Everett's Birthday

I had a doctors appointment on Monday July 25th where I was told the midwife would strip my membranes to try and start labor. This was 6 days before my due date. At the appointment that morning the midwife was unable to strip my membranes and I was REALLY disappointed and discouraged. I was huge, sore, unable to walk normally and darn right tired of being pregnant; and most of all, ready to meet my son.
I had asked my midwife about taking castor oil. I did it with Dax and I went into labor 5 hours later. She said there is no evidence that it works and it makes you really sick but that there is no danger associated with taking it. I was desperate at this point so at noon that day I took 4 tablespoons of castor oil. It makes me gag just writing about it. The stuff is NASTY.
After that I tried to take a nap, but I was too anxious. By 3:30 the castor oil was finished it's job and I started having contractions. They came on fast but were mild. They were coming every 3 minutes. I went for a walk and they were still coming. Once I got home the contractions stopped and again, I was disappointed. Kelly had rushed to the grocery store so we would have food for the babysitter to give Dax. I called him and told him to take his time because the contractions stopped.
Fast forward an hour and a half and the contractions started again. My mom made dinner and we all ate together, all the while I'm having semi-painful contractions every 3 minutes.
After dinner I called labor and delivery and they told me to come in since I have a history of fast labors and this was my second baby. We called Ashley, who was going to be watching Dax for us and she rushed to our house. While we were waiting for her to get to the house I started getting nervous that we were cutting it too close. We grabbed our bags and decided to wait outside. As Ashley was pulling into the driveway my water broke and now everyone was panicked: I delivered Dax about 10 minutes after my water broke. My mom ran inside and grabbed a towel and we raced to the hospital. I calmed down once we got in the car because the contractions had slowed down and were not super painful. My mom and Kelly were still really nervous and we got to Kaiser in about 5 minutes!
Once we got to the hospital we went through all the normal triage stuff and then, after 45 minutes, we were taken to our room. I got an IV and met my nurse and midwife and was asking to get into the labor tub. They started filling the tub but didn't want me to get in until they could monitor the baby for a few minutes. He wasn't in distress but wasn't responding to the contractions like they wanted so I was not allowed to get in the tub yet. I was still handling the contractions okay and was feeling in control.
At this point, about 9 PM, the midwife wanted to check to see how I was progressing. I was 5 centimeters and 90% effaced. This sent me into hysterics. I was starting to feel out of control and I couldn't handle the pain anymore. I thought I was nearing the end and I was only a 5! I lost it and starting yelling at everyone to get the anesthesiologist. I know very well that no anesthesiologist is going to give me an epidural (it's too dangerous because of previous back surgery). I wasn't thinking rationally at this point and I was getting really mad that no one was listening to my request for an epidural! Finally my nurse said she could give me some IV medication. It is not safe for the baby to give the drug after the mom is 7 centimeters so the nurse wanted to check me first. She checked and I was 9 centimeters and almost ready to push. This was only 20 minutes later. The midwife came in, massaged the cervix to help me fully dilate, and told me to push with my next contraction. I pushed through 2 contractions, and 4 minutes later, Everett Michael Allred was born at 9:32 PM.
They put him right on my chest and I immediately fell in love. He was absolutely perfect. I was given a few stitches for a small tear. By 9:45 I was nursing; Everett latched on immediately and nursed like a pro. We spent the next few hours holding and staring at our perfect little angel. It was truly a magnificent day.

Announcing...

Everett Michael Allred

July 25, 2011

9:32PM

7 pounds 9 ounces

20 inches

Daxy's Procedure

Dax is still having stomach problems and on Monday we had to take him to John Muir hospital to have a colonoscopy. He had to be put under general anaesthesia but he did great. Everyone at the hospital was really nice and they even let him keep his blanket and stuffed monkey during the procedure. I stayed with him until he was asleep and they brought me into the recovery room before he woke up. He was a perfect patient and was back to his normal self by the afternoon. They are doing a bunch of different biopsy's so we won't have the results for a few weeks.

Almost There

I am officially carrying a full term baby...meaning I WANT HIM OUT! I am not sleeping, I can barely walk, and my back hurts all the time. I am SO excited to meet this little guy and can't wait for the newborn stage again.

