Happy Easter!!

Easter this year was so fun! Mostly because we now have a little baby to celebrate with... we can't wait until he's old enough to really enjoy holidays like this, but we really enjoy HIM, so it all works out. :) We got to watch General Conference today, which was amazing, and then we went to my family's house to have a BIG Easter Sunday lunch/dinner. My family is big on playing games, but unfortunately we didn't get to do that yesterday because my brother, Zach, came down with the flu and we had to leave so we wouldn't get sick, too. Get better, Zach! Regardless, it was a great Easter Sunday and we had a lot of fun.

ha ha! I took out his binky to try and capture a good picture of him not crying, but this is what I got... wow.

And this is how the day ended... "Enough pictures, okay, mom!?!?" Okay, okay... I'm done. :)

Hope you all had a great Easter!!

1 Month Old

I can't believe my baby is already a month old today! Time has REALLY flown by! Now I know what other moms mean when they say that kids grow up so fast because they totally do! And he's getting so big! I'm anxious to see how much weight he's gained and how much he's grown at our next appointment next month... I love that he's getting older and bigger, but at the same time it makes me sad thinking that he won't be a baby for much longer, especially at this rate!

Milestones so far:

1)He definitely knows when mom's around by smell and most definitely by voice. It's so fun watching his head turn when I walk into a room or when I sneak up on him when someone else is holding him. It makes me feel really special. :)

2) He's started seeing things a little farther away now, which is fun. Whenever we put him in his swing or crib, it's fun watching his eyes get big as he's looking at the decorations on his bumper and at the little rotating animals that are above his swing.

3) He's recently started cooing... It is the cutest thing in the world! He has such a small voice to begin with (his cry sounds like a kittens!), but his cooing is so soft and sweet... I LOVE IT!

4) He's started holding my hand when I nurse him, which I absolutely love. The whole nursing-bonding experience is amazing and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

We fall more and more in love with him every day and it's so fun watching him grow and start to have a personality. He's still a very mellow baby, which we love, and he's started staying awake a little more during the day, so it's fun to play with him and get him to ALMOST smile. He's SO CLOSE to smiling, you can tell, but he just can't quite get there! He laughs and smiles EVERY TIME he's falling asleep, so we can't wait for him to do those things while he's AWAKE.

He's such a great baby and is making being a mom so fulfilling. I just love him. :)

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!