A C-WHAT?

So, after the last two weeks of trying everything possible to induce labor... including RUNNING on a treadmill and getting odd looks at the gym every day... the contractions keep stopping. They start and hurt for a few hours and then completely stop, dead in their tracks. No baby.

I went to Dr. A on Monday for a routine check and we've got a problem...

It appears Baby Quinn and Mama Aubreigh are not going to be compatible.

It is impossible to tell just how big (or small) Quinn is at this point. He looks to be pretty average (6 or 7 pounds). But, these little hips of mine are still just that... LITTLE. Quinn keeps trying to push his head through that bony pelvis of mine, but he just can't quite make it. I am officially "due" tomorrow... but, it's just not going to happen. If no labor by next Monday we will have to schedule a C-Section. In Dr. A's words, "Dear, next week I think we are going to have a heart-to-heart." YIKES!

So, the blessing date for March 21st is cancelled... looks like Mama will still be in the hosptial. But, I am so grateful for a healthy boy. Who knows... if this baby comes out and is 10 pounds, I will shock the world! Biggest bummer of it all: C-sections limit the amount of kids a woman can have. But, nothing is set in stone... it is just a 95% chance I will need one ;)

Stroller for Sale!

Did you know not all carseats fit in all cars? Either did I... until today. In my efforts to procrastinate the day when my backseat permanently became babyland, I avoided putting my carseat in the back of my car until the last possible minute. Yes, days before my due date. I was completely heartbroken to discover my 2001 Camry does not hold the car seat/base. So, off to the store for yet another unplanned baby purchase (they aren't kidding when they say babies are far more expensive than you'd think). A new carseat means new stroller. So, pass it along!

Stroller - $60

Car Seat - $20

(They are matching and gender neutral)

Here are the stroller stats:

-Locked front wheel for safety and ease of jogging/running
-Safety strap attaches to runner
-3 point harness for child/baby
-Durable black & grey fabric is fashionable and easy to clean
-Large undercarriage bin for storage
-2 cup holders and tray for mom/dad
-Seat reclines or sits high
-Large foot rest for child
-Hand brake and foot brake system
-All wheels remove easily
-All wheels are actual bike tires, no flats & a smooth ride!
-Standing storage & folds small

Here is the stroller for sale...

A little more about the name...

Quinn will be the first boy to carry on the Parks' name. We decided to use a family name for his middle name. I left it up to Matt to decide. We had narrowed it down to Matthew or Mel... he picked Mel (after Matt's grandpa - Hal's dad).

Here is a copy of the card we sent to Grandma Parks announcing the name... (click to make it bigger to read it)

By the way...

Yes, I know... I am blogging failure! But, after threatening from many of my dear friends and the reminder that I can use this as an excuse for journaling, I am back again. A few things to update you on...

10. Matt survived surgery and we lost the tournament in softball... no trophy this year. Don't worry though, we will be back in April after this baby comes out!

9. I stopped puking around the clock around 7 months. I felt really good until just a few weeks ago and now I am nauseated in the morning and at night again... but really, I can't complain!

8. A terrible thing happened as I went back to work in the ICU... I started really liking it :) I can't believe I have been there for a year now. The team I work with is so talented and so kind. It is the best nursing job I could ever have asked for! I don't know how often I will be able to work after the baby is born and I just took my 3 month maternity leave this week :(

7. Tutoring Connection/Fabulous Living is surviving the recession... how? I don't know. But, we are and I can't complain. How lucky am I to run a women-friendly business where I can bring my baby to work! Love it!

6. I got called to serve as the secretary in the Stake Relief Society... it is so exciting to work with such inspiring, strong women. I love the calling and have a new-found appreciation for all the details, thoughts and preparation required to run such a large organization. I am so grateful for the Relief Society and the blessings women receive through it. It is truly an inspired organization of God. I have already learned so much in my calling and continue to learn more each week!

5. I went to Arizona for a baby shower and it was so fun to see so many friends and family! Of course as Murphy himself would have it... half of the invitations got lost and none of Matt's family or my friends knew they were invited! But, the shower was absolutely beautiful and perfect and I loved every minute of it!

