our own. Let me begin by first saying that Nathan and I really aren't DIY-ers. But after getting the quote from a handy man, we decided to give it a shot. Nathan was sure that it would only take an hour - maybe two - to measure, cut, and install... 8 hours later, we finally put the finishing touches on it. :) The hardest part was the angles and math involved - it's been awhile since we've used those rusty Geometry skills. But nonetheless, we got it installed and it looks pretty good, if I do say so myself. Here's Nathan + Jackson enjoying his morning cup of joe the next day.



The furniture is set to arrive by late October. Our crib is in, but the rest is on back-order. We attempted to pick it up this weekend, but discovered the box was much too big for our 4Runner, so we'll have to wait to have it delivered with the rest of the furniture. Makes us really wish we had a truck.

On a non-baby note, who else is ready for fall?! I'm ready for crisp days, changing leaves, decorating with gords, and pumpkin-flavored everything! It's my favorite time of the year and it is so close I can taste it (or maybe it's just the yummy pumpkin spice lattes I have been enjoying). I hope it comes soon!

It's a boy!!

We found out on Tuesday that Nugget is indeed a healthy baby boy. We are so happy to be able to call him by name now - Nash Douglas Pyles. He was very active during the ultrasound, doing all sorts of dance moves and showing off his stuff. It was precious. We've enjoyed re-watching the DVD with our parents - they are very proud Grandmas and Grandpas.

Once I finally knew what the gender was, the Nesting bug hit in full force! I have been looking at bedding, paint colors, nursery themes, and everything in between. Today we bought some of Nash's first outfits - and he is going to be so cute. We also purchased his bedding today from Pottery Barn Kids.



We're not sure about colors or theme yet, but know we want to do something simple and timeless that he can grow into. It's been so fun to look at all the different options and pretty overwhelming. We'll have to keep ourselves in check because there is so much you can buy but not necessarily things he actually needs. I'm sure that is something we will be reminding ourselves of many times throughout the coming years. :)

20 weeks down - 20 more to go!

Mango Mania

We are officially to the Mango phase. That's right, Nugget is the size of a mango now. I feel like he/she should be so much bigger considering the size of my stomach...and well, really, the rest of me. We find out on Tuesday (yes, 2 days away!) whether Nugget is a boy or a girl. I cannot wait! We shopped the web for baby bedding and decorations this weekend. While either gender would be wonderful, I have to admit that girls' stuff is way more fun and cute. Look at this amazing bedding we found on Target.com:


Lizzie by Cotton Tale

Everyone asks if I have a hunch or intuition about whether it's a boy or a girl. The truth is, I really don't. I'm not sure that I have allowed myself to really get attached to either one since we don't know what God has in store. I have been afraid to think, "Oh, yes, it's definitely a girl" for fear that I might be disappointed if it is really a boy (or vice versa). I really think either would be wonderful. And at the end of the day, what I want really doesn't matter, does it?

In 48 hours, we will know!

A little flutter...

Tonight I felt my first little flutter from Nugget. What a neat feeling! It's nice to know he/she is really in there. I cannot wait to call them by name - just 11 more days to go until we find out. We started registering 2 weekends ago in Oklahoma with my parents. It was fun to see all the different products out there - for like 2 minutes and then it was just overwhelming! There are so many things to see and think about. It's hard to know what is essential and what is just really good shopper marketing. Thus far, we have only started our Babys R Us registry. We also made our first function-over-fashion furniture purchase at Mathis Brothers (love that store!) while we were in Oklahoma. We got this amazing recliner:

Beautiful? Not at all. But amazingly comfortable. It hugs you and reclines almost completely to 180 degrees. There will be many nights spent in this comfy chair rocking a precious baby.

Nugget is currently the size of a sweet potato. I decided to compare this to my belly at the grocery store this week.


(sorry - lookin' a little rough in the pic but you get the idea)


To end this post, I will leave you with a group opinion poll. Is Nugget a boy or a girl? :)

Week 16

Yesterday, Nathan and I ordered Nugget's nursery furniture. We cannot wait to find out if it's a he or she so we can really start setting up the nursery. We got the set below in an espresso wood color. We got the crib, the double dresser, and the hutch. Can't wait!


