No Not a Spray Tan, Just a Little Jaundice!

When Gavin was born he ended up with a nasty bruise on his head. Because of the bruise the nurses and doctors at the hospital said there was a chance he could develop jaundice, but that his color looked good.

He was born on a Monday and by Wednesday we noticed he was overly sleepy, not eating well and his color had changed from when we brought him home from the hospital. Luckily the doctor was able to see him right away and thank goodness because his jaundice was advancing pretty rapidly. When his bilirubin level was checked on Tuesday before leaving the hospital it was 5.7 and when we checked it on Wednesday it was 17.0. I know lots of babies get jaundice, but I broke down and cried.

The doctors office sent over a nurse that night to the house and we got Gavin set up on a bilibed. My poor little guy had to stay on his bilibed continuously except for feedings. He was so sleepy all the time and not eating enough so I had to wake him up every two hours to eat, which totally sucked at night. I was so exhausted. The only bright side was we were able to put the bilibed between us to sleep at night. It sucked not be able to hold him or cuddle him as much as we wanted.

Every day the nurse came to the house to check his color, weigh him and unfortunately draw his blood. He had to stay on his bilibed for five long days. He is now looking and feeling much better. Thank goodness for great doctors and nurses.

Rub-A-Dub Unhappy Baby in the Tub!

Gavin's first bath time and he sure wasn't happy. Thankfully daddy was there the whole time because Gavin held on extra tight to daddy's finger for comfort.

Baby Gavin Has Arrived!!!

I can't believe he is here!

I cant believe we're parents!

I cant believe this perfect little person is mine!

There are so many emotions that Ian and I are experiencing: joy, elation, pride and most of all LOVE!

My labor started the night before around 8:00pm. To keep things moving Ian and I went walking around the neighborhood and tried to keep ourselves busy while my contractions became stronger and closer together. I cleaned house while Ian put the finishing touches
on Gavin's closet. Ian likes to say he waited to arrive until his room was finished. We headed to the hospital around 1:30am and checked ourselves in. From there things started to move fairly quickly. When we arrived I was still only dilated to 3cm. The midwife broke my water to help progress labor. To make me more comfortable during contractions the nurse tried to change up my positions but when that didn't work for me they put me in the tub. I have to say that tub became my new best friend, making it easier to relax in between contractions.

By 5:30 am we were ready to start pushing. Luckily my mom had gotten there just in time. Thankfully I had an amazing husband and my mom by my side. Ian was so helpful getting me ice and wet wash clothes for my forehead. Thanks to him I was able to keep pushing. At one point I wasn't sure if I could keep going, I felt so exhausted. I remember asking multiple times if they were sure he wasn't to big, but at that point Gavin's head was just starting to crown and Ian made me touch his head, despite my protests. That was all I needed, I became a determined woman after that. And it payed off because at 6:52am Gavin Edward Johnson arrived.

Geocaching at Point Defiance

What a beautiful day to geocach with my good friends Erin, Ashley and Mr. Rychlinski. It was my first time goecaching and it definitely took a little while to get the hang of it. Mr. Rychlinski found the first two treasures in no time but Ashley was able to find our most difficult and creative treasure of the day. Erin and I were no slouches though, it just took us a little longer to find our groove. There was a lot of walking involved but hopefully it will help this pregnancy move along. I had such a great time, I cant wait to do it again.

Oops!!! False Alarm

I thought for sure my water had broke, but nope false alarm. It's a long story how I came to think that my water had broke and maybe if you knew the whole story maybe you would agree I'm not a complete goober (hopefully).

It all started on a Friday during a staff meeting where I began having mild contractions every 10-15 minutes apart. I was so excited to finally be having regular contractions that I called my husband and other family members to tell them the good news. However, within three hours the contractions just stopped. I should have known telling people would jinx me. Later that night I had just finished going to the bathroom and was standing at the sink washing my hands when I felt a significant gush. Who wouldn't have thought their water had broke, at least the first timers. When I called my doctors office the nurse said to call the provider on call if my contractions returned and were closer together. So I waited and waited but no contractions:(

By the time Saturday came and I still hadn't had any contractions, I contacted the provider on call and she recommended coming into the hospital just in case. So Ian and I packed up and headed into the hospital. We were admitted, hooked up to the fetal monitor and the nurse checked to verify if in deed my water had broken. The next hour and half seemed never ending while we attempted to wait patiently for the lab results. Luckily we had a deck of cards to keep us occupied.

As you can guess the nurse returned with the news that my water did not break. So in other words I wet my pants. Great! Just Great! Now I have to tell people that it was a false alarm because I can tell when I have wet my pants. I am hoping to look back on this someday and laugh but right now I just feel stupid and embarrassed. The worst part was Ian had called his family in Montana to tell them my water broke and even though we told them not to drive out just yet they hopped in the car anyway. By the time we found out for sure that I had just peed my pants they were already in Spokane. Oops!!!

Happy New Years!!!

Ian and I rang in 2010 in style thanks to John and Mandy. We had a great time. Although I wasn't able to enjoy any of the spirits offered Ian enjoyed them enough for the both of us. By the end of the night he let loose with his finest dance moves. Oddly enough I was the one who ended up feeling hung over on the first day of 2010. It was worth it though.

Thanks again to John and Mandy, as well as the rest of the Rychlinski's for a great New Years!

Christmas Sweater Party 2009

Whoot! Whoot! The Rigg's 3rd annual sweater party did not disappoint. There were ugly sweaters and creative homemade sweaters. There was great food, friends, and spirits. Sadly I wasn't able to enjoy the yummy jello shots floating around, but there is always next year.

Normally Ian would have loved to make his own sweater but there just wasn't time this year. Thank goodness for women's plus sized ugly Christmas sweaters. I think he looks sexy in his poinsettia sweater, even if it is a girls.

Thank you to the Rigg's family for inviting us and we look forward to next years sweater party.