I had two baby showers last week. One thrown by my best friend, mom, and grandma and another by a few friends in my mom's group. I have felt very loved! Unfortunately I only have a picture of the breakfast I did with the mom's group but both events were absolutely fabulous.


Dax and I just finished our last day of mommy-and-me swim lessons which was a great distraction before the baby comes. I had a TO-DO list a mile long and thanks to my full fledged nesting instinct, that is all done. Now all I have to do is wait...not a good thing. I'm going to have to find some things to occupy me next week or I might just go crazy. Either that or I could just have the baby!

Daxton's Latest Adventures

Throwing coins in the fountain outside Fenton's Creamery in Oakland.
Enjoying yummy sorbet because he's still allergic to dairy.

At the Alameda County Fair with our playgroup.

With Mommy and Liz, the elephant, at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.
Enjoying a nice cold beverage with Daddy while waiting to see Shouka the whale.
The whole family at the A's game!
Just SO happy that the A's are winning.

Daxton - Dribbling soccer ball in his Raiders Unifo

Grandpa bought Dax a Raiders Jersey. He looked SO cute in it because it's about 12 sizes too big!

Watch the video to see our future soccer player. :)

Movin On

Kelly applied and was accepted to Grad School at Utah State University! He is going to get a Masters of Science in Human Resources (MSHR). I am SO incredibly proud of him! He worked so hard studying for the GMAT, writing essays, and practicing for his interviews.

Life is going to get a little crazy for us. Classes start August 29th and our baby is due August 2nd. This means we will be moving VERY shortly after the baby is born. Even though its going to be insanely busy we are excited to be starting this next chapter in our lives!

My Babies

Dax is 19 months old and as cute as ever. He is still having digestive issues and we are scheduled to see a pediatric GI doctor on Tuesday. He definitely has his moments when I can tell he is not feeling well, but for the most part he is a happy, active little boy.
His new favorite thing right now is trains. Every time we go to a toy store, he beelines for the train table. He also loves running laps around the living room, bouncing back and forth on the couch, doing peg puzzles, reading books, and anything involving water. He is starting to talk a lot. He can tell you what a lion, cat, duck,turkey, cow, and dog say. He points to most of his body parts and is starting to use phrases like, "go get it" and "all done." It is really amazing to me how much he is learning and developing at this age. Everyday he is saying or learning something new! Eating popcorn and watching a movie is a Sunday ritual.
Washing the cars is a big hit with Dax.

He had fun reading books with his Great-Grandma Drena.

As far as my other baby goes, I am 30 weeks pregnant and definitely feeling it. By the end of the day I am tired and sore; probably because I am chasing and carrying a 26 pound toddler. This little fetus is quite the mover and shaker. He is constantly rolling, kicking, punching, and shaking. I have a feeling he is going to be a busy body, just like his brother. We are getting more and more excited to meet this little guy and I constantly day dream about holding a newborn again!

Visit from Cousins

Jared, Paige, Nicholas, and Ryker came to visit last weekend. Dax had a BLAST playing with his cousins.


Dance Central was a hit with the adults and kids!
The kids got to go to the Habitot Museum in Berkley. I had been wanting to go there for a while. It was smaller than I imagined it but the boys all had a good time. Dax's favorite exhibit was the water play area where he succeeded in getting himself wet from head to toe! Above is a picture of the Fire Engine that was also a big hit.

On their last day here, we took a trip to the mall and had lunch at CPK. Grandma was nice enough to get each boy their very own car stroller...Dax LOVES those things!

We love when our cousins come to play!

Celebrate!

It was my Birthday on March 5th. On Friday night we went to Tahoe Joe's with my parents...yum! On Saturday Kelly and I ventured to Roseville and spent the night there. We did some shopping, saw a movie and ate at Olive Garden since we don't have one in Danville. It was nice to get away with just my husband. This was the first time we left Dax; it was perfect to start with one night. Maybe we can work our way up to two or three. :) A big thank you to my parents for watching our little guy. It was a great birthday and everything I wanted it to be. Here's to hoping 24 is a great year for me!I don't know why I looked so pale that night. I guess I need to do some tanning.

It's a...

BOY!!!!! We are so excited to have two boys and that Dax will have a little brother to play with. Having another boy is going to be a lot cheaper too. :)

18 Weeks

This photo was taken today.
This was me at 18 weeks pregnant with Dax.