4. A few friends threw a baby shower for me here in Provo. It was so fun to party with a bunch of friends and family. We had a great turn out and I so appreciate the love and support I have here in my Utah home :)

3. Matt is busy interviewing for jobs and finishing his Capstone semester... he will graduate this April with a bachelor’s in Business Management: Finance & Banking and has already completed his Business Spanish Translation licensure through the University of Spain. His Capstone is CRAZY busy and very stressful (the class is ranked and the bottom 15 or so will not graduate... my hubby is leading the top of the class, good job hun!).

2. I have been busy making preparations for the baby. I got a sewing machine from my mom when I graduated and refuse to sew with a pattern but love to pretend I am a pro (really I just don't know how to use a pattern, so I wing it). I have made lots of things for the nursery and baby including:

The baby blanket (that can't even go in the crib due to SIDS) and refinished the futon I found on KSL Classifieds...

Refinished the rocking chair my mom rocked all four kids in...Car seat blanket/coverlet...Refinished the $15 garage sale changing table...

Antiqued the wooden letters to spell the baby's name...
Travel wipes container...
Set up the pack-and-play (we don't know where we will be after graduation and figured we had better wait on the whole nursery set until we know) and nursery...
1. By the way, I see I have yet to tell the world... we're having a BOY! His full name will be Quinnton Mel Parks (we'll call him Quinn). The contractions are becoming more painful and regular... a good sign that baby Quinn is trying to come before his mommy goes crazy! But, as of last Wednesday (37 weeks) I am 75% effaced and 1/2 a cm dilated. Yes, I know what that means... 1/2 a cm dilated means the doctor didn't have the heart to tell you that you're not dilated at all. Looks like this baby might make it all the way to 40 weeks. This baby carries like a men's size basketball... straight out and down low. We are so excited for Quinn to join our team. I hear the first 2 months are torturous, but we'll survive :) I will post pictures of the delivery (no, not the gross parts) as soon as I am home from the hospital, conscious and not nursing :)

Puking and Hospitals

The tiny room we called home for 2 days. Matt was quite popular... thanks guys for visiting! (Mark & Violet. Kendra, Nathan & Baby James. Amber & Sean.)

All smiles, as usual! Isn't he cute with the oxygen on and IV going? He didn't trust anything I said all night and would ask the nurse or doctor as soon as they came in. Silly boy! He was OBSESSED with eating and asked the nurse 10 or so times within the first 20 minutes after surgery when he could eat and have a Jamba Juice!

Sweet baby James Manwaring! Went to his blessing on Sunday. He helps me remember why I am crazy enough to endure all the puking. Thanks Kendra for sharing him with me... and thanks again for the delicious meal in the hospital!

Here is a quick update...

The Zofran stopped working for me. In fact, I am probably sicker than I have been before... I didn't keep anything down for 48 hours, and puke like clockwork, every hour. It very well may have something to do with serious sleep deprivation from last week's event and my barf-tolerance beginning to fade. I am finally in my 14th week and into the "safe zone", so as soon as the "all-day" sickness wants to leave, I am ready! Dr. Anderson kindly gave me a new prescription, Phenergan, which seems to be working. No barf in 18 hours makes me a happy woman! But, the darn medicine makes me so tired I literally fell asleep in between every single bite of oatmeal this morning. :)

Matt is one organ short now, thanks to the lovely event that took place last week! I think part of him was afraid to complain of how badly he felt when his wife had permanently staked claim next to the toilet for the last 2 months. But, when I walked into the living room and saw him literally rolling on the floor in pain, I figured we had no choice but to get him to the ER, quickly. So, off we went... me in my barf-encrusted PJs at 1:00pm and Matt, stark white, in some serious pain. They scooped him straight back into surgery after the CT came back with the obvious... Appendicitis. We spent the next 2 days in the hospital where I uncomfortably slept with my growning belly hanging off the side of his bed, Matt sprawled out and zonked from the narcotics. I can assure you it takes some serious love and devotion to "snuggle" up next to an unshowered, drugged up hubby when all you want to do is barf! I had to literally FORCE him to stay home from work the next day. Two days later, after a painful morning for him, I found him sneaking off to work... the guy won't sit still! Thank goodness for doctors... I had to specifically ask the doctor to ban Matt from our softball games for 2 weeks to avoid engaging in the battle and a Matt developing a hernia through his inscisions! Haha... he is doing great now and counting down the days until he can finally flex his stomach again!