Baby's Dream - Legendary Collection


Everything is going smoothly with the pregnancy - I felt the first little flutter in my belly last night, which was just amazing. I know that I will be able to feel it more strongly in the coming weeks which is exciting to think about. I seem to be getting bigger each day!

Last week we had some dear friends to our house who just moved back to the area. They brought with them their precious little 9 month old girl. It was the first time we've had a baby in our house and it was so fun to watch and experience a glimpse of what it will be like when our baby arrives. Of course, we won't have a little one who is crawling and exploring right from day one. :) The dogs were a whole nother story, though. They were so interested in her and wanted to make friends quickly. Unfortunately, they were a little over eager. We'll have to work on them getting used to a new family member in a more calm way! I'll leave you with a picture of my precious pups - our babies for now. :)

Week 14

Entering week 14 this week - which means a close to the 1st trimester, and hopefully all of its pesky symptoms.

Since I've been pregnant, I have traveled more than I ever have surprisingly. Nugget is already becoming a world traveler. We made our way to Phoenix for a couple days and even hopped the border to Montreal, Quebec for about 4 days. In another week or so, we're going to go check out New Orleans. :)

Nathan and I have definitely entered into the "really?" phase. While I can see myself getting bigger - everywhere - and we have seen our baby do all sorts of dance moves on a monitor, I still feel like it isn't real. Like there isn't really a baby growing inside me and that our life isn't really about to drastically change. We don't even know where to begin to prepare! I cannot wait to feel him/her move to give me reassurance that there is a life in there or to find out if it's a boy or girl so I can feel like I can really start planning. Just a few more weeks!

-A

Introducing...Nugget!

On Mother's Day, Nathan and I got the great surprise that we would be welcoming a new addition to our family. :) It seems only fitting that we publicly announce "Nugget" (as we are calling baby Pyles) on Father's Day.

This weekend we went to Cushing to have our first ultrasound by Dr. Tracy (my Father-in-Law). It was the coolest experience for many reasons. One, it confirmed that there really is a person growing inside there and I'm not just getting fat. Two, we were able to share it with both of our parents. And three, Nugget was doing all sorts of moves - I'm convinced he/she will be a great dancer! Below are some of the better shots we got.



I think this one looks like an alien. :)



How precious is that profile?!


The official due date is 1/7/2011. I am currently 11 weeks along and finishing out the first trimester. So far, I've been somewhat nauseous but not as bad as the horror stories I have heard. Mainly I am just exhausted and have way less energy than I am used to. Both me and the baby are healthy, though, and that is all that matters. Nathan and I couldn't be more excited!

Life's about to get interesting...

T minus 5 days to move in!

It's finally here. On Friday, we'll be closing our new house. We couldn't be more excited! The house has turned out so well. We have been so impressed with our builder and Realtor. We are one of the few who can actually say we will close with a good relationship with both - what a blessing! Below are some recent pictures of the progress - there will be many more once we are able to get in and put our (ok, Nathan's) touch on the place. We open for guests in April. :)



No quite sure what we'll do here - time to start reading the Gardening books again!


I love my cabinets!!


Can't wait to enjoy this!!


-A

Hello, 2010.

With the new year rolling in, I, like just about everyone else on Twitter, Facebook, and the blogosphere, have been setting some resolutions for this coming year. I read a great post by Chris Brogan on setting goals for yourself in the new year (I cannot find the post anywhere or else I'd give it some link love). In short, he wrote about using single words to summarize your goals so they are easy to remember and are larger than just "Lose 10 pounds."

So, in 2010, here are my goals:

Healthy - I want to be more active & actually use the gym membership that we pay for each month; make smarter food decisions; and overall, feel better about myself.



Frugal - I want to find creative ways to use things we already have; save more money; eat out less; and give more away.



Growth - I want to grow personally by learning more about who I was created to be and Who I was created to live for; grow professionally by learning new skills & never settling for mediocrity; and grow relationally by investing time in my friends and families.


2009 was an amazing year with a lot that I am proud of, from taking on a new position at Rockfish as Director of Account Services to selling our house & preparing for a new one to celebrating our 3rd anniversary. Here's to another great year!