Tanner's Birth Story

I'm sorry for neglecting our little corner of the internet, but that's just about how exciting our life is. Haha. That is, until we had a baby! Tanner William Larsen was born on November 18, 2014 at 5:02 a.m. weighing 6 pounds, 6 oz and was 19.5 inches long. If you remember, my due date was December 2, so he was exactly 2 weeks early and quite the surprise.
Sunday, November 16th was a pretty normal day. This was the day of the Phoenix Temple dedication , so there were no regular meetings, just the dedication.  Later that afternoon, brennen and i went for a long walk at the nature preserve near our home. That next morning,  around 1 am, I started having some cramping in my abdomen. I wasn't really worried about it and didn't think much of it until it stared coming and going and keeping me awake. They weren't super bad, but they didn't go away, were lasting about 30 seconds and we're 7 to 10 minutes apart. I called my work to let them know I wouldn't be able to make it in, and spent the day timing contractions. All day I had no change in the frequency or duration,  so I just figured I would go to my doctor's appointment the next morning and ask about it. Since I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, we headed to bed around 9. About 10 minutes after I laid down, my contractions got worse and closer together. I monitored them for about 10 minutes.  They were about 30 to 45 seconds long and 3 minutes apart. We decided to head to the hospital so they could check me out. When we got there, they monitored my contractions for about an hour and then checked my cervix. I was 100% effaced and dilated to a 4! The nurse called my doctor and I was admitted around 10:30. I received that blessed epidural at 11:30 and they checked me again. I was dilated to a 6! They told me to get some rest (haha, ya right!) and left us alone for a while. At 2 am, the doctor came in and checked me again. I was still at a 6, so she broke my water and propped my leg up on th e peanut ball. If you have never heard of the peanut ball, it's exactly that. It looks like an exercise or yoga ball that got cinched in the middle. It seems silly, but 20 minutes later, I was fully dilated and started pushing at 2:30. Let me just say this: pushing is hard. Especially when you can feel nothing down below. About an hour and a half into pushing, I started to feel some pain in my right hip. Basically for some reason the epidural stopped working in that part of my body and i could feel every. Single. Contraction. It was no fun. I told my nurse, but she just acted like I was crazy and had me keep pushing. So, I used it to my advantage. I could actually feel when I needed to push, and it wasn't when she was telling me to, and after that, it actually went a lot faster. Tanner arrived at 5:02 am, and the rest is history!  Childbirth is no joke. It was as hard as I expected it to be, and my labor was actually not as bad or as long as I expected, but it was still hard and totally worth it.

Ketchup

Oh. My. Gosh. Has it really been 7 weeks since my last post? You guys, I'm terrible at this stuff. Terrible. Well anyways, if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you pretty much know what's going on in my life. Nothing. Bit, since it's been a while, here's an update.

Baby Larsen ' s 20 week stats:
Size: about 6-7 inches, about the size of a mango or small cantaloupe.
Weight: a little over half a pound- about 10 oz
Gender: it's a BOY!
Movement: little dude's a freaking acrobat! He was trying to do backwards summersaults and was standing on his head the whole time at our last ultrasound! The tech was not impressed. He is constantly wiggling and moving around.  I can especially feel him when I'm trying to go to sleep because I am so still. The other night he kicked so hard I could see it from the outside! I tried to let Brennen feel it,  but then he stopped because I moved.
Cravings: food in general. I just seem to be always wanting something to eat. I gained 9 pounds in 6 weeks, and it definitely wasn't all baby!  So I'm trying to cut back on my portion sizes and not eat when I'm bored because the more weight I put on, the more I get to take of again after he comes. Don't worry, I'm not starving myself or anything,  just stopping when I'm full.
Weight gain: since we're on the subject...I'm like 114 right now. Thats 12 lbs more than my previous pregnancy weight. I'm packing on, and it's scary because I've never been able to gain weight before and now there's nothing I can do about it until he comes. I dont know how easily it will come off, so I'm trying to not gain any more than I absolutely have to.
Sleep: getting more and more uncomfortable since now I can't sleep on my back anymore. Sleeping on my side is getting pretty old. I will be fine until about 4 a.m. and then I only get little snippets of sleep.

