Happy Little Henry

I survived pregnancy and childbirth and I have came out on the other side with an adorable little boy named Henry. Labor was long.  I was in the hospital for 28 hours before Henry was born. I had to be induced because our little boy wasn't moving much and I was past due.  I took a pill (not an IV of pitocin) to induce labor and remained medication free for 10 hours.  At that point I caved and got an epidural.  Yes, I hear you all saying "I told you so."  I was still hours away from delivery and I couldn't sit still long enough for the nurses to get a good read on Henry's heartbeat (which kept falling during labor).  In an emotional ball of tears my midwife and I decided it was time to get an epidural.  By the time the wonderful man with the medication came I was vomiting from the pain.  I won't lie after writhing in pain and puking as I went through my medical history with the anesthesiologist the epidural was amazing.  

When it was time to push we cut off the epidural so I kind of got to experience a little of what natural birth is like.  I have to say, it was phenomenal.  It was hands down the most amazing experience of our lives.  Jason wasn't really sure how he was going to react to labor but when the time came he got totally into it.  Almost too into it, like umm Jason I am up here.  And I knew I was close when Jason went from saying "Good job baby" to screaming "Push Jaime, push Jaime."  After choice expression (which I will not type because this blog is G rated), a yell and one massive push our entire life changed.  Seeing our tiny, baby born was the most defining moment of our entire relationship.  I have never experienced anything as exhilarating as holding our new born son.  

Thanks to my awesome midwife and a gallon of olive oil I am recovering well (I will spare you any other details).  Breast feeding is going great.  Henry is sleeping well, eating well and is generally a happy baby.  All in all we are a content little family and are thrilled to have Henry join us. 

Here is a video of Henry.  I realize at this age he doesn't do anything to exciting but personally I find his yawn irresistibly adorable.  Also, I love the fact that Henry spends the first few seconds looking at me with this look that says "I don't know about this camera in my face business."  To which mommy said "Get used to it kid, all your extended family lives out of state." 

Yawn from Jaime Barks on Vimeo.

PS.  Who won the guessing game about when Henry would be born?  No one.  Despite all the people who participated no one guessed July 2nd. Looks like Henry is going to be his own man. 

The Newest Arrival to the Barks Family!

No, Jaime is not blogging from the hospital bed. This is Cassie and I've hijacked the blog to bring to you a very special introduction.

Meet Henry Elliot Barks.

He arrived on July 2, 2009 at 12:50 am weighing in at 7lbs 12oz and measuring 20 in. And my goodness, I think he has stolen the hearts of family and friends alike. He is a handsome boy and the pictures do not do him justice.

Jaime and Jason were, and are, amazing by the way. There is no doubt they will be included among the list of the most incredible parents we are blessed to know.

And now for your viewing pleasure:

Congrats you guys! He is an amazing little man and the perfect addition to your family!

Don't Stop Believing . . . .

Today is my official "due date" and I am still pregnant. Despite two months of "pre-term labor" I have yet to have a child. Even my midwife is surprised.  It is torture.  Jason and I both were certain that we would be holding our little one by now.  Instead of snuggling my baby, I am going to work.  Sigh.  To celebrate my 40 weeks of pregnancy I would like to share with you a clip of Adam, Kevin and Jason rocking Journey on Rock Band.  A good Journey cover can make even the grumpiest pregnancy person laugh.  Thanks guys. 

Reflections on Pregnancy: Pre-Mommyhood

It is official, I am going to be a mom. Despite months of preparation - we have a plethora of baby items thanks to our awesome friends and family - I still feel unprepared.  I just don't think you can truly prepare yourself mentally for what a huge, life altering change becoming a parent is going to be.  Jason and I have tried to get ready, but the conversations tend to just be single sentence statements such as . . . "whoa, we are going to have a baby" followed by a contemplative silence.  No matter how much one reads, there is no way to really prepare for what is about to happen.  I feel we are prepared for labor and delvery but I am talking about once all the excitment is gone and we are sent home all alone with an infant to care for.  I had a dream a while back where I kept asking the nurse "are you sure you want to send that baby home with us? We know nothing about children, maybe this has been one bug giant mistake."  Truthfully that is how I feel, more than once in the past month have I questioned my sanity.  Why did I think that having a baby was a good idea? I realize I sound awful.  Maybe I am the only "would be" parent to think like this.  If that is the case this little one might be screwed from birth.

As for the pregnancy its self.  It was WAY more than I bargained for (hope I don't feel this way about the baby).  I entered into in it blindly.  In my ignorance I thought it was going to be about a cute belly, ice cream and pickles.  I never imagined what a tole it takes on your body to grow a baby.  I didn't account for the fatigue, the back aches, the mood swings, the swelling, the nausea and the constant need to urinate.  Those of you without children, consider this your warning.  Pregnancy is not easy - this is why there is birth control.  You don't get to really enjoy the "look at me and belly stage" until you are at the end. By this point in pregnancy you will find yourself wanting to hit the stranger who says "oh you are sooo cute."  I want to scream "Cute! Have you seen my cankles?"  Although, my big belly does occasionally bring me joy.  There are sweet moments like the little girl over the weekend that stared at me for a few moments and then declared "I bet your having a baby!"  She was entirely to cute to cuss at. 

I suppose you could sum up my current mood with a conversation Jason and I had this morning. 

Jason: "My wife is a prickly pear."

Jaime: "Do you want this prickly pear to punch you in the face?"

Jason:  "and that is exactly what I am talking about." 

Jaime:  *Rolls eyes in the most obnoxious fashion and goes back to checking her email.*

He claims I should be nice to my husband who has been taking care of me.  He has been good to me.  However, I use all my niceness up on friends, co-workers and the general public. I have a feeling that Jason is just going to have to get used to grumpy Jaime, she will be here until the baby is born (and possibly a few weeks after).

The bets are in . . .

Before I get to our little guessing game . . . . I wanted to post a picture from our photo shoot with the awesome Cassie Williams! You can't doubt her talent because she made a pregnant person look pretty, not like the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man (which is what I feel like). Please check out Cassie's blog!

Thanks to everyone who has taken a guess at when our little one will arrive. Below is the updated list. There are still a few days open if you want to get in on the fun. You can post a comment with your guess!

June 5 - Brad

June 6 - Dana

June 7 - Misty

June 8 - Cynthia

June 9 - Cassie
June 10 - Teresa
June 11 - Ben
June 12 - Jenn
June 13 - Jessica
June 14 - Mark
June 15 - Karen

June 16 - Amber
June 17 - Jeremy

June 18 - Janine

June 20 - Jess

June 21 - Bekah
June 22 - Arron

June 23 - Kate

June 24 - Amanda

June 25 - Kayla
June 26 - Sherry

June 27 - Jerry

June 28 - Matt C.

June 30 - Susan
July 1 - Gail

July 4 - Jenny

Place a bet!

I am currently a ticking time bomb - baby could come at any time during the next few weeks!  I am not going to be induced, we are just going to wait and see when he decides to come.   If you would like to guess the baby's arrival date please do so in the comments of this post.  If you get it right we will send you a special gift.  Who doesn't love a special surprise? One guess per date please. My "due date" is June 26th.