Oh Baby!

Breaking news... Team Parks has drafted a brand new player. The contracts are in the works, but here are the stats.

Expected date of "contraction": March 10th

Gender: Unknown for another 8 or 9 weeks

Weeks in contract: 11 1/2

Weakness: Makes mom VERY morning sick

Strength: Doctor claims baby is an expert wiggler

Biggest fans: Ashlyn and Amber Tucker (Aub's sisters)

I thought I would update you all on the pregnancy... I had my first doctor's appointment on Monday with Dr. Anderson. I did some serious research before picking a doctor. Many of the doctors here in Provo have a bad reputation for treating women like products in a birth factory. Matt and I are both VERY impressed with the doctor. He is very well recognized both for his clincal skills and his bedside manner.

Dr. Anderson did an ultrasound in the office and determined the baby is very healthy and very wiggly! The baby is moving like crazy... legs kicking, arms flailing (although I can't say I feel it yet). Matt has already determined the baby has my "can't-sit-still" personality. The baby is measuring a week bigger than what the conception chart says. While I am 11 weeks, the baby is measuring 12. My due date is still set for March 10th, although it might get changed after my 20-week ultrasound. Seeing that cute little baby and hearing the heartbeat was one of the coolest experiences I think I have ever had. For the first time it really hit me that it really is a baby growing inside me, not a parasite. I instantly felt the "mother-bear," "baby-protector," "I'm-a-mommy" feelings surge through me. Matt was so excited to see the baby on the screen, he couldn't help but smile all day. What a neat experience!

The morning sickness -- it is getting better, but definitely not gone. I have been taking a high dose anti-nausea pill originally created for cancer patients... aka, Zofran. The drug is outrageously expensive and very few insurance companies will cover it, but Dr. Anderson, knowing I work in the ICU, got me the goods for a very affordable price. I can assure you I will never get pregnant without full access to Zofran again! I am now able to put on pants and mascara for the first time in a month... and Matt only has to wake up once during the night to feed me, instead of every hour. I will take the major headaches (side effect) over the extreme barfing events.

I am hoping to return to work in the ICU within the next 2 weeks (I have been way too sick to work there for the last month). All in all baby and I are healthy and growing. I have already gained 7 pounds... which is very good news! My belly keeps expanding, and my bladder continues to "shrink". People keep telling me the extreme exhaustion will depart for phase 2, but that's hard to believe. I should only have 2 more weeks of barfing and only 8 or 9 weeks until we know if its a boy or a girl. We will keep you posted!

10 Things That Came to Pass...

So, here is the cliff notes version of what has happened over the last month.

10. Aubreigh graduated with honors from BYU. Finally!

9. Matt finished his semester successfully and started his GMAT class.

8. Aubreigh cut 8 inches of her hair off, courtesy of Amber. Thanks, sis!

7. Went to Las Vegas for a short weekend trip with the Williams. Went to a timeshare presentation only to say "NO" and receive show tickets to Circus du Solei - Mystere.

6. Decided never to return to Vegas.

5. Aubreigh got a job at Mountain View Hospital in the ICU where she will work two days a week.

4. Aubreigh helped open up the Tutoring Connection's sister company - Fabulous Living. See the new website at www.FabulousLiving.net!

3. Matt got a job title upgrade and pay raise. Great job, honey!

2. Went camping at Burraston Ponds. Michelle and I giggled like little high school girls. Hey, why not!

1. FISHING! Whooooo hooo!

(pictures to come!)