Two weeks gone already!!

This has been the fastest 2 weeks of my life! Two weeks ago today our cute baby boy was born. The first week was a hard adjustment, especially since me and baby had some health issues (Connor got a staph infection from the hospital and I developed some kind of a rash that I'm still trying to get rid of, to name a few). But the second week has been much easier, and now I think we're starting to get the hang of things. My mom spent the first week with us and then Brad's parents came down to help us for the second week.

Connor is doing great. He's eating like an ox (and would probably eat the ox, too, if I gave that to him). His 2 week doctor visit was yesterday (Thursday) and we discovered our little kiddo has already gained a pound and a half since we left the hospital (he was born 9 lbs 2 oz, he left 2 days later at 8 lbs. 8 oz. and is now 10 lbs. 1 oz.)!! So he's certainly not wanting for food...

He is getting bigger everyday and he is such a good baby. He sleeps and eats in roughly 3 hour intervals (like when I was pregnant with him!), sometimes a little longer now that he's getting bigger, and he is so happy and smiles a ton. He is more alert and he can already hold his head up really well. We love our little guy so much and it's been so fun watching him grow over this last little while. We are so excited to see what the days, weeks, and years ahead will bring!

Here are Connor's stats from his 2 week doctor visit:

Weight: 10 lbs. 1 oz. (90th percentile)
Length: 22 inches (90th percentile)
Head: 37.5 cm (75th percentile)

And a few pictures from the second week:

Snuggling with Grandma Jeppson

Saying goodbye to Grandpa Jeppson on Sunday (Grandma Jeppson stayed until the following Sunday).


He is too cute when he sleeps!

Visitors!! So nice to see someone from the outside world after being cooped inside for 2 weeks!

I went in to check on him during a nap and he was wide awake just hangin' out in his bed! Not even a peep!

Play time with Grandma.








Hangin' with dad.



Again, too cute when he sleeps!

This is how he falls asleep after I feed him - with his little arms tucked under his chin. Love it.


First time using his baby bath. We're not too sure about it at first, but he quickly warmed up to it.

"Hey, hey ladies, join me in the hot tub? Fist bump."

Fantastic mowhawk and a great picture that shows how much he looks like his daddy!!


We just love our little boy!!

Introducing... Connor Trent Jeppson

He's here!!! Our baby boy and newest member of the Jeppson household, Connor Trent Jeppson, was born at 12:08 a.m. on October 23, 2009. It was a long labor (28 hours from the time we entered the hospital on 10/21 at 8 p.m. to his birth; 17 hours once they finally started Pitocin on 10/22 at 7 a.m.) but well worth the wait. He is beautiful and healthy, and we love him to pieces. He weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs 2 oz. and was measured by hospital staff as 20 inches long, although according to the first doctor's visit a few days after birth, he is actually 21 inches long.

Brad is a wonderful daddy and Connor already adores him. He waits on me hand and foot because I now have a hard time moving around, and stayed up long nights with Connor in the hospital to let me sleep. He dove right into diaper changing and even shows his soft side by giving Connor kisses (don't tell him I told you :) ). We love being parents and this has been by far the best week of our lives. We are so excited for the wonderful years ahead...

A special thanks to my mom who has been staying with us since we came home from the hospital Sunday afternoon. The first week has been unimaginably hard and would have been near impossible without her help. She does everything for us right now and we are so grateful for her. This weekend the Jeppson grandparents come down from Utah and will take over helping with baby. We are so blessed to have such wonderful families who are supportive and so willing to help.

Thank you all for your love and prayers in our behalf. We can't wait to introduce him to all of you!! Here is a slew of pictures, mostly for the Utah Jeppson grandparents and other relatives living far away. The rest of you may get bored. :)


Admitted to Torrance Memorial Hospital at 8:15 p.m. on October 21, 2009.

Eagerly waiting for baby.

To pass the time - movies and surfing the net.

How I LOVE epidurals! Getting some much needed shuteye during active labor before pushing.

