Russell Tip Schafer III

He's finally here!! Russell Tip Schafer III, or Rusty as we call him, was born early on Monday morning, February 22, 2010 at 12:26 am. He weighed in at 6 lb 15 oz and measured 19 3/4 in. He such a tall, skinny baby, but oh-so adorable! We just can't get enough of him!

I know it's been three weeks since he's been born, but I have to share this story, if not for anyone else but me. :) Better late than never, right?

The whole birth experience, and everything leading up to it, was just so surreal. I started having real contractions the Saturday before and I almost went into the hospital that night, but I'm glad I didn't because I would have been sent home. They were consistent that night, but then the next morning, on Sunday, they were very sporadic and minimal... I was so confused on when I was supposed to "know" when to go in to the hospital... I called the midwife on call, Kathryn-- who was the one who delivered Rusty, as well as one of the nurses at Timpanogos Hospital to ask them and they both said, "You'll know when to come in. You're contractions will be very severe and about 2-3 minutes apart. When that happens, come on in." Well, let's just say I NEVER got to that point... even when I DID get to the hospital on Sunday. My body's weird apparently. Anyway, the next day was very sporadic, but starting at about 1:30 pm they started being a lot more painful. We waited until 3:30 to finally get our things together and go to the hospital. It was killing me not knowing how progressed I was and I didn't care if they sent me home... I just NEEDED to know what was going on.

We got to the hospital right at 4:00 and the nurse took us in, set me up to a couple of monitors that measured the baby's heartbeat and my contractions, and checked to see how dilated and effaced I was. Compared to two days before that at my last midwife visit when I was dilated to a 1 and effaced 70%, I was dilated at a 3 and dilated 85%. It was nice to know that I had progressed that much in two days, because I had been dilated and effaced the same measurements for a whole week, which was way depressing. ha ha! They made me stay for an hour so that they could see if there was any progress, and when she came back I was dilated to a 5 and effaced 75%. I was staying at the hospital!


For those of you that talked to me before this, you know that I was going to try and do this naturally... well, after being dilated to a 5 for nearly 4 hours I just couldn't take it anymore. Contractions hurt like no other!! Holy cow! I called the nurse in around 9:00 and had the anesthesiologist give me that wonderful shot. :) I'm glad I did it then because right after that my contractions got crazy! I'm so glad I couldn't feel them... and so is Russ. It made the whole process for him extremely bearable. He was struggling a little. :) My water broke at 10:12 (I didn't know I would be able to feel it, but I totally did, which was interesting) and by 12:00 am the next day I was ready to go. I WAS SO NERVOUS!!!!! I was literally shaking and my teeth were even chattering! (I hear that that's really common, but at the time I thought it was just because I was so nervous!)

My midwife, Kathryn, came in and sat on the end of my bed to have me do a practice push. On my first "practice" push, Rusty's head was already crowning! It was really funny looking at the expressions of the nurses and midwife! She was so surprised that for someone who was having their first baby was already so far progressed... she said that people don't normally get to that point until they've been pushing for about 40 minutes. No objections from me! Literally 8 minutes later, Rusty was born. I know!!! Crazy, right?? I didn't even break a sweat!!! ha ha ha! It was one of the easiest, most surreal experiences of my life. I can't even begin to express my feelings and emotions as I saw his head come out and as I pulled him to my chest when he was fully out. Not to mention how proud I was of Russ for not passing out, let alone being front and center for EVERYTHING! He was so adamant about NOT being involved in any way of the birth, but he held my leg, encouraged me, was very vocal in his excitement throughout it all, and even cut the umbilical cord! What a trooper! Way to go, babe!