We are so excited to be having a little boy! For a while I was 99% sure it was a boy. I didn't even think about having a girl. Well, turns out mother's intuition was right! He is most definitely a boy! since I became pregnant, my desire for shopping has really lessened.  But once I found out the gender,  that desire came back with a vengance! I've already got a few outfits, plus a bouncer and baby carrier from a lady in my ward. Our next door neighbors have a little boy about 2,  and they are moving to Puerto Rico for graduate school and have offered to give me a ton of stuff they can't take with them. We are so blessed to have people around us that can help us out! Ok, enough words, time for pictures!

13 Weeks

How have 13 weeks gone by already!? Thank goodness they are now flying by instead of dragging! As you all now know, we let loose on social media a few days ago, and the love and support we recieved was overwhelming! We are so blessed to have such awesome friends and family and this baby will be so so loved.

So, I stopped doing week-by-week posts because lets face it, things aren't changing that quickly. But I promise to update regularly on here to keep interested friends and family in-the-know. I don't plan on posting much to facrbook, so make sure to follow my blog and instagram (@gandbplusone) for updates and baby bump pictures. And, without further adieu, here are baby Larsen's 13 week stats:

Gestational age: 13 weeks 2 days
Size: 3 inches, the size of a lemon.
Heart rate: about 145 bpm
Gender: unknown (but we're pretty sure it's a boy!)
Growth: all of baby's internal organs are formed, just growing bigger and stronger! Boy/Girl parts are not formed yet, but wil in the next few weeks. Baby has hands and toes, and is even starting to grow hair!
Movement: none that I can feel, but from the ultrasound, baby loves to dance!

I still have been super lucky with this pregnancy in that I've had no morning sickness whatsoever. However, when I hit 12 weeks, I came down with the upper respiratory infection to end all respiratory infections. I'm still trying to get over that one. And it stinks because 1) you can't really take anything for it and 2) nothing has ever been able to blast through my cold-like symptoms. So pregnant or not, I have have to plow through and hope it ends soon. My cravings have shifted from fresh fruits and veggies to freshly fried chicken and other insanely unhealthy things. Its bad that there's a Popeye's right across the street from my work. They have the best fried chicken. This week my goal is to not eat out at all for lunch. But sometimes I literally forget to bring a lunch, so that plan goes out the window, and fried chicken it is. You're welcome, baby. Ok, enough words, time for pictures! We had our nuchal translucency ultrasound a few days ago, and the tech was able to get some really amazing shots for us. At first baby was wild moving around so much! Then when she needed to see the back of its neck, it stopped moving and just sat there with its back to us and wouldn't move! She would wiggle the wand thing around on my belly and made me lay on my side so she could see what she needed to! Then, of course, when we were done it started dancing again! Little bugger!

A little peek

Sent this picture to my mom with this caption:
"Not sure if food baby, or if I really have nowhere to put it.  Actually, I know exactly what it is. My grapefruit-sized uterus is pushing all my intestines upwards...baby is doing that...therefore, baby bump!"

