Playing "house"

When I was a little one of my favorite games was "house". I know I played with stuffed animals, a doll house, barbies, school and lots of other games with my friends but I loved to play house. Not only did I love to play house but I had to be the mom. My friends and I were very elaborate in our games of house. We built and designed houses and made up story lines before we started to play. We would each have a role to play and I was the mom. I loved being the mom. From a young age being a mom was the job that I wanted and the role I wanted to play.

Once I was a teenager, I started to babysit for lots of people at church and in our neighborhood. I loved each of the kids I babysat for. I loved playing with them and teaching them the little things I could while I was there. Many times if I was having a bad day I would go to my neighbors house and play with her kids because really I couldn't be sad or angry with those sweet faces asking me to play with them. I was not the babysitter who sat on the couch and watched TV and ignored the kids. I wanted to play with them. I wanted to run and teach them to play games. We would play hide and seek, tag, have dance and singing contests, go to the park and play outside. I loved when I could put them to bed and sing to them and cuddle them. Babysitting was a job that only confirmed that I wanted to be a mom someday. I loved those kids that I took care of and I couldn't imagine how much I would love my own children if I loved other peoples that much.

Then when I was a senior in high school I decided I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. I loved teaching and watching kids learn. I also by this time knew that I would likely have problems having children so I figured this would give me an opportunity to still be around children if I wasn't able to have my own. I also enjoyed teaching and discovering ways to help children learn. However, I also knew without a doubt that the job I wanted more than being a teacher was to be a mother.

I then went to BYU-I and earned a teaching degree. I loved teaching and each classroom I worked in was a wonderful experience. I also got to teach primary at church with Mike and I loved that too. Once I got married, I had a lot of people asking when I would have kids but I also had people ask me if I would be teaching. I made it clear to anyone who asked that I would love to be a teacher but my ultimate goal was to be a mother. If I couldn't have my own children then I would be happy in the classroom with "my kids" but that wasn't the job I wanted but that doesn't mean I didn't love what I was doing.

I will admit that when we were going through our fertility experience, working in the classrooms with the kids really helped me and gave me the strength to keep going. I put them first and focused on what the students needed instead of myself.  I loved being in the classroom and getting the opportunity to teach and practice selflessness and patience and plenty of other qualities that I needed to work on.

For now though, I have a new job and its the one I've been wanting and working towards for years. All of the babysitting and school and teaching has prepared me for the job I have now. Those experiences taught me patience, love, selflessness, multi tasking, how to think creatively and diversely, that every child is different and unique and has an endless capacity to learn. I learned forgiveness and how to answer tough questions and that sometimes I won't know the answer but that its ok to admit you don't know everything.

Now I have a new job and its a pretty great one so far. I definitely don't know everything and I have a lot to learn but I also have a lot of help. The best part is that I am still a teacher. I get to work one on one with my favorite student everyday and for now its pretty great. I'm grateful for my degree and it was definitely worth it. Who knows, maybe someday I'll go back and teach in the classroom when my kids go to school. For now though, I just want to enjoy learning to be the mom in this real life version of "house" :)

One Month!

Happy one month to our pooh bear!

 I can't believe my baby boy is already a month old! Time goes by so fast! Its been a crazy month but we are loving having Dan in our family! He is such a good baby. Sure he has his moments (don't we all) but overall he is wonderful and so sweet. 

- He is a little squeaker. He squeaks when he eats which is adorable but loud and quite distracting.

- He gets the hiccups a lot. He got the hiccups a lot when I was pregnant and he still does. Its slowly getting better but I can't wait til he doesn't get them quite as frequently. 

- He LOVES his rock n play! I think the rock n play is the best investment we made because he naps in it all the time and its a great way to calm him down. I can't wait til we can try the bouncer once he can hold his head up.

- Dan loves the car (as far as we can tell). We've taken him on a few short road trips and he has done amazing. He doesn't seem to mind his car seat and is completely out once the car is moving. 