Needless to say, this was the most incredible and the most intimate experience of my life. I've ALWAYS wanted to be a mother and now that I'm finally at this point in my life, I can honestly say that I've never felt more comfortable and at peace with this new stage in my life. I absolutely LOVE being a mom and wife and I wouldn't trade it for the world. It is so fulfilling to have the love and trust of a newborn baby, especially one as sweet as Rusty. He's the calmest, sweetest baby EVER! Loving him is the easiest thing I've ever done and I can't wait to watch him grow up. Russ is the best Daddy ever and loves his son more than anything. It was so fun watching him interact with Rusty... giving sweet kisses, staring at him, taking pictures and videos of him, and just awing at the fact that he's a Dad. And Rusty definitely loves his Daddy. They are so fun to watch.



Rusty is now three weeks old and is developing so quickly! Last Tuesday we took him in for his first pediatrician appointment and in a short two weeks he gained almost a full pound (7 lb 3 oz) and grew a whole inch and a half (21 1/4 inches)!! His weight is only in the 11th percentile, but his height is in the 67th percentile... He's still a tall and skinny boy! His reflexes are great and his neck is super strong for a baby so young. He's been very alert this last week and definitely knows my voice and smell, which is way fun! I absolutely LOVE being a mom and am so thankful that Heavenly Father has given me this blessing and opportunity. This is definitely my favorite calling. :)

He's got big, beautiful eyes and it's so fun when he's awake and alert!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE being a mom! Especially to this sweet baby!

This was taken the day we got home from the hospital.

Three generations of Russell Tip Schafer's! How fun!

My mom and Russ' mom. Good thing they know how to share! :)

My dad and his sweet wife, Judith. They were here for a whole week and we loved having them here! Rusty sure loves all of his grandparents!

These next few pictures are Russ' favorite... and if you know Russ at all, you'd know why! He's obsessed with sports, but more particularly football, and really wants Rusty to be, as well! His little protege...

Rusty doesn't smile yet unless he's sleeping, so we take all of the pictures that we can! We love his sweet smile.

Proud Mommy

Proud Daddy

1 Week Old

2 Weeks Old

3 Weeks Old


I know that was a lot of pictures, but as a first-time mom, I can't help it! I'll for sure being adding A LOT, LOT more!! :)

We're Ready!

I figured I'd post some pictures for everyone to see just HOW ready we are for our little man to be here. :)

Isn't this kid spoiled?? :)

His bag is packed!

This is the cradle he'll be sleeping in for at least the first month.

This is the blanket I sewed for Rusty... my first attempt at sewing didn't turn out so bad, huh?

And this is me 9 months pregnant. I'm so done being pregnant! This ride has been fun, but it's time to just be done. :)

Come out, come out wherever... well, I KNOW where you are!!

Alright, Rusty... it's time to come out now. I've been pregnant with you for over nine months, and as much as I've enjoyed being extremely uncomfortable and being unable to breathe because you're taking up every extra inch PLUS SOME of my stomach, I'd much rather have you OUT of my body! Don't get me wrong, this has been worth every ache and pain that I've had, but I would love to be able to tie my shoes again, bend down without having to spend twice as long trying to get back up, and have your dad stop laughing at me as I attempt to roll out of bed in the morning.

Your dad and I are completely ready for you to be here (well, as ready as anyone can be, I guess) and this waiting game is killing us! We REALLY can't wait to meet you and are excited to see what you look like. Will you have your dad's cute, rosy cheeks? My feet (please, for the LOVE have my feet!)? Will you have our green eyes? We know you'll be incredibly cute, but we'd love to see just how cute you'll be sooner than later.

We already love you so much and can't wait to meet you! And I know for a fact that there are aunts, uncles, and some very anxious grandparents that are impatiently waiting, as well. So please, Rusty, come soon.

Love,

Mom

5 More Weeks...

Um, where did the time go? Holy cow! I can't believe that my due date is so close already! In 5 weeks?? It's true, though... I will be a mom next month (hopefully, if this kid cooperates and comes on time)! Russ and I are so excited and can't wait to meet him and to see what he looks like. The only hopes I have for his looks are that he doesn't get my ears or Russ' feet... ha ha ha! We'll love him either way, though. :)

C'mon, Rusty! We're ready for you!