Born at 12:08 a.m. (actually 12:06 but the doctor forgot to say until we asked what time they were recording it at a couple minutes later).

The most amazing feeling ever when they place that little baby on your chest!!


Getting cleaned off by the nurse.

Cute (and long!) little baby toes - Brad is holding a nickel up to them in the picture below to give you a scale!!


Proud papa just minutes after birth.


Getting dressed for the first time.


He absolutely loves to be swaddled. The only time he cried in the hospital besides when he was hungry or getting needle pricked was when he was unswaddled.








I think he looks like me in this picture, but if you see him in person he is all papa. His ears, eyes, nose, lips, feet and toes, hands and fingers are identical to Brad's. He even has little side burns like his dad!! The only things he inherited from me/Carver side are his hair (even though it will all most likely fall out soon like mine did), maybe his face shape, his cleft chin (from me and Grandpa Carver), and his dislike of being cold. Who do you think he looks like??

Proud Grandpa Carver (for the second time).

Snuggling with Auntie Ady.

Snuggling with Auntie Claire.

Meeting cousin Jaxson (6 mos.) for the first time - so cute!!

Grandma Carver with both grandsons Jaxson and Connor.

After a long, hard labor every girl needs a Bailey's shake - thanks sisters!

This is why we call him our little snuggle bug. He loves to lay on your chest and snuggle.



I don't know why Connor is yawning in this pic. It should be Braddy. He stayed up many long nights with the baby changing diapers and pacing the floor so mommy could sleep. What a great husband and father!

Last pictures before going home from the hospital.








Home at last.

Meeting Uncle Jono (Ady's husband).

First bath - he does not like to be cold.


Brad is a natural.

We're teaching him "young"!!

Connor is super smiley all the time. If you come to visit he will likely flash you a brilliant one. I just can't get enough.



Grandma Carver and our little snuggle bug. Thanks for all your help mom!! We would have died without you!

We are a happy family.

Ding!!

Baby is officially done cooking!! Our bags are packed, my belly button (a.k.a. turkey timer) has popped, and our house has never been cleaner. Today is my due date (10/21) and tonight I will be induced. The eviction notice has been signed and baby will come out whether he wants to or not!

Today, as my last day as a childless adult, I plan on doing nothing but pampering myself. Lunch out, pedicure, and lots of relaxation (if my nerves will allow). We are leaving for the hospital tonight at 7 p.m. so I can be induced and baby will most likely be born tomorrow, October 22. I think that will be a great birthday!

Brad and I are excited and we can't wait to meet our little baby boy! I wonder all the time what/who he will look like and now the wait is finally over!!

Check back in a couple days (probably Thursday) for baby's first pictures! Can't wait for you all to meet him!

Belly Pictures!!

On Saturday when Brad and I were down in OC visiting my parents, my sister Claire took some belly pictures of/for us at a lake near their house. I am 39 weeks today - only 7 days to go!! Unless, of course, the baby has other plans... I'm getting the eviction notice ready... :)








I couldn't help putting this one in, I think it's hilarious. Brad was DONE taking pictures by this point. :)



Won't Brad make a great daddy? (This is our nephew Jaxson who is now 6 months old!!)


A little update on how I'm doing: I'm feeling quite large these days (as you might have guessed from the pictures - I'm HUGE!!). I'm now done with work (my last day was Thursday 10/8) and now I spend all my time getting ready for baby. I'm nesting BIG TIME!! I've never been a clean freak but now, all of a sudden, every little spec of dust in our house is completely unacceptable. I am sleeping a little better these days, and I think it's because I'm wearing myself out during the day cleaning my house from top to bottom. Brad and I are still working on a name, but I think we're a little closer. We can't wait for our little guy to join us soon!!