- Dan also enjoys bath time. We've only done a few baths so far in the 2 weeks since his cord fell off but he's loved them all. Its one of my favorite things to do with him too. I just love how good he smells after a bath  and how happy he is too :)

- He is usually pretty happy. He is a gassy boy so that is when he is the most upset. Generally is extremely upset moments are connected to that last burp or to a poopy diaper that's coming just as soon as he can get it out. Otherwise though he is a happy and content little boy.

- He is a great sleeper and eater. He is eating a ton at feedings and during the day will nap for 3 to 4 hours and at night will go 4 to 6 hours which mom and dad are loving.

We love you Daniel! You are our little pooh bear and even though we are tired and sleep deprived, the snuggles and cuddles and happy times make it all worth it :) We can't wait to see how much you grow in the next month!

A Day with Grandma

For the last three weeks we have been blessed to have Mike's mom here with us to help us with Daniel. Mike and I are so grateful for all of the help and we're especially happy that Daniel got to spend so much time with his grandma. Most of the time she was here was spent at home but on our last day together we wanted to go out and do something fun and different.

We started our day by going to strawberry hill. This is a farm here in spartanburg that has a market to buy lots of food related to the current crops. Right now since peaches are in season we got to try lots of peach flavored things and also some peaches. It was fun to taste everything. We also got some strawberry bread which is amazing and had some strawberry and peach cider (so yummy...wish we had gotten some to take home).

After we fed and changed little Dan and he was back asleep, we headed for Greenville. We decided to go visit Peace Park. Its a beautiful park with waterfalls and lots of trails and little stores and restaurants but sadly I didn't take any pictures. It was fun to walk around though and enjoy being outside.

After the park we went shopping and then to Olive Garden for dinner which was delicious and got Coldstone for dessert. It was a great day! Daniel was an absolute angel all day. He slept most of the time unless he was hungry or needed to be changed. It made being out all day so much easier. It was also a wonderful way to spend our last day with Grandma Kate. We're going to miss having her here to talk to and spend time with and we'll definitely miss all the help she's given us. We miss you Grandma and we're sure Daniel misses you too.

Baby Bump Shoot

A few days before our baby boy was born we had our friend Stephanie take some pictures of Mike and I.  We spent two evenings taking pictures and it was so much fun. At the time I was extremely stressed at the thought of being induced and struggling to decide if we should so doing these pictures was very relaxing and enjoyable. Stephanie did such a great job! All of the pictures were wonderful and I had a very hard time choosing which ones to share.

Here are a few of my favorites: (I was 37 weeks and 37 weeks and 2 days pregnant in these pictures)

These are the second day:

A Spartanburg Shower

So I know this post is super late since Daniel is almost a month old now but in my defense he was born 2 weeks early and I also just got these pictures recently so I had to wait to share. A couple weeks before Daniel was born I was lucky enough to have a second baby shower thrown for me in Spartanburg. It was so much fun to relax and get advice on mommy hood :) Christine also did a great job on the food. I'm not sure how she knew how much I love strawberries but we had strawberry shortcake and it was delicious! Thank you Christine! It was beautiful and so much fun :)

 We played a couple of games too. First we had the poopy diaper game which was so much fun to watch and listen to some of the conversations that come up when playing a game with diapers and melted chocolate bars. Then Christine also had a basket of newborn diapers and people could decorate them or write funny sayings on them. They were so cute! I wish I had taken a picture but sadly they're all gone now.

Our little boy was also blessed with some more wonderful gifts. Thank you to everyone who came. It was wonderful to celebrate baby Epperson's impending arrival with all of you!

Recent Happenings

A couple weeks ago I got a text from Katie who is one of my best friends and she told me that she and her husband wanted to come see us. I was so excited! I wanted to see her of course but I also really wanted her to meet Daniel. So we got it worked out that they could come and even though we would only get to spend a few hours with them, I was still really excited.

Our little peanut snuggling with Auntie Katie :)

Katie got to feed him and hear the cute little squeaks he makes when he eats 

Play time with Aunt Katie :) He was really happy to talk to her.

