Reese Morgan Jensen

Our precious baby joined our family on April 26, 2012.  I was due the 28th but when my doctor asked if I wanted to be induced I said, "yes please!"  So after a sleepless night, Morgan and I headed to the hospital at 7 am and I was started on pitocin.  By 8, I was starting to have regular contractions. Our nurse Karen was wonderful and we found out that she was good friends with Morgan's aunt Tami.  Several hours later the contractions were getting pretty intense so she started me on iv pain medicine.  Morgan was so wonderful through everything!  He stayed right by me and when a contraction started he would rub my feet and legs and tell me how proud he was of me. I couldn't have asked for a better coach :) 

A couple hours later Karen told me I could have my epidural, which was always the part I was the most nervous about.  It seems silly but I'm not a huge fan of needles but I will say it wasn't near as bad as I ever thought it would be.  It was mainly just a lot of pressure.  Anyway once that kicked in, I was a happy camper.  It took a little longer for it to work on my right side so that was kind of interesting feeling contractions on one side of my body.  After the epidural Dr. Huggins came to check my progress and break my water.  Everything was right on track.  Then around 6 o'clock my epidural quit working and I started to really feel the contractions.  We tried upping the dose to my epidural and our nurse had the anesthesiologist come check things out.  Nothing worked so for the rest of the labor and the delivery I felt pretty much everything.  I was dilated to a 9 but I started to really feel the urge to push.  Dr. Huggins was with another patient so my nurse helped me push to get to a 10.  When the baby started crowning she called in Dr. Huggins.  During the last 15 minutes or so I remember feeling so exhausted, drained, and overwhelmed but on top of all of those feelings my main concern was for my baby and that he was going to be ok.  I can't even describe how amazing it felt to have that little angel placed in my arms.  It was such a special moment that I will never forget!  We're so grateful he made it here safe and sound.

Proud mommy and daddy :)

So in love!

Reese in his cute little hat one of the nursery nurses made him

Daddy and Reese 

All dressed and ready to go home!

Isn't he adorable??  We are so blessed and happy to have him as a part of our family!

Here's a sneak peek from his newborn photo shoot :)

3D ultrasound + thoughts on becoming a mommy :)

When Morgan and I went to our 20 week appointment to find out we were having a precious baby boy (yay!), they mentioned the option of doing a 3D ultrasound between 28 and 30 weeks and we thought, "I bet its amazing but there's no way we'll be able to afford that on top of everything". Then at my 26 week appointment I asked how much it would be and here is where I want to give a special shout-out to Dr. Margaret Huggins and her wonderful practice...they do it for free as long as you've been they're patient throughout your pregnancy. They said that they do it ask kind of a thank you for the ladies who did their 20 week ultrasound with them. There was more to it than that (but I had no clue what she was talking about) so I was just excited to have a chance to "see" our baby! Here's some of our favorites!

I know I'm biased but he is without a doubt the most beautiful baby I've ever seen! Those at those chubby cheeks and that perfect little chin!

Rubbing his eye :)

Apparently he likes to be curled up nice and tight...at first we couldn't really see his face because he was holding both of his legs up by his head. This shows his leg and little foot and his hand by his eye.

Precious tiny baby feet!

Isn't it amazing?? When Morgan and I first started trying to start our little family I remember promising myself that I was never going to be one of those pregnant ladies who complained all the time about how awful she felt, and while I've been blessed with a good and pretty easy pregnancy so far (knock on wood haha) I've tried really hard to stick to that. Sure the side effects aren't always super peachy, but when I start to feel like whining, I remind myself that I get to be part of one of the greatest miracles that we can experience in this life!

Morgan and I have shared with each other multiple times how grateful we've been for the two plus years we've had as just the two of us. And while it's different for every couple and it's between them when they want to start their family, I wouldn't trade these past two years for anything! Marriage definitely isn't easy; there's so much to learn about each other and there are so many obstacles you need to learn how to overcome together. I believe that this time together has helped better prepare us to become parents and now we couldn't be more thrilled about this little bundle of joy that's coming in less than 3 months!

It has been overwhelming emotionally, cleaning out the second bedroom and getting his furniture put together and moved it. It's hard to explain the anticipation, excitement, and fear that builds as it gets closer. I've started having doubts about knowing how to really care for a baby, thoughts like not knowing how to comfort him or being unsure of how to handle the challenges that come as he gets older. Then I realize that everyone has probably had similar fears. I won't be alone; I am blessed with incredible support all around me, the gospel, my wonderful husband, and great examples of mothers on both sides of our families. Every time this little guy wiggles around I am overwhelmed with love for him and excitement for the road ahead.

Baby update :)

Well here's an update on our little guy :) I'm 26 weeks along and as of our last checkup everything is looking great and he's growing right on schedule! He's plenty wiggly but not so much that I don't enjoy feeling him moving around :) It's been so fun to follow an online pregnancy calendar we found which gives us an idea of what's developing when. For example this week his eyes will open and he'll be able to cry and by next week he should be able to recognize his mommy's voice :) I've loved being able to read to him and to feel him wiggle in response. It really is such a miracle! And while being pregnant has it's discomforts, I love it and I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to help give life to something so precious! We still have about 14 weeks until we can meet our little man but I already love him more than I ever thought was possible.

