Motherhood

All I ever wanted was to marry my perfect someone (check!) and to be a mom (check!). It's still so surreal to me that both of those things are now the biggest parts of my life.
Riley went back to work over the weekend which meant I would be completely on my own with Sweet Mason for three full days. I know, probably not that big of a deal, but I will admit I was a bit terrified. I have learned to appreciate Riley even more since we have become parents. I already knew he was the most patient, funny, smart, and determined person I have ever met. And good looking I might add! But watching him be a dad has revealed a whole new side. As previously mentioned, I was fairly sick for the first two days after having Mason. The magnesium they put me on made me groggy, shaky, nauseated, and tired beyond reason. The only way I can describe it is like on The Hunger Games (I know how lame the reference is... Sue me!) when they get stung by those crazy wasps. I was pretty much useless. And my Riley stepped up in the biggest way. He did everything. All the diaper changes, all the communication with the hospital staff about both mine and Mason's care, kept our families posted with updates and pictures, and comforted me through the pain and fatigue I was feeling. Riley is a rock star. And since we have been home it he hasn't taken a break. He is up with me for every late night and early morning feeding, bathes Mason so I can "get ready" for my day, rocks the baby to sleep, keeps the house tidy, and handles the stress of providing for a family of three like he has been doing it for years. This man of mine is truly amazing. I couldn't be more blessed.
That all said, when the time came for him to go back to work, my anxiety was through the roof!
It was a weekend of trial and error, but I think I'm finally getting the hang of this mom thing. And when Riley went to work this morning for his two day shift, I wasn't even scared! I have learned all sorts of tricks! For instance, hampers are useless. If you simply put clothes directly into washer, you just have to turn it on when it's full! This week I have learned to do pretty much everything with one hand so the other can be holding Mason. My shirt always has spit up on it, so between the three of us, there are no less than 5 wardrobe changes a day. I have been peed on four times now, once was a direct shot to the face. But I have gotten the hang of changing boy diapers and am proud to report that if necessary, I can successfully change a poop in less than one minute.
I am loving every minute of being a mom. I love what it has done to mine and Riley's relationship. I love sitting on the couch with Mason trying to make him smile and forcing my finger into his tiny fist. I love that it feels like he has always been a part of our family. I love late at night when I just get to hold him and smell him and sing every children's song I know. And when I run out, just singing regular songs really slow and quiet to make them sound like lullabyes.
I love Riley.
I love Mason.
I love motherhood.

Week One

Well, Sweet Mason is 11 days old. I cant believe it. The week really has flown by and I can already see little changes in my baby boy.
We were lucky enough to have our moms come stay with us for the whole week. They got here Thursday morning and jumped right in. Thank you will never be enough! I didn't wash a single load of laundry, every meal was made, dishes were done, and all of my parenting questions and insecurities about motherhood were answered. Riley and I are truly blessed with the mothers in our lives. I hope I can be even half as good a mom to Mason as my mom has been, and continues to be, to me
Mase is doing great! He is such a little champ. We are starting to get the hang of the eating thing, and he is a great sleeper. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect baby.
Updates again soon!
Xoxo