9 weeks

Baby is the size of a prune! Hoping this week is not too hard for me. I have a feeling that I'm going to be a little more exhausted since baby is DOUBLING in size this week! His/her little arms and legs are growing and he/she is beginning to look less like a tadpole and more like a human! Ultrasound revealed a strong heartbeat at 168 bpm! We go in for our next appointment and another ultrasound at the end of this month, and we'll probably break the news to everyone on social media.
Morning Sickness: still hasn't really been an issue. When I'm hungry my stomach will just skip "inform mode" and go directly to "survival mode." Sometimes I will get indigestion, but it doesn't usually result in nausea.
Cravings: still fresh foods. Fruits and veggies. Loving fruit filled pastries, especiay for breakfast. Pop-tarts ans Toaster Strudels are the best. I'm also eating more cold cereal (which I guess a lot of pregnant women crave) and a tall glass of ice-cold 2%. Oh, and I got new vitamins that don't make me gag!
Showing: same as last week, but worse. Sometimes I get bloated and it sorta looks like a baby bump, and usually I just tell myself it is, haha.
Signs & Symptoms: mostly exhaustion. All I want to do is sleep. Last week B and I walked around the mall while we were waiting for our movie to start and my feet swelled up. I get really gassy when I eat too fast, and hormones make me mean and grumpy. Oh, I had to go buy bigger bras, too. I have no motivation to do anything. That is anything but sleep and sit around watching HGTV and F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Today I was supposed to go grocery shopping after check g the mail and dropping off the outgoing mail at our office, but I turned around and went home to watch two episodes of Bones instead. I have become such a homebody. I don't know, maybe it's nesting? I am still sleeping really well, except I keep having dreams of twin girls (when clearly, there is only one baby in there thank goodness) and last night I had a dream that B died a few months after we got married. I'm pretty sure I was crying in my sleep with that one.
I am still working my bum off at le plasma centre, but I'm getting really sick of it. I'm tempted just to quit and go on medicaid, but then I'd have to get an Arizona I.D. and then I'd have to change the plates on my car (which would never pass inspection or emissions) and then I'd have to buy a new car, which I can't afford because we still owe lots on our new one. So basically I'm too lazy to quit my job and let the government take care of me, haha. Well enough about all that, here's a picture of baby #1 at 8 weeks and 2 days!

8 Weeks

Baby is the size of a raspberry! I can't believe we have known about this baby for a whole month! When I look back it feels like time has gone by so quickly, but when I am waiting for one more week to pass, time seems slower that a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter. And why is the size of a baby always compared to fruit? Why not "baby is the size of a thimble?" Anyways. Lets see. What can I tell you about? Morning Sickness: nope. None. I must be really really lucky because I have had zero morning sickness. In fact, I wasn't even sure I really was pregnant. But we went to the doctor on Thursday and she didn't say I wasn't pregnant, so I will take that as a good sign. Occasionally I will start to feel icky around dinner time, but usually I just need to eat and then I feel better.  The only things hard for me to stomach are my prenatal vitamins. I always gag. Cravings: mostly anything fresh. Fresh veggies are my fave right now, whether raw or steamed. All I want to eat is raw carrots and ranch. Fruits are delicious too. Green apples and green grapes hit the spot, and I've been downing more strawberries too. Brennen got me a little smoothie blender as an anniversary gift so I can make all kinds of good things. I'm not a huge fan of bread anymore. I will eat it though, especially with some peanut butter. I do not like overly sweet things. I bought a bunch of ginger ale to help with queasiness, but it only makes it worse.
Showing? Eh. I just look like I'm getting fatter. You know, like I ate 19 too many cookies. My pants are getting tighter around the waist.
Sleep: starting to have weird dreams, but sleeping really well. Probaby because I'm exhausted all the time. I usually take a nap if I can, but then I'm still in bed by 9.
Well, this week we get a peek at our little one, so I will keep you updated on that!

The Day that Changed Our Lives Forever

March 26, 2014

                You might have guessed it already, but in case you couldn’t figure out my riddle, I’ll just tell you.  We’re PREGNANT! AH!! I had to write all this down so that I remembered and because writing is such a good outlet for me to get things off my chest and think through problems and stuff.  So yeah.  We’re going to be parents…Let me tell you how I found out, how I broke the news to the hubby, and everything else about this crazy, wonderful day!