ChRiStMaS!!!

It was my family's year for Christmas this year, so we went to my mom's house in Orem. I was kind of sad that my two little brothers and my sister weren't there (they were with my dad in WA), but it turned out to be way fun! My brother Jeremy and Cassie were there, and of course my mom and her husband, John, and we just played games all day and ate a TON of food! I did, at least. :) And don't make fun of how fat I look... The dress seriously added about 50 pounds!




Russ got me a sewing machine, which is something I've been wanting for a while; especially since I'll be staying home once the baby's born and I want to start being all domestic and stuff! ha ha! No, but seriously. ;) I've already bought material to make my first project: a baby blanket for Little Rusty. I'm so excited! And I was extremely excited when I opened this gift, as you can see. Russ is the best gift-giver ever!


I got Russ a really nice coat and some tools, which he later got from my mom and John, as well, so he's totally prepared for whatever fixing-up that needs to be done. He's such a handyman! I love it! I don't know what I would have done if he wasn't... going from my dad, who can literally do ANYTHING, to someone who couldn't do anything would have been kind of hard, so I'm glad that he can fix pretty much anything, as well.


What a cheeseball! :)
I also got him the new Boys Like Girls CD

These are the set of tools I got for him:

And these are the set of tools he got from my mom and John:
What a happy man! :)



We had a great Christmas and we hope you all did, too!

New Pictures... And More To Come!

I know, I know... everyone's been bugging me to post more pictures, which I have on Facebook (yesterday), so here are a few.

6 1/2 Months:


And here's me at 7 months:

I'm about a week and a half away from being 8 months pregnant (scary!!), so I'll post some more later... preferably not in a black shirt again! ha ha! I HAVE gotten bigger, though! The little guy has chosen to make me even fatter... he's definitely getting a spanking from mom when he finally gets here. ;)

Here's some pics from our CA Thanksgiving:

Russ and his dad fishing out behind his parents house. Pretty, huh? These two are literally inseparable whenever we visit! It's really cute and I'm sure this is how Russ and our little boy will be, too. Aww!!


Grandpa caught a fish and our little niece, Zoe, was so fascinated by it! After they put it back she kept saying, "C'mon, grandpa! Just put your pole in and catch another fish!" If only it were that easy, love. :)


My honey and I.

Apparently the sun is right in our eyes!
Poor, Russ.. No fish for you!
Thanksgiving this year was way fun! We were able to stay for almost 6 days, one of which was not by design... our car blew up, literally, the day we were supposed to leave. Of course that day had to be a Saturday, so we weren't even able to get it into a shop until Monday, but luckily Russ is amazing and was able to save us about $500 by doing the majority of the work with the help of his dad. He's just kind of amazing. And he's mine! :) Anyway, I'm glad it worked out that way because it meant an extra day with his family, which I absolutely LOVE!

Anyway, our new house is almost all set up, so I'll get pictures of that posted soon, as well as Christmas pics. I always think about taking pictures for important things, but then I either never take them or forget to do anything with them, so I'm trying really hard to do better at it. I'm sure I'll be better once the baby's born, so be patient with me.

Merry Christmas, everyone!! We love all of you and are so thankful for amazing family and friends in our lives!

Love, The Schafer's

NeW hOuSe!!

Russ and I are officially new home owners as of Tuesday, November 17, 2009! We signed our lives away for a brand new condo in Springville... it's a top-floor condo with vaulted ceilings, granite counter tops, 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms. It's beautiful! We're so excited about it and can't wait for people to come visit us (hint, hint)! Now, if we could just MOVE IN! I know it's probably a hassle with EVERY home purchase, but I've gotta tell ya, I could definitely do without the stress. We should have been completely moved in this week, but alas, they have yet to clean and do the patch-up work and they can't give us a straight answer as to when it will all be completed, so needless to say I've been a little crazy this week. :)

It will all work out in the end and when we're all moved in and unpacked, I'll for sure post some fun pictures.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!