The Douglas Family: January 2009

Breanna is 2 today. Wow! So this is for my sake, but honestly I was looking through the scrapbooking I've done and I have yet to finish writing Breanna's birth story down. Now, I believe it's still fresh enough to remember, thankfully not too painful to retell though now :)

Breanna was born at 1:55AM on Jan. 28th and it was a Sunday. The labor started though on Friday. We went to my Doctor appt. and I was dilated to a 3 and 75% effaced....I had been dilated to a 3 for a couple weeks now, so she asked me if I wanted her to "help" things along by stripping the membranes. We decided to go ahead, which totally freaked me out b/c I had no idea what was going to happen and I literally thought I was going to go in full blown labor the moment she did it. Well after the Dr. appt. we drove down to Waikiki and had dinner at Chili's (just Rob and myself). I was feeling cramps during dinner, but didn't worry about it b/c I ALWAYS get really crampy after each exam.

Then we went to Best Buy to look at some Scrapbooking software for me and the whole store for Rob. I was talking to my mom on the phone and giving her an update because she was planning to fly to Hawaii as soon as I was in labor, hoping to get there by the birth, mind you she's in Colorado. I told her about the Dr. and that I was feeling crampy but good and that weirdly enough my stomach kept hardening up and tensing every once and while. As I told her this, I was noticing that my cramps were coming and going too. While on the phone I was like, "see, it's happening again, but that's weird b/c my cramps and my stomach tensing/hardening is happening at the same time and then going away." My mom informed me that I was having contractions! And warned me I needed to start keeping track of the timing of the contractions. So that was that, but I didn't think I was really in labor and so we unfortunately didn't decide to have my mom hop on the morning flight.

We went back to Laie and were going to go to bed relatively soon for the night. It was around 11pm and I started noticing that my contractions were every 7 min. so I started keeping track. They were not horribly painful but close enough that I was unable to sleep. At 2:00AM I made Rob go walking with me up and down the temple road, to see if we could speed it up, plus I couldn't sleep. We came back and he peacefully went to sleep while I went to the couch and listened to the Ipod. Around 4AM I called the hospital b/c the contractions were between 6 and 7 min. apart. They said don't bother coming until 5 min. apart.

Around 8AM my contractions went to 20 min. apart. I lost it. I went walking again and called my parents and friends and bawled. I felt that the whole night of no sleep and pain was for nothing. The contractions were weird and inconsistent from 8am til 1PM. Around 1PM they got back to 7 min. apart. I decided to shower, shave, paint my nails, do my makeup, hair, etc. Then I cleaned up the apartment a little bit. At 2:30PM I tried to take a nap (YEAH RIGHT) but they were too close, but I was tired and wanted to rest. Around 3:30pm Rob went and got us Subway, yes I was eating like a horse til we got to the hospital, even though I didn't feel great, I did NOT want to starve and get sick b/c I get really sick when I'm pregnant and don't eat.

At 4:30PM we left for the hospital and drove the hour and 15 minutes with yucky contractions, now 5 min. apart. We got to the hospital and I had a contraction while waiting for Rob to park the car. I stopped walking and leaned over to get through it and some people saw me (random hospital visitors) and rushed a wheelchair over and tried to help me. Even though this was nice, I was incredibly embarrased and wanted to get out of there as soon as Rob walked in.

We went up to our floor and were hooked up to monitors to see the contractions and the baby's heartbeat for 20 min. Then I was examed and low and behold I was a ........... 3!!!!!!!!!!

Are you freaking kidding me? I was a 3 for 2 weeks prior walking around with no pain...this my friend is ridiculous. So apparently I couldn't be "admitted" til I showed progress, our options, go walk for an hour or lay in bed for an hour and be rechecked. We went walking.

I was incredibly frustrated by this point. Tired, hurting and frustrated. So we walked around this small cement "courtyard" outside in circles for an hour. I couldn't walk during contractions and spent most of the time crying. I am very thankful for Rob because he was calm and collected during this point and reassured me every step of the way. He talked about a plan and tried to figure out what I wanted to do. We decided that I wanted an epidural ASAP. I know, I'm a wus, but I wanted relief.