Pregnancy

So, I'm not gonna lie. There are many things about pregnancy that are less than glamorous. Here's what I mean:

One of the worst side effects - kankles, elephant feet, and piggy toes at the end of the day (heat makes it worse):

Fortunately after sleeping/laying down for 8 hours, they are back down by the next morning (notice there are actually spaces between my toes):

And this is what my left hand looks like now cuz my hands are a little swollen most days:

To add to the list: between frequent trips to the bathroom and the impossibility of rolling over in bed without being fully away, a good night's sleep has become completely foreign to me; it is increasingly difficult to get out of a chair or bend over to pick something up; my back protests quite loudly now from the weight gain; the ever-present double chin; and many others that I will spare you for TMI's sake.

However, this is what makes it all worth it:

Jelly Bean is alive!! (And does this not remind you of the movie Alien?) He visibly moves around like this all the time now and I was finally able to capture it on video. He's an actual person!! He kicks and moves, and (my favorite) flinches at loud noises near his head. He sleeps and wakes up in regular intervals (let's hope that keeps up after birth) and, near as I can tell, really loves to kick box and break dance (usually across my ribs). He kicks when I eat (probably because the food takes up what little space he has left) and also when I listen to music or sing (maybe he's telling me to shut up?). It is so amazing to get a sense of his personality already, and to see sharp protrusions from my belly that are his little feet, knees, and elbows. I am now 35 weeks pregnant and I can't wait to meet him in only 5 short weeks!!! CRAZY!

For now, here are a couple of belly pictures to date:

In Hawaii, 21 weeks (I love my maternity swimming suit!)

Father's Day in OC, 22.5 weeks

Hiking with Jeppson Family in Yosemite, 27 weeks

In our El Segundo apartment, 34 weeks

We are still working on a name for our little guy, but with all the talking and joking around about the name Trent Rex Jeppson, it's kinda starting to grow on us... is that horrible to plague him with the inevitable nick name? We have a few other names we're thinking about too, so we'll see what he ends up with...

5 WEEKS AND COUNTING!!!

Back from blogging hiatus.........

So, I've been super lazy with my blogging these last 2 and a half months and the blog-worthy events have been piling up. I promised myself I was going to stay on top of blogging, but what can I say... I was doing so good for a while, until our big Hawaii trip in June (more on that still to come) which is a huge post that I just kept putting off.

So this post will serve for now as a no-we're-not-dead update on what we've been up to this last little while.

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In preparation for the significant free-time-reduction that will occur at the end of October, Brad and I decided to go on a big trip as our last hurrah - just the two (and a half) of us before we become 3. We got a good (not great - Brad's Masters class final conflicted with the great deal, bummer) deal on a 7-day cruise around the Hawaiian Islands for the beginning of June. We were in Hawaii for a total of 10 days (June 5-14) so, as a teaser for the more detailed post soon to follow (I hope), here is 1 picture for every day of our spectacular Babymoon, as we've heard it called:

Brad sitting at the deck gun on the Bowfin Submarine in Pearl Harbor - Oahu.

U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor - Oahu.

The beautiful Road to Hana - Maui.

Amazing black sand beach - Maui.

Kilauea Caldera Volcano - Big Island of Hawaii.

Waterfall inside Hawaiian Botanical Gardens - Big Island of Hawaii.

Absolutely breathtaking view from our helicopter ride over Kauai - it was so hard to choose just one picture for this! I love that you can see the reef so clearly in this picture and how gorgeous turquoise the water is.

At the Smith Family Luau - these two fine gentlemen are digging up our dinner. The piggy was DELICIOUS! - Kauai

Braddy and me in front of the Laie Hawaii Temple. The grounds are gorgeous - Oahu.

Our last day in Hawaii, we met up with my Uncle Mike and his friend Steve for breakfast on the back patio of a hotel on Waikiki Beach. It was fun to catch up, and the scenery was picturesque - Oahu.

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Father's Day was the first Sunday after we returned from Hawaii, and this is what I got for Brad:

Happy late Father's Day, Honey!