 

 

 We're so happy Katie and Ben got to come visit. It was fun to talk to you guys and go out to Chick fil a for dinner. I'm so happy you got to meet Daniel as well and that he was happy but next time you can change the diaper Katie :) Now we just need to plan a trip up to DC to visit them!

Happy Father's Day!

"A father's calling is eternal and it's importance transcends time. It is a calling for both time and eternity."

-Ezra Taft Benson

 This was a very special fathers day for our family since it was Mike's first one as a daddy. I love seeing him with Daniel. He is so sweet with him. I love how excited he gets when he gets home from school and runs to see Dan. He asks how he is doing all day and I make sure to text him pictures. I love that he worries he'll miss something important and that he wants to do well in school so that he can provide for me and Daniel. He is a great husband and he is an amazing dad too :) Dan and I love you Mike! Thank you for taking such wonderful care of us! Daniel is very lucky to have you as a daddy and you are far better than I deserve.

Another extremely important father in my life is my daddy. I have the best dad. I'm so grateful for his example to me. He always seems to know what to say to cheer me up and make me smile. I also love watching my dad with Daniel. Its fun to see him play with Daniel and do all the funny voices and games he did with my brother and I. I can't wait til Daniel gets a little older and he can really play with grandpa. Thank you daddy for everything you've taught me and being such a great dad!

I also want to thank Mike's dad J because I know that Mike has learned how to be a good husband and father from his dad and I am grateful for the lessons he taught him. 

Happy Father's Day to all the other dads out there! I hope you all had a great day!

Hospital Pictures

While we were staying in the hospital after Daniel was born our friend Stephanie asked if she could come to the hospital and take pictures of Daniel and our family. At first I didn't want her to just because I figured I looked really tired and Dan was still so tiny. Looking back, even just 2 weeks later, I'm so happy she came and captured those first few moments when our little boy had just come from heaven. She was able to capture that innocence on his face and our first moments as a family of three.

I don't want to forget those few precious moments and days. He has already grown so much and seems so different just at 2 weeks old. Life if different for sure with a baby but he is our miracle and we love him.

Thank you Stephanie for taking these wonderful pictures for us. I love that we have so many pictures of these first few hours.

Daniel's Birth Story

Sorry this one is kind of long :) I want to make sure I remember everything though

On May 27th (my birthday) we went to my doctor's appointment to find out if our little boy was growing and to decide if I would need to be induced. We knew that because of his size that induction was a possibility. After another ultrasound, they found that my placenta wasn't working properly anymore and that our little boy was not getting what he needed to grow. After talking to the doctor about our options, we decided that induction and getting our little boy here was the best thing for him. So induction was scheduled for Friday May 30th. The plan was that I would go to the hospital at 5pm on Thursday May 29th and they would start me on cervidil to soften my cervix and help me to start dilating and just basically prepare me for labor. Then on Friday morning we would start the pitocin.

They did check my cervix at my appointment and found that I was dilated to a 1 or 2. They also told me that my baby boy's little head was extremely low which were all positive things to hear and were also a sign that I could possibly go into labor on my own anyway.

When I pictured having a baby I always pictured that crazy drive to the hospital and running in and I always figured I'd be in too much pain to talk at this point (I wanted to labor at home if I could) and that Mike would have to get us all checked in. My experience was a bit different though. Instead of rushing to the hospital, we took our time getting there and we calmly (at least calm on the outside) walked into the hospital. We got all settled into our room and I got my IV(hated that thing) and they took a ton of blood and then we waited for the doctor.

Dr. Easton came in around 6:00pm and checked me to see how I was doing. When he checked he told me that I was already dilated to about a 2 or 3 and that since I was having mild contractions their was no reason to do the cervidil. So Mike and I could stay at the hospital or we could go back home and come back at 5am. We decided that since we had already registered, answered all the questions they have to ask and I had already had the IV set up and my blood taken that we would just stay put for the night. The best news was that since we weren't doing the cervidil, I could eat until midnight as long as my contractions didn't get more intense and regular. So they monitored me for a few hours and then around 9:30 they told me that my contractions were irregular enough (and I wasn't in any pain) that I could eat. So off Mike went to Subway to get me a BLT and an oatmeal raisin cookie :) So we sat and we ate while we watched the Lion King to try and relax before we became parents! I'm convinced that even though those hospital beds are not comfortable, that their is no way I would have slept that night no matter where I was. How can anyone sleep when they can practically count the hours to when they are going to become a parent?! I was so excited and nervous and anxious. Our nurse told me that I could take a sleeping pill (don't remember the name) to help me sleep that night. I told her I only wanted half the dose but it did help me to sleep that night at least for a couple hours.

