Introducing Codi Eugene Lucas!!!

HE IS HERE!!!

I cannot believe that I am actually writing a post about the little guy we have all been waiting for! I would like to introduce you all to Mr. Codi Eugene Lucas who came into the world on August 6, 2011 at 11:22 am weighing 6 lbs 11 oz and measuring in at 19 1/4 inches.

Many of you know that Codi was not due until August 18th and we were ALL surprised at how early he arrived. I was actually diagnosed with preeclampsia on August 5th after some blood tests were run on the 4th because of me complaining of mild head aches. My midwife was amazing through my whole pregnancy and always wanted to make sure we covered all of our bases. If she hadn't ordered the blood work just to "cover our backsides" as she said, my preeclampsia may have gotten worse. Thankfully we caught it right at the beginning and it really was not a big deal. However, the only cure to preeclampsia is to deliver the baby and so at 2:00 pm on Friday the 5th, we got the news that I was going to be induced.

My amazing family and friends all showed up within just a few hours, and for the first 12 hours after being induced we were hanging out in the labor and delivery room resting and just having a good time. It was slightly discouraging to find out that after 12 hours of being on Pitocin (the drug used to induce me) and being on the highest dose that I was only dilated to 1.5 cm...HORRIBLE! I had to make it to 10 cm before I could meet my new little guy! So at about 3 am they broke my water and things began to roll! At that point I was given an epidural and we played the waiting game once again. Next thing I knew I was dilated to 5 cm and then 9.5 cm! I was literally woken up from sleeping and told that I was going to have this baby and that I needed to start pushing! The doctor told me that it would probably take me at least 1-3 hours of pushing since I was a new mom so I needed to really rest between contractions. You know what I said to that..."Not me, my baby is special." I SAID THAT...TO THE DOCTOR! My baby is special! Really! But boy did I prove to be right! After only 30 minutes of pushing Codi Lucas came into the world, happy and healthy! My Mom, sister, and Calen were there to cheer me on and it was such an amazing moment. I have to say, it was all a WHOLE lot easier than I ever expected. Thank you modern medicine!

So we stayed in the hospital from Friday to Monday in order for them to monitor my preeclampsia and were blessed to have outstanding nurses checking in on us. For those of you who have Kaiser insurance, know that you are in good hands. I have felt truly blessed by each of the ladies and gentlemen who worked with us in the hospital. We were also blessed to have our own room for 90% of our stay. Calen even got his own bed to sleep in! We were happy campers for sure! Not only did we enjoy the privacy of our own room, but the space allowed for us to have multiple visitors at a time which was awesome! Our room was a constant Codi party!

So now we have been home for 13 days and boy what an adventure we have been on! I have already been peed on and spit up on multiple times, and we have come to learn that Codi is one of the most smelly babies of ALL TIME! Seriously...he is one stinky tooter! We have gone through many firsts: His first sponge bath, his first trip to Balboa Park, his first trip to Liberty Station, his first poop (yes...that was disgusting!,) his first trip to the beach, his first bath, his first manicure, his first time taking a nap in his crib. You get the idea.

We are having a fun time learning about this little tike and exploring what life is going to be like for us from now on. We have had emotional ups and downs and I am SO thankful for supportive friends and family. We know that this is a long and winding, never ending road ahead of us and we appreciate your full support and understanding as we figure life out. We are going to need a lot of time and space, but also encouraging visits and supportive conversations. We would love for you all to meet Codi, but we also need our family time, so if you would like to stop by PLEASE let us know so we can schedule you in and work around Mr. Codi's schedule.

Just in case you haven't seen enough of his sweet face, Crystal Pridmore of Pridmoria Productions (www.pridmoria.com) stopped by the other day to take some cute newborn pictures of my little man, or my Doodie as I like to call him (despite his Uncle Colby's wishes!) Enjoy and we hope to see you all soon!

Kendall, Calen and Codi

It's Baby Month!

Happy Baby Month as my good friend Sophie texted me on the 1^st of August!  I cannot believe we are here!  Baby Lucas expected arrival date is in 16 DAYS which really means that this could happen at any time now!  All of you could be aunties and uncles and grandparents at any moment!  And don’t worry!  We will keep ya posted on our progress.  Calen is ON IT!

Speaking of Calen, not to put words into his mouth but he seems pretty ready for this baby to be here.  On top of making a list of people to call when the baby starts rollin in, he also has packed our hospital go bag.  I came home to find the bag staring at me in the hallway last week and I have continued to ignore it.  I feel like if I acknowledge that it’s there then this baby is going to know we are ready and head towards the light!!!  In fact, I do NOT feel ready!  I mean, how can one really feel ready for something like this?  I am sure that I will be fine when the time comes, but not until then.  I feel like I am in this weird holding pattern and that the floor is going to fall out beneath me at any moment.  No…you know what I really feel like? I feel like I am on the Tower of Terror ride at California Adventure for the first time.  I LOVE that ride!  I have already stood in line in anticipation and excitement (that’s my 9 month pregnancy,) and now I am finally on the ride, knowing what is about to come…but not exactly.  I mean, you get the jist just by watching the ride from below.  It is going to take you to the top and then drop you.  But you don’t know exactly what other “bumps” are going to come before you get to the big drop.  Wow, this is ridiculous.  But it is how I am feeling so go with me!

Last week I had a bump in the road.  I haven’t been sleeping well and Braxton Hicks contractions have begun to set it.  Because of my lack of sleep, I was emotionally and physically drained and Friday I was at the end of my rope.  At work I couldn’t keep my eyes open and as I sat at my desk all I wanted to do was cry.  I ended up leaving at 2PM and went home to sleep for the rest of the day.  My sleeping pattern continued into Saturday taking naps every few hours and trying to regain my energy.  But like I said, it was just a little bump that I wasn’t expecting and I started to catch my breath again.  And today I am hitting another bump.  Even as I write this, I have a massive headache and I am flip flopping back and forth between being extremely hot and freezing.  But I am hanging in there.  I HATE not knowing when the big “drop” is going to come, (ps I do realize how graphic and weird the word drop is here but oh well) but I know we are getting closer.

Calen as always is being more than wonderful…even if he did pack the dreaded bag.  He is my strength when I come home from work and knowing he is there for me to lean on takes the world off of my shoulders.  I am not in this alone, and my partner is ready, so even if I don’t feel ready he is going to get me through this…we are going to do this together.  AND WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A BABY SOON!  Now THAT is exciting!  His room is ready, we have all we think we need, and our love for him is already bubbling over.

So now we wait together friends.  Any guesses on when he will be here and how much he is going to weigh and all of that stuff?  Fill out your guesses here and we will see who is the closest!  Click on the link below and in the upper left hand corner where it asks for the "Game Name" enter: CLucasGuess

http://www.expectnet.com/game.php

Keep up those awesome prayers for our family as we come to a new chapter in this journey!  Love you!

 Kendall