Also on Father's Day, we visited with my family in OC. And this is one thing I did while we were there:

It's a big change for me, but I love it - special thanks to my sister, Claire, who is a fabulous hair dresser! I cut off a total of 11 inches and donated it to Locks of Love.

P.s. Anyone in So. Cal. or OC who is looking for a great hair stylist - Claire's email address is clairedoeshair@gmail.com. She is amazing at doing hair - cut, color, weave, up-do, you name it! Her salon is in San Juan Capistrano.

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On July 20-26, Brad and I were in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks with Brad's family for our annual Jeppson Family Vacation. We visited Yosemite for 3 days, Sequoias for 2 days, and then drove the few hours back down to our apartment in El Segundo where all 8 of us stayed for 3 more days. It was a little squishy, but it was a blast. This was the first family vacation we have had (while Brad and I have been married) with everyone home from their missions. The first 2 years, Brad's younger brother Brandon was on his mission in Russia; and Brad's next youngest brother Jordan just got home from his mission in Peru in April of this year. It is fun to see all the Jeppson brothers together again; we call them the 3 stooges. I don't have any pictures of our trip yet, I will have to get them from my sister-in-law Jen (Brandon's wife).

While we were on our family vacation, Braddy turned the big 2-7 (on July 22)!! And it just so happened that Jelly Bean was also exactly 27 weeks along on Brad's 27th birthday. His birthday present from me was the Star Wars movies 1-6 on DVD. Happy late birthday, Love!

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2 weeks after Brad's birthday (9 days ago, today) we had another fun day to celebrate. On August 5th, 2005 Brad and I were married in the Salt Lake Temple. 4 years and one baby bump later, we are happy, healthy, and so excited to have a little one on the way. Because our big Hawaii trip also served as our anniversary adventure this year, we kept our celebrations on the actual day a little more low key. We went out to dinner at El Torrito that night before I went to mutual, and the following Saturday we went shopping together. I can't believe 4 years has gone by already. We have so much fun together, and I'm excited to see where else life will lead us in the years to come. Happy late 4-year anniversary, Babe!

August 5, 2005

June 13, 2009 (This was in the Visitor's Center at the Laie, HI temple - I didn't take a picture of us on our anniversary and this is the closest I have.)

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Well, that should do it for now. I will post more about our Hawaii and Yosemite/Sequoia Trips soon. Thanks to all those who kept reminding me to update our blog!

Fun For Both of Us

I realize my blog has been about nothing but babies and jelly beans since we announced our happy news, but I just can't help my excitement over the latest fun thing to happen.

I have been feeling baby move for the last couple weeks now. At first I felt him only about once a day, now it's every couple hours. I noticed today that Jelly Bean is starting to kick pretty hard and while working away at my computer with my elbows at my side, I felt the strongest kick yet. The point, you ask?? I could feel it on my arm (not just in my tummy), which means Jelly Bean's kicks can now be felt from the outside of my tummy!

Even better than that (but along those same lines), Brad got to feel the baby's kicks for the first time today!! Jelly Bean did very well and kicked for daddy several times when he placed his hand on my tummy. I have been so excited for Brad to be able to feel baby, and now he can. I just love being pregnant (except for the sickness, exhaustion, aches, pains, and the constant need to pee :) ). It is so amazing to feel our baby kick and move and grow.

In other news, this Memorial Day weekend was a blast. Brad and I (and my entire family in OC) went to Utah for several days to see 2 cousins get married and my new nephew get blessed. We also got to visit with Brad's family for a couple of days, which is always a good time. Pictures will follow soon...

While hanging out with my cousins this weekend, a few of us put our heads together to help Brad and me come up with a names for Jelly Bean. Thomas Rex Jeppson and Trent Rex Jeppson were two suggestions (Thomas, Rex, and Trent are all names of relatives). If we named Jelly Bean either of these, we could call him T-Rex! What little boy wouldn't love that?! Another suggestion was Rex Bradford Jeppson, in which case we could call him R&B. While I love these suggestions, I think we will keep looking. :)

Name suggestions are always welcome... :)