MASON RILEY STEWART

I still can't believe it. Our baby boy is finally here and he is so perfect. We are completely obsessed.
I'll start at the beginning and try to be brief, but those who read this blog (both of you...) know that short entries are not my forte.
Friday night was totally normal. I had a bit of a headache and my feet and ankles were fairly swollen, but both of those are normal occurrences when you are a week away from your due date. Riley was working at this station this weekend, so after dropping dinner off with him, and running a few loads of laundry, I went to bed a little bit early.
This is where I may give a bit too my information, but what birth story doesn't right?
Anyway, Saturday morning I woke up and was bleeding quite a bit. For some reason though, i felt very peaceful and calm. I called Riley and explained that he needed to come home ASAP. He too was very calm, and said he would be right there. I then called the doctors office, who assured me they would have the on call OB call me within 15 minutes to let me know what we should do. However, I felt very strongly we needed to go in, and was thinking very clearly. I packed our stuff, got changed, and within ten minutes of making the first call to Riley, we were in the car.
On the way, the doctor called back and pretty much reaffirmed what we already were doing. Bleeding was never a good thing, and we should make our way to the hospital... Duh!
When we arrived at the hospital, we were introduced to the first of many blessings that day. Our nurse named Mary. She is very Irish, and the sweetest woman in the world. I dont know how we could have done this without her. More on that later...
So Mary checked us in, helped me change into a gown and settled Riley in doing some paperwork. Then she checked my vitals. My blood pressure was through the roof. "Are you nervous my love?", asked Mary in her beautiful accent. I told her surprisingly no, I felt pretty mellow. She had me lay down for a few minutes then checked it again. Still high. After changing blood pressure cuffs twice, and putting me in several different positions. It was determined that with the bleeding and my high blood pressure, we were in pre-labor and the baby needed to come out now.
The next twenty minutes are still a bit of a blur to me. Mary was so sweet, but made it very clear that we were in an urgent situation and things needed to get movin! She gave Riley his scrubs, had me sign a bunch of paperwork, and before I knew it, I was in a wheelchair headed for the OR.
Riley had to stay outside while I got my Spinal Block. I was absolutely terrified, and I'm sure Riley was nervous sitting in the cold hallway on a chair by himself as they wheeled me back.
The nurses moved me to a really skinny metal table and I remember Mary asking me to hunch my shoulders and take a deep breath. The Spinal hurt far less than I had thought it would. I felt my whole back go warm, like when the sun comes out after it's behind a cloud. And before I could lay on the table, my legs were totally numb. It was beautiful!
Then doctors then put a curtain across my chest to hide whatever gruesome procedure was happening on the other side, and when they had determined that the anesthesia was doing it's job, they brought Riley back.
I can't tell you how comforting that was. The room was cold, and in no way "friendly" and I was admittedly pretty scared but Riley walked over, grabbed my hand, and smiled. He was cool as a cucumber. Mary walked us through the whole thing. About 5 or 6 minutes in she said "I see some dark hair. Here come the shoulders. Lots of pressure..." and then I heard the cutest cry in the entire world! I looked at Riley and we both lost it. It was the best feeling in the entire world. Any fear or anxiety was totally gone. Our baby boy was finally here!
The doctor let me have a quick look and then they took my little Mason over to get weighed and measured. Riley got to go with him, and when they had announced that he was 8 pounds 3 ounces, and 19.5 inches long, they swaddled him all up and handed him to his daddy. Riley and Mas came back to their chair by me and the three of us just got to chill and get to know each other while they closed me up.
In recovery, they put Mason right on my chest and I just got to snuggle him for an hour or so. It truly was heaven. Riley and I couldn't believe how sweet our little baby is. I had only met him 10 minutes earlier, but it was like he had always been a part of our family.
Mary checked my vitals again. Blood pressure still very high. Shocker... Not. She was very nervous about it though. I guess developing pre-eclampsia postpartum is fairly uncommon and definately something to be worried about.
Anyway, to save you all the boredom of the rest of this ridiculously long post, I was put on a 24 hour dose of Magnesium to prevent seizures until my pressure could be controlled. It's pretty much the most unpleasant thing I can think of. I just felt yucky and cloudy and achy for a couple of days. They kept us in Labor and Delivery for a few days for observation, but now we are in the regular Materinity Ward and life is peachy. Aside from some anemia, and a little incision pain, recovery has been a breeze. The hospital staff has been absolutely fabulous, and Mr. Mason is doing great! He is currently getting his first Jersey Tan in hopes of curing a little jaundice, and Riley and I just get to stare at this little miracle.
I can't even describe (even in this loooooooong post...) how blessed I am. I just sit in this hospital room and look and my two boys and am so humbled at what I have been entrusted with. Riley is more than I could have ever hoped for. He is the most amazing husband in the world. Throughout the whole pregnancy, and the birthing experience he has been my number one supporter. He does things I wouldn't expect anyone to do, and he does it with a smile on his face. Aside from all of that, he is already the perfect dad. Mason is so lucky to have this guy around! He changes all the diapers and burps Mas after he eats because I havent been able to get up or do a whole lot. Mason knows his voice and the minute Riley walks over, or puts his hand on his tummy, he stops crying and just looks up at his dad.
Heavenly Father couldn't have given me a better family. I am so thankful that Mason is here and healthy and happy. I am thankful for my knowledge of Eternal Families and that these two handsome boys are mine for the long haul!