                It all started probably last week sometime.  So let’s rewind to then.  It sounds weird, but one day I was just like, “Hey. My boobs look bigger.” And I didn’t really think anything of it because I can be crazy sometimes.  Maybe I’m just finally hitting puberty in that area?? Eh, whatever.  But I won’t lie.  Deep down there was a teeny-tiny seed of home that it might have to do with a little alien growing inside me, but I knew that those chances were slim.  Fast forward to Monday, three days ago.  It was so, so, so hard to get out of bed for work that morning.  I don’t know if I had just gotten to bed late, but man.  Then when I got to work I was still just exhausted.  Tuesday was a little better in the amount-of-sleep department, and I even was able to wake up decently coherent.  But then when I got to work…Bam.  Exhaustion hit again.  That was weird.  But I just chalked it up to waking up early.  That night I ended up dozing off around 8:30 because I literally could not keep my eyes open.  I woke up early again this morning  (around 5:30) and the experience was similar to yesterday.  At least it wasn’t a struggle to get out of bed.  I thought today should be better due to going to bed about 2 hours earlier than normal, but again as I got to work, the exhaustion hit.  I could have fallen asleep anywhere if I just closed my eyes long enough.  I thought it was strange that I had gotten so much sleep and was still so tired.  That, along with some odd cramping in my pelvis and an aversion to food after gorging myself on potato chips two days in a row after work, propelled me in the direction of a pee-on-a-stick pregnancy test.  After all, they are the easiest test to take.  So when I got home, I did it.  I peed on that stick.  And I waited.  I will admit that I watched while I washed my hands.  I watched, and that 2^nd little blue line showed up ever so faintly, and my heart started to pound like it wanted to escape!  I decided to step away, and give the test the 2 minutes like it said, and then see.  I was shaking so bad, I could hardly check Facebook or Instagram on my phone to kill the time!  All I could think was “This can’t be happening!  This isn’t happening!”  After a grueling 2 or so minutes, I went back to check.  Sure as day, there was that 2^nd blue line—although a LOT more bold now.  I could hardly believe it.  All I could say was “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh” and “is this real life?” and I had to keep checking the test to make sure I was reading it right.  My next thought was “How am I going to tell Brennen? How is he going to react?”

 I have been thinking about this for a while because, when you’re bored, what else do you think about?  I had seen something on Pinterest that was just really simple and cute so I decided that would be the best route to go.  I left the test on the counter and made a card that said “Brennen” on the front.  On the inside it said “I’m ‘POSITIVE’ you will be a fantastic daddy!” –Yeah, that whole “positive” thing was my idea, not Pinterest.  I felt pretty proud.  The card looked awful because my hands were still shaking and copious amounts of adrenaline were coursing through my body.  I didn’t know when he would be home and I wanted him to know ASAP, so it was going to have to do.  After a few minutes of letting the shock subside, I decided I needed to go walk it off, so I went to check the mail.  That helped tremendously, and I was able to make a new card that actually looked decent.  I set the card up on the counter like a tent and put the test underneath.  And then I waited. 

When he finally came home from school, my heart started pounding again and it was so hard not to keep a straight face.  I was tripping over my words, I was so nervous.  I knew it wouldn’t be long before he headed to the bathroom, but it seemed like it took forever.  When he finally did go in, I followed, and stood outside waiting to see what his reaction would be.  I will tell now that it has been one of my biggest fears that when I tell him that I’m pregnant he will be upset, or angry because he doesn’t think it’s the right time or something like that.  Well, he wasn’t angry or upset, but more in shock like I was.  It was actually rather awkward.  We talked about how neither of us was expecting it, how shocked we were, and how scared we were.  We also talked about how we’ve been married long enough it was probably time to start a family. 

For me, I put it in the Lord’s hands.  I felt like it was the right time, but I wanted Brennen to be sure, so I just prayed that I would have faith in the Lord’s timing.  Now I pray for the same thing, but in a whole new light!  Now that it’s been a few hours and the reality has started to sink in, I feel excited, happy, terrified, unbelieving and all sorts of crazy emotions all at once!  I am happy and excited because apparently it’s time for us to start this journey and I have faith in the Lord’s plan for me.  I am terrified because I don’t know what this pregnancy will be like, how it will affect my body/emotions.  And I’m also terrified of actually being responsible for the life of another human being—other than my husband.  How are we going to afford a baby? I am unbelieving because this is too good to be true.  I can’t really be pregnant, can I? It all feels so surreal.  I feel like I’m almost in denial about the whole thing.  But then I dig that test out of the garbage and there’s my proof.  Two bold blue lines.