I am 18 weeks along and feeling great! We go in on Tuesday to find out the gender. I started a poll at the top of my blog so everyone should vote.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Disneyland was SO. MUCH. FUN. Dax and I went with my parents, and my brother and his family. Jared is doing a graduate program at UCLA; he and his wife have season tickets to Disneyland and have been asking us to go with them for a couple years now. Kelly couldn't get off work but I decided to make the trip.
I actually flew to LA on Saturday so I could attend my cousins baby shower and Dax drove down with his Grandpa. I was a little nervous about the two of them driving by themselves but, aside from one urine incident, they did great!


I didn't think Disneyland would be that great because Dax is too young and I'm pregnant and can't go on any of the cool rides. I was totally wrong. It was a blast. Dax was just in awe the whole day. He was a perfect angel and even took a nap in his stroller...something he has NEVER done. We were there right when it opened and didn't leave until after the park closed. It was truly a magical day and I'm so glad we went!




You'll notice that Dax isn't smiling or looking at the camera in ANY of the pictures. He was too busy taking in the sights to pose for pictures!

Dax's Best Friend

Dax and Izzy are best friends. They play for hours together. Their play consists of Izzy finding a toy, Dax ripping it out of her mouth and then Izzy playing tug-o-war to get it back. Izzy is a 15 week old shih tzu. My parents got her when she was 8 weeks old and we all love her!

Allergies

We recently found out Dax is allergic to Dairy and wheat.I love my son so much and feel awful I've been feeding him foods that are making him sick. Then I complain about his fussiness and whining. I feel like I should have figured this out sooner. Lately I have been worrying that there is some sort of damage happening to his insides from 15 months of eating things his body could not handle. Even after 3 weeks with no wheat or dairy I still feel like there is something else going on with him. It is so hard not knowing what is wrong, especially when your kids can't tell you. I can't wait for the day when Dax can tell me if something hurts or is bothering him.

1st Trimester down, 2 more to go

I had the BEST DAY EVER yesterday. I didn't actually do anything fun or exciting BUT, it was the first day in 3 months that I didn't feel like crap! I cleaned our whole house, did all the laundry and made a fantastic dinner. Homemade mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, and baked chicken. For dessert we had homemade brownies. Like I said, I was on a roll yesterday and felt like I finally accomplished something!

Words cannot express how happy and relieved I was when we found out I was pregnant. As many of you know I was told I would most likely be unable to conceive a child without the help of IVF. Once I had my pituitary tumor removed, I got pregnant with Dax right away, but I always knew in the back of my head that it may not happen that quickly again. Well, I was wrong.

This pregnancy has been really tough thus far. When I'm pregnant I get awful, debilitating headaches during the first trimester. It was harder this time around because I was taking care of a 1-year-old and I couldn't lay down and take a nap whenever I wanted. Thank goodness for my wonderful mother and all her help. I don't know how I would have gotten through it without her.

I am TRULY grateful to be pregnant and could not be more excited about having this baby and I'm really glad I'm past the first trimester. relief

#2

Baby Allred #2 will be joining our family at the end of July. I'm about 12 weeks pregnant and we are all very excited!

Back from the Dead

Our holidays were family filled and completely perfect. For Thanksgiving we made the long trek to Star Valley. We split it into 2 days and made it in roughly 16 hours. Dax was VERY surprisingly content in the car. We bought a portable DVD player and that was an absolute LIFESAVER. I don't know how people with kids travel without one. Thanksgiving was wonderful and we enjoyed seeing, Aaron and Gina, and April and Billy. Unfortunately I didn't take too many pictures; we were too busy playing with cousins, playing games and staying up late chatting. It was a wonderful trip and we were so grateful we were able to make it all the way to Wyoming.


We stayed in California for Christmas which was very relaxing. Jared and Paige were in town for 9 days and it was fantastic. We took the kids and rode the BART into San Francisco and did a little shopping. The boys all had a great time together and Dax was very sad to see them go. Christmas was really laid back; we never changed out of our PJ's. Dax was particularly fond of Grandpa that day. In fact, he wanted nothing to do with anyone else. We had a huge Christmas dinner and then went to bed early. We were all tired from playing with our new toys.






I plan on being better about updating this blog so please check back again soon. :)