So, we went back after an hour and were told I couldn't have an epidural til I was examined again and had made progress. So we waited for the Dr. to come and I cried, again. During this time my wonderful sister Michelle drove down to the hospital, brought Rob food and me candy (which I couldn't eat) but THANKS MICHELLE :) She got to see the lovely Brooke before and after the epidural. I was very quiet and angry and crying before and relaxed and calm after :)

The Dr. finally came and examined me and wahoo, I was a 4!!! So they said we needed to do paperwork to be admitted and then we could have the epidural person come. Thankfully Rob spoke up and said, please call the anesthesiologist and we'll do paperwork while we wait and while they're prepping Brooke :) I love him :)

So, once she came, she was wonderful. Very patient and kind, explained everything and waited between contractions. Once the epidural was in effect I was in pain free heaven. I laid there and talked to Rob and Michelle and I think we even turned on the TV. This was around maybe 8:30ish. About 2 hours later they examined me again and she said, you're a 7, then she broke my water, wait you're an 8, no a 9. Apparently my body can progress really well when I'm not stressed/in pain.

Once I was a 9 I started freaking out thinking oh my goodness this is actually happening, I can't believe I'm having a baby. I started crying again. Michelle and Rob comforted me. They also got lots of blankets b/c I was freezing and my legs and body started shaking out of control.

Then a half hour later, around 11ish I started feeling pain, very uncomfortable pain. We called the nurse and they examined me and I was a 10. She told me I could practice pushing or just wait some more. I decided to practice b/c I was hurting just waiting. They set things up and I started pushing around 11:30pm.

Well, my pushing lasted 2 1/2 hours. There were lots of women having babies apparently right then, 6 ladies and not enough nurses and dr.'s so half the time it was just Rob and Michelle holding my legs and me pushing. The nurses were great when they were there, mine actually stayed 2 hours after her shift to finish our birth and then came the next day to check on us and see Breanna some more. Michelle was my DJ and put her ipod headphones on me and kept the music going during 2 hours of pushing. She also fed me ice chips. What a cool girl. Also, she has never had a child, never experienced a live birth and was the most mature, amazing 19 year old girl/sister I had ever imagined at the birth. I was so glad to have her b/c my mom wasn't able to make it in time (due to me being clueless about labor/contractions).

Rob was awesome, so supportive, so wonderful. I was worried he would be grossed out or scared or something, but he was amazing.

They finally called the doctor in when they told me I had to stop pushing (or she would come out) and then I experienced the worst pain in my life and the most amazing result ever when she came out. At 1:55AM she was born. My parents were called by MIchelle and they got to hear Breanna's first cries.

I can't believe that I actually did it, I am a wuss, I have low tolerance to pain, I am scared about lots of things, but I actually had a baby girl and a VERY AMAZING one.

I love her and can't imagine my life without her. Happy Birthday Sweetheart.

So, we moved to Lacey, Wa in June of 2007, so we've been here for over a year and a half. When we moved we were very concerned and pleaded with our property manager to give us a 6 month lease rather then a full year contract. This is because we were moving into the apartment "temporarily" while we looked for a house.

Temporarily does not feel temporary anymore.

Now don't get me wrong, we've had a lot of life changes, issues, good stuff, bad stuff in the last year and a half, but seriously one of the things on the top of our list has been to find a house to purchase and move into.

We have spent thousands (I'm not kidding) of hours researching listings on the internet, calling agents, driving aimlessly around looking for listings not on the MLS, driving around to listings we're excited about, walking through homes and writing offers. OFFERS. We have put many offers on houses. Unfortunately we are not going to settle for what we don't agree with or don't think is a fair market price. We have found many AMAZING houses, alot of them though have been short sales and we have waited countless months hoping for good news because we were for sure that we loved the house and wanted it as ours....only to never hear back from the agent, who apparently had 6 other offers for one house, changed offices and just did not inform ANY of the people of what was happening. (Long story, but one of the couples Rob sold a house to at work actually offered on the same short sale we did but after 4 or 5 months gave up and came and bought from him :)

I'm tired of living temporarily in our apartment. Don't get me wrong, I'm greatful for having 2 bedrooms instead of one like in Hawaii. I'm greatful for space and not being able to hear everything our next door neighbors are doing (the neighbors on each side, above us and across the grass in other apartment complexes in TVA :) I'm greatful not to hear, like Rob did, a woman in labor in the middle of the night. I'm greatful to not hear babies, babies, babies crying all the time (at least it seemed like all the time because if one stopped, others started). Yes, I miss Hawaii but I don't miss all that noise :)

Wow, I'm complaining quite a bit. Sorry about that. I just want us to find something that fits our needs and wants and hopes and dreams, is that too much to ask for?

I bet every real estate agent who has ever worked with us HATES us because we are picky, but it's the biggest purchase in our lifetime, so I really can't help it.

Anywho, here are pics of the latest we're looking at: