Connor's Birth Story - A 4th of July We Will Never Forget

It is hard for me to believe Connor is 9 days old today.  It has been a crazy whirlwind 9 days, but I am loving every single moment.  Connor really is an angel and we are so blessed to have him, love is just not a big enough word for what we feel for him.

His birth story starts on Sunday, July 3^rd when we made a trip to the hospital thinking my water might have broken.  Thankfully it had not & we thought we were in the clear for another week.  On the way home from the hospital we stopped at Five Guys for a hamburger, one of Blair’s favorite places, and headed home.  When we got home I started to not feel so good.  Thinking it was just dinner that did not agree with me (those jalapeños might not have been such a great idea), I tried to get some sleep.  I had a really hard time sleeping & at 3:30am decided to get up, take a bath & started to time what I thought might be contractions.  I had some assistance timing my contractions with a great i-phone app…there really is an app for everything.  After timing my contractions all morning, at 2:30pm we decided it was best to head to the hospital and see what was going on.  I did not want to be the crazy lady going into labor & delivery everyday thinking I was in labor, so we might have waited a titch to long to head to the hospital… when they check to see what was going on I was already at 5cm & moving quick.  About 10 minutes later my doctor, who was already at the hospital for another patient, came to see where we were at and said I was actually at about 7cm.  I was quickly checked into my room, Dr. Casas came in broke my water & from there the race was on…Connor was coming ready or not!  Luckily, the anesthesiologist made it just in time for my epidural.  When they told me there was a chance I was not going to have time for my epidural because I was moving too fast, I advised that was my whole birth plan, we have to have time for an epidural & we all giggled – nervously.  The first try at the epidural did not take, so the anesthesiologist gave it another stab (literally).  I had a few blood pressure complications from the epidural but they got everything under control and it really helped take the pain of the contractions away.   At 7pm I was fully dilated and ready to push.  Blair could not have been a better coach through the pushing, counting me through every contraction.  My mom & sister were there for support & helped through the pushing.   47 minutes later, at 7:47pm Connor was born!!  I feel so lucky & blessed to have had such a quick and complication free delivery – everything could not have gone better if we planned it that way.  After delivery we were taken upstairs to my postpartum room just in time to see the 4^th of July fireworks from our window.  Honestly, it was the most perfect moment I have ever experienced in my life – I had my loving husband, my beautiful son, my family & fireworks – a 4^th of July I will never forget!!!!



Connor Has Arrived!!! Our Firecracker 4th of July Baby!!

Connor has arrived!  We cannot be more excited to announce that Connor Joseph Shiplett made is appearance in grand style at 7:47pm on July 4, 2011.   He surprised us all arriving a week early, but he was cooked to perfection and ready for the fireworks!!  He weighed 7lbs 3 ounces & 20 inches long :)

Here are few photos of Connor's first day, compliments of Dalisa...more of his birth story to follow in the next few days!

The Final Countdown...

It is official we are in countdown mode here at Casa Shiplett!!  Connor should be making his appearance within the next 18 days & if anyone has any mercy it won’t be longer then that!  We have been getting ready for Connor one project at time & are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  I could use a little help from that nesting instinct everyone talks about for the final push through.  In addition to baby projects, we also have been having a little fun along the way.  On June 6^th two of our very good friends Dalisa Cooper, with AltF Photography, & Randi Garrett, with Naakiti Floral, threw Blair & I a baby shower with all of my great industry friends.  It was not your traditional baby shower… more about cocktails, mocktails & catching up with friends than winning traditional baby games…and it was PERFECT!  Everyone in the industry has been so supportive through my pregnancy & I loved that they were there to celebrate Connor with Blair & I.  Everyone was so generous and I really can’t thank everyone enough.  Below are some of my favorite photos from the photo booth that Shutter Booth had set up!  So much fun!

We also we lucky enough to have Carrie Terrones, one of our very good friends take some maternity photos for us.  We wanted to capture a few photos of this special time & she really made us look good (and made me look less whale like – lol).  She is so talented & just keeps growing with every photo she takes.  It is crazy to think she has only been taking maternity, baby & family photos for the last year or so!  You can visit her website and blog at www.carrieterrones.com to see more of her great work.  Below are a few of our favorites.

Lastly, we have been hard at work getting the nursery ready for Connor.  We are almost there & I promise to share the photos in the next post.  Until then…… J

Baby Shower Time!

 

This past weekend, I was very blessed to have my family & good friends join me in celebrating the upcoming arrival of Connor with an amazing shower thrown by my Mom & Mother-in-law & Connor’s fantastic Aunts-To-Be. It was an amazing day & I feel so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life!  The special touches from my mom & mother-in-law made the day even more special & I really could not have asked for more.  A very special thank you to Shelly at Canyon Gate Country Club for hosting the yummy brunch, Randi with Naakiti Floral for the AMAZING centerpieces & Stephine for her always delicious cupcakes…it was the icing on the cake!!  And of course thank you for all the wonderful gifts!! Blair and I cannot express our gratitude for everyone’s generosity...Connor is one lucky little boy. 

 My Second Cousins, Molly & Ronda and Great Aunt Gen

 My fabulous Sister-in-Law (also pregnant due in October)

Opening all the great gifts for Connor!

The fabulous centerpeices done by Randi!!  And Connor gets to keep all the fun toys!

The fantastic cupcakes made by Stephine with an assist from my mom & her cricut machine :)

Hopefully more pictures to come...need to compile all the other photos from everyone :)

 

7 1/2 Weeks To Go...Really?

I can’t believe we are only 7 ½ weeks from my due date – it feels like yesterday this whole adventure started!  The last few weeks we have been very busy checking things off our to-do list before Connor arrives.  And that is an update too…we have decided on a name, first name that is – Connor, we think it will fit him perfectly!  We have been cleaning out closets, cleaning out the pantry & the garage to make room for all things baby.  We are making great progress and will be ready to bring Connor home in no time!

Connor is growing bigger & bigger everyday and is looking to be about 4.5 lbs at the moment…on track to be a healthy 7.5 lbs to 8 lbs (keeping my fingers crossed not much more – lol).  I am not sure how much more I can grow, but I guess we will see in the next few weeks.   I am amazed everyday that there is a little person growing inside me & love feeling and watching him move, but I really can’t wait to meet him in person.  If Connor is anything like he is on the inside, we are going to have one active little one on our hands J 

Getting Ready to Walk/Waddle for the Cure - Baby Bump at @ 30 weeks - Begining of May

Time Flies When You Are Having Fun!

Where does the time go?  It has been a crazy past few weeks & I know I am way behind on my posts, so I think a recap post is in order!  What have we been up to you might ask…

Lets start with our trip the last week of March to Daytona Beach, FL!  We both had a little vacation time to use & decided there was no better way to spend those days then with Blair’s Sigma Chi Brothers at their 40^th Chapter Reunion in Daytona Beach.  I also thought it would make for a good “Babymoon” as people like to call it…since this would be the last true vacation we would take just the two of us without planning for our little one.   We really had a great time with Blair’s friends - I loved hearing all the fun old stories & seeing the fraternity house he was initiated at & I got to relax a little too.  I also got to enjoy a few Miami Vice Cocktails on the beach...virgin of course, but tasty none the less. 

At the Sigma Chi 40th Birthday Celebration - Hawaiian Theme of Course!

As soon as we returned from Daytona Beach, we were lucky to have Blair’s mom in for a visit.  During her visit we took her with us for another 3D/4D ultrasound to see how our little one was cooking J  I am not going to lie, he is the cutest most adorable baby boy & we cannot wait to meet him!!  The technology is truly amazing and Ellen loved being able to see how her grandson was growing.  Below are a few of the best pictures….

2D/3D Photos at 26+ Weeks...He is Getting Sooo Big  at 2 1/2 lbs!  We Were Amazed How Detailed the Images Were!!

Finally this weekend, we decided to take a quick trip to Prescott, AZ to see my parents for Easter Weekend.  It was a really nice relaxing weekend - great weather & a delicious Easter dinner with family friends.  Now that the little guys is getting bigger, I can really feel his kicks & flicks and so can everyone else, which was a lot of fun to share with everyone too!  And of course as he grows so do I…below is the latest baby bump picture at 28+ weeks. 

The Ever Growing Baby Bump!

So that should catch everyone up on all the fun we have been having.  The next few weeks are going to be full of projects…as we have a lot to mark off the to-do list before our little guy makes his appearance…and I look forward to sharing our progress!