A look at our baby at 20 weeks...such a doll!

Here's my bump at 25 weeks! I'm pretty sure I'll be a whale by the time he gets here since I don't really have anywhere for him to go but out :)

He still doesn't have a name yet but we have several in mind that we're trying out. I have a feeling we won't be able to decide on one until we see him :)

It's a boy!!!!

Yes it's a boy! And we're so excited to see him in less than four months!! More to come later but for now...I'm just enjoying feeling our little guy moving around :) What an amazing experience! I can't wait to be a mommy!

A letter to me

I love November! I love the feeling of fall and the constant reminders to be grateful for all of my blessings! Today as I was coming home from work, Brad Paisley's song "A Letter to Me" came on the radio and I couldn't help but think of where I'm at in my life and all of the advice I wish I could have given to myself when I was in high school. If I could write a letter to me, it would go something like this...

Dear Me,

I want to start by saying I know what you're going through and I want you to know that it won't last forever, despite what you may think. You have wonderful parents, friends, and the blessings of the gospel to help you through your hard times. The hurt you're feeling will slowly fade, and it will be replaced by knowledge, compassion, and a greater appreciation of the Atonement. Life won't always be easy, but you're learning how to get through the hard times

and how to better recongize the precious moments life gives us. Forgiveness won't come easy; give yourself time and you'll know when you're ready.

In the meantime I want you to know you have so much to look forward to! Don't be in a rush to get married, enjoy college and roommates and when the time is right you'll know. You're husband will be more amazing than you ever hoped. He'll make you feel special and beautiful and safe. And when the time is right you two will be blessed with a beautiful baby. Until then, make the most of the time you have just the two of you. You'll create memories together and you'll learn to love and appreciate each other even more.

Here are a few more tidbits of advice...don't spend so much money on clothes, save more (trust me it'll come in handy). It's never worth the extra few points on a project to stay up all night working on it, try not procrastinating instead. Don't sweat the little stuff. Learn to go with the flow. Make the most of your job; the children you will work with are so precious and you have so much to learn from them! Remember, grandparents don't live forever; take advantage of your time with them. Ask lots of questions and remember the sweet things they do for you.

Embrace who you are and remember that your hurt won't last forever. You have a beautiful life to look forward to and a past that will help you become a better and stronger person.

With love,

Me

A long time coming...

Well we finally made it to the doctor for our ultrasound. Our original appointment was about a month ago but we kept having to push it back because of harvest. I was so nervous...I'm not sure why I just was. But when we went into the room for the ultrasound and we saw our baby for the first time I couldn't hold back the tears. It was so incredible! I was amazed at how much we could see, the little arms and legs and a beautiful profile. Our baby looks absolutely perfect :) The tech even commented on how amazing it looked and asked if she could keep a couple to send in for some study at the hospital (I didn't understand most of what she said) but she said our baby was in the perfect position for what they needed. Isn't our baby beautiful!

It was such a wonderful, special experience and I'm so grateful to have an amazing husband to share it with. This journey started almost a year ago when he looked at me and said that he wanted to start trying for a baby. I had been hoping for a while that that was coming but I often tend to rush into things so I was waiting for a confirmation that he felt the same way. We were so sure that we would get pregnant right away and every month that it didn't happen got harder and harder. I started to think that maybe we were meant to adopt, that there were babies brought into the world that were meant to come to our home. I knew if that were the case I wouldn't have loved them any less but it broke my heart thinking about missing the special moments that come with pregnancy.

After so much fasting and prayer, countless blessings and tears, I knew that I needed some kind of answer. So when we went through the temple with Morgan's cousin and her husband, I kept my prayers in my mind and asked Morgan to do the same. After the session I asked him what he felt and we came to the realization that neither of us really felt anything in regards to our questions. I'll admit that I felt so frustrated and defeated. I was sure that the temple would hold our answer. On our way home we stopped to get some groceries and Morgan added a pregnancy test to the pile, (even though I asked him not to). The next morning, I felt inclined to take it. I was sure that the answer would be another let-down but sure enough I saw, very faintly, that second line. I was so excited I couldn't breathe and when I told Morgan I couldn't stop crying!

Since that day, I've still felt like sometimes it's just a dream. And while the nausea isn't fun and I'm not used to being so tired, those things along with my growing belly are beautiful reminders of the special gift that's coming to our home. It's amazing how much we love our baby already!

Yup :)

Ok I know what you're thinking and no I'm not posting a picture of me being chubby :) That's my 11-week baby bump! And we couldn't be more thrilled! It's been a long and emotional journey but the wait has made it that much more wonderful! I can't believe how blessed I am to be able to carry this baby and we're so excited for the adventures ahead!

Here's a couple of our baby pictures...I think ours will be pretty darn cute :)