We were up early on Friday morning. At 6:45am they started the pitocin but it was a low dose since they didn't think it would take much since he was already so low and I was dilating on my own. Up until now I had been having irregular contractions all night. I could feel them but I could definitely talk and move around comfortably and I was even using my exercise ball. The contractions started to get more regular around 8am but they still weren't too intense yet. I really wanted to walk around but they wouldn't let me get up which I was not happy about. They also told me that they would probably have to break my water which is why I wanted to get up and move around cause I really wanted things to start happening on their own instead of having to force my body to do everything.

The contractions weren't too intense so for the next hour or so Mike and I just talked and watched videos while we waited. At 9:10ish I heard a loud pop and then felt a huge gush of water. I looked over at Mike and told him I was pretty sure my water had just broken. He started to look a little panicked and called our nurse, Nancy, over and told her. Then they both started asking me if I was sure and in the calmest voice possible told them that yes I was sure that was what had just happened. So Nancy checked me and I was dilated to 4cm and was 90% effaced at 9:30 and yes my water had broken on its own.

Suddenly I could feel every contraction and they started to get more intense. By 10 or so I couldn't handle the contractions any longer and I asked or begged for the epidural. Thankfully Dr. Zahn and Dr. Jim didn't waste any time getting to my room. They gave me the epidural which was perfect. I had no pain but I could still feel the pressure to push. They checked me at 10:30 and found out that I was fully dilated and 100% effaced haha. So in an hour I had gone from 4 to 10cm- at least I wasn't imagining the pain but the nurse said I probably shouldn't have gotten the epidural but they weren't able to check me while I was in so much pain so they can't know exactly how far along I was when I got it. 

Since I could still feel pressure, I really felt like and knew I needed to push. He was actually already crowning but the doctor wasn't there yet. So the nurse had me just do a few practice pushes but then she would tell me to stop which was practically impossible since he was ready to come. The doctor got there at 10:55 and I really started pushing. After 3 pushes she told me to stop pushing cause he was coming whether I pushed or not and our little boy was born at 11:13am on May 30, 2014! :) I swear it happened so fast! He came out and Mike cut the cord and then they placed him on my chest. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. He was crying until I started to hold him and talk to him. Then he started to calm down and relax which was amazing. The most amazing part was that Mike and I looked at him and then at each other and Mike just mouthed the name Daniel and we both smiled and nodded.  Just holding him and seeing him we just knew that he was our little Daniel.

I love those little feet :)

Our little Daniel weighed 5 lbs 10oz and was 17 inches long. He is our little peanut but he is perfectly proportioned and thankfully was completely healthy and had no problems even though he came two weeks early. They did confirm though that my placenta was abnormal so that was good to know that it likely had stopped functioning properly.

Our very first family picture :)

I think my favorite moment was watching Mike hold him for the first time

We did stay at the hospital for two days because the doctor wanted to monitor Daniel a little extra since he was so tiny but he was able to stay with us as long as we wanted. We did have him go to the nursery at night just so we could sleep but he was with us during the day. We got to go home on Sunday morning and we were so excited! All in all though I was blessed with an awesome labor and delivery! I really couldn't have asked for better and I had wonderful nurses and people helping me. Mike was an amazing coach and support and really helped make this a positive and memorable experience for me. Even though I was nervous about Daniel coming early and being induced, I know this was when he was supposed to join our family and he is perfect and we love him so much. He is truly a blessing to have in our family.

I honestly can't quite remember what life was like before he came but we love every